Access Property Management

APM Backgrounder:

For more information: info@accesspm.com

Access Property Management Offers Diverse Services for Residential and Commercial Properties  Experience, dedication, and commitment to clients key to company success.

FLEMINGTON, N.J., June 6, 2007 – When it comes to property management solutions offered by Access Property Management (APM), the philosophy is simple: tailor a service plan specific to each client’s needs. Based in Flemington, New Jersey, with regional offices in Edison and Oakhurst, APM is one of New Jersey’s premier property management companies specializing in both residential and commercial property management. Today serving approximately 15,000 units in about 95 community associations throughout New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, APM deals primarily with residential properties with five to 10 percent of APM’s controlled growth coming from the management of commercial properties.

Access Property Management’s unique style, professional staff, varied service offerings, and unmatched dedication to clients are repeatedly cited as what sets the company apart from its competition. The company’s mission, to assure that through ethical, proactive, and personal service, residential and commercial communities benefit from well-maintained property and achieve the greatest possible return on investment, is being realized by a staff that delivers premier and innovative services to clients. As a result, APM is quickly becoming the most sought after property management firm in the region.

Wayde Scheffer founded APM in 1989 after he was unable to find a management company for his condo association board, of which he was president. “I felt that none of the management companies I was interviewing were listening to find out what our specific needs were. They each had a pre-conceived plan in mind, and none of these plans had our association’s objectives or best interests at heart,” says Scheffer. Scheffer concluded that he was looking for a company that could customize a plan, and with the encouragement of fellow board members, he embarked on the path to modeling this innovative management company. Scheffer resigned his position as the condo association’s president and, after forming APM, that same condo association became his first client.

Today, Scheffer is president and chief executive officer of APM. A mid-sized, full-service property management organization, APM is one of fewer than 130 management companies nationwide that has received the Accredited Association Management Company (AAMC) designation from the Community Association Institute (CAI). This recognition is given to the most elite companies in the field that are committed to providing a variety of superior quality service offerings to help community associations achieve their goals. In order to receive and maintain this designation, a senior manager must hold a Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM) designation, and at least half of the company’s managers must hold CAI designations or certifications. The company must also have three years of community association management experience prior to the designation being awarded.

Today APM employs a staff of 45 professionals who have more than 220 collective years of property management experience, as well as varied backgrounds, education, and training. Many of the staff have received personal accreditations, including the PCAM designation, as a result of continued education through CAI. The PCAM designation is the highest professional recognition available in the field, and is given to those managers who have completed extensive education requirements, displayed a commitment to the field of property management, and continue to meet additional educational requirements after being awarded the designation. Scheffer holds the PCAM designation as well as the CAI’s Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) and the Association Management Specialist (AMS) designations.

The staff at APM is encouraged to pursue continued education through the CAI. Because Scheffer values this training for his staff, APM foots the bill for tuition. APM also brings guest speakers to the offices to update the staff about the latest trends and techniques in property management, “I feel that it’s important for all of the staff to continually evolve through education to stay at the top of our field. Staying familiar with this ever-changing industry allows us to do the best work for our clients,” says Scheffer.

The upper-level management of APM is comprised of a group of highly-trained, motivated individuals. In the Flemington office, Scheffer works closely with senior vice president Scott Dalley, who joined APM in 1996 to oversee the company’s property managers in Flemington as well as the two regional offices. Dalley holds the Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) as well as the PCAM, CMCA, and AMS certifications from CAI. He is a current member of New Jersey CAI and a former chair of the organization’s Manager’s Committee.

Denise Lindsey serves as APM’s vice president and heads the Edison office. She holds the CAI’s PCAM, CMCA, and AMS certifications and has participated in the CAI Conference and Expo as a guest speaker, covering topics such as building maintenance programs and meeting the changing needs of established communities. Lindsey also serves as the chairperson of the Education Committee of the New Jersey CAI and is an active volunteer and participant in the organization’s events. Tracy Blair and Patricia Boyce serve as regional vice presidents for the Flemington and Oakhurst offices, respectively. In addition to this staff, APM employs 15 on-site managers and 11 portfolio managers. A professional administrative staff and dedicated site inspection personnel complement each of the three offices.

With financial services being central to the business, APM maintains a full accounting department with services including accounts receivable and payable capabilities, complete monthly financial reporting, work with outside auditors, and an efficient lockbox system. Controller Stacey Nixon, a CPA who also holds a master’s degree in accounting, works closely with clients, attending regular association board meetings and making recommendations on how to improve and maintain fiscal health. By creating an overall financial picture, Nixon is able to alleviate a sense of confusion clients sometimes feel when interpreting their association’s financial statements. “Each financial statement tells a story about an association, and my job is to tell this story to each community association board of directors without overwhelming them with the numbers,” Nixon explains.

Diverse service offerings allow APM to cater to a variety of client needs in both residential communities and commercial properties. Financial and administrative services are available through APM, including assistance with governance, insurance, and communications. APM offers a full range of accounting services, an area in which many other property management companies fall short. The APM accounting staff helps associations with their budgeting, cash flow analysis, and tracking all transactions made by the community.

Planning for the future is an important process that deserves real consideration from association board members. Through capital reserve implementation, the APM accounting staff helps clients project future maintenance needs of major capital components. APM can help factor capital reserve requirements into a client’s annual operating budget, and also monitor an association’s capital reserve to assure that sufficient funding is always in place.

APM can also coordinate building repairs and maintenance, as well as grounds maintenance and landscape services. Because this is routinely done for many clients, APM has a thorough understanding of what these services should cost and can assure clients receive value for the dollars invested. And while most service issues can be handled during normal business hours, APM managers are available evenings and on weekends to provide assistance in emergencies.

APM offers transition services for communities of all sizes that currently work with either another property management company or no property management company. With a-la-carte services catering to the needs of each individual community and the ability to work closely with an association’s current management company, the APM staff ensures a smooth transition to their high quality services and skills.

APM believes that a community association’s greatest assets are the talents and contributions of its own members. For this reason, APM tailors its services within a plan that fits an association’s specific needs, budget, and objectives. To assure that the communities it manages thrive, APM’s highly trained, knowledgeable, and energetic staff will work with and for its clients in an ethical, proactive, personal manner. The APM commitment results in sound advice for smart, fiscally responsibly budgeting allowing for a well-maintained property and satisfied residents who enjoy living in their communities.