We can glean interesting insights from our Google search habits. Our internet queries reflect our interests and preferences. They offer a peek into what we can expect (or hope for) in terms of style, price, location and features in our home. To better understand our shifting interests during the pandemic, researchers at Point2Homes.com pulled search term data from Google Keyword Planner. This is what they discovered. What are we seeking during the pandemic? Researchers at Point2 observed the following in the past three years: Homebuyers sought affordability among pandemic markets rife with construction delays, skyrocketing supply prices and labor shortages. A few of the most popular search terms were “affordable homes for sale,” which increased by 108% compared to pre-pandemic searches; “first-time homebuyer” and “tiny home for sale” came in as second and third most searched terms.  “Buying a second home” also showed significant interest, with searches jumping 53% in 2020 compared to 2019.Renters searched for financial aid to ease economic uncertainty and hardship. “Rent relief,” which received only about 90 searches per month in 2019, spiked to 9,900 per month in 2020 and 49,500 in 2021.Current homeowners explored ways to make the most of their equity and current interest rates. The search for “mortgage refinancing” increased by 124% in 2020 compared to 2019.Remote employees searched for ways to make their home more conducive to work. The key phrase “home office design” remained popular in 2020 and 2021. What were we interested in buying during the pandemic? While “affordable homes for sale” and “tiny homes for sale” saw improved popularity, homes on the other end of the spectrum demonstrated an uptick as well. Queries for “luxury homes” and “penthouse for sale” both increased by about 50% between 2019 and 2020. In 2020, searches from...

For many developmentally and neurologically divergent children, navigating the world requires a customized approach. Recent decades have cultivated improved understanding of neurological disorders, offering new therapies to children and their caregivers. The Warren Center leads the charge in bringing innovative care to Texas families. Meet Matthew When Matthew first arrived at The Warren Center, he was nonverbal. His Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis helped to explain why he found it difficult to communicate. When he became frustrated or overwhelmed, he would hide under a table. His parents sought ways to help their bright child better express himself and improve his social skills. After working consistently with The Warren Center, Matthew is now able to express his needs, desires, interests and ideas. As a result, he ditched his habit of hiding under the table. He is now speaking in sentences. “He started with five words, and now his words are countless and he’s saying five-word sentences,” said his mother with a smile. Matthew and his mother are one of many families who have found the tools that they need through The Warren Center. Each family receives customized care plans based on their unique circumstances. Experts work one-on-one with families to empower them with the therapies and services required for success. The Warren Center offerings Yardi is a proud sponsor of The Warren Center, which serves children and families impacted by developmental delays and disabilities. The nonprofit operates 15 sites throughout Texas as well as ongoing telehealth services. Programs at The Warren Center include the Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) program in which personalized therapy sessions take place in a child’s home or daycare. Children under three years of age receive therapy in communication, motor skills and sensory processing. Clinic Therapy Services offer comprehensive evaluation and therapy for...

“We had to identify a single solution that could do what we needed, out of the box, instead of pursuing ten different vendors for ten different things. That was a big piece of choosing Yardi.” That’s what Chief Financial Officer Marc Abraham says about Abby Development’s path to Yardi solutions. From financials to business intelligence, this Texas-headquartered provider needed an integrated system — one built for their exact needs.    That’s just the beginning of Abby Development’s story. Luckily, we hopped on the phone with Abraham to get the full picture, learning all the details of their experience with Voyager Senior Housing and Senior IQ. And these interconnected tools are driving real success for Abby Development, company-wide. Keep reading for a highlight: The Challenge: Limited Analysis Abby Development was using a software system with limitations. As a fast-growing company, frequently compiling data and running reports, they needed a solution that enabled a deeper level of analysis. They searched for a single connected solution to capture real-time insights, eliminate errors and save time. The Solution: Yardi Voyager Senior Housing & Senior IQ Yardi Voyager Senior Housing unifies property management, finance and business oversight on a single platform. Built for the unique needs of senior living providers, Voyager ensures Abby Development has every tool needed to manage their communities. With Yardi Senior IQ, a senior living business intelligence solution, Abby Development accesses real-time data in attractive, sharable dashboards. Drawing portfolio-wide information from Voyager, Senior IQ helps Abby Development act confidently and make informed decisions. The Story: Comprehensive Insights Describing the system used prior to Yardi, Abraham noted, “It wasn’t the at level we needed — the functionality just wasn’t there.” By selecting solutions from the Yardi Senior Living Suite, Abby Development now accesses key metrics, reports...

What makes a rental property website stand out from the crowd? Anyone trying to attract and convert renters online knows it’s a competitive market — one that’s only gotten hotter as property management businesses became increasingly tech savvy during the pandemic. If you’re looking for a few property marketing website tips and tricks, Neha Marathe is the right person to talk to. In her role as Creative Lead at REACH by RentCafe, our digital marketing agency, she’s helped multifamily businesses across the country transform their web presence by creating high-performance rental property sites that are visually appealing. One secret to success is continually evolving your website to meet the shifting expectations of your customers. Right now, it’s particularly important to pay attention to Gen Z, a group that’s poised to be the largest generation of renters ever. At the same time, you don’t want to alienate other prospects. Good rental property websites rely on updated designs with universal appeal. In this interview, Neha shares how to strike the right balance between trends and accessibility. How is designing websites for Gen Z different than designing for other generations? Neha: Designing websites for the next generation of customers is exciting. These renters have never known life without the internet, so they expect a great user experience. There are five things I keep in mind when marketing to Gen Z: personalization, speed, mobility, authenticity and partnership. Make it personal. While I am a millennial who still hesitates to share my location or give out any other information about myself, Gen Z’s are open to that. It does not mean that they are ready to compromise on their security, but they are more interested in a customized and personal experience.Make it fast. Younger renters are continually active online...

Despite the ongoing challenges in senior living, certain providers have pushed forward, raising their level of excellence and enhancing residents’ experience. COGIR Senior Living certainly illustrates that point, and we’re here to share an in-depth look at their journey to date. That’s right — we’re rolling out our newest case study! It’s all about this leading provider’s ability to raise the bar with help from senior living technology.   Courtesy of Benoit Levesque, senior regional director at COGIR Management USA Inc. and our inspiring interviewee, this piece offers an inside look at COGIR’s road to success. Keep reading to see exactly how the Yardi Senior Living Suite gives COGIR the tools to streamline care, increase move-ins and more. Meet COGIR Senior Living COGIR Senior Living puts their residents first. As a subsidiary of COGIR Real Estate, COGIR draws upon 25 years of residential and senior living management, as well as hospitality services. Their unwavering drive to build more homes for seniors — and their dedication to quality — has positioned the company as the industry leader they are today. The challenge with disparate systems At the time they established a strong U.S. foundation, COGIR’s day-today operations involved manual processes. From tracking leads to developing new care plans, teams across the company were navigating a mixture of paper-based and electronic systems. While COGIR did have some software tools in place, each system wasn’t necessarily connected to the next. Leadership worked to unite every piece on their own using different strategies. Ultimately, the integration of the different systems — a custom infrastructure — brought new challenges. “The integration between all our moving pieces worked with some restrictions, but there was a lack of operational efficiency,” said Levesque. “Too often we were hearing, ‘I don’t know if...

For Argentum, a passion to help seniors, caregivers and families is the driving force behind their advocacy efforts. This year in particular, Argentum is fighting for targeted federal pandemic relief for assisted living caregivers. At the forefront of that mission is James Balda, president and CEO of Argentum. And given the association’s commendable efforts, it’s no surprise that Balda made Washington, D.C.’s list of top lobbyists for 2021. James Balda Argentum earns national recognition   Released by The Hill newspaper, the list of top lobbyists is an annual tradition. It recognizes people who’ve effectively drove change for their clients — those who stand out from others in the field. The 2021 honorees, like Balda, have delivered results in halls of Congress. Crediting Argentum’s staff, Balda pointed to the success of the association’s latest grassroots efforts in a company press release. This includes outreach to Congress and the White House to save the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), intended to aid healthcare providers suffering pandemic-related losses.  “Argentum members and all stakeholders in the assisted living profession marked 2021 as a crucial pivot point for our work given the financial and workforce crises our caregivers face,” said Balda. “Making The Hill’s top lobbyist list is a reflection of the hard work Argentum staff and our member providers put in and continue to put in as this pandemic is not over, nor is our fight for adequate financial relief and support.” The association’s mission Since 1990, Argentum has supported companies operating professionally managed, resident-centered senior living communities. Not to mention, the seniors and families they serve. The association is in the midst of a “Don’t Leave Us Behind…Again” campaign, urging the current administration to direct PRF funds to senior living caregivers. It’s a great honor to drive positive...

Technology has the power to transform our work and our lives. During the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA) conference, Yardi sponsored and moderated the session, Impactful Innovation: Leveraging tech to gain visibility and empower your teams. Meherzad Bakht, senior account executive at Yardi Canada Ltd. moderated the panel attended by Kelly Black, chief administrative officer, District of Timiskaming Social Services Administration Board (DTSSAB), Clinton Reid, quality assurance and compliance manager, Woodgreen Community Centre and Abdulle Elmi, business lead, Housing Management Enterprise System (HoMES) at Toronto Community Housing Corporation.  The live virtual event explored solutions that can help organizations improve oversight and visibility into their facilities and operations, elevate resident management and tenant care, and inspire diverse teams and drive efficiencies. Here are some of the highlights from the discussion. The quest for change Different factors served as catalysts for change within their organizations. Two consistent threads emerged: front-line staff endured repetitive, time-intensive manual tasks that often resulted in inefficiencies and inconsistencies; and disparate systems resulted in murky reporting and limited data analysis. The organizations sought for a way to streamline reporting, requiring fewer employees to spend less time identifying a single point of truth. Reid explained, “When we communicate to leadership that we can get the job done, we neglect to convey the amount of time and effort required to pull and complete a report.” He continues, “When COVID hit, we realized the number of resources put into reporting was significant.” All three organizations experienced some resistance at the ground level. Staff were leery of learning complex software that didn’t completely meet their needs or understand the social housing reporting requirements. The request to document processes also resulted in a sense of unease, though leadership assured their teams the efforts would ultimately support and simplify their work. Elmi said,...

If you could help make the holidays less difficult for your residents, would you do it? Grief, stress, loneliness, social anxiety and financial struggles can be particularly heightened during this time of year. Through supportive services and resources, you can aid residents during the holidays with tools that you already have on hand. Resident loyalty is solidified through the human-to-human connection Research confirms that developing a sense of community adds value to housing. Residents who feel integrated into their communities are more likely to renew their leases, which saves you time and bolsters your bottom line. The suggestions below can help residents feel welcomed and supported during difficult times. They show that you care because you do care! As a bonus, your efforts will not go unnoticed when it’s time to renew the lease. Resident retention improves your net operating income while giving you warm, fuzzy feelings for the holidays! Read how you can promote resident retention through culture and branding. Encourage residents to move with you to address the symptoms of stress, depression and loneliness Consider hosting group fitness classes and wellness events at your property. Physical movement releases feel-good hormones called endorphins. Endorphins interact with the brain receptors that decrease the reception of discomfort. They also reduce the stress hormone cortisol. Certain types of movement can also soothe the nervous system. For indoor options, restorative yoga, yin yoga, tai chi and qigong are methods of movement that activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This system of the body promotes physical and mental recovery, healthy digestion and helps the body to relax. (As the nation continues to navigate the pandemic, some residents may not be comfortable in indoor group activities. Consider setting up a camera on the instructor so that they can lead both...

“This telework phenomenon has shown people that they don’t have to be in the office all the time,” notes Tim Lomax, research fellow at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. That realization has prompted many people to rethink options for getting to work – or if it’s necessary at all. Is a physical presence at work necessary, and if so, can commuting be made easier, more pleasant and environmentally conscious? “Tele” might be a permanent prefix for a long time. A survey of Californians released by the University of Southern California in April, for example, reported that more than half of telecommuting workers want to keep working from home at least three days a week after the pandemic ends. Just 18% wanted to go back to in-person work every day, while 31% said they would be happy working from home five days a week. Some businesses, seeing no harm to their profitability from remote work, might allow telecommuting as a full-time option. Looking at it from the employer’s point of view, about 30% of respondents to a poll of more than 300 North American employers by global advisory firm Willis Towers Watson said they expect about 30% of their full-time employees to work from home in three years, up from 5% three years ago. “Lots of [workers] want something in between their Zoom-based present — which has tested work-life boundaries and left many feeling isolated from their colleagues — and a full return to daily commuting that drained our time, energy and wallets,” says Nico Savidge, reporting in the Marin Independent Journal. But Lilac Nachum, a professor of international business at Baruch College, says that knowledge and innovation-based industries have the least to gain from working from home permanently because a significant amount of creativity,...

Putting senior living residents first — providing the best possible care year after year — takes a unique level of dedication. Operators need to focus on every detail of the resident experience. And Yardi client Life Care Services (LCS) is the perfect example. A big congratulations to LCS for ranking number one in resident satisfaction among independent senior living communities in the 2021 J.D. Power U.S. Senior Living Satisfaction Study. Not only did LCS earn this impressive accolade, they’re also the first and only senior living company to do so three years in a row. LCS ranks #1 in resident satisfaction The J.D. Power U.S. Senior Living Satisfaction Study evaluates resident satisfaction among top independent living providers. To rank the highest, organizations need to provide outstanding services and compassionate care. And you guessed it — LCS fits the mold. Their number one ranking, with a tremendous score of 817, is based on responses from residents across their communities. The Iowa-based company also achieved the highest score in all six factors of satisfaction, including: Resident activitiesCommunity staffPrice paid for services receivedResident apartment/living unitCommunity building and groundsDining  “Life Care Services is honored to be recognized by our customers as the best among independent senior living communities for the third consecutive year,” shared Joel Nelson, president and CEO of LCS. “We are privileged to serve nearly 40,000 seniors across the nation. This recognition is meaningful because our residents recognize and value our commitment to serving them first and foremost, even as our industry navigated challenges over the past year.” The pandemic has certainly shifted all aspects of senior living. It’s created unparalleled challenges for providers and their staff, who’ve worked tirelessly to care for residents despite ongoing restrictions and unforeseen obstacles. So it’s a special honor to...

Do you know if your proptech will maintain its appeal to future generations of prospects? If not, no worries. We’ve done the research for you. We’re exploring proptech with staying power, tools for today that will continue to deliver results well into the Gen Z lifecycle. Cut costs with lasting proptech Proptech is a major investment in money and hours. The technology you choose should evolve with users’ changing needs to ensure that you get the best impact per dollar. Not all new solutions will stand the tests of time. Are you confident that your proptech lineup is ready for Gen Z? Read on for the essential solutions that your organization needs. REACH brings you the freshest data on Gen Z Gen Z is comprised of about 67 million people, the oldest of whom turn 25 this year. We learned more about the largest renter demographic ever through the REACH by RentCafe Gen Z Renter Study. This survey of more than 10,000 next gen renters gives insights into their habits and interests. The results confirmed what we’ve observed: Gen Z is an intelligent, tech-savvy generation that values efficiency and creativity. They value proptech that feeds their need for contactless transactions as well as quick and easy access to information and services. Tech for targeted and engaged marketing One average, Gen Z search terms are 4.9 words long, longer than all previous generations. They know that using detailed queries will bring them closer to what they really want rather than wading through pages of irrelevant results. Appeal to their specific searches with longtail keywords and campaigns crafted by search engine marketing professionals. Expert search engine optimization (SEO) strategies will help your content rank well and be discovered by prospects. When supplemented with pay-per-click (PPC) advertising,...

The buildings sector accounts for about a quarter of Canada’s total final energy consumption and approximately 15% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when emissions are associated with electricity used in buildings, according to Efficiency Canada. Canada’s buildings, which require both heating and cooling, are particularly reliant on energy use, which in most cases produces carbon. The government has committed to cutting the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030 and is set to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Attaining these goals will require all sectors, including property management, to gain a clear understanding of their energy performance. That makes ESG a megatrend “that will continue to have a transformative impact on the industry,” says Richard Joy, executive director of Urban Land Institute Toronto. Gaining a deeper understanding of energy performance and how to improve it in 2022 will require real estate professionals to perform more energy benchmarking and better tracking of their buildings and portfolios’ energy performance. Leveraging accurate energy consumption data helps property owners confidently compare their performance against their own standards and others in their sector. Accessing this information in real time drives informed decision-making about productive building improvements and investments. “Technology and data analytics can assist with analyzing opportunities of growth and making better-informed investments,” notes Frank Magliocco, national real estate leader for PwC Canada. GRESB drives ESG insight A key resource for detailed energy performance information is the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), an organization that benchmarks real estate assets’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and provides standardized and validated ESG data to the capital markets. GRESB evaluations help real estate stakeholders improve their sustainability performance and satisfy growing investor demand for timely, reliable and accurate ESG information. The 2021 global GRESB evaluation measured...

Wouldn’t it be terrific to predict the future of real estate performance? We’re not quite fortune tellers (yet), but analysts have optimized predictive analytics. Data gives us insights into major shifts, empowering real estate pros to navigate decision-making accordingly. Today, we’re taking a look forward into the hottest markets for real estate in 2022. No, growth isn’t dominated by the same old major metros For years, large cities like Los Angeles and New York reigned supreme on the hottest markets lists. High rents, low vacancies and a steadily growing interest in convenient urban living made major metros desirable destinations. While major metros still have their appeal, remote work has enabled significant portions of the population to work from anywhere in the nation. Their sights shifted to secondary and even tertiary markets as people sought a lower cost of living. In such markets, dollars go further and gain more square footage in both multifamily and single-family options. The 43rd Emerging Trends in Real Estate report issued by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) ranks the following cities as the hottest markets in 2022: 1. Nashville2. Raleigh/Durham3. Phoenix4. Austin5. Tampa/St. Petersburg6. Charlotte7. Dallas/Fort Worth8. Atlanta9. Seattle10. Boston Who thought we would see the day when cities like Raleigh would usurp San Diego, or Charlotte to outpace New York? These are strange and exciting times. Is there anything standing in the way of ongoing growth for smaller markets? Sometimes, trends are just trends. They are blips on the radar that you can navigate with or around and emerge on the other side of history nonplussed. But are the hottest markets for 2022 a trend, or are they the beginning of an entirely new dynamic in real estate? The PwC report indicates that, “flexibility and convenience drive the next decade” in real...

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, may have been attracting headlines for the eye-watering sums splashed on digital artworks and virtual land. But behind the hype is a digital key that can help the real estate industry create better experiences in their buildings, foster engaged communities and, ultimately, unlock new value. Mars House, a digital home designed by Toronto-based artist Krista Kim, sold for more than half a million dollars in 2021, changing the way we think about virtual real estate. By the end of the year, a virtual plot of land in online world Decentraland had sold, using an NFT, for a record $2.4 million worth of cryptocurrency. A lot of folks in the real estate sector have made the mental leap and are looking at how NFTs can support fractional ownership and debt financing. But to my mind, what’s even more exciting is the role of NFTs in the future of the workplace. A “non-fungible token,” as the name suggests, is a unique digital item stored on a digital ledger called a blockchain. Ownership of an NFT is easy to certify and transfer, which is why they are being used to tokenise unique items like art, collectibles and real estate. But NFTs can be a bridge between the digital and physical worlds. NFTs can be used as tickets or membership cards, giving people access to events, experiences, products or discounts. Imagine attaching an NFT to each service in a building? Think treadmills in the office gym, entry to Friday night drinks on the rooftop terrace, discounted movie tickets at concierge or yoga class reservations. Each unique NFT can connect a smart building to smart contracts to provide smart services. This idea may sound revolutionary, but it is simply another evolution of the office. The...

Do you ever get tired of kittens making headlines? Neither do we. Yardi client Pacifica Senior Living transforms the lives of residents one purr at a time. Its property, the Meridian at Anaheim Hills, is warming hearts and improving outcomes for residents with weekly Kitten Therapy Day! 1051922 The program offers benefits for residents and felines. Kitten Therapy Day: the start of something wonderful Meridian business manager Lori Irby first brought kittens to the office back in 2019. She is an ASPCA foster caregiver . When newborn kittens were abandoned at the Orange County animal shelter, she took them into her home and into her office where she could feed them every few hours. Shortly after setting up a playpen for the kittens in her office, residents took interest. Irby received an influx of guests. She noticed how quickly the kittens made their impact on the residents: disinterest transformed into engagement and smiles graced faces that had been chronically tense or sad. Irby decided to collaborate with the site activities director to begin Kitten Therapy Day every Wednesday. The event shifted from Irby’s office into one of the community’s shared spaces. All residents who are cat allergy-free are welcomed to snuggle up with the kittens. For residents who cannot leave their rooms, Irby places a few kittens in a stroller for kitten therapy on the go. “For many, it’s the highlight of the week. It’s given residents something to look forward to, especially during the pandemic when no visitors could come in. There’s just something really warm and comforting about holding a purring kitten,” says Irby. The kittens usually stay in the Meridian program for about eight weeks before they are formally put up for adoption through the ASPCA. More often than not, there’s already...