When it comes to staffing your leasing office, many assume more hours of availability is better. While it's true that having an office that is accessible to both current and prospective tenants alike is important, it's often unnecessary to staff the office around the clock. Scott Safadi of Cal Bay Property Management recommends finding a balance between the 24 hour availability offered by some properties and the seemingly always closed offices run by others.
If you're rethinking your office hours, consider why that is. Have you had complaints about your hours? Have your employees voiced concerns about being overworked, or worse, having nothing to do? Perhaps you've heard from current tenants who struggle to get to the office to pick up packages or pay rent outside of traditional business hours. No matter what the complaint, factoring these voices into your decision-making process is key. Consider what your ideal leasing office hours might look like. Ignore how much it might cost to staff the office for now; just look at the benefits and drawbacks of altering your current system. Perhaps you'd foster greater lines of communication between your tenants and staff. Maybe you would open yourself up to an entirely new market of apartment hunters. Or maybe you'd save yourself valuable time and money by closing a little earlier or opening a little later. At the very least, consider the needs of your current and prospective tenants. While nobody wants to work on nights or weekends, these times are crucial for our industry. Offer employees the option to come in late and stay late rather than simply tacking on extra hours to an already long day. While many property managers see an early morning start time as a good way to set the tone for the day, it's often the evening hours that are needed most by tenants. Whatever you decide, do so while being reflective about the needs of your staff, your tenants and the prospective tenants you hope to snag. - Scott Safadi, Cal Bay Property Management
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Giving back to your community is one of the most rewarding things you can do as a property manager. Bringing in your colleagues and tenants onboard can also be a bonding experience, giving your community the chance to come together over a good deed. Not sure how to ensure your food drive is successful? No worries. Cal Bay Property Management's Scott Safadi has the tips you need to guarantee a fun, productive time is had by all.
Tip 1: Location, Location, Location Just like in the real estate world, location is everything when it comes to food drives. To be successful, you'll want to pick a high traffic, highly visible spot to advertise your food drive and collect. If you store packages in your offices, consider keeping a food collection spot nearby. As folks receive packages in the mail for Christmas, they'll definitely be more inclined to contribute to the food drive on their way to pick up their mail! Tip 2: Create Competition Americans love to root for their home team, so consider turning the food drive into a fun competition. In a multi-family community, designate drop off spots for each floor or building. Be sure to track the contributions and send out communications to your residents to drum up the competition. You don't even necessarily need to award a prize to the winning team - the competition alone is enough of a game to get everyone excited and contributing! Tip 3: End on a Happy Note Don't just take donations from folks and disappear. Instead, snap some photos of the food donations and tally up just how much was contributed by the tenants and staff. Send out the details in an email thanking everyone for their participation. Even if you only collected a small portion of food, the photos and follow-up email can help you garner support for next year's collection. - Scott Safadi, Cal Bay Property Management How often do you invite your tenants out to socialize? Perhaps you've thrown pizza parties and cookie decorating contests, cocktail mixers and movie nights. Chances are good that despite your best intentions, these events are not well-attended. It's not just you: apartment community events have a familiar sense of forced fun that harkens back to introductions on the first day of school. The only difference? Your tenants aren't forced to participate. Scott Safadi of Cal Bay Property Management encourages property managers to stay the course, though: these events can foster a real sense of community and encourage folks to stick around another year.
It's time to go beyond the stereotypes and really look at why people aren't showing up. Be honest with yourself: are you advertising your events with fidelity? A flyer pinned in the laundry room and an email sent to the spam folders of your residents does nobody any good. If you're trying to get people psyched for the event, talk it up. Get a few extroverted staff members and residents on board and really make the event something memorable and exciting. Even if you're advertising your event well, people won't make time for it unless they really want to attend. The reality is that we're all incredibly busy, and our free time on nights and weekends is precious. Try mixing up your offerings and play around with what works best for your community. Maybe no one came to your pizza party on a Thursday night, but bagel Mondays the first week of the month could be a more natural fit for some groups. Most importantly, it's crucial to make your event memorable. These get togethers are not just for the fun of it. You're trying to build a real sense of camaraderie and community among your residents. Create events that will be a blast to attend and encourage people to bring the whole family down. Pet costume contests for Halloween, for instance, can create fun memories and a new tradition that folks will look forward to year after year. Even if your latest event has resulted in only a limited number of guests, it's important to keep trying! Keep your enthusiasm and energy levels high and your tenants will naturally gravitate towards you! - Scott Safadi, Cal Bay Property Managemen New tenants offer new opportunities. Not only do you have a fresh start to form a new relationship, you also have the chance to get them on board with new habits. By slowly encouraging each new tenant to live a little greener, you can start a sustainability legacy that lives on long after each tenant moves on! Cal Bay Property Management's Scott Safadi was recently recognized for his efforts to make upgrades around a San Mateo apartment community more sustainable. Whether you invest in such upgrades or simply encourage more environmentally friendly behaviors from tenants, the benefits are worth it.
Get started by urging new tenants to use only green cleaning products in their new apartment. It's one of the easiest ways to encourage a sustainable lifestyle. Not only are all-natural products like vinegar and baking soda excellent, environmentally-friendly options, they're also incredibly affordable! Tenants will love the chance to save their hard-earned cash. Another great way to live green and save money? Buy gently used furniture instead of brand new couches, tables and chairs. Craigslist furniture isn't just for college students any more! Consignment shops offer quality furniture for significant price reductions. Of course, the environmental benefits can't be discounted, either. Think of how much pollution is created by chopping down a tree to create a table, plus all that comes with the manufacturing and shipping of the final product. Save money and the planet by opting for used furniture instead. Encourage new residents to begin recycling their cans, bottles and cardboard after they move in, too. It costs only a few moments of their time to sort out these items from the rest of their garbage. Of course, this requires work on the part of the property management staff, too. If you don't already have a functioning recycling program in your community, there's never been a better time to start one! - Scott Safadi, Cal Bay Property Management |
AuthorScott Safadi leverages extensive experience in the real estate industry to serve as the CEO of Cal Bay Property Management (CBPM), which he founded in Palo Alto, California. Archives
January 2020
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