Are you a right-brained creative or a left-brained pragmatic? And when it comes to property marketing, which is better? That is the subject up for discussion at the Apartment Innovation and Marketing Conference (AIM) this year. For years, there has been a belief that people favor one side of the brain or the other. The theory goes that people with right-brain dominance tend to be imaginative while those with left-brain dominance are inclined to be logical. Recent research shows that the brain is not nearly as dichotomous as previously thought. In fact, many talents are strongest when both halves of the brain collaborate. “The pop psychology notion of a left brain and a right brain doesn’t capture their intimate working relationship,” science writer Carl Zimmer explained in an article for Discover magazine. That said, the popularity of the theory still holds out. People love to find out which is the dominant side of their brain. So why not take a quiz? Then get marketing tips geared toward each talent and learn how to marry the two for property marketing success at AIM 2022. Right-brained or left-brained? Take the quiz. Tips for right-brained marketers Right-brained marketers are intuitive and expressive with a strong interest in storytelling and visuals. Use your creativity to build a strong brand on social media. Focus on creating a compelling visual library that tells the story of your community.Stay up to speed on design trends in different industries — including fashion, interior and tech — then challenge the larger marketing team to incorporate them into initiatives collateral and website updates. Tips for left-brained marketers Left-brained marketers are planned and orderly with a strong interest in results and analytics. Take charge of your company’s paid search campaigns. Compile performance data or use...

Search engine optimization: You know you should be doing it, but are you taking proactive steps to optimize your apartment marketing website? By now, the benefits of SEO for apartment marketing are clear. By optimizing your site, you make it more attractive in search, both to search engines and potential customers. When search engines like your website, they think it is trustworthy and answers relevant search terms. When customers like your website, they engage with it by visiting multiple pages and clicking buttons. Relevance and engagement cause your site to rise higher in search results, helping you build authority, reach more potential renters and fill more vacancies. Property management SEO may seem like an overwhelming responsibility. After all, every time there’s a significant algorithm change, new articles come out with tips and tricks designed to adapt to the changes. But what you might not realize is that SEO is intended to be more or less straightforward. If your website creates a good user experience by functioning well for all visitors and providing valuable information for your target audience, it should appear in search results. And for apartment marketers, the search results that matter are typically local ones e.g., “one-bedrooms in <city>” and “<neighborhood> apartments for rent.” With that in mind, here are a few DIY SEO tips for apartment marketing. Start making these updates today to see positive results in the long term. Optimize the metadata for every page Every page of your website should have an optimized title tag and a metadata snippet. This is what will show in search results. Google measure title lengths in pixels, not characters, but per Moz, it’s a good idea to keep your title between 50-60 characters. Meta descriptions can be any length, but Google generally truncates...

After first getting to know Gen Z, the team at REACH by RentCafe investigated how this tech-savvy generation searches online so that you can learn the best way to attract these young renters. Gen Zers have developed specific search and viewing habits For a generation that has grown up glued to computers, phones and tablets, Gen Zers have had years to cultivate their online search habits. In a series of 36 video interviews with members of Gen Z, REACH by RentCafe found that participants tended to start their search on Google, and often used long-tail search phrases, averaging 4.9 words per search. This is higher than the overall average of 4.2 words. Additionally, Gen Z tends to favor key words such as “Best,” “Cheap” and “How to” when searching online. Members of Gen Z also spend a lot of their time online watching videos, and they have specific preferences when it comes to which type of clips they like to watch. In a survey of over 10,000 Gen Zers published on rentcafe.com, 69% said they preferred a combination of user-created and professionally produced videos. This generation has come of age online, and as these renters enter adulthood, it’s clear that they are not only fully equipped to navigate the internet, but they’ve also developed a specific way of doing so. Gen Z attention span < goldfish attention span Did you know that with an estimated attention span of just 8 seconds Gen Zers are even less alert than their millennial counterparts (12 seconds) and, yes, goldfish (9 seconds)? In one video interview from the series, Gen Z member Keona spoke about how, when searching online for restaurants, thousands of results could be “overwhelming.” She continued, “I have a very short attention span, and I...

Property marketing — once constrained to classified ads, flyers and yard signs — has largely gone digital over the last two decades. And while most multifamily property management companies market their properties and vacancies online in one way or another, many aren’t using digital marketing to its fullest potential yet. Done well, digital marketing is part of a comprehensive strategy that attracts renters no matter where they search. It creates a cohesive customer experience that helps turn more leads into leases. And it gives you the data you need to keep building on your success. Let’s take a closer look at digital marketing for property management, what it entails and how you can benefit, as well as how you can get help when you need it. What is digital marketing? Per the American Marketing Association: Digital marketing refers to any marketing methods conducted through electronic devices. The includes online marketing efforts conducted on the internet. In the process of conducting digital marketing, a business might leverage websites, search engines, social media, video, email and similar channels to reach customers. Digital marketing can also be referred to as online marketing and search marketing. What does digital marketing include? A holistic digital marketing strategy includes multiple channels that complement each other, creating a consistent brand and customer experience everywhere prospects encounter your business. Digital marketing practices evolve as the way we use the internet changes, but these are some of the most common methods: Search engine optimization (SEO): SEO is the process of improving ranking with major search engines to increase unpaid online traffic to owned websites. Search engine marketing (SEM): SEM is the use of paid online advertising to increase website visibility within search engines. It’s often used together with SEO to create a stronger...

Want better ratings and reviews for your properties? Take the advice of award-winning marketing expert Drew Davis and create moments of inspiration (MOI) for your renters. “If we want better ROI, we need to focus on MOI,” said Davis. “Meaningful micromoments define your experience, differentiate your service and truly build your brand.” In episode 5 of Moments of Genius, he tells property teams to ask themselves, “When is our afterparty glow moment?” Put another way, when are your residents most likely to be happy about the place they call home? Because that’s the perfect time to ask for a positive property review. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, watch it now. Then keep reading to discover five ideal times to ask residents to share a review — as well as a few surprising moments when you should put the request on hold. Picking up the keys In most cases, few things are more exciting than picking up the keys to a new apartment. It’s a fresh start, a new opportunity to create the home of your dreams. Amplify that feeling by giving your new renter a welcome gift and asking if they want their picture taken holding the keys. Follow up the next day to make sure everything in their apartment is working as expected and then, after they’ve settled in, ask for a review of their move-in experience. Getting an appliance fixed You know what’s not fun? Having a broken appliance. But do you know what’s amazing? When that broken washer, oven or garbage disposal is working again! If your maintenance team is doing an awesome job of following-up on maintenance requests (especially right now, with people spending more time at home due to the coronavirus pandemic), be sure to ask for...

OFFICIAL RULES 2019 Yardi at AIM Sweepstakes NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PURCHASE WILL NOT ENHANCE CHANCES OF WINNING. Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto, who are 18 years of age or older (except residents of Alabama and Nebraska who must be 19 years of age or older) at the time of entry.  Employees, officers and directors of Yardi Systems, Inc. (“Sponsor”), and its respective subsidiaries and affiliated companies, advertising, promotion, or production agencies (and each of their respective IRS dependents, immediate family members [children, spouse, parents, siblings, and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside] and individuals residing in the same household of each, whether or not related) are not eligible to participate.  Void where prohibited by law.  By participating, entrants agree to these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding in all matters relating to this Sweepstakes. ENTRY PERIODS: First Sweepstakes Promotional Period begins on May 6, 2019 at 8:00am PDT.  Entries must be received by 2:00pm PDT on May 6, 2019.  There will be two drawings after 2:00pm PDT on May 6, 2019. Second Sweepstakes Promotional Period begins on May 6, 2019 at 8:00am PDT.  Entries must be received by 2:00pm PDT on May 7, 2019.  There will be two drawings after 2:00pm PDT on May 7, 2019. Third Sweepstakes Promotional Period begins on May 6, 2019 at 8:00am PDT.  Entries must be received by 10:00am PDT on May 8, 2019.  There will be two drawings after 10:00am PDT on May 8, 2019. HOW TO ENTER. During the Promotional Period (i) visit the outside Yardi Café at the Apartment Innovation and Marketing (AIM) Conference in Huntington Beach, California (no purchase necessary); (ii) post a...

In a perfect world, you’d create all of your own content. It would all go viral. You’d burst with success. All the content creation would all be completed in less than an hour per week. Unfortunately, that’s not how life works. You likely excel in real estate, not content creation. Time minimizes how much original content that you create. Sometimes you have difficulty getting readers to engage with your posts. Piggyback marketing may be able to help. Piggyback marketing describes the use of recycled, trending content on your social media feeds and blog. It allows users to borrow and benefit from the popularity of someone else’s content. Sometimes piggybacking is sharing a video, meme, or post. Other times, it’s referring to a trend within your original content. There are advantages and disadvantages to piggyback marketing. When used wisely, it can build engagement and improve the reputation of your brand. When abused, it can erode trust and water-down your brand identity. The dos and don’ts listed below will help you use viral piggybacking to your advantage. DO supplement your content with piggyback marketing.Viral piggybacking of relevant content allows you to tap into what’s already successful. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, which is great when you feel creator’s block or you’re pressed for time. DON’T rely on piggybacking. Limit how often you use others’ content to market your brand. Keep the percent of borrowed content in the single digits compared to your original content. There is no substitute for content that reflects your brand, your objectives, and the unique tastes of your audience. DO stick to content that is relevant to your brand, market, and clients’ interests. Use tools such as Buzzsumo and Scoop.It to identify relevant content. Those tools allow you to...

Multifamily marketers gathered in Huntington Beach, California, for the 2018 Apartment Internet Marketing (AIM) Conference on May 6-9. This year’s event focused on the latest digital marketing trends and technologies. “Marketing executives are increasingly called on to shape the resident experience and manage the pace of innovation,” shared Steve Lefkovits, executive producer of AIM. “We’re delighted to have Yardi and RentCafe as partners in educating the industry about the future.” Some conference highlights for multifamily marketers: Customer Experience Matters Customer experience is the new marketing. At the AIM keynote, Charlene Li, principal analyst at Altimeter and co-author of Groundswell, challenged marketers to examine relationships and experiences. “If you’re not focusing on the customer experience, you’re working on the wrong things,” emphasized Li. Why does customer experience matter? Because the data says so! According to resident satisfaction data from J Turner Research, Q1 2018 apartment reviews grew by 78% as compared to Q1 2017. The average number of reviews per property has grown 20% since Q1 2017, averaging more than 86 reviews per property. The study found a strong correlation between online reputation and resident satisfaction. Resident experience matters, and it influences renter and prospect purchasing behavior. In a session on customer engagement and loyalty, Joseph Batdorf, president of J Turner Research, stressed, “Resident satisfaction matters. Making sure they’re happy affects their willingness to renew a lease.” Customer Engagement Also Matters To create a better customer experience, you need to engage your customer from the get-go and keep them engaged throughout their time with you. Where can you innovate your customer engagement strategy? Create a well-rounded engagement strategy. Implementing a multi-source lead attribution model can help marketers more accurately assign value to each touchpoint in the buyer journey. Market to common values to bolster your engagement. Sticking to common...

Property marketers use lead attribution to determine where leads are coming from so they know what is working, what isn’t and where to spend their marketing dollars most effectively. But single source lead attribution models only credit the first or last source with the lease. “We know that 50% of renters visit five or more websites before they even set foot inside your leasing office. But we only give one source credit for the lease?” says Holli Beckman, vice president of marketing and leasing operations at WC Smith. “If 100% of attribution is going to the first touch, then you are indicating that none of the other sources have any value.” So how do we fix it? How do we more accurately assign value to all the touchpoints that prospects interact with on their buyer journey? The answer is multi-source lead attribution. It’s a relatively new model in multifamily, and it’s a topic Beckman is passionate about (check out her article “Why the Multifamily Industry Is Missing the Boat on Multi-Source Lead Attribution”). So is the development team at Yardi. We’re constantly evolving RentCafe CRM to accommodate new data points and provide deeper insight into prospect activities and marketing sources. That’s why we invited Beckman to join us at the Yardi Marketing Forum in Beverly Hills this week to share her insights as we preview new lead attribution tools designed to increase accuracy and ROI for property marketers. Before the forum, we had a chance to catch up with Beckman and ask her a few questions related to her session and trends she is seeing right now. What limits property marketers’ ability to deliver leads? Beckman: A true understanding of customer behavior. For so long we’ve only reported on one step of the customer...

To stay competitive, your properties and services must remain in the forefront of the digital marketplace. From a prospect’s search to a resident’s lease renewal, marketing automation can help you exceed renters’ expectations. Marketing automation streamlines repetitive tasks, follows user behavior and delivers targeted content. Such content ushers customers into your leasing pipeline and then helps you keep them as loyal residents. Watch a quick video about marketing automation. In a recent post, we interviewed Esther Bonardi, vice president of marketing at Yardi. She explains the long-term benefits of automated marketing. “Attracting a new resident costs up to five times more than retaining an existing one,” explained Bonardi. “With automation tools designed to check in with residents, conduct surveys, provide contact support and offer timed renewal savings, both your retention rates and your bottom line will improve… automatically!” Learn to automate your marketing for an improved leads-to-leases experience! Below are just a few proven strategies for marketing automation. Nudge Marketing Nudge marketing is a website-based tool that tracks visitor behavior. You can use the tool to deliver targeted content to website visitors based on their actions. You can share a promotion with first-time visitors or prompt visitors to schedule an appointment after viewing floor plans. You control the content and the corresponding user behavior. Intelligent Text Response Text is the latest and greatest in rapid communication for businesses. Provide prospects with customized, automated responses that answer their questions without consuming leasing agents’ time. If a prospect wants to know more about outdoor living space, your automated response can give the square footage of the property’s decks. You can also use the service to send a link to available units. Timed Lease Renewals Increase resident retention and improve forecasted revenue with automated lease renewals. Send...

A savvy group of marketers joined us for learning, networking and fun at the bi-annual Yardi Marketing Forum (YMF) in Baltimore last week. During the event, attendees explored the latest trends in digital marketing, tips and tricks to optimize outcomes, and real estate technology. As noted by Esther Bonardi, Yardi vice president of marketing, the event is “all about helping you tap into your inner marketing genius.” Here are some of the top digital marketing themes covered: Get in touch with your audience As marketers, we’ve traditionally divvied up our target audiences by demographic information. In today’s noisy digital landscape, we need to meet our customers where they’re at. Speakers Brad Downs, vice president of marketing for the Baltimore Ravens, and Brad Batesole, staff author at LinkedIn, shared strategies to better reach target audiences. Drawing from his fifteen years of experience in sports marketing, Downs stressed the importance of moving from brand first to fan first. “It’s that fan first mentality. Our fans are incredibly important to us. Fans want to feel as important as they are,” he said. By focusing on fans first, opportunities to engage and foster fandom become easier to identify. Downs demonstrated that life stage marketing goes beyond traditional demographic segmentation, resulting in better customer experiences, tailored events and increased engagement. For the Ravens, life stage segmentation resulted in targeted fan development campaigns focused around women and adolescents. This included Purple, a community building initiative to cultivate the female fan base, and RISE, a football outreach program for local children and high schoolers in emerging Ravens strongholds. Life stage segmentation helped draw 130,000 fans to Ravens marketing events,  development of an international audience, and an average attendance of 71,000 people at each home game. At Wednesday’s marketing master class, Batesole...

The 2017 Canadian Multi-Res Tenant Survey conducted by Informa Canada showed that 85% of renters take less than two months to find their rentals. Your marketing website and ILS listings through RentCafe are designed to help get their attention during that crucial time. But for a truly effective marketing approach that makes the maximum impact during those two months (and beyond), there are a couple more tools you can add to your toolkit. RENTCafé CRM and RentCafe Connect are two solutions that integrate with RentCafe and Yardi Voyager to better manage prospect, applicant and resident workflows. RentCafe CRM simplifies leasing and resident services by putting everything leasing staff needs in one mobile interface, making it easier to follow up with leads and provide expert service from anywhere. RentCafe Connect is a budget-friendly contact center solution that supports your team with automated call answering and on-demand live support – so prospects and residents get the service they need 24/7. Using these tools in conjunction with RentCafe helps property managers improve onsite efficiency while managing the prospect to resident lifecycle, as well as improve spend and retention. Take a closer look at the four benefits of integrating your marketing strategy using the tools in the Yardi Marketing Suite. Simplify Operations Connecting these three solutions automates the entire leasing process, increasing visibility for you and your staff. When online leads and applications come through RentCafe, your prospects’ data instantly appears in RENTCafé CRM – no duplicate manual entry required. Follow-ups are automatically scheduled based on your custom criteria, giving your staff a clear picture of what needs to happen next to convert each lead into a lease. There are follow-ups for residents too that help automate the move-in, move-out and lease renewal process, making this a true...

A case study reveals the rewarding results of a Yardi-led search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) campaign for Westdale, a national real estate investment and property management company. Using RentCafe Reach, Yardi tested, analyzed and optimized mobile ad campaigns for Westdale to produce fast results. These included a 160% increase in leads, 81% of which came from mobile devices like tablets and phones! About Westdale Westdale is headquartered in Dallas with six regional offices through the country. It focuses on acquiring, managing and developing investment opportunities and oversees approximately 200 properties in more than 30 cities. Westdale’s goal during the campaign was to work with Yardi to differentiate its communities from the competition and reach more potential renters. Process The case study focused on a RentCafe Reach campaign targeting rental leads. For Westdale’s campaign in a competitive Class A apartment rental market, Yardi researched, planned and executed SEO and SEM strategies to improve lead generation from organic and paid search results. Yardi is a certified Google AdWords partner, and RentCafe Reach campaign management is executed by Google AdWords Certified Specialists. This campaign used expanded text ads and other Google AdWords products. Conversion tracking throughout the campaign was used to support data driven marketing decisions. Results & Metrics The combination of SEO and SEM tactics created a large footprint in search results for Westdale, driving more qualified lead candidates. As a result, Westdale saw a significant improvement in the quality of both online and offline conversions at a lower cost. 160% increase in leads 66% increase in conversion rate 56% reduction in cost per lead Westdale’s Takeaways “When properties experience issues with low occupancy, combining SEO and AdWords brings immediate results,” said Jaymz Yates, director of technology at Westdale. “Yardi has fined...

Video continues to rise to the top of the digital marketing playbook. If you’re skeptical about the power of video, consider that almost 50% of internet users look for videos related to a product or service before visiting a store. And four times as many customers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it. Video content can also improve SEO, increase engagement and boost brand loyalty and awareness. Within the realm of real estate, the industry – from retail to residential to student housing – is finding creative ways to leverage video. What’s clear is video isn’t going anywhere, so it’s time to jump in feet first. Facebook Live offers an interactive, free and highly visible way to engage with an audience. The platform now sees 8 billion average daily video views from 500 million users. With help from social media experts, in-depth tutorials and best practice tips, even the most novice user can become a Facebook Live pro.   Here are five tips to rock Facebook Live: Step 1: Ask permission If you plan to live stream other people, ask for permission before you record them. Keep in mind some conferences and venues may have strict no streaming policies. When in doubt, ask. Step 2: Game plan Some questions to inform your live video strategy: Why do you want to do live video? Who are you hoping to reach? What do you want this audience to do? What will you talk about? How long will you go live for? Facebook recommends 10 to 90 minutes, but even 5 minutes is great. Do what feels right for your organization and your viewers. Where will you go live from? Walk the room and consider reserving a spot in front. Minimal background...

Today’s renters expect to be able to find and interact with your company everywhere, all the time. But does that mean you’re suddenly able to hire more staff for around the clock support? Of course not. Marketing automation is your secret weapon in an increasingly busy digital marketplace. Marketing automation streamlines repetitive tasks, follows user behavior and delivers targeted content to get customers into your leasing pipeline and help you keep them as loyal residents once they’ve moved in. It drives efficiency for the marketer and leasing manager while creating a more personalized experience for the customer. Watch a quick video about marketing automation. We talked with Esther Bonardi, vice president of marketing here at Yardi, for her perspective on the evolution of property marketing technology. “Property marketers have to constantly innovate to keep pace with consumer trends and demands,” said Bonardi. “Marketing automation is one way even smaller marketing teams can do that and have a big impact without breaking the bank.” 3 Ways Marketing Automation Is Changing Property Marketing Larger Reach Marketing automation tools like ILS data syndication and social media bulk posting help property marketers reach a larger audience with less effort. Instead of manually entering details like vacancy information, pricing, policies and contact information repeatedly – increasing the likelihood of human error each time – internet listings can be automatically and accurately updated across multiple sites with information from your property management software. Social media posts can be created just once and then scheduled and shared across popular platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Reach thousands of viewers each week without sucking time out of every work day. Better Service Bonardi points out that marketing automation isn’t just a way to work faster, it’s a way to market more effectively. “Marketing...

Multifamily marketers from across the country converged in Huntington Beach for the 2017 Apartment Internet Marketing (AIM) Conference on May 7-10. Several hundred professionals gathered to explore the industry’s latest marketing trends and best practices. Here are three ideas from this year’s event that might buoy your marketing efforts: Tell Your Story Marketing is not just an exercise in generating the lowest cost per lead. It’s a complex combination of creativity and strategy that ultimately tells a story to potential customers. In a world of constant digital distraction, today’s marketers need to have the skills to create content that will rise above the noise. When it comes to creating engaging content, authentic storytelling and video rule. AIM panelists Jamie Matusek, President of Catalyst, Lori Valenti Webb, Director of Marketing at Wood Residential Services, and Anna Geary, Founder of Show My Property TV, explored the ideal customer experience. Matusek explained that experiences progress through the Happiness Halo framework, from anticipation to interaction to afterglow. Anticipation is the process of building excitement, teasing potential customers into wanting to know more. This can be seen in pre-event promotion and behind-the-scenes videos. Interaction immerses customers in an experience, providing emotional direction to aid in decision making. Multifamily application could be a time-constrained promotion, such as a rent discount, or highlighting property perks, such as free recreation classes or dog-friendly happy hours. Afterglow focuses on creating a positive memory, reinforcing brand positivity. As Matusek explained, bad things will happen, such as a poorly executed maintenance request or a negative front office visit, so it’s important to positively direct the sentiments with each resident touch point. Crafting an effective story can combine these three concepts into any medium, from a blog or social media post to a video. At AIM, video was...

When it comes to the Washington, D.C. rental market, VP of Marketing Karen Kossow finds herself in a big pond with plenty of fish. As the one-woman marketing team at Community Realty Company (CRC), she is determined to grow with limited resources. She is overcoming her small fish status by working smarter, not harder. Step one, Kossow made sure that CRC offered what renters want most. “The funny piece is, other than the rent, the Millennials and the Boomers are looking for the same things,” Kossow observes. “They want the good locations, the walkable locations, the amenities, and the social aspect.” Community Realty Company properties are already in coveted locations such as Pennsylvania Avenue and Foggy Bottom. The next natural step was to begin the process of renovating the properties to reflect modern expectations. Properties are being renovated on turn, with upgrades like improved space allocation; granite, stainless and other upgraded finishes; and wi-fi accessibility throughout the building. The latter was no small feat since some structures were erected in the 1960s. Kossow then gave the renovated properties professional glamor shots. These images are accompanied by resident testimonial videos. Combined, the media efforts give prospects a taste of what CRC has to offer—but there was still more work to be done. Step three for the growing  business: getting the right tools in place. “I’m excited to get all of the software rolled out so we can go out and start pitching more business, showing everybody that we’re not the little teeny tiny company and that we can compete with the big boys in some areas,” says Kossow. To help level the playing field, Kossow uses Yardi RentCafe. “I am a one-woman marketing show who has also overseen much of the software roll out. Being able to tackle...

You’ve explored how to get renters through the door. Now that the prospects have arrived for a tour, don’t sabotage your sale with conversational faux pas! Check out these ten conversational dos and don’ts that will help fast forward the conversion cycle. 5 Convo Faux Pas That Will Kill Your Sales Assuming (Dis)likes “Our community has this great, retro feel that is really hip right now.” Maybe your clients aren’t hip and they certainly don’t “do” retro. You’ve just told them that the community isn’t right for them! Ask what your clients want and highlight those features in your community rather than making assumptions. Try: “You mentioned interest in mid-century architecture. Our units offer modern conveniences with plenty of mid-century charm.” Disrespecting the Competition “You’ve got to be blind to live in a place like Ivy Bluff. It’s so much more outdated than our property.” Humor is a tricky beast. If you don’t read a prospect’s humor right, your dismissive statement or joke about another property can seem unprofessional, arrogant, and make you look childish. Stick to being a cheerleader for your own property and you’ll be too busy to offend a client. Try: “These units were renovated last month.” Making Excuses “We haven’t replaced these carpets yet but our maintenance techs are so busy. You know how it is.” Rather than pointing out your property’s flaws and then excusing them, explain the plans to correct the problems. Try: “I apologize for the appearance of the carpet. It is scheduled for replacement this Saturday.” Conveying Wishful Thinking Like It’s The Truth “All three of you want adjoining units in our low vacancy community? I’m sure we can work that out.” Are you sure? If variables keep you from knowing a definite outcome, assure the...