“What Renters Want” With Jessica Fiur

“It has a bowling alley!” my friend told me about an apartment community she and her husband were considering.  “That’s awesome,” I said. “You’ll never have to leave.” “It closes at 6,” she admitted. “Maybe I could go bowling some time before work.” “Well, how was the actual apartment?”  “Eh, it’s just an apartment,” she said. “Nothing special.” “Would you at least have an easy commute?” “It’s closer for my husband than where we are now…further for me. I guess I’ll see how much they’re charging in rent. If it’s a good deal maybe we’ll still look into it.” Does…

You can learn a lot from ’80s movies. Like, when you have the house to yourself, the most productive way to spend your time is to dance in your boxers and Ray Bans. That you can win back the woman you love by blasting music from a boombox in the middle of the night. That if you play hooky, you should stay as visible as possible by performing on a parade float. Yup, ’80s movies are really informative. One of the lessons property managers can take to heart is from one of my favorite movies from the 1980s: Troop Beverly…

Valentine’s Day is here once again—the most polarizing of all the holidays. (Seriously, the only thing that gets equally as much love and hate is the series finale of Lost. Ba-dum ching. Nailed it!) But, whether you’re out romancing your sweetheart, watching slasher films, or romancing your sweetheart by watching slasher films, we can all agree on one thing: At least there’s candy. Anyway, love the holiday or hate it, there are definitely some things property managers can learn from Valentine’s Day. Everyone should be your Valentine. Remember in elementary school how you had to give everyone in your class a…

Some things that are “micro” are awesome. Like, um, Micro Machines, those metal toy cars that really freaking hurt when you accidentally step on them. There are micro minis (which make regular mini skirts look absolutely conservative). Uh, Microsoft Word. And microscopes. Yay for science! And now, micro-unit apartments are gaining popularity. Are you jumping on the micro-unit development bandwagon? There are certainly benefits to renting out micro-units (and there are several ways to market them). Less square footage means you can have more units in your building than you would with traditionally sized apartments. That means more renters, and…

So, did anyone watch anything interesting this weekend? (And, no, Girls doesn’t count because I don’t like that show, and Downton Abbey doesn’t count because I don’t watch it.) You know what I’m getting at: It was the Super Bowl! And, while from a commercial standpoint it was a little disappointing (besides a clydesdale that made me cry), it was a pretty exciting game. The 49ers came back in the second half and put up a good fight. And Beyonce—and the Destiny’s Child reunion—were awesome. (Side note—how do you dance in 5-inch heels? I can barely avoid tripping while I’m…

Sometimes buildings are constructed quickly so that people can start renting as soon as possible and owners can start seeing a return on their investment, and, hopefully, a profit. But sometimes when people move too quickly they end up making mistakes or cutting corners that could end up costing them down the road. (Seriously, do you think Superman would actually have worn his underwear on the outside of his tights if he had slowed down and thought a little bit when he was getting dressed?) Though you might see faster results when you do certain things by the book when…

Something just seemed…off…about an apartment community my husband and I recently looked at. And not just the fact that it was located in Jersey. Sure, the apartments we saw were pretty big. And there were in-unit washers and dryers. And a nice gym. But still… “I know you allow pets here,” I said. “Have there ever been complaints about hearing dogs barking all night?” “The walls aren’t soundproof,” the leasing agent admitted. “But there’s carpet! And we have quiet hours in the building from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.” My Spider Senses started tingling. Quiet hours? Instead of my Ford,…

Who knows why things go into style. For a while, everyone wore bell bottoms. Now, you couldn’t find a pair unless you went to a vintage store. But everyone from toddlers to seniors can find a pair of skinny jeans. Do you know what’s cool now? Mustaches and bacon (independently of each other, of course, though I’m sure you could find a fake mustache made out of bacon if you really tried). You could get pillows with mustaches on them. Mugs. Seriously anything. And don’t get me started on bacon. Why are they popular? Who knows. But it seems like…

It’s that time of year: Time to start thinking up New Years resolutions. So why not add some multifamily resolutions for your buildings? It doesn’t have to be a big thing, like redesigning the exterior or retrofitting the building so it’s 100 percent sustainable or attracting George Clooney as a resident. And, unlike regular resolutions, such as losing 10 pounds, which people make in earnest but end up abandoning in a few months when it gets too cold to bother and the alluring siren song of chocolate Valentine’s Day candy sings its catchy tune that can’t ever get out of…