The Wall Street Journal - 23.08.2019

M2| Friday, August 23, 2019 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

products into the house, or saving

money by changing vendors.” He

receives a base salary, plus a per-

formance bonus, special-projects

bonus and Christmas bonus. In all,

he says he earns an amount in

“the mid-six figures.”

High demand for household

and estate managers is driving up

salaries, especially in an era of

low unemployment.

“It really is a thriving market

for estate managers because

they’re able to command salaries

that are what they’re worth and

are, frankly, overdue,” says Mr.

Peele of the Estate Managers Co-

alition. His organization recently

placed someone to oversee a

large residence in Beverly Hills.

The pay: $300,000 a year. “You

typically find that salary for

someone managing multiple prop-

erties. But nowadays, if you’re

finding someone who’s highly

qualified, they’ll pay that to

maintain just one residence.”

Additional perks aim to attract

and retain good people. Mr. Peele

says some homeowners let manag-

ers use the private jet to take them

to places like Hawaii for vacation.

Estate manager Brian Nedley

says he specifically sought posi-

tions in the Hamptons, in New

York, because of the high salaries.

At one property, he managed an

operating budget of $2 million a

year—not including staff payroll.

“It was a rewarding job, but a

tough job,” says Mr. Nedley, 54.

“The people you’re working for,

their time is so precious. They

need someone to take care of the

bills, register the cars, take care

of the animals, so they can enjoy

themselves.”

Recently he took a job in Litch-

field, Conn., that’s nearer to his

own home and family. Fortunately

for him, the salary is akin to what

he was earning in the Hamptons.

(He declined to disclose the

amount.)

His current position involves

overseeing the weekend home and

working farm for the owners, a

New York City couple in their 50s

with two school-age children. This

job is different from previous po-

sitions because it involves manag-

ing 80 acres and the care of al-

pacas, sheep and horses. That’s on

top of more typical duties, such as

dealing with landscapers, electri-

cians and plumbers. But no job is

too small: “I make sure the chef

has dinner on time and it’s to

their liking,” he says.

COUNTING HOUSE|BETH DECARBO

Your House

Is Out of

Control

Staff turnover, property losses and security lapses

are signs that you may need an estate manager

MANSION

Imagine your house is a company—
and you’re the CEO.
Your business partner (spouse)
complains of cost overruns. The ware-
house (garage) roof leaks. A branch
office (beach house) is closing for the
season. And shareholders (the chil-
dren) need pricey equipment (laptops) for the new
fiscal year.
It looks like upper management could use a new
hire or two.
Even the most successful business executives may
struggle managing the home front, where operating
expenses can reach upward of $5 million a year. As a
result, there’s a growing demand for household and
estate managers who can do everything from oversee-
ing home renovations to taking the dogs to the vet.
“You hire staff in order to make your life easier
and focus on things that are important to you—busi-
ness, hobbies, friends,” says Stephen Candland,
whose company, Private Staff Group, recruits full-
time and seasonal employees for households, estates
and personal services.
Some people tap into specialized recruiters and
agencies to hire household staff, but others may ask
their family office—private wealth-management firms
that handle family affairs—to oversee hiring for
them. Fees vary based on the position and the re-
cruiter, but they typically range from 10% to 45% of
the hiree’s first year’s salary.
Hayden Horowitz, chief executive of Geller Advi-
sors, a multifamily office based in New York, says
many clients turn to him when problems arise, such
as excessive spending or lax security. Life changes,
such as a death, divorce, or the sale of a business,
can also affect staffing needs.
The first step, Mr. Horowitz says, is to assess the
client’s portfolio of properties—homes, yachts and
planes—and determine the staffing required to man-
age them. Geller then creates a financial plan that
covers operating costs like maintenance, taxes and
staffing. Finally, the company helps recruit and place
candidates, as well as provide payroll and human-re-
sources support.
Finding qualified candidates is more difficult these days because they
need to understand sophisticated technical and environmental systems
for residences. At the same time, they must have excellent management
and interpersonal skills with staff and family members.
“It is not uncommon for us to re-
view 20 to 40 résumés for a particu-
lar position and still have difficulty
finding a good fit,” Mr. Horowitz says.
The most sought-after staffer is
someone who oversees the people and
vendors who make a home run, says
Bryan Peele, president of the Estate
Managers Coalition, a nonprofit trade
group with about 1,700 members. A
client with one or two homes may
hire a household manager or personal
assistant who keeps things running
smoothly. But a homeowner with a
sprawling estate or multiple homes
might need an estate manager, a per-
son with a range of skills who over-
sees all aspects of the household. (Ti-
tles and job descriptions vary across
the industry.)
“People want to elevate their life-
style and protect what they have,” says
Mr. Peele, who is also an estate man-
ager in Los Angeles. “Their house is
probably their biggest investment, and
they realize they need help taking care
of the house while they’re taking care
of the kids or traveling for business.”
Estate manager Jeremy Schiestel
oversees 14 properties, three planes
and one boat for his clients, a couple
and their two adult children whose
primary residence is in Los Angeles.
He manages a staff of about 10 peo-
ple, as well as vendors, caterers and
other service professionals for major projects and events. The job in-
volves extensive travel—at least one trip every other week.
Recently he got a call from a housekeeper who said a plumbing prob-
lem flooded one of the homes—and the owners, who had been traveling,
were due to return. “You’ve got to move some things around and act
quickly,” Mr. Schiestel, 29, says. “Luckily they have another house here
and could stay there. It was a matter of getting the [second] house
ready as quickly as possible.”
Once a year, Mr. Schiestel gets a performance review. “At that time, I
also make recommendations, like adding more staff, or introducing more

Estate manager Jeremy Schiestel oversees 14 properties, three planes and one boat for his clients, a couple and their two adult

children whose primary residence is in Los Angeles, shown in these images. For that he earns ‘in the mid-six figures’ annually.

ASSISTANCE, PLEASE

Base starting salaries for

experienced candidates in

the Northeast

Housekeeper

$50,000-$70,000

PER YEAR

Housekeeper/cook

$60,000-$80,000

Chef

$70,000-$90,000

House manager

$70,000-$80,000

Estate manager

$85,000-$200,000

Butler

$65,000-$100,000

Companion (non-medical)

$75,000-$90,000

Personal assistant

$65,000-$150,000

Note: The amount doesn’t include
non-cash compensation, such as
housing, time off or a car.
Source: Private Staff Group

MICHAL CZERWONKA FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (5); GETTY IMAGES (ICON)

10%

to 45%

Percentage of hiree’s

starting salary charged

by recruiters

to Paris, to Athens and then to Sic-

ily. What questions are you going

to ask her before you plan that

trip? A red flag is when the candi-

date says, “I can go ahead and

book it—I don’t need to ask the

homeowner.”

Ms. Leigh filled the position, but

it wasn’t easy. “We could only find

two who were a match to the

homeowner’s needs. That’s not re-

ally good statistics for a home-

owner when they’re looking to hire

themselves,” Ms. Leigh says.

do the laundry. Here is 50 pounds

of laundry. Sort it into loads based

on the fabric, color and other care

instructions.

Test 2:The homeowner is going on

a trip and needsher favorite brand

of toothpaste. Go and find it. “You’d

be surprised how some people

can’t problem solve. Or they’ll

spend four hours at the drugstore,”

she says.

Test 3:The homeowner and her

best girlfriend want to go on a trip

GOOD LUCK FINDING
QUALIFIED JOB CANDIDATES

Finding a top-notch household
manager who is capable and willing
to handle a wide array of duties
can be a challenge.
“You might have someone who
can whip up lunch and press a
shirt, but they don’t have Excel
skills,” says Teresa Leigh, owner of
advisory firm Teresa Leigh House-
hold Risk Management. “Or you
may have someone who could get
trees removed or oversee building

something, but you can’t

ask him or her to run to

the airport and pick up

your best friend.”

Her firm’s latest proj-

ect involved hiring a

household personal as-

sistant for a New York-

based entrepreneur with

homes all over the coun-

try. A marketing push for the posi-

tion drew 1,940 résumés, she says.

Of those, 500 were interviewed

over the phone. From that pool, 21

people made the cut for in-person

interviews, which was

narrowed down to 10

for real-life testing.

“Welovetotestbe-

cause it will call out

people who are not

equipped to do the

job,” Ms. Leigh says.

Here are some exam-

ples of what candi-

dates were asked to do.

Test 1:It’s your first day on the job

and the housekeeper hasn’t arrived

yet. So the homeowner asks you to