Sorry you are going through a hard time. That is what this place is for.....help. I had a older (1978) property with 112 units with 1.5 maintenance persons in the Silicon Valley. We are a garden style community and we capitalize on that. Take pictures, tag the property on social media and use creative hostages. Also, think about the space older buildings have. The newer building do not have. Closet and storage space alone is huge. Ask your resident for reviews (the ones that will give you good ones). I also ask my residents what do they would like in the community. You will be surprised what they will say and it will help you out.

I firmly agree with Andee. You need to take care of you, first, and if you work for a company that doesn't recognize that, maybe it's time to look around. There are so many owners and companies out there that appreciate and support their team members. No reason to work for someone who doesn't appreciate you!

You already got answers to the question you asked, but here’s my take: you have to take care of you first. You can’t fill from an empty cup. Yours sounds empty, and like someone is scraping the bottom with a sharp knife. Is this a season or the norm? What can you do for some self care? Spa day? Vacation? Floaters to help? Property change? Company change? I’m not suggesting you run from a challenge, but I also want you to know that what we do is hard, demanding, stressful, but it should also be fun and rewarding. Take care of you girl!

I second that.....how funny, he wants new flooring but does not want to pay for it. He sounds like a real charmer lol.

Sounds like you need to work for an owner who cares. About you.

Step back and focus on what you can control. Look at your current residents and determine exactly who is living in your property and try directing your marketing to that demographic.

Focus on customer service. Do what you can do for free. You can be nice, you can keep the place looking good and clean. Drop unnecessary marking (if you’re truly a lower end prop, they’re not going to find you in the high priced ads). I’ve totally dropped all of the high priced marketing and replaced with a more focused and concentrated effort (dropped flyers at each store in a local mall, strong resident referrals, etc.).

If you’re surrounded by new properties, market your self as the affordable solution. $100 a month is $1,200 a year back in residents pocket. You’ll have higher traffic and lower closings because your higher priced/newer neighbors are driving traffic to the area.

I have found that people walking into an older property, are looking for a good and clean older apartment at a good and strong price. Fixed income people. Look at CarMax, you’re getting a good used car that’s been through a 66 point check up - but it is still used.