The Final Days of the Property Sale

A little piece of my marketing soul died this week. Remember when you had your first real boyfriend (or girlfriend) and you broke up, well, because this was your first relationship and as relationships go, the first one usually doesn’t make it to your high school days. Anyway, here we are in the final days of the impending sale and the Owner calls me and says matter-of-factly, “Stop.” What he meant was, don't lease any more. And I was heartbroken - as if we had just broken up.

Do you know how difficult that directive is for me to follow? It goes totally against all the grains of my Pre-Leasing Strategy. The Business Manager side of me understands because I know at this stage of the game, there will be final prorates done, etc. and it all washes out for him at the end of rainbow. But for anyone who calls me needing to find a home, I am left in utter limbo. So, now I have become YOUR best leasing link as I am assisting people in finding homes with YOUR communities … and you don’t even know it. But I cannot in good conscience just ignore those who are trying to move before the holidays, and trust me, there are still quite a few that do.  

Working With the Senior Resident

My daughter told me the other day that I should manage a senior community. She said matter-of-factly that after all, I was the “Old People Whisperer.” I am not sure the elderly population would feel flattered by that attribute, but I laughed anyway. In fact, her assessment could possibly be quite accurate.

When did that happen? I can remember being bored by people over the age of thirty!

Looking back though, I can tell you it happened the day I became a Manager of a property that had been marketed as a Senior Community. It wasn’t legally classified as a Senior Property, but because the Manager and Leasing Consultants said it was, no one much under the age of fifty went there after they called since that was what they were told. Hello? Fair Housing?

When I came on board, and was moved into the role of manager there, I was forced into learning how to deal with the older population. It turns out I have a knack for it. I seem to have infinite patience with seniors and I always make time for them. It is such a pleasure to talk to someone who has experienced so much change in his lifetime! The older men flirt shamelessly and the older women sometimes just need a hug. Sometimes, they all just need to know someone cares – they are so lonely.

How much trouble is it to stop by to check in on someone who is lonely and would never confide that to you? Does it really take that much time to fix a cup of tea for someone and sit for a moment? I love to do this. But my daughter is right; I have noticed that many people in our Leasing Offices look with disdain on a slow-moving person who is coming in to report a work order request. They never stop to think that they come in because they want some human interaction. And if the older resident complains, it may be because they want some attention! Give it to them, please. They appreciate your kindness more than you can ever know. In fact, I guess just about everyone does.  

Here are some things to do for your Senior Residents:

1. Subscribe to the newspaper. Subscriptions are expensive these days and this may bring more of your Residents into your clubhouse.

2. Serve coffee or tea in your clubhouse.

3. Make sure your dumpsters have side openings. Many Seniors cannot open those large lids on dumpsters.

4. Allow pets! Pets help banish loneliness for all our Residents, let alone "shut-ins."

5. Print your brochures, flyers and party invitations in a BIG FONT - easier for seniors to read.

6. Hold Resident Events earlier in the evening. Many do not like walking home in the dark.

7. Hold card parties! Bridge games are still popular.

8. Allow gardening and patio containers so Residents can have flowers in their outdoor areas.

9. Make sure your Groundsperson salts by outdoor mailboxes! Getting the mail is an important activity for many senior residents. Mitigate the danger of them slipping on the ice.

10. Teach them how to access the internet if they don't know how. Have a continuing ed class just for them.

Are there other things our property managers can do? Please share your ideas!

Sales Tip When Your Property Is For Sale

When your property is for sale, every person who walks through your Leasing Office door is not a real Prospect. Though you know you should behave as if they are, it is sometimes a difficult task. I won’t say I always know a True Prospect when he enters, but … Generally what happens during the pre-contract stage, is every potential buyer – even before they come to tour your community – sends a Shopper or has someone call you to test the phone skills of whoever answers the telephone. For Leasing Team members, there is no additional stress in this. However, the telephone call could determine a potential job offer if the Shopper turns out to be the new Buyer and thus, Owner. Managers, on the other hand, generally do not answer these phone calls. I am a Manager, but I also answer the phone.

Have I told you lately that for me, answering the telephone is a learned skill? 

Last Friday I answered the phone and a gentleman began asking questions about accepting a short term lease proposal. At this time of the year, that is really all I want to accept! (But I did not say that.) I set up an appointment for him and his wife to come and tour one of the townhouses to see if that would meet their needs. Now, there wasn’t anything special about the conversation but I always have a nagging doubt these days if the person is “for real” or not.

Let me say this. There is nothing in the world more paranoia-producing than when your property is for sale. People will call all day long asking every market survey question you can imagine. They will ask you every Fair Housing question, including, “Do you take people of color there?” What????? People of color? The last time someone asked me that (three weeks ago), I said, “Sure, I will take blue people, green people, yellow people. What color are you referring to specifically?”

The couple arrived in the morning instead of our agreed upon afternoon appointment time, but that was fine with me. We sat and talked for a long while about their decision to move and downsize and all the other probing questions. Very well mannered, very nicely dressed, this retired couple was engaging and I began thinking I did not think they were game playing at all.

We toured the available townhouse and came back to Office to discuss the terms of a leasing contract. As they walked to the door to leave, the wife turned to her husband and told him to fill out all the paperwork and write a check because she was happy with everything and saw no reason to look anywhere else.

She was shaking her head, “Oh, this is going to be so nice! I am not interested in going anywhere else!” she said. Her husband held her elbow and he escorted her through the open door. He turned to say over his shoulder, “We want to move into our home before the holidays!”

I nodded and told him I would make it happen. It would be my pleasure. Sales tip: not every one is a Shopper and you cannot always know by talking to them over the phone.

Interviewing Is Not Fun!

“We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing while others judge us by what we have already done.” ~ H. W. Longfellow

A couple of weeks ago I was interviewing over the telephone with an Asset Manager I had never met before. He asked me how I would know I was successful in my role as an Assistant Regional Manager. Honestly, the first thought that popped in my head was, “When you keep adding to my portfolio, then I will know I am successful.” But I didn’t say that.

I answered with what I thought was a politically correct response regarding being diligent about checking all the statistics and reports in Yardi (the company’s accounting software program) and knowing that when all the properties were hitting their numbers, when I could see we were making a profit and vacancies were filling, then I would presume I and my team were becoming successful. What I also wanted to add was, “I guess if no one is quitting on me and running screaming out the door, including me, I would think I was being successful.” Of course, I chickened out and didn’t say that either.

There are so many things I feel capable of doing. There are so many jobs I am doing NOW but I don’t have the title to back it up that I wonder how I can catch a break in this job market. Hahaha! As a Manager and a Consultant, I see a lot of what doesn’t work in the multifamily industry, but the truth is, the most important asset a community and company can have is its people. Who would you rather have on your team: someone you believe in because of attitude, skills, and that “gut feeling” that they would give you their 1000% or someone who looks good on paper but may not necessarily have that same personality, drive and attitude of someone who is “hungry” and willing to do what it takes to succeed?

I probably should have just said what I felt instead of what I thought he wanted to hear because clearly he was not impressed with my answers. Live and learn.   

Time To Start Believing In Yourself

When I was living in Grand Rapids, Michigan I was like a lot of young mothers whose friends were the other mothers of our children’s classmates we met and bonded with at PTA meetings, field trips and room mother assignments. Chances are you may still be in touch with these other kindred spirits. One of these mothers who became one of my most cherished friends was named Louise. She and her husband were raising three children, two of which were the same ages as my two.

Louise, at that time, was studying to be a teacher and had just gotten through her student teaching phase when I moved – again. Over the next few months of my settling in to a new town, getting my oldest situated in a new school, decorating a new house – you know – life, Louise was hired for her first teaching assignment: Fifth Grade at an inner city school. Like most first year teachers everything was stressful. Her class contained students who wanted to be anywhere than there in a classroom; her principal was obnoxious and hard to deal with and expected more than any one person could deliver. After a few months, Louise noticed that on her drive in to school, her stomach was hurting. Soon she would become nauseated and would vomit each morning, even before the drive.

Ever helpful, I offered, “Maybe you’re pregnant?”

No, that wasn’t it. She went to her doctor and he diagnosed stress as the culprit. I shook my head while we were talking on the phone. “I don’t know, Louise. You’ve never been like that before and having three kids can be pretty stressful!”

Long story short, Louise agreed. She kept going back to her doctor and finally, after the umpteenth visit, he ran some basic tests. She had a CT scan and it revealed a huge tumor in her abdomen. It was cancer. She began treatments. Her persistence in her belief that it was not all in her head, as some had told her, led to the diagnosis and eventual treatment that saved her life.

I kind of marveled at her tenacity! If it had been me, I am sure at that time in my life, I would have discounted that little voice telling me something really was wrong. But Louise did not ignore it. She pursued it. It makes me wonder, still, do we feel confident in our beliefs? Do we ride that tide of belief in our decision-making processes? How easily do we throw in the towel and surrender?

I have tried to embrace Louise’s level of self assuredness in my profession. I want to project a confidence that comes with knowing and believing in what I am doing. After all, if I don’t believe in my community and all it has to offer its Residents, how can I convey to them my joy that this is the place to call home? I know this starts with me and my ability to communicate my love for this community as home. It always starts with one and that one is me.

Know a Veteran? Say, Thank You!

My son made his decision to join the military in high school. In fact, he was not legally able to sign the enlistment papers because he was underage. I did not know that he had made his mind up until he casually announced he was joining. I saw the serious expression on his face and swallowed hard.

“What branch are you signing up with?” I asked.

“I think the Army. I’ve been meeting with the recruiters at lunch at school.” I asked him if he was sure if the Army was right for him. He wanted to know what I thought. So, again, I paused and swallowed.

“Well, if you’re going to enlist, why not enlist with the Marines?”

A couple of days later, Thomas Sean told me when I walked in from work that someone was coming to see me in a few minutes. “Oh, who?” But I knew. I could tell from my son’s poised, confident expression that I would be signing the paperwork for him to enlist. He was just seventeen and suddenly I was scared. What if my baby gets shipped off to Iraq and gets killed? I could not bear that thought so I pushed it from my consciousness.

I met the Recruiter, signed the paperwork and then spent the next forty-eight hours arguing with my ex-husband over this decision. I finally told him that it was going to happen and he needed to accept it. He said he would not give permission. And, this is what I love about the United States Marine Corps. They simply do not take no for an answer. They sent in three big Marines to my ex’s office in Houston, Texas and placed the paperwork on his desk, handed him a pen and told him to sign. My son’s dream of joining an organization geared to protect came true.

My son did indeed join the bravest men and women of this country. He did indeed get shipped off to war and he could not have been happier. He was doing what he wanted to do, what he was trained to do, and he was confident in his ability to lead his merry band of brothers into combat.

If you know a Veteran, please thank him or her. They make many sacrifices we will never fully understand or appreciate.

She Did, Too! I Did Not! Handling He Said-She Said Disputes

Here’s a new one for you – it was new for me, anyway, so I thought I would share. I had one of our Residents contact the Office to complain that their next door neighbor and she had gotten into some type of dispute. Apparently, the neighbor was allowing her to use their Wifi internet connection free of charge and had provided the password.

After the initial argument, the neighbor changed the name of their Wifi network to a less than complimentary name, something to the effect of “JaniceSucks%$#@”. This meant that when her twelve year daughter logged on later that evening that was what she saw as the new network name.  

When she discovered this, of course she was embarrassed and angry. Instead of confronting the neighbor though, she called both the local police department and the neighbor’s boss. Then once it all blew up out of control, she called me to “make her change her network name.”

I told her that FCC regulations do not permit me to order her to change her network name, number one. Number two, she should stop using the neighbor’s network and get her own service provider. I wanted to say, Grow Up, Too, but I did not think that would be appropriate either. I did contact the neighbor though and ask that she create a less offensive network name. Hummm, do you think changing the network name to "GetaLifeJaniceUB*%$^" is any better?

There Is Hope - VOTE!

It’s hard to have hope after all the devastating events that have occurred in the last four years. This country has been through it all: feasts (if you received a golden parachute), famine (if your factory closed leaving you with questions and no answers), homelessness, drought conditions all across the land (ask any farmer), storms, floods, fires (victims of Hurricane Sandy and the west coast fires), and war (Afghanistan and pulling out of Iraq.) It is difficult to ask Americans to keep the faith, but we must persevere. We must be resilient.

We need to demonstrate our resolve to remain hopeful in our future to our children. When I was teaching, I became the Student Council sponsor in the elementary school where I taught. Since it was an election year, I wanted to be able to demonstrate to all the students how important one vote can be. The school itself was an official voting place so children knew they had to be quiet on Election Day, that the lunch room was to remain as quiet as possible that day while all these adults (many of whom were their parents) could come in and pull the lever. But they really had no clue as to what it all meant.

Our Student Council was made up of two student representatives and an alternate for each fourth, fifth and sixth grade classroom. We would meet at 7:30 AM each Tuesday morning and discuss what service project we could do for the school community. I suggested we hold a mock election the same day as the national election and allow all children to vote for something. Many ideas were batted around and we finally settled on the platform of changing the school colors from Red and Yellow to something else. Several color combinations were suggested and we settled on three options at first and after a Preliminary campaign, the upper grades voted and selected the final possible change of Purple and Blue.

I have to say it was pretty remarkable. Each Student Council Officer was given the assignment of going to all the lower elementary grade classrooms and making a presentation explaining how the voting process worked, what would happen on Election Day, and how this was the student’s chance to make a choice: change the colors or keep the same colors. Each Student Council member was told to make posters supporting a change or keeping the same colors in place. They all gave speeches to their classroom peers as well.

Election Day went smoothly and the students Rocked the Vote! Our mock school election stirred up so much interest within the school community that it spread into the actual city community as well. To say it was the talk of the town was an understatement. I did not expect it to become controversial, but it did! Past students now all grown up and at college wrote letters protesting the possibility of changing their alma mater’s colors. Parents called the school (and me) to ask all kinds of questions, including were we buying new uniforms if the students voted to change the school colors. Even the mayor and City Commissioners called me to ask what was going on and why it was happening.  It was amazing! It really opened the eyes of these children who were learning firsthand that the concerns of people mattered and that their opinions mattered; their votes would count.

It starts with each one of us. As a Property Manager, one way to make sure our Residents understand the importance of voting is to try to make it easy for them to vote. Holding voter registration days and registering your community’s club house as a polling place are two ways to emphasize the importance of voting to our Residents. Providing treats and stickers saying “I VOTED” is a fun little way to support our Residents’ right to choose. I cannot tell you how important it is to me to have the right to make a change or support the status quo. It is up to each one of us to make sure our voices are heard.

Conducting Due Diligence Onsite

Thursday, November 1, 2012, a group of twelve+ people descended upon an office a full twenty minutes before the Office was scheduled to open and before they were expected to arrive. The Manager was fielding a couple of No Heat calls, trying to collect the rent checks that had been dropped into the after hours drop box and the phone was ringing. To say it was a bit hectic was an understatement.

Just a word of advice for all you going about your acquisitions: conducting property Due Diligence tours on the day rent is due is inconsiderate of the onsite team. The extending of hands and the exchanging of business cards of twelve+ people at the same time, all while asking for things like making umpteen copies of this twenty page document is not the best way to introduce yourself to a Manager, Leasing Consultant or Maintenance Tech. Then stating you need keys to the units NOW is also rude and thoughtless.

Treating the onsite team as your personal servants and gophers is not acceptable either.

While I am at it, you should be respectful of the property itself and of the Residents who reside at the property. You should refrain from making the following statements while touring the community:

“Jeez. What kind of person lives here?”

 “Hey, Karl, look at this!” Apparently, looking through someone’s cabinets and commenting on the shelved items is permissible, not to mention making similar comments when opening the bedroom closets to that particular team.

“The stove in this one is newer. They should have updated all the appliances. How do these people live like this?” (The appliances are between 1-15 years old.)

“Wow, this bathroom is dark. We will have to rip out the soffits and install better lighting.” (This would be okay in theory, except that the Resident standing there listening to this remark is left feeling criticized, I am told.)

The following tips would be advisable for these Due Diligence inspection teams.

1. Arrive after the Office is open for the day. This will not make the onsite team feel rushed, as though a plague of locusts has descended upon them.
2. Arrive with donuts for the onsite team.
3. Have one spokesperson introduce himself to the onsite team and explain who will be conducting the Lease Audit and who will be doing the Unit Walks. It is not necessary to try to pass out everyone’s business card.
4. The Management Company should have a representative there on site to answer the Acquisition Team’s questions. Typically the Prospective Buyer and Reps have been provided all the needed documentation prior to the Due Diligence date. Any documents requested, such as a Rent Roll, must come from the Management Company as all information must be warranted as accurate. This cannot be the responsibility of the onsite team.
5. Refrain from making derogatory comments about the team, property and residents in the presence of the current team and residents.
6. Make notes regarding age of appliances, condition of carpet, and apartment interiors. Refrain from commenting about improvements you are considering making. Remember, the Residents usually do not know who you are or why you are in their homes. It may cause undue stress to a Resident to hear someone is buying the property or that there is new ownership coming.
7. Be considerate of those site members who are unlocking and locking doors. Ask instead of demanding immediate attention. They are there to help you and they will help as best they can.
8. Turn off any lights you turn on in someone’s apartment. Remember, you are not paying that Resident’s electric bill. Do not sit on their furniture or use their bathroom.
9. If you are not inviting the onsite team to join you for lunch, or bringing in lunch for them, then it is impolite to discuss your lunch plans in front of them.
10. Remember to thank them for their time and let them know when everyone is leaving the property.

I cannot emphasize enough the amount of stress transitions like this can cause an onsite team. The Due Diligence team should conduct themselves with the utmost care and consideration of the onsite team. Just saying ….