Which recruiting model fits the opening?
Real Estate Headhunters is a specialist contingency headhunter for property management and real estate. The right comparison is between operating models, not claims that another firm is bad. Start with the job, the candidate pool and the work you want a provider to own. Then compare the agreement and the process.
A retained executive assignment may fit when a buyer wants an agreed advisory mandate and a defined executive-search engagement. A permanent contingency search ties the recruiting fee to a hire under the signed terms. Neither label tells you whether a particular provider understands your asset type, your board relationship or your compliance exposure.
Staffing can address an assignment rather than a permanent vacancy. The commercial and worker arrangements need to be discussed for that engagement. Do not assume that a staffing provider's bill rate is comparable to a permanent recruiting fee, or that a website describing temporary coverage can dispatch a person who understands your property tomorrow.
Hiring internally gives your managers control of the process but still requires somebody to do the work. A posting needs review. An outreach message needs follow-up. An interested person needs qualification. A regional managing troubled sites may be technically responsible for hiring while having little room to give a search consistent attention.
RPO is a broader decision about the recruiting function. An organization may delegate parts of the process, reporting and candidate management rather than order a single search. Agree the scope and the decision rights. A provider cannot take useful ownership of a workflow whose approvals and hiring priorities keep changing without notice.
Compare what happens before an interview. Ask who defines the search, who approaches employed candidates, what is checked and how candidate interest is confirmed. For property management, relevant evidence might be delinquency control or certification accuracy, not the length of a resume. A shortlist should make those differences easier to see.
Our separate model guide examines recruiting agencies, staffing, RPO and hiring in-house in more detail. You can use it without requesting a proposal. If you do contact us, describe the seat and the reason it is open. We can explain our contingency terms without presenting a fee percentage or a completion date as a universal fact.
Choose the search model that fits the hire.
Real Estate Headhunters is a specialist contingency headhunter for property management and real estate. The right comparison is between operating models, not claims that another firm is bad. Start with the job, the candidate pool and the work you want a provider to own. Then compare the agreement and the process.
This is what we do all day: recruit property management and real estate professionals.
These are different ways to hire. Start with the seat, the search scope and whether you need an employee or assignment coverage.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Real estate only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
Signed terms: We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
Compare by working model
| Model | How they find people | Who they reach | How they charge | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retained executive search Named examples: Korn Ferry and Egon Zehnder | Korn Ferry describes researching target companies and contacting executives directly. Egon Zehnder describes custom executive search built around each leadership appointment. | Senior executives who may not be applying, identified through research and direct approach. | Typically a retained engagement agreed with the provider. Confirm the scope and payment terms in that provider's agreement. | A senior leadership appointment where the board or executive team wants a formally commissioned executive search. |
| Permanent placement from large staffing firms Named examples: Robert Half full-time staffing and Michael Page recruitment services | Robert Half describes a full-time staffing service for permanent hires. Michael Page publishes a sourcing methodology for its permanent recruitment services. Both firms also run other services, so confirm which one you are buying. | People the recruiter identifies through the firm's sourcing approach for the permanent role. | Set by the provider for its permanent placement service. Confirm the terms in its agreement. | A permanent hire through a broad, multi-industry recruiting firm. Ask who will run the search and how much property experience they bring. |
| Temporary and assignment staffing A general working model, not a description of any named firm | Supplying workers for a defined assignment or period, often from people available for that kind of work. | People seeking assignment work. | Usually assignment-based charges. Terms differ from permanent placement. | Short-term coverage, such as a leave, a lease-up push or a vacancy you need covered while a permanent search runs. |
| Job boards An advertising and application model | Publish the opening so people can find it and apply. Search and matching features vary by platform. | Primarily people looking at advertised work. A listing does not by itself establish interest from an employed person who is not looking. | Listing, advertising or subscription arrangements, depending on the platform. | When you want to manage applicant review yourself and the position attracts people with the experience you need. |
| Real Estate Headhunters Specialist contingency headhunting | Map relevant property-management and real-estate backgrounds, contact employed people and discuss the actual work before an introduction. | People doing comparable work now, including people who have not applied to your opening. | No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire on a standard contingency search. The signed agreement sets the fee and payment terms. | A permanent hire where specific operating experience matters and you want a focused shortlist, rather than a larger application pile. |
- Korn Ferry: Executive Search
- Egon Zehnder: Executive Search
- Robert Half: Full-time staffing
- Michael Page: Our sourcing methodology
Company names are trademarks of their owners. We are not affiliated with them.
Compare the engagement you are buying, not the logo
A firm can offer more than one kind of service. The named firms are described only from their own published service pages, linked below the table, and not as a description of every practice or product they offer. Ask the provider what you are buying for this particular appointment. Who will work on it? What does the agreement require from you? What happens if the brief changes before anyone joins?
A retained appointment can be appropriate when an executive committee wants to commission a defined search. An assignment service can be appropriate when the immediate need is coverage. A job advertisement can work when the opening already attracts qualified applicants and your team can assess them. None of those choices tells you anything about the quality of an individual recruiter. This page compares the working arrangement, not firms' people or results.
Why the brief matters most on a property hire
A property manager title does not tell a recruiter whether the person has owned a budget or only supplied numbers to someone else. The same applies to an affordable housing manager who has assembled certification files but never handled an audit finding. Decide what the person must be able to do without being taught after joining. That decision is more useful than asking several providers for the same broad job title.
We discuss the authority attached to the seat. A regional manager may need to challenge an owner about staffing costs. An association manager may need board approval before spending. A maintenance supervisor may need to decide which repair warrants an outside contractor. Those are different interviews. A search aimed at the wrong responsibility can produce impressive resumes that do not answer your hiring problem.
Why direct contact reaches people who never apply
Someone can be good at their current job and have no reason to answer an advertisement. Direct contact starts with a different question: is there something about this assignment that would make a move worth discussing? A manager might want clear spending authority. A technician might want a workable on-call arrangement. An accounting specialist might want a close process that does not depend on catching up after hours.
That conversation is not a promise that someone will leave. We need to understand the work you can actually offer and the reason the person would consider it. If the opening has an unresolved reporting line or an expectation that cannot be supported by the team, we discuss it before asking someone to interview. Better information helps you decide which people to meet and what to ask them.
Terms to settle before any search begins
Set the interview authority and decide who can approve an offer. Tell the recruiter whether an incumbent remains in the seat and whether outreach must be confidential. Discuss relocation as an actual move, not a vague willingness to travel. If the person will be responsible for occupied-unit repairs or evening board meetings, describe that working pattern at the start. It affects who can take the job.
Permanent placement on contingency is our default. Other engagement types are available on request, with terms set for that assignment. We are not a same-day dispatch service. Choose the model after describing the problem, and read the agreement before authorizing the search. If you want to discuss a specific property or real-estate role, send it to us. Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
What should you ask before choosing a recruiting firm?
What should you decide before using How we compare?
A retained executive assignment may fit when a buyer wants an agreed advisory mandate and a defined executive-search engagement. A permanent contingency search ties the recruiting fee to a hire under the signed terms. Neither label tells you whether a particular provider understands your asset type, your board relationship or your compliance exposure.
When do we pay the recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire under the standard contingency agreement. The signed agreement sets the terms; read the fee page before authorizing the search.
How long does it take to see a short list?
The scope of the job, candidate availability and your interview decisions affect the search. We explain the market response and agree next steps rather than promise a numeric deadline.
What if our chosen candidate gets a counteroffer?
We ask about the reasons for a move before an introduction. You still need a clear offer and an honest account of the job; an increase in pay alone may not resolve why someone considered leaving.
What are the replacement terms?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not sell job-board reposting or send an unqualified resume stack. Standard permanent search is not hourly consulting or a retained assignment. Different engagements require agreed terms.
Next step
Send Us Your Open Role
Role, work email and phone is all we need to start. Details about your company and the job are optional.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What happens next
Our process
What do you get from The Six-Step Search?
Real Estate Headhunters begins with the decisions behind your vacancy, not an advert. You get a clear brief, a mapped candidate pool and evidence from direct conversations. We help you distinguish an interested person from a qualified fit, then support interviews and the decision without promising a completion date.
- 1
Search Calibration
A brief that settles the operating problem, reporting line, location, compensation and who can approve the hire.
- 2
Market Mapping
A view of relevant working backgrounds, asset types and experience rather than a search based only on titles.
- 3
Professional Contact Intelligence
Direct ways to approach relevant people respectfully, without relying on applications or exposing a confidential vacancy.
- 4
Persistent Personalized Outreach
A conversation about your actual role, with follow-up that establishes whether a move is worth discussing.
- 5
Live Candidate Qualification
Evidence about responsibilities, relevant results, systems and the practical reasons someone would accept the move.
- 6
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
A short list with context for interviews, objections and decisions, not a stack of unexplained resumes.
CAM has different meanings. NAA CAM is the Certified Apartment Manager credential. The Florida community association manager license is a separate license, cited here as an example of state licensing. In commercial budgets, CAM means common area maintenance. We check the credential or license relevant to the opening, where the state requires it.