Christine Kim Career Background
What is your biggest career achievement?
- This date will be engrained in my brain forever. On Feb, 18, 2023, a property in my portfolio suffered a catastrophic fire. The fire displaced 110+ households and took the life of a young woman and her two puppies. The property was built in 1968, before fire sprinklers were mandated in high rise buildings. Therefore, the fire completely obliterated the apartment it originated in, and the smoke damage was very excessive. I preface all this to say that it was a very chaotic and challenging time for not only the residents but also our boots on the ground. We worked around the clock trying to relocate our residents to apartments that were not affected or to hotels until we could get a better sense of rebuild. There were many tears, heightened emotions and so much heart break. I am hopeful that this will be the height of challenge in my career but it was also my biggest achievement due to my absolutely dedicated and amazing team. We have created such a family-like environment that 99% of my other site teams in the area showed up to help without being asked. I truly could not have endured that time without them.
Given your past experiences, what event/ project or moment would you revisit and how would you go about it differently based on your current frame of mind?
- I've always made an effort to treat people with compassion and warmth. Regardless of the situation, the receiving end is a human being with their own lives going on and things that aren't apparent in a 5-minute conversation. This has been an increasingly influential aspect in my life ever since I've been under the leadership of my new manager. She is always able to bring my gentle side out of me in every difficult conversation and allows me to see things in different ways.
We recently had to let go of a property manager because we found over a million of payables unpaid, learned of stealing from the company through vendor work and other shady things. At the time, I was distressed and emotionally very pained. The conversation was short, to the point and unceremonious. I didn't want to get heated in the moment and say things that I didn't mean. However, looking back, I wish I had more courage to find out the motives behind their actions and articulate to them how their actions made me feel. Even if it was just to make sure they never do something like it again. Humans make mistakes.
From your perspective, what is the industry lacking to support the modern renter and how do you plan to help supply that need?
- The multifamily industry is a dinosaur compared to others. In order to change that and keep up with the times, our company is undergoing a massive change in perspective, workflow and infrastructure. We are not reinventing the wheel, but sometimes it feels like we are with this enormous undertaking.
The task force that I have been tapped to help on is focused on centralizing tasks and administrative work that has historically been completed on site. Many companies that already done this and have been widely successful at it. We aren't trailblazing but we refuse to be at the back of the pack.
From start to finish, the modern renter desires automation. They want to research apartments and survey reviews from the comfort of their home. They want to conduct self-guided tour the apartment after hours, apply for the apartment online while chatting with a specialist who can answer any question at a moment's notice. They want to place work orders and pay rent on a resident portal, getting real time updates. We are catering to the modern renter by focusing on the instantaneous needs of our prospects and residents. 200 words is not nearly enough for my thoughts on this!