| Multifamily executives must constantly evaluate new | | | | are shipping every day. Apple recently marked their 4 |
| technology hardware and software products at the | | | | billionth app download, so as you can see, mobile |
| same time they are integrating current tools, upgrading | | | | devices are here to stay. |
| legacy systems and training staff to take advantage | | | | UDR, a Colorado-based REIT that owns 45,000 |
| of underutilized components of programs they already | | | | apartment units nationally, says that 9% of its web |
| have in place. As quickly as things are changing in this | | | | visitors in 2009 used phones for access, viewed over |
| area, it can be a real challenge to keep up. | | | | 400,000 pages and created 97 mobile leases. No |
| Social Media | | | | doubt these numbers will continue to grow. |
| It can be difficult to know exactly how social media like | | | | UDR was also the first to create an "augmented |
| Facebook and Twitter contribute to the bottom line in | | | | reality" app for multifamily. A potential renter can point |
| apartment communities. Many apartment managers | | | | their phone's camera at an apartment and see pricing |
| and owners feel obligated to maintain Facebook fan | | | | and availability data superimposed over the live picture. |
| pages simply because all their competitors have one. | | | | After launching in September 2009, UDR had over |
| But is it as critical as a clean pool, nice landscaping and | | | | 125,000 downloads by the end of the year. Other firms |
| a friendly, knowledgeable staff? According to a large | | | | have already created similar proprietary apps and |
| survey of apartment residents conducted by J. Turner | | | | more are sure to follow. |
| Research, only 8% had ever visited a community's fan | | | | Web Portals |
| page. | | | | Another large and growing trend among apartment |
| On the other hand, many apartment managers are | | | | communities is the development of integrated |
| using social media to improve their rankings in the | | | | websites that serve tenants and free up staff for |
| search engines at the same time they're slashing their | | | | other duties. Already, residents can pay rent online and |
| print advertising budgets. Plus, the only cost associated | | | | submit work orders. Some properties even send out |
| with a Facebook page is the staff time to create it, | | | | lease renewals with incentives for renewing early |
| and occasionally update it. A small price to pay for an | | | | online. Freed from these mundane and time-consuming |
| online presence that never goes away. | | | | tasks, onsite personnel can spend more time showing |
| Mobile Phones | | | | apartments and performing other duties that increase |
| There are now more Americans with cell phones than | | | | resident satisfaction. |
| either internet access or cable TV, and an estimated | | | | As you can see, technology is beginning to rapidly |
| 70 million of us regularly use mobile web browsers. | | | | change the world of apartment management. I'm sure |
| Google recently released Android, a software | | | | that apps for the iPad are already in development that |
| package for mobile devices, and on February 16, 2010 | | | | will continue to accelerate this trend for the |
| they announced that 60,000 cell phones with Android | | | | foreseeable future. |