Apartment Blog

When post people search for super bowl facts, the more interesting they are the better! So I searched through many websites and weeded out the not-so interesting stuff, to compile a list of 10 random facts I found interesting. I thought I’d share them with you….

1. The name “Super Bowl” was not used officially until the 3rd championship game in January 1969.

2. No NFL team has ever played the Super Bowl in their own stadium.

3. New Orleans and Miami have hosted the Super Bowl the most at 9 times.

4. Mike Ditka, Tom Flores, and Tony Dungy have all won a Super Bowl both as a player and a coach.

5. The following things have never happened in a Super Bowl: a scoreless first half, a shutout, an overtime game and a punt return for a touchdown.

6. 30-second TV commercials are believed to be costing close to $3 million this year. If this reported rate is true, how is it that we are in an economic crisis??

7. According to About.com, the amount of chips consumed on Super Bowl Sunday is over 14 tons!!

8. Eight million pounds of guacamole is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.

9. An average of 6% of people will call out on the Monday following Super Bowl Sunday.

10. The Super Bowl is measured in Roman numerals because a football season runs the span over two calendar years.

Now granted I’m a football impaired chick, so these facts may not be an over the moon spectacular or anything. But they sure made me say ‘uh…’ when I read them. Hope they gave you a little something to think about, or a least a much needed break from your busy day!

Along with having our community theater videos hosted on our website, ForRent.com also posts them to our video syndication network. This network includes sites like: YouTube, MySpace, Yahoo, Dailymotion and others. Why do we do this you ask? Because, we feel that the more sites we have our videos on, the more visible they are to you! Having our content readily available on sites you use daily, such as MySpace or Yahoo, will help to make the apartment search process easier.  We strive to provide renters with the best resources.

So take a look at our latest apartment videos…

Roberts Mill Apartments and Townhomes in Maple Shade, NJ

ForRent.com West Oaks Apartments For Rent in Tarpon Springs, FL

ForRent.com Moorestown Woods Apartments in Moorestown, NJ

ForRent.com The Colonials at Cherry Hill Apartments in Cherry Hill, NJ

ForRent.com Burnt Mill Apartments For Rent in Voorhees, NJ

ForRent.com Sherwood Crossing Apartments in Philadelphia, PA

ForRent.com Red Lion Manor Apartments For Rent in Philadelphia, PA

ForRent.com Fox Ridge Apartments in Somerdale, NJ

ForRent.com Highland Montgomery Apartments in Highland Park, NJ

Brookmont Apartments For Rent in Philadelphia, PA

Parktowne House Apartments in Highland Park, NJ

The Standard at Preston Gardens Apartments in Baltimore, MD

Laguna at Arrowhead Ranch Apartments in Glendale, AZ

Jefferson at Arvada Ridge Apartments in Arvada, CO

Pine Hills Lodge Apartments For Rent in Las Vegas, NV

Maple Pointe Apartments For Rent in Burien, WA

Alderwood Heights Apartments Lynnwood, WA

The Haven at Hill Country Apartments in San Antonio, TX

The Winsted at Sunset West Apartments For Rent in Rocklin, CA

The Montclaire Apartments in Sunnyvale, CA

The Grove Apartments For Rent in San Jose, CA

Regents Walk Apartments in Overland Park, KS

The Carlyle Apartments in Santa Clara, CA

ForRent.com Bella Vista Apartments For Rent in Santa Clara, CA

ForRent.com Jefferson at Berry Apartments in Saint Paul, MN

ForRent.com Crooked Creek Apartments For Rent in Kansas City, MO

ForRent.com Berkshires on Providence Apartments in Charlotte, NC

ForRent.com Pacific Woods Apartments For Rent in Fountain Valley, CA

ForRent.com Avalon Juanita Village Apartments in Kirkland, WA

ForRent.com Avalon Redmond Place Apartments in Redmond, WA

Thinking about throwing a holiday get-together? ‘Tis the season for elusive, ugly and tacky Christmas sweater parties!  Tacky sweater parties are a perfect theme for a fun yet festive party. Follow these tips to throw a successful tacky Christmas sweater party this holiday that is cost effective.

1. Send Invitations: Send out an evite to all of your guests and have the image be a picture of you or your grandparents in their favorite holiday sweater. Be sure to provide all of the details (especially the fun ones like the games and prizes included).

2. Find the Best Tacky Christmas Sweater: The best part of the party is OBVIOUSLY the sweater. Here are some ideas on places to find these fabulous outdated fashion statements: Garage Sales, Family Members (aka. Grandma and Grandpa) and Thrift Stores.

3. Don’t Forget Accessories: Accessories can often times make the tacky sweater that much tackier! Go to your local drug store and look for lighted pins, reindeer antlers, Santa hats, tinsel and more!

4. Make a Centerpiece: Creating a neat centerpiece that can actually be devoured is ideal. Make a ginger bread house with candy and icing to use as a centerpiece for the food table. Something tells me that this will be eaten after tip #9.

5. Provide an Award: Have a trophy personalized that says “Tackiest Sweater Award 2008″. After all of the guests have arrived, simply have them write on a piece of paper who they think should win and then count up the votes.

6. Food: Select a potluck style that will work best for you and your guests. For example: (1) appetizers only, (2) bring your favorite dish, (3) assign each guest to bring an appetizer, main dish, or dessert, or (4) as the host, you will provide the main dish (a turkey, ham, etc.) Try and coordinate this in advance so you don’t have duplicate dishes.

7. Beverages: There are a variety of factors to consider when selecting your beverages for your party. It’s important to have something available for everyone’s likes and dislikes. Be sure to have a variety of mixers on hand as well as non-alcoholic drinks. Having a pre-made themed beverage also saves time and money while still being festive.

8. Keep the Bathroom Line Entertained: All those beverages can certainly call for a long line at the restroom. Decorate your bathroom door with wrapping paper, ribbon and a bow and have people sign the door and write a message on the wrapping paper. The messages are bound to be great conversation starters and ice breakers.

9. Play Games: Set up a scavenger hunt with two teams. Create a checklist of all the items to provide to each team. Each team is then responsible for taking a picture of each checklist item as proof. Here are some checklist ideas: Find a street name that has a Christmas theme, take a picture with your team in your sweaters in a 7-11, sing a Christmas carol to a stranger as team, Find a Santa and sit on his lap, kiss someone under a mistletoe, find something showing one of the 12 days of Christmas etc…) This is absolutely hilarious.

10. Give Prizes: The winning team of the scavenger hunt or games that you play can receive prizes. Some good prize ideas are DVD’s, gift cards, candles, books etc… Wrap them up and put them under your tree. You could always go the gag gift route as well.

Best of luck with planning your next Tacky Christmas Sweater Party. Do you own a festive sweater that makes your friends laugh/cringe? Send it my way, and it may appear on our blog. (Please include your name, city and a brief description of the photo.)  

Do you plan on throwing a party this December? I know I certainly do. Having a little party is a great way to have friends over and enjoy the merriment that is Christmas.  So if you’re looking for tips and ideas for hosting a holiday party, check out our list. We’ve provided you with the essentials to make your party a success!

1. Invitations! Be sure and send out invitations. With the busy holiday season, your party is not the only one people would like to attend. Send out invitations in advanced so others know to put yours on the calendar! I would personally recommend Evite.com as that is a great website for you to host all your party’s details and list of attendees.

2. Holiday Decorations Outside Your Apartment. As guests come up to your home, you want to make sure they immediately feel the holiday spirit!

3. Holiday Decorations Inside Your Apartment. Check out our ‘Must Haves’ list for holiday décor (link).

4. Menu. Catering would be the easiest solution as you don’t have to prepare the food while you’re scrambling with other details. However, it is an alternative that could be more expensive. Regardless of what option you choose, make or cater, be sure to include a variety.

5. Beverage Assortment. Not everyone will drink regular soda (especially the diet conscientious). So be sure to have a plethora of options for your guests. Water for the non-drinkers! Or a neat idea would be to have a hot chocolate bar!

6. Entertainment. Be sure your guests are entertained at this event. Have a raffle for them to participate in, or games for interaction.

7. Music. Having a little holiday music is great for the backdrop of conversations taking place. It eliminates the lull of silence should any conversations cease for a period of time.

8. Theme. Want to incorporate a theme?? You could do an ugly Christmas sweater contest! Seeing all your friends in the ugliest creation is sure to get lots of laughs!

9. Serve Ware. Use plastic plates, cups and utensils for easy clean up at the end of the night. A ‘go green’ effort would be to recycle them all after washing them off in the sink!!

10. Attire. As the host/hostess you’ll be the center of a lot of activity. You’ll be answering any questions someone may have about the apartment (i.e. location of bathroom), partaking in just about everyone’s conversation, etc. So you’ll want to make sure you look good! Be sure and get dolled up for your holiday party by wearing a nice holiday outfit!

11. Thank You Gifts. A nice touch would be at the end of the night to have a little ‘party bag’ for your guests to take home. Something to remind them of the good times they had at your holiday party. It can be elaborate or something simple. It’s a really nice gesture for sure!

12. Relax!! You are finally at the party you’ve worked so hard to plan. So relax and enjoy your time with friends and family!!

We hope you have a terrific holiday party season! Have fun and be safe!!

Former vice president and general manager transitions into his new role as president

NORFOLK, Va.-(December 5, 2008)-For Rent Media Solutions, a leading apartment resource for searching apartments nationwide, and a division of Dominion Enterprises, is proud to announce Terry Slattery’s promotion to president of For Rent Media Solutions. This change is in recognition of Slattery’s contributions to both For Rent Media Solutions and the multi-housing industry.

“I have had the fortune of working with Terry for eight years now,” said Jack Ross,  president of Dominion Enterprises apartment and employment businesses. “His impact on For Rent Media Solutions and the industry has been substantial. He continues to show his dedication to multi-housing through his membership in organizations like the National Apartment Association, where he was recently recognized as a recipient of a Paragon Award. I am confident For Rent Media Solutions will continue to grow under his leadership.”

Slattery entered the multi-housing industry in 1993, when he joined the For Rent Magazine^® office in Las Vegas as an account executive. Since then, he has held several positions within the company, including national marketing director, vice president of marketing, and vice president of national sales and marketing. He assisted with the execution of LEADS^TM, the original tracking service in the multi-family housing business, now considered the standard in the industry. He is also credited for heading up the group that created ForRent.com^®, one of the nation’s leading apartment Internet Listing Services.

“I am honored to step into the role of president of For Rent Media Solutions,” said Slattery. “I am proud of the success our company continues to experience and look forward to finding more innovative ways to promote our clients through a combination of print and Internet services.”

Slattery is very active in the multi-housing industry, attending many industry conferences and serving as a board member for the National Apartment Association. In 2007, he was appointed chairman of the National Supplier’s Council. In this position, he co-chaired the NAA Education Conference and Convention in Las Vegas and oversaw the development of the National Suppliers Council. This is the highest level that a supplier can rise to in the multi-family industry.

In his last role as the vice president and general manager of For Rent Media Solutions, Slattery brought innovation to the industry through new initiatives such as online video and mobile technology. As president, he will oversee all aspects of print, Internet, production and operations for all For Rent Media Solutions publications and Web sites, including: For Rent Magazine^®, ForRent.com, Apartamentos Para Rentar^®, CorporateHousing.com and After 55^TM Housing and Resource Guide.

 Football equals Thanksgiving, right?  Now I would consider myself every inch of the word “fanatic” when it comes to sports, but I would have to put food over football when equating one or the other to Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving, by the way, is my favorite holiday!  Now that that’s out of the way, I would say one of our country’s greatest pastimes is to eat turkey and watch football on Thanksgiving Day.  Thanksgiving is a time for families to get together and just spend quality time.  Now for those of you who live in apartments, don’t feel left out.

I am also a renter who is having house guests for the holiday.  I live in a one-bedroom apartment, but it’s pretty roomy.  Roomy enough for my three younger sisters to crash.  It works because the atmosphere becomes more intimate and you get that closeness with your fam.  Granted they’re not rabid sports fans like me, they suffer through it to spend time with me!  Don’t let apartment living stop you from really enjoying your sports.  I know I certainly don’t let it stop me! 

The Thanksgiving Day Classic is one that carries rich tradition.  This American football custom began in 1920 showcasing five teams, all of whom are now defunct.  This year Thanksgiving Day gives way to 3 games on Thursday, November 27^th.  The Detroit Lions play host to the Tennessee Titans, fresh from their first loss of the season with a kickoff time of 12:30 PM.  The Titans will definitely be taking out some frustration.  Poor Lions, the Titans are going to whip them like some potatoes!  Next, the Dallas Cowboys play host to the Seattle Seahawks with kickoff scheduled for 4:15 PM on Fox.  Even without Tony Romo, Dallas should have no problem brushing the Seahawks to the side.  And last but not least, we have the Arizona Cardinals visiting the Philadelphia Eagles with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 PM on the NFL network.  I’m a little hesitant to give a prediction on this game because the Eagles are streaky, but Arizona, better yet, Kurt Warner, has definitely been showing more than shades of his former self. 

You can turn your apartment into a Thanksgiving Day Classic haven for your family and friends by visiting ForRent.com or our Holiday Guide on our blog.  Now don’t choke on turkey while screaming for you teams!  Gobble, Gobble!!  Happy Thanksgiving.