As real estate investors, putting in the work is required for the most significant ROI. Real estate investing can be a one-and-done deal or a strategy with more work but higher profits. However, using the BRRRR method, recover as much capital as possible from a project. Let’s delve into the BRRRR method and how to use it to negotiate deals, scale up your real estate portfolio and build a team for success. The BRRRR Method. Buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat—the acronym for the smart investor’s investment cycle and should be repeated in that order. This method works best for those who have a good understanding of the rental market in their area as well as rehab costs. Getting good at this method takes some time and has a learning curve. Still, once done correctly, the BRRRR method is a sustainable way to buy properties quickly, generate passive income and begin that generational wealth. Here’s what to know: Buy. Purchase an undervalued property. Use short-term financing that can help get the funds quickly to make renovations. Aim for a 70-75% rule as a rule of thumb. Never pay more than that percentage of the estimated after-repair value. The 30% cushion helps offset repair costs while giving sufficient equity to qualify for a refinance. Rehab. Rehabilitate the property with repairs and improvements as seen fit. Rent. Rent out the property to a qualified resident and earn rental income. Use a good insurance policy like ResidentShield to protect you and your residents from damages. Refinance. Refinance will be used to cash out on the equity appreciation. Keep in mind that it is not uncommon for lenders to have a six-month waiting period from when the property was acquired before refinancing is allowed. Repeat. Repeat and buy another...

Yardi-supported nonprofit Life Education for All was founded in 2014 in Cluj Napoca, Romania. Life Education for All aims to carry out non-formal education activities for disadvantaged children and young people and renovate and equip schools across the country.   “In the last ten years, we have carried out many projects that have positively impacted over 60 schools in Romania and over 10,000 children,” said Mindrut Oana, president of Life Education for All. Life Education for All plans to renovate at least one school this year and equip ten schools with equipment, furniture and supplies and replace existing infrastructure (lighting and faucets) with equipment that reduces energy consumption. “We will also continue our projects for literacy development, career counseling and entrepreneurial skill development for high school students,” Oana explained. Yardi funding has helped Life Education for All renovate a kindergarten, equip 12 schools in Romania with outdoor learning furniture, and purchase supplies for two other schools in Cluj. Volunteer Opportunities Life Education for All has plenty of volunteer opportunities, including helping with painting schools, arranging and equipping libraries or reading spaces, arranging outdoor learning spaces, setting up ITC laboratories, and more. Find out how to get involved, and Life Education for All will find a volunteer project that suits you best. “Investing in quality education is the best investment we can make for our future as a society,” shared Oana. Find future non-profit profiles...

Renewable energy sources are crucial to the fight against climate change. On a long road trip across the country, many will find wind turbines, solar panels, and dams, all renewable energy technologies working to better future generations. As Earth Day approaches, let’s explore the world of renewable energy, discover the various sources available, and learn how to support the transition to renewable energy to contribute to a cleaner, greener future for our planet. Since the Industrial Revolution, most country’s worldwide energy mix has been dominated by fossil fuels, which has significant implications for the global climate and human health. However, renewable technologies, including solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass, have rapidly grown. Approximately one-seventh of the world’s primary energy is now sourced from renewable technologies. Renewables play a critical role in clean energy transitions. Let’s learn how these sources work, their benefits, and their potential for widespread adoption. Solar: Solar energy is the most familiar renewable technology and has the most potential for cost savings. Solar energy is electrical or thermal energy harvested from the sunlight. It can reduce energy bills, increase home resale value, be low-maintenance and offer long-term savings. Net metering is a process that’s beneficial to the community because it allows consumers to sell excess electricity their solar panels produce back to the utility company, further reducing bills and reducing the community’s reliance on fossil fuels. The sun is a powerful force and one of Earth’s most reliable energy sources. As a result, solar energy is experiencing a remarkable surge in growth and will remain an influential player in energy for the foreseeable future. Wind. Humankind has always been aware of how valuable wind power can be in daily life, from sailboats to windmills. Wind energy is often considered a more...

Yardi-supported nonprofit StreetSmart Australia was founded in 2003 in Melbourne. This organization believes everyone should have a safe and secure place to call home. StreetSmart brings about change for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness by raising funds and awareness to support smaller, grassroots organizations.   “We distribute support and funds back into the regions in which they were raised because, after 20 years of creating place-based impact for those most vulnerable, we believe this is a powerful way of ensuring sustained change,” said Geoff Hills, CEO of StreetSmart. In Australia, the homelessness crisis has increased to five percent over the past four years. Currently, 300 people are turned away each day from Specialist Homelessness Services. Unfortunately, 23% of the population is missing meals, and rough sleeping has surged by 103% over the past two years with the increasing demand and declining fundraising. StreetSmart responds to homelessness in diverse ways, and right now, they are focused on three key outcomes: boosting housing support, increasing access to nutritious food and providing direct material aid to those sleeping rough, such as clothing. StreetSmart commitment to action on homelessness takes many forms, and its work focuses on six key impact pillars: Accessing, setting up, and maintaining safe, secure homes. Feeding people and families going hungry. Breaking the cycle through training, employment, and education Emergency support and essentials for those in crisis Reducing risk through wellbeing and social inclusion Strengthening communities through advocacy and education Funding from Yardi amplifies the depth of StreetSmart’s work by building capacity and scaling its impact, which means more families and people facing homelessness will not be turned away when they seek help but instead be supported into safe homes to call their own, fed a nutritious meal and given bedding to...

Each year, Yardi distributes philanthropic aid to organizations selected by its employees. Dancers Responding to AIDS (DRA) is a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, founded in 1991 in New York City. This organization ignites the dance and performing arts community to provide meals, medication, healthcare and hope to performers and those in need nationwide. DRA, through Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, is the primary funder of the Entertainment Community Fund and supports over 450 social service organizations in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. See all the social service organizations supported. In 2024, Broadway Cares and DRA will continue support of vital organizations across the country, providing invaluable resources to those living with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses. In addition, DRA will strengthen relationships and support the Entertainment Community Fund. Funding from Yardi has a tremendous impact on those in the performing arts and beyond. Every dollar donated allowed DRA to increase support for these organizations and expand its reach. “We are so grateful for the work Yardi does and their support for DRA and Broadway Cares,” expressed Abigail Richards, development officer for DRA. “Your generosity ensures that those without insurance receive lifesaving medication, families in need are provided with warm, healthy meals and allows folks across the country to thrive,” said Richards. She continued, “Your kind hearts and dedication to helping the lives of others do not go unappreciated.” Broadway Performers Hope Becca, a Broadway performer, was diagnosed with colon cancer recently. Overwhelmed with the diagnosis and unsure how to navigate her insurance options, she was still uninsured just days before her surgery. “Because of you, she was able to receive an insurance plan and emergency financial assistance to access the medication she needed,” Richards said. Volunteer Opportunities One of DRA’s...

Short-term rentals have become a popular secondary income source for many, whether you are renting out a room above your garage or a family cabin in the nearby National Forest. Here’s a quick guide to how to get started as a rental provider. Understanding platforms. Understand the different platforms for short-term rentals. Airbnb is the most well-known. The advantage of Airbnb is that it will get the listing in front of more views than any other platform. Airbnb does not charge for listings but will take a percentage of the commission. Vrbo, caters to more families or those traveling with pets since it allows them to list the entire home, not just spare rooms. Vrbo lets you choose to pay per booking or as an annual subscription. Booking.com will get the most exposure and is the largest travel booking website in the world, but it comes with a 15 percent fee for all reservations. Expedia is like booking.com, but costs can be lower than those of competitors. Vacasa is a full-service property management firm, meaning it handles cleaning and routine maintenance, but charges 25-35 percent of bookings. Homestay.com allows owners to rent out a room or two and charge a little less and accepts barter instead of money. Remember not to limit yourself to just one short-term rental site. Utilize a few so you can make the most money. Research trends. Keeping up with trends is vital when starting in the STR market. Read the latest news and real estate predictions at Yardi Matrix. Adjust Pricing. Consider manually reviewing and adjusting pricing to ensure it reflects the property’s unique features and current demand in the area. Finding the right balance between automation and manual intervention can lead to more competitive rates and increased revenue...

How are government and private carrier services adapting as online communication and purchasing practices continue to supplant traditional paper mail? According to McKinsey, the global volume ratio of letters to parcels declined from 13:1 in 2005 to 4:1 in 2015 and is expected to reach 1:1 parity by 2025. Total U.S. parcel volume declined 2% in 2022 due to a reduced volume of traditional mail, marketing materials and periodicals. At the same time, the share of U.S. retail sales made online doubled in just a decade, creating greater demand for package delivery services. But revenue generated from shipping packages has increased recently, with carriers earning $198 billion in 2022, a 6.5% increase over the previous year. United Parcel Service led with $73 billion, followed by FedEx ($65 billion), United States Postal Service (USPS) ($31 billion) and Amazon Logistics ($24 billion). USPS was the parcel shipment leader in 2022, with 6.7 billion parcels. ‘Tremendous opportunity’ in ecommerce As mail volume continues to decline, “postal and mailing businesses are shifting from state-owned monopolies to commercial companies with diversified portfolios,” says Mordor Intelligence, a global market research firm. That means government and private carriers favor collaboration as much as competition. While USPS has a legal monopoly in the delivery of letters, it contracts air transportation to major express delivery companies as FedEx and UPS, which in turn contract some residential deliveries to USPS. “Ecommerce represents a tremendous opportunity to postal services as consumers become increasingly comfortable with ordering items online from emerging ecommerce platforms, as well as traditional brick-and-mortar making the transition to digital environments. As the volume of online sales increases, ecommerce providers are seeking cost-effective channels for the delivery and collection of purchased items,” says Mordor Intelligence. And government postal services, with their long-established national...

Asociatia Casuta Bucuriei, a non-governmental organization supported by Yardi Romania, was founded in 2015 in Cluj Napoca, Romania. Casuta Bucuriei is a housing organization that offers a home for ten children from the state protection system. They provide education, housing and a family life to help them grow into independent adults. Casuta Bucuriei plans to refresh the house interior this year since it was last painted almost ten years ago and will be investing in its courtyard. Funding from Yardi helps Casuta Bucuriei continue to provide a safe environment for its children and allows them to finalize improvements needed in the home. “We are grateful for the continued support provided by Yardi,” said Adela Florean, president of Casuta Bucuriei. Andreea’s Story Andreea is the oldest girl hosted by Casuta Bucuriei. She successfully overcame all the difficulties in her life as a child. Coming from a broken home, Andreea and her older brother had several obstacles to endure at the beginning of their lives, from having no acceptance in their immediate family and having to live in parks, bars and wherever they could find shelter. Her brother became part of a street gang and looked out for Andreea as best he could before Andreea found comfort with the owner of the bar she was sleeping in at the age of three. Mrs. Maria took Andreea in so she could attend school and be warm in a comfortable home with love and affection. However, Andreea was eight years old when Mrs. Maria became paralyzed in bed, and Andreea had to enter the state protection system. Andreea found a foster sister in the second foster home, where she finally could feel love again and thrive. Until the age of 14, Andreea had emotional stability and harmonious development,...

Opening windows in winter to vent excess heat is a widespread practice in New York City, where residents may experience indoor temperatures over 80°F in buildings with outdated heating systems. Often, certain units are consistently overheated and others underheated, perturbing residents on both extremes. This complaint is most common in properties built before 1940, many which still rely on steam heating. New York City historic apartment building panoramic exterior view with windows and fire escapes In a city where some of the world’s oldest skyscrapers are still in use today, New York City’s inefficient buildings can cause issues beyond the discomfort of urban dwellers. Outdated heating and cooling systems, lighting, appliances and windows are energy-wasters, putting pressure on energy systems to operate at a higher cost and capacity, consuming emissions-intensive fossil fuels. Carbon inventory reports show that building energy consumption contributes more to New York City’s total emissions than any other source, including cars, trucks, buses and trains. As a result, heat and energy usage in buildings have come under scrutiny by the city, which has committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2050. Introducing Local Law 97, New York City’s building decarbonization initiative One of the most ambitious plans for reducing emissions in the U.S., Local Law 97 (LL-97) places limits on carbon emissions associated with properties over 25,000 square feet. Passed in 2019 and coming into effect this year, LL-97 has sent ripples throughout the real estate industry. The law requires buildings in New York City to report on carbon emissions over a series of five-year compliance periods, the first of which is 2024-2029. Every five years, the allowable emissions thresholds are set to decrease. Emissions caps are set by property type, reflecting the usage trends and energy profiles...

Did you catch our senior living spotlight at this year’s virtual Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference (YASC)? Our team shared some exciting updates on what’s new in the Yardi Senior Living Suite, which we’ll recap below. As always, we thank our clients who provided thoughtful feedback to make these updates possible. See what’s new with our senior living software Our senior living spotlight began with a general update from Ray Elliott, vice president of senior living at Yardi. In addition to recapping recent enhancements in the Yardi Senior Living Suite — Ray also shared what the roadmap looks like for the coming year. Clients received information on:   Voyager 8: as the next generation of our flagship community management solution, Voyager 8 includes a simplified user interface, more intuitive workflows, improved navigation and more. Ray highlighted how Voyager 8 sits on our angular platform, which allows for navigating to different Senior Living Suite products easier than ever. “With Voyager 8, all of these products sit on the same platform,” shared Ray. “It’s a much more contemporary platform — it’s faster, better and more scalable for our clients.” Additionally, Ray noted how the migration from Voyager 7S to Voyager 8 is a seamless transition for existing clients. “It’s going from one version to the other without a lot of additional work on your side,” he explained. Virtuoso: this is our brand-new artificial intelligence (AI) platform. Adaptable with Voyager 8, Virtuoso animates the entire Yardi suite of products by leveraging machine learning, generative AI, natural language and large language models. Learn about RentCafe Senior CRM IQ Next up was an overview of RentCafe Senior CRM IQ, a new product evolved from RentCafe Senior CRM. Led by Candace Seidle, senior team leader of CRM consulting, clients learned what...

Here’s the latest of our periodic updates on energy conservation technologies being developed under the sponsorship of Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the R&D arm of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Grid goes underground In January, the DOE announced funding for 12 projects designed to develop cost-effective, high-speed and safe undergrounding technologies. The projects will seek to improve an electric power distribution system that includes more than 5.5 million line-miles and more than 180 million power poles. They are susceptible to damage by weather and its effects and account for a majority of power outages in the country. “DOE is supporting teams across the country as they develop innovative approaches to burying power infrastructure underground —increasing our resilience and bringing our aging grid into the 21st Century,” said Jennfer M. Granholm, Secretary of Energy. Universities, businesses and national labs receiving contracts under this initiative include Arizona State University, which will develop a water-jet underground construction tool that will eliminate the need for a hard drill bit; GE Vernova Advanced Research of Niskayuna, N.Y., which will develop a robotic worm tunneling construction tool capable of digging and installing underground conduits and cables in a single step; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory of Richland, Wash., which will employ artificial intelligence and augmented reality to identify existing utilities and other subsurface obstacles to installing underground power distribution lines; and Honolulu-based Oceanit, which will develop a look-ahead subsurface sensor system. Metals from macroalgae Funding announced in November will explore the feasibility of extracting rare earth elements (REEs), used in high performance electric motors and generators, and platinum group metals (PGMs), essential elements of decarbonization technologies, from marine macroalgae. The initiative supports a goal of securing a domestic supply chain for critical minerals and achieving U.S. net-zero goals. Teams...

The self storage real estate sector is facing headwinds and continues to be affected by current market conditions, according to the latest Self Storage National Report from Yardi Matrix. Annual street rate growth was still negative in February. The average annualized same-store asking rent per square foot for combined mix of unit sizes reached an average of $16.37 nationally last month, marking a 3.6 percent decrease on a year-over-year basis. All top metros registered a negative street rate on an annual basis in February. Combined same-store rates for non-climate-controlled units and climate-controlled units decreased in all the top metros tracked by Yardi Matrix on a year-over-year basis. “There is hope that a turnaround in the housing market later this year or early 2025, contingent on interest rates cuts, could unlock pent-up demand for housing and migration, thus fueling demand for self storage,” say Matrix analysts. Investors are showing precaution due to market uncertainty. Nevertheless, despite the impact of high interest rates, there is still interest in self storage development. Yardi Matrix tracks a total of 5,148 self storage properties in various stages of development, including 880 under construction, 2,031 planned, 592 prospective, 1,546 abandoned and 99 deferred properties. Yardi Matrix also maintains profiles for 30,294 operational facilities, bringing the total dataset to 35,442. Gain more insight on the performance of the self storage sector. Yardi Matrix offers the industry’s most comprehensive market intelligence tool for investment professionals, equity investors, lenders and property managers who underwrite and manage investments in commercial real estate. Yardi Matrix covers multifamily, student housing, vacant land, industrial, office, retail and self storage property types. Email [email protected], call 480-663-1149 or visit yardimatrix.com to learn...

Last month, the average student housing preleasing rate for Yardi 200 schools reached 61.5 percent, marking a 450-basis-point increase year-over-year, according to the latest Yardi Matrix National Student Housing Report. The market is healthy enough to absorb 46,000 new beds coming online, with demand fueled by enrollment growth. The average rent per bed reached $883 in February, showing a 5.2 percent increase since the same period last year. Year-over-year rent growth was down from the 6.7 percent recorded in October 2023. A total of 16 universities were more than 80 percent preleased, including larger student markets like Ole Miss (98.7 percent), Purdue (88.7 percent), Tennessee-Knoxville (87.5 percent), Virginia Tech (87.2 percent) and Arkansas (86.8 percent). Only 35 schools were less than 40 percent preleased, compared to 47 percent in February 2023. “Rent growth slowed each month of the leasing season but is well-above the average of 3.5 percent going back to the beginning of 2018, and well ahead of the general multifamily market, as student housing has proven to have much different demand drivers,” note Matrix analysts. Enrollment data collected from 178 universities shows that total enrollment was up 0.8 percent on a year-over-year basis, marking a significant increase from the -0.3 percent recorded in Fall 2022. Yardi Matrix forecasts that 46,285 new beds will come online in 2024, improving considerably on the 35,610 beds delivered in 2023. Gain more insight in the new Yardi Matrix National Student Housing Report. Yardi Matrix offers the industry’s most comprehensive market intelligence tool for investment professionals, equity investors, lenders and property managers who underwrite and manage investments in commercial real estate. Yardi Matrix covers multifamily, student housing, vacant land, industrial, office, retail and self storage property types. Email [email protected], call 480-663-1149 or visit yardimatrix.com to learn...

What should your CRM system do for you? At Yardi, we should believe it should do, well, everything. That’s why we’ve built one powerful solution that helps you seamlessly do it all — from managing leads to collecting rent payments — without breaking the bank or disrupting your workflow. No matter your portfolio size, here are five reasons to consider one dashboard for all your property management needs. 1. You can do virtually anything from a single dashboard When we said your property management software should let you do everything, we meant it. In one location, you can: Gain full visibility into every prospect, applicant and resident workflow. See when a prospect has scheduled a tour, when an applicant completed their screening, when a resident has renewed their lease and more! Think of anything that’s related to the customer journey, and view it all in one, user-friendly screen. Manage all transactions, interactions and relationships. In a connected platform, access communication records (emails, call transcripts, texts and chats) in one place. Cross-portfolio insights makes it easy to determine if a customer has resided at any of your properties in the past, giving you complete oversight. And did we mention you can manage and streamline your AR/AP processes in the same system, too? This functionality leaves no gaps in your process and offers a comprehensive solution for all your operational needs. Drive overall efficiency across your portfolio. Looking for a way to increase resident satisfaction, simplify onboarding and empower employees with more meaningful tasks? Streamline your processes by utilizing a single platform that enhances customer familiarity and navigation, reducing friction along the way. 2. User-friendly dashboards If you haven’t heard already, we’ve made some major upgrades to our CRM’s user interface. Designed to prioritize the user...