By Emily Stifler, Explorebigsky.com Managing Editor
BIG SKY – The folks at Hammond Property Management are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If a homeowner has a power outage or a leak at 3 a.m., someone from Hammond responds.
“We live here for the lifestyle and want each of our customers to come here to enjoy that lifestyle,” says owner Scott Hammond.
The company’s two areas of focus are home management and homeowner association management. “I’m proud of that, because I think we’re able to deliver better service because we specialize,” Hammond said.
Hammond opened the business in 1997 with one homeowner and a few long-term rentals. He credits long term relationships as the keystone to his success: That first client is still with him today, and his first employee, hired in 2001, is also still with the company.
“In a high turnover resort town with lots of opportunities for people to move around and change positions and jobs, and all the new property management companies that have popped up in the last 5-10 years, to keep those long term relationships with customers and employees is really what this business is all about.”
Today, his company manages 20 condominium associations and about 175 homes.
The latter are mainly security check clients, which means Hammond checks on their homes once a week, and also does housekeeping, landscaping, snow removal and other contracted services.
Hammond strives to do most maintenance work in-house, and has on staff a licensed plumber, a licensed pool operator, two licensed property managers, plus seasonal landscaping, gardening and snow removal crews.
“We tailor our services to your needs [and] treat your home as if it were our own,” Hammond says.
This kind of service has given the company a good reputation. Typically, it adds three to five new security check clients each year, but the past couple years have been particularly good for business. Since summer 2011, Hammond has added 10 new security check homes, and last fall it took on management of the 216 condos in the Firelight Association, its largest acquisition to date.
Staff includes 11 full time, year round employees, plus several more seasonals.
“It’s a great place to work because it’s very family oriented,” said business manager Ali Gregory, who has been there more than three years.
“It’s all about relationships and trust,” Hammond said.
