Property Management

All the states I've been to...

create your own visited states map or check out these Google Hacks.

Apartment Ratings

Why does this site monetize its effort by charging managers a $180 administrative fee to debunk resident rhetoric?
   

The posted responses are inane in my opinion?

Note: I would not debate that some comments on the site are true and beyond that well deserved but the bulk of it is dramatized and theatrically  over-blown displacement of anger and hostility. Or more simply said, someone mad over the fact that they really do have to take responsibility for that cat or dog urine that ruined the $1100 dollar carpet in the apartment.

The greatest "Out of office Reply"

A dear friend of mine on the west coast leaves this kind of "out of office" reply when she is going to be out of the office and away from email. What a fantastic demonstration of professionalism in something so simple.

Hi there,

I am so sorry I missed your e-mail today. I am out of the office Wednesday, June 13th conducting a site visit and will be out of the office on June 14th and 15th. I will return  to the office on Monday May 18th  when I will make your e-mail a priority.

Please don't hesitate to call my cell phone if you need me immediately.

Thank you kindly,

Need that Projector in Seattle tomorrow?

Meeting Tomorrow has a novel new concept. Instead of hauling all that A/V equipment across the country or paying exhorbanant amounts to rent it from the hotel or lecture hall, rent it from Meeting Tomorrow.

They take advance as well as same day orders and the return procedure is as delightful and easy as the ordering process.

Read Seth Godin's post on it

The leasing kiosk of the future

• Virtual Tours
• Explore the neighborhood
• Choose an apartment
• Complete the application
• Complete the lease paperwork
• Load a virtual brochure in PDA's and Cell phone wirelessly

It will be disruptive!!!

The new Google Maps Feature

Can Google Maps get any cooler? Yes!!!! They have added street view to 5 major metropolitan areas across the country with more to come. Imagine the possibilities. Check it out here

Sprint Mobile Broadband USB Modem

Gone are the days of the bulky Broadband Cards. Enter Broadband by USB Check it out; it' cool.

Blogging for Prospects

If your not blogging for prospects yet you may be missing the boat.

We started experimenting with this concept some months ago and are beginning to see the fruits of our labors. See the sites Harbor Steps and Park Station as examples. Each site now sees 15 plus unique visitors per day, some from as far away as Russia. In reality that is not a lot but over time and as we accumulate postings we should see the traffic explode.

The whole premise of the blog is to first create a friend and then to seek their permission to solicit their business. The blog is not about selling them a product, it's really about selling ourselves. It is simply our way of saying Hi, welcome to the neighbor hood and here are some things you might find "cool." Once we have established that rapport we can then market to them in the way of demonstrating the benefits of living in one of our communities. A community that happens to be right in the middle of all that "cool" stuff we have been posting about.

Posting takes less than 10 minutes on each occasion and can include photos.

While there are a number of great blogging tools out there, we use TypePad

Refer back to this blog often as I will post updated stats on our blogging for prospects success. M

HotPads receives $2.3million in funding

HotPads , a visually appealing website used to search for rental units received funding from Meakem Becker Venture Capital and Investment Group of Santa Barbara according to today's Wall Street Journal.

The site superimposes rental listings on interactive maps, powered by Microsoft's Virtual Earth technology. This allows searchers to quickly navigate to a street level view of where they want to live without sifting through page after page of refined search criteria.

Cell Phone Marketing

Fully 73% of U.S. adults own a cell phone, 68% have a desktop computer, 30% posses a laptop and 73% connect to the Internet.*

I find the stat on cell phones interesting for our business. While the stat itself is not shocking, the idea of marketing to apartment seekers via the cell phone is.

The day has arrived that one can find an interactive ad on their cell phone. Interactive in the sense that ads have live links to email and or phone numbers that instantly connect the user with information.

I am still waiting to see a text message advertisement to show up on a sign or an ad.

Beyond that I think the next wave will be bar code advertisements that can be picked up via a bar code reader in your cell phone. Simply aiming and clicking, much like taking a picture, will connect you direct to a companies URL. Cool Stuff!!!

I also think we will see the day come where nearly all transactions in our life; from changing the channel on the TV to renting or buying a home to purchasing groceries will all be done on our cell phone. Gone will be the days of multiple devices to govern those things we have in our lives. It will be one device that does it all.

pewinternet.com