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Chairman's message.

Apr 01, 2008; Tompkins, Michael ... WE'RE JUST ABOUT TWO MONTHS AWAY from the much anticipated 2008 NAA Education Conference & Exposition in sunny Orlando! For three days, June 26-28, thousands of apartment industry professionals and service providers will flock to Florida for eye-opening education sessions, ...

NAA/NMHC working against homeownership incentives.(Political Insider: Capitol Beat)

Apr 01, 2008 ... AS THE FORECLOSURE CRISIS WORSENS, lawmakers are under pressure to "do something." One proposal backed by the National Association of Home Builders and others would create a new tax credit for people who buy a new house or a house in default or foreclosure. Legislation currently is pending ...

iPad or yours?(Marketing Insider: News, Tips and Quotes)

Apr 01, 2008 ... "I NEED TO START a new category in my blog called, 'Why didn't I think of that?' This item would be right up there at the top. It's a new apartment floor plan that's 380 square feet--larger than a typical studio, but smaller than a one-bedroom apartment. According to the folks at ...

Join the club.(Marketing Insider: News, Tips and Quotes)

Apr 01, 2008; Freeland, Christy ... "IN OUR MARKETING MATERIALS and discussions with prospective residents, instead of calling it a fitness center, we now call it a health club. When Generation Y renters are ...

8 ways to retain leasing professionals.(Marketing Insider: News, Tips and Quotes)

Apr 01, 2008 ... HOW WILL MANAGERS incentivize and retain their top leasing professionals in 2008? Following are results of a national survey, conducted by J Turner Research in 2007 and sent to approximately 6,000 apartment executives and onsite managers with 341 respondents. <Pre> 1. Increase ...

Top 7 new technologies.(Marketing Insider: News, Tips and Quotes)

Apr 01, 2008 ... APARTMENT INDUSTRY professionals rank online rent payment as the top new technology perk that residents want. <Pre> 1. Online Rent Payment 81.7% 2. Wi-Fi Internet Access62.5% 3. Online Maintenance ...

Top 9 techniques to attract and secure a potential resident.(Marketing Insider: News, Tips and Quotes)

Apr 01, 2008 ... ATTRACT AND SECURE residents with these top techniques from J Turner-surveyed apartment executives and managers. <Pre> 1. Referral Program 68.3% 2. Improve Lead Follow-Up 65.1% 3. Online Leasing 61.4% 4. ...

Sick? Stay at home from work!(Management Insider: Tips and Top 5s)

Apr 01, 2008 ... DESPITE GETTING THE FLU SHOT, regularly spraying desks with disinfectant and using hand sanitizer every hour, employees still get sick. They can either use their sick leave and fall behind on their work, or they can stick it out and go to the office. Tough choice, right? Wrong. Stay at ...

Your resume on the table, or in the trash?(Management Insider: Tips and Top 5s)

Apr 01, 2008 ... AT SOME POINT, everyone finds him or herself on the job market. Individuals who haven't looked in awhile will find that the Internet forever has changed the way employers and employees interact. With the advent of online job search sites, cover letters and resumes submitted by mail have ...

5 best excuses for calling in sick.(Management Insider: Tips and Top 5s)

Apr 01, 2008 ... WHAT ARE THE MOST USUAL REASONS employees gave for calling in sick to the office? Bosses who responded to a CareerBuilder.com survey name five that get points for creativity. 1. At her sister's wedding, an employee chipped her tooth on a mint julep, bent over to spit it out, hit ...

Why professionalism counts.(Management Insider: Advice, Tips and News)

Apr 01, 2008 ... ONE CHIEF COMPLAINT of residents is the lack of professionalism and cleanliness exhibited by maintenance technicians. For a company to be perceived as professional, its employees must be perceived that way when they interact with residents. They should be dressed cleanly and appropriately ....

Top 9 ways to reduce expenses.(Management Insider: Advice, Tips and News)

Apr 01, 2008 ... WHAT MEASURES ARE MANAGERS considering to reduce community expenses in 2008? Following are the nine methods to curb costs, according to a 2007 J Turner Survey. <Pre> 1. Work on Reducing Turnover82.4% 2. Review Vendor Contracts 52.9% 3. ...

Lingering smells and unit damage: pet rent problems.(Management Insider: Advice, Tips and News)

Apr 01, 2008 ... APARTMENT OWNERS often charge something known as "pet rent" to help them cover damages and maintenance costs caused by residents who share their homes with dogs, cats and other pets. Pet units are generally more difficult to maintain than pet-free apartments. Pat Rheams, who has owned and ...

The talent trap: a lack of qualified, experienced applicants, a turbulent economy and other market factors have combined to make compensation the No. 1 priority among apartment industry CEOs nationwide.

Apr 01, 2008; Wright, James B. ... To say the least, real estate overall and multifamily housing markets are currently in turmoil and transition. The mortgage-financing crisis has reduced investment, tightened credit and put pressure on values. There is fear of a recession, consumer spending is declining, inflation is ...

The upside of the downturn: although a recession or a period of subpar economic growth are never good news, the apartment industry is far better positioned to withstand such an occurrence in 2008 than it has been in the past.

Apr 01, 2008; Moody, Richard ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It is clear that the U.S. economy lost a considerable amount of momentum during Q4 2007, to the point that worries over a slower rate of growth have given way to fears that the economy is either already in or will fall into recession in 2008. ...

Figure it out: income and the tax credit program: when calculating resident income, these 16 steps will help lead to greater accuracy and maximized returns.

Apr 01, 2008; Carnahan, Brian ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Low Income Housing Tax Credit program serves households at or below either 50 percent or 60 percent of the area median income, depending on the minimum set aside selected as by the owner. The ability of an owner to claim tax credits and of a resident ...

An offer they can't refuse: motivate current and future employees with desire rather than with fear, and watch company retention rates soar.

Apr 01, 2008; Pike, Arti ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Recruiting firms often are called upon to replace valued employees who have left their employers for so-called greener pastures, The first question these firms generally ask their company clients is, "Why did he or she leave?" The answer often ...

Hire learning: eliminating the "initiation by fire" aspect from the hiring process can help a company gain and retain more valuable employees.

Apr 01, 2008; Penn, Rick ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When was the last time a community manager said he or she saved money on hiring new employees? Probably never. Hiring, training and retaining employees are often the largest financial burdens to a community, taking valuable resources and time away from ...

Employee enrichment: trillium residential has found that by treating employees like partners, the company expresses a commitment to helping them advance in the industry.

Apr 01, 2008; Sinclair, Michelle ... Competitive salaries, investment plans and substantial healthcare programs are necessary when recruiting qualified employees. However, beyond traditional benefits, employees now are seeking companies that offer unique perks, personal and professional growth opportunities and a healthy ...

Not your average mom and pop: some families bond over holidays or sporting events. For three generations of the Holley family, CAM designations and community management are the shared pastimes.

Apr 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Holleys hardly would call it a family secret. But their source for valuable knowledge about managing apartment communities is something that has been passed down for three generations. By taking part in classroom studies for the Certified ...