Multi-family

Steven Maher

Condo conversions can be risky business. That’s the lesson learned in Chicago over the last four years, where many efforts to transition apartment properties into for-sale condominium units flopped – and in some cases even reverted back to apartments once again. Chicago, the nation’s third largest condo market, saw median sales prices plummet when the […]

12 / 09 / 13

Vine and Instagram

Apps can be great tools to connect with clients and potential customers. Get the most out of popular apps Instagram and Vine with tips that make your media stand apart from the crowd. Instagram Composition still matters While you don’t need to invest hours and money into taking professional photography classes, reading a few articles […]

12 / 02 / 13

Technology

Changing Skylines

The boom in high-rise construction signals a new era of success in multi-family housing. Critics, however, believe that the influx of luxury towers could lead to cities plagued by costly giants. The rise in land prices serves as a catalyst in the vertical construction trend. Reports by Zelman and Associates and The Federal Reserve Bank […]

11 / 26 / 13

Amenity Arms Race

Los Angeles—Gen Y likes rooftop pools, multimedia-equipped fitness suites, concierge package service and the ability to order housekeeping for their apartment. They have dogs, get lots of UPS deliveries but almost no mail, like walking places (but also need to charge their electric vehicles), and want the lobby of their apartment community it look like […]

11 / 21 / 13

Food Truck Fun

Looking for a new way to bring prospective residents to your property? One innovative approach, tried out successfully at numerous communities, involves everybody’s favorite meals on wheels: Food trucks! At a largely student-populated apartment complex in Gainesville, Florida, bringing together 12 food trucks for an afternoon this April resulted in resident fun, great local media […]

11 / 18 / 13

Alexis Vance

Alexis Vance wants to get inside the minds of the Millennials. So the vice president of marketing for Yardi client Alliance Residential Co. and her team completed an in-depth demographic analysis that revealed not just facts, but helpful nuance, about the country’s newest powerful renting and spending cohort. With a nationwide portfolio that touches 24 […]

11 / 11 / 13

Gone to the Dogs

Pet-friendly buildings are currently the cat’s meow (or the dog’s wagging tail, as it were)—and this trend doesn’t seem to be waning any time soon. And many property managers are going beyond being just pet friendly, and are offering amenities for the pets themselves. First came the dog runs. Then came the pet washing stations. […]

10 / 31 / 13

Jeff Elowe

Last month, The Laramar Group announced a major acquisition in Southern California. With the purchase of Los Angeles-based JB Partners Group, the company assumed management of 7,000 new third-party owned units, adding 77 properties and 170 employees with the merger. It’s the latest significant uptick in what has been a steady several years of national […]

10 / 16 / 13

Vintage infographics set - house construction

Multifamily Focus

Homeownership across the U.S. continued to decline 40 basis points in the second quarter of 2013, creating a favorable context for multifamily to thrive. Rental demand remains strong with occupancy gains and rent growth occurring in every major metro around the country. Annual rent growth across the U.S. is currently averaging 3.4 percent, according to […]

10 / 13 / 13

Modern Company Town

Facebook employees in California are about to find out what it means to reside in a modern version of the historic “company town”. The social media giant is working with Yardi client St. Anton Partners, a local multi-family development and investment company, to develop an upscale multi-housing complex within walking distance of Facebook’s existing Menlo […]

10 / 11 / 13

A Rising Star

Billy Pettit, senior vice president of Seattle’s Pillar Properties, has been named 2013 Rising Star of the Year by a major multi-family trade publication, Multifamily Executive. Pettit’s aggressive rebranding of Pillar’s marketing strategy and strong leadership of the company, a division of R.D. Merrill Co., helped earn him the award. A passionate and creative visionary […]

09 / 19 / 13

Preparing for Postal Reform

The House of Representatives will soon vote on a bill that may centralize mail deliveries at apartment buildings and alter delivery schedules. We’ve all seen the change taking place. The postal service became known as “snail mail” the moment that email reached most American households. Online bill pay let us settle balances with the click […]

09 / 16 / 13