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Lacy Hendricks

Director of Marketing/Associate Broker — Hendricks Property Management & Triple Win Mentor - Second Nature

Lacy Hendricks is the Director of Marketing and Associate Broker at Hendricks Property Management in San Antonio, TX. She’s also a Certified SEOSpace Expert and in 2025 co-founded ClearLead Digital, a website agency for fellow property managers.

Hendricks Property Management

Why Community is Key for Property Managers

With over a decade of experience in property management, I can confidently say that the community in this industry is one of our greatest assets. If you’re looking to learn from others to strengthen your business, advocate for change, or make meaningful impacts on people’s lives, there’s a community out there to help you do it. In this article, I’ll talk a little bit about my experience in property management communities, why it’s important for PMs at all experience levels to find their community, and how you can get involved today. Community was core to my experience from day one I was extremely lucky to be thrust into the property management community as soon as I started at Hendricks Property Management. I was sent to my first NARPM conference, the NARPM Annual Convention, just three weeks after I got licensed, so in a lot of ways I’ve never been a property manager without NARPM. My first conference was more than a little bit overwhelming, but it was also incredibly exciting. I met so many influential property managers there, like John Bradford, Tracey Norris, Mike Mumford, Bart Sturzl, Kevin Knight, and Stephen Foster. I walked out realizing that everyone there was probably a little bit odd, but so was I, and it was a place that I belonged. Finding my community locally Pretty much immediately after that conference, I signed up for my local San Antonio NARPM chapter. I’m fortunate to live in a city with one of the strongest chapters in the country, and we also have a Texas state chapter on top of that. My father in-law was involved in our chapter for decades, and he actively tried to foster the next phase of leadership in our chapter. My husband and I were both part of that, and we’ve since each chaired our chapter, served on national committees, and chaired the National Governmental Affairs Committee. Joining committees is the fastest way to get involved Being so involved in committee boards was one of the most important things I did to grow my skillset. I gained so much knowledge and built so many relationships. In particular, being part of strategic planning for NARPM National introduced me to great leaders. It was equally rewarding to get to know the staff and the inner workings of the association. These planning sessions aren’t just about logistics and business; you get to know people on a personal level, too. You just naturally have downtime and meal breaks together where you talk about business, family, and life in general. NARPM also organized some planned activities like escape rooms, which really builds camaraderie. Chairing a national committee is more of a time commitment, but as a committee member it’s often as little as an hour per month. It’s a pretty small investment with a huge return. There’s a community for every interest If you’re not interested in NARPM specifically, that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of opportunities to find a community. PM Systems Conference is one great example. What started as a mastermind of about 10 people has grown into a fantastic annual conference. It’s probably the closest thing in the industry to a true proptech conference that isn’t focused on one specific product. It’s designed as an opportunity to have a fireside chat about technology and how to use it for your business, and a lot of those conversations continue long after the conference. There’s also Crane, which is focused on helping property managers work on their business rather than in their business. It’s all about making your business less dependent on you as an individual, and putting processes in place so that the business can run smoothly without you. Even within larger organizations like NARPM, NAR, and NAA, there are specific subcommittees that might fit your particular interests. I’ve been most involved with the governmental affairs committee through NARPM, Texas REALTORS, and the San Antonio Board of REALTORS, all focused on helping to shape policy by working with lawmakers, but each with a unique perspective and new group of people to learn from. Whatever your interest is, find your community and get involved. Communities make a real difference In 2020, I had just had a baby and decided to step back from the board of my local NARPM chapter, but continued serving on the governmental affairs committee. During COVD, the federal government started sending money to states and cities to disburse for rent payments. The city of San Antonio had an established process for disbursing payments to residents in need, but it had never handled the volume that we started to see in 2020. That’s when I started to have regular meetings with Lorena Jáuregui de Birdy (San Antonio NARPM Chapter President), Governmental Affairs Director for the San Antonio Board of REALTORS, the city manager, and CEO of the San Antonio Apartment Association, and others about how we could improve this program and make sure that our clients—mom and pop landlords—were actually receiving rent payments. The city had originally been sending money directly to residents, but when we looked at the first month of payouts, we realized it wasn’t actually being used to pay rent. Together, we rebuilt the disbursement program in about six weeks, directing that money straight to property managers and landlords on behalf of those tenants, making sure rent was paid and residents remained in place. To me, this was one of the clearest examples of community. A group of people who had met through various local and national associations and events making a real difference in people’s lives. Community is about finding solutions and supporting each other At this point, I’ve met so many people through property management that if I got a flat tire anywhere in the country, I could probably have someone to call who could be there in an hour. The people I’ve met through this industry are my colleagues—and in some cases my direct competition—but they’re truly my friends. The people that I’ve served on boards and committees with will be my friends forever. They’re more than just people that I can commiserate with when things are tough. They’re people who can provide solutions and actually help me through those tough times, whether it’s business or personal. The truth is, you don’t become a property manager without being a helper and a problem solver, so the people that you meet in this industry are all the ones who will be there to help you when you need it, too. My advice to all property managers, no matter how new or how experienced, is simple: get involved in any capacity. Whether it's NARPM, Crane, PM Systems, or something different entirely, find your community. You’re only going to make your business better when you have the resources to talk through your problems and help each other.

Calendar icon March 24, 2026

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Bringing Key Conversations Back in Person

I’m often asked what I see as some of the biggest trends in the property management space, and this year I have one particularly clear answer: I see 2026 as a year where property managers are going to have to bring a lot of their toughest conversations back in person and over the phone. We’ve survived in this industry by automating everything that we can, including a lot of our communications. But now our owner clients are expecting more face time with us, and scheduled email blasts or auto-replies just aren’t going to cut it. So how did we get to this point, why are owners changing their expectations, and what kinds of conversations do we need to bring back in person? Let’s dig in. Why in-person connection has declined We’ve seen a huge shift from in-person connection to online, text-based, automated messaging in recent years, both in our professional and personal lives. For property managers, who are always seeking more efficient ways of working, this has been a huge blessing. But as automation has made things faster for us, and COVID made face-to-face interaction more difficult, the change hasn’t always been positive for our clients. Technological innovation allowed more automation Advances in technology have made it easier than ever to automatically schedule and send communications to our clients. Whether it’s delivering statements or providing updates on key maintenance tasks, task management systems and property management software can automate it. In a lot of ways, this has moved the needle on how often things are communicated. Owners have come to expect immediate updates on all different projects, but that doesn’t always translate to a better experience. A lot of property managers made the mistake of replacing meaningful conversations with templated messages because it was just so easy. And for those who hadn’t automated a lot, when 2020 hit, they had to get up to speed quickly. COVID changed the market COVID-19 completely shifted how we communicate. It made “Zoom” a household term. But it also hugely impacted the rental landscape. For one thing, the macroeconomic conditions that the pandemic created have led to an increase in “accidental landlords.” These are people who never intended to own rental properties, and don’t necessarily understand the requirements of owning a rental property in the same way as intentional investors. There’s a whole wave of people who bought their first home when interest rates were low, intending it to be a starter home. Here we are five or six years later and those people are having kids and outgrowing their homes, looking to move into better school districts, or moving into new jobs. But they’ll probably never buy another at an interest rate that low, so they don’t want to let go of their mortgage. A new generation of investors Other people have inherited homes as part of the great wealth transfer, some of which were already rental properties. It’s created a generation of people who never planned to own real estate investments, so they’re left figuring out how to manage. They need instructions, education, and expertise from property managers like you and me. This is all paired with a very specific shift in how real estate investments are seen. For many millennials (of which I am one), real estate investment has been seen as a far off dream. Something completely unattainable for so many. This is a generation who graduated college into the 2008 recession, who carried more student loan debt than anyone before them, and who didn’t see owning property as a realistic prospect. But then interest rates dropped, and they were able to buy into the market, finally. Now, with rent growth slowing and maintenance prices rising, their investments aren’t seeming like the magic solution they were pitched. It feels like Student Loans 2.0, if we’re being honest. However, this is another opportunity to educate, support, and reassure our clients. These investors are understandably a bit skittish, which will require additional hand-holding. Why are investor expectations changing? It’s no secret that markets are becoming tighter. There’s more competition, but our property owners are still expecting more. To me, that’s reasonable; with the amount of money that they have on the line with these assets, there’s a higher level of service expected. Changing markets As markets shift, we’re seeing a lot of newer investors—especially those that fall into the “accidental investor” category—experiencing some of their first real downturns, and they’re struggling to react. Most property owners are being tough on lowering prices. They’re keeping properties on market longer, at a higher rent price, rather than dropping rents. Even builders aren’t lowering prices, they’re just offering incentives. In my conversations with investor clients, it’s clear that even those who have been with us for a long time are feeling the pains of increased maintenance costs, higher property taxes, and slimmer margins. All of this is creating an increased sense of anxiety. Newer investors who have never ridden out a market slowdown are getting anxious that they’re not seeing the returns they expected, and long-term investors are getting frustrated with an increase in expenses.People are stressed out. And when they think they’re at risk of losing the thing that was supposed to fund they’re future, they don’t want to just receive an automated email about it. It’s a delicate situation. In a lot of ways, our clients’ expectations don’t seem unreasonable; they just expect someone to answer the phone when they call. That was true a dozen years ago when I started in property management, and it was a consistent conversation before that. But that doesn’t make it easy to have the conversations when you do pick up the phone. What conversations do we need to be having? A lot of the talks I’ve been having with our investor clients recently have been around markets, especially about the realities of holding through a slowdown. One of the biggest lessons for investors is simply, “Expect to have some down years and prepare for it in advance.” The truth is that in almost all cases, holding is better than selling, but that doesn’t mean that owners want to hear it. Focus on educating Investor education is one of the biggest opportunities that we have available to us as property managers right now. As investors get nervous, we have the opportunity to lead with our expertise and help guide them through it. We want our owners to start thinking about their properties as investments, and themselves as investors—not just property owners. Help them understand what it takes to be forward-thinking about big-ticket maintenance items, renovations, and more. Maybe that means making short-term concessions to secure a long-term lease. Maybe it means investing a little bit more in property updates to keep rents competitive. It will depend on your exact market and your exact audience, but these are the kinds of conversations you should be having with your clients. Here at Hendricks Property Management, we have a lot of small investors with only a couple of properties. A lot of them are folks who moved to San Antonio because they were in the military, fell in love with the city, and bought a home that they plan to move into to retire. In the meantime, they’re renting it out while they’re stationed elsewhere. These are the exact kinds of investors that need consistent education and reassurance, so I’ve had a lot of practice at it. Be proactive, not reactive The key to this is not waiting around for your investors to call you. Instead, you should be picking up the phone and reaching out to them. Proactive outreach helps your investors know what to expect and to develop the right mindset to navigate the current market. Not only does it help to reduce churn by showing investors the benefits of holding, but it also creates more value and trust. By delivering valuable insights and information, you position yourself as invaluable to your investors and develop deeper relationships with them. Obviously it isn’t realistic to call up every one of your owners every week to have a conversation and calm their anxieties. But you can try to connect with your highest-risk investors once a quarter. Give them a call and leave a voicemail if they don’t answer. Even if they never call back, you’re making it clear that you’re there for them if they need it. Work in tandem with automation As important as real conversations are, I’m not saying you should turn off all your automations. I think automation is great! Task management tools are incredibly useful, and I couldn’t do property management without them. I’m just saying that there are situations where they aren’t the right solution. It’s not about removing automation, but about interjecting when necessary to put more of a human touch on things. Personal connections build trust The reason that personal conversations (whether they’re over the phone, on Zoom, or in person) have such an impact is that they’re like giving your investors a big hug. Your goal isn’t to solve all their problems in a single conversation. Instead, you’re just trying to let them know that you’re there to help when they need it. They’re not floundering alone out there. They have your skills, your experience, and your expertise on their side. Interested in hearing directly from other property managers on how they're navigating tough conversations? Join the Triple Win Property Management Group!

Calendar icon March 3, 2026

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