🎙️ Getting to Hell Yes! Episode: Brandon Hammond

Brandon Hammond joins the show to unpack one of the most urgent, messy and misunderstood challenges in multifamily and SFR property management: the talent crisis.

With deep experience across multifamily, SFR, student housing and now field services, Brandon walks us through why so many operators are stuck in transactional loops chasing short-term wins over long-term value and what it will take to flip the model.

From incentive misalignment and resident retention to employee development, career pathing, and the looming risk of organized labor, this episode covers what leaders need to hear (and do) now.

💡 Key Takeaways

🔄 Resident Retention Is a Flywheel—Not a Funnel

• Operators talk retention but invest in acquisition.
• The resident journey from inquiry to renewal should be treated as a single continuum.
• A flywheel model builds lasting momentum, unlike a leaky funnel chasing one-year leases.

💰 Incentive Misalignment Is Costing Operators Millions

• Leasing agents are paid for new leases not renewals despite the massive NOI upside of renewals.
• Renewal bonuses are often team-based and diluted, reducing motivation.
• “Follow the money” reveals systemic disincentives for sustainable performance.

🧠 You Can’t Retain What You Don’t Train

• Turnover is highest where training is weakest especially in maintenance.
• Strong onboarding, upskill and values-driven culture reduce churn and burnout.
• Progress Residential cut turnover from 22% to 8% by investing in human-first leadership.

🚨 The Talent Crisis Is Here And It’s a Canary in the Coal Mine

• Thousands of open maintenance roles show how deep the staffing gap is.
• Owners will either invest in people now or pay exponentially more later to private equity–backed vendors.
• If the industry doesn’t fix the talent experience, unionization or collective action may emerge.

🧩 Tech + Talent + Trust = Sustainable Ops

• Asset value and tech efficiency mean nothing without aligned, empowered teams.
• Property management is not zero-sum—people, tech, and profit can grow together.
• “Learn and respond” beats “offer and accept” when leading people into long-term success.

🔥 Brandon’s Big Advice

“This will always be a people business. Understand that early. Invest in your team’s growth, not just their output and you’ll go farther, faster and with more purpose than you thought possible.”