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‘On the Ground’ with Eric Brown: Social Media Marketing for Apartments Is about the Numbers, Part Two: Blogs
Blogger Eric Brown shares insight as to how to get people talking about your community.
‘Foong on Finance’: Rising Interest Rates Torpedo Acquisition Deals
The multifamily acquisitions market became a buyer’s market as early as the beginning of last year. Cap rates for apartment properties have now slid back down to levels last seen in the mid- to late-2000s. For example, cap rates are 5.5 percent in certain California locations and in New York City, says Nathan Collier, founder and chairman of the Collier Companies. Collier spoke at a session last week at the National Association of Home Builders’ International Builders’ Show. Speakers at the session, which addressed the acquisition of multifamily properties, suggested that rising interest rates (which have increased by as much…
Social Media Marketing for Apartments Is about the Numbers
The social media gurus tell us that social media marketing is about listening to the customer, engagement and a variety of other soft metrics. The growth of social media has impacted the way organizations communicate. With the emergence of Web 2.0, the Internet provides a set of tools that allow people to build social and business connections, share information and collaborate on projects online. Social media marketing programs center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. A corporate message spreads from user to user and presumably resonates because it is coming…
‘Gimme Shelter’ with Daniel Gehman: Walkability
There is a great deal of discussion to be heard these days about “walkability” and “walkable neighborhoods.” Great! It’s a beneficial and practical idea to consider. But, like “sustainability,” everyone who uses the word probably has a nuanced meaning for it. What makes a neighborhood “walkable?” Is it just about destination? Or infrastructure? Or flattering urban appointments? I think maybe one of the most important elements of walkability is the attitude of the walker. Seriously. When I am working in our Irvine office in California, I have for a decade moaned that “there’s no place to walk to for lunch.”…
‘Foong on Finance’ with Keat Foong: The Apartment Market Recovers
The news looks good. The unemployment rate in December fell from 9.8 percent to 9.4 percent. However, the number of jobs added was only 103,000—less than the roughly 150,000 new jobs that are needed per month just to keep pace with entrants into the labor market. And everyone knows by now that half of December’s decline in the unemployment rate is attributed to those who dropped out of the labor force and are no longer counted in the unemployment rate. Still, the apartment market is due to have a good 2011, even it will probably take many, many years for…
‘On the Ground’ with Eric Brown: Email Marketing Can Help Fill Vacancy
There is so much low-hanging fruit for most apartment operators that even a few small changes can have a huge impact on occupancy. An easy place to start is email capture.
‘Foong on Finance’ with Keat Foong: Demography is Destiny
It does not seem that long ago that we took note the U.S. population had increased from less than 250 million to about 280 million. That was in the year 2000. The U.S. Census Bureau announced last week that its latest tally of the U.S. population, as of April 1, 2010, stands at 308,745,538. The South and the West are obtaining most of the population increase. The U.S.’s population growth rate in fact exceeds that of China’s. One would think a growing population generates greater demand for apartments, and is generally good news for apartment property owners. Where are the development sites to…
‘On the Ground’ with Eric Brown: Digital Domination
Bringing Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and Facebook into your marketing strategy has become essential to expanding your presence and communicating with your community.
‘Editor’s Notebook’ with Diana Mosher: Mid-Atlantic Update with Hickok Cole
Once you’ve put the name with the face, it’s great to catch up in person every now and then. Next time you’re planning a visit to New York, we hope you’ll schedule some time to stop by our editorial office. Besides an in-depth look at the upcoming editorial calendar with one or more of the MHN editors, the meeting will also result in brainstorming that can lead to other story ideas for MHN Online and MHN TV or perhaps an impromptu podcast. The same outcome can be accomplished by regularly touching base at one or more industry events during the…
‘On the Ground’ with Eric Brown: Why Blockbuster Is Bankrupt and Netflix Isn’t
With property management and marketing, it’s important to remember that it is about them, not you.