I speak with brokerage owners every day who are trying to figure out why their firm isn't growing in size or revenue. More often than not, the issue is simple—the founder has unknowingly created the ceiling.In the early days, being involved in everything is necessary. You're hiring, closing deals, solving problems, and shaping the culture all at once. That hustle is what gets the business off the ground.But what builds a brokerage is not wh ...

Residents now consider high-tech amenities a significant factor in their leasing decisions. This isn't a trend. Technology that operates seamlessly and enhances the renter experience has moved from a feature to a core expectation for renters, according to the Satifacts 2025 Biennial Online Renter Study. For owners and operators, this presents an extraordinary opportunity to create communities that residents ...

Throughout the home rental industry, operators are increasingly relying upon in-lease chargebacks over move-out deductions. Rather than having their deposits docked (and billed for any excess) after they move out, residents are charged for damages immediately during the term of their lease. Not only does this ensure operators are paid on time and don't have to track down departed residents, it also encourages responsible occupancy and real-time a ...

I've spent a lot of time the past few weeks thinking about technology in general and proptech (really, restech) in particular. Those who know me know that I am not one prone to hype. In fact, my entire career has been spent being a bit of a contrarian…fighting against hype and leaning into my belief that multifamily rental housing is truly a "Goldilocks Zone" business—one in which you can hurt yourself by investing too little in tech but you can ...

Major renovation programs are often discussed in terms of scope, budgets, and construction execution. What receives far less attention is the operational team that must continue leasing units, retaining residents, and managing the community while the work is underway.During a renovation program in Los Angeles, a leasing manager shared a simple observation with me. She said the team had no way to show residents or prospective tenants what the comm ...

If you work in multifamily, you know this moment.A resident walks into your office upset because their package is gone. And now they're looking at YOU to fix the problem. And you're sitting there thinking…"I wish I could. But I can't."I've experienced this on multiple levels. On-site (as a leasing consultant, assistant and community manager), and also at the corporate level when I was the Customer Care Manager for a large comp ...

You track bad debt, right?You track vacancy loss. Concessions. Cost per lease. Cost per click. You track all the numbers to determine whether or not the asset is doing well, or not. But there is one line item that may just be costing you a lot of money per property, and it's not tracked, at least not in the way that makes it clearly obvious what it is. It doesn't have it's own line on a report, or a column, maybe not even a budget!But it's there. ...

Ask three people on your marketing team to describe your company to a prospect right now. Don't coach them. Just ask.If the answers are meaningfully different — different framing, different vocabulary, different energy — you have a brand problem that no logo update will fix.Most multifamily organizations invest in visual identity: logos, color palettes, brand guidelines that cover type and graphic standards. That investment is real and necessary. ...