The Lease-Up

In proptech, it’s estimated that only about 10 percent of company founders are women. Narrow that focus to multifamily proptech, and the percentage likely drops below one. Why?

"From my perspective, it’s not a capability thing, it’s more about capital allocations and who has access,” said Jessica Beck, co-founder & CEO of Alfred, in a conversation with Multi-Housing News Senior Editor Laura Valean for this month’s Mission Success: Women in Multifamily podcast.

Tune in for an insightful discussion on what it takes to succeed as a woman in proptech, and how true inclusion starts with equal opportunity!

Guided by seven fundamentals, dubbed return on environment, Mary Cook Associates is known for bringing art and science into the spaces the firm designs, driving measurable results for both residents and its collaborators. In the student housing space, rather than focusing on current trends, the firm positions itself as a “design choreographer” by co-crafting experience beyond just interiors.

In this podcast episode, I’m joined by Josh Kassing, Mary Cook Associates’ Senior Vice President, as we delve into the main factors reshaping student housing design. Rather than following a checklist and trying a “one-size-fits-all” approach, Kassing believes that student communities should speak to their residents through flexibility, tailored experiences and design finishes.

At the same time, the whole process should combine a clear-eyed look at research, feedback and operations, so it appeals to the next generation of students who are no longer impressed just by flashy features. Kassing believes that student housing design should be a coordinated system and that aligning its intent with day-to-day use improves outcomes for residents and operators.

The conversation also touches on the need for tailored solutions in the sector, including the firm’s “Built to Spec” collaboration with Morgan Li, launched in April this year. Instead of relying on the “catalogue effect” when designing a space, customized furniture can solve common space problems and add to the students’ experience.

Here’s what we touched on:

• MCA’s growth story and why student housing surged (01:15)
• Student vs multifamily: how are these different? (03:29)
• Wellness and mental health as a holistic matrix, not checklists (07:41)
• Pairing programs with real execution (09:07)
• The “unseen experience”: designing downtime between programmed moments (10:07)
• Student housing design with a Gen Alpha focus in mind (12:27)
• Why “one-size-fits-all” doesn’t work for student housing (15:51)
• Targeting identity through thoughtful design (19:07)
• Built-to-spec furniture with Morgan Li: ending the “catalog effect” (23:00)
• What’s “return on environment” about? (33:52)
• Next wave: ditch precedent, observe real behavior and AI’s “internet” moment (37:44)

Housing economist George Ratiu joined the National Apartment Association as vice president of research a few months ago, after 15 years working for trade associations, Fortune 500 companies and the federal government. In his first podcast with MHN’s Laura Valean, he dives into the association’s latest research, but also touches on how AI is changing multifamily operations, and the metrics he monitors to tell where the industry is headed.

Multifamily fundamentals continue to be strong, with record demand and annual absorption at high levels, Newmark’s second-quarter multifamily capital markets report found. Investors continue to favor the Sun Belt, but some Rust Belt markets like Milwaukee and Columbus have also been showing strong absorption.   

"Because of affordability and stable employment basis and perhaps lower supply growth in these markets, we have seen more investors move into those Rust Belt markets," Karaffa told Multi-Housing News Senior Editor Laura Valean in this month’s Mission Success: Women in Multifamily podcast episode.

Press Play to listen to the entire conversation!

Once considered a nice-to-have, digital concierge serviceshave become essential in multifamily living. From AI leasing to intuitive resident apps, they streamline operations, elevate customer service and shape the way communities connect and thrive.

In this episode of Multi-Housing News' Top Marketers podcast, we explore the transformative power of digital concierge services in the multifamily world—toolsand technologies designed to streamline leasing, enhance resident communication and create more personalized living experiences. From AI-powered leasing assistants to intuitive resident portals, these services are redefining how communities connect and operate.

Joining us is Brianna “Bri” Bocker, Senior Director ofDigital Experience at Cortland, a multifamily investment, development and management firm headquartered in Atlanta. Bri leads the team responsible for Cortland’s customer-facing technology—everything from the website and marketing automation to the resident app, self-guided tours and AI-powered innovations.

Since joining Cortland in 2019 as its first marketing technology associate, she has built the company’s digital customer experience strategy from the ground up, expanding it into a thriving eight-person team. Today, Bri is at the forefront of blending technology and hospitality to make apartment shopping and living more seamless, personalized and human-centered.

Key topics include the evolution of resident portals, AIleasing agents, communication strategies and the future potential of AI-driven automation, all grounded in a philosophy of maintaining meaningful human touches alongside digital advancements.

• Journey into marketing and multifamily (1:01)
• The rise of digital concierge services (10:25)
• Balancing technology and human touch (18:55)
• Internal alignment and project execution (25:09)
• Future trends and advice for marketers (30:40)

For owners and operators, an underperforming property can negatively impact renewals, resident engagement and even on-site teams.

My guest for this episode is John Griggs, co-founder & co-CEO of Presidium. We talk about how operators can identify problems early and get properties back on track, without your residents losing faith in you.

Even the small issues, like a broken window or a candy wrapper on the ground, can signal neglect. Griggs points to early warning signs that need attention, which can be physical signs such as poor upkeep or deeper issues such as decreasing renewal rates and consistent negative feedback.

Here are a few highlights from this episode:

• Early warning signs and red flags operators should watch out for (3:12)
• Applying the broken-window theory to property maintenance (8:25)
• Focusing your communication before, during and after renovations (13:45)
• The best course of action for leaders to guide a struggling property back on track (21:18)
• What separates multifamily from other industries (25:08)

September is National Preparedness Month, making it the perfect time to rethink what readiness really means for multifamily property managers.

In this episode of Management Diaries, MHN’s Denile Doyle sits down with Stacy Brown, Vice President of Property Management Enablement at Real Property Management, to dig into what preparedness really looks like for today’s operators.

Here are a few highlights from this episode:

• How to evaluate your properties with a clean lens (6:51)

• Why operators should make sure their people are “on green” (9:35)

• Where to standardize vs. customize in a preparedness strategy (14:19)

• Back-to-basics communication tips for stronger planning (19:03)

• Why practicing realistic scenarios is the only way to stay ready (24:56)

One in eight Americans go to bed hungry each day, while 92 billion pounds of food is wasted annually. Hunger is a blind disease, and food insecurity is rampant across the country. But the multifamily industry can play a key role in combating this phenomenon.  

When people move, they tend to throw away a lot of food. This is when your onsite staff can provide them with a food collection bag and encourage them to donate the items they don’t plan to take with them. A Move for Hunger partner from a transportation company will come to pick it up and deliver it to a local food bank. Doing good is that easy!

For Bridget Foley, altruism is part of her DNA. Today, she’s Director of Multifamily Memberships for nonprofit Move For Hunger, which mobilizes transportation networks and the multifamily industry to deliver surplus food to communities in need. "Doing good in my life has always been my driving force," she told Multi-Housing News Senior Editor Laura Valean in this month’s Mission Success: Women in Multifamily podcast.  

Immersive marketing is rapidly transforming how prospective renters discover and connect with apartment communities. From interactive tours to fully immersive media platforms, today’s marketing landscape is all about meeting renters where they are—digitally.

In this month’s episode of Multi-Housing News’ Top Marketers podcast, Izzy Carunungan, industry principal at Yardi and former chief marketing officer and LCP Media—a visual media company recently acquired by Yardi—joins MHN Senior Associate Editor Corina Stef to explore how immersive marketing in multifamily is evolving and why it’s becoming essential in the renter journey from first click to signed lease.

With a multifamily marketing career dating back to 2005, Izzy brings a rare blend of experience from both the operator and vendor sides. He held senior marketing roles at Greystar and Bozzuto and led marketing efforts at LCP Media. Today, he drives strategic initiatives to advance Yardi’s visual media and digital content solutions. His deep understanding of branding, leasing strategy and resident engagement allows him to bridge the gap between property management and cutting-edge tech.

We also explore how the pandemic accelerated adoption of immersive leasing tools, and why virtual staging, 3D site maps and VR tours are now standard in successful marketing campaigns. Tune in to discover how immersive marketing strategies like gamification, augmented reality and interactive experiences are shaping the future of multifamily marketing.

• Defining immersive marketing (1:36)
• Evolution of virtual tools in multifamily (2:57)
• Impact of COVID-19 on consumer behavior (5:07)
• Effective immersive tools and their benefits (6:54)
• Case study: success with VR in leasing (9:34)
• Future trends in immersive media (13:14)
• Getting started with immersive marketing (17:16)

When it comes to student housing management, operators often need to adopt a more targeted approach due to the sector’s unique leasing cycles and seasonal “turn” periods. Operators need to have a deep understanding of regional fundamentals while still upholding branding consistency. With 60 years of experience in the field and over $2 billion of student housing assets under management, Campus Apartments believes that an “all-size-fits-all” strategy doesn’t work for the sector.

For this episode of Student Housing Unlocked, Dan Bernstein, president & chief investment officer at Campus Apartments, joins me as we unpack the evolving demands of student housing and how operators are navigating an operationally intensive sector. Bernstein emphasizes the importance of vertical integration, good partnerships and feedback-driven community building as key strategies for long-term success.

With students and parents expecting more than just campus proximity and technology-driven amenities, our conversation explores how Campus Apartments is reshaping the student living experience through wellness-driven programming, design and a deep understanding of regional campus cultures.

Here’s what we discussed about:

• What’s fueling rent growth and why value is key (01:10)
• How Campus Apartments is redefining “home” for students (04:00)
• What amenities students value and will pay more for (05:30)
• Why one-size-fits-all doesn’t work in student housing (07:29)
• Partnerships that make an impact (09:02)
• Managing the intense demands of “turn” season (12:00)
• The core values behind Campus Apartments’ culture (15:00)
• How AI is beginning to transform student housing (15:31)
• What outsiders often get wrong about student housing (17:08)