Austin’s Elan Apartment Homes Captures Top Award
Elan Apartment Homes, a 270-unit northwest Austin, Texas, community acquired by Crossbeam Concierge in December 2011, has been named a “Property of the Year” by the Austin Apartment Association.
By Jeffrey Steele, Contributing Writer
Austin, Texas—Elan Apartment Homes, a 270-unit northwest Austin, Texas, community acquired by Crossbeam Concierge in December 2011, has been named a “Property of the Year” by the Austin Apartment Association.
The community was repositioned as a Class A property following a $1 million renovation that resulted in upgraded apartment interiors and substantially enhanced amenities. A new clubhouse entry, resort-quality pool, outdoor living areas, new business center and enhanced fitness center were all part of the renovation, which required 12 months to complete.
“The Austin Apartment Association vets all submissions through a mystery shop to the properties, and selects the three finalists based on their scores,” Jenifer Paneral, Houston-based chief operating officer of Concierge Management Services, the property management company of Crossbeam Concierge, tells MHN. “For any property to be named a finalist, the daily performance of customer service must be exceptional. And for Elan to be named Property of the Year means our team’s service is truly unmatched. At Crossbeam Concierge, our management operations prides itself on making customer service an integral part of our team members’ DNA, starting with our hiring process benchmarks, employee and new-hire education programs and compensation tied to customer service ratings and sales performance . . . We focus on repositioning dollars on the customer experience and demographics of our target market.”
The property was distressed at acquisition, having had several owners and numerous property management firms during the two years prior to acquisition by Elan, says Ted Kerr, Dallas-based managing partner. “It needed significant improvements to the common areas and amenities, and the entryway needed to be redesigned. We were able to achieve the Property of the Year award only 18 months after the acquisition and implementation of our physical improvements and implementation of our Concierge programs to improve resident satisfaction.”
Elan management believed the community’s residents really deserved the improvements the company implemented, Kerr reports. “Many of them had lived through the broken promises of previous managements, and earning their confidence and trust was of the utmost importance,” he says.
“It was sometimes an inconvenience for residents to have amenities unavailable during the renovation, but through ongoing communication, everyone knew the processes and time frames at hand, and the impact was minimized.”
The residents of Elan Apartment Homes haven’t been polled on their thoughts about the Property of the Year award. “But they love the improvements we have made,” Kerr says. “The most important thing to them is that the property looks and operates great. And they are proud to show off their community to their friends and family.”
