Saying things like your single and we have units by the pool where most single people live is a fair housing violation!!! Its called Blockbusting...DONT USE THAT

Dee,
You really had some great ideas, however a few things that you mentioned were against Fair Housing. You may want to brush up on the FH Laws because your property can really be hit if you are in violation. But again alot of the things you metioned are great ways to lease!! Good Luck!

Trish,

You need to treat this asset just like any A-B site. Same marketing efforts if not more. The first thing is making your current residents happy, because I'm sure if they havent had a manager for over 6 months, the customer service has taken a hit at this site. You dont want residents unhappy, because they can influance future and current residents in this community. So, first I would do a resident meeting to introduce my self, and get as much items address as possible. Then I would schedule a resident appreciation party, which can be part of your renewal marketing plan. Once I feel comfortable that I have shown my current resident that there is a new manager and cares about them, then I would go full blast with open houses and outreach marketing for new rentals. I would even include a meet our current residents party. Hope this helps!

Dee.....some EXCELLENT input and ideas here! You obviously gave this a lot of thought.

As a professional Landscape Architect (33 yrs.), my focus has always been on the EXTERIOR aspects of marketing a multi-family
development. Curb appeal, etc. It's the same concept for single
family homes....if the property does NOT look good to people who
drive by...doubt if they will want to stop and look inside.

The Owner of a "C" property doesn't have to spend a fortune on
exterior upgrades, but, walking the property during the day and
at night and "evaluate"...can be helpful. Is the property safe
at night? Seasonal Flowers and flowering Ornamental trees at the entry drive and in front of the Clubhouse can make a big difference. And I have learned over the years, that a very appealing swimming pool amenity area can be a HUGE draw...you'd
be surprised just how many people decide to rent solely based on
their opinion of the main swimming pool adjacent to the back of
the Clubhouse.

Bob
Plano, Texas

Agreed. Emotion, caring, loving what you do -- being emotionally invested defines a great manager; it's the six degrees of separation between good and great. In any industry.

I do, however, believe our industry has a higher percentage of 'greats' than most. Great managers do what they do because they truly care about and want to help others. It's certainly not the hefty paycheck that keeps the greats in the biz (but that's a topic for another day). Just keep doing what you're doing!

"We cannot do great things; we can only do small things with great love." Mother Theresa

Kathryn

Hi Everyone,

What a great thread we have going here. I sure hope the original poster of the question, Trish, comes back to check MFI because there are some great responses filled with EMOTION.

Would you all agree that an emotional attachment to the task at hand is often the missing element? You have to have an emotional attachment to anything in order to find success.

To good conversation,

Melissa