6 Ways Property Managers Can Make a Big Impression

By Christine Ascher on July 10, 2017

With the multitude of housing options available to students in most college towns, it can be difficult as a property manager to differentiate your property to students. In order to draw in residents, you’ll need to stand out and ensure that students remember your property after their first visit — and that they’ll want to come back for a second look.

With these six techniques, you can ensure that students will remember you and, hopefully, that they’ll decide to sign a lease.

Image via https://pixabay.com

1. Make possible residents feel welcome

Especially with college students who are living away from home for the first time, being welcoming is a simple way to make a good first impression. If someone comes to tour the property, try to remember their name and to get to know them a little. Make sure that they feel comfortable asking questions; this is especially important given that they might be signing a lease for the first time.

It’s easy for students to feel intimidated when they’re looking for off-campus housing for the first time, so make sure you’re aware of that and do your best to calm their nerves.

2. Keep everything clean

While it may seem simple, keeping your property as clean as possible will make a good impression on residents. If the floors seem dirty or some of the surfaces are dusty, your potential residents might be turned off the property. Making sure that everything is neat and tidy when people come to look around is the first step to making them love the property.

Paint, in particular, can make or break how clean your property appears, so it’s worth making sure that your walls look fresh and clean, with no paint chipping off. Considering a lot of college apartments are not in pristine condition, cleaning up your property will already put you ahead of all of the messy ones out there.

3. Offer deals

The easiest way to stand out to college students is to make them feel like they’ll be getting a good deal with you. Furnishing your property nicely or throwing in an extra, like free parking for a month, will ensure that students remember you. You can also try thinking of some items that college students will want to have in their apartments, such as a coffee maker or a printer, and offer to include them in the apartment or give one away to the first person who signs a lease with you. This offers a monetary incentive to students and takes one more thing off of their to-do list when they move in. While it may cost you a little bit upfront, in the long run, you’ll be able to bring in more residents and, therefore, more rent.

4. Host events for prospective residents

A fun way to draw in possible residents and to make an impression on them is by hosting events that allow them to see the property. For instance, if your property has a pool, you can host a pool party for anyone interested in looking around. Offering free food tends to draw in a lot of college students as well. This gives potential residents a more informal setting to ask questions about the property and lease agreements, prior to making a final decision.

It can also be a good chance for you to show off the best characteristics of the property, and to take your possible residents for tours. Hosting events will help you set the tone by showing possible residents that you’re involved and want them to enjoy living there.

5. Decorate well

The manner in which you decorate your apartment will either help you stand out if you have a unique decorating scheme or will make you blend in if your property is too similar to others nearby. Often, properties in college areas can blend together, all featuring the same, bland furniture and décor.

Help yourself stand out by changing things up. Just from the pictures you put on the walls and any small touches that you keep around the property, you can make the space more memorable and — importantly — more welcoming to prospective residents. You might even want to create a theme for your property that all of your décor follows, which anyone who visits will be able to remember. For instance, you can create a beachy feel by decorating with blues and putting up some seaside pictures.

6. Use social media                                       

College students tend to get a lot of information from social media. To make sure that you’re remembered, utilize social media when you’re advertising your property. A college student isn’t necessarily likely to pay a lot of attention to an advertisement pinned on a bulletin board at their local coffee shop; however, if you post an ad on Facebook, you might catch their attention.

Use a lot of pictures when advertising your property, as this is will help you hold students’ attention. In addition, if you host any events to bring in possible residents, you can advertise them on social media as well to reach a wider audience.

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