Is Your Property Like the New "Curvey Barbie"?

I feel like most of the communities I have ever managed equate to the new “Curvy Barbie” that was unveiled this week – the doll I can picture being opened on my niece’s next birthday with an expression of horror and disappointment. That doesn’t mean they are not well kept, that the floor plans aren’t spacious (because we all know the older the suburban property, the more likely it is to be spacious) and the grounds aren’t lovely. The question is, how do you mitigate your property’s perceived shortcomings?

Every Leasing Consultant has toured at least one Prospect who walks into the vacant or model unit and stops short in his tracks, turns around without saying a word, and does everything other than sprint back to his car. The first time this happened to me was on my first conventional property but the couple was super polite and said as they shook my hand, “This looks just like our first apartment we rented when we were first married and had nothing but love to get us through the day.”

Well, alrighty then!

So the challenge is on as all the new product comes on the rental scene to turn our “Curvey Barbie” properties into perhaps the next best thing to the brand new one …. What is your plan?

Direct Solicitation On Other Properties

Targeting other apartment communities with your Flyers and Door Hangers is just plain crass, in my opinion. I don’t understand why property management companies, even well-known companies with what appears to be a bottomless budget, continue to send their employees over to properties after hours to litter the neighboring property. 

Reasons to NOT ENGAGE in this type of “Marketing”:

1.      Hello? Ever pay attention to the posted NO SOLICITATION Signs? Your entire staff can be visited by local law enforcement and issued Orders of Banishment. Do you want to post bail for your Leasing Consultant who is arrested for trespassing?

2.      Safety – Nothing can ensure your safety. Attacks occur anywhere and do. Is sending your Leasing Consultant out to paper the neighboring comp worth THAT?

3.      Think this is great Guerrilla Marketing? Think again! It’s a nuisance and sets your community up to garner a BAD REPUTATION. At the comp you just crammed with litter, your apartment community is becoming known as DESPERATE.

Marketing Directors who feel this is the best use of their monetary resources and salary budget, should get out of apartment marketing then. I know – you stress that, even if you get only ONE NEW LEASE, it is worth it, I feel you are wrong. And if you, as a Marketing Director find out that one of your managers has sanctioned the use of this outdated, classless type of advertising, tell that Manager to just Cut.It.Out. Otherwise, attorneys out there will send you their lovely Cease and Desist letters and a bill for the time and trouble of paying someone to clean up the litter.