CELESTE SCHWEIZER
Gainesville,GA
Summary
Innovative, results-oriented management professional with record of achievement in the real
estate industry. Adept at process reengineering, system implementation, training and exploiting
revenue-producing opportunities and expense savings. Experienced in multi-family, and single-
family operations. Acknowledged as strong communicator, cost-effective unit manager, and
exceptional team builder. Technically-savvy with outstanding relationship building, training and
presentation skills.
Overview
32
32
years of professional experience
Work History
Vice President of Asset Management
Colony Hills Capital
09.2022 - Current
- Oversight of Asset Management Department
- Monitor and drive portfolio performance by ensuring management company is actively and aggressively pursuing and outperforming increased revenues, ROI, and market competitors and holding them accountable for general performance criteria.
- Assess and Report on the assets relative to underwriting strategies & business plans. Provide reporting and proforma achievement progress each quarter using quantitative & analytical skills to assess the asset's overall financial and operational health status, including capital needs and risk mitigation.
- Develop & Maintain Relationships with general partners/developers, management agents, lenders, contractors, third-party consultants, and others to ensure their performance is consistent with our expectations.
- Work with third-party joint venture partners and internal departments to ensure good cash positions, management of capital needs, lender/construction draws, reserves, and lender holdback on managed assets and joint venture partnerships.
- Lead property-specific budget processes by providing assumptions, analysis, budget modeling, and guidance to management company. Review and approve budgets before submission to lenders and owners.
- Create value-add, capital expenditure budget of over 8 million dollars for acquired assets. Work alongside contractors and vendors to Implement and track progress of projects.
- Ensure tax appeals are performed at all assets with most favorable outcomes per asset strategy.
- Identify potential strategic multi-family real estate investment trends and opportunities.
- Leverage existing relationships for debt, equity, renovations, deal sourcing, legal, tax advisory, etc.
- Negotiate property-specific Agreements and contracts.
- Work with acquisitions during lender DD and communicate through loan closing process, including lender checklist calls.
- Interview and onboard 3rd party management company
- Support annual valuation process, including appraisals & lender inspections.
- Analyze financial statements and property operating statements to ensure accuracy.
- Project liquidity requirements monthly to ensure accuracy relative to current cash position of each property.
- Direct asset strategies, including leasing, physical improvements, capital structure, and sell/hold analysis based on financial and market studies.
- Monitor loan documents and other agreements for covenant and reporting compliance and manage client relationships while enforcing loan document/lender requirements.
- Reduce potential property-specific liabilities through ongoing risk analysis, ensuring timely risk detection and incident reporting documentation is provided by on-site management.
- Analyze market research and market reports to ensure properties are calibrated to market. Produce comprehensive quarterly asset reporting summaries and quarterly investor letters.
- Review and provide final recommendations for approval of Loan draw applications and equity draws.
- Meet regularly with reports to discuss current performance, initiatives, and issues.
Regional Property Manager
Cushman & Wakefield, Pinnacle Properties
04.2019 - 09.2022
- Third party property operations of 7 properties (2500+ units), located in Atlanta, Ga
- Class A, B and C Garden Style
- Responsible for all aspects of operations within assigned portfolio, to include budget development, staffing, strategic planning, marketing, training, KPI monitoring, asset preservation, financial analysis, due diligence, acquisitions, dispositions, and client relations.
- Reviewed financial forecasts, budget and operational goals
- Negotiated vendor contracts and presented to owners for approval
- Conducted property visits to assess curb appeal, office upkeep and maintenance activities
- Handled terminations, performance evaluations and staff coaching to maintain top property operations
- Assisted with annual budget creation and managed portfolio according to approved budgeted parameters
Sr. Portfolio Operations Director
Progress Residential
07.2017 - 06.2018
- Market operations of 3,900+ single-family home rentals, located in Atlanta, Georgia
- Responsible for all aspects of operations to include, revenue, expense, staffing, strategic planning, marketing, training, acquisitions, service, resident experience, oversight of the
- Atlanta corporate office and supervision of 4 department head direct reports and 75 indirect reports
- Partner with asset management to strategically price new acquisitions, turns and renewals
- Currently achieving 4% rent growth on new move ins and 5% on renewals
- Oversight of 58+ million-dollar annual revenue budget and 20-million-dollar operating expense budget
- Exceeded portfolio wide NOI in 2017 by 3.4 million Reduced overall turn costs by 3% by partnering with single trade vendors and eliminating 50 percent of the general contract work
- Preserve assets, monitor results and build strong relationships with field employees by making regular site visits to homes
- Work closely with managing broker to acquire homes that best fit the company model as well as achieve ROI goals
- Acquired 30-120 homes per month and performed 75-120 due diligence inspections per month
Vice President
Steadfast Management Company
07.2015 - 06.2017
- Portfolio operations consisting of 26 properties located in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama
- Kentucky and South Carolina totaling 8,397 units
- Class A and B garden style
- Responsible for all aspects of operations to include, including financials, staffing, strategic planning, marketing, training, renovation project management, and supervision of 5 Regional Managers, direct reports, and 200+ onsite employees
- Partnered with acquisitions to grow portfolio from 6000+ units to 8000+ units in 2016, by managing every aspect of transition to include, including due diligence, staffing, contract negotiations, software implementation, inventory, value add scope, and creation of operation and capital budgets
- Managed 15-million-dollar value add budget and seven-million-dollar capital expense budget in 2016
- To include all aspects of interior renovations and exterior renovations to buildings, landscaping, signage and amenities areas
- Partnered with construction to complete 1500+ value add renovations in 2016 and over 100 capital projects portfolio-wide
- Implemented revenue software throughout the portfolio in 2016, in turn achieving year over year rent growth of 12% in the Atlanta market, 16% in the Nashville market and 8% in the
- Louisville/Lexington market
- Implemented a portfolio wide renewal program, which achieved an average renewal increase of 8%
- Negotiated all national contracts and local vendor contracts in 2016 using economies of scale to command best pricing, reducing portfolio wide pest control expenses by 15%, landscaping expenses by 20% and carpet replacement expenses by 15%
- Achieved year over year portfolio wide NOI growth of 6% in 2016
- Audit/review annual budgets and present to the Executive Committee
- Work closely with all department heads to implement and monitor companywide initiatives, to include, Happy Inspector, Yield Star, Day Force, Share Point and One Drive
- Prepare weekly, monthly and quarterly reports as directed by the Executive Vice President
- Preserve assets, monitor results and build strong relationships with on-site employees by making regular site visits as well as work closely with asset management
- Established performance goals for team and provided feedback on methods for reaching those milestones
- Evaluated development strategy effectiveness and prepared alternative approaches to exceed goals
Regional Property Manager
Greystar Property Management/Riverstone
01.2014 - 07.2015
- Responsible for client relations and property operations of 7 properties, located in Atlanta and
- Birmingham, totaling 3000 units (5 stabilized 1 lease up and 2 under construction)
- Class A and
- B garden style and Class A mid-rise
- Responsible for all aspects of operations to include financials, staffing, strategic planning, marketing, and training
- Monitor marketing weekly to include websites review, social media and SEO and SEM results
- Prepare and present RFP presentations to potential clients
- Coordinate property takeovers for new clients, to include due diligence, staffing and full transition of accounting, software, marketing and compliance
- Manage all client relations within my portfolio of institutional clients and equity partners
- (John
- Hancock, CBRE, etc.)
- To include, weekly calls, weekly reporting, quarterly reporting and owner visits Prepare annual budgets and attend budget reviews with clients
- Prepare market analysis, market surveys and SWOT analysis for clients and potential clients
- Work with clients from the ground up on new construction projects, to include, market research, floor plan development, pricing, contract negotiations, plan amenity spacing, website and splash page development and branding
- Manage multimillion-dollar exterior and interior renovations for value add and repositioning
- Created and implemented marketing plans to drive leads
- Negotiated contracts on behalf of clients
Regional Manager of Operations
Wesley Apartment Homes
10.2004 - 01.2014
- Property Operations of seven properties totaling 3,000 units, 7 Property Managers, Customer
- Service Department, Marketing/Training, Maintenance, Interior/Exterior unit and clubhouse
- Renovations, acquisitions and take over implementation
- Created, trained and implemented Property Operations Manual, Maintenance Manual and
- Leasing Manual
- Implemented Lease Expiration System, modeled on J.I.T
- System, to align timing of traffic patterns which shortened hold times on vacancies and resulted in generation of $15K positive income variance in two-month period average per property
- Implemented successful social media marketing program, driving online leads to live pricing and online application process
- Implemented digital lease program and created paperless clubhouses on all sites
- Implemented Personal, program, eliminating the need for an Assistant Manager position on- site, and creating superior customer service on all sites
- Created and implemented in-house collections department
- Reduced dispossessory filings by creating and implementing flexible payment program portfolio wide
- Responsible for 2.1 million dollars of monthly revenue
- Enhanced income stream monthly
Regional Vice President
Fifteen Asset Management
10.2003 - 10.2004
- Oversight of 4 properties in Atlanta, Corporate office operations, Managers, maintenance
- Marketing/ Training Director and Property Accountant
- Achieved 20% expense reduction portfolio wide by aggressive expense management and negotiations of economies of scale
- Successfully hired and trained 4 Managers for the Atlanta Region
- Achieved highest period over period NOI growth and expense control
- Created and implemented comprehensive training program
- Oversight of 600-unit property renovation and lease up
General Manager
Equity Residential Properties
10.1991 - 10.2003
- Supervision of 13 staff members, oversight of 2 properties, due diligence team leader, Field
- Trainer, Manager Mentor; specializing in turning around troubled assets
- Implementation of J.I.T
- System, which provided bonus opportunities for leasing staff and created buy-in within two- month time frame and reduced hold times to six days
- Team leader of regional Operations Manual/Standardization
- Implemented after major multi property acquisition and implemented by training entire staff in seminar setting streamlining all processes and procedures
Education
BBA - Management
Kennesaw State University, Coles School of Business
Kennesaw, GA2006
Skills
- Yardi, One Site, Yield Star, On-Site, AIRM, Appfolio
- Power Pro, Excel, Word, Outlook, PSI, Rent Cafe
- Real Bridge, Office 360, DTR, DocuSign, FMLS
- GAMLS, Field Pro, Salesforce, Constant Contact
- Ops Technology
- Acquisitions, Asset Management, Budget
- Creation, Contract Negotiations, Client relations
- Customer Service, Market Analysis, Market
- Research, New construction, Project
- Management, Renovations, Staffing, Strategic
- Planning, Software Implementation
- Corporate Strategy
Affiliations
Licensed Active GA REALTOR, 2006
Present Member of the Cobb Board of Realtors
Member of NAR
Certified Property Manager (CAM) Atlanta Apartment Association
Timeline
Vice President of Asset Management
Colony Hills Capital
09.2022 - Current
Regional Property Manager
Cushman & Wakefield, Pinnacle Properties
04.2019 - 09.2022
Sr. Portfolio Operations Director
Progress Residential
07.2017 - 06.2018
Vice President
Steadfast Management Company
07.2015 - 06.2017
Regional Property Manager
Greystar Property Management/Riverstone
01.2014 - 07.2015
Regional Manager of Operations
Wesley Apartment Homes
10.2004 - 01.2014
Regional Vice President
Fifteen Asset Management
10.2003 - 10.2004
General Manager
Equity Residential Properties
10.1991 - 10.2003
BBA - Management
Kennesaw State University, Coles School of Business
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