Jessica Fiur is the editor-in-chief at Multi-Housing News and Commercial Property Executive and writes the award-winning blog What Renters Want.
Jessica has been with the company since 2011 and previously was with Weekly Reader and IQPC. Contact Jessica at jessica.fiur@cpe-mhn.com, on Twitter @jfiur or on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicafiur/.
‘Gimme Shelter’ with Daniel Gehman: Make Offer
So it’s come to the end of another gorgeous holiday weekend, right here in the middle of the summer of our discontent. I don’t know what happened—from everything I read and heard, I had come to believe the third quarter would usher in the recovery, albeit mild-mannered, from just whatever it is we’ve been going through. Hey! We’re almost a week into the Q3, 2009! Where’s the recovery? Well, perhaps as Jeff Immelt said, this is not so much a recovery as a “re-set.” To me that always conjures the picture of returning all the Monopoly money, markers and cards…
‘Capital Insights’ with Jack Kern: New Rent Regulations Go Into Effect on Foreclosures
“Nothing is more damaging to a state than that cunning men pass for wise.” Francis Bacon (1561-1626) There are an estimated 5 million homes in foreclosure, with the total potentially rising to 7 million. One of the facts coming to light is that as much as 40% of these are investor- or syndicate-owned and leased out to renters. As these houses are falling into default, many of the owners are pocketing the rent payments and letting the renters discover for themselves that they are being evicted, even though they’ve paid their rents on time and consistently. Recent legislation now…
‘The Essential Kitchen’ with Kevin M. Henry: Tao of the New Economy: Part I—Meet the ‘So-Con’
The near collapse of the global economic system has had a major impact on the lifestyle of the American consumer, who is buying fewer services and goods that were once considered staples of the affluent life. � � American consumers have suffered a collective breakdown. They have begun to question their lives and their lifestyles…Do I need that big German car? Do I really need that second house at the beach? Do my kids need to go to that private school? Do I need a new phone or iPod or laptop because it now comes in a cooler color? Out…
Guest Blog: The Power of Your Website
We are all familiar with the web and have heard all the stories about young entrepreneurs becoming fabulously rich by building amazing sites and selling products through them. Some examples include Amazon, Zappos, and today’s social media darling Facebook. Every property is a business and just like any other business you need to promote it. The best and most efficient source to advertise your business is through the Internet. Unlike traditional print advertising, your website need not cost a lot to advertise through. Essentially, your website is a tool to take and use as your advertising vehicle in various sources…
‘Who’s Leading the Green Movement?’ Guest Blog with Matt Voorhees
Individual homeowners are going green in record numbers, but they are not the ones who will be the leaders in the green movement because they are going green slowly. As much as they might want for circumstances to be otherwise, most are not in a position to run out and buy, for instance, a high efficiency clothes washer when the old one is still running just fine. It’s a big expense, and while they will ultimately recoup all of the money from the savings on their water bill, the immediate savings does not justify the price of such a big-ticket…
‘Gimme Shelter’ with Daniel Gehman: Cars
“Here is my car, I feel safest of all; I can lock all my doors, it’s the only way to live, In cars.” Perhaps you have the good fortune to remember this ‘top ten’ song from 1980 sung by Gary Numan. I suppose this piece could be the un-official theme number of the City of Angels, where I do most of my work. Over the last two weeks, I have experienced both ends of the spectrum of love/hate for the projectile ICE (Internal combustion engine, for those of you new to the discussion) personal transport system. First, I had the…
‘The Green Picture’ with Erika Schnitzer: Energy Management, Technology and You
At GreenBuildingsNY—held in conjunction with BuildingsNY at the Jacob Javits Convention Center June 16-17—yesterday, I attended U.S. Energy Group’ s presentation, “The Art of Managing Buildings for Energy Efficiency.” David Unger, chief operating officer, discussed how building owners and mangers can reduce fuel usage by 10 to 30 percent by implementing an energy management system. As I’ve previously discussed, part of Mayor Bloomberg’s plaNYC initiative proposes a new energy code for existing buildings, as well as a mandate that would require these buildings to make energy improvements to pay for themselves within five years. According to Unger, implementing an energy…
‘Gimme Shelter’ with Daniel Gehman: Aggressive Passive
At least out here in California, “building carbon neutrality” is the new black. In this curious epoch, while we are all waiting to see who will build what next, I have heard it speculated that the “green” movement will fade to a mellow chartreuse until it is clear where the money will come from for new developments. Mmmmm . . . maybe not so much. Most of what I’ve been hearing suggests that the high performance/resource sensitive sensibilities (some folks still say “sustainable,” but I find the word inaccurate and highly charged, so try not to use it) are actually…
‘Capital Insights’ with Jack Kern: New York City Rents Stable but Still Down Y-O-Y
Sometimes, the power curve shifts and the resident gets to call the shots. Reminiscent of the Godfather, 1972 when Michael Corleone talks about how his Father made an offer the band leader couldn’t refuse, residents are seeing the benefits of negotiating lower rents (without horses or large menacing guys like in the movie). Rents for doorman buildings, according to the latest release from the May Manhattan Rental Market Report (see www.tregny.com <http://www.tregny.com> ) showed these declines: Studios – down 9.84% One BR – down 8.96% Two BR – down 4.53% Rents for non-dorman buildings performed this way: Studios –…
‘Guest Column’ with Scott Yahraus: Using Facebook at Your Properties
It is not a question any more, rather a certainty. Facebook is here to stay. It has become a part of our everyday lives. Once thought to be used only by Generation “Y”, social media has transformed our lives. The largest growing demographic happens to be females 40 years old and above. If the first phase of the Internet was to get everyone connected, then this second phase of the Internet is about getting the human network connected to each other. I recently heard on NPR (National Public Radio) that the epidemic of workers checking their Facebook pages was the…