As leasing technology and the customer journey has evolved, so has the role of the leasing agent. Also called leasing consultants or leasing specialists, these are the people who help walk prospects through the process of becoming residents … a path that’s become increasingly virtual. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, renters were doing most of their apartment research online, often deciding which properties to tour based on apartment listing sites, review sites and branded social media accounts. Then, when social distancing measures became the norm, people started relying even more heavily on online content — including pre-recorded video tours and livestreams with leasing agents — to choose their next home. In fact, a recent survey revealed that “renters are becoming so comfortable with renting digitally, that 72% say they would rent an apartment without ever seeing the property in person if a 3D virtual tour was offered.” What does this mean for you, the person responsible for leasing apartments? It means it’s time to improve your video skills. Here are some tips to help you get more comfortable behind the camera as well as in front of it. (Don’t worry, no previous filmmaking experience is required.) Filming Want to shoot a video tour that converts? Even if you’re just filming with your phone, considering these three things will set you up for success: Video orientation — If you’re trying to decide whether to shoot in portrait or landscape, ask where the video will be posted. Horizontal videos with a landscape orientation will usually look best on your website and YouTube. But you should hold your camera upright to take a video with a portrait orientation for Instagram Stories or a livestream with a prospect who is using their phone. Either format works well for Facebook, but apartments look more spacious when shot in landscape, so that’s what we recommend. Lighting — If you have a window in every room and great natural light, use it. If not, it’s best to shoot early or late in the day, with every light on in the unit, so it looks bright and there’s not too much contrast with the light outside. Audio — Sound can be a tricky thing, especially if you’re filming in a busy apartment building. Record using the microphone in your headphones or AirPods if you can, even though you might feel silly wearing them. You can always explain that it’s for the customer’s benefit. If you are tackling a larger project, you might want to buy an inexpensive microphone to improve sound quality. Get more tips for staging virtual and self-guided tours. Starring There’s no sense in being camera shy if you’re a leasing agent. You’re the face of the property as far as prospects are concerned. If you want renters to know, like and trust you, starring in your video tours is a good idea. When filming a video with a person in it, whether that person is you or someone else, pay attention to: Head room — Head room is the amount of space between the top of your head and the top of the video. If you have too much space above your head, it will make you look like you are shrinking. Too little and you risk cutting off the top of your head, which is unsettling for the viewer. Facial expression — When you’re trying to recite a list of property features and unit updates, it can be hard to think about what your face is doing. But it’s important to avoid scowling and maintain a pleasant expression, especially for prospects you may not have connected with in person yet. Editing If you’re creating pre-recorded video tours for your property website, Facebook page or other publicly accessible platform, some simple video editing can set you apart from the competition. Apps like iMovie (free for iOS devices) and Adobe Premiere Rush (this one works...
Senior Living
Transform Your Operations
Without the right tools, running a senior living community is extremely challenging. Piles of paperwork can be overwhelming, and manual data entry can cause errors. When care staff get bogged down with administrative tasks, they have less time to spend with residents. In your back office, the accounting team spends time chasing down billing and cutting paper checks. These inefficiencies add up to become costly for your organization. But, here’s some great news: the Yardi Senior Living Suite is a single software platform that lets you connect, control, track and improve all aspects of your business. Watch a video about senior living software Here are three key ways the Yardi Senior Living Suite can transform your senior living operations: Centralize data to work more efficiently Lower your total cost of ownership, reduce paper and improve your bottom line by managing resident care, finance, operations and marketing with a single connected solution that begins with Yardi Voyager Senior Housing, a property management and accounting platform designed specifically for senior living. Having all of your operational and resident information centralized in one secure, cloud-hosted database with mobility enables complete oversight across your business, instant data access and more responsive care services. Optimize care and improve oversight Gain real-time executive healthcare oversight, keep resident health records free of errors, limit your liability and improve resident satisfaction with Yardi EHR, a full-service electronic health record solution specifically designed for the needs of senior living providers. Get advanced clinical reporting with detailed analytics and instant access to financial data. Customize your care billing options and provide flexible, individual rate plans. Allow caregivers to spend more time with residents and eliminate errors with simplified record keeping that includes easy information sharing at the point of care and a mobile app...
New Digital Approaches
Dalma Mall of Abu Dhabi
Located in the heart of Abu Dhabi, Dalma Mall is one of the most diversified shopping malls in UAE. It serves as a vibrant neighbourhood resource and shopping destination. The mall helps meet Abu Dhabi’s 2030 strategic vision and the Emirate’s framework for long-term economic and social growth. Bhupinder Singh, the General Manager and Chief Financial Officer of Dalma Mall, is responsible for shaping Dalma Mall’s retail management software operations to help optimize the company’s strategy. Singh has more than 20 years of experience in retail real estate, managing multiple hospitality and residential portfolios with brands such as MAF, Emaar and Meraas. Singh summarized his approach to the business: “Over the last 7 years I was honoured to influence the process of enhancing the assets’ functionality. Ultimately, everything drills down to numbers and my passion is to see numbers move.” Dalma Mall, with near-full lease occupancy, has a total gross leasable area of 151,000sqm, including more than 400 stores, 6,500 car parking spaces, a 14-screen cinema, game zone, food court, and a number of restaurants and cafés including several international fashion brands. The mall is a development from The Developers Holding, a property development firm owned by a consortium of Abu Dhabi’s leading business houses. The Developers brand name has become synonymous with delivering world class projects and optimal consumer satisfaction across the GCC. Singh noted: “Our strategy is to provide customers with the ultimate experience and most importantly a place to socialize. Communication is the key to enhancing customer satisfaction.” One of the most significant phases in digitizing Dalma Mall processes was adopting Yardi Voyager, the cloud-based property management and accounting platform. “Organizing, managing and reporting are the main functions in any business sector. I have been able to practice these functions following the introduction of computer technology on an industrial scale. Moving forward from manual book entries and accounting in excel based reports, our target has been to continuously, evolve to use the latest and most advanced technology,” says Singh. “We reviewed multiple vendors and found that the Voyager 7S platform was not only designed to support local requirements, but also delivered enhanced functionality that was specific to the specialist needs of the retail sector.” Dalma Mall also implemented Yardi Orion Business Intelligence, a solution that is designed to provide a portfolio-wide view of occupancy, vacancy, accounts receivable status, actual revenues vs. budget and other key leasing, asset management and accounting performance indicators. “Data is fundamental to our business. From monthly reports and analysis, leasing status to funneling sales figures, we have always been inundated with data. After the implementation of Yardi Voyager, we became fully equipped to embrace the power of big data and use it strategically to optimize our retail management operations,” Singh said. “We decided to move forward with a comprehensive process of selecting a new platform to help us enhance the management of our retail operations. The fully integrated Voyager 7S solution brought us immediate benefits, successfully delivering the capability to strengthen our forecasting abilities with automated budgeting, valuations and modelling,” explains Singh. “The implementation of Voyager was a game changer for us, revolutionizing our property operation strategies while providing us with a platform to manage business intelligence, contact and prospect information, asset maintenance and more from our mobile devices” Technological change continues to be a key driver for the retail industry as it can benefit consumers and retailers simultaneously. “At Dalma Mall we encompass a variety of technologies to engage with our customers,” Singh said. “Yardi’s innovative technology is an essential move to achieve organizational growth and the journey so far has been educative and rewarding. The relationship with Yardi and the solutions they provide has helped us improve our efficiency and enhanced our reporting culture. The future of the relationship is exciting and we looking forward to working with Yardi long term, and are already looking to implement other solutions from...
Growing with Matrix
MACC Venture Partners
With 4,200 units of owned multifamily housing, MACC Venture Partners is on a mission to more than double in size, according to managing partners Tony and John Azar. Based in Gastonia, N.C., MACC Venture Partners is a private equity owner operator of commercial real estate engaged in active pursuit of capital preservation and appreciation. With over 4,200 owned apartment units and over 5,000 under management, the family owned and operated firm is currently pursuing an aggressive growth strategy of Class B and C properties in the Southeast U.S. To identify the best deals to augment its portfolio, MACC Venture Partners chose Yardi Matrix as its source of dependable real estate data. Matrix offered the most complete information for the most reasonable price point, and covered all the markets required, John Azar said. Yardi Matrix is the real estate data provider of choice for MACC Venture Partners because of its comprehensive market analytics, including for secondary and tertiary real estate markets. Many of the properties that MACC Venture Partners considers for acquisition are often located outside of major cities, so coverage of these markets is important for the company. “The granularity of the data was important to us and not only from a primary market perspective. We don’t operate just in major metro areas, we operate in first, second and third tier areas. Yardi Matrix has the data we need,” said Azar. Matrix was instrumental during MACC Venture Partners’ recent acquisition in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where the company purchased a 168-unit garden apartment community in partnership with Legacy Capital Partners. “(Matrix) was very relevant to this transaction because North Myrtle Beach area had less available data than Myrtle Beach. This was a situation where Yardi gave us good data not just about the...
Facebook Live
5 Tips to Rock Live Video
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...
Kaiserman Company
Goes Green with Yardi
Arriving at the Rittenhouse Claridge in Center City Philadelphia on a cold winter’s night in January, the first thing you might notice is a charming string of white holiday lights over the lobby door. Stepping out of the cab into sub-freezing temperatures with wind chill, ducking inside the warm and welcoming lobby felt like stepping into the apartment of a dear friend. We were visiting Philadelphia to see first-hand how Yardi client the Kaiserman Company uses Yardi’s Procure to Pay platform to optimize its procurement process, streamlining ordering and delivery and making invoice approvals easier than ever before. Procure to Pay has helped Kaiserman save $60,000 annually, reduce paper use by 50 percent, and redirect staff time to other important tasks. The company uses the Yardi Voyager platform for its multifamily and commercial portfolios, and after implementing two years ago, has found the cloud-hosted solution to be invaluable. “We love it. I have been in the industry for awhile, used many different platforms, and Yardi is by far my favorite. Our leasing teams, our management teams and even our corporate office have access to Yardi. It just makes doing everyday tasks simpler,” said property manager Eric Schulz. The Rittenhouse Claridge One of just two apartment buildings located right on Philadelphia’s iconic Rittenhouse Square, the Rittenhouse Claridge was built in the 1950s by its current owner/operators, the Kaiserman Company. Over the last several years, an effort to restore the property to its midcentury roots has been underway, with charming results. On the building’s second floor, a sprawling common area with comfortable seating, fireplaces, reading nooks, game tables, a kitchen and private meeting spaces overlooks the Square. In one corner is the spacious gym, where a line of treadmills looks directly over the park. The vibe...
A Day in the Life
Leslie Dabi, EAH Housing
At Yardi, we know that the software we create for our clients becomes not just a tool for better business management, but a platform that becomes a major part of their daily lives. Our clients help us understand the business challenges that they face on a daily basis, and in turn, we work to develop increasingly advanced solutions that improve efficiency and make life easier. Earlier this spring, one of our clients in the affordable housing industry, Leslie Dabi of Marin County-based EAH Housing, invited us into her life to see why she’s passionate about her work as Business Systems Director. For 45 years, EAH Housing has built a portfolio of residences that today serve over 20,000 seniors, families, students, people with disabilities, frail elderly and the formerly homeless. We also learned a lot about Leslie’s everyday life. She loves interacting with the site staff at each of EAH Housing’s Bay Area communities, spends free time with her family and walking her dog, and is especially passionate about the San Francisco Giants baseball team. We joined her as she had the chance to take the field at AT&T Park and steal second base – a true thrill for any baseball fan. Join us as we take a look at a day in the life of just one of our exceptional Yardi...
Working at Yardi
New video shares culture
Yardi has earned a reputation as an excellent employer and a great place to work. Over the last 30 years, the company has grown from a small operation in Santa Barbara, Calif. to a global company with offices in 11 countries and nearly 3,000 employees. How do you encapsulate the vast and unique experiences of our worldwide team? Perhaps the best place to start is at our headquarters, where the values of our company culture are celebrated and strong. The Yardi HR team took a camera around the office to ask: “What’s it like to work at Yardi?” Here’s how our employees answered: Another way to learn about what it’s like to work at Yardi or in the real estate world at large is to check out some of the profiles of our clients and employees. And if you are interested in joining our team, keep up with the latest in Yardi career opportunities, news and more by following our company LinkedIn page. ...
