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...
Smart measures
Peter Drucker, the man who has been called the inventor of modern management, is credited with saying, "You can't manage what you can't measure." That adage holds true in the multifamily space, where comps...
The new guy at Freddie Mac
First, Haldeman clarified what Freddie Mac's business is, and dispelled some common misconceptions. As a player in the secondary market, the company doesn't deal with families who are applying for mortgages; instead, it buys...
Phil Carlock set to be inducted into National Apartment Association’s Hall of Fame
Phil Carlock, CAPS, CPM, chairman of the executive committee and vice chairman of the Board of the Directors of ECI Group, Marietta, Ga., the 2001 NAA president (now recognized as chairman of the board),...
Turning the corner
"What a difference a year makes. And the way things are changing today, what a difference 90 days make," Equity Residential CEO David Neithercut, said, during the company's earnings call at the end of...
Want to create jobs? Think like job creators.
On the other hand, some 250,000 new jobs were created last month - albeit many are temporary government census takers. Republicans and Democrats now agree on which two big issues matter: in the short term...
NWP expands its national footprint with acquisition
The acquisition further positions NWP as the leading national provider, increasing its footprint to include 45 states, completing its west-to-east move and adding a host of CBSI customers to NWP's client list. "By the common...
Making public housing work
A report issued by HUD in May drove home how few housing choices our poorest families have. It found that in 2007, nearly 13 million low-income individuals paid more than half their monthly income...
The madness of Capitol Hill’s kings
The bill is an economic disaster. It will destroy jobs and harm capital creation. Even in the best of times, such an act would be extremely hurtful to the economy. Under these circumstances, it's...
EQR hunts for deals
The company that traditionally has grown through acquisition, but bought no assets at all in the first three quarters of 2009, bought two in Q4. Last October, the REIT closed an all-cash transaction to...
Quick. Someone get us a new business model.
In Jeff Thull's classic business book, Mastering the Complex Sale, he stresses the importance of a salesperson first listening, then unraveling a customer's problem to mutually align with the customer for a viable solution. Most...
Design in streamline times
The American Dream of home-ownership turned nightmare two years ago. Since then, credit has contracted and home equity has become a fading memory. In this new age of tightened belts, Americans have changed their...
Are lenders really back?
"That's because in the last four months the market has taken a 180 and there's a ton of capital and deals are starting to happen, so we are all back to being mortgage brokers...
Why leaders need to master the art of persuasion
Our organizations and management styles are quickly evolving to accommodate our changing world and workforce. Gone are the days of the command and control management style and autocratic decision makers. Most best practice organizations...
The psychology behind the recession
Economists have given many reasons why the United States is in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression: under-regulation, massive corporate debt, and subprime mortgages are among the explanations. Less discussed...
