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When people picture crowdsourcing in action, the apartment industry doesn’t typically come to mind. We’re more inclined to think of big consumer brands getting ideas from their customers and the general public. Like the popular LEGO Ideas platform, through which users can submit their suggestions for new LEGO sets.  Or Waze, which has allowed many […]

Move-ins are done. Students, eager to learn and enjoying their lives away from home, are roaming through your community’s halls. Your onsite teams are kicking butt and taking names when it comes to managing resident life. Things are sitting pretty — at least for a while. Not too long after students move-in and start their […]

There are numerous benefits to optimizing and streamlining your market survey process. To start with, when you have reliable real-time data about your competitors’ rental and occupancy rates, you understand exactly how your community compares to its comp set and you can make truly informed pricing decisions. Also, when your busy onsite teams use an […]

When apartment operators are evaluating the performance of their communities, data about the surrounding submarket is absolutely critical. But not all submarket data is created equally. Although metro market reports produced by research organizations have an undeniable value in the assessment of a market’s performance, it would be a mistake for operators to rely on […]

When it comes to apartment market data, it’s important to make a distinction between “macro” and “micro.” Macro data refers to statistics like a metro area’s average rent or its occupancy rate. Micro data refers to the average rent or vacancy rate of a competitive set of communities. Think of it in terms of a […]

When it comes to understanding your apartment community’s performance, it certainly doesn’t hurt to look at as much market data as possible. Monthly and quarterly market reports compiled by research and brokerage firms about your metro area are worth reviewing, but they also have limitations. By the time they arrive on your desk or in […]

When it comes to successfully pricing your apartment homes, it’s critical to know who your competitors are and what rental rates they are charging. Unfortunately, though, too many operators don’t have a true, clear-eyed understanding of their properties’ comp sets. Below are some common mistakes property managers make when trying to determine who the competition […]

“Life moves pretty fast.” So said the wise philosopher Ferris Bueller in the 1986 classic movie. I can’t help but think of that line sometimes when thinking about apartment rental rates. They move pretty fast, too. In fact, they’re changing on an almost daily basis. To make the most effective decisions regarding pricing and concessions, apartment communities […]