Guest Blog
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.
Guest Blog: ‘Human Capital’ with Matt Slepin
This is my inaugural blog for Multi-Housing News. I’ve been writing columns for awhile, but this is my first ongoing blog. Since this is a new venue for me, I wanted to start with a mission statement on what readers can expect. In the real estate business, we focus on deals, deals, deals. Sometimes we talk about operations and the art of maximizing value in properties and portfolios. But it usually all relates to deals and financial returns. This column will explore a third front—the human capital side of the real estate business with a focus on the multifamily sector….
‘Business Development 101’ with Marilynn Mendell: Planning is Key
The days of long range convoluted business plans are over because the world changes too quickly. But, short-range goals and scenario planning will help move a company or person forward.
Guest Blog: Business Development 101
Business development excellence is based on four main principles: ethics, planning, appearance and appreciation. Part 1.
Guest Blog: Developing Integrated Pest Management Strategies for Management and Residents
By Rose McMillan Educating residents about pest mitigation strategiesCreating an integrated pest management strategy (IPM) for any multifamily housing setting requires a collaborative effort by the management company and the residents alike. By establishing a long-term strategy of pest elimination and working to educate the residents in developing their own successful cleaning strategies, the facility can ensure that pests do not become established within the housing units. Effective pest control strategies cannot be successful without the informed participation of the residents. For this reason, the management must ensure that all residents are aware of how best to avoid attracting pests. They…
Guest Blog: Insights from a Young and Leery New York Renter, Part 1 On Unit Maintenance
Part 1 – On Unit Maintenance Due to less than fortunate experiences, I have dealt with almost every aspect of a real estate company that a renter can expect to encounter in the last two months. My issues began when the bedroom wall in our 100-plus-year-old building slowly began to rot from a leaking steam riser. (Don’t worry; this is not your standard ‘gripping renter’ blog post. The end outcome was positive, and I think I learned some tips that can help companies avoid the dreaded one star Yelp review.) I worked from home one day while the maintenance crew…
‘Outside the Box’ with Erika Schnitzer: How Trader Joe’s Can Be An Example to Apartment Managers
Step into a Trader Joe’s store in Manhattan and you’ll be greeted with a madhouse of customers maneuvering the tight aisles, and employees frantically restocking shelves and holding up “End of Line” signs, which keeps getting further and further away from the checkout. Yet the customers keep coming, loading their carts and waiting in line. This scene is not just at the holidays; it’s year-round. The store doesn’t have sales; instead, it offers low prices all year long. But it doesn’t sacrifice in quality, either. The produce is fresh, the baked goods look like something you’d find at a gourmet…
Effect of Home Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction on Multifamily Real Estate
By: Jeffrey A. Kohn, Esq. There have been a number of proposals to reduce or eliminate 26 U.S.C. § 163(h) of the Internal Revenue Code, which currently allows home mortgage interest to be deducted for federal tax purposes (the “Mortgage Interest Deduction”) subject to certain limitations. Currently, most taxpayers that elect to itemize may deduct the interest on their mortgages on their federal income tax returns. There are two important limitations on the Mortgage Interest Deduction: (1) the deduction is limited to interest on debts secured by a principal residence or a second home and (2) interest is deductible on only the first…
CMBS Loan Workouts: Why Some Lenders Do Things that Don’t Seem to Make Sense?
You have probably heard the following frequently with regard to trying to successfully complete loan workouts of commercial real estate loans: “What the lender did just does not make any sense.” This could be in the context of an offer to buy your own note from your lender or an offer to continue making loan payments, but at a reduced monthly amount. Depending on the status of the property, a loan workout could put the lender in a significantly better position than if the lender were to foreclose on the property. Yet, many times a lender declines to accept the…
‘The Green Picture’ with Erika Schnitzer: Bringing Sexy Back … to Green
At a two-day brainstorming session about sustainability, it became clear that our industry could be more innovative.