Resident Retention
Do You Appreciate Your Tenants?
Posted on 21. Mar, 2013 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
As property managers, we’re all aware of the multitude of issues that frequently arise with unreliable tenants. Late rental payments, disturbing the peace, illegal activity, and a general disregard for the property are all problems that typically arise in the property management industry.
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Year End and Occupancy
Posted on 28. Dec, 2012 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
With the exception of the retail sector, business is typically slow during the holidays, and the property management business is no exception. Leasing rates between mid-November and December 31st can be extremely slow for even the most visible properties, with the units that are vacant at the end of October statistically more likely to still be vacant at the end of the year.
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Helpful Property Management Maintenance Tips
Posted on 03. Apr, 2012 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
Of all of the reasons why tenants leave, (other than relocating in another area or buying a house) inadequate maintenance is right at the top. There aren’t many people that would put up with a ceiling leaking for days, or a toilet that won’t work, or a faucet that constantly drips.
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The Importance of Property Maintenance, Part 2
Posted on 09. Jan, 2012 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
If you find yourself neglecting the small items, you’ll soon be on the hot seat for more expensive repairs. Building managers can find themselves with a run-down, in-desperate-need-of-repair building a lot sooner that they think.
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Always Ask Residents if Something Needs Fixing
Posted on 20. Dec, 2011 by Lisa Trosien.
I remember when I first started in the apartment industry, someone told me to always ask my residents if there was anything in their apartment that needed fixing.
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The Importance of Routine Maintenance
Posted on 12. Dec, 2011 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
With marketing activity being ramped up in a tough rental market, property managers are sometimes guilty of neglecting property maintenance. Warning: you do so at your own risk.
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Retaining Residents
Posted on 27. Oct, 2011 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
While the number of renters in the market has increased in the last few years, retaining good tenants can still pose a problem for property managers. Maintaining a current tenant is much less expensive than locating, approving, and moving in a new tenant. Of course the nature of renting itself is often transient; many people rent while looking for a home to buy, others only in the community for a short period of time.
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Maintenance Manners Matter
Posted on 16. Aug, 2011 by Lisa Trosien.
Have you ever had your maintenance team members trained on the maintenance of the residents at your property? While it is critically important that your staff be able to correctly repair items like dishwashers, stoves and disposals, it’s also essential that they be able to repair and maintain relationships with your residents.
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5 Steps You Can Start TODAY to Get More Resident Lease Renewals
Posted on 26. Jul, 2011 by Heather Blume.
Here are 5 ways for you to capitalize on the opportunities in front of you today to help you get more renewals tomorrow!
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Service vs Experience
Posted on 02. Jun, 2011 by Lisa Trosien.
I went flower shopping at Lowe’s this weekend. And while I hated fighting the crowds (it was even hard to snag a cart), I was able to experience two completely different kinds of service in the same department of the store.
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Love Your Residents More Than They Love You
Posted on 16. Mar, 2011 by Mike Brewer.
Warning…not for the faint-of-stomach but a true lesson in love. Roughly three years ago I had a most unusual experience. I had just moved to St. Louis and taken the role of property manager at a 700+ unit community near the city. I will say that the property gave a whole new meaning to ‘never a dull moment’ as there was always something going on.
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Preparing Your Properties for Winter
Posted on 09. Dec, 2010 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
Depending on where your properties are located, you may find yourself spending weeks preparing them for the cold winter months. Even those in more temperate climates will need to do some basic housekeeping in order to keep maintenance calls in check.
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Keeping Properties Safe Over the Holidays
Posted on 11. Nov, 2010 by Mary Girsch-Bock.
We all know that November and December are the busiest months of the year for travel. That means that while your residents are enjoying a Thanksgiving feast or unwrapping presents, their apartment or home will likely be empty.
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Nurturing a Long-Term Relationship with Residents
Posted on 15. Sep, 2010 by Jennifer Newton.
Turnover in any industry is costly. That’s why it’s in the best interests of your bottom line to seek out residents who might stick around longer than just a year (and certainly longer than a month if you use a month-to-month lease).
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Keeping Residents and Property Owners Happy
Posted on 20. Jul, 2010 by Marc Courtenay.
If there is one thing that all property managers want it’s an over abundance of qualified potential residents. Many property managers are trying to make it easier for prospective residents to sign that rental agreement. That can be one of those trade-offs that sometimes disappoint your owner-clients and existing residents.
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Attention to Resident Retention for June
Posted on 14. Jun, 2010 by Heather Blume.
A lot of communities have open play fields or courtyards integrated into their design, the purpose of which, usually, is to sit there, look pretty, and encourage us to pay landscapers. If you have the resource and you’re paying to maintain it, the least you can do to be responsible to your budget is to find some use for it.
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Attention to Retention
Posted on 11. May, 2010 by Heather Blume.
The last thing we want to do is to add anything more to our already overflowing schedules, but I want to encourage you to work in some resident retention time. Remember, it’s STILL cheaper to retain them than to turn even one apartment
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Tap In to Tax Time: Providing Resources for Residents
Posted on 09. Feb, 2010 by Heather Blume.
It’s the start of the new year, so inevitably the thing in the forefront of everyone’s minds right now is the same: tax time! Okay, maybe not. When it comes to taxes, you’ve got basically two camps of people.
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4 Quick December Gathering Ideas for Residents
Posted on 10. Dec, 2009 by Heather Blume.
Whether it’s the food, time of year, or the weather, there’s something about the holiday season that makes people more social. That makes this a great time for property managers to bait some resident retention by using smaller gatherings or groupings. Here are four ideas to get you started.
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“Try Anti-Depressants,” and Other Ways Not to Respond to Resident Feedback
Posted on 30. Nov, 2009 by Heather Blume.
We used to ignore sites like Apartment Ratings and tell our people to try to just forget they were there and not take things personally. In the last two years though, the shift of the social media model has required a reexamination of our silence, and it’s been decided, by pretty much everyone out there, that it’s time to respond to online public resident feedback.
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5 “Spooky” Suggestions for Property Managers This Halloween
Posted on 15. Oct, 2009 by Heather Blume.
I adore Halloween. I love it almost as much as I love Christmas, and I am one of those weird people who has multiple Christmas trees in their house. I started decorating the other day for Halloween, putting up my glow in the dark skeletons and using that black light sensitive spider webbing to coat [...]
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The Deal Fell Through, So Why Should I Thank You?
Posted on 17. Sep, 2009 by Heather Blume.
I’m very lucky in the fact that, after moving out here years ago, I found/developed an amazing group of friends. They’ve taught me the differences between college friendships and adult friendships, (biggest difference being that when you throw a party in college, people bring beer and there’s major clean up…as an adult, they bring wine [...]
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8 Ideas for Making More Move-In Day Magic!
Posted on 18. Aug, 2009 by Heather Blume.
I think it should be a requirement for people who work in the multifamily industry to rent an apartment, at communities they don’t directly work at, for at least 5 years, moving at least once every 24 months. What would possess me to make such an outlandish request of my fellow industry compatriots? One word: [...]
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6 Tips for Communication Clarity with Your Residents
Posted on 16. Jul, 2009 by Heather Blume.
You know, not everyone has a gift for writing. Some people don’t even have the basics. When I was younger, my mother was a librarian and an English teacher. She and I would sit at the kitchen table in the evenings, me struggling with the complexities of Algebra (many of which I, to this day, [...]
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Technology Trends: What Residents Want (eBook)
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Always Get It In Writing And In The Lease
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Avoiding Craigslist Scams
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How To Cultivate New Clients In “The Garden Of Property Management”
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NARPM Florida State Chapter Property Manager Conference 2012
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Marc Courtenay: Thanks for your comment. Please consider sharing t...
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Ryan @ Green Bay Commercial Real Estate: At least in our market (Green Bay) it seems to be ...
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Tammy Davis: Great Advice!...
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Sandy: I have strong doubts that this was a professional ...
