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Updating an Apartment for Spring: Choosing Colors

Written by Apartment Management Magazine on . Posted in Blog

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When it’s time to update and renovate an apartment, there are a number of different things to consider. One of those things is the time of year you’re going to be offering that apartment for rent. While you need neutral colors that look good all year round, you also want to appeal to potential tenants when they first walk in the door.

As spring approaches, it’s important to look for colors that are going to work well with that time of year, and evoke the feeling of home to anyone who comes to see the apartment. Many people associate spring with softer colors, like pastels. Light blues, greens, and yellows are commonly used during that time of year. Of course, the colors you use in the updated apartment won’t change with the seasons, so that’s an important consideration.

By selecting light, airy colors, you can update the apartment for springtime but also keep your tenants happy throughout the year. Especially in climates where it’s cold and dreary during the winter months, those softer, cheerful colors will be a great choice when it comes to making your tenants feel happy and comfortable.

Another consideration regarding colors is avoiding anything that might easily clash with furniture or other belongings. If a potential tenant thinks that their belongings aren’t going to look good in the apartment without repainting all the walls, that potential tenant may decide to look for something else.

Repainting an apartment and getting it ready for spring can take time, and you don’t want to do all that work just to have a tenant ask if they can repaint it before they move in. Some apartment complexes don’t allow tenants to paint the walls at all, while others agree to it, provided it’s repainted the original colors before the tenant moves out.

If you choose your colors wisely, you’ll have happy tenants and you won’t need to worry about those tenants wanting to repaint the apartment. The colors will last for a long time, and they’ll work with each and every season as tenants come and go over time. The more light and neutral you decide to be when choosing colors, the longer those colors will work in the space.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider doing something bold, though, as long as it’s not carried through the entire apartment. A lot of landlords like to create an accent wall in the living room, or another area of the apartment, to provide some visual interest. If you do that, you could use a pale yellow on the walls and a darker or brighter yellow in only one area, for example.

No matter what you choose when you’re updating an apartment, remember that spring colors can be popular choices all year round. Since they generally make an apartment feel lighter and bigger, many landlords use them on a regular basis, no matter what time of year they choose to make renovations and updates to their existing apartments.


logo_aaoa American Apartment Owners Association | Company Website |

At the American Apartment Owners Association (AAOA), our mission is to serve the interests of landlords, real estate brokers, property managers, real estate owners and apartment building owners nationally. Visit www.AAOA.com for more information about membership details!

 

6 Reasons Why Apartment Owners Should Use Social Media

Written by Apartment Management Magazine on . Posted in Blog

dafgaTo some apartment owners, social media is a powerful fad–the huge wave that you must ride while the tide is high. To others it is simply a buzzword and cannot replace other forms of marketing and communication. In reality, it lies somewhere in the middle. Social media can provide one of the best and most affordable marketing opportunities today and offers other benefits for your business as well. If you have not investigated the sites, you are falling behind in a quickly changing world. Consider these six reasons why you should be utilizing social media as part of your communications and marketing program.

  • Advertising Vacant Units – Today, when people look for a place to rent, where do they turn? In many cases, it is social media. If you have a social media presence, you make it easier for you, your current tenants and others to share your vacant units with potential renters.
  • Simple Communication – While Tweets and Facebook messages may not replace all your customer service communication, it does make it easy for your tenants to reach you with a simple question or comment.
  • Build Your Brand – Creating a profile on the major social media sites is a big step to help you build and develop your brand. Not only does it offer another landing space on the web, these sites often offer review spaces and give you a legitimate feel.\
  • Improve SEO – SEO (search engine optimization) is the key to getting your apartment to appear higher in the search engine rankings. Well-developed social media profiles are a big asset to your SEO.
  • Gain Insights – Social media is an excellent way to find out what your tenants, and the public, thinks about your apartments. You will be able to track shares, comments and likes. This information is invaluable and can help you make changes that will help you grow—now and in the future.
  • Everyone Else Is Doing It – Even if you don’t like the idea of social media, and want to ignore the sites, one simple fact is that your competition is taking advantage of this tool. If you are not on social media, you are giving your competition a leg up on you and you will miss out on opportunities.

When it comes to social media, the longer you wait, the more you risk losing. Social media, as a marketing and social tool, when done right, can lead to more traffic, more tenants and a better rapport with your renters, vendors and the community surrounding you. Don’t waste another day ignoring social media, it is not going away—take that first step and join the social media revolution.

– See more at: http://www.american-apartment-owners-association.org/property-management/marketing-vacant-units/6-reasons-apartment-owners-use-social-media/#sthash.ZseO0Vmf.dpuf


logo_aaoa American Apartment Owners Association | Company Website |

At the American Apartment Owners Association (AAOA), our mission is to serve the interests of landlords, real estate brokers, property managers, real estate owners and apartment building owners nationally. Visit www.AAOA.com for more information about membership details!

Do You Know the Benefits of Designing a “Killer” Online Business Directory Listing

Written by Apartment Management Magazine on . Posted in Blog

Alphabetic organizerWe’ve mentioned developing online business directory listing information before, but this week we’re focusing on the benefits for your property management company. The more you understand about connecting to influencers and potential clients, the easier it is for you to design an engaging campaign to attract new clients and improve retention rates.

Let’s dig deeper to help you write your story to build a truly successful outreach campaign.

Benefits and Bonuses

Business directories aren’t just another ad channel. Online directories are beneficial for businesses and consumers. A first-rate business listing serves visitors by making information available that will help them make decisions about your property, and also find information about their community at large.

Keep these goals in mind as you fine-tune and develop your listings for Google, Yelp and FourSquare.

  1. Establish new contact points for social influencers, web-surfers, current owners, residents and both active property seekers and those that may need a new place in the future.
  2. Expand name recognition (both online and offline) opportunities for potential clients, employees and vendors.
  3. Improve website appeal by monitoring traffic search origination and channels.
  4. Build relationships and increase social communication for future relationships.
  5. Update information immediately.
  6. Manage trust and credibility levels.

Quality and Quantity

Positive link popularity ratings help move your website up the ladder for organic searchers. Most buying decisions today, including real estate rental and purchases, start with an organic search online. By monitoring traffic patterns and attaching a link from your business directory to your static pages you’ll improve the visitor numbers and page rank–IF you link to high quality content. Linking to your contact page or a banner ad on your website provided by your property management software are two options.

Whether you are linking your own blog or the blog of a journalist, blogger, or social media wiz, create relevant, informative contact for both the business directory and the linked pages.

Choosing Influencers Wisely

In the online realm, social influencers can help you build your business or work against you, even if you aren’t actively ‘in a relationship.” Rather than cross your fingers and hope a strong influencer will stumble across value-packed, sharable information on your directory listing, take a more proactive approach.

Reach out to journalists and bloggers to ask for media exposure: links to your articles, mentions in posts with or without a web address, coverage for a special community event, etc. Before you approach a media contact (paid or gratis) make sure you know what will appeal to each contact.

  • Know what topics or geographic areas are relevant.
  • Find popular influencers for diverse media channels, you’ll likely have a different go-to person for Instagram than you have for Facebook or Pinterest.
  • Explore past content to uncover patterns and follower interest. This means you will discover topics your influencers prefers to share and also which information is most relevant to their audience (your potential target).

Stocking the Tech Tool-Chest

Your online business directory is a valuable resource. Like your resident portals that facilitate online rent capture and owner statement disbursements, business directories allow you to give your customers what they need to manage their lives better. To get the most from your free and paid services, build your listings with the reader at the forefront. If your goal is to help your page visitors find information they need, they’ll be more satisfied with their visit.

Need more help building a killer business listing? Reach out to your Appfolio.com representative for tips on linking your property management web pages to your listing.


appfolio Appfolio | Company Website | LinkedIn Connect |

AppFolio, Inc. develops Property Management Software that helps businesses improve their workflow so they save time and make more money. Appfolio submits articles & blogs including topics of Resident Retention, Improved Owner Communication, Time Management, and more.

Subdividing a house into a multifamily unit — should you do it?

Written by Apartment Management Magazine on . Posted in Blog

71e278be7379f2621d487c9ef584000aA current popular trend is to take a single-family dwelling and convert it into a multifamily unit. There are many reasons for why this is done. Most often, the landlord sees extra dollar signs when it comes to subdividing a property where there can be multiple tenants. There are other reasons why you should, and should not, subdivide a single-family dwelling. Let’s look at the reasons for and against subdividing a single-family residence.

Zoning

Before you take that first step toward subdividing a home into apartments, you will need to check the zoning regulations in your area to make certain that what you are doing is legal in your municipality. While many municipalities do allow for homes to be made into multifamily units, many do not, and you may need to get building permits, zoning restriction waivers, and other permits.

Ensuring Tenants

One reason many landlords like to subdivide a property is to ensure they have tenant renting at least part of the property. This is important for landlords who are making payments on a particular property and need to have enough money to ensure that the costs are covered. If you are renting a property to just one family and the family leaves, you may not be able to find new tenant for weeks, if not months. If the unit is subdivided, you have a better chance at keeping at least one of your tenants who are making rent payments.

Providing Apartments During Housing Shortages

Another reason landlords subdivide single-family dwellings is to provide apartments during periodic housing shortages. In some areas, housing shortages exist and young families and single people are unable to find affordable housing. A large single-family home that would normally be vacant could provide acceptable housing for people who need it.

Eliminates Unoccupied Homes

In many parts of the country, affluent people have purchased or have had built larger homes. As the neighborhoods grew older, or the city had grown, the rich would sell their homes and move someplace else. As a result, their large homes are still in certain neighborhoods, but the demographics have changed. People who cannot afford such large homes, either to rent or to buy, are unable to find an affordable dwelling in their preferred neighborhood. By subdividing a larger, more expensive home, it allows people who may not be able to afford to live in such a large house to be able to share apartments within it.

Increases the Population Density of a Neighborhood

One reason to not subdivide a home is that subdividing can increase the overall population density of the region. If the home is in a neighborhood that cannot support a larger population because of lack of services, poor roads, or poor infrastructure, subdividing a home may not be a good idea. If the area is primarily zoned for single-family residences, subdividing a home may change the character of the region and decrease the overall value of the properties within the area.

Cannot Subdivide the Home Safely

When you subdivide a home into apartments, you must take into consideration whether you can create safe and livable apartments. That means that you must take into consideration fire exits, heating and cooling, adequate ventilation, adequate light, adequate plumbing and bathrooms, a kitchen, and adequate electrical wiring to handle the extra loads that more appliances require. If you cannot subdivide the home and provide these necessary things, then you probably shouldn’t subdivide the home.

Changes the Character of the Neighborhood

One thing that is hard to put an objective value on is whether or not subdividing the home and making it into a multifamily unit will change the character of the neighborhood. Some neighborhoods are best left as single family units. Other neighborhoods already have multifamily units in them and one more will not make much of the difference. You will want to look at the neighborhood around the home before deciding whether to make it into a multifamily unit.

Basically, whether or not you should subdivide a single-family residence into a multifamily unit depends largely on zoning, the neighborhood, and whether you can do it safely. Once you have answered these questions, you’ll be able to determine if subdividing your properties is feasible.


logo_aaoa American Apartment Owners Association | Company Website |

At the American Apartment Owners Association (AAOA), our mission is to serve the interests of landlords, real estate brokers, property managers, real estate owners and apartment building owners nationally.  Visit www.AAOA.com for more information about membership details!

Does Your Web Content Sell Your Community or Bore Your Reader?

Written by Apartment Management Magazine on . Posted in Blog

tumblr_inline_mxqrr85fZM1rzjzoiSo, you’re ready to launch a new property management website, or you’ve launched one recently. You probably already know you need high quality content. You hear the concept of “engaging content” everywhere, right?

If you’re still a bit confused about how to create engaging content, keep reading.

Is Engaging Content Just Another Genre?

Writing high quality content is kind of like trying to write a page-turning thriller. You may have a spine tingling plot, a well-defined cast of characters and illustrations that heightened the tension, but, if your content doesn’t capture the reader’s attention and keep them interested, they’ll quickly move on to the next book on the shelf.

Whether you’re writing a suspense novel or creating content for static web pages, respect your reader. High-quality content always starts with the basics.

Proper grammar, syntax and semantics: Use the proper words, in the proper context, spelled properly.

Know your resources: Anyone can say anything on the Internet. Savvy consumers want more than pretty words and pictures, although those are important elements. If you quote statistics or experts, make sure they’re credible and verifiable.

Show, Don’t Tell: You’ll hear content writers say this over and over. Easy to understand examples help you connect with your audience.

Format for visual appeal: Based on research conducted by the Nielsen Norman Group, web page visitors only read about 25% of page content. Since you have roughly 20 seconds to capture visitors’ attention, content must be concise and focused.

  • Articles with bullet points, short paragraphs and plenty of white space are easier to read and digest.
  • Create eye-catching headlines and page titles.
  • High quality images inspire and motivate readers to learn more. Images are also the most sharable content from on social sites.

Even if your property management web pages are completely error-free and technically correct, you may still miss the mark.

Let’s revisit the suspense novel to illustrate why.

Giving Readers a Reason to Care

Every suspense novel has some common characteristic – a strong, capable protagonist, the evil villain, time constraints. The most important element, though, is the crisis. Whether it’s racing the clock to foil an assassination attempt or saving the proverbial damsel in distress, the crisis drives the plot and keeps readers glued to the page.

Visitors to your website are looking for solutions to their own “crisis.” How well you relate to your audience directly impacts whether they choose your solutions or look elsewhere.

So how do you connect with residents and property owners? Write directly to your audience. Instead of telling them what you want them to hear, give them what they need to hear. Use these questions to shape your content:

  • What problem does my audience have?
  • What solutions can I offer to solve the problem?
  • What resources and information will resonate with the readers?
  • What topics will motivate them to seek more information?
  • Who is my audience? Where do they live, work, worship?

You may want to shout the advantages of leasing from your property management firm, but readers value content that answers their questions. Your desire to keep occupancy rates high must never overshadow a prospective resident’s need to find his or her next home.

SEO strategies, content standards and engagement building tools may change from day-to-day, but your goal remains the same. Discover your readers’ “crisis;” then, show them your solutions.

We would love to hear your comments. Tell us what you think is the most important question property managers should answer with their content.


appfolio Appfolio | Company Website | LinkedIn Connect |

AppFolio, Inc. develops Property Management Software that helps businesses improve their workflow so they save time and make more money. Appfolio submits articles & blogs including topics of Resident Retention, Improved Owner Communication, Time Management, and more.

When can a Tenant Withhold Rent?

Written by Apartment Management Magazine on . Posted in Blog

sdfasdfasdfsdHave you ever been in a situation where your tenant withholds the monthly rent – or threatens to withhold the rent? There are only a few situations where this is legal, and depending on your local laws, your tenant will have to follow a strict set of legal rules and requirements to withhold the rent.

Your tenant can’t withhold rent because he is angry, because he is out of money or because he simply wants to. In states that allow rent withholding, there are rules in place that outline exactly when a tenant can withhold rent. What does “withholding” actually mean? Your tenant can’t simply stop paying rent; depending on where you live, there is a process that must be followed.

In many states, your tenant will have to deposit the rent with your local court. This ensures that tenants are not simply avoiding paying the rent to save money, not because of an actual problem with the rental property. If your tenant has simply stopped paying, it is essential that you review both your lease and your state law to see what is required of both parties when there rent is withheld. While every state is different, the following rules apply to rent withholding:

There must be damage to the home or apartment that impacts the enjoyment and use of the home. Your tenants have the right to safe housing. To withhold rent, there must be significant damage or problems that are not subjective; the hazard would have to be obvious to an objective third party like a building inspector.

Your tenant can’t have caused the damage himself. Even in areas that allow your tenant to withhold rent because of needed repairs, the damage can’t have been caused by the tenant himself. If your tenant has bred several generations of rats – and those rats then infest the attic, the tenant can’t withhold rent until you provide an exterminator. The damage also can’t be caused by a member of the tenant’s own household or a guest of the tenant; you can’t be held liable for their actions and the damage they cause.

Written notice in advance is required: Your tenant should notify you in advance of the need for repairs; depending on where you live, they’ll need to give you several days or several weeks’ time to take action before withholding rent. They should also let you know, preferably in writing, that they are withholding some or all of the rent prior to the actual due date.

The amount of rent that can be withheld may be variable: Your state law will let you know how much of the rent can legally be withheld. In some cases, the full amount can be held back; in others, just the cost of repairs can be withheld, if the tenant has had to pay for the repairs themselves.

What you can do to resolve the situation

Learn about your local laws and rent withholding, preferably before you have a problem. If you know your rights and what is legal in your area, you’ll be a step ahead when it comes to rent withholding.

Respond promptly to any repair requests by tenants. Even if you start by just taking a look, don’t neglect to respond when a tenant makes a complaint. Visit the unit if possible, and ask about the damage; you can learn more about the problem and also determine what caused the problem.

Try to resolve the situation without conflict: Both sides can be upset by and make demands when repairs are involved, particularly expensive repairs. Make sure your tenant knows you are willing to work with them, and make a plan to get any needed work done as soon as possible.

Know your legal rights and responsibilities, and document every visit and repair made to your home. If your tenant is withholding rent, make sure they are doing so legally; if your state requires escrow for withheld rent, your tenant needs to follow the law or you can evict them for nonpayment. Every state has different rules, so careful perusal of both your lease and your local laws will help you decide what action is best for you and your property.


logo_aaoa American Apartment Owners Association | Company Website |
At the American Apartment Owners Association (AAOA), our mission is to serve the interests of landlords, real estate brokers, property managers, real estate owners and apartment building owners nationally. Visit www.AAOA.com for more information about membership details!

Choosing the Right Flooring for a Rental Apartment

Written by Apartment Management Magazine on . Posted in Blog

photoRental apartments are unique in that they need flooring that looks good, but that will also hold up to a series of tenants coming through. As a landlord, you have some control over your tenants, but that control is limited to things like whether you’ll allow pets. If you’re going to offer apartments where pets are accepted, you’ll need to consider a flooring solution that will be better suited to pets and pet owners. For apartments that don’t allow pets, floors generally don’t have to be as tough – but they still need to have durability and goods.

Pet free apartments often use carpet and linoleum. Both can be easily purchased, and they come in a variety of colors, styles, and quality levels. Low-cost carpet and linoleum (often also called sheet vinyl), are excellent choices for many apartments. They can last for years, and when they do need to be replaced it’s not a big expense. Still, carpets can become stained quite easily, and odors can be difficult to remove from those carpets. Linoleum can rip and tear, and once that happens it really has to be replaced.

In apartments that allow pets, tile is often a good option. It doesn’t scratch easily, and it’s hard to break. It also doesn’t hold stains or odors like carpet can. While it does cost a little bit more than linoleum, that cost will be offset by the durability offered. You won’t need to replace tile nearly as often as linoleum, so it may actually be less expensive when factored out over the lifetime of the flooring. That’s an important consideration, but how the apartment looks and whether it appeals to potential tenants also has to be looked at carefully. The right type of flooring can make a big difference.

When you’re deciding on flooring, consider what other apartments in the area are offering. These comparable rentals should be close to the same price, and similar in size and style. If they all have hardwood floors and don’t allow pets, you have two choices. You can go with what’s common, or you can choose something that’s very different in an effort to bring in renters who might have been turned away by the other apartments in the area. By putting in tile floors and allowing pets, you may have something that’s in demand but can’t easily be found in your area.

That could lead to a lot of people wanting to rent from you, and could be a lucrative business move. If there isn’t any demand for pet-friendly rentals, though, you aren’t going to see the return on investment you were hoping for. Make sure the demand is there before you choose that option. The kinds of families who want to rent from you must be taken into consideration when you’re choosing flooring, so you provide what those people are looking for. That way, they have a great place to rent, and you get happy tenants who will take good care of the flooring you installed.

See more at: http://www.american-apartment-owners-association.org/property-management/remodel-and-repair/choosing-right-flooring-rental-apartment/#sthash.Oso12N91.dpuf


logo_aaoa American Apartment Owners Association | Company Website |

At the American Apartment Owners Association (AAOA), our mission is to serve the interests of landlords, real estate brokers, property managers, real estate owners and apartment building owners nationally. Visit www.AAOA.com for more information about membership details!

Does Your Leasing Team Have a Solid Strategy to Overcome Decision Reluctance?

Written by Apartment Management Magazine on . Posted in Blog

dfasdfsdVeteran property management professionals understand that renewals account for the majority of your community revenue. Some property ratios show renewals in the 60%-65% range. With so much riding on renewal percentages, you’d expect leasing agents to focus heavily on that segment, but all too often attracting new residents gets more attention – more marketing dollars, more incentives and more concessions.

Negotiating new resident leases and renewals have some commonalities, though. Fine-tuning your pushback strategy may help your team with both resident types. Let’s take a deeper look at overcoming objections using renewal leases as an example.

Before you can effectively boost retention rates, you’ll need to clearly define your property goals and lease adjustment policies. Be sure you cover the following items in your plan.

  • Have you established minimum and maximum increase levels?
  • Do all leasing agents know how to “defend” situations where new leases are lower than the expiring rental rate?
  • Is your renewal notice schedule timely? Have you tested your resident pool to determine the best time to send renewal notices?

While there will always be a few residents that are counting the days until they can move—you can’t please 100% of the people, 100% of the time—overcoming decision reluctance is fairly simple, if you and your team are prepared for pushback.

The three questions above focus on the most common objections during the lease renewal process:

  1. Why do you penalize current residents with higher rent when new residents get deep discounts?
  2. I can’t afford to pay that much more every month in rent.
  3. I’m not thinking about renewing my lease 90 days before it expires. What’s the rush?

Training leasing agents to respond to hesitant residents is a prudent tactic. Make sure your staff is able to list the benefits of living in your community and the best features your property offers. Relationship building throughout the lease term, i.e. exceptional customer service, online resident portals that make life-management more convenient or easier, and rapid response time to maintenance requests or noise complaints, all lead to higher retention rates.

Another strategy is implementing an auto-renewal policy for your property. Automatic renewal policies can dramatically boost retention rates and curb administrative costs. If you’re looking for ways to manage costs and maximize your profits, automation is a good solution to consider.

Your administrative burden goes down because your staff spends less time drafting and delivering notices and letters, plus there is a reduction in face-to-face and telephone communication. And, when you know well in advance that residents are definitely leaving, you’ll have more time to market the vacancy and prepare for the make-ready, reducing vacancy days between leases.

Watch for Unspoken Clues

If you’ve implemented a good plan, trained your staff well and converted your property to an automatic renewal policy and you’re still having trouble boosting retention rates, you might be missing important clues.

Donald Davidoff wrote an interesting post for Multifamily Insiders that provides some valuable insight into the causes behind decision reluctance. In his post, Davidoff says that the stated objections are rarely the real problem for hesitant residents. Your leasing team needs to do a bit of detective work by asking open-ended questions to encourage the resident to express his or her real concerns about signing the lease.

As the old adage goes, your best defense is a good offense. If your retention rates aren’t as high as you’d like, maybe it’s time to review your renewal process, and more specifically, how your team interacts with reluctant decision-makers.


appfolio Appfolio | Company Website | LinkedIn Connect |

AppFolio, Inc. develops Property Management Software that helps businesses improve their workflow so they save time and make more money. Appfolio submits articles & blogs including topics of Resident Retention, Improved Owner Communication, Time Management, and more.

How Renters Are Finding and Paying for Apartments (Infographic)

Written by Apartment Management Magazine on . Posted in Blog

Check out the most recent stats on renters in target cities across the U.S. See how they are finding housing, who’s mobile, what amenities they crave and more. What does renter behavior look like in your area? Download the infographic and share on your site!

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appfolio Appfolio | Company Website | LinkedIn Connect |

AppFolio, Inc. develops Property Management Software that helps businesses improve their workflow so they save time and make more money. Appfolio submits articles & blogs including topics of Resident Retention, Improved Owner Communication, Time Management, and more.

4 Reasons It’s Time to Enhance Your Property Management Website with Photos

Written by Apartment Management Magazine on . Posted in Blog

13412We’re living in a visual culture where images increase emotional connections and enhance relationship building strategies. If you’ve spent more than twenty seconds on social media, you’ve noticed that video and static images garner more comments than text-only posts. Don’t take our word for it, there’s an abundance of research to back up these claims.

Did you know that adding photos to your property management website can dramatically improve page views and site traffic?

Articles with visual elements capture 94% more views, more blog post comments and stronger reader engagement than articles without images. Tagging and labeling images for SEO effectively drives traffic to your site and expands your audience, too.

Images allow you to build your brand with visual representations that express your ideals, showcase the people on your property management team and share common experiences with current residents.

Processing images is easier on the brain, too. Research from noted psychologist Albert Mehrabian demonstrates that only 7% of communication is verbal.1 Written and spoken language takes more time to process. Our minds react quicker and absorb information faster when exposed to visual stories and images than other communication methods.

When you have the power to deliver your message 93% faster to online customers, why wouldn’t you take advantage of visual stimuli?

Photographs on social media sites gives you freedom to express your sense of humor, motivate viewers to take action and create powerful, authentic brand impressions to build trust with your customers.

People want to share their experiences with others. Visual formats allow people to tell their personal story outside the boundaries of grammar and syntax. And, people want to “see” experiences from friends and family, or even strangers with common interests, hobbies or causes.

The social media data sharing machine generates millions and millions of conversations every day. Research statistics published by Newstext is mind boggling.

Every minute of every day and every day of every year:

  • Twitterers tweet nearly 300,000 pieces of content
  • Instagram users add more than 215,000 photos
  • YouTube files grow with 72 hours of new video
  • Pinterest users pin more than 3,400 new photos
  • Vine users share 8,333 new videos

And, those numbers don’t include Facebook status updates (more than 2.4 million), WHATSAPP photo shares (344,000+) or any of the other popular social sites.

Combining engaging text with science-based color schemas motivates viewers to take action.

Although not everyone will have the exact reaction to certain colors because they bring personal experiences, cultural differences and preconceived notions with them when they visit your site, exploring color psychology can help you fine-tune your brand messages. This article published on Entrepreneur.com gives you some unique clues about how images and color work together to inspire and motivate viewers.

Adding photos and other visual elements to your blogs is no longer optional. If you want to propel your property management website and blogs to the top of the search engine results, add images. Want to engage your viewers and drive traffic to your community? Add photos. Looking for ways to convert more browsers to buyers? Add photos.

Do you have a story to tell about adding images to your online sites? Comment below and share it with our followers.


appfolio Appfolio | Company Website | LinkedIn Connect |

AppFolio, Inc. develops Property Management Software that helps businesses improve their workflow so they save time and make more money. Appfolio submits articles & blogs including topics of Resident Retention, Improved Owner Communication, Time Management, and more.