Lilian Gong is Systems Director at Indigo Real Estate which operates primarily in the Seattle metro area, with increasing presence in Utah and Hawaii. She’s one of our pioneering Gelbgroup Academy Certified Yardi Administrators. We recently caught up with Lilian and here’s a snippet of our conversation.
How long have you been in the real estate industry and how did you get started?
“I’ve been in the industry for nine years and like most people, I kind of just fell into it. I started as an executive assistant to the president of Indigo. And over the years of helping with things like reporting and being technologically inclined, I ended up overseeing Yardi.”
In your daily role, what drives you? Where do you draw inspiration to achieve your goals?
“Having access to a lot of technology gives us options and opportunities to help. So, what I’m really excited about my role is making the technology work for us. To make the lives of our team members easier and better. They can spend less time on ‘paperwork’ and more of their energy to be on site and to help our residents have a nice living experience.”
Do you have any career advice for someone trying to break into the industry?
“My path was not very traditional. Today, I’m building out my team and looking for people with on-site experience, where they may have used the software to document their day-to-day activities as an end user, maybe as a leasing agent.”
Indigo’s tagline is “Home is where your true colors shine.” What does that mean to you?
“We believe that everyone has the right to a home, where they can feel most safe. Where they can express themselves freely. We also focus on making sure our team feels supported. If they’re happy and supported, they’re going to be able to give our residents a better experience.”
Share a fun fact about Seattle. Where would you take a visitor first?
“Pikes Place Market. If they like chowder, I recommend the Pike Place chowder place. I would take them on that chef’s tour that takes you to ten spots around the Seattle Pike Place Market.”
Fun facts about Lilian:
When she’s not backpacking in the summer, she cultivates a ten-gallon planted aquarium. “It has a lot of aquatic plants and I like to play around with different landscaping. I also have a school of fish that live there. It’s a little bit of nature indoors that my cats can’t get to. They eat all of my indoor plants.”
What’s next for Lilian?
She’s been focused on market rate multi-family housing and has taken Gelbgroup Academy’s foundational Yardi Admin curriculum. She’s excited to get into something relatively new for her: affordable housing. Lilian will be part of the cohort for the upcoming Affordable Administration certification course in June.
