Blog

As a real estate owner or operator, if you haven’t been asked about ESG yet, you will be soon.  Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies, processes, and programs are increasingly viewed as a proxy for good management. ESG efforts often reduce risk and enhance engagement with tenants, residents, employees, community leaders, and investors. As such,… Read More »

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is coming at us like a tsunami, according to the top economist at a leading U.S. real estate investment services firm who spoke at a real estate industry conference in January.  If you thought 2020 and 2021 were critical years for ESG in real estate, 2022 will be the year… Read More »

Resident behaviors shifted significantly in 2021 as the pandemic led millions to remote work and rethink where to live. Creating more space and specialized amenities enabled apartment operators to thrive, according to the Grace Hill/NMHC 2022 Renter Preferences Survey Report, which featured input from 221,000 renters living in 4,564 communities nationwide, with data available in… Read More »

In the world of multifamily, bigger isn’t necessarily better. But being a smaller operator does come with a unique set of challenges. Larger apartment management companies are working with distinct advantages. They have bigger budgets and operating margins, and more resources at their disposal. They generally have more money for payroll and technology, and through… Read More »

As the level of hacker sophistication advances, apartment companies must remain vigilant with consistent employee training and monitoring. Remote work has become commonplace at the corporate level for many national apartment operators. And while security protocols might have been in place for years – even before the pandemic – wise companies are re-evaluating their policies… Read More »

Resident satisfaction and renewal rates are primary drivers in property performance. While several factors go into those particular data points, multifamily operators looking to improve resident retention may want to first focus their efforts on employee satisfaction.  It may sound secondary, or even backward, but there is an undeniable correlation between associate turnover and resident… Read More »

Technology played a big role in multifamily’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is the operators who paid attention to the little things that positioned themselves for continued success.  In the 2021 NMHC OPTECH session “Multifamily Moneyball: A Home Run for Talent Management and Customer Experience,” panelists reviewed the subtle strategies and simple tech… Read More »

It’s being called the “Great Resignation.” Many members of the U.S. workforce who left their posts for various reasons during the pandemic have yet to resume employment, and employers are clinging tenuously to their current staff.  While multifamily has weathered COVID-19 admirably, it hasn’t been immune to the recent talent shortages. The 2021 Apartment Visionaries… Read More »

Companies exploring learning management systems (LMS) find Grace Hill to be a comprehensive solution that helps them expand their learning objectives for employees across their workforce. By adding Grace Hill’s PolicyPartner, which provides a library of customizable policies and procedures, and Validate, its mystery shopping component, to a traditional online learning mix, customers experience more… Read More »

The apartment industry is certainly “all in” when it comes to providing an optimal resident experience. And why shouldn’t it be? Renting as a lifestyle choice has never been more desirable, and rising rents and strong occupancy are driving performance. But facing one of the toughest job markets they’ve ever seen, apartment operators today are… Read More »

Update: On Thursday, January 13, the United States Supreme Court invalidated the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). The ETS was initially scheduled to take effect in December 2021 and had been on hold while under judicial review.   Grace Hill spoke to three firms about their… Read More »

Update: On Thursday, January 13, the United States Supreme Court invalidated the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). The ETS was initially scheduled to take effect in December 2021 and had been on hold while under judicial review.   The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has… Read More »