Blog
‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: Is it Still ‘Location, Location, Location’?
Snow. Why’d it have to be snow? (Picture I said that while wearing a fedora, because I’m feeling snazzy.) Currently, New York City is being hit with a nor’easter, just a week after Hurricane Sandy. As if the Northeast wasn’t suffering through enough already. It almost makes a girl want to pack up her belongs and go West, Fievel-style. In all seriousness though, whether you’re on the East Coast or not, does weather ever play a part in where you plan to build or manage a property? The New York Times asks if people will be leery about Giving my…
‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: Do You Manage Your Properties Like a Rock Star? (Maybe You Shouldn’t)
I recently went to see a concert—Social Distortion, one of my all-time favorite bands. And while it was an awesome show, I was disappointed that they didn’t play my favorite song, “Story of My Life.” (Kids, it’s one of the songs in the Rock Band video game, if that helps. And now I feel old.) This is probably one of their most well-known songs, and I’m guessing most-played, so maybe they were sick of it or something. A similar thing happened when I went to see John Mayer a few years ago. Now, I’m not the biggest John Mayer fan. I like…
‘Business Development 101′ with Marilynn Mendell. Part 3: Look Great and Act Like a Leader
Along with an understanding of business ethics and a solid plan, a professional must have polished social behavior and practice the correct decorum in order for business development to shine.
Guest Blog: ‘Change Versus the Devil You Know’ with Matt Slepin
For job seekers and for our clients, how do we advise thinking about “change versus the devil you know?” The multifamily business is clearly in an upswing, so there’s a lot to consider.
‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: Halloween Marketing Opportunities for Your Community Using Social Media
There is nothing bad about Halloween. Wait—actually, there are some bad things about Halloween. Like raisins. And complicated costumes (like the year I dressed as Freddy Krueger and then couldn’t hold a cup with my knife hand). And raisins. OK, maybe there are a few bad things about Halloween. But, besides those things, Halloween is a fun time, and a lot of people get really into it. So, what better time than to do something fun for your residents while spreading good cheer about your community using your social media channels? After all, social media word of mouth is free. (Reese’s…
‘Gimme Shelter’ with Daniel Gehman: Tiny Cars and Tiny Cribs
There’s a direct correlation between automotive design and apartment design. I was reminded of this by a recent newspaper article I read about the new Chevy Spark, a diminutive vehicle (some may even say “tiny”), which is nonetheless loaded with technological features, like the requisite USB port for personal entertainment devices and Bluetooth for personal communication devices (often the same hand-held widget). For the entry-level crowd (think Gen Y, of course) these are the new creature comforts. It should be noted that the vehicle certainly doesn’t offer some of the interior niceties of more middle-market rides (say, a Toyota Camry,…
‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: 5 Ways to Impress Your Residents and Earn Extra Income
I don’t like country music. It’s more likely that I’d spike my hair into a mohawk before I’d ever don a cowboy hat. But there was a country song that crossed over to the pop charts back in ’97 that they played all the time that still pops into my head every now and then. Shania Twain’s “That Don’t Impress Me Much.” And now it can be in your heads the rest of the day too. You’re welcome. In the song, she meets all these guys, but she’s all, “That’s nice, but what have you done for me lately?” (I’m paraphrasing.)…
‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: Boomer, Gen X, Millennial–Same Difference When it Comes to Renting
Everywhere you turn nowadays, there are articles on Millennials. Of course, in the apartment industry, this is no exception, especially in terms of what amenities Gen Y is looking for. (Spoiler alert: It’s WiFi.) But are Millennials so different from other generations? In all the articles about designing for Gen Y, it’s always mentioned that they are more tech savvy. That they have a group mentality. That they care more about sustainability. That they for some reason find handlebar mustaches the pinnacle of high fashion (with nary a woman to tie to the train tracks in sight). True. But the…
‘The Accidental Economist’ with Jack Kern: Shadow Inventory Disappearing?
“Life is tough, but it’s tougher when you’re stupid.” —John Wayne 1907-1979, Actor, Director, Philosopher The most recent report by Corelogic suggested that the shadow inventory as of July dropped to 2.3 million houses. I found myself thinking about this a lot lately because conceptually shadow inventory really does compete with professionally managed apartments. The real issue is where is it located and how it impacts apartment rentals. For the most part, research shows (I love to use that phrase) that residents living in single family or row-house units tend to rent from individuals who have one or at most…
‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: Ways to Appeal to Introverted Residents
It’s all well and good to offer events for your residents. Ice cream socials, screening parties, bbqs, are all fun and allow residents to mingle and feel like they’re part of the community, which, in turn not only helps with retention, but also with positive word of mouth about the building. But, sometimes residents just don’t want to hang out with their neighbors. And that’s OK. Some people are shy. Some people work crazy hours and would rather come home to a nice quiet apartment and watch DVR-ed episodes of Dexter and enjoy a nice glass of wine (actually, take…