We’ve all heard the stories about crazy things that property managers deal with on a daily basis. Whether it’s a resident’s ant farm falling over, a deer falling in the community pool, or a disgruntled resident hiding raw meat in the vents before moving out - not so fun when it happens, but at least we can chuckle after the fact.

It’s no laughing matter, however, when a disgruntled resident posts a nasty comment on ratings websites like ApartmentRatings.com. Unlike meat in the vents, there’s no easy way to clean up disparaging remarks. What happens on the internet stays on the internet. Forever. What can you do about it? We’ve got a few suggestions:

Monitor

The first thing you need to do is find out exactly what renters are saying about you. There are a number of ways to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s being said about your property.

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Are you still driving rent checks to the bank every month? Still spending time filling out deposit slips and manually posting payments to your residents’ ledgers? KMS Management was able to cut rent processing times in half by implementing integrated check scanning at their properties. Managers were more available to residents and spent less time off-site, and NSFs were significantly reduced as well.

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There are more than 2.4 billion mobile phone users; this number is growing every day! About 30% of these mobile phone owners (more than 700 million and growing) have browsed the Internet through their mobile phones. This is why mobile marketing is predicted to become the next predominant media segment. Local search is also an area being give much discussion as of late. Unsurprisingly, searches conducted via mobile products are much more likely to be of a local nature than a desktop query. According to Google, 1/3 of all mobile search queries have a “local intent.” Google also states that 15% of all iPhone apps are local. With this information, it seems like a “no brainer” for us multifamily folks to get involved with mobile marketing.

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There’s something about social media that makes us think of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, which basically asserts that you can’t really observe something without affecting its behavior. The more attention the multifamily industry pays to websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare, the faster the interactions facilitated by these sites seem to evolve. These days, rather than just using a Facebook Page to distribute the same information available on a community website, property managers are interacting with residents and prospects alike.

Engaging residents in social media interactions can have far-reaching effects.

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Craigslist. Best thing ever? Or use at your own risk? There’s no question that Craigslist attracts a lot of attention, accounting for nearly 2% of global internet traffic. People use Craigslist because it does what it does very well: allowing a simple way to search for and offer goods and services. Recognizing the opportunity, properties around the country are searching for ways to capitalize on the Craigslist traffic bonanza and post (free of charge) property ads.

Making the most of Craigslist, however, requires some attention to detail. Craigslist enforces some fairly strict terms-of-use in order to protect the integrity and usefulness of the interface. That means you need to be aware of restrictions on duplicate posts and the time frame in which you can re-post a given ad. Craigslist users are also turned off by what is perceived as “spamming,” which may explain why text-based ads have been reported to be more effective than HTML template-based posts.

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As the seasons start to change it’s normal to feel nostalgic about the great summer months that are now fading into pleasant memories: days at the beach, family vacations, and the NAA expo in New Orleans. Looking back it’s hard to describe these moments as anything less than Sublime - which is the name of this month’s new website template. The Sublime template emanates the good-time feelings that will make prospects eager to live at your properties and make residents never want to leave. You might even find yourself staring at it and getting a little reminiscent.

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Virginia Tory

Director of Merchant Services

Virginia has been involved in the property management industry since 1986, managing communities in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah before joining the team at Property Solutions. Her perspective and her ability to put herself in a client’s shoes have proven invaluable as our company has grown. Besides her vast experience, Virginia’s generosity and willingness to help both clients and co-workers make her a stand-out team player.

When she’s not figuring out bank migrations or setting up underwriting, Virginia likes to be in her garden. Her desk is the greenest corner of the office, and her plants always seem very happy.

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