An Overview of the Property Manager License Process

As the owner and president of Salem, Oregon-based Commercial Property Resources, Inc., and a licensed property manager, Paul Kerley manages 1,000-plus residential units throughout the region. Paul Kerley also owns several limited liability companies that purchase properties around Salem. One of his companies recently purchased all of the rental properties in the unincorporated community of Grand Ronde.

As established by the Oregon State Legislature, someone applying for a property manager license must be at least 18 years of age and have a high school degree or equivalent. After applying for the license, potential real estate managers must complete a 60-hour, pre-license-education course at an approved school. Covering the basics of property management, the course does not qualify the applicant for the license by itself, but it lays the foundation to take the state Real Estate Agency exam.

Proctored by PSI Services, LLC, the property manager exam covers topics ranging from state license and agency laws to tenant relations and fair housing laws, as well as important risk management and maintenance topics. The test’s sections are designed to ensure that the potential real estate manager has the knowledge he or she needs to take care of the property and its tenants in a safe, responsible manner.

Grande Ronde, Oregon - A Small Community with Investment Potential

Paul Kerley, president of Commercial Property Resources, Inc., in Salem, Oregon, has drawn on his more than three decades of experience as a real estate broker, owner, and property manager to conclude some of the most successful transactions in the region. His acquisition of a large portion of property nearby in the unincorporated community of Grand Ronde enabled him and his team to incorporate Grande Ronde Village, LLC, toward the close of 2015.

The site Paul Kerley chose for his significant investment in this small community consists of more than 40 single-family homes, most of which offer garage or storage space, utility hookups, and fenced yards. The purchase provides housing for households of modest means.

The greater Grande Ronde community, in the northwest part of Oregon near Salem, is home to the Native American population of the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde, which maintains tribal culture through the Chachalu Museum. In fact, people with tribal heritage make up about one-fifth of the area’s population.

In the Grande Ronde community, the median home value is approximately $170,000, and the median income is about $40,000. Most residents are in their 50s and 60s.