Keyless access is the latest “ticket to play” for multifamily housing, as tenants grant dog walkers, house cleaners and package delivery servicemen access to their properties. (It’s convenient for them, too.) Keyless access is most useful when individual units don’t lie behind additional access-controlled doors; if the grocery guy can’t get into the elevator, he won’t be able to make it into the apartment itself. Technology that includes temporary codes or Bluetooth “handshakes” could solve these challenges. Prospective renters will want to take advantage of the convenience factor that this technology literally "opens".
In 2022, a survey by NMHC showed that the most popular smart home feature for renters is a smart thermostat, with 70 percent of respondents saying they were interested in or wouldn’t rent without this feature. Smart sensor technology is also feeding renter interest in leak detection systems (67 percent) and water-saving features (67 percent). Plus, a majority of previously surveyed millennials said they’d pay more for a unit outfitted with automatic or remote-controlled devices, but soon almost everyone including Gen X and Y will consider smart-home amenities like USB outlets and programmable thermostats expected features, not premium amenities. Requests from smart speakers like Alexa and Google Home can be even paired with CRM software to automate service requests — or predict when scheduled maintenance is needed, which helps staffers have more meaningful interactions with residents, instead of focusing on low-value tasks.
We’re comfortable with self-service checkouts at grocery stores, and the convenience of keyless entries at multifamily housing developments has inspired the rise of self-guided property tours, in which prospects can examine units unaccompanied, at their leisure. It’s important to remember that “self-guided tour” does not equate to “self-guided sale,” but the benefit of self-guided tours to leasing offices is that it allows them to concentrate staff resources on the important conversion conversations, rather than earlier exploratory shepherding. According to a poll of apartment operators at the 2020 NMHC OpTech Conference & Exposition, lease conversions increase by 86 percent with a self-guided tour versus when staff is escorting a prospect.
It’s now possible to deliver mass communication on a micro scale, with content that’s customized to users in specific geographic locations. If you’ve noticed that several residents are students at a local university, or care providers at a nearby healthcare center, geotargeting lets you reach online users in that area with unique information about current availability or desirable amenities that will resonate with that demographic.
The “knowledge panel” — also known as your Google My Business profile — shows up when users click on a result in Google Maps. It should be considered a mini-brochure — it links to a Q&A feature, ratings and reviews. Management teams can add their own description and photos to the profile, and even post specials and temporary tags.
Sixty-four percent of consumers look for a business’s Google My Business (GMB) page for contact information (BrightLocal, 2020). According to more GMB statistics, 32 percent of local consumers trust a business’s GMB profile to have up-to-date information about a company. As a result of this, 64 percent of consumers will find that profile to look up contact information, resulting in the business gaining warm leads – even without a website.
In a stagnant-income market, multifamily housing developments can lose great prospects who’d be good residents but can’t afford a high security deposit. Some managers have cut back on incentives like iPads in favor of eliminating security deposits. When done wisely, it saves associates and property management firms time and money, because they’re no longer tasked with managing or issuing refund checks or handling disputes over the amounts.
To ensure your properties are capturing every qualified prospect, consider adding an AI leasing agent to your team. Powered by artificial intelligence, these bots can answer calls, texts, and chats to answer leasing questions, collect guest cards, and schedule tours. They can even be placed on your Google My Business listing and other social media profiles, so your prospects can learn about your community and book a tour in just one click. You'll never have to worry about missing a leasing opportunity ever again. Check out ACE™ Virtual Leasing Assistant to learn more the traffic it can generate for your properties.
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This 2023 budgeting season will be like no other. With growing costs—so much is simply out of our control. But one crucial thing that apartment companies can manage is labor costs. When budget planning, use these three life hacks to make planning easier and focused on growing your bottom line.
Chatbots make communication simple and direct. They offer 24/7 access, are easy to use, respond instantly and provide the information your renters need. Your community will benefit by implementing one. Discover five reasons why your prospects will want your property to have a chatbot.
The traditional way to show an apartment has been paused and a new way is already on the rise. Demand for virtual touch-less tours is surging from apartment consumers. Although this technology is on the rise due to social distancing, experts predict things won’t go back to the way they were either.
Calling all leasing stars! LeaseHawk is celebrating the launch of ACE™ Insights by giving up to $100,000 to top-performing apartment leasing agents. Use ACE™ Insights to show off your leasing skills and boost performance. It’s time to turn your talent into rewards—don’t miss out!
LeaseHawk is now HIPAA compliant, reinforcing secure, compliant data management for our clients, especially sectors catering to assisted living and healthcare. With this achievement, ACE™ AI can automate interactions 24/7, ensuring privacy and efficiency while reducing administrative burden.
LeaseHawk unveils ACE™ Insights, the latest addition to its ACE AI platform, to boost human efficiency, productivity, and leasing velocity. Current clients get priority access. Contact us to join the list!
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