What Renters Want with Jessica Fiur: What’s in a Multifamily Community Name? (A Lot. Be Careful.)
It's important to think through all the possibilities before you name your community. You don't want to turn off potential renters.
By Jessica Fiur, Senior Editor
Names don’t determine the personality traits of a person, but they do matter. And people do judge you by your name, even if it’s subconsciously. That’s why I didn’t name my daughter Kandy Kane Fiur. There will never be a supreme court justice named Kandy Kane (probably).
The same goes for apartment communities. People put a lot of effort into naming their communities, which is why it’s sometimes baffling when you see communities that have names that could possibly be misconstrued. And it’s not just trying to avoid names that are offensive to people, which should be an obvious thing to do, but it’s looking in context. Take, for example, Plantation Flats. This name, in and of itself, isn’t so terrible. In fact, it’s kind of nice. But it’s a community located in South Carolina, which, for some people could have some negative connotations when they think of the name. Especially with all the controversy going on there right now.
Maybe I’m just sensitive. (I mean, I did just bawl through the newest Pixar movie Inside Out, but, to be fair, I had just run out of popcorn, which totally isn’t okay!) But it’s important to consider every possible meaning and association with a name before slapping it on a building. You don’t want to offend anyone or turn off potential renters.
