April General Membership Meeting Recap

Technology is becoming more accessible, more affordable, and more appealing to multifamily communities of all sizes and classes. For many independent rental owners, however, technology is something whose integration has likely been limited to primarily administrative functions, and not for onsite operations, as a marketing tool for their rental property, or as a resident amenity.

The AAOC General Membership Meeting on April 20, 2021 took a step to bridge that gap by providing its members with a closer look at “Technology Trends in the Multifamily Space” and how they can make technology work for them, with a focus on online property marketing, leasing and fraud protection, security monitoring and access, and smart apartment conversions.

The program featured a panel of industry experts comprised of Martin Canchola (Apartment SEO), Jeanette Mendez (ADT Multifamily), Mira Malek (Arize Smart Apartments) and Gabe Jones (CheckPoint ID).

The program started with Martin Canchola, from ApartmentSEO, who discussed internet marketing and search engine optimization, digital ads, social media marketing, and website and reputation builder services. These are all necessary assets for rental communities that are looking to stay competitive in an increasingly competitive multifamily market, and with prospective residents who are factoring in technological amenities in their apartment searches. The objective is to turn a prospective resident who is searching online to one who arrives at a community’s front door, ready to rent.

Gabe Jones, from CheckPoint ID, then shifted gears to address fraud in the multifamily space. She pointed out there has been a 30 percent increase in fraudulent, synthetic identifications in the United States. CheckpointID has developed innovative software technology to verify, in real-time, the validity of IDs that are presented by prospective residents who are looking to complete a rental application or tour the property. Jones pointed out that this easy detection can occur on-site, using Ipads provided to team members, to determine the validity of the ID in an expedient manner.

Mira Malek, from Arize Smart Apartments, shared her company’s complete and secure keyless access system,

Meeting Recap — continued on page 30

available for both staff and residents, which eliminates the need for key pulling and physical lockouts. Another keyless option that Arize offers is for self-guided tours, which has become especially helpful and beneficial during the pandemic. Prospective residents are given a one-time access code to enter a unit, thus eliminating the need for an owner or onsite staff member to personally accompany them. She also discussed other areas where Arize’s products are changing the ways multifamily communities operate.

Jeanette Mendez, from ADT Multifamily, concluded the panel discussion with an overview of the property security features and services that ADT provides for multifamily communities, including a “smart” lock system, as well as an innovative in-home lighting system that can be accessed via Alexa or smart phone. This system can also be used to set a lighting schedule for vacant and model units. ADT also offers an online leak detection monitoring system, video doorbell system with two-way communication options, and its own keyless access system that

Jeanette Mendez (ADT Multifamily) shares information about the suite of technology-based products being offered by ADT for both rental housing providers and residents. U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA 39) discusses the federal COVID-19 eviction moratorium and rent relief programs, and solicits input from AAOC members on issues that she can bring forward on their behalf, in Washington, D.C.

can be used for self-guided tours and other purposes.

AAOC wishes to thank its General Membership Meeting sponsors — ADT Multifamily, Arize Smart Apartments, Kay Properties & Investments, and Livable. Your support of the association and its members, as well as this meeting, is greatly appreciated. Mark your calendars for the next Martin Canchola (Apartment SEO) offers tips on what multifamily communities and property owners AAOC General Membership Meeting, can do to enhance their digital profile and remain being held online on Tuesday, May 18th competitive online. at 7 p.m. The topic of the meeting will be “Finding Relief for Your Property Management Headaches.”

Media Prescence — continued from 26

Some apartment loyalty rewards programs even offer residents special tasks (like following your social media) in exchange for points that add up to prizes like gift cards, discounts on rent or waived fees.

You can even run a small giveaway on your own for an Amazon gift card or another prize where all residents have to do to enter is follow you on social media to be entered.

2. Run a ‘Page Likes’ Facebook ad each month.

One of the types of ads Facebook offers is known as a “Page Likes” ad and it is solely geared toward increasing the number of likes on your Facebook page. However, it’s not just anyone; you can adjust the ad so that it is shown only to your target demographic.

Having an ad like this consistently running each month is a great way to slowly grow your audience on Facebook. We also recommend this type of ad because it doesn’t require a significant budget, just $50 a month can generate

Ain’t Broke — continued from 20

norm. Owners have probably worked a bit more with their tenants in cases of non-payment, but operations were little changed over the past year. Did much of anything really need fixing?

If you would like to chat with me about any of this or want a free market analysis of your property, please email me at: ctk@morganskenderian.com.

good growth.

Obviously, there are tons of strategies you can implement to grow your presence on social media and we whole-heartedly advise you to start to explore them once you’ve set the foundation with your current residents.

It’s all about them and once you show them that through your social media presence, your residents will be more likely to keep coming back — and even refer their friends.

About the Author: Ashley Tyndall is Chief Relationship Officer at Criterion.B.