An annual property review should start with what the owner wants to achieve, then connect the rental return and maintenance plan to that goal, DiJones’s Pamela Medeiros told PM/ONE 2026.
In her Redefining Property Management session, Pamela described a shift towards proactive investment management, where the team sets a plan with each client and works towards it.
Changing the title from property manager to investment manager had initially been a language shift, she said. Building the capability behind it had taken longer, and the business was still developing the model.
The opportunity lies in what managers do with information their clients can already find.
“But now, interpretation of the information is where our value sits. The information is not enough,” she said.
At DiJones, the annual investor strategy review brings together a market appraisal, a rent review and a maintenance plan, tailored to the owner’s objectives.
Pamela said the return discussion looks beyond gross rent to account for expenses and repairs. Maintenance is considered over the owner’s intended holding period, allowing a conversation about planned capital works as well as repairs when they arise.
She illustrated the approach with a landlord conversation offering different options: using vacancy data to inform lease renewal timing, or considering improvements such as carpet and blinds. The owner would decide how to proceed.
Those conversations depend on asking better questions at the beginning of the relationship.
“We have to be a lot more curious about what the client is trying to get out of the investment property. Everybody buys for a reason,” she said.
An owner preparing for retirement may want something different from an investor with a larger portfolio; Pamela said recommendations needed to reflect those priorities, rather than assume every client wanted an aggressive rent increase.
For team leaders, the shift requires more than a new job title. Pamela described development in financial concepts, commercial understanding, practical AI use and communication, supported by peer learning, scenarios and short learning modules embedded in daily work.
She suggested starting small: learn one new term a week and explore the conversation with a receptive client.
Her broader priority was learning agility – the ability to learn, unlearn and learn again as the role changes.
Actionable
- Ask owners what they want their investment property to achieve.
- Review net returns after accounting for expenses and repairs.
- Plan maintenance around the owner’s goals and intended holding period.