Property Management

Resident Evangelists a post by Eric

How does the saying go; “Put your money where your mouth is” What if we really did that, and really did Turn Inward, Focus a significant portion of our Marketing and Branding budgets and resources on our existing Resident Base, and create a campaign where our Residents Leased Apartments for us?

I think that you start by targeting The Influencers, which every brand has, even no brands, however one of the huge benefits of Social Media, is it is much easier to “listen for them” They are the ones leaving comments on your MySpace page, channeling folks to your Facebook page, taking pictures of your properties and putting them on Flickr, just because they thought the building had some cool features, they are the Complainers that care enough to complain, and Love You when you Listen, and Love You even more when you do something about it. Those are The Influencers, and I believe that when You Lead Your Influencers they become Evangelists.

If this What If works, the resources are really leveraged then, and much has been done more to enhance the existing residents experience, thus they are happier and they are promoting the product, just how many of them would you need to not have to look outward for any rentals? 

Facebook considers adding classifieds

Came across this during my morning reading.

Facebook is considering the launch of a local classifieds service, a source told Mashable. Under the proposed system, it would be free to list items in your own network, and cost a few dollars to post to each additional network.

This seems like a workable application and certainly a practical one for Facebook to create. It makes, having a Facebook page all the more important. If you have not set one up yet, do it here.

Have a compelling Monday. M
Technorati Tags: Social media for apartments, apartment marketing on social media, apartment marketing, mike brewer

Teach your residents to lease

This is an excerpt from a comment Eric Brown, from Urbane, just left on the blog post titled Renewal increases.

We have a Resident Referral program, and one specific resident has gotten three net rentals for us, which makes your point, what if we focused much more of our Marketing and Branding resources directed internally on our existing Resident Base, what would you have to do to become self sustainable, meaning your customer, in our case the residents did most of the rentals through referrals, it seems that the resources are really leveraged then, We have done more to enhance the existing customer/residents experience, thus they are happier and they are promoting the product, just how many of them would you need to not have to look outward fo r business...

I have posted a number of times about teaching residents how to use Craigslist and the various other social media tools to reach potential residents. I can hear it now, "what of fair housing," "what if they write a silly ad," "what if.... I would ask, "how many times have you screwed it up?" "How many times have your agents screwed it up?" Hundreds of times? Thousands of times? That is not suggest that I don't think it's important to monitor. It is to suggest that I am a fan of teaching your evangilists how to be evangelical. Don't just assume they will talk about you, give them the mega-phone (read; social media tools) to do it with.

Great comment Eric. Thanks, as always, for sharing.

M

Technorati Tags: social media for apartment residents, apartment marketing, apartments

Renewal increases

Seth Godin writes about a subject near and dear to all of our hearts. That is the cadre of folks out there that believe it is cheaper to keep a customer than it is to try to find a new one.

Read it here and tell me what you think.

Fair Housing Training

I apologize in advance for the length of this post and in the same respect I think Fair Housing and the training are two very important subjects.

The rest of what you will read is an email Rachelle Lacroix written on behalf of the NAA. Please take a moment. And, those of you at NAA, we hope you are having a blast!

My name is Rachelle and I’m getting in touch with Property Management on behalf of the National Apartment Association (NAA) and its Education Institute’s new “Fair Housing and Beyond” Course. Developed through a partnership with The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), the course aims to educate the rental community on the issue of fair housing.

I wanted to reach out as I thought your readers would appreciate knowing the Association is taking steps to educate apartment managers, leasing consultants, maintenance technicians and apartment executives on fair housing violations as they continue to present day-to-day issues within the larger apartment housing community.

Now available in a facilitator-led classroom seminar, the 4.5 hour course will be accessible through NAA affiliates, IREM chapters or direct-to-real estate companies. Using self-assessments and realistic video narrative scenarios, the lesson trains learners to go “beyond the basics” to gain a more varied and nuanced understanding of fair housing. Additional details and participating information at: http://www.naahq.org/FairHousingBeyond

Below I’ve pasted a Q&A with Doug Chasick, Chief Learning Officer and Senior VP of Multifamily Professional Services for CallSource, a web based education provider, on what property managers should know about fair housing. Please feel free to share with your readers. Doug was one of a number of experts who consulted NAA and IREM on the course is regularly tapped for his property management expertise.

Thanks for reading, Mike. Should you like any additional details on the course, please feel free to get in touch – I’m happy to help.

Best,

Rachelle Lacroix

On behalf of NAA

202.857.2203

@rachellelacroix

Fair Housing Q&A with Doug Chasick, The CallSource Apartment Doctor and consultant for National Apartment Association Education Institute/IREM Fair Housing Course

1) What's something most property managers and renters are surprised to learn about fair housing?

I think the two most common surprises are that fair housing isn't always fair - it's actually not about being fair; and that common sense is not very helpful when dealing with many fair housing issues. I think a close third would be how much illegal discrimination is still going on.

2) Along with the National Apartment Association Education Institute and NAAEI/IREM course, what are some other resources that property managers can turn to for information?

Here are the sites I visit on at least a weekly basis:

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – www.hud.gov

• National Fair Housing Advocate – http://www.fairhousing.com/index.cfm

• Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law Fair Housing Information – http://www.bazelon.org/issues/housing/index.htm

• Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST Initiative – http://www.fairhousingfirst.org/

• Realtor Fair Housing Resources – http://www.realtor.org/rmomag.nsf/pages/fairhousingmain?OpenDocument

• State and Local Fair Housing Enforcement – http://www.fairhousinglaw.org/fair_housing_laws/laws/

3) How often do you recommend staff and management participate in fair housing training?

At least annually, provided that there is one person in their company who regularly monitors the first two sites above and issues the appropriate updates to the entire team. I also strongly recommend that no employee, regardless of their title, be allowed to interact with residents, guests or prospects until they have completed a fair housing class.

4) What is the most violated mandate that you've encountered?

For the past four years it's been almost a tie between disability and race (see attached info - for full report, go to: http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/library/FairHousing-FY2007AnnualReport.pdf

For more information on the Fair Housing course and how you can order your own DVD, please visit http://www.naahq.org/FairHousingBeyond

Technorati Tags: Fair Housing, apartment leasing, apartments, property management, NAA

ForRent.com the magazine goes mobile

I think I have said many times that I am a die-hard fan of ForRent.com the magazine. They never cease to amaze me with their willingness to stay cutting edge.

Below is a press release for their latest offering and I can I tell you, it is super cool.

Take a whirl for yourself and let me know what you think.

NORFOLK, Va.—(June 24, 2008)—Apartment hunters looking to quickly find apartments for rent on-the-go can rest easy. Today, For Rent Media Solutions, a leading apartment resource for searching apartments nationwide, and a division of Dominion Enterprises, announced that it is joining the likes of major Web sites such as Google Map, Business Week, TV Guide and ESPN with the launch of its first mobile Web site. Advertising for apartment listings on http://wap.forrent.com is currently available to clients who are using the text messaging product.

“With mobile devices growing more sophisticated, multifunctional, high-speed consumers are relying on their phones to accomplish every day tasks from shopping to finding directions,” said Brock MacLean, vice president of national sales and development, For Rent Media Solutions. “Consumers are looking for faster and more current methods of finding information needed to make an educated decision. According to research produced by Harris Interactive, consumers are viewing cell phones as “indispensable”, noting that 16 percent of U.S. homes are using wireless phones exclusively. Going mobile is the next logical step in the evolution of the technologically savvy products and services that are offered by For Rent Media Solutions.”

On http://wap.forrent.com, apartment seekers can find the same basic search methods that can be found at ForRent.com, including address, city, state and zip code. After the search information is entered, the apartment seeker will be directed to a search results page where they will find a property photo as well as contact information. Once the apartment seeker has selected the property of their choice by clicking on the property name, they will be directed to a more detailed page for the property, where they will find a property description, additional photos, contact information and driving directions.

According to the Mobile Advertising Report created by Limbo, Inc., the world’s largest mobile entertainment company, there are more than 25 million mobile phone users in the United States. A mobile Web site can expose a property manager to a wider audience, making their apartment listings available to consumers not only through print publications and the Internet, but through their cell phones as well.

The ForRent.com mobile Web site is accessible by all cell phones with Internet capability and is hosted on a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP); a technology platform used to create sites that are easily accessible from handsets, even those with small screens and limited processing power. To view a demo of the mobile site, visit http://wap.forrent.com.

Technorati Tags: Forrent.com the magazine, apartment marketing, apartment mobile marketing, property management

Apartment Guide goes Mobile

"Apartment Guide makes finding apartments easier through mobile GPS," said Arlene Mayfield, president of Apartment Guide. "Powered by Qualcomm's BREW(R) Platform, the application also enables mobile phone subscribers to search for apartments anywhere in the United States, access prices, photos and property features and contact the leasing office directly." [read the rest here]

I must say, this mobile thing is going to be killer. Although my gut tells me people will likely have done their homework before they leave home. I will be interested to see what goes on with this.

ForRent did a press release today for their version of mobile and it is pretty darn cool. I am off to check out the AG's attempts at the mobile apartment search. I will let you know what I think in a future post. Technorati Tags: apartment guide mobile, apartment marketing, apartment market

Make a personal commitment to excellence

Tom Peters is one of my absolute hero's in the world of business. This video has so many ramifications for our space in the business world. Couch everything you do in this message and your default position will be that of the leader in the market.

My take away: It's not a race and it's not a destination, it's a forever until you die endeavor. Use it and enjoy it for all you are and all you will become...

Excellence Always from Tom Peters on Vimeo.Technorati Tags: Tom Peters, apartment marketing, apartments, property management, mike brewer

Student Property: Carpet vs. Hardwood vs. Tile vs. Stained Concrete

I read recently that hardwood is turning into a very viable flooring option. I wonder what the community thinks.

I am thinking in terms of economy and sustainability and practicality. Let me know your thoughts.
Technorati Tags: apartment flooring, apartment

Renter's edging out owners

Great article in the NYT this morning. Check it out [here]