Fall 2008 Update

With difficult economic times being spread via the media like wildfire to the public, it is grueling to walk into a room and ask your leasing staff to raise their rents. Here's how I see it: It took 5 years for single family homes to inflate to an obscene level. It will take five years for them to come back down and stabilize. The same holds true for the apartment industry. Rents have been plumeting since 2002. We just recently saw the return of stabilized occupancies and more than a percentage of rent growth. So rather than meeting this challenge as "grueling", I'm take a different approach. One that simply reviews the elements of supply and demand. Today's market is one that supports rent growth. It is time to return rents to where we left off in late 2001.

Apartment Chat Volume I

Hello. I've created this blog to connect those working in the apartment industry with one another. I specifically am interested in social marketing and how it impacts our business. Since the apartment business has always lagged in the technology world, I think it's up to us to make sure it steps it up a notch. I'm hoping to find others, like myself, who wish to integrate social marketing/networking into their business life. Let me know if you're interested in talking more about this industry. tbolton@reeliving.com or www.reeliving.com (soon to be overhauled). Don't judge!