Condo Media - August 2013 - 36

vendor sPotlight

Mercantile Property Management
Where Customer Service and Technology are Both State of the Art
by Pamela Schweppe

hen you think about Cape
Cod at this time of year, you
probably conjure up idyllic
images of sunny skies and
pounding surf, beautiful beaches and
bicycle paths. What might be harder to
imagine are leaky roofs, cracked pavement, and snow removal. But, like everywhere, even the Cape has property issues
that need to be addressed all year ’round.

A Full Portfolio of Services

Ideally positioned to handle these and
myriad other issues — both geographically and in terms of expertise — is Mercantile Property Management of Bourne,
Mass. Founded in 1987, the company
manages approximately 2,500 units in
37 associations throughout southeastern
Massachusetts and Cape Cod.
A specialist in condominium and
homeowner association management,
Mercantile offers a wide variety of
administrative, financial, staffing, and
maintenance services that are customized to the needs of each condominium
client. These services can range from a
comprehensive property management
plan to selected services, depending
on how involved the association board
wants to be in day-to-day operations.
Taking care of all these responsibilities is a staff of 37 full- and part-time
employees, including portfolio managers and accounting, customer service,
and general administration employees.
A few properties also have on-site
Mercantile staffing, such as concierge,
site manager, chef, and maintenance
personnel.
One such property is Hidden Bay
Condominium, an upscale community
of 72 units in Dartmouth, Mass. A
Mercantile maintenance worker comes
36

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on site three times a week to handle
any related issues that come up. “He’s
incredibly helpful,” says board chair
Rich Brown. “That’s a big plus.”
Built between 1987 and 1997,
Hidden Bay is facing the kinds of
maintenance issues that plague older
complexes, and a major, $1.2 million renovation project is just about
completed. Brown praises Mercantile’s
ability to work in partnership with the
board in overseeing the project.
It wasn’t easy. The builder originally
involved in the project ran into difficulties and “disappeared toward the
end,” according to Brown. “That was
messy for a while.” Fortunately, Mercantile has a good list of vendors to
draw on in any type of situation, and
the company was able to step in and
source another builder to take over
the project. “Mercantile was fantastic
in making sure things kept going,”
says Brown.
Another complex facing a major capital expense was Deer Crossing Condominium of Mashpee, Mass. According
to trustee Fredy DiMeco, the main
obstacle was financial: how to pay for
the $2 million siding project. “Mercantile is very efficient,” he says. “They
review the reserve study every few years
to make sure we maintain a healthy
reserve and help keep condo fees low.
They helped us finance the project using our reserves and a bank loan.”

Service with a Smile

To Mercantile founder and president
Craig J. McGowan, CPM, it all comes
down to one thing: “a core philosophy
of helping people.” For that, a focus on
communication and customer service is
critical. And never is that more impor-

tant than during an emergency, when a
quick reaction is key. “Emergencies do
occur after hours and on weekends,”
McGowan points out. “I think that one
of the biggest things we offer is our
response time.”
A case in point occurred last Thanksgiving, when a major water line to
a property managed by Mercantile
broke. Even though it carried town-fed
water, the line was located on association property, so the town refused to
take responsibility. “Believe me, going
out there with one of my managers on
Thanksgiving Day was quite an interesting chain of events, but we made restoring the water a top priority, even on
a holiday,” McGowan recalls. “We’re
there when our clients need us, 24/7.”
While a burst pipe can happen
anywhere, there are situations that are
unique to oceanfront areas like Cape
Cod. The region can be hit by hurricanes traveling up the East Coast, so
the staff of Mercantile keeps a close eye
on the weather and is prepared to react
quickly. Additionally, some insurance
companies have raised wind deductibles, according to McGowan, and
some simply won’t insure properties
located near the water. “That’s created some challenges for all of us in the
industry,” he says.
One association with special beachfront needs is Maushop Village Condominium of Mashpee. Because of its
ocean frontage, the association fields
issues relating to the beach, including
beach nourishment, reporting to the
conservation commission, maintaining the profile of the beach and a large
revetment built by the association, and
obtaining access to the beach through
neighboring property.

Condo Media - August 2013

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