“What Renters Want” With Jessica Fiur

I’ve previously written two blogs about amenities that might not be worth the investment ( But that’s not the case—I just listened to a lot of grunge music growing up. Plus there are plenty of amenities that are totally worth it—amenities that people either want going in, or didn’t know they wanted it until they had it and now they can’t imagine their lives without it (sort of like how I never had cable when I was little, but now wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I couldn’t watch Breaking Bad, Dexter or American Horror Story. Probably put…

To paraphrase Forrest Gump, amenities are like a box of chocolates. Some are awesome, and some, like cherry cordials, are nice in theory and are pretty to look at, but are ultimately left untouched, or sampled and then promptly discarded. Because they are gross. Are all your amenities chocolate caramels, or do you have some cherry cordials in your building? Several months ago I wrote a blog titled “5 Amenities That Probably Aren’t Worth the Investment.” Here are a few more amenities that might not be worth the money. 4 (More) Amenities That Probably Aren’t Worth the Investment Electric car charging…

As the days are getting colder, people have already transitioned to their winter wardrobes. So that means shades of black, gray and occasionally some winter white (which I love for coats, and my dry cleaner loves for my coats as well). And, while black is tres chic for a Manhattan cocktail party or for slimming people after eating all that home-made fudge their coworkers bring to the office, when the outside world starts looking like the first 10 minutes of The Wizard of Oz, it can get a little dreary. Same with apartments. Apartments for rent don’t generally change color for…

In my apartment community, the garbage area is out the door on the right side of the building. If you go on the left side of the building, there are apartments. Recently, my husband and I had someone clean our apartment (if my mother-in-law is reading this, by “someone” I mean myself, obviously), and on her way out, she offered to take out the garbage. And, unbeknownst to us, she misunderstood where the garbage room was, and put our garbage bags in front of one of the apartments on the left side, thinking the garbage room was just locked. (I…

Like Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog’s Day, we’re all slowly emerging from our turkey comas and seeing if the holiday season is yet underway. (It is. Looks like we’re not actually getting four more weeks of fall.) Apartment communities sometimes get into the holiday spirit with their decorations. Trees, garlands, menorahs, all that fun stuff. It certainly is festive, and could get the residents in a cheerful frame of mind. But, should you decorate for the holidays? Here’s a list of pros and cons of decorating your community for the holidays. Pro: It puts people in the holiday spirit. It’s the time…

Wasn’t it just Halloween? How is Thanksgiving next week already? Thanksgiving is the most stressful holiday, like, ever. Well, actually New Years Eve is pretty stressful, because there’s all this pressure to find a good party and then all the bars have inflated covers and restaurants have inflated prixe fixe menus, and of course they’re out of the steak already, and you end up waiting in the snow to hail a cab at 12:05 for an hour because you just want to be home in your pajamas. Every year. And Valentine’s Day is stressful, because if you don’t have a…

Snow. Why’d it have to be snow? (Picture I said that while wearing a fedora, because I’m feeling snazzy.) Currently, New York City is being hit with a nor’easter, just a week after Hurricane Sandy. As if the Northeast wasn’t suffering through enough already. It almost makes a girl want to pack up her belongs and go West, Fievel-style. In all seriousness though, whether you’re on the East Coast or not, does weather ever play a part in where you plan to build or manage a property? The New York Times asks if people will be leery about Giving my…

There is nothing bad about Halloween. Wait—actually, there are some bad things about Halloween. Like raisins. And complicated costumes (like the year I dressed as Freddy Krueger and then couldn’t hold a cup with my knife hand). And raisins. OK, maybe there are a few bad things about Halloween. But, besides those things, Halloween is a fun time, and a lot of people get really into it. So, what better time than to do something fun for your residents while spreading good cheer about your community using your social media channels? After all, social media word of mouth is free. (Reese’s…

I don’t like country music. It’s more likely that I’d spike my hair into a mohawk before I’d ever don a cowboy hat. But there was a country song that crossed over to the pop charts back in ’97 that they played all the time that still pops into my head every now and then. Shania Twain’s “That Don’t Impress Me Much.”  And now it can be in your heads the rest of the day too. You’re welcome. In the song, she meets all these guys, but she’s all, “That’s nice, but what have you done for me lately?” (I’m paraphrasing.)…