We are happy to say our sale was such a success that we not longer have many of the titles in stock. Since we are sold out, and don’t have the books anymore, the sale is over. Thanks again!
Archive by Author
Howdy Jack! Curb Appeal for the Season
While autumn brings beautiful colors to the foliage on our properties, it also ushers in some new opportunities to make a unique impression, particularly around Halloween! Pumpkins are prime this time of year, and they can make a festive addition to your already great curb appeal. Most properties will put out an iconic Jack-o-Lantern, but here are some ideas to take pumpkins beyond the usual your property this year:
The Madonna Approach: Say What You Need
What is it that you want? You might be surprised by how many people in this world have no idea how to answer that question. We focus so often on the things that are disappointing us, making us unhappy, or angering us that we lose sight of our own goals. Without an endpoint, we cannot create a map to our success.
Once you finally do know what you want or where you’re going, the challenge of asking other people arises. If you don’t know who to ask to get what you want, then start asking people who they think you should talk to. If you’re not asking for what you want because of pride, that’s a tougher problem to fix, because you have to make a decision whether or not your pride is more important than your goal. (Psst! Your pride should always be second to your goals!)
Personal Power – Improve Yours Now
Power Poses:
People are often more influenced by how they feel about you rather than by what you’re saying.
According to Harvard Business School professor Amy Cuddy, holding your body in “high-power” poses for short time periods can summon an extra surge of power (through increased testosterone) andsense of well-being (through lower levels of cortisol).
“We used to think that emotion ended on the face,” Dr. Cuddy says. “Now there is established research showing that while it’s true that facial expressions reflect how you feel, you can also ‘fake it until you make it.’ In other words, you can smile long enough (two minutes) that it makes you feel happy. This work extends that finding on facial feedback, which is decades old, by focusing on postures and measuring neuroendocrine levels.”
Get Instant Results from Your Next Team Meeting
Make the most of your R&R subscription with Our Books and Magazines!
Many marketing/training directors are using our books and copies of Rent & Retain Magazine as training manuals for their monthly meetings.
Super easy to implement, just bring copies of the books and magazines to your next meeting (or do it via email) and ask managers to choose an idea they’ll implement right away.
Turn Costs Remain High!
Have you considered your costs on turning an apartment?
Some managers in Texas calculated their costs and were shocked!
Costs are close to $2,200-$3,200 (based on carpet, paint, cleaning, concession, vacancy, marketing, and advertising) per apartment.
What is the average cost your company spends to turn a unit?
Great Ideas Shared from R&R Readers!
We Just Popped In!
In the past year, we have increased our resident retention rate to a spectacular 70% and increased market rents by $76. Thanks to the Popcorn Giveaway, we increased our closing ratio by 10%. Touring apartment communities can be repetitive from the prospect’s perception. You must think of cute and catchy ways to stand out in the crowd so when your prospect gets home with 10 different brochures from various communities, they remember exactly which one you are. One way of doing this is giving out a cute and catchy gift. When you tour in our community, you will receive a bag of popcorn with my business card. The slogan is “Thank you for popping in.” Add a little ribbon and you have a cheap but memorable gift that once again can be used by the recipient.
-Stephanie Anderson, Harbor Village Apartments
Rent & Retain’s Reading Suggestions
At Rent & Retain Magazine, we love companies that spend time on training and professional development, but we also know that some companies just don’t have those resources quite yet. We’d like to help you with that – here are three books, one for each month in the quarter, which we think are great professional development reads for people in the property management industry. We invite you to join us in reading these books, and tell us what you think of them on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rentandretain during our book post each month. We want to know what was useful to you, what good ideas you found, or what behaviors that month’s book inspired you to change or begin. Did you agree with the author or not? Was it a good read? We want to hear from you!
The Food Feud
From finicky feasters to those who eschew the common edibles, what should we serve our residents at events?
Kim Lee with Community Northwest is no stranger to being a good hostess. Her nonprofit company specializes in building community within apartment complexes by focusing on resident events and helping to build positive relationships. Kim’s philosophy: “If you feed them, they will come. If you feed them well, they will come again. If you feed them well and introduce them to a friend, they will keep coming.” And anyone who’s no stranger to resident events would probably agree with this statement.
Rent & Retain’s Reading Suggestions
We love companies that spend time on training and professional development, but we also know that some companies just don’t have those resources quite yet. We’d like to help you with that by continuing with Rent & Retain’s Book Club! In each edition of Rent & Retain, we’ll be posting three books, one for each month in the quarter, which we think are great professional development reads for people in the property management industry. Join us in reading these books, and tell us what you think of them on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rentandretain during our book post each month. We want to know what was useful to you, what good ideas you found, or what behaviors that month’s book inspired you to change or begin. Did you agree with the author or not? Was it a good read? We want to hear from you!
