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‘Editor’s Notebook’ with Diana Mosher: Tabletop Technology Designed to Boost Occupancy
In our increasingly mobile world, would you be willing to invest in tabletop technology that tethers its users to one spot? What if the tabletop happened to be an enormous and very powerful multi-user touch table? There’s no doubt apartment residents and prospects will be impressed every time they walk by this innovation which resembles a giant iPad. They would welcome its functional aspects and also admire the forward-thinking management team who decided this was a “must have” addition to their apartment lobby. World class museums and labs throughout the U.S. and Canada were early adopters of this tabletop technology…
Guest Post: Charting the Uncharted–What to Expect in 2013 and Beyond
By Patrick S. Simons, Principal, Strategic Property Economics With the recent announcement of an additional $45 billion per month in bond purchases by the Federal Reserve, the U.S. economy, and by extension the prospects for rental apartments, is entering uncharted waters.. Although we track enough economic data points to make one’s head spin, let’s take a look at three of the biggest in order to get a sense for what the future might hold for the apartment industry in the coming year and the years beyond. And, keeping with the cartographic theme, two of the three macroeconomic drivers are geopolitical….
‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: 6 Amenities You Really Should Have
I’ve previously written two blogs about amenities that might not be worth the investment ( But that’s not the case—I just listened to a lot of grunge music growing up. Plus there are plenty of amenities that are totally worth it—amenities that people either want going in, or didn’t know they wanted it until they had it and now they can’t imagine their lives without it (sort of like how I never had cable when I was little, but now wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I couldn’t watch Breaking Bad, Dexter or American Horror Story. Probably put…
‘Editor’s Notebook’ with Diana Mosher: Should You Enhance Your Lobby with Colorful Art Glass?
Many apartment properties are still playing it safe with plain vanilla design in order to attract the greatest number of residents. But others are recognizing that bolder design decisions allow the marketing team to target specific demographics, which can lead to greater long-term success. Occupancy will likely be boosted by taking a design stance rather than trying to be all things to all potential and existing residents. In the I interviewed Bethesda, MD-based Donatelli Development about their trend-setting use of color at Highland Park, a high-rise in Washington D.C.’s revitalized Columbia Heights neighborhood designed by Hickok Cole Architects and built…
‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: 4 (More) Amenities That Probably Aren’t Worth the Investment
To paraphrase Forrest Gump, amenities are like a box of chocolates. Some are awesome, and some, like cherry cordials, are nice in theory and are pretty to look at, but are ultimately left untouched, or sampled and then promptly discarded. Because they are gross. Are all your amenities chocolate caramels, or do you have some cherry cordials in your building? Several months ago I wrote a blog titled “5 Amenities That Probably Aren’t Worth the Investment.” Here are a few more amenities that might not be worth the money. 4 (More) Amenities That Probably Aren’t Worth the Investment Electric car charging…
‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: Going Green (Literally) with Pantone’s 2013 Color of the Year
As the days are getting colder, people have already transitioned to their winter wardrobes. So that means shades of black, gray and occasionally some winter white (which I love for coats, and my dry cleaner loves for my coats as well). And, while black is tres chic for a Manhattan cocktail party or for slimming people after eating all that home-made fudge their coworkers bring to the office, when the outside world starts looking like the first 10 minutes of The Wizard of Oz, it can get a little dreary. Same with apartments. Apartments for rent don’t generally change color for…
‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: How Do You Let Your Residents Know When They Do Something Wrong?
In my apartment community, the garbage area is out the door on the right side of the building. If you go on the left side of the building, there are apartments. Recently, my husband and I had someone clean our apartment (if my mother-in-law is reading this, by “someone” I mean myself, obviously), and on her way out, she offered to take out the garbage. And, unbeknownst to us, she misunderstood where the garbage room was, and put our garbage bags in front of one of the apartments on the left side, thinking the garbage room was just locked. (I…
‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: Should You Put Holiday Decorations in Your Community Lobby?
Like Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog’s Day, we’re all slowly emerging from our turkey comas and seeing if the holiday season is yet underway. (It is. Looks like we’re not actually getting four more weeks of fall.) Apartment communities sometimes get into the holiday spirit with their decorations. Trees, garlands, menorahs, all that fun stuff. It certainly is festive, and could get the residents in a cheerful frame of mind. But, should you decorate for the holidays? Here’s a list of pros and cons of decorating your community for the holidays. Pro: It puts people in the holiday spirit. It’s the time…
‘Business Development 101’ with Marilyn Mendell. Part 4: Building Lasting Relationships
A business development professional must have four qualities: a high standard for ethics, an amazing ability to forecast and carry out plans, impeccable manners and an understanding of the nuances of societal order, and finally plenty of empathy. Kindness to others along with appreciation for what people have done often develops long lasting friendships and loyalty. A person can be a tough negotiator and still be fair and say thank you. The two are not mutually exclusive. Probably no other part of business development is more important than building lasting relationships. As with all segments of doing business honesty and…
‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: 6 Ways to Make Thanksgiving Easier for Residents (And Boost Building Morale)
Wasn’t it just Halloween? How is Thanksgiving next week already? Thanksgiving is the most stressful holiday, like, ever. Well, actually New Years Eve is pretty stressful, because there’s all this pressure to find a good party and then all the bars have inflated covers and restaurants have inflated prixe fixe menus, and of course they’re out of the steak already, and you end up waiting in the snow to hail a cab at 12:05 for an hour because you just want to be home in your pajamas. Every year. And Valentine’s Day is stressful, because if you don’t have a…