Key takeaways
What property managers can take from Darcie’s approach
- Don’t hide behind voicemail. Darcie meets in person when she can, takes notes, and follows up with an email summary so everyone agrees on next steps.
- Learn the whole business. Working in investment sales and leasing helps her understand why brokers, developers, and owners make the decisions they do.
- Make the case for unplanned work. When something falls outside the budget, Darcie gathers quotes and brings owners a clear recommendation.
- Stay calm in a crisis. Her mantra is that if there’s no blood, flood, or fire and nobody’s hurt, the team will get through it one step at a time.
- Choose vendors who listen. On janitorial walkthroughs, she pays attention to who asks about her needs and who just tries to sell.
About the guest
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Darcie Smith
Senior Property Manager, Enright Management
Darcie is a senior property manager with Enright Management in Calgary, overseeing just under a million square feet of industrial, office, and retail space. She moved to Calgary from Saskatchewan, started as a receptionist with a third-party property management company, and has since worked in property administration, investment sales, and leasing before returning to property management. She also hosts her own podcast.
Episode summary
In this episode
Jared Sarbit talks with Darcie Smith, a senior property manager with Enright Management in Calgary. Darcie answered a newspaper ad for a receptionist job at a property management company after moving from Saskatchewan, and has since worked across property administration, investment sales, leasing, and development before settling into property management.
Darcie explains what makes Enright different, including how a nearly half-vacant property was fully leased in less than a year. She shares how she communicates with tenants, owners, and contractors, how her small team handles a busy portfolio, how she approaches out-of-budget repairs, and the search for software that can do it all.
She also talks about the shift to tenant portals, her advice for aspiring property managers, how she handles difficult situations, and what she looks for in a janitorial partner.
Chapters
- 0:00Episode preview
- 1:11Introducing Darcie Smith
- 1:36From receptionist to senior property manager
- 3:27Working in investment sales
- 4:06A calm, methodical approach
- 5:09Darcie’s own podcast
- 7:54Who Enright Management is
- 10:03Managing a million square feet
- 10:47Communicating with stakeholders
- 11:58Staying on top of a busy portfolio
- 12:54Balancing budgets and repairs
- 14:20Finding the right software
- 16:11Trends shaping property management
- 17:41Advice for aspiring property managers
- 20:37Handling difficult situations
- 22:44What she looks for in a janitorial company
- 24:55The properties she would love to manage
- 26:36Book recommendation: Who Moved My Cheese?
Jump to a chapter (18)
- 0:00Episode preview
- 1:11Introducing Darcie Smith
- 1:36From receptionist to senior property manager
- 3:27Working in investment sales
- 4:06A calm, methodical approach
- 5:09Darcie’s own podcast
- 7:54Who Enright Management is
- 10:03Managing a million square feet
- 10:47Communicating with stakeholders
- 11:58Staying on top of a busy portfolio
- 12:54Balancing budgets and repairs
- 14:20Finding the right software
- 16:11Trends shaping property management
- 17:41Advice for aspiring property managers
- 20:37Handling difficult situations
- 22:44What she looks for in a janitorial company
- 24:55The properties she would love to manage
- 26:36Book recommendation: Who Moved My Cheese?
From the conversation
Transcript excerpts
I think the key is to keep that open communication… don’t hide behind voicemail.
Darcie SmithPlay from 0:08
If there’s not blood… flood or fire and nobody’s died just be calm we’ll get through it.
Darcie SmithPlay from 21:40
I guess this goes with life too, there isn’t anything that’s not fixable.
Darcie SmithPlay from 22:04
Want a cleaning company that listens first?
We’ll walk your building with you and send a written cleaning scope and price. Free, no obligation.
Read the conversation
Full episode transcript
Show transcript
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FAQ
Questions about this episode
What does Enright do?
Enright Capital raises money with institutions and high net worth investors to buy and develop office, industrial, and retail properties, and Enright Management manages them. Darcie Smith says one property that was nearly 50% vacant was fully leased in less than a year.
How does Darcie Smith keep communication strong with tenants and owners?
She keeps the lines open, avoids hiding behind voicemail, and holds in-person meetings when possible. After each meeting she sends an email summary of the takeaways and follows through, even when the answer can’t be a full yes.
What does Darcie Smith look for in a janitorial company?
She watches whether a company listens to her needs during the walkthrough or simply tries to sell. She also checks whether the proposal reflects what she asked for, and values a strong relationship with every contractor.
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