How I Became a Property Manager: The Story Behind KNR Property Management

I did not set out to become a property manager.

In fact, if you had asked me years ago where I thought my real estate career was headed, property management probably would not have made the list.

I had already spent about ten years working as a real estate agent before becoming a broker. In 2015, Kristen and I opened Rabell Realty Group in Gainesville, Florida.

We were focused on helping people buy and sell homes, serving our clients, and growing our real estate brokerage.

Then our past clients started calling.

How Our Property Management Company Got Started

Over the years, we had helped clients purchase homes and investment properties throughout Gainesville and the surrounding North Central Florida communities.

Some of those clients eventually moved away.

Others decided to keep their homes as rental properties.

And they started asking us the same question.

“Will you manage my property?”

At first, we resisted.

Property management is very different from helping someone buy or sell a home.

A real estate transaction has a beginning and an end. Property management is an ongoing relationship involving property owners, residents, maintenance, leasing, inspections, accounting, emergencies, and a seemingly endless number of things that can happen to a house.

We understood the responsibility that came with taking care of someone's investment.

But the calls kept coming.

Eventually, we decided to give property management a try.

One property became several.

Several became more.

And slowly, the property management side of our business began to grow.

Then came February 2020.

The Willie Nelson Concert That Changed My Career

I was at a Willie Nelson concert in St. Augustine when I received a phone call.

The new property manager we had hired told me that he couldn't handle the job.

He was returning to his previous employer.

And he had left the property management phone at the office.

I wish I could tell you I shrugged my shoulders and enjoyed the rest of the concert.

I did not.

Instead, I spent the evening thinking about that phone sitting alone in our Gainesville office.

What if a resident had an emergency?

What if a pipe burst?

What if an air conditioner stopped working?

What if someone needed us and no one answered?

By Sunday morning, I couldn't stand it anymore.

I drove back to Gainesville, picked up the property management phone, and took over.

I have been carrying the torch ever since.

Thankfully, I did not have to carry it alone for long.

Some incredible people joined us along the way.

Sianne, Amanda, Karen, and the rest of our team have helped build KNR Property Management into the company it is today.

There is no version of our story where I did this by myself.

Why I Fell in Love With Property Management

Something unexpected happened after I became more involved in the day-to-day operations of the company.

I realized I genuinely enjoyed the work.

I enjoy helping rental property owners keep their homes occupied, maintained, and cared for while their real estate investments have the opportunity to grow over time.

I enjoy talking with residents.

People move to Gainesville and North Central Florida for all kinds of reasons.

They come for the University of Florida, UF Health, new jobs, school, family, retirement, or simply a change of scenery.

Others are leaving the area and need someone they trust to take care of the home they are leaving behind.

Property management allows us to become part of those transitions.

And sometimes, renting is only one chapter of someone's story.

We have built relationships with real estate agents we trust so that when one of our residents decides they are ready to explore homeownership, we can connect them with someone who can help them take that next step.

I love being part of that process.

Property Management Is About Homes and People

The longer I worked in property management, the more I heard from property owners and residents about their previous experiences.

Some were good.

Many were not.

I heard stories about phone calls that were never returned, maintenance issues that went unanswered, owners who had no idea what was happening with their rental properties, and residents who felt like no one was listening.

I knew we could do better.

That became one of the reasons I leaned so heavily into this side of the real estate business.

Yes, a rental property is an asset.

Our job is to help owners protect that asset, maintain it, keep it rented, control expenses when possible, and position the property for long-term success.

But a rental property is also someone's home.

There are real people on both sides of property management.

I believe you can protect the interests of a property owner while still treating residents with kindness, fairness, and respect.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

In fact, I believe good property management requires both.

The Part of Property Management No One Warns You About

Property management is never boring.

You never know exactly what will happen when you walk into the office in the morning.

There are maintenance emergencies, leasing challenges, strange discoveries during inspections, unusual phone calls, unexpected animals, lost keys, mysterious noises, and situations that occasionally leave an entire office staring silently at each other.

Then someone starts laughing.

We have learned a lot over the years.

Sometimes the lessons were expensive.

Sometimes they were stressful.

And sometimes they became stories that will probably be told in our office forever.

But every year, we get better.

We improve our systems.

We learn from mistakes.

We add services.

We find better ways to communicate.

And we continue building a team of people who care about the work we do.

Growing KNR Property Management Across North Central Florida and the Nature Coast

Today, KNR Property Management continues to serve rental property owners and residents throughout Gainesville and the surrounding North Central Florida communities.

But we are also growing.

As I spend more time throughout this part of Florida, I see communities where property owners need professional, responsive property management services.

We are expanding westward into Williston, Inverness, Crystal River, and the surrounding areas.

We are also looking for new services we can provide, new ways to help property owners, and opportunities to improve the experience of renting and owning investment property.

This business has become a genuine passion project for me.

I enjoy coming to work.

I enjoy meeting property owners.

I enjoy talking with residents.

I enjoy watching our team grow.

And I enjoy knowing that the work we do helps protect people's investments while taking care of the homes where other people live their lives.

Still Carrying the Torch

Property management was never part of my original career plan.

It grew because our clients asked us for help.

I stepped into it because someone left a phone sitting in an office and I couldn't stop worrying about who might need us.

I stayed because I discovered that I loved the work.

More than six years later, I am still carrying the torch.

Fortunately, I am no longer carrying the emergency phone by myself.

We have an incredible team for that now.

And we are just getting started.

Warmly,

Rebecca Johnson
Broker/Owner
KNR Property Management

KNR Property Management serves rental property owners and residents throughout Gainesville, Alachua County, and surrounding North Central Florida communities and is expanding services westward into Williston, Inverness, Crystal River, and Florida's Nature Coast.

Our goal is simple: protect rental property investments, provide responsive service, treat residents fairly, and help people have a better experience owning and renting homes.

Meet Rebecca

Rebecca Johnson is the Broker/Owner of KNR Property Management and has spent more than 20 years helping people buy, sell, rent, and care for homes throughout North Central Florida.

What began as an unexpected turn into property management has grown into a genuine passion for helping property owners protect their investments, creating better experiences for residents, and building a company that treats people like people.

Rebecca lives and works between Gainesville and Florida’s Nature Coast and is excited to continue growing KNR’s services throughout Gainesville, Williston, Inverness, Crystal River, and the surrounding communities.

When she’s not talking about houses, rental properties, or the latest maintenance mystery, you can usually find her spending time with her family, enjoying the water, or exploring another corner of Florida.