Topic: How do you get people from passing up your property up for to it's age?

How do you get people from passing up your property up for to it's age?

We have only laundry rooms and a seasonal pool. Just painted the buildings been doing some updates as allowed...

Learning to install plank flooring as owners now want that and don't want to pay to have it installed.... It carrier or vinyl... Sigh...

I only have one and a half maintenance... And now we are spread 1000% thin... Between 88 units

I'm just exhausted as I'm doing all this.. driving to see my father nightly who is in hospice and I'm tired... I feel as though I'm working 24/7 for over a month now only to have prospective residents say the buildings are too old....

Wtf you are installing flooring yourself?Lvt is very easy and forgiving maybe you can push them to that but a contractor should be doing the work, it’s crazy...

We are now required to install flooring ourselves except carpet in the stairs for now until they watch them install that enough then we will be required to do that too I'm sure...

They don't contract out unless legally necessary

This is unheard of in the industry

This is the first owner owned I have managed... and honestly I thought I would like it more but some of what they have me do is borderline ... and things like this ..

I was also told today that my "half" handywoman won't be employed here next year as we are spending too much on maintenance a month.

Older properties have some great features. Larger floor plans, larger walk in closets, large porches. Less amenities usually means quite peaceful atmosphere.

We have decent size.. 566 1x1-963 3x1.5 townhouses... Not bad.. We have location and quiet I always try to sell that..

They can't find any other possible reasons to say no. If your product is clean and well maintained they won't complain. Shop your comps to see what they have and don't have over you, you may just find that your product has more value than you realize.

Older properties usually have more closet space and better insulation so cheaper to heat. Believe me, have had to sell avocado and harvest gold carpeting back in the day

I wouldn't complain. We have 2 maintenance with 293 apartments. We're painting the common areas now, which our painting vendor is doing, but he's paying some of us on the side to paint. Next, we're replacing the hallway carpet. We just hit 96% occupancy. We're an older property and rockin it!!

Sorry your going thru so many challenges at once. Hang in there!

My property was built in 1923, and is 72 units. No full amenities. This is my Selling feature: its all bills paid, indoor laundry facilities, no hook up, centralized air and heat, downtown living, close to transportation. Sell on monthly resident get togethers, management offers personal touch, birthday recognition, luncheon for residents. Shop the people around you and push for renovations if needed. One of my fellow managers told me that I should do carpet because it was cheaper, and I told her that it will work for her property, but downtown apts. have vinyl now. Shop, compare, and see what you are offering. If you think your property is perfect, then get another manager to walk your property and shop another property to give you pointers.

Maybe you're looking at the wrong target audience if they think the property is too old.
I hope you are able to spend whatever time you have with your dad, I cannot imagine what you're dealing with. Family comes first.

i do think owners make it hard on the onsite team with their changing and often delayed or reduced plans. With the frontline people taking the brunt of it. Maybe just maybe, you need to go back and talk to the owners and explain in time, dollars and cents the workload, training of the install and with back up information the challenges your having to lease. As previously stated, get some new comp info and shop them, on the phone and in person.
Breath a little, get a goods nights rest and we’re all praying for you and your dad in hospice ❤️

Two thoughts. Learn to manage up - anticipate cost saving approaches and communicate these ideas to Owners. This could include getting reduced prices on water heaters, finding lawn care service providers who do it for less money, even hiring a private flooring contractor whose pricing will free up maintenance techs to complete other tasks. That doesn’t happen overnight. But come the new year, you could be poised to save a lot of budget dollars. Second, consider a temporary leave (FMLA if possible) to stay with your dad. That is something you will not regret. Traveling hours a Day is too taxing physically and emotionally for you. This level of stress can cause serious harm to your own health. Prayers that you and your father are cared for.

i believe your owners think there saving money by on-site team doing things like floor installs and such, but there not seeing the loss in productivity. As a SM one of the hardest lessons i have to keep reminding myself of is, " just because you can do it, should you?" you should sit down with your techs and write a detailed list of , how long it will take to do x project, and show labor dollars spent and time spent, compared to contractor cost. The time saved could be spent doing curb appeal preventative projects, or maybe doing extra things on turns. There are ways to distinguish yourselves, even with age. just replacing outlet covers and switch covers does a world of difference, with a cost of under $30 bucks. just my 2 cents

Maybe its time to consider another employer. I have followed your posts for some time now. You are dedicated and work yourself to death. At the end of life, no one says I wish I spent more time at the office. Take a chance. Have confidence you will succeed.

wow! You could have been talking to me with this peace of advice. I know the response was not for me, but thank you.

Colin R. Ferguson I love managing, I love giving people a new home on their journey .. I like for those homes to be somewhere I would even live and ones that will be wear friendly .. (quartz counter tops instead of resurfacing.. you can find cheap options)

I like being a manager and caring for my residents.. I do love the work..

This specific site has made me want to stop.. made me want to not love what I do and I don't like that feeling.

I talked it over with my family and will be looking at other employment options in this New Year to bring back my love and enjoyment of managing.

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.

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

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

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 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!

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.