Apartment Blog

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!

I had an interesting conversation with Mike Whaling and Lisa Trosien on Twitter last week regarding the benefits for apartment communities going green during this economy.  A question was posed whether renters will actually see the benefit of apartment properties going green and therefore, pay the extra premiums associated with it.  According to the key findings from a Conscious Consumer Report (2009), 51% polled said they are “willing to pay more” for ‘green’ products. Confirming that study, Apartments.com published a survey stating “apartment communities that offer environmentally-friendly amenities are more likely to turn undecided renters into residents. Additionally, more than half of renters surveyed indicated they would take an apartment community’s commitment to environmental issues into consideration.” However, 66% polled in the Conscious Consumer Report said that price is very important in the purchase decision, implying that price can be the deciding factor.

Therefore, management companies that want to go ‘green’ need to consider factors that will help their bottom line in addition to the prospective renter.  You may ask, as Mike did, how can the bottom line in a community with sub-metered utilities be helped? Well, I called the one person I knew would know; that was my father, Scott Bucheister.  He is a salesman at Coastal Insulation and was recently certified by Earth Craft Virginia. He commented that “going green can have a direct impact for property manager’s finances by saving money on energy and maintenance costs.” Curious in what ways? Here are a few he mentioned:
 

Solar Lighting or CFL Bulbs:
The benefits of using solar lighting on an apartment property are abundant. First off, it has low energy costs. It has very little maintenance. And it comes from a renewable resource as it is powered by the sun. Another benefit is that solar lights continue working even if there has been a power outage. Because the energy isn’t coming off of an electrical grid, power outages make no difference. Installing solar lighting for your landscaping needs, wall lights, security lights, etc. around the apartment community will save money. Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs will also prove beneficial to properties in common areas such as community centers, unit hallways, management and maintenance offices, etc.

Low Flow Water Devices:
Water and money can be saved by installing low-flow water devices around the apartment community. In community laundry mats, replace old washers with front-loading ENERGY-STAR washers that conserve water. In the community center install faucet aerators on your bathroom taps. Replace old toilets with new low-flow or ultra-low flow toilets or, in the kitchen, replace old dishwashers with ENERGY-STAR dishwashers that conserve water.

Xeriscaping & WeatherTrak Irrigation Systems:
Xeriscaping refers to landscaping and gardening in ways that reduce or eliminate the need for supplemental irrigation.  The specific plants used in xeriscaping depend upon the climate. Some common plants used in Western xeriscaping are agave, cactus, lavender, juniper, sedum and thyme. Advantages of xeriscaping include lower water bills, less time and work needed for maintenance, and there is little or no lawn mowing (saves energy).  Xeriscape plants, along with proper bed design, tends to take full advantage of rainfall and when water restrictions are implemented, xeriscape plants will tend to survive, while more traditional plants may be unable to adapt. “If you think about it, most apartment communities completely redo their landscaping every year with the flower beds, lawns, trees, etc. If they use native plants that are drought resistant they don’t have to replant every year to attract new renters,” said Mr. Bucheister. “In fact, I was so impressed with the idea of xeriscaping that I actually implemented this in my garden at home! It’s extremely convenient as I have little to no maintenance compared to beforehand.”

Besides xeriscaping, there are other irrigation systems that are environmentally friendly. While ordinary irrigation systems overwater your landscape, leaving you with high water bills, WeatherTRAK® smart irrigation systems help you save water, money and time by eliminating overwatering.  Drawing on information delivered wirelessly from 40,000 weather stations, the irrigation is automatically scheduled based on individual landscaping needs and local weather conditions. And catching rainwater using a rain barrel or other rainwater harvesting system can be used to water outdoor plants.

Energy efficient appliances, windows and light bulbs in apartments tend to help out the renters, yes. They can also be a great selling point in convincing a prospective renter to live at a community. And in my opinion should be done by all apartment communities. However, in the current economic situation property managers should also incorporate environmentally friendly ideas that will help their bottom line as well. Do you agree?

The importance of Earth Day has evolved dramatically from its origins in April 1970. This movement began in the U.S., but grew into a world-wide event in 1990. The now global movement was spearheaded by Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson, who began advocating the importance of preserving the environment in 1962. Interestingly enough, during its infancy, industrial pollution was not a top priority for Earth Day observers. It was to stop the deterioration of the environment. But soon, groups fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife realized they shared common principles.  And that marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement that is today.

There are many ways to participate in improving the environment. We all know the three key elements, reduce, reuse and recycle. I received this interesting email yesterday about buying and recycling appliances. Many companies and vendors are offering new and innovative ways to clean our earth. For example, Best Buy has a wide variety of Energy Star appliances; appliances that meet firm energy efficient guidelines. Some of these appliances include washers, air conditioners, TVs, laptops and more. These types of appliances are located in apartments around the nation and can be modified to help the environment.

Best Buy also offers a recycling program where people can drop off most old electronics. Free removal and recycling are included with the purchase and delivery of a new product. There is even a company within the Hampton Roads area in Virginia that does this: E-cycling Central. But if you’re in the market for an upgrade or if you just want to add some style to your apartment, Best Buy would be a good place to start! Save the world and set apartment trends at the same time!

Source: Wikipedia.com

Valentine’s Day can be one of the most stressful holidays of the year. It’s marked as the day to express your love for those you care about most. However, there are so many questions as to what to buy, what he/she will think of it and whether or not it’s appropriate.  We’ve all gotten bad gifts on Valentine’s Day so to help you on your hunting expedition here are a few items NOT to get your Valentine this year!

For Him:

Anything he has to take care of. I.e. Flowers, a plant, an animal, etc.

Boxer shorts. Now I am guilty of this one, I’ve bought my boyfriend boxers many times before. I guess there really isn’t anything too exciting about opening up a gift with those bad boys inside!

Any type of soap, lotion, etc. He won’t be excited

For Her:

Anything that even remotely implies that her body has imperfections. I.e. gym memberships, Botox, diet plan subscriptions, self help books and the like.

Any type of appliance.  Just because she says, ‘I need a new….’ does not mean you should be the one to buy it for her! Trust me!

Any type of candles. Candles are boring and come on; everyone knows that you give candles when you can’t think of a gift.

Anything from the gas station on the way over. Cute flowers with the price sticker on it and a cheap box of chocolate screams ‘last minute’ which shows you didn’t really put much thought into it!

And the worst possible gift would be…….Nothing at ALL! Come on guys, even a card has to be done on this day! (Even if she says she wants to ‘skip’ Valentine’s Day, you know she doesn’t really mean it)

If you’ve got a story to tell with the worse Valentine’s Day present, feel free to share here….

We’ve posted an article previously with ‘Ten Tips for Advertising during Tough Economic Times’. And today I stumbled upon an article from the Wall Street Journal circling the same suggestion we provided; which is for companies to ‘provide perks’ for their customers. This is something we’d like to elaborate more on as it’s very current for today’s market. As I’m sure many property managers know the nationwide vacancy rates are increasing. In fact, according to research collected from Reis, apartment vacancy rates rose to their highest in more than 3 years-greater than 6%-in the third quarter of 2008. While most companies are looking to abandon ship on items such as advertising, the successful companies know better. So what else can property managers do in order to ensure lower vacancy rates at their communities? Again, we go back to the ‘provide perks’ tip.

Renters are smart. There is a plethora of information on the internet about how renters have control now. And everyone knows that turnover in the multi-family housing industry is costly. So keeping renters that are stable and dependable is highly desirable.

So what perks would your company be able to provide? The most popular choice for renters is going to be rent discounts! “There isn’t the job growth necessary to sustain a high demand for rentals and they [property managers and owners alike] have to be much more realistic” about price, said Daniel Baum, chief operating officer of the Real Estate Group. Offer rent discounts for residents that opt to stay in a longer lease.  And beware of the ‘shopper’ renter. These renters will do their research and seek out similar apartments in your neighborhood for less money. Be prepared to show how your community stacks up, or match the competitors pricing.

Another perk to offer would be services for next to nothing or free! (Everyone loves the word FREE) Does your community charge for additional amenities, such as spa usage, renting the club house or the use of a garage? Or how about upgrading on renters appliances? You could even sell the fact you’re installing energy star appliances to save them more money on monthly utilities!

And finally while property managers/owners have to pay bills too, we all need to be a little more flexible. In this state of the economy people are taking pay cuts or worse, loosing their jobs. So if a resident contacts you regarding the rent being a few days late, or a possible payment plan, weigh your options. If this renter has a steady track record, then be willing to discuss alternatives.

Times are tough, but everyone-property managers/owners and renters alike-have to survive. So finding a balance between what each side can financially do is going to be the way to weather this current economic storm.

While the holiday season is one of the most treasured times of year (it certainly is for me), it can also be one of the most wasteful times of the year. Think about it, gifts being purchased that may not ever be used, holiday cards bought, the colossal gift wrapping options and of course our beloved holiday lights!! It really appears to not be the most energy efficient season and we at ForRent.com want to help you ‘go green’ all year long. So we’ve provided you with a couple of environmentally-friendly ideas for you to incorporate this holiday season.

E-Cards:
With the advancement in technology we are now able to send a massive amount of greetings via email. Now I, much like my grandmother and great grandmother, would prefer doing the more meaningful option of sitting down and hand writing little notes to each of my 20 family members, but I realize that isn’t always convenient. So this year I am going to email a majority of my holiday cards (sorry, gotta send grandma and great grandma the personalized card…its tradition). Not only will that save me time and money (a lot of E-cards are FREE), but it will also help reduce the amount of paper I would be using during the holidays, which brings me to my next topic of discussion…..

GREEN Gift Wrapping:
No, I’m not just talking about the color! I’m talking about the reusable, recycled paper. You can find a vast amount of stores and websites (amazon.com for example) that sell recycled material for packaging options. There are large rolls of brown recycled paper for wrapping gifts or bags for your hard to wrap gifts. While they may not be the most attractive or holiday themed, they allow for much more creativity! Get your markers, colored pencils, stamps, paint, whatever and start decorating! Getting the kids involved would also be a bonus gift for the relatives. Something they most certainly will cherish!

Holiday Lights Get a Makeover:
In case you didn’t know, and I didn’t, there is an option for holiday lights that is much more energy efficient. As you know with my previous tips, I am an advocate in shutting off appliances (or anything plugged in) while its not in use. Having strings of lights plugged in throughout the night for 25 days can be quite costly, not to mention wasteful.  Solar lights are the solution! They are charged during the day from the sun, automatically turn on and run continuously through the night. You just need to place them in areas where they will receive direct sunlight so they can charge. Most do require rechargeable batteries which are powered through the day and can last for up to 12 months!! While the solar lights are out numbered by the more traditional lighting methods, they are growing as the trend for ‘going green’ continues.

So there you are, some quick tips for choosing an eco-friendly holiday season. If we’ve left any out, please share! Waste not, want not was what my mother always said!!