Jessica Fiur

Multi-Housing News

By Leah Etling on Sep 6, 2012 in People

One of the first things that Jessica Fiur learned when she became online editor at Multi-Housing News was that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aren’t your landlord’s charming Midwestern aunt and uncle. For the New York native, talented writer and pop culture aficionado, learning all about the world of real estate has been an eye-opening – and often humorous –  experience.

As an apartment renter in New York, Jessica draws many of the stories she uses for her Multi-Housing News blog from personal experience or tales she hears from other renters. The city’s internationally known apartment market, famous for its limited supply, high demand, tiny spaces and sky-high prices, continues to prosper.

“As a multifamily reporter, I’m happy they’re able to raise rents, but as a renter, it’s a little scary,” said Jessica, who recently helped her younger brother find a place in the city and drew blog insight from his challenges. “You pretty much have to be ready to sign if you like something, because someone else is coming up right behind you.”

She also uses hot news topics, inspiration from movies, and her own life to inspire creative content about renting, property management, marketing and a host of other topics. A recent post on U.S. Olympian Ryan Lochte challenged apartment communities to think smart about protecting their community brand.  Another asked “Is your apartment like (the summer blockbuster film) ‘The Avengers’?” Sound like a stretch? Both posts offer solid logic and effective management ideas.

“I love pop culture, so if I see a movie, even if the subject is not about apartments, there are universal themes. Since I like pop culture so much I always try to integrate it,” Jessica said. She picked up the journalism bug while studying at New York State University at Binghampton, and has previously written for education, human resources, and B2B publications.

In addition to the blog and interviewing developers, multifamily executives, and other multifamily experts for print and video pieces, Jessica also oversees MHN’s efforts on social media. Recently, the magazine hosted a contest using the social photo site Pinterest in which participants designed their dream apartment communities. Creative ideas, like design details, space savers, and glittering amenities, were popular choices.

In her own life, Jessica and her husband Seth share an apartment in Queens, where she’s most proud of one particular amenity – an in unit washer dryer. For NYC, it’s a huge (and still relatively rare) convenience.

“When I can get people out to Queens, which is rare, and I give a tour it is always the last thing I show – the pièce de résistance. They all ooh and ahh. It’s either sad or awesome, I don’t know. ”

In her free time, Jessica is training for her first half-marathon run, and enjoys reading, movies, and weekend brunch.

Learn more about Jessica:

What is your favorite type of music?

Rock and punk.

What is your favorite book of all time and  why?

Bridget Jones’s Diary. It was relatable when I was a singleton, and it’s still entertaining now that I’m a smug married. (Plus anything is good when you can picture Colin Firth, who was in the movie version, when you read.)

What kinds of food do you like?

Mexican and Italian.

Where is the most interesting place you’ve ever traveled?

Jerusalem and Edinburg are cool cities, as well as Florence and Dublin. But Manhattan is hard to top!

What do you like best about your job?

Being able to be creative through blogging, and coming up with new ideas to try out regarding the website and social media.

If you could own one piece of famous art, sculpture, memorabilia or historic artifact, what would the item be?

Michelangelo’s David, although it would look a little strange stuck between my desk and couch in my apartment.

What are some things on your bucket list?

Travel around the world, run a marathon and write the great American Novel (though, with clichés like that, the novel thing is looking pretty grim).

What athlete or sports figure do you most admire?

Missy Franklin and Michael Phelps. But I certainly don’t mind watching David Beckham.

What online sites do you visit?

www.entertainmentweekly.com, www.slate.com, and, of course, www.multi-housingnews.com.

If you could have a super power, what would it be?

The ability to use my mind to shut down people’s cell phones when they check them during a movie.