Does your Apartment Building Create a Buzz?
By adding some creative amenities, you can instantly improve your overall marketability. These amenities don’t necessarily need to be luxury-scale offerings. Several seemingly subtle, low-cost upgrades could have an enormous impact on the way people perceive your building. These modern amenities also help to attract young renters like millennials.
Amenities Matter
A current trend is that residents prefer a smaller, less expensive unit but larger communal hangout space. For example, a hang out space with large flatscreen tv and plenty of seating where residents can watch the game, weather or current events or just chill.
Fitness centers have become an absolute essential for many people. Nowadays, renters are looking for more than just a few treadmills. Group fitness classes, yoga, spin bikes, and free weights are all desirable.
Another change that can have a huge impact on the atmosphere of the common areas is music. Music can completely change the vibe of the building. Millennials in particular will feel right at home if they enter their building with trendy music playing in the lobby.
Eco-friendly Features
With global warming on the rise, people are more concerned than ever with adhering to green, sustainable practices. This also translates to what renters look for in an apartment building. With increasingly less people using gas-guzzling forms of transportation, many buildings now offer bike storage and even electric car-charging stations.
Units can also be made greener by using low or zero-VOC paint, energy-efficient appliances, and motion-activated lighting that shuts off automatically when a tenant leaves the room.
New trash and recycling removal services have been getting traction from building owners. Tenants simply place their trash and recycling in bins right outside their door on days designated by the building owner and this third-party company will pick it up.
Technology
In our modern world of smartphones and tablets, there have been innovative mobile solutions in the realm of apartment building lifestyle.
Millennials are accustomed to a paperless world where everything has become digital. Online leasing, rent pay, and maintenance request apps are becoming the norm and practically expected.
Do you have tenants who repeatedly get locked out? There are numerous apps that allow users to take a digital snapshot of their keys to store on their phone. If your tenant gets locked out, they can have a duplicate key created by any locksmith based on the digital snapshot and accompanying instructions.
Recent tenant “concierge” apps were introduced into the market which enable residents to schedule housekeeping, arrange for dry cleaning, package and food deliveries and book space for a private events.
By shifting focus to creative amenities, implementing greener practices, and using tech-savvy apps for your tenants, you can add some true value and market appeal for your apartment building.