The creators
“Beauty is the promise of happiness,” wrote 19th Century French writer Stendhal. Beauty “exalts the mind or spirit,” according to Merriam-Webster and “truth, beauty and goodness” are the eternal principles for which the soul...
High interest rates stymie apartment investment
Few are executing new deals amid uncertainty about how high rates will go, what properties are worth, how much rents and operating costs will grow and whether a recession is coming. Higher interest rates have...
Our perception of skilled trades needs to change
The U.S. is in the midst of a crisis of masculinity. According to a new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, men without four-year college degrees, ages 25 to 54, have left...
Apartments hold steady despite uncertainty
The pandemic years have created a winning trifecta of high rent, occupancy and demand in the multifamily sector. Vacancies dropped to 5.8 percent, their lowest level since the mid-1980s, rents reached record highs while...
An inside job
Only by contact with evil could I have learned to feel by contrast the beauty of truth and love and goodness. —Helen Keller There’s a lot of unhappiness out there. Certainly there are legitimate reasons...
Land prices drop
Rising interest rates stress developers as they look for land to build on. But tough times may create opportunities. Land prices are falling—for the first time in more than ten years. Apartment developers are asking...
The housing boom is already over. The housing shortage will continue.
As mortgage rates have risen this year, the buyer demand for homes has fallen. That has spelled trouble for the home construction business. Homebuilder confidence dropped for the tenth straight month in October. The...
Same assets. Better performance.
Revenue management has been an indispensable price optimization tool in multifamily since the launch of Lease Rent Optimizer (LRO) and YieldStar 15 years ago, both developed in conjunction with large multifamily property REITs and...
The most important thing
Capitalism, wrote Marian L. Tupy and Gale L. Pooley in their book, Superabundance, succeeds not only because it is efficient but because it correctly locates the source of wealth in the human mind. Their book...
Benchmarking rules tighten
There’s an unexpected piece of paper taped to the glass entrance of 550 Vanderbilt, a luxury, high-rise in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y. Visitors might see it as they enter Ciao Gloria, the...
The case for space
Personally, I’m a big fan of markets, but I’m not much of a city guy. I’ve lived in urban areas before, and to me the benefits just don’t outweigh the cost of the hustle...
Money for nothing
In 1985, British rock band Dire Straits complained, “They ain’t workin’, that’s the way you do it; Money for nothing and your chicks for free.” The lyrics criticized the excesses of nouveau riche rock...
Unlocking a smart future
Smart technology is unlocking the door to a better experience for apartment renters, making management’s job easier and increasing the value of multifamily assets, say providers of smart apartment technology, the latest industry trend. Companies...
AI that actually works for multi-dwelling operations
Like many, you probably have tech at home. As an early adopter, I’m acutely aware that it’s more a hobby than a tried and true form of security, energy management or automation. The electricity...
Filling in the gaps
Apartments properties are buried in packages—and more keep coming. Property managers still look for a reasonable solution that doesn’t cost too much. Short of hiring a human staff person to receive packages and watch them...
