We Have a Winner for the MHN/RENTCafe Dream Apartment Pinterest Contest

By Jessica Fiur, News Editor

New York—After much deliberation, we have picked a winner for the MHN/RENTCafe Dream Apartment Pinterest contest. Congratulations to Jamie Lynn Natole, director of sales, design, social media and marketing at NM Residential, a Cleveland-based real estate company!

Jamie’s pinboard featured many terrific ideas for an amazing apartment anyone would be thrilled to live in. She pinned not only beautiful architecture and amenities, but also functional aspects of apartment living, such as a way to pay rent online and a great property management team to help with any issues that might arise.

Here’s what Jamie said about her pinboard:

The inspiration for my pins was based on my style and a little bit on past rental experiences, as well as my every day dealings with our properties and our very own residents. When I first moved out of my parents after college and began my career life, I started living in one of the properties that we owned and managed. It was a nice property, very resort like, which isn’t so common in the Cleveland area. I always wanted to have fancy countertops and new cabinets, but it would have put me over my housing budget so I always just dreamed about them. I based the contest not only on my past experiences, but also on what I may want one day in the future and maybe what we could offer our own residents.

Most of my pins were hypothetical, and some were based on our company’s current offerings to our own residents. A few of our properties offer retail options, car washing stations, beautiful views of Lake Erie, Cleveland and a bird’s eye view of the suburbs.

I love when apartments and management companies give out perks for doing things that make renting life easier, like, paying online (fee free) or referring new residents! It’s really important to reward your residents when they refer and when they utilize programs that are out there for them. It’s all about making life simple.

The in-suite washer and dryer is an absolute must have for me. I had one in my first apartment (yes, I am spoiled!) and I don’t think I could live in an apartment without that huge convenience

It’s important to me that the communities we keep—and the places where I live—have great curb appeal. It’s really comforting when the buildings and landscaping look nice and people come over. Appearance is everything. I think if it looks nice, your residents will feel better and more comfortable living there.

My apartment had a fitness center, pool, tanning and handball court that was 24/7. I really loved the fact that they trusted the residents and that the community had respectful individuals who did not disrespect the fact that it was open all hours. With work schedules and how crazy lives are, it’s hard to get to a gym before they close. Knowing my apartment amenities were 24/7 was really awesome. I could get home from work later, go to the gym on my own time, do my thing and walk back home.

And, of course, dealing with a smiling happy staff is always welcoming. It’s really hard to deal with issues in your home day after day, it’s really great that companies have well-educated, friendly and respectful staff to get issues handled right away. Probably the number one most important thing to me is a great staff at a property.

I am very honored that you chose my pins because they were very personal and thought out. Who knew that Pinterest could be such a great tool for brain storming ideas within my own realm of my company?

While we chose Jamie as our winner, our other entrants certainly did not make our task easy. All the entries were creative and showcased wonderful apartments. Thanks again to everyone who participated in our MHN/RENTCafe Dream Apartment Pinterest contest.

Please check out Jamie’s pinboard here. You can also see the other entries on the MHN Pinterest page.