75 Anniversary

AMO

Accredited Management Organization: The mark of distinction among property management firms

IREM’s early history was surrounded in debate on whether property management professionalism existed more at the company level or the individual level. Despite companies being IREM’s first members, the organization moved to more individual recognition with the establishment of the CPM in 1938.

Yet, as we know now, professionalism exists at multiple levels – company-wide and within the individuals who work there. In time IREM’s early leaders acknowledged that there was a place for both individual and company recognitions based on adherence to ethical and business practice standards. Out of this came the establishment of the AMO accreditation on September 6, 1945.

Approximately six months later, in the spring of 1946, 162 companies earned the AMO. Over the last 75 years, the AMO has expanded to include over 450 companies across the United States and the rest of the world. As real estate management continues to evolve and change, the AMO will continue to stand for excellence.

AMO through the years

Key dates and players in the AMO

Kendall Cady, CPM^® – proposed the AMO during his tenure as Chairman of the Admissions Committee in 1945; served as IREM President in 1948
September 6, 1945 – AMO program is approved by the Governing Council
September 1945-March 1946 – IREM works to develop standards for AMO firms with a focus on protecting the public that they served
March 1946 – IREM announces the inaugural AMO firms, including 162 companies from 31 states and the District of Columbia

1946-2021 – Draper and Kramer, Incorporated and Morton G. Thalhimer, Inc. celebrate 75 continuous years as AMO accredited firms
1950s – IREM establishes an AMO advertising committee to promote the value of the AMO
1970s – IREM introduces an education component to the AMO standards and other changes are incorporated to help strengthen the program

1980s – Growth in the real estate market leads to growth to the AMO and the roster of AMO firms reaches 540 by the end of the decade; IREM conducts its first AMO image audit to understand the value of AMO accreditation as perceived by potential clients
2000s – Best Practices: Real Estate Management Service is published in 2009; becomes basis for modifications to AMO requirements
2010s – The reach of the AMO extends beyond North America with firms in China and Korea achieving accreditation in 2013 and Japan in 2018; IREM launches new AMO course “Leading a Successful Property Management Company”

Read more about the history of the AMO

Here’s to another 75 years – AMO^® firms grow stronger every

One of the primary reasons IREM® was founded in 1933 as an affiliate of what is now known as the National Association of REALTORS® was to help building owners and investors make informed decisions when choosing a firm to manage their properties.

Blog: AMO^® program established 75 years ago amidst global crisis

On September 6, 1945, at a special meeting of the governing council in Chicago, IREM approved a change to its bylaws that created the AMO accreditation and ended its organizational category of membership. The original minimum standards for those companies seeking the accreditation were “aimed at protecting the public from unethical and improper management practices and techniques.”

“He became convinced that the professionalization of individual managers required also some method of Accrediting the organizations with which they might be associated. From the authorship of this ide to its fruition was a long and difficult road. Undaunted by several setbacks Mr. Cady’s persistence and the wisdom of his plan finally won through to Institute adoption.”

The Journal of Property Management on Kendall Cady, CPM^®
Summer 1946

“The Institute is able to recognize certain organizations which meet its requirements and to grant those organizations public recognition as Accredited Management Organizations. . . This is a service to property owners and has no other objective. . . . It should be the aim of the Institute to qualify every worthy management organization in the United States so that the initials AMO may take their place among the respected and effective MAI, CPA, accredited Hospitality, and the many other marks of merit and distinction.”

H. Walter Graves, “The Editor’s Review,” The Journal of Property Management
Summer 1948

“For a moment I would like to talk with you about the Institute of Real Estate Management. Now in its seventeenth year, it has passed through infancy and puberty and is approaching adulthood. It is strong and virtle – active – doing things. It is big and growing bigger. Today we have almost 1100 CPMs in 41 states. There are approximately 300 Accredited Management Organizations operating in more than 130 principal cities, controlling hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of real property within the Standards of Practice of the Institute. AMO applications are coming in from the biggest and best-known firms in the country, and the roster is beginning to read like the Blue Book of the business.”

Ormonde A. Kieb, CPM^®, 1951 IREM President, The Journal of Property Management
Summer 1951

“It was Kendall Cady of Chicago who finally came up with a device upon which a compromise could be reached – the Accredited Management Organization. Taking a leaf from the medical profession, Ken found that hospitals in which surgeons practiced were rated by these surgeons as to their equipment, their professional management, and their general standing. What was to prevent CPMs from issuing such rations for the property management firms of the nation?”

James C. Downs, Jr., CPM^®
The Journal of Property Management, Fall 1954

“There are many advantages in being an Accredited Management Organization. . . But whatever else, let’s keep in mind that “What it Means to be an AMO” is more than just a slogan to be considered and analyzed from time to time. To those who are conscientiously carrying out their daily tasks, the AMO becomes a whole new way of life.”

A.T. Beckwith, CPM^® introduction to an article entitled “What It Means to be an AMO”
The Journal of Property Management, Fall 1956

“As IREM serves its members and the general field of property management, so the members of IREM, the CPMs, seek to serve the public in many ways. One very obvious method is the Accredited Management Organization.

Much as doctors certify the quality of a hospital and its facilities, staff, and procedures, the AMO firms is qualified initially through the retention of a CPM as the head of its management activities. This qualification, along with the prohibition of commingle funds, property employee bonding, and other restrictions designed to protect the client given a extra measure of security to the public when seeking a management firm.”

Douglas J. McDonough, “Professional Management: A Sound Investment”
The Journal of Property Management, November/December 1971

“One of the greatest needs we have today is an accurate system of identification of organizations capable of solving complex real estate problems. Hopefully [with the updates planned for 1975], the AMO designation will have the substance necessary to assist in this role.”

Vance C. Miller, CPM^®, 1974 President, “The President’s Letter”
Journal of Property Management, November/December 1974