In the realm of services for homowners and apartment dwellers undertaking building, refurbishment or large décor projects, the 'owner's advocate' and 'estate manager' have become more popular than ever before. It is certainly trending large for 2011. Once just for the very few, these days more and more homeowners are seeking out these services.

Why is this a happening trend at the moment? There are a few reasons that experts in the field point to. Because of the recession in the States, there are a lot of real estate bargains to be had, even in the city, where the market has recovered but not up to the point of a few years ago. Potential home buyers are coming from abroad, where the money exchange rates are still in their favour (depending on where they are coming from, this can be a very big factor!). And real estate still remains a good investment mostly, so smart buyers who have been considering a second home are jumping on the opportunities. There is also hard evidence that those not hampered by the recession are using their purchasing power more now, which is why the luxury sector did so well over the holidays.

The influx of new condo buildings has made it much easier for foreign buyers here to get the kind of properties they are looking for without having to put themselves through the trouble and, sometimes invasion of privacy, involved in going through the oft-dreaded Coop Boards, who are often less likely to welcome residents who will only be on site some of the time.

As owning second and third residences occurs more often (in places far from the owner's primary residence), a rep is needed to ensure that the home project is handled efficiently and carefully, without any disasters or costly mistakes. And once the home is complete, there is a need for a responsible person to handle emergencies swiftly, deal with safety concerns, hire staff, and generally keep the home ready for comfortable habitation.

There are always many factions involved in any residential project, whether building a house from the ground up, gutting an existing structure to smaller (but still complicated) interior design makeovers; architects, designers, contractors – all with their own agenda. Busy people, often not in residence, and with very little time or expertise to deal with the voluminous red tape of dealing with the endless red tape of city bureaucracy, are eager for somebody they can rely on to make sure every aspect of the project runs smoothly.

An owner's representative specialises in troubleshooting, problem solving, keeping costs down, navigating deftly and diplomatically through all the different entities involved, while being a trustworthy liaison to the owner and keeping their vision in place. The voice of reason, if you will, with upscale taste, and resources from local artisans, decorators, contractors, architects, real estate agents, City Hall, building superintendents and more.

A good owner's rep will keep everything in order, everybody in harmony, getting the project done the way it was conceived originally, and sparing the owner, who may or may not be around, from having to deal with endless and time-consuming problems and aggravation.

Once the owner has availed himself of the talents of a good owner's rep, and the job is done, (without tears!), then it is time for the estate manager aspect of the position to kick in. The estate manager is the chief caretaker, running the home smoothly when the owner is not there. Floods, fires, frozen pipes, landscaping, staffing concerns, or even just providing for the comfort of the client.

More and more people, out of necessity, are hiring owner's advocates and estate managers, and it is a growth area that promises to simplify a design experience and make it more pleasurable than painful."