Apartment Blog

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates, Utah was the fastest growing state in the United States as of 2008. Major industries that help Utah’s economy are mining, cattle ranching, salt production, and government services; which is probably why it’s such a growing state.

Tourism is also a major industry in Utah as it is well known for its year-round outdoor and recreational activities. It has five national parks, which are the Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion. Utah is well known for its winter activities such as ski resorts are primarily located in northern Utah near Salt Lake City, Park City, Ogden, and Provo. As you can see Utah is buzzing with outdoor activity which is one of the reasons why many look to keep residences there.

So if you want to live “Life Elevated” as the state slogan would say, then we recommend you checking out these apartments for rent in the great state of Utah!

Hunters Woods Apartments in Salt Lake City, UT

Somerset Village Apartments in Salt Lake City, UT
Seasons at Pebble Creek Apartments in Salt Lake City, UT
Palladio Apartments in Salt Lake City, UT
Brigham Apartments in Salt Lake City, UT

Pinnacle Canyon View Apartments in Orem, UT
Colonial Court Apartments in Ogden, UT
Broadmoor Village Apartments in West Jordan, UT
Sunset Ridge Apartments in West Jordan, UT
Candlestick Lane Apartments in Midvale, UT

To see other terrific apartment communities available, check out our YouTube channel and get more information and search tips on Salt Lake City Apartments, or view all Apartments for Rent in Salt Lake City, UT.

Information gathered from Wikipedia.org

On Wednesday, August 19^th, For Rent Media Solutions launched a Twitter sweepstakes for multifamily industry professionals. Multifamily professionals had an opportunity to win an iPod Touch® if they logged on to Twitter and sent @AptsForRent a tweet. To be eligible for the sweepstake, multifamily professionals had to enter a tweet that included the ‘Yeah We’ve Got That’ hashtag. This hashtag symbolizes our solutions network to help clients reach renters any time, any place, driving more LEADS for them.

On Monday, August 24^th, we announced Jessica Whitney as the randomly selected winner for the iPod Touch. Whitney works with Resort at Forbes Creek apartment community.  This community has had their Twitter account for a little over a month and loves using the microbloging site for ‘real time’ updates to inform residents of specials, events, etc. In addition to Twitter, we also learned that this community has a robust Facebook page set up displaying updates regarding events in the apartment community.

As a result of this campaign, For Rent Media Solutions saw an increase of followers to our Twitter profile and numerous retweets with our brand message all in less than three days! We also generated a couple thousand page views to our Apartment Blog and had many interactions with multifamily industry professionals.

We want to congratulate Jessica Whitney for winning the iPod touch. We would also like to thank all multifamily professionals who participated. We’re looking forward to running another sweepstakes soon!

From August 26-28, the Caribe Royale Orlando All-Suites Hotel will open its doors to more than 450 multi-housing professionals for this year’s Florida Apartment Association (FAA) conference. The conference encourages attendees to “Catch the Next Wave” of industry innovations. On Friday, August 28, attendees will also have the opportunity to listen to some of the most experienced social media professionals in the industry during an hour long social media session that starts at 8 a.m. This is a great opportunity to extend your social media knowledge!  FAA’s social media panel will answer questions on social media and discuss strategies that may benefit your community, including successful tips on the basics of social media, with an emphasis on video marketing, Twitter and Facebook. Whether you are a supplier or management professional, everyone is sure to benefit from these best practices and general discussion.

Panelists include:

• Erica Campbell, Marketing Manager, For Rent Media Solutions™
• Melanie Stiles, National Training & Marketing Director, Milestone Management, L.P.
• Judy Bellack, VP Operations, Apartment Finder  
• The session moderator is Kellie Jackson, Milestone Management, L.P. 

“Baby boomers aren’t technology Luddites. More than 60 % of them consume socially created content. You’ll find them leaving their opinions on Web sites and joining social networks.”
- Jeremiah K. Owyang (@jowyang), researcher with Forrester Research

There is this perception that adults over 50 only dabble on the Internet, but research is finding that they are spending more time online and interacting in robust social networking communities. Baby boomers using social networking sites such as Facebook™, MySpace™, LinkedIn®, Twitter and YouTube™ are not as uncommon as you may think.

According to The Pew Internet and American Life Project, boomers now account for 35% of all Americans online. A consumer survey of U.S. consumers, from the NPD group, Inc., a leading provider of reliable consumer research, shows that 61% of baby boomer Internet users (age 44 to 61) had visited sites that offer streaming or downloadable video, while 41% had visited social networks.

Baby boomers are finding social networking sites appealing for the same reasons most people do- to stay in touch with people. They are interested in reconnecting with old friends and classmates whom they haven’t talked to in more than 30 years. They enjoy sharing photos with family and friends and staying connected to their children and grandchildren. High school and college reunions are also being organized via Facebook. Nielsen Reports that moms (aged 40-50 with 3+ children) are heavy online shoppers who stay connected via social networking more so than mom’s 39-54. Some are even replacing e-mail with social networking sites for staying in touch with people on an ongoing basis.  In addition to sites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn, they are also using boomer-specific sites like eons.com, boommj.com, boomertowne.com and the aarp.org social network. 
According to Facebook, women over 55 remain the fastest growing group on the site, and growth among the teen and college-age set has been relatively paltry. In absolute numbers there are now even slightly more members between the ages of 45 and 65 than there are 13-to 17-year-olds. Analytics company iStrategyLabs has examined the demographics stats from Facebook’s Social Ads platform, and they have found staggering results. Interestingly, they found that the number of users aged 25-34 has grown 60.8%; the number of users aged 35 to 54 has grown 190.2%, while the number of users older than 55 years has grown a tremendous 513.7%.

Baby boomers are making themselves known in the social media space of the online world. Marketers who neglect to speak to them in the language they are now adapting to will miss out on a rewarding opportunity!

We’ve all heard the story of Peter and the Wolf, right?  Well when I think about the roller coaster ride Brett Favre has taken the NFL and all of its fans on the fable is the first thing that comes to mind.  Favre recently signed a two-year, $25 million with the Minnesota Vikings.  I’m just as salty as the next real football fan because last time I checked, football is a team sport, not a ‘come and do what you please, when you please sport’.  I’ve got a few thoughts on what he should do.  But who am I to say what Brett Favre should or shouldn’t do?

Just your average sports fan.  Back in the day, about 10-12 years ago, I was an avid Brett Favre fan, especially when he led the Packers to their Super Bowl win in 1996. Reminiscing on the good ‘ol days, check on these apartments for rent in Green Bay.  But now, that’s a distant memory.  His indecision has begun to overshadow his immense accomplishments in the NFL.

Fran Tarkenton, former great Minnesota Vikings quarterback, described it best in a recent interview on ‘Outside the Lines’, an ESPN show focusing on off the field issues in different sports and athlete’s lives, when he said Favre signing with Minnesota was an ‘absolute circus’.  I completely agree, I don’t think it’s fair to football fans and the NFL, to take attention away from important football issues to focus on whether or not Favre is going to make up his mind this year.

Taking things a step further, a guest analyst on ‘Mike and Mike in the Morning’, an ESPN radio show which also airs on ESPN2, spoke on Favre’s daughter’s indecisiveness on whether or not he should come out of retirement.  Apparently, Favre’s daughter first encouraged him to join the Vikings in hopes that she would make new friends, but later expressed her hesitation to leave her current friends.  The analyst said, “I guess the whole family has a history of waffling.”  The greatest line ever!

It’s deplorable how some find it acceptable for Favre, or anyone, to waltz on to a team without attending training camp or any pre-season workouts.  Please explain this to me!  Favre’s inability to make a decision has caused some rifts in relationships, particularly with the Green Bay Packers.  Since March of 2008 Favre has retired first with Green Bay, came back, and when Green Bay doesn’t honor his ‘un-retirement’ he signs with the Jets.  Then, he retired again after an injury-laden season with the New York Jets. If New York is your scene unlike the ‘waffling’ Favre, check out these apartments for rent in New York.

Now, a major reason Favre’s signing with Minnesota is so tough on Packers’ fans is because the Vikings are a division rival.  This is the ultimate sin in the NFL.  But, I guess Brett thinks he’s above the NFL, right?  He doesn’t even have to come to training camp to play!  All I’m saying is, we need to focus more on the game of football and less on turning Brett Favre into a god of the NFL.  Because that, he is not.

 Hyped that you’ve got Favre now?  Check out these Minneapolis, Minnesota apartments for rent. 

When you are searching for an apartment for rent, what are some key things on your ‘list’? Bet you definitely look for the following five apartment amenities while you’re searching.

1.      Pool. This is obviously going to be a perk that everyone desires. Just imagine the long, hot summer days when you get to hop into your apartment community pool for relaxation.

2.      Exercise Facilities- State of the art fitness centers with spa facilities and personal trainers are highly desirable. Just think of all the time & money saved from going to the gym!

3.      Washer/Dryer and newer appliances. Who wants to carry around clothes to laundry facilities? No one. Having a washer/dryer inside the unit is highly desired. As is having newer appliances in the kitchen, as that is one of the main rooms prospective renters are attracted to.

4.      Security Features-Having a security system inside the apartment is a terrific feature and so is a gated community. Prospective renters will really feel safe and comfortable.

5.      Pet Friendly Apartment/community. As we’ve mentioned in a recent blog, ForRent.com Wants to Help You find A Pet-Friendly Apartment, we understand that your pet is a part of your family; therefore, finding an apartment and community that is pet-friendly ranks high on your list.  And depending on the family, an extremely pet-friendly community (one that goes above and beyond for pets) will really be set a part in your mind.

On ForRent.com, when you go to do a search for apartments for rent in your area we highlight popular amenities right on the search results page (see screenshot). As you can see, just from the search results page, you are able to see if an apartment is pet-friendly, in a great location (close to the beach), has a washer/dryer included or has utilities paid for (which is also a highly desirable amenity).

But we want to hear from you! If you aren’t looking for the amenities mentioned above in your apartment search process, let us know what you are looking for!