Are your top performers looking for a way out?
With unemployment hovering in the high single digits, no doubt the last thing that many employers are worried about today is their workers headed out the door for greener pastures. But the results of the...
Hopeful signs remain for housing
At first glance, the June housing starts report appeared to be negative, with activity declining 5.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 549,000 units, down from a pace of 578,000 units in...
Freakanomics and the Great Recession
A large part of the problem is that banks are skittish about offering loans to anyone other than those with immaculate credit and rock solid employment. The prevailing fear is that prospective borrowers might...
The new abnormal
The current circumstances might be better described as the new abnormal, in which no one knows anything. In June the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index fell 9 points on the heels of an 11...
Proud patriots and harsh critics of government
And many of those who voice strong patriotism and pride in the country also are highly critical of the federal government and its political leaders. A new national survey by the Pew Research Center for...
The graying workforce
According to one government estimate, 93 percent of the growth in the U.S. labor force from 2006 to 2016 will be among workers ages 55 and older. Demographic and economic factors explain some—but not all—of...
Mourning the loss of freedom to fail
It is perhaps even stranger to claim that we should actually fear losing the freedom to fail. Most of us are hardwired to avoid losing, and giving up the prospect does not logically seem...
NAHB Multifamily’s showcase of the best and the brightest
But the lack of a bricks-and-mortar venue in no way diminishes the value of the award that is considered the Oscar of the multifamily industry. And association members and the public will have ample...
Ten fundamental principals of a good manager
1. When you have an issue, problem, failure, dysfunction or whatever - anywhere in the organization - look up the ladder for the cause and down the ladder for the solution. 2. Everything that happens...
Lock in leases
The new locking technology that debuted at the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) International Builders' Show (IBS) in January isn't based on the pin-and-tumbler mechanism that has been synonymous with locks since the...
Bad debt be gone
Vacancies remained flat at eight percent in Q4, the highest level since 1980 and in any fourth quarter since 2003, according to independent real estate research firm REIS. And while industry watchers were encouraged...
Residents keep their cash. You protect your asset.
When residents opt for a SureDeposit surety bond as an alternative to the traditional security deposit, they pay a non-refundable $87.50 premium. The surety bond protects the owner against financial losses because tenants' requirements...
The high cost of worse case
Without the protection of a mandatory, full participation, program, apartment owners are exposed to a number of risks that can negatively impact their bottom line. Fire and water The most common tenant-caused apartment accidents are fires...
The new normal
A recent survey by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling found 26 percent of American households reported that they do not pay all of their bills on time and eight percent did not make...
Mandating energy benchmarks for multifamily housing
Coming down the pike, on the federal, state and local levels in cities around the country, is legislation that will require multifamily owners to benchmark, rate and disclose their properties' utility usage. Some bills...
