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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Real Estate Office Administrator

💰 $45,000 - $65,000

Real EstateAdministrationProperty Management

🎯 Role Definition

The Real Estate Office Administrator is the operational backbone of a real estate office or property management portfolio. This role manages day-to-day administrative workflows for leasing, transactions, owner statements, vendor coordination and regulatory compliance. The Administrator maintains CRM and property management systems (for example, AppFolio, Yardi, Buildium, Dotloop), prepares timely financial and occupancy reports, coordinates showings and closings, and ensures documentation integrity across leases, escrows and vendor contracts. Priority responsibilities include delivering high-quality tenant and owner service, reducing vacancy turnaround time, maintaining accurate rent rolls, and supporting brokers, property managers, and leasing teams with efficient processes and clear communication.

Keywords: real estate office administrator, property management, leasing coordinator, transaction coordinator, rent roll, owner statements, AppFolio, Yardi, MLS, lease administration, tenant screening, escrow coordination.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Leasing Agent / Leasing Consultant
  • Administrative Assistant or Office Coordinator
  • Property Coordinator or Maintenance Coordinator

Advancement To:

  • Office Manager / Brokerage Administrator
  • Property Manager or Senior Property Manager
  • Operations Manager / Regional Property Operations Lead

Lateral Moves:

  • Transaction Coordinator
  • Leasing Manager
  • Owner Relations / Client Services Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage the full cycle of residential and/or commercial leasing administration: prepare and review lease agreements, addendums and renewals; coordinate e-signature execution; ensure leases are properly dated, countersigned, and uploaded into the property management system and broker files.
  • Maintain and reconcile the rent roll and occupancy reports weekly and monthly; produce owner statements, rent collection summaries, vacancy reports and other recurring KPI dashboards used by property managers and leadership.
  • Serve as the central point for tenant inquiries and escalations—respond to calls, emails and portal tickets, coordinate routine and emergency maintenance with vendors, and update work order statuses in the property management platform.
  • Conduct tenant screening and application processing: verify income and employment, run background and credit checks in compliance with Fair Housing and company policies, and document application decisions.
  • Coordinate property showings and open houses with leasing agents and prospective tenants; manage scheduling, lockbox access, MLS listing updates, and follow-up communications to convert leads into applications.
  • Oversee transaction coordination for sales and rental closings: collect and organize escrow documentation, coordinate with title/escrow companies and lenders, ensure all brokerage-required documents are complete and submitted within deadlines.
  • Administer accounts payable and receivable functions: process vendor invoices, enter and code bills, prepare deposits, process tenant payments and move-out deductions, and assist with month-end bank reconciliations.
  • Maintain compliance and centralized document management: maintain secure, auditable tenant, owner and transaction files; ensure licensing records and agent broker documents remain current and accessible.
  • Perform CRM and property management system administration: maintain contact records, pipeline hygiene, lead routing rules, custom fields and automated workflows to maximize team efficiency and data accuracy.
  • Prepare customized financial, operational and vacancy reports for owners and senior management; include variance analysis, expense commentary and recommendations to improve NOI and reduce operating costs.
  • Coordinate vendor relationships and procurement: obtain quotes, track vendor insurance certificates and W-9s, schedule contractor work, and manage service-level expectations for vendors and in-house maintenance staff.
  • Handle tenant move-ins and move-outs: perform checklist administration, document pre- and post-inspection notes, process security deposit accounting, and ensure timely unit turnovers.
  • Support listing marketing and advertising: prepare listing flyers, syndicate MLS listings, update property photos and virtual tours, and coordinate social media and local advertising with the marketing team.
  • Maintain office operations and reception duties: greet clients, answer phones, manage mail and courier services, order supplies, and ensure a professional office environment.
  • Assist brokers and property managers with scheduling, calendar management, meeting preparation, and preparation of board or owner meeting materials and presentations.
  • Implement process improvements and standard operating procedures for leasing, maintenance intake, vendor management, and transaction workflows to increase throughput and reduce errors.
  • Monitor legal and regulatory updates affecting leasing and property operations (Fair Housing, local rental regulations, HOA rules), update templates and training materials, and flag compliance risks to management.
  • Act as the backup for payroll data entry and HR administrative tasks including new hire onboarding documentation, training schedules, and maintenance of personnel files.
  • Train and mentor junior administrative staff, leasing assistants or receptionists; create training guides and checklists to scale best practices and ensure consistent service levels across shifts or offices.
  • Coordinate owner and investor communications including monthly reporting packages, ad-hoc performance summaries, capital expenditure requests and responses to owner inquiries.
  • Support insurance and risk management tasks: assist with claims intake, coordinate vendor remediation, track incident reports and ensure properties have required insurance documentation on file.
  • Manage special projects and cross-functional initiatives such as portfolio rollouts, software migrations (CRM or property management systems), lease conversion projects, and onboarding of acquired assets.

Secondary Functions

  • Support local marketing campaigns, community outreach events and tenant engagement initiatives to improve retention and referral leads.
  • Assist leadership with data cleanup projects, mass uploads, data migrations and ongoing CRM or PMS optimization tasks.
  • Participate in recruiting support and interview scheduling for property staff; prepare offer packets and conduct new-hire orientations.
  • Coordinate office technology and third-party vendor relationships for phone systems, internet, printers and software subscriptions.
  • Provide backup support for brokerage transaction file audits and internal compliance reviews.
  • Conduct periodic property inspections in partnership with maintenance or third-party vendors and compile inspection summary reports.
  • Support year-end accounting and tax preparation by preparing supporting documentation for owner statements and vendor payments.
  • Act as a liaison between corporate support teams (accounting, legal, IT) and on-site property staff to resolve cross-functional issues.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proficiency with property management and brokerage platforms such as AppFolio, Yardi, Buildium, Rent Manager, or MRI.
  • Experience using MLS systems and listing syndication tools (Realtor.com, Zillow, Realtor MLS portals).
  • Transaction management tools: Dotloop, Docusign, TransactionDesk, SkySlope or comparable e-signature/document management systems.
  • Strong Excel skills: pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, data validation and building monthly financial spreadsheets and reconciliations.
  • Familiarity with QuickBooks, Xero or other accounting software for AP/AR processing and basic bookkeeping.
  • Tenant screening platforms and background/credit check processes (e.g., TransUnion ResidentScore, Experian or internal screening tools).
  • CRM administration experience (Salesforce, RealPage CRM, HubSpot or brokerage-specific CRMs): data hygiene, pipeline management, and reporting.
  • Document management and records retention best practices (scanning, indexing, secure file storage).
  • Knowledge of lease administration, rent roll management, and owner statement preparation.
  • Competence with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams) and basic office IT troubleshooting.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional written and verbal communication for interacting with owners, tenants, vendors and internal teams.
  • Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize competing deadlines across listings, transactions and maintenance requests.
  • High attention to detail and commitment to accuracy in lease documents, financial reconciliations and regulatory compliance.
  • Customer-service orientation with professionalism, empathy and an ability to de-escalate sensitive situations.
  • Problem-solving mindset and the ability to identify process improvements and implement practical solutions.
  • Confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive financial and personal data.
  • Time management and multi-tasking capability in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
  • Team collaboration and the ability to coach or onboard junior staff and contractors.
  • Adaptability to changing priorities, software updates and seasonal fluctuations in leasing activity.
  • Basic negotiation and vendor management skills to secure timely services and competitive pricing.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent (GED).

Preferred Education:

  • Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Real Estate, Property Management, Finance, Accounting or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Real Estate / Property Management
  • Finance / Accounting
  • Hospitality Management
  • Office Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2–5 years of administrative or office coordination experience, preferably in real estate, property management, leasing or brokerage operations.

Preferred:

  • 3–5+ years of direct experience in a residential or commercial property management or real estate brokerage office.
  • Demonstrated hands-on experience with at least one major property management platform (AppFolio, Yardi, Buildium) and transaction management software (Dotloop, Docusign).
  • Proven track record preparing owner statements, reconciling rent rolls, managing lease documentation and coordinating closings or move-ins/move-outs.
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