Did you know that our home environment impacts how we feel? During the holidays, multifamily professionals can increase the perceived value of the property while supporting resident wellbeing and promoting resident loyalty. It all starts with decorating. Drive value while helping residents fall in love with your property again Resident retention saves time and money. Per the National Apartment Association, it costs between $1,000 to $5,000 to turn a unit. If you gained just one renewal each month, you could save $20,000 in annual expenses and about 96 hours of maintenance labor. Promote resident retention through thoughtful programming that shows residents that you care. This includes special programming to support residents who are struggling through the holiday season. Design programming can be a great place to start. Design to beat winter blues together Nearly 40 million Americans experience depression and anxiety, reports the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. The fall and winter seasons are especially challenging. The American Family Physician reports that up to 26% of Americans suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) formerly called seasonal depression. Scientists note a correlation between less exposure to sunlight (vitamin D), decreases in serotonin and an uptick in melatonin. Those factors may exacerbate existing conditions around holiday social and financial stresses, loneliness and grief. Community managers are not clinicians. There are several resident services that community managers can offer, however, to support resident wellbeing during the holidays. Focus on fun yet effective services that turn resident homes into mental health havens. Host healthful interior design classes Consider inviting a healthy interior design expert to speak to your residents. The American Society of Interior Designers has representatives nationwide. You might also research environmental psychologists in your area. These specialists understand how our built environments can impact our...

In today’s busy digital marketplace, prospective residents and families expect to be able to research your senior living community online and get the information they’re looking for at any time of the day, but does that mean you’re suddenly able to hire more staff for round-the-clock support? Of course not. Full-time customer service requires savvy tools. That’s where marketing automation comes in. It streamlines repetitive tasks, tracks prospect behavior and delivers targeted content to get customers into your pipeline. You can learn more about marketing automation for senior living with Yardi’s new eBook, which uncovers 9 marketing automation strategies to implement right now in your community. But first, let’s look at some of the high-level benefits of marketing automation technology: It Saves Time With many organizations running lean and mean, employees often wear many hats. Why not leverage tools that expedite administrative tasks? Eliminating duties like redundant data entry and emailing appointment reminders not only reduces the risk of error, it also boosts staff satisfaction and output. In fact, teams using marketing automation report a 14.5% increase in sales productivity. It Saves Money Automating marketing processes not only saves times, it saves money too. With the right tools, what once took hours now takes minutes-and since time is money, that time savings quickly adds up. Beyond carving out more time for your team, marketing automation also saves money by making your marketing dollars work harder, thanks to advanced analytics that provide visibility into which marketing channels are most effective for your community, improving overall ROI. It Improves Service By now, you know that marketing automation reduces workload for sales staff and helps scale and streamline processes, but did you know it also creates a better experience for prospects, too? With systems in place that...

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if your residents signed lease renewals months in advance? Wouldn’t it be even better if they signed a multi-year lease? When you know that good residents are staying in place, you can save time and money. Cut costs on searching for new tenants and turning units. Save time on tours, interviews, and paperwork. Business becomes easier with more renewals, and these five practical tips can secure them. Start Renewal Campaigns Early Don’t waiting until a month before the lease ends to ask residents about renewal. You’re placing yourself at a disadvantage. First, you’ve given residents plenty of time to think about leaving and shopping around. Worst, you’ve only given yourself a month to find a new resident if needed. If you can’t quickly fill the vacancy, one month’s loss of tenancy can deplete nearly a year’s worth of revenue. Consider contacting residents about renewals midway through their lease. You’re getting their attention long before they think about shopping around. You’re also giving yourself ample time to secure a new resident before the current lease ends. Make it Easy to Renew Don’t make your residents take time off work to trudge down to the leasing office and sign their renewal. They will postpone signing until the last possible moment. Encourage early signing with online lease renewals through a convenient resident portal. Residents can renew their lease via a responsive website or a mobile app. This means that renters can submit renewals 24/7, even when your leasing office is closed. Be Transparent Rent hikes, fee changes, and other surprises give residents an opportunity to pause. “Do we really want to sign this? Are other communities charging this much?” With the terms of your renewal in hand, they may begin to shop around....

Resident retention plays a major role in easy lease renewals and favorable reviews. Maintaining existing leases also cuts costs: no turning units, new marketing campaigns or strategies to covert new prospects. Doesn’t that sound awesome? The following seven strategies for resident retention can help you make the most of existing relationships. Begin at move-in. A positive move-in experience is a key factor in renter retention. Welcome packages are an easy way to help residents feel at home. Depending on your brand, you may choose to spoil your residents with wine, decadent treats, and certificates to fine local restaurants. Perhaps you go for thoughtful and practical like light bulbs, toilet paper, and instant coffee. Either way, the gestures leave a positive impression with residents. Be proactive! A survey by J Turner research reveals that maintenance issues top residents’ lists of complaints. Staying on top of maintenance requests promotes resident satisfaction. Preventative measures, such as regular spring cleaning and winter maintenance, also keep dissatisfaction at a minimum. Respond quickly and professionally to negative feedback. Negative reviews and feedback are inevitable. Your staff must respond quickly and professionally to resident feedback to keep bad situations from getting worst. With the right perspective, even negative feedback can be transformed into an opportunity to shine! Encourage resident engagement with the property and staff. Create opportunities for residents to have positive interactions with staff members and the property itself. Is your property’s demonstration kitchen collecting dust? Is your community garden suffocating under weeds? Highlight the site’s marketable features through events and activities. Remind residents why they moved in! Don’t forget to leverage staff creativity. Encourage your social media person to offer smartphone photography classes. Got a craft beer snob working in your office? Let them coordinate a bar hop for...

This isn’t your typical spring cleaning list. Learn how to transform basic seasonal care into value-added improvements. Interior If utilities are included in your billing, early spring is the perfect time to assess your fuel costs. Buildings often consume the most fuel during the first two quarters of the year. At this point, you can get an estimate of whether you will operate in deficit or surplus for the rest of the year. Fewer surprise costs for renters can lead to greater tenant satisfaction and retention. Consider installing smart home or connected home technology this spring. These devices can ultimately help to protect your property, improve efficiency, and maximize tenant comfort. If you’re using disposable filters, replace them at least every three months to ensure optimal efficiency and air quality for your tenants. If you’re interested in reusable filters, they are now more affordable than ever. They require greater upfront investment but they can last for five years. Reusable filters are also better for the environment. The downside is that they must be cleaned and dried monthly or they will begin to decrease in efficiency. Requesting that tenants test their air condition systems at the end of winter. This way, you can get a jump start on any needed repairs before your vendor gets slammed with requests in the spring and summer. Early spring can be the perfect time to cut back unruly branches and shrubs, especially for fast-growing varieties like crepe myrtles and forsythia. Keep foliage at least five feet away from the building, window screens, and roof. Tidy landscaping can improve resident retention and minimize costly property damage. It’s time to stock up on supplies at spring cleaning sales. An ample supply of bulbs, machine batteries, water filters, air filters, and such...