Category: News

Special Delivery

Managing Packages

More than 37 million U.S. apartment residents receive enormous numbers of holiday packages every year. A load that large requires more than mere tracking numbers. For that reason, one in four apartment communities use specialized software to manage residents’ packages on site. These are among the findings from the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and […]

News

7 Winter Defenses

Maintenance Tips

Winter is in full swing, bringing with it unpredictable cold fronts and unpleasant, icy storms. Keep your property and residents safe with these simple tips for winterizing your apartments. For Owners HVAC Tune-up Seasonal inspections of your heating and cooling systems will ensure that they are operating at optimal efficiency. It’s also a great idea […]

News

Inspect and Invest

Accessibility for all

No owner wants to wake up to surprise expenses or costly lawsuits. You can avoid both by staying on top of your property’s accessibility compliance standards. Across the nation, well-intentioned multifamily professionals are facing citations and fines for noncompliance. Many are surprised to discover that employing licensed architects and contractors does not automatically mean that […]

News

Green Retail Boom

Better Performance, Higher Profits

The demand for sustainable retail properties is growing, demonstrated by an influx in applications at accreditation organizations, top tier rents, and high trade rates. According to Lux Research, green building is now a $260 billion market with retail as one of its most vigorous verticals. Green building certification programs such as LEED for Retail have […]

News

Yardi EHR

Senior Care Solutions

If you’ve been to the doctor lately, technology’s advance into the patient care and treatment realm was likely evident – whether your physician made notes on an iPad or your follow-up questions were addressed in an e-mail, medicine and mobile record-keeping have become inseparable. A similar transition has been underway in the realm of senior […]

News

On the Urban Prairie

New uses for open space

Drive out of Detroit’s Downtown and Midtown neighborhoods, away from the historic skyscrapers and abandoned ruins of once-grand buildings, and you are quickly amidst a whole different kind of surreal scene. Once densely packed with people, Detroit’s outlying single family home neighborhoods have suffered immensely from the city’s ongoing depopulation. Across the city’s 149 square […]

News

CrowdStreet & Mainstreet

Creative real estate funding

Earlier this year, an overhaul to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS) opened to the doors to new sources of startup capital. Several changes are still under evaluation yet Section II, which dictates the guidelines for advertising, now allows firms to use ads to garner support from accredited investors. As a result, several commercial […]

News

Self Storage

A "sneaky big" industry

When considering some of the nation’s most profitable industries, what do you think of? The NFL? Entertainment? Self-storage? Surprisingly to most, self-storage outperforms a number of glossier industries. “The self-storage sector is sneaky big,” says Michael Scanlon, president and CEO of the Self Storage Association. “In 2013, all 30 teams in the NFL generated $9 […]

News

Bring on Bikeability

Creating cycle-savvy cities

American cities are changing for the better. More pedestrian-friendly cities have popped up in the last decade promoting cleaner air, less traffic, and healthier residents. The option for walking and biking tops renters’ must-have lists and neighborhoods that don’t adapt to this new lifestyle are losing out. Is your property in a bikeable community? What […]

News

Ending Homelessness

HUD-VASH

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently announced more than $62 million in aid for homeless veterans. The funds will assist over 9,000 servicemen and women with permanent housing, dedicated case workers, and medical services. Following a year of budget cuts for HUD, the […]

News

Habitat Gets Greener

Passivehaus for Affordable

The uptick in green affordable housing continues as Habitat for Humanity embraces passivehaus design. Passivehaus, or Passive House, is a rigorous German building standard that emphasizes air-tight envelopes, optimized solar gain, and decreased dependence on mechanical heating and cooling. Such stringent standards and cost assumptions have discouraged many affordable housing developers, yet Habitat for Humanity […]

News

Divining Detroit

Motor City's Second Act

The first thing you learn in Detroit is that you don’t know anything about Detroit. Most Americans – even many Michigan residents – perceive the city as crime-ridden, crumbling, conundrum. Spend a day or two in Detroit and you’ll likely come away with a different impression: one of a place that, as one lifelong resident […]

News

Game On!

Gamification at Work

Can you remember back to your middle school days? Perhaps it’s a different visual for everyone, but mine is a crystal clear picture with smell-o-vision. You know that “this classroom of preteens is barely discovering deodorant” smell? I remember it well. I also remember the antagonistic nature of boys versus girls in raucous gameplay. Nothing […]

News

Resident Retention

Better Communication

Reducing turnover (and loss of revenue) requires multiple factors working together in harmony, such as a great location, beautiful homes and amenities, and a maintenance crew that is always on point. But perhaps most importantly, the relationship that renters build with the onsite staff can make or break a lease renewal. Fortunately for onsite staff, […]

News

Aging in Place

Real estate to serve generations

In the traditional American Dream, renting was a transitional phase before upgrading to home ownership. That trend has all but vanished as mature adults rediscover the joys of renting. Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University estimates that 2.2 million additional Baby Boomers will enter the rental market within the next decade, soon accounting […]

1 … 100 101 102 103 104 … 123