Good Morning, Super!

Finally, the weekend is here! For me, it was a hectic week. Some mistakes were made and valuable lessons were learned. Talking about mistakes, it would be great to get your feedback on this true story:  

The idea of taking on a Part-Time Super / Porter gig is exciting. This can mean more income, an opportunity to learn more, meet more people and add experiences to your professional resume.

But, the hardest part of pricing correctly and making sure the gig is profitable boils down to knowing the job detail (the weekly task list) and accurately predicting how long it will take to get everything done. Once you have this number (whether in total number of weekly or monthly hours), you can calculate your price for a clean profit. 

Nothing will help you more here than an old-fashioned building walk-through. Inspecting a property before you offer a price will give you a chance to understand the complete set of expectations that the customer (property manager, board member, landlord, etc.) will have for his Part-time Super or Porter service. 

Follow me through a small, 20-unit building as I perform a basic-level walk-through and check out those things that will determine how many weekly visits this gig will require and how many minutes or hours each visit will take. 

For the Youtube Version, click the thumbnail below:

Also, if you need a  walk-through task checklist to start off, click the thumbnail below and download the PDF version.

It's great to start seeing things return to some sort of normal. Yesterday, I walked into a neighborhood gym (yes, it's time for me to reverse my pandemic weight gain) and I was given the choice not to wear a mask. It seemed like Twilight Zone.

In the second part of this episode with Albert Laracuente, we'll continue on our journey getting to know this Part-time Super in NYC.

We'll get his take on pricing and how he sizes a potential building as an opportunity, the hardest part of being an entrepreneur-superintendent.

So, sit back and enjoy a discussion on:

• The life-changing decision why Albert suddenly decided to become a part-time building super

See the YouTube Video by clicking the thumbnail below:

This podcast (and Youtube video) covers a topic that comes up time and time again: What are boards and property managers really looking for when we're being interviewed.

This podcast is about Hank Wisner.

You may already know Hank through the building trades if you, or your building, have ordered building supplies through National Maintenance Supply, one of NYC's leading janitorial supplies and services company, which he represents.

But, another surprising side to him is that Hank is also a great educator and the co-founder of the immensely popular Residential Manager Emergency Response Team ("RMERT"), a course that prepares an Resident Manager and other building staff for human-made or natural disasters, which he created with his partner, Peter Morici.

This course is designed to turn building staff into first responders with knowledge about how to approach a catastrophic event in which lives are stake and where there may even be human casualties.

See the Youtube version:

Course website: https://rmert.com/

In this episode, you'll meet Albert Laracuente, who operates a part-time Super company in Brooklyn. We'll get his take on things, such as how he handles sanitation tickets, finds new customers and takes on a new building and its responsibilities. We'll also talk about his past mistakes in this industry and how he's overcome these challenges.

The reason for this episode is that talking to other supers helps me to solve the problems that I face everyday in the super industry. The potential to learn from each other is huge.

The reality is that, in addition to Albert, there are countless supers out there. Across NYC, inside every property, large and small, is someone serving as its building superintendent with his feet on the ground and mind set to solving everyday tasks. And they are hard-working, diligent, always on-call, silent, low-key, and often under-appreciated heroes of the building trades.  

So, sit back and enjoy a discussion on:

• The life-changing decision why Albert suddenly decided to become a part-time building super

We'll also look at an actual Superintendent task list for a new building in Astoria, Queens and go over the details with a fine-toothed comb. 

One common source of anxiety for a Part-time Super who is just starting off in the industry is Boiler Maintenance. What should you do, as the part-time super, to minimally ensure that the boiler is properly maintained?

Knowing what to do and what not to do can be confusing and scary, given the many parts of the boiler and the consequences of when the boiler breaks down.

Should a Part-time Super simply leave the boiler care to others, or should you take this responsibility on? The answer should be YES, learn about the boiler and take this on!  Your value to the building increases with higher knowledge about the boiler, and what to do to in the event of:

• A heating emergency (sudden loss of heat or hot water)

In this episode, I share a very simple checklist for you use as a starting point to learning more about the steam boiler. This checklist is for making sure your boiler is maintained and operating correctly.

I filmed this episode inside the boiler room of a small, 10-unit Co-op in the Upper West Side with a unique boiler setup (for instance, the boiler body is set too low compared with the water heater, causing all sorts of problems). Your boiler may have its own quirks, so make sure you learn about them.  

What I learned from making this episode is that there are Building Supers who not only understand this subject better that I do, but ALSO are probably MUCH better at teaching this than I am.  

If this person is you, I bow to you! Reach out to me - let's do an episode together and get you the recognition you deserve.

This episode may be better "seen" than "heard." Watch the Youtube video here: 

A job interview can be a nerve-wracking experience for a building Superintendent. 

That's because saying the wrong things or wearing the wrong kind of clothes can derail an interview unnecessarily and cause the interviewer to focus on things that may not really be about your experiences, skills or work ethic. 

This episode is about preparing for a job interview, whether it's for a part-time super building or any other position. It's about the simple things to watch out for before and during the interview so that you start off on the right foot and stay on the right path.  

We often forget that we are being interviewed to see if we can solve a problem they have, something which keeps them up at night. I'll show you the secret to flipping the script on the interview process so that you can take control of the interview, become confident and come off as the expert they're looking for. 

I'll show you the tips to keep improving your interview skills with every failure or success. 

So, after you listen to this video/ podcast, you'll know the answers to such questions as:

What should I wear to the interview?

What do I do if I can't answer a question?

What are two small things to bring to an interview to appear professional? A "notepad" is one of them!

In this episode, we'll examine the complex relationship between the Building Superintendent and:

• Property manager

Being a building superintendent a Co-op or Condo building in NYC requires a savvy understanding of the rules of "who's the boss," or who holds the ultimate authority in the building.