18 minute read
INSPIRE
THE POWER OF FENG SHUI
Feng Shui Your Rental Properties and Attract the Renters You Want
By Brea Harper
Let’s say you have what you feel is a nice unit or home you want to rent. People come see it, and it seems like it should rent quickly, but for some unknown reason it just doesn’t seem to get rented. It might sound “airy-fairy,” as some skeptics would put it, but the energies could be off. How it’s designed, painted or even landscaped could be inadvertently repelling prospective renters. It might seem nontraditional, but consider an alternative design approach by using Feng Shui to change the energies, and therefore, the attraction to the property.
“Feng Shui is an ancient tradition used for thousands of years and can be described as, ‘The ancient Chinese art of placement,’” explained Shari Borkin, MA ATR and Feng Shui expert from Dixon, California-based FunChanges.com. She uses these ancient techniques to help sell or rent homes. “The goal is to ensure a smooth energy flow (Chi) in your environment. This can impact your mental, physical and emotional state of being, and can bring balance and harmony into your life. This energy flow can also affect your plants and pets.”
Borkin added, “Feng Shui supports theories of quantum physics, that everything is made up of particles of energy, vibrating at different speeds. Understanding the Feng Shui Bagua map, that shows what areas in your home connect to aspects of yourself. The Bagua areas are: prosperity, repu-
tation, relationships, family, centered self, creativity, knowledge, life path, and helpful people. Understanding energy flow increases your personal power to manifest your every dream. The knowledge of Feng Shui can help you to activate energies in each area of your home.”
GETTING STARTED
How can property owners begin the process of applying Feng Shui to their properties? Owners can hire a consultant or study up on some basics and apply them. “Feng Shui can make you feel welcome into a space as opposed to a property without it,” said Joe Ferguson, architectural joiner at SkirtingsRus.com. “Imagine modern homes with huge glass windows as you open the doors, they are known as a no-no in Feng Shui as they let blessings go out so quickly. Walls are seen similar to how mountains can distribute rivers and irrigate lands.”
To get started, consider the front of the rental units or home. “There are a few key ways that property owners can use Feng Shui to attract high-quality renters,” said Jennifer Spinelli, founder and CEO of Watson Buys based in Colorado. “First, it is important to create a good first impression by ensuring that the entrance to the property is clean, well-lit and inviting. Also, the property should be well-maintained and organized in a way that promotes a feeling of calm and order. Finally, it is beneficial to add some personal touches to the space that will make renters feel welcome and comfortable.”
Next, consider the front yard, as that is critical to curb appeal. Try to add positive elements that slow the flow of chi. These elements can be trees, potted plants or shrubs. Keep them neatly trimmed and remove any weeds or dead materials. Dead items can act like a “sponge” for positive chi. “The subconscious mind picks up symbols, images and smells,” said Borkin. “A potential client will always go with their gut feelings.
“The building itself, should be an appealing color, present clean, be in good condition, on the outside and inside. Good lighting on the outside of the property, to highlight the front yard and walkway is important to represent an inviting atmosphere. Appealing landscaping, soft, rounded leaves on plants as you enter the building. A potted geranium plant of red flowers can attract the eye toward the front door (where the eye goes, energy flows), and never use spikey or attacking-looking plants upon entering. Outside place a clean ‘welcome’ mat. An appealing, clean rug inside the front door, and consider adding nine coins under the inside rug for attracting abundance.”
Then there’s the front door. According to an article in The Spruce titled “Create Good Feng Shui in the Main Entry of Your Home” by Anjie Cho, “The formal front door (the main entrance to your home) is one of the most important areas to look at when it comes to Feng Shui. It’s often called the mouth of qi, because it’s how energy and opportunities enter your home. Your front door is also the first thing visitors see when they arrive, as well as the first thing you see when you come home, so it can really set the tone for your experience of the space.”
Borkin says to paint the door red to attract the eye of potential renters. The red door comes from an American tradition. A red door welcomed travelers to let them know this home was a welcoming place where they could stay and rest. Making people feel “invited” and “welcomed” creates that good energy and attraction to come into the home.
Finally, the interior requires the same amount of consideration as the outside. If you’ve ever walked into a residence and gotten an “off” vibe, it’s usually related to energy flow. “The help of a Feng Shui practitioner to perform a clearing on any property can remove any negative or stale energies,” said Borkin. “This can be repeated after several viewings to keep the energy clean. Electro-magnetic-frequency (EMF) cures are always good. A light color on the walls is best, so a person can imagine what personal items can be on the walls, and this shows off the architecture for furniture placement.
“The inside of a rental could also have been built with fighting elements. An example would be a kitchen sink that is directly across from a stove,” added Borkin. “This is fire and water fighting each other. Another example would be if a bedroom has a joining bathroom without a door for separation. Our bedrooms are a place to rejuvenate our energetic bodies, the bathroom is used to remove and rid waste mostly down a drain. I will never understand why an architect would combine these two elements. A Feng Shui practitioner has cures for fighting elements that a client may pick up on when viewing a space.”
So, if your properties aren’t renting as fast you would like or remaining vacant, Feng Shui could offer the “invisible” answer to the problem.
In the not-so-distant past, flashy amenities were a primary way to catch the eye of discerning renters. The more the amenity exuded the ambience of a relaxing, resort-like experience, the better.
While rooftop decks, hotel-inspired swimming pools and posh courtyards still hold value, they no longer serve as tiebreaking factors to renters – at least not as prominently. The work-from-home boom has given residents more of a practical approach when seeking amenities, and co-working spaces, private workstations, reliable Wi-Fi, and conference rooms are often more important than a panoramic rooftop view.
Likewise, similar in-home features can be equally important for the modern renter. Anything that enhances remote work, such as built-in nooks for a mini home office, Zoom-worthy communication spaces, noise-reduced homes and prime connectivity all qualify.
The work-from-home trend was already underway before the pandemic, when 20 percent of employees worked at home most or all of the time, according to data from Pew Research. While the percentage peaked at 71 percent during the height of the pandemic, nearly half of Americans continue to work from home for at least part of the workweek. According to Owl Labs, remote work has increased 91 percent over the last decade and 44 percent in the past five years.
To keep pace, the rental housing industry has to adjust accordingly. Given that so many professionals are residing in rental housing, the remote-work capability at communities has to increase.
GROWING PROMINENCE
Residents’ focus on relevant community amenities, lightning-speed internet packages, common areas with connectivity and spaces that foster collaboration – such as WeWork stations and conference rooms – has become even more prominent in 2022. These are investments that most operators weren’t making a few years back and even fewer were incorporating them into the development process.
While many of these items now qualify as must-haves for some renters, a handful of not-so-apparent amenities can greatly improve the experience of a work-from-home resident and make a rental community much more enticing to them. Because the apartment sector also is home to many families – and many of the parents work remotely – children often need something to occupy their time during the workday. Working parents are unable to monitor their children as well as they would during their free-time hours, of course, which has prompted some communities to incorporate designated activity spaces for kids.
Additionally, outdoor working spaces are becoming a key attraction for remote workers at communities in loca-
tions where the climate (or season) allows. As such, some properties have modified social gathering areas into more work-centric spaces. These spaces also can serve as a respite for remote workers who might spend the day inside but want to momentarily relax near nature trails, lakes and whatever additional attractions border the community.
While the work-from-home boom has altered the blueprints of rental communities in the predevelopment process, the challenge is different for existing communities. Operators that acquire existing assets are wise to incorporate work-from-home elements into their value-add processes, even if it’s as simple as refreshing apartment interiors to be a little more worker-friendly.
PROMOTING A NEW RESIDENT EXPERIENCE
The rising number of individuals working from home has also increased the sense of community at many properties. Buildings that had been barren during the day are now bustling with a fair sample size of work-from-home residents. As such, it’s highly recommended for onsite teams to dedicate even more focus to the resident experience. This includes the adoption of tech tools that can help operators more efficiently communicate with residents and give them the option to receive notifications on their preferred medium.
Likewise, marketing teams would be savvy to incorporate more information about the community’s work-from-home capabilities into their outreach. With homes now occupied
more than ever by remote workers, features such as pool views, proximity to the fitness center or having a home adjacent to the courtyard may become more attractive to residents and could potentially drive premiums.
Outreach efforts can also tout services adopted by the community that can help aid the at-home workday. For example, communities can partner with local pet-walking agencies, offer onsite dry cleaning, provide housekeeping services or anything else that can aid a busy remote worker. This can even include improved fitness centers now that many residents will be more conscious of their health while largely remaining at home.
Onsite teams previously focused almost exclusively on leasing because many residents were offsite during the weekday hours, but the focus has changed. They now must adjust and dedicate a significant portion of the workday toward enhancing the resident experience. That objective can begin early in the operations process, as some operators are now training leasing agents to be even more engaging and customer-centric. Those professionalism-boosting training efforts can expand to the maintenance team, as these associates now more frequently interact with residents during the workweek. Creating a healthy morale among increasingly at-home residents is something that can permeate through the building and aid in resident-retention efforts.
Although the propensity to work from home has cooled since the height of the pandemic, the trend is here to stay in the apartment world. Companies across the globe are continuing to offer remote work as a perk to attract and retain employees, as the percentage of U.S. companies that disallow remote work of any kind has dropped to a mere 44 percent, according to the Owl Labs study.
Operators that embrace the boom, incorporate workfrom-home spaces, add relevant services to aid remote workers – and are very intentional in their marketing efforts to highlight these qualities – are one step ahead of the curve. And thankfully, unlike other temporary trends in the past, they don’t have to worry about this one being a passing fad.
Reprinted with permission from the National Apartment Association. Sergio Chidichimo is Senior Vice President of Operations for Birchstone Residential. He is a member of the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas’ 2022-2023 Board of Directors.
Acts of Community Service CREATE GOODWILL WITH RENTERS
By Michelle Gamble
No one wants to feel like just another link in the corporate chain – and this is especially true when you’re providing a home for someone. A home is where we live, enjoy our families and friends, and raise our children. When a renter feels seen and heard by property owners then long-term, loyal relationships form. Goodwill between property owners and renters retains quality renters and prevents turnover, which can be quite costly and add up to thousands of dollars lost in the search for new renters. In fact, renter turnover can cost an average of $1,000 to $5,000 per rental.
Outside of conventional customer service, how can property owners and operators go that extra mile to not only retain quality renters, but also engender that all-important loyalty? The kind of reliability that makes renters pay rent on time and love and care for your property as if it’s their own. The kind of devotion that creates a true connection and concern not only for your rental property, but also for the community at large.
The answer requires property owners to think outside of the box and consider more than rent collection and an occasional gesture of acknowledgement. It means treating your renters like family and making them feel a part of the community they live in. Property owners who understand the deeply personal nature of their business will build longterm relationships, because their renters know they care about them and the community.
“There is definitely a stigma that property owners don’t care about their properties, the communities they are in, or the people who live in them,” explained Terry Lynette, president of Techpresident.com and a participant in an iLandlord training program. “However, there are plenty of property owners out there who not only care about those things, but who go above and beyond to help improve them.”
BUILDING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
In order to build goodwill with renters and create the added benefit of community connection, which also ties renters to their neighbors and businesses, property owners can take the reins and work on community-related programs. It can come down to simple gestures that show you care.
It all starts with creating a sense of place and developing an experience of your property versus focusing on the property itself. “We all want a better future, and that starts with home, making an impact locally can change the lives of our neighbors, our families, and our community as a whole,” said Lisa Wise, CEO of Flock DC based in Washington, D.C. “When we give back, we’re building the community we want to be a part of.”
A unique and inspiring method of building relationships with renters and communities is what San Francisco-based Mosser calls “benevolent capitalism,” which calls for property owners to become architects and catalysts for making neighborhoods better places. “Mosser makes a huge effort in this area, and it’s meaningful, as they work with lower-income residents in some of the most transitional areas of San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles – so their efforts go a long way,” said Cindi Goodsell, director at Mosser. “By strategically investing in and improving neighborhoods that need some positive attention, the company, our renters and the local community all win. Our goal is to be good community stewards to lead by example and partner with the community to leave the communities we work in better than we found them.
“We care deeply about residents, know many of them personally, and translate this care and knowledge into support and benefits residents most appreciate,” continued Goodsell. “We believe by being present, doing good work, and caring about their best interests, it allows us to build a trustworthy relationship. For example, during COVID, CEO Neveo Mosser hand-delivered toilet-paper rolls to elderly residents who couldn’t fend for themselves. The company also made hand sanitizer to distribute when there was none on the shelves. We believe in going the extra mile for residents.”
Start by investing in your renters’ experiences. Make it a priority to make a difference in the community and sharing it with your renters. “We believe that healthy homes lead to happy residents, and happy residents care deeply about their communities,” said Wise. “When we’re all aligned in that investment, it becomes a lot easier to build the long-term relationships we cultivate with so many of our residents.”
Wise illustrated her point by describing what her group has specifically done in their areas. “We’ve funded big, bold ideas like large-scale murals, veteran farmer supplies, funds for firefighters installing smoke detectors for seniors living east of the river, and bicycle repair stations,” she said. “We host an annual Casino Night fundraiser for a local non-profit that provides healthcare services to the Latinx community. The only limit is thinking that it’s not your place as a business leader to set the example. We say, get creative and self-elect yourself to make an impact.”
She continued and said, “We value supporting small, local businesses, doers, and makers. Engaging with the community around us is important, and we always welcome an opportunity to promote organizations that need extra visibility and resources. We write a weekly newsletter and share volunteer activities, cultural events, activism opportunities, and our favorite happy hours. We also believe it’s important to educate our clients, and we’ll share information sessions about renters’ rights, panels on fair housing, and other events where residents can learn about renting in the district.”
Also, as diversity and inclusion have taken root as important concerns among community leaders, many property owners have taken measures to make it their top priorities. “With the multicultural orientation of our employees and residents, we are mindful about acknowledging key heritage months,” said Goodsell. “For example, in February, as Black History Month ended and Women’s History Month began, we acknowledged the cultural diversity we have at Mosser.
NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT
Mosser finds new ways to help its community each year. Among many philanthropical efforts, Mosser has recently had the pleasure of supporting San Francisco’s Homeless Prenatal Program by providing safe, clean and stable housing to new and expecting mothers. Mosser also donated and made a commitment to Urban Alchemy, with whom they are now partnering to support safety in the broader community through better patrolling of the streets. With Mosser’s support, they will also help improve cleanliness and safety. Mosser preserves the rich history of the Tenderloin by supporting the Tenderloin Museum, so residents can be proud of this very special neighborhood.
“As a multicultural family-owned business, we acknowledge the cultural heritage, adversities and triumphs that these kinds of celebratory months focus on – and that we honor every single day,” she continued. “Unlike other real estate owner operators, Mosser is a 100-percent African American and woman-owned family business with more than 85 percent of our employees self-identifying as a minority. From this background, we do business with a profound commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion at the core of company culture. It sets Mosser apart in this business. Mosser apartments deliver clean, quality, secure affordable workforce housing in highly diverse neighborhoods for those who live there and offer new opportunities for those that want to relocate and/or operate a business there.
“Juneteenth and Pride Month are also heritage events we acknowledge and remind us of how lucky we are to serve the wonderful melting pot of all kinds of residents in Mosser communities in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles. ”
Wise’s company shares a similar outlook with Mosser. “Our profits come from an industry that has historically excluded black and brown Americans from the wealth-generating opportunity of homeownership,” she said. “When we thought about how else to give back, we realized we wanted to change that narrative, to seed an equitable future that we would be proud to be a part of. Our latest philanthropic initiative, The birdSEED Foundation, awards down payment grants to first-time, BIPOC home-buyers. We’re currently active in DC and Philadelphia. Since late 2020, we’ve had 10 households close on their forever homes, with the help of birdSEED’s $5-15k no-strings grants. Is this the financial windfall that will repair the past? No. But it shifts the conversation and invites others in the real estate industry to consider their responsibility.”
The reward for all of these efforts shows when renters want to buy the homes they’ve rented. “Our favorite thing is when long-term renters end up loving their home so much that they end up buying the property,” added Wise. “When that happens, we really feel we’ve been successful in delivering stellar service and being a part of what makes those residents feel like a part of their community. Residents who stay in place longer and connect to the space they’re a part of tend to be better neighbors and more active in the community around them.”
Michelle Gamble is the editor of Rental Housing Magazine.
