Apartment Blog

As strong advocates for social media, we understand the perceived negativity of giving full reign for consumers to air their thoughts about our clients. We can chalk it all down to one thing, FEAR! In a recent webinar I attended, David Meerman Scott stated that many companies use fear as a way out of social media.  That is such a shame because they are missing a really fantastic opportunity to engage those consumers, learn from them and really turn their perception around.For example, For Rent Media Solutions posts our clients’ Community Theater videos on various social networking sites.  Social media websites such as YouTube, MySpace, Yahoo, Dailymotion, AptsVideo.com is where you can find them. While this is a service we provide for free, packaged with our Community Theater videos, many apartment communities are hesitant about entering this space.  Their fear, there’s that word again, is that consumers will use this as a chance to rant about their community; therefore, giving them a bad image and deterring prospective renters away.  While that may be the case, sometimes, it also gives them an opportunity to spout praises about your community.

Through YouTube, I receive emails when a comment is posted on one of our videos. There have been countless times where consumers comment “I live at Jefferson at Dedham Station and love my apartment! Friendly staff as well!” or even have further inquires “How much please! I think I may be interested! Reply as soon as possible! Thank you!” Yes, I will admit that we do get the ‘it’s horrible’ or ‘lame’ comments. But the ones where property managers really have an opportunity to learn from and engage are where residents post their dissatisfaction with service.  

If someone submitted “The office staff sucks. For all the money you pay for rent, they don’t even allow your teenagers to use gym equipment, even if they are multi-sport student athletes in high school,” what would be the best way to respond? You take what they are stating and think about how you could possibly improve the service you promise. Maybe there is a way to have teenagers work-out in the gym with a waiver signed by their parents. Or maybe that means in your monthly newsletters you should include an article about why it is your community does not allow them to work-out unsupervised.  While you cannot please every renter, communication is really all they desire.

Here’s another scenario with a renter who submits this comment regarding your property “[Maintenance] Will enter apartment with no negotiation on scheduling and with less than 24 hours notice for routine maintenance,” what could you do that would be better customer service for these residents? That’s simple, give renters more notice about routine maintenance and give them an option if the designated time does not work out for them (especially if they have pets).

To summarize this article, social media is AWESOME! It is an excellent opportunity to engage perspective and current renters, listen to what they have to say & reevaluate your service to them especially via social networking sites. They are already talking about you, whether you know it or not; so its time to participate in the conversation. In the current economic circumstances, it is imperative to listen to the customer and increase customer service. And remember this “If we don’t take care of our customers, someone else will.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: 
Meredith Mobley 
Marketing Communications Coordinator
meredith.mobley@forrent.com
Phone: 757-351-7366
Fax: 757-961-4827

ForRent.com and Homes.com partner to expand consumer housing options

Summer is here and everyone is antsy to get out of work and do something fun! But oh, what did you say…can’t go out because it costs an arm & a leg? That’s why we’ve assembled a list of relatively inexpensive activities for the summertime!

Rollar bladding-whether you have your own skates or not, this is an activity that can be less than $10!

Local sports game-it could be high school, college or even a minor league game. Tickets for the Norfolk Tides, the AAA baseball team, are about $8.00 per person! Just eat dinner before hand and you’re good to go!

Local book store-you could sit in on free readings for various story titles. Barnes and Nobles has events almost every day in the Hampton Roads area, including a group dedicated to help you overcome writers block!

Visit a museum-how better to spend a hot summer afternoon than in an air conditioned museum. Not all museums are boring either! The Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk only costs $7.00 per adult.  You could definitely spend hours staring at beautiful pieces of art work.

Festivals-the amount of carnivals, country fairs or festivals always increase during the summer. My favorite to attend in Norfolk is the Bayou Boogaloo & Cajun Food Festival at Town Point Park. For just $10.00 per person, you can see live entertainment; walk through the amazing New Orleans Art Gallery and more! For just a few bucks more, you can sample some of the mouthwatering Cajun spiced crawfish, jambalaya, gumbo and alligator.

Take a tour-whether it’s of an area you’re not that familiar with or perhaps a historical tour of the city you live in. Williamsburg and Jamestown, Virginia have great tours to really experience the true history our state offers.

Wine Tastings-local winery shops, such as Total Wine in Downtown Norfolk, have free wine tastings in their stores weekly. You would certainly become a connoisseur in no time!

Including some of these activities into your summer plans will ensure you have a slam packed adventurous season! More inexpensive and creative ideas for saving money are in our Nesting in These Economic Times blog.

The current economic environment has made more Americans cut back on their expenses with many embracing the ‘do-it-yourself’ route; whether it is making your own coffee, trimming your own hair, etc.  More and more people are also starting to look at their living space and finding ways to improve it. So instead of buying a new coffee table, how can I revamp my current one?

The idea of ‘nesting’ is that someone would have a strong desire to prepare a home, to tie up loose ends of old projects and to organize your world. But again, going back to the state of the economy, doing so in an inexpensive manner is best!

Here are a few ‘do-it-yourself’ tips for your apartment:

• Take a basic bookshelf from bland to GRAND with a quick fix. Paint the bookcase’s back wall in a cheery, contrasting hue. This is easiest to do if the back (or at least the shelves) is removable; if it’s not, you can still do the job. Just cover the edges of the sides and shelves with masking or painter’s tape while you’re brightening up the back. You would have taken an old, boring bookshelf to something new and vibrant with just the cost of paint and a brush!
• Calendar Pages-Last year, you probably invested in a beautiful wall calendar to cheer up your work space. Hopefully you didn’t toss out your old one! You can enjoy the images a little longer by framing them as wall art. Calendars are particularly good for this because the pages are themed -like beach scenes, flowers, Monet replicas, etc.– so they look like a series of prints when hung in matching frames. You can even save on matting if the pages already come with a border! Let’s see here, you can get inexpensive wall frames from the dollar store, or sets of matching ones at Target for less than $20.
• Another nifty idea from Country Living is to add shelving to your bathroom so it can hold pretty toiletries. Remove the back of an old wine crate or wooden box. Make shelves to fit inside the box, and then add a bit of glamour by fastening a gilded frame onto the front of the unit. For an antique finish, spray-paint with Krylon Crystal Color.
• You can revitalize an old lamp shade with inexpensive rubber-stamps. Depending on what type of style you want, e.g. a fleur-de-lis pattern, you can stamp on the border of the shade and fill in the pattern with permanent marker. To make it appear more decorative, you can also outline the design with a different color pen.
• Never throw out old candles! You can find a way to save the left over wax by following this do-it-yourself craft.

We think it’s great that Americans are cutting back spending on other goods and services and in turn are reflecting on improving where they live. That’s ‘nesting’ in its truest form! Do you have other ‘do-it-yourself’ ideas to share?

Many of us heard Hyundai’s story in which they promised to let owners get rid of their vehicle should they lose their job. The auto company was acutely aware that people were afraid to make big purchases. So Hyundai announced it’s Assurance Program at the beginning of 2009, a pledge to let people return new vehicle purchases within the first year of ownership without penalty should they lose their source of income.  This incentive apparently worked as Hyundai rebounded from a 48 percent sales drop to a 14 percent sales increase in that time frame according to AutoTropolis.com.

While having that security on your newly purchased car is comforting, should you lose your job your biggest worry would be a place of residency! Rest assured there is a program called Lay-off Proof Lease which provides 60 days of rent-free living if you lose your job.  And after that time, if you don’t find a new job you may cancel your lease without penalty. Can you imagine that? If you lose your job and you live in an apartment community that is a participating property, you can live rent free for 60 days (restrictions do apply).  Bet you’re wondering what properties near you are participating properties, huh?

Well, that is easy to find! If you go onto ForRent.com and click on the search page you will see in the middle of the page ‘Search for Apartments by Name’, click on ‘Property Management Companies’. If you type in ‘Goldberg Co., Inc.‘, you will find a list of apartment communities that are participating properties in Ohio such as Granda Gardens Apartments in Cleveland and Settler’s Landing in Streetsboro. Are you looking for an apartment in North Carolina? Legacy Crossroads in Carry or Legacy North Hills and Barrington Place in Raleigh, North Carolina offer the lay-off proof lease.  How about Florida? Apartment communities include Cypress Grand and Westwood Reserve at Citrus Park in Tampa.  How about if you’re living in Texas and want to find an apartment community offering this incentive? Don’t worry, Toscana at Sonterra Apartments in San Antonio will take care of you!

Goldberg Co., Inc. prides itself on having a level of maintenance and management that is unparalleled in the real estate industry.  The apartment residents and office tenants are proud to be in some of the most attractive buildings and surrounded with the most up-to-date facilities and highest quality on-site management.

During these economic times, uncertainty is guaranteed.  There are very few people whose job is 100% recession proof, so having an apartment community that understands should a situation arise is very reassuring.  Weathering this economic storm would certainly be easier with more companies taking on this incentive.

We have noted in several of our previous posts how the tough economic times are proving difficult for businesses, but we really haven’t dived into the hardships affecting consumers…..you! Businesses are struggling because consumers are feeling the squeeze of the economy. You are forced to reevaluate your finances and reduce your disposable income.  In many instances that means staying home and going out less frequently.

We want to provide you with some resources to turn the negative into a positive. We’ve posted many blogs that can help you when your budget has been constricted; you just need to know where to find them!

Here’s a list to help you figure out how you want to nest during these economic times. Your home is your place of refuge against the world, and it’s time you started celebrating it!

• So you can’t go out to dinner, then stay at home and cook! We’ve found terrific recipes that our own staff has tried and LOVED! Entrees, side dishes and desserts galore! To make it appear like a night out, eat at the dinning room table with the television off and low lighting.
• Miss date night with your significant other? We’ve even come up with ideas for romantic gestures in your apartment, which include a soothing bubble bath, picnic on the floor or movie night!
• Have some creative juices flowing, but not a lot of $$ to spend? Then check out our amazing ‘How-To’ tips, decorating w/constrictions and low cost decorating ideas to make the most of your time spent at home.
• Need a gift for a friend? We’ve posted a few ideas for homemade gifts and cards! You’ll get bonus tips for being thoughtful and creative.
• You’re bound to have a few friends that are in the same predicament as you. So why not invite them over for a group party? We’ve posted tips on how to throw a party that is eco-friendly, which includes reducing money!! For entertainment you could play games and the dinner/dessert could be pot-luck so no one is forking over a lot of dough!

There are two things to remember for getting through these times: One - you are not alone. There are many others going through the same situation as you. Two -it will end. It may not seem like it, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to wait it out. Until then, take a look at these tips/ideas for staying at home and remain optimistic. When one door closes, another one opens……so decorate it!!