Under New (Reputation) Management

Apartment communities change owners and management companies frequently. Among the list of challenges we often face in a management change, the online reputation that is inherited can be one of the most difficult. Historically, review sites have not accounted for a change in management in the overall score of the property. This can be costly as many people will focus on the score or star ratings rather than spending time reading the actual reviews and discovering that there has been a management change. There are several ways to overcome this both online and off. 

The short term solutions are fairly straightforward. Notify prospective residents on your website, social media, signage, brochures and email blasts that a new company has taken over management and is making a commitment to a better reputation. Just be transparent and be sure to do what you say you are going to do. If there are capital improvements coming, be sure to mention them and provide a realistic timeframe. 

The long term solutions are a bit more complicated since you actually have to get positive reviews. Directly soliciting positive reviews all at once is not recommended. Instead, you have to create a culture that promotes feedback from your current residents. Here are ways to do that:

1. Leave a card for your residents after service has been completed in their unit that invites them to share their experience with you and create an incentive for them to return it. If you get a glowing review from a resident, reach out to them and ask them to write a review online. 

2. Move-in is a great time to get feedback. Follow up with all move ins and ask how their move in could have been better? You'd be surprised how many people will appreciate it. Invite your new residents to write a review as well, especially if they gave all or mostly positive feedback.

3. Seek out your long term residents. You know, the ones who keep renewing their leases no questions asked. They are staying for a reason. Find out what it is and if they are willing to share. They probably don't even know these websites exist because they haven't needed to search for an apartment.

The bottom line is, you will need positive reviews to improve your reputation online. You know you provide good service, so now all you have to do is ask. 

We Are Building in Houston's Energy Corridor

  Jun 12, 2014, 9:57am CDT   



Hunington Will Break Ground on 382 Apartments and Townhomes in Q 4 2014

Multifamily boom continues with new project that includes prime location, pet amenities

Jenny Aldridge Reporter- Houston Business Journal   |  Twitter

A Houston-based developer has plans to build luxury apartments and townhomes in an area bustling with growth. Hunington Residential Inc. has acquired 7.9 acres off the north west corner of Barker Cypress and Park Row within the Wolffe Cos.' master-planned community Ten Oaks for an undisclosed price with plans to build 382 units. The property is in a prime location on the west side of the Energy Corridor bordered by 14,000 acres of protected park land to the north and two hospitals, Texas Children’s and Methodist Hospitals, to the south.

The project includes 28 two- and three-bedroom townhomes, ranging in size from 1,500 to 1,800 square feet, as well as one- and two-bedroom apartments. Rental rates have yet to be set.
Ground will break on the project this fall, with several of the townhome units ready for rent in August 2015. The complex will include several high-end amenities, said Kate Good, partner and senior vice president of multifamily development and operations for Hunington Residential. She didn’t want to reveal details yet except to say there will be special amenities for pets. Approximately 70 percent of renters are pet owners, she said. “We’re going to be doing some really cool things zeroing in on the 'petter renter,'” she said. Davis Brothers Construction Ltd. is the general contractor for the project, and Steinberg Design Collaborative is the architect. Both are based in Houston.




The Energy Corridor is seeing more multifamily projects. However, most have been apartment units, not townhomes. Last month, The Finger Cos. opened its new 360-unit Energy Corridor complex, The Grove at Wilcrest. It’s currently 14 percent occupied, and construction is still ongoing. And more recently, Blackhaw Partners LP purchased 21 contiguous residential lots in the Addicks Dam subdivision for an undisclosed amount to build a 10-acre multifamily project.




Houston’s market for multifamily development is hot, especially in areas where energy companies have a large presence. Rent and occupancy rates are up, and more units are on tap across the region. Suburban areas are picking up steam due to booming office markets in the Energy Corridor and The Woodlands. The West Memorial/Briar Forest area, which caters to workers in the Energy Corridor, had 3,122 units under construction in the first quarter, up from only 822 units in the first quarter of 2013.

Jenny Aldridge covers real estate and construction for the Houston Business Journal.

How a Basketball Player Reminded Me Why I Love My Job

I love a good sports movie.  I like to see the underdog rise to the top and as the music begins to crescendo, we see the team shoot the winning basket, score the final touchdown, kick the goal to take the championship as fans rise in sheer joy at the remarkable story they have witnessed.  The best stories include struggle and determination.  A Mother, Coach or Father sacrificing to see the person they love and believe in make it to the top.  When Kevin Durant, star player with the Oklahoma City Thunder, delivered his acceptance speech when receiving the honor of NBA MVP, he described the challenges of his life and all that lead him to this day. The speech could be a script for a movie that I would pay money to see.

By the time he got to the 22nd minute of his speech, I was on my third tissue! The best message was yet to come...Kevin thanked his Mother and described one of his best memories as a child.  His Mother was a young single women raising two young boys.  She gave up her meals to make certain her children were fed. She worked to keep them off the street and instill a strong sense of family.  And, when they sat in the living room of their first apartment, empty because they had no furniture, that apartment made this young family feel as though they "made it".

I clipped this portion of the speech to share with you:

I want to thank Kevin Durant for reminding me what I love best about my work.  I love connecting people with home.  I was reminded power of this experience.  It is a old, tired saying and yet it means so much, Home is Where The Heart Is.  And on a day when I questioned the value of all that I have done and built in my career, Mr. Durant reminded me of my purpose.

Initially, I posted this on my Facebook wall thinking that others in our business may be having a difficult day like me, and would find their purpose renewed by reading his quote.  I was touched to see, in a matter of a few hours, 200 people clicking "like" as a personal affirmation that even an empty apartment can change someone's life and that we are honored to create exceptional communities for a living.  As the post was shared, 29 times and counting, it seems that everyone needed the sweet reminder that our work matters more than we will ever know.

Learn The Perfect Response When Someone Responds with "No"

I'm happy to share the next of my videos for CORT in their Sofa Secrets series, a video-based educational program for apartment industry professionals. This Sofa Secret is about using one word to help you close reluctant prospects...

#1 Need for a Pet Park? Cleaning up #2!

As I'm working on my new property, Vargos on the Lake, I'm scouring the internet for things that will make the property stand out.  One of my projects on the site is the Vargos Pet Park.  This project is close to my heart because of my very own fur baby, Mrs. Harry Winston... In fact, pet parks are vital to apartment communities today, since they are among the top four amenities people check when doing a search for an apartment on an internet listing service such as apartmentguide.com.  It is important to have a great pet park - more than 63% of renters today have pets. 

I'll share more about the ways I'm making the Vargos Pet Park special in a later post, but I wanted to share some pet park amenities that I've found (many thanks to my Facebook friends!).

Warning: this post is picture heavy.  And funny enough, what started my search for fun pet park ideas was looking for a new and updated doggie bag/disposal station. So these will be pictures of places to put your puppy's... poo.  Except for this first one - here's a picture I love of me and my Winnie. 

So here's the standard disposal station - bag dispenser at the top, trash receptacle at the bottom.  This is easy and very practical, and something like this should be in place at your property's pet park. Since you won't be able to get your hands on any Vapoorizer, and poo power may not be heading to your city anytime soon, you'll still need these basics to handle the mess that comes with our furry friends. These are available at many property management sites, such as this one.

But if you'd like something a bit different, here's a fabulous one from MPS Direct (tell George Fletcher that Kate sent you!).  I love that this still has a bag dispenser, along with a couple other features, but it doesn't stand out as a standard disposal station.  It may blend better with the rest of your pet park features in that way.

Here's another one from MPS Direct.  I love that this matches a bench that could also be featured in your pet park.  It looks more like a standard trash can, so you would need a separate bag dispenser, but those are easy to find.

Yet another receptacle, this time from Dog-ON-It-Parks, depending on the look you're going for. 

Then there's the PowerLoo, which flushes away pet waste so your maintenance staff never has to worry about emptying the disposal stations...

Another option to give your maintenance staff a break from hauling away poo is DoodyCalls, a full-service residential and commercial pet-waste disposal company. With franchises across the nation, all you'd have to do is set up their service to keep your community clean!

We got the dirty bits out of the way, and my next pet park post will be much more fun - I promise!

Multi-Housing News: All Star Developer & Multifamily Marketer Kate Good Writes a New Chapter

Last week, I had the honor of being interviewed for MHN Online, and we discussed my newest project, Vargos on the Lake, my move from the leasing office to developing, and many other things. Here's an excerpt:

When I’m speaking, I like to impart good information to my audience. I always like to motivate them, too. I've been in this industry since I was 18 years old and I've made it my career. I've been doing this for 25 years. I am so proud to get up on the stage now, and I like to close with my story and really encourage people that if you have a professional goal, if you surround yourself with the right people and you focus on it, it can happen. I went from leasing consultant to developer. And that doesn't happen all the time. So I really encourage other people to just go for it. We’re in incredibly good times in our industry and there’s opportunity for everybody. I want people to know that even for that on-site person who wants to do something else in another department there are wonderful opportunities.

Follow this link for the full interview. 

Creating Video Fun with Vine

A couple weeks ago, I shared with you the first video I filmed for CORT in their Sofa Secrets series, a video-based educational program for apartment industry professionals. My second Sofa Secret is about using the Vine app for your apartment community...

Ace Your Next Interview

Knowing how to handle yourself during an interview won't get you your next job on its own, but it can definitely help.  What you say and how you present yourself are vital during the process... Here are some things to keep in mind as you interview to give yourself the best chance at landing the job.

Use The Company’s Own Words

You always need to research the company you're interviewing with, and before your interview, become familiar with the company’s website and literature. As you're researching, pay attention to words that keep popping up.  Those are the key words to hit upon during your interview - they're what are important to the organization.

Using the company's key words, like collaboration, teamwork, leadership, or growth, can send the message that you have what the company is looking for.

Instead of "I don't know," say “That’s a Good Question.”

If the interviewer asks a question that surprises you, saying, "That's a good question," can give you a few moments to come up with an answer.  In the meantime, it compliments the interviewer in a subtle way.

Avoid saying, “I don't know,” whenever possible (but of course, don't lie about your experience or training!).

Share why you want the job

Of course, interviewers want to know what you will bring to their company in the way of skills and experience, but they also want to know a job prospect’s motivations for applying for their open position.

Share your career goals and how you see this position fits into your future plans, how it fits with your values, and what you would like to learn from it. Talk about what you believe you can bring to the position, and how you see yourself in relation to the company.  This helps show who you are as a person, and gives the hiring manager an idea about how you might fit in the company.

Be flexible

While you certainly don't want to be a pushover (especially when it comes to your salary negotiation), being flexible allows the interviewer to avoid complications in coordinating a second interview or even your start date.  It signals that you are willing to work with others and are ready to step into possibly changing job duties.  

Bottom line: being flexible makes you easy to get along with. 

Ask Thoughtful Questions

When you ask good questions, it shows you are interested in understanding the company. There is typically a time to ask questions near the end of an interview, so be ready with thoughtful questions that show you're engaged in the process and interested in the job.

Some good questions to ask:

• What are the biggest short- and long-term issues I would need to focus on in this position?
• What would I need to focus on differently than the previous person in this position?
• What organizational issues should I be aware of?

What Type of Person Are You?

I recently had a chance to sit down with CORT to share in their Sofa Secrets series, a video-based educational program for apartment industry professionals. CORT asked industry leaders share inside tips to help you grow revenue... check out my first Sofa Secret on "Success."

Getting to know you...

Seen at the Hotel Derek in Houston… a creative (and easy!) way to connect and spark conversations with guests! Each member of the front desk staff at the hotel has their own card in a frame that they place on the counter in front of them when they begin their shift.  As guests approach the front desk, they are able to read the fun (location specific) “questionnaire” that the staff member filled out, personalizing the hotel experience for the guests who now know a bit more about the staff at the hotel that are there to take care of them.

Consider doing the same type of thing at your property  - either having leasing consultants display these on their desks, including this in newsletters to your residents (especially for non-leasing agent employees), or, even easier, placing this on the apartment community website to introduce the staff who will be caring for new residents' apartment homes.  You may also be able to use this idea as a resident spotlight/getting to know your neighbor feature (being sure that you keep residents’ privacy in mind).

Home. It's our business.

Getting Instagram photos off your phone and into your office!

With the rise in popularity of Instagram, some innovative companies have developed very creative ways to get pictures off of Instagram and into your (and your potential residents’) hands…  From photo books (great to highlight community activities, showing off the fun environment you create) to individual prints and posters (to help show off local sights and what’s happening in the neighborhood) – plus some other creative formats – there are plenty of ways to display your community’s Instagram photos. 

  

Photobook from Keepsy

Printstagr.am appears to be the most comprehensive website as far as the products they offer.  Photo books and prints are their mainstay, but they also offer a 365-day tear-away calendar (each day is one of your photos!), greeting card sets, stickers, buttons, and t-shirts. 

PostalPix  is an app-based way to print four-inch squares from your Instagram library for only 30 cents each. Other sizes are also available, including two-, five-, and eight-inch-square prints. Available for both iPhone and Android, this app is a great place to start for basic Instagram prints.

Print your own at home or at your local print shop with Prinkl, which allows you to create a .pdf collage of your photos that is printable from anywhere.

Keepsy and Blurb both also offer photo books, while Keepsy also will print a traditional 12- or 18-month calendar with your photos.

Boo Boxes by Hatchcraft

For a high-end, custom look in displaying your photos, try a gallery-style canvas or a handcrafted bamboo frame. CanvasPop creates a high-resolution 12- or 20-inch-square stretched canvas print for $40 and $114, respectively. Multiple canvases would make an impressive art vignette. Boo Box byHatchcraft places four-inch Instagram photos in bamboo shadowbox frames beginning at $20, making a gorgeous option to display in your leasing office.

Tile from ImageSnap

Other fun options to print Instagram photos include:

•  Instagoodies prints favorite Instagram photos into books of one-inch stickers.

• Sticky9  (formerly Stickygram) offers magnets, phone cases, and iPad covers.

• ImageSnap crafts ceramic tiles ranging from two-inch ($4) to 12-inch ($35) squares. Tiles can be installed with mortar and grout just like normal tiles, though the tiny sizes make for perfect refrigerator magnets.

•  Artflakes takes your Instagram pics and whips them into vinyl four-inch stickers in packs of 10 or more.

• Casetagram creates a custom case for your device - iPhone 4/4S, iPhone 5/5s/5c, iPod touch 4, iPod touch 5, iPad, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note I, Note II and more.

•  Instalab offers many of the same options as other companies with prints, booklets, magnets, stickers, and calendars, but also offers an inexpensive wood panel print that we haven’t seen elsewhere.

Please remember that at any resident event, you should always have a sign that tells people photographs and videos may be taken which can be used in the public domain.