Spring has sprung! Your residents are itching to enjoy the warmer, longer days together. They will likely begin to invite more family and friends. The tips below can help you create warm weather fun that prioritizes total wellbeing. Check local health mandates before creating your event. Each state has different rules regarding group gatherings, social distancing and mask requirements. Check coronavirus restrictions and mask mandates for your state as well as local governments. Practice vaccination safety. As vaccine availability increases, many residents may have questions about vaccines and their implications for group gatherings. The CDC offers guidelines on what to expect after getting a COVID-19 vaccination. Per the CDC, it takes approximately two weeks for the body to build protection after both single and double-dose vaccines. Your team may take this into consideration when hosting in-person events. Consider these easy gathering hacks. For most properties, outdoor events may be the easiest way to encourage safe practices during gatherings. You can enjoy the indoors together as well. Below are a few considerations. Films on the Green – outdoor movie viewings are an easy way to promote community while practicing social distancing. Consider asking residents to bring their own drinks and snacks. Pool Party – The pool is always a warm weather favorite. Fortunately, there is no evidence that COVID-19 can survive in chlorinated pools, hot tubs and spas. While those water features may be safe zones, the entertainment spaces around them will require regular care. Explore reopening strategies for multifamily amenities. Gaming Parties – Find the kids and teens in their natural habitats—parked in front of their gaming consoles! By organizing gaming parties, you can help young, new residents meet other kids while practicing social distancing. Continue to guide residents towards helpful resources. Last but certainly...

Do you want to emerge from 2021 with a more efficient, agile and profitable organization? Discover insights to help you reach your goals during the National Apartment Association (NAA) Digital Studio Series! Stronger NOI in 2021 The April NAA Digital Studio, presented by Yardi, is a half-day event including deep dive and interactive sessions, industry panels, networking and more. This month’s theme is “Stronger NOI in 2021: Where do we grow from here?” Experts from leading multifamily companies across the country will discuss the many ways in which COVID-19 has impacted the real estate industry and, more specifically, apartment management. Each session features unique programming that tackles common industry challenges. Through the sessions, you can: Explore market changes and projected financial impacts to help you plan smarter in 2021 and beyond. Gain insights from multifamily leaders who will share new performance metrics they’re using to change the way they do business. Discover ways to improve net operating income beyond rent increases. Featured speakers include guests from Luma Residential, Bell Partners, BH Management Services, Cirrus and more. Industry professionals focused on operations, marketing, technology and related roles will walk away with practical, actionable items to strengthen your organization. Work + play The event kicks off with keynote speaker Jeff Adler, vice president of Yardi Matrix, offering an engaging look at the latest multifamily data. Examine changes in rent growth, occupancy, retention and renter preferences over the last 12 months. Learn how new demographic patterns have affected top and bottom markets. Attendees will also see rent and occupancy forecasts for a variety of property groups. Then, stick around for additional sessions that connect the market update to real-life experiences and plans to protect NOI going forward. End the day with a relaxing musical interlude. Leslie and...

Senior Housing News polled several industry leaders for their thoughts on what’s ahead for their organizations and the industry in 2021. Excerpts follow. Solera’s Kaplan: Vaccination tops the list Adam Kaplan, CEO of Solera Senior Living, ranks successful vaccine planning and implementation as the Denver-area community owner and operator’s No. 1 priority. “I’m excited for a day in which close to 100% of our residents, family members and team members have been vaccinated, and thus the risk of a [COVID] outbreak is reduced to the degree in which almost all of the restrictions are lifted and thus the focus/energy can be re-weighted to other priorities,” Kaplan says. Developing talent and implementing innovative technologies and services round out Kaplan’s list of immediate priorities. Aegis Living’s Clark: Boom time for demand “I think there’s this backlog of people that’s going to pump up occupancies,” says Dwayne Clark, founder and CEO of Bellevue, Wash.-based Aegis Living, a leading provider of assisted living and memory care. “So, you’re going to see this dip where demand keeps going up, but product is not available. That’s really going to impact demand in the short-term and probably the mid-term,” which, looking ahead several years, is “very good news for the industry.” Clark also foresees a new emphasis on nurses and doctors on the front lines of assisted living facilities as part of a “more wellness-oriented” trend that encompasses “everything from the way [care providers] design air filtration systems to foods.” In fact, he reports, Aegis Living is “looking at foods that help pump up the immune systems of residents and have hired our own registered dietitian.” Sequoia Living’s McVey: Going forward, not back Current events constitute nothing less than “history … being made in our industry,” and Sequoia Living President and...

Assisted living facilities, which fill a need for seniors who don’t need nursing homes but can’t live independently, are a mainstay of senior care. The American Health Care Assn./National Center for Assisted Living counts nearly 1 million licensed beds in about 28,900 communities in the U.S. But even as assisted living holds stature as the fastest growing residential housing for older Americans, it may surprise some to learn that this model didn’t assume its present-day form until the 1980s. The roots of assisted living in America can be traced at least as far back as 1713 with the founding of an organization designed to care for seniors in Philadelphia. Foster homes and group homes became the norm later in the century when family members couldn’t care for a senior loved one. By the mid-1800s, religious and fraternal groups opened nonprofit homes for seniors, the genesis of the modern care system. Hundreds of nonprofit old-age homes were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, with many adding hospitals, staff homes and other structures as their populations grew. Urbanization and tuberculosis epidemics helped spur state and local governments to develop institutions that provided chronic care. Nursing care in homes also became popular, with the number of visiting nurse agencies more than doubling from 1909 to 1924. By the middle of the 20th century, advances in medicines such as penicillin, the expansion of various assistance payments, and the exodus of men and women from the home during World War II were among the factors that prompted the further development of care facilities, including boarding homes for seniors. The private nursing home industry debuted in 1950, serving 270,000 people by 1954. That year, Congress provided funds to nonprofit organizations for the construction of skilled nursing facilities that met certain...

Property management chatbots have been a hot topic lately, especially for multifamily rentals. A chatbot can meet renters’ increasing demands for digital communication and capture more leasing opportunities, but only if it’s used wisely. First, we’ll talk about why you should consider “hiring” a chatbot if you don’t have one on staff already. Then, we’ll show you three things your apartment rental chatbot should be able to do. Finally, watch a short video to get chatbot tips from expert marketer Drew Davis, who spent months talking to chatbots in different industries to see what works and what doesn’t. Why a chatbot? Employing a chatbot as part of your customer experience team can ensure you never miss an incoming leasing opportunity, day or night, and it frees up onsite staff to focus on assisting applicants and residents. If you don’t have a chatbot yet, you’re probably losing leases to competitors that do. That’s because customers expect instant and accurate answers to their questions. They hate waiting. In fact, in a survey on response times that included more than 3,000 customers, 88% of respondents expected a response within an hour, with 33% of them saying they expect an answer in 15 minutes or less. Is that realistic for your agents, especially when you factor in after-hours contacts? Probably not. That’s where a chatbot comes in handy. But do people really want to talk to a bot? Recent data says they do. The 2020 NMHC/Kingsley Apartment Resident Preferences Report found that 48% of renters say they would use a chatbot in their next rental search. That number is anticipated to grow as chatbot adoption becomes increasingly common across multiple industries. A 2019 report by Chatbots Life predicts that chatbots will handle 85% of human interactions online within...

GREEN Real Estate is in the process of building a best in class organization that supports the entrepreneurship, growth and development of the company. One of the pillars of such an organization is continuous insight in data availability of business information. In this context creating more seamless leasing processes was a goal for GREEN Real Estate, a real estate investor and developer with numerous projects in urban areas of the Netherlands. Being able to access current transaction activity, company communication and approval workflows from an electrical car outside the property? Well, that’s just a cool bonus. We recently caught up with Steven van Ginkel, Manager of Finance and Control for GREEN Real Estate, who says that use of mobile-friendly Yardi solutions for the company has been a game changer. The GREEN team works continuously to improve the combination of living, working, mobility and shopping in the Netherlands. They have used the Yardi platform since April 2015. Yardi was selected to improve data accuracy and transparency, simplify workflows, provide executive oversight and access to information from any online device. Earning and approving new deals Yardi Deal Manager, the most dynamic leasing solution on the market, enables asset managers and their internal and external brokers to reduce unit turnover, improve communication, work with prospects and provide managers and executives with all the real-time insight they need. It also makes it very easy to submit available lease options to potential new tenants. “Proposals to prospective tenants are literally one mouse click. This creates time to improve quality to the offer and communication between leads and the asset managers,” van Ginkel said. Changes are also faster when made within the system. We save between 30 to 60 minutes each time we make any contractual change when using Deal...

Do you have an article of clothing that helps you feel good? Maybe it’s a pair of power pumps that sound just right on a marble floor. Maybe it’s the hoodie from your dad’s alma mater that feels like a warm hug when you wear. Clothing has transformative power. For better or for worse, clothing can influence our confidence and our success. Dress for Success Boston taps into the power of fashion. The nonprofit organization uses clothing as a stepping stone to improved self-confidence, success and financial independence for women. Meet Kim Todd, a woman empowering women Kim Todd is the executive director of Dress for Success Boston. She has served with the organization for 15 years because of its simple yet transformative mission: strive for a world where all women are financially independent, are treated with dignity and respect and are directly impacting their lives and those of their families. “We aspire to a world that fully harnesses the power of women and recognizes their role in economic sustainability,” quotes Todd. “The mission is so easy to relate to, and although it seems to be a simple idea, the results of this work are life-changing. I feel very strongly that women should support each other. Everyone needs help at some time in their lives.” She continues, “We are there for women at a time when they need support to take that next step. It breaks my heart that many women do not have any support system, and they are navigating tremendously difficult situations alone.  No woman should be alone, especially if she is struggling to make ends meet to support her family. Dress for Success Boston provides a network of support for women so that they are not alone.” Fashion can help break the poverty cycle? Todd believes that fashion,...

“Buildings are the next computing platform.” That’s how Chase Garbarino, CEO of HqO, describes the importance of software and building intelligence as companies seek a safe return to the workplace. Just as books shifted to tablets, music switched from CDs to Pandora and Spotify and taxi service switched to Uber, buildings have transformed from manual and analog to newly digital ecosystems. Without a doubt, the pandemic has accelerated the investment into digital infrastructure for companies of all sizes. On a recent CREtech webinar, “State of Tenant Experience: 2021,” host Michael Beckerman, CEO of CREtech, cited an Ernst & Young report that found businesses could save 11% on per-employee costs by switching to a hybrid work model. This is important for the flexible workspace industry, which has been ravaged by the effects of COVID-19 on workers entering offices. As Garbarino stated, coworking put downward pressure on lease length for years, so the traditional office industry had to focus on customer experience and happiness, partly to counter the growth of coworking. That shift to the value of tenant experience now becomes even more noticeable, as there need to be tangible benefits to returning to an office when a vast majority of employees have not lost productivity working at home. On a recent Realcomm webinar, the panel discussed tech advancements to help workers feel more confident returning to the office. Touchless elevators, apps showing office occupancy and desk availability, as well as air quality sensors that can remove pathogens, are just some of the new ways in which employers are trying to safely welcome employees back. But these advances, as reliable and effective as they are, don’t overcome the fact that only 1% of workers are renting a space outside of their homes while working remotely. Based...

Yardi has a long history of providing interface solutions that enable its clients to exchange information with third-party vendors of solutions for applicant screening, online billing payments, renters insurance, service requests and many other business requests. That interoperability extends to senior housing community operators who wish to connect with ancillary operations solution providers. Interfaces allow third-party partners and Yardi EHR users to exchange information seamlessly and securely. Operators can utilize standard interfaces to connect senior living integration partners. Also, operators can optimize care transitions and enable the secure flow of information to and from EHR. Among Yardi’s interface partners for senior living is eMenuCHOICE, a St. Paul, Minn.-based dining management and point of sale application for senior living communities. Other providers that Yardi has welcomed as senior living interface collaborators include abxtracker, which specializes in antibiotic and infection tracking control solutions; Healthconnex, a leading provider of software used for infection prevention and control; and Kno2, which creates centralized accounts that enable efficient and HIPAA-compliant exchanges of resident documents. The list of Yardi senior living interfaces continues to grow. Created in some cases as a result of client requests, the added partnerships will enhance interoperability in such operations as vital signs and weight monitoring, nurse calls and...

Better to act than take on the risks of inaction. This was the theme of a recent GWA webinar, in which panelists discussed ways to minimize risk and future-proof a coworking or flexible workspace operation. “The biggest risk is the risk of not doing anything, of not reacting to the market,” said Dan Zakai, co-founder and CEO of Mindspace, a coworking space with locations in Europe and the U.S. By now, we see that the office experience as we knew it is being reimagined. Landlords need to pivot to a hospitality experience in order to safely and effectively welcome tenants and workers back. They need to provide amenities that workers don’t have at home, or offices will see low occupancy given that productivity levels did not drop from the couch, kitchen table or home office. According to Zakai, landlords will raise occupancy levels with coworking faster than with traditional long-term leases. One of the biggest challenges is whether to spend the initial cost on coworking, whether that is building out a new coworking space or transitioning a vacancy. Since landlords typically won’t operate the space, it makes choosing the right partner critical. Giovanni Palavicini, principal at Avison Young, believes one of the keys to success for operators is finding a niche. Much like hotels have seen the growth of boutique offerings, the coworking industry should head in the same direction. This was already a growing trend prior to the pandemic and could accelerate now. Picking the wrong operator with a business model unsuited for your location, or a poor deal structure could create significant risk. “I don’t like RFPs because an RFP allows anyone in the door,” Palavicini said. “Because at the end of the day, we want to figure out who we want...

The first annual CoreNet Corporate Real Estate Week was a success! The virtual international conference aims to “commemorate, educate, inform, and connect the world to all that our often under-recognized profession does to advance the economy.” More than 40 sessions offered insights and networking to commercial professionals globally. Three sessions educated attendees on the benefits of flexible workspaces and the tools available to manage them. The benefits of hybrid workspaces The “Hybrid Working and the Ubiquity of Space” session offered attendants the opportunity to explore best practices in hybrid work models. Panelists presented practical ways that landlords and employers can optimize hybrid work models by adopting flexible workplaces and customized software. Switzerland-based IWG CEO Fatima Koning and Gareth Haver, CEO for the Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Northern, Central and Eastern Europe regions shared what’s working for them: “The office is not in one place any longer—it is everywhere,” said Koning. She observed that flexibility and mobility rank high on tenant demands. Traditional office space is not obsolete, but employees want (and often need) the ability to work from different settings. This includes but is not limited to their homes. “Traditional models will no longer accommodate the workplace and workers of the future. The new standard of hybrid work promotes efficiency and connectivity, and technology is a big part of that. More advanced and empowered technology can enhance not only occupancy planning but also the overall work experience,” said Koning. While the pandemic expedited the adoption of remote work policies for many commercial companies, the trend towards remote work has been on the rise for years. Employees gain a better work-life balance, shorter commutes, and designated time for collaboration. Haver adds that employees aren’t the only ones to benefit from hybrid models. Employers gain: lower costs...

It’s been one year since most Yardi employees transitioned to remote work environments. One year since we anxiously attended virtual town hall meetings to learn the next steps. One year of navigating the blurred lines of our professional and personal lives before settling into a new normal. A lot has changed since then. Haphazard workspaces now have a more customized and personal feel. We’re reaching productivity goals and we’re all experts on Teams and Zoom. Our pets are accustomed to seeing more of us, and the novelty of sleeping on the keyboard has (mostly) worn off. Much has changed beyond office work as well. Many employees used their time in quarantine to set goals and embark on new personal journeys. Yardi Atlanta team members used Confluence to celebrate their one-year work from home journeys together. Quarantine journeys Employees posted images and shared stories depicting “How it started and how it’s going.” A few fun quarantine accomplishments include: hiking new trails growing a beard developing baking skills raised bed and container gardening sewing stuffed animals candle making woodworking and reupholstering heirloom furniture adopting pets, including sugar gliders pulling home design projects out of “DIY purgatory” Some stories were real heart warmers that demonstrate the power of family. “My Yardi family helped me purchase my first car!” announced MeaResea Homer, technical account manager. Homer (pictured, right) told colleagues that she was searching for a new car. It would be her first purchase, and she was stoked. “Amanda Carlisle recommended the salesman that she purchased her vehicle from. She got me in contact with him and I scheduled the appointment in late November. To help me out even more, our colleague Jody Borgemenke picked me up, took me to the dealership and supported me through the process. Pedro...

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) heralds Yardi among Top Workplaces in Metro Atlanta. Yardi ranked 45th out of 3,268 nominated employers. It is described as “a large global software corporation with an unwavering focus on quality software and customer satisfaction.” To celebrate the achievement, Yardi Atlanta hosted a virtual watch party. Employees tuned in to watch the awards ceremony while enjoying their favorite snacks and beverages. Attendees also explored a virtual photobooth. They posted their pictures and testimonials to the Yardi Atlanta Confluence page. Learn more about Yardi as one of Atlanta’s Top Workplaces. Get to know Yardi Atlanta The Yardi Atlanta office is located in the suburb of Roswell, about 22 miles north of the city. The town offers an appealing mix of progressive eateries, historic buildings, parks and cultural events. RentCafe.com ranks Roswell among one of the most affluent neighborhoods for renters in metro Atlanta. The Atlanta office serves as home base for more than 370 of the company’s nearly 3,600 U.S. employees. Though most employees now work in remote environments, the office has managed to maintain a sense of camaraderie through virtual events. #YardiLove Valentine’s Day party, Halloween Week, and continued charitable outreach helps employees feel united while working apart. Corporate culture is just one of the reasons why Yardi Atlanta made the list as one of the top places to work in metro Atlanta. How AJC chooses top workplaces The 11th annual Top Workplaces list is a collaboration between The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and employment research and consulting firm Energage. To form the list, employees nominated 3,268 of their employers. Philadelphia-based Energage then narrowed the list to 244 companies, each of which agreed to participate in a no-cost program and survey. The short list of companies represents 56,160 workers in the metro Atlanta...

Bryan McCaleb, president of Sagora Senior Living, a Fort Worth, Texas-based Yardi client and operator of more than 30 properties, discusses how his company has handled two major challenges – the pandemic and severe weather – in excerpts from an interview originally published in Multi-Housing News. How would you describe 2020 from the perspective of a senior housing operator? McCaleb: The pandemic led us to introduce new safety protocols and change what our day-to-day routines looked like. Our teams came together to implement changes for the best protection of our residents and associates, and I feel like our organization is stronger than ever before. How has technology helped you during COVID-19? McCaleb: At all of our communities, we have communication stations set up and equipped with iPads where residents have the ability to schedule virtual visits with their loved ones. More seniors have taken to social media to keep up with their families, which has broadened their reach with grandchildren and out-of-state loved ones. How did you keep your residents safe during the recent severe weather conditions in Texas? McCaleb: Some communities experienced power outages, water outages, water leaks and/or boil-water orders. For these challenges, we relied on onsite generators for heat and power, bottled water for our residents, and constant communication with our residents and their family members. Our associates stayed at our communities when needed to ensure that our residents were safe, comfortable and cared for. Although communities in Texas and Oklahoma had damage, we are thankful that all of our residents and associates weathered the storm safely. What was the most difficult thing for you in the past 12 months? The most satisfying? McCaleb: The most difficult thing was seeing how COVID-19 affects people—even beyond health complications, such as emotional and financial...

Online searches have become the favored route for seniors seeking a residential community. That’s why senior living community operators increasingly turn to search engine optimization (SEO) to help prospective residents find their properties. A powerful tool supporting that effort is RentCafe Reach Senior Living, an advanced online marketing services solution that enables execution of SEO plus pay-per-click advertising, social media posting and reputation management from a single platform. Yardi is spreading the word about this platform and the online marketing experts who support it with a new ebook, titled “4 Ways to Get Found Online.” The publication illustrates how RentCafe Reach Senior Living: Creates an exceptional online presence that fills vacancies. Increases traffic with optimized content that positions communities for maximum search visibility. Drives leads with impactful ad campaigns, managed by AdWords specialists. Keeps pace with Google’s algorithm changes. Formulates and executes a full marketing plan tailored to a community’s goals. Engages prospects with curated social media local content and boosted posts. Strengthens reputation control by monitoring and responding to online reviews. As the ebook says, “The right digital marketing strategy makes all the difference, but building out a plan – and sticking to it – takes dedicated resources, consistent research and lots of elbow grease.” Read it to discover how RentCafe Reach Senior Living makes the process much easier and...