In this episode, Chris and Anne speak with Ben Pleat, the co-founder and CEO of Cobu. A technology platform designed to help multifamily marketers and owners drive resident satisfaction and community engagement, which in turn boosts occupancy and retention rates. Pleat shares that the genesis of Cobu was inspired by his mother's feeling of isolation despite living in a luxury Manhattan apartment building, revealing the widespread issue of loneliness. The conversation thoroughly explores how Cobu leverages user-generated content (UGC) and community building—including events and neighbor-to-neighbor interactions—to foster an authentic "vibe" for properties, which is then used to increase website conversion rates and improve SEO and AI search results. The guests and Pleet also examine broader marketing trends, such as the shift toward authenticity in branding and the impact of AI on consumer search behavior, emphasizing the importance of a positive, consistent resident experience.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Find more of The Apartment Department exclusively on our Substack.  Subscribe for articles and new episodes straight to your inbox.

In this episode, we sit down with Brent Camp of Asset Living and Arthur Kosmider of LeFrak to explore how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping property management and rental housing. Their perspective is clear: AI isn’t here to replace people, it’s here to remove the repetitive, low-value tasks that drain time and energy from on-site teams.

Brent and Arthur break down how automation is transforming everyday operations, from routine follow-ups and late-rent reminders to 24/7 resident support. The impact is real: higher lead-to-tour conversion rates, stronger review scores, and teams who finally have the bandwidth to focus on the human side of the business - building trust, strengthening community, and improving retention.

They also share what it takes to implement AI effectively: full organizational buy-in, ongoing education, and strong technical support behind the scenes to keep systems optimized and evolving.

The conversation reinforces a simple truth. When done right, AI elevates people. It frees teams to do the work only humans can do: creating great experiences and great places to live.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Find more of The Apartment Department exclusively on our Substack.  Subscribe for articles and new episodes straight to your inbox.

In this episode, Daniel Paulino, VP of Real Estate at Reputation.com discusses the growing importance of digital reputation, dubbed "digital curb appeal", for the multifamily housing industry, particularly how it affects property visibility in search engines and AI-driven recommendations. Daniel explains that a simple average star rating is no longer sufficient; Google’s algorithm uses nine different factors, including the volume, frequency, and uniqueness of responses to both positive and negative reviews. He advocates for using an integrated platform, like the Reputation Score offered by his company, to centralize data and provide actionable recommendations that bridge the gap between marketing and operations.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Find more of The Apartment Department exclusively on our Substack.  Subscribe for articles and new episodes straight to your inbox.

In this episode of The Apartment Department, co-host Chris Johnson sits down with Minna Song, CEO of EliseAI, to discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming multifamily operations. For nearly a decade, EliseAI has helped properties automate leasing, maintenance, and resident communications—cutting lead-to-lease times from 30 days to just 14 and boosting renewal retention by 9%.

Minna shares how EliseAI’s success is rooted in deep partnerships with their 700+ customers. Her team learns directly from on-site staff—observing workflows, conducting time studies, and building bespoke solutions that fit each property’s goals. It’s AI built with the industry, not just for it.

The conversation also explores Elise AI’s new partnership with Zillow, where their AI Assist feature brings 24/7 renter responses directly into listings, and looks ahead to the next frontier: how robotics could soon revolutionize on-site operations.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

In this episode, Justin Jones, Shelly Steitz, and Anne Baum recap their experience at the Blueprint Conference including the vibe, their favorite takeaways for key technologies and AI, the opportunity for vendors and operators to co-build and co-collaborate, and some advice for first-timers in 2026.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Find more of The Apartment Department exclusively on our Substack.  Subscribe for articles and new episodes straight to your inbox.

In this episode, Chris and Anne talk with Marge Enrique about her extensive journey in transforming her company's approach to marketing data, emphasizing the importance of moving beyond simple last-touch attribution to a more comprehensive multi-touch model using tools like HyLy and Remarkably. Enrique details her strategies for data cleaning, source tracking, and building in-house attribution models, contrasting the performance of different marketing channels like Zillow, Apartment Ratings, and paid social against traditional paid search. Finally, the conversation briefly shifts to a humanitarian project by her parent company, City View, to fast-track home rebuilding after the Los Angeles wildfires.  You won't want this episode to end.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Find more of The Apartment Department exclusively on our Substack.  Subscribe for articles and new episodes straight to your inbox.

Have you ever wondered how the reputation and resident experience of your property actually impact marketing success and NOI?  In this episode, Devin Shurtleff, CEO of Opiniion, shares their data around the ROI of reputation.  In addition, the conversation highlights the critical role of resident satisfaction in multifamily marketing, emphasizing how positive online reviews and feedback directly impact key performance indicators like occupancy, retention, and net operating income. Shurtleff also addresses the future of the industry, focusing on consolidation and the increasing influence of AI in analyzing resident feedback and automating processes to enhance the resident experience.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Find more of The Apartment Department exclusively on our Substack.  Subscribe for articles and new episodes straight to your inbox.

In this episode Aimee Farmer, VP, Marketing at Middleburg Communities discusses how she is redefining the role of marketing through embracing data. 

The discussion covers the importance of tracking key metrics like booked appointment show rates and response times, emphasizing the impact of personal touch points in increasing conversions. 

We also examine the lengthening renter decision-making process, advocating for earlier "coming soon" campaigns and extended lead nurturing. The conversation frequently returns to the challenges and opportunities of using data from various sources and the future of search with the rise of AI.

In this episode Chris and Anne speak with Brooke Henderson, VP, US Strategic Partnerships at Yext to get an inside look at how conversational search is shifting how multifamily marketers should approach their online presence. 

Brooke takes us through the current search landscape and how multifamily marketers can update their SEO strategy to account for conversational search - the new trend that is being heavily driven by AI search engines.  Listeners will walk away with an understanding of how search is changing and how the basics of SEO + incorporating new tactics will keep you inline with prospect expectations.

In this episode, Chris and Anne speak with Jami Thomas, VP of Sales at Zillow Rentals, where we cover a wide range of exciting topics including:

• The rumor that Zillow may be phasing out their PPL options for packages.
• Zillows recent partnerships with two AI powerhouses, EliseAI and Google Gemini.
• Best practices for creating effective Zillow listings.
• Utilizing your Zillow support team and data resources to maximize results.
• Zillow Rentals vision for the future.

For any multifamily marketer or operations professional who has been dying to know what Zillow Rentals next move is after their already strong year, this episode is for you!