The Lease-Up

The list of new and upcoming tools for multifamily marketers is evolving every day. AI chat bots, virtual leasing agents, virtual tours… how does anyone keep up? Well, one top marketer knows.

Daphne Corbin is the vice president of marketing for The Life Properties. She first joined the company in 2019 with more than eight years of multifamily experience under her belt. At The Life Properties, she oversees marketing and branding initiatives for the company’s entire portfolio, along with advertising, website development, reputation management, trend analysis and more.   

In this episode of Top Marketers, Corbin and Rothberg dive into how The Life Properties is staying ahead of the curve. Listen in as Corbin discusses exactly what she wants out of her virtual assistants and why she isn’t afraid to make some changes along the way.

Tune in to hear about:

-Corbin’s background, coming from retail sales (1:00)

-The rewarding process of building a marketing team from the ground up (4:00)

-Ensuring the successful onboarding of onsite team members (6:20)

-Implementing marketing into new properties using a brand kit (7:40)

-The tech of the brand kit (10:00)

-How Corbin utilizes virtual tours (11:45)

-Virtual leasing assistants and how they help internally (15:30)

-Selecting a virtual leasing assistant (20:00)

-Keeping up with the ever-changing world of AI (23:00)

-Advice to anyone that’s hesitant to dive into technology (26:30)

High inflation, epic rise in interest rates, declining valuations, looming regulatory changes and a great divide between buyers and sellers—this cocktail of factors has created an unfavorable environment for multifamily transactions in 2023. And Stephanie Wiggins, managing director & head of production for agency lending at PGIM Real Estate, believes there’s not enough daylight left in the year to make up for the loss in volume that the industry has experienced, despite recent improvements in Treasury yields.

Tune in for the November episode of Mission Success: Women in Multifamily, the monthly podcast series hosted by Multi-Housing News Senior Editor Laura Calugar!

The role that marketing plays in lead generation for multifamily communities might be self-explanatory, but what about resident retention? Further, with so many changes happening to the digital sphere right now-and happening quickly-how do marketers keep up?

James Love, vice president of marketing and brand at Draper and Kramer, Inc., has some answers. In this episode of Top Marketers, Jordana Rothberg, associate editor with Multi-Housing News, talks with Love about how he finds more opportunities to focus on authentic marketing and creativity while utilizing new and upcoming technology to his advantage. From his time making movies to working at a bank, Love knows how to write and market a great story.

With more than 25 years of brand building and go-to market strategy experience, Love has some great insights. Follow along the conversation and listen in as Rothberg and Love dig into:

·      Love’s background in storytelling, from aviation to movies (1:00)

·      Building a marketing department for Draper and Kramer (5:00)

·      How marketing plays a role in resident retention (6:20)

·      Social media as a decision engine (10:00)

·      How technology influences the resident experience (14:00)

·      How the digital sphere can be an advertisement (17:20)

·      A new way to search and an unexpected side story (20:00)

·      Getting back to authentic marketing (26:00)

Welcome to Management Diaries, MHN’s podcast on multifamily property management! In our first episode, Denile Doyle talks with Phillip Boatwright, executive vice president of property management for The NRP Group.

With a 20-year career in property management, Boatwright emphasizes the value of connection and communication in fostering a cohesive team. His insights and support strategies cover everything you need to build and lead your property management team to success.

Boatwright shares his perspective on:

In the current fast-paced environment, student housing has gone through major shifts and it's no longer just a place to stay during college years, but rather a pivotal part of the student experience. Property managers and operators nowadays have the chance to provide students with opportunities for growth and a platform where their voice is heard, believes Rui Barros, Yugo's CEO. 

In the first episode of Student Housing Unlocked with Associate Editor Olivia Bunescu, Barros delves into the current trends in the sector, major shifts when it comes to addressing the students' needs, Yugo's global platform and initiatives, as well as some of the most overlooked aspects when it comes to student housing operations. 

Health care should not define people as they age, and many Baby Boomers want to live independently, with very little support, according to Danette Opaczewski, executive vice president of resident experience and COO of Revel Communities, a division of The Wolff Co. After spending more than 30 years in hospitality, Opaczewski has made it her mission to prove that senior housing is not necessarily nursing homes, and providing residents with freedom of choice contributes to their overall wellbeing.

In this podcast, Opaczewski talks about helping Baby Boomers embrace their independence and debunks myths about senior living.

When thinking of a traditional multifamily company one might think that asset management and marketing do not often coincide. In that case, Larken Associates isn’t traditional. Melissa Nascimento, creative and marketing director, and Jessica Heckman, director of residential asset management, work together daily.

Nascimento has been working with Larken Associates for almost 22 years while Heckman is rounding off her 15th. Together, the two of them test out new technologies, implement internal and resident-focused systems and create a more unified company.

In this Top Marketers episode, Nascimento and Heckman dive into how asset management and marketing work better together alongside Multi-Housing News Associate Editor Jordana Rothberg.

Following along as they all explore:

·      Their backgrounds, working up the corporate ladder and how the field has changed (1:00)

·      Technology for marketing and management (5:45)

·      The benefits of healthy communication (7:30)

·      Streamlining marketing and asset management, together (10:30)

·      Some ‘flops’ along the way (12:30)

·      The process of beta testing (14:00)

·      How new technology impacts marketing and asset management workflows (17:30)

 We want you to join the MHN Executive Council where we feature a variety of topics and people in our newsletters and on our social media!

Also, make sure you follow MHN’s podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! 

Donicia Irizarry grew up in the real estate industry, climbing the corporate ladder one step at a time. Today, she is the Director of Operations at OneWall Communities, a workforce housing owner, investor and manager in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Among the most challenging things about working in the workforce housing industry today, she mentions the balancing act of offering affordable housing to a renter base that underpins the U.S. economy while still maintaining the properties in this high-cost environment. 

Press play for the September episode of Mission Success: Women in Multifamily, hosted by Multi-Housing News Senior Editor Laura Calugar!

Operational efficiencies, maximizing revenues and staffing and recruitment are the main challenges today for multifamily operators, according to the results of a recent survey from the National Apartment Association, sponsored by AppFolio. Vice President of Research Paula Munger talked to Multi-Housing News Senior Editor Laura Calugar about these findings, focusing on HR/staffing/recruitment issues.

David Ebeling, founder of Ebeling Communications, has been in the public relations industry for over 20 years. Ebeling currently works with local, regional and national firms including brokers, developers, owners, property managers, contractors and consultants.

In this episode of Top Marketers with Multi-Housing News, Associate Editor Jordana Rothberg and Ebeling talk about the ways in which multifamily marketing and the world of PR intersect, work together and ultimately need one another.

Listen in as they discuss:

·      Ebeling’s path in PR (0:45)

·      Where PR meets and aids marketing (4:15)

·      Why integrating PR into marketing now is crucial (7:00)

·      Important content touchpoints (9:15)

·      How PR can lead a consumer towards their next home (10:50)