If you manage an apartment community, there is no better way to drive renters to your property than getting it listed on the Google 3-pack and map – pictured below.

By Matt Easton

While attending SMX Advanced Conference in Seattle, WA June 22-23, we had a chance to speak with product development at Google and learned that apartment communities will soon be able to purchase AdWords in the Google Local 3-pack.

That means one of the three local results in the local pack will be an ad. Properties that aren’t currently using an apartment SEO professional to get on the map will have an even tougher time. Once Google takes back a spot to use it for an ad, that leaves only two spots left for non-paying apartment communities.

Multifamily construction and rentals are predicted to continue strong according to a new study from Harvard University. The report shows rental housing markets across the country tightened again in 2015. While multifamily construction ramped up for the fifth consecutive year, demand continued to outstrip supply, pushing down vacancy rates and pushing up rents.

Although renter household growth is likely to slow from its current pace, rental demand should remain strong over the coming decade, keeping markets under pressure— particularly at the low end, according to the annual State of the Nation’s Housing 2016 from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

The list of the 100 largest affordable multifamily property management companies has been released for 2016 by the group that ranks the number of affordable units each year.

This list answers the question of how many housing units receive at least one form of federal subsidy in the United States today.

In addition to the 100, there are two specialty lists, the 25 largest housing credit property management companies and the 25 largest rural development program property management companies, according to the National Affordable Housing Management Association(NAHMA).

What type of affordable units are counted

In an effort to accurately determine the portfolio of units receiving federal subsidy in the United States, the group publishes this annual listing of affordable units containing at least one of the following federal subsidies:

Residential real estate investing is growing and becoming a lucrative business for many people, especially in the single-family home investing area as everyone from the small investor to the large investor can find ways to fit their business models into this space.

By Larry Arth

Recently I was honored to be a moderator on a panel at a three-day event on single-family home investing attended by the Who’s Who of real estate investing.

 In fact I had the privilege of meeting some of you readers there. 

Larry Arth

Attendees were everyone from small mom and pop investors, to large investors owning hundreds of properties to institutional investors who hold thousands of units in their portfolios. 

The owners of two apartment complexes in Phoenix, damaged in a hail storm, have won a multimillion lawsuit against their insurance company which claimed it was normal wear and tear.

A Phoenix U.S. District Court jury found against Travelers Indemnity Co. on four counts related to breaches in the terms of an insurance policy. The dispute centered over the size of payments made by Travelers to the Lynwood and Villa del Sol apartment complexes owned by Harvey Property Management Co.

The freak storm on Oct. 5, 2010, caused more than $2.7 billion in damage as it dented cars, smashed tile roofs and peppered air-conditioning units with hail two inches in diameter. The storm also knocked out power to some parts of the Valley and disrupted rush-hour traffic, according to azcentral.com.

Vacancy costs can sometimes be hidden when you have hard-to-lease apartments. Sometimes it may surprise you it can be a single unit over and over causing the issue.

By Lori Hammond

Vacancy loss is a key indicator when evaluating property performance.

Vacancy loss and bad debt are two negative adjustments from the Gross Rent Potential. 

Attempts to maximize rental income include increasing rents, reducing vacancy and concessions.

There is another factor that lurks inside vacancy loss.

This sneaky indicator is the actual number of days vacant for an apartment.  Without looking at days vacant list or report, it might go unnoticed that the same apartment has been vacant for an extended period of time.

Given the size of a property, it's expected there will always be some vacant apartments.

Real Estate Opportunities In Investing (ROI) 2016-2017

Real Estate Opportunities In Investing (ROI) is an annual guide to current and prospective real estate investors. Published in conjunction with National Real Estate Investors Association and Rental Housing Journal, ROI the definitive guide to Finding Investing Success in Today's housing Market.

Apartment managers and landlords need to stay on top of the latests apps to keep up with residents who are mobile first and spend plenty of time on their smart phones.

If your apartment residents and tenants live on their mobile apps, is your property management keeping up with their mobile first needs?

Research shows 64% of American adults now own a smartphone of some kind, up from 35% in the spring of 2011. Smartphone ownership is especially high among younger Americans, as well as those with relatively high income and education levels, according to Pew Research Center.

And for a number of Americans, smartphones serve as an essential connection to the broader world of online information.

A tech startup company can put your property on their smart phones with customized branded apps you and your residents will both find useful.

This question to Dear Monty prompted him to list 8 ways that can mean happier tenants, lower turnover rates and higher rents for incoming tenants if you choose the right tips to make your apartments sparkle.

Richard 'Monty' Montgomery

By Richard Montgomery

A new lease agreement taped to tenants' doors by landlords in a Salt Lake City apartment complex requires the tenants to like the complex on its Facebook page within five days or be found in breach of lease, according to KSL.com.

Tenants of the City Park Apartments told KSL that a “Facebook addendum” showed up taped to their doors last week. The contract requires tenants to friend the City Park Apartments on Facebook within five days, or be found in breach of the rental agreement, though some of the tenants already signed a lease agreement months ago.

The document also includes a release allowing the apartment to post pictures of tenants and their visitors on the page.