BreadBox Consulting

May 2019 - BreadBox welcomes our new client – The Bernstein Companies! Headquartered in Washington DC, The Bernstein Companies have selected BreadBox to market their new community, The Highline in Hyattsville MD. The Highline is the next generation in multifamily living, combining modern residences with co-working and “community” driven amenities such as the Rockstar Room, “Alone-Together Room, and a unique “Moroccan style” sunroom. In addition, the top-of-the-line “Co-Working” spaces will allow both residents and businesses to grow in a dynamic and up and coming neighborhood. “We are very excited to welcome the Bernstein Companies as a client. Their new community, The Highline , is an exciting project in a great location and we are thrilled to be a part of it.” says Justin Cleary, Principal of BreadBox. “By developing in great location, providing unique amenities and well thought out construction, The Bernstein Companies proves once again, they are a leader in the multifamily in...

How do you beat the "big guys" at apartment marketing? While many large property management firms and developers have substantial budgets for their apartment marketing , a considerable number of smaller apartment communities don't, so it takes a unique and creative approach to generate leads for your community. With that in mind, we have put together the top 5 marketing tips for smaller apartment communities. Local Co-Branding Promotions While promotion through local businesses, hospitals and colleges have always been a staple of "local" marketing, try taking it one step further. Instead of merely leaving a flyer behind at these locations, try a "co-branding" promotion. An example would be a promotion with a local pizza shop that offers free application fee with the purchase of a pizza. Same can be true on your end. Allow that business to place a flyer in your community. The key to this is building relationships with high-value local merchants. M...

There's a case to be made that photos are the most important part of apartment marketing . While some would argue differently, there is no denying the impact that quality photos (or lack thereof) have on potential renters and their decisions to visit your community. For that reason alone, it's imperative that you have quality photos of your community. While some ILS's now offer professional photos with their listings, most of those images are watermarked, limiting their use in other areas. Not to mention, that in most cases, you do not have a say in who will be photographing your community or building, much less the final images. With that in mind, I always advise my clients to hire a professional photographer. Here are several tips on hiring the right photographer and getting the best photos of your community: FINDING A PHOTOGRAPHER Google Search - Most people start with a Google Search to find anything these days, and the same is true for finding a photographer. One...

I recently posed a question to a group of developers...What if you started looking at your communities from the standpoint of children being the residents, instead of the adults?  Now obviously, I'm not talking about a community where every unit is filled with slides and see-saws or kids roaming the grounds like Lords of the Flies. But it's a question to highlight what can be done if the primary motivation for the planning of amenity space, marketing and the overall feel of a community was done with children in mind. With 33% of all renter households (14.3 million) having minor children, it's an important question. And as more and more residents with children decide to rent instead of buy, having a true "family friendly" community can become a huge differentiator in the marketing and retention of tenants. So what would a community that is designed around the family and actual children look like? Onsite Daycare This may be a game changer when it comes t...

Everyone in the industry these days is talking about amenities. What renters want, what they don't, and what they will want in the future. The problem is, most developers aren't listening to the actual renters. Over my career, I have spoken with 100's if not 1000's of renters, listening to their wants and needs for a place to call home.  Contrary to popular belief, not every renter is a millennial who wants a smoothie bar in their bathroom. The vast majority of renters have simple needs in a building or community when it comes to amenities.  Real Closet Space When I say "real," I think we all know what we are talking about. Not the closets with one bar that can fit a shirt and jeans. We're talking about walk-in closets or ones with built-in storage. Renters these days are older or moving from established households and have more clothing. Many developers are "afraid" to take a portion of a bedroom to enlarge a closet, but I can tell you fro...

Let me start by saying, everybody makes mistakes. But the only way to correct those mistakes is to acknowledge them and work on fixing them. Whether it's a lack of training, laziness or case of the "Mondays", it's important to make sure you are on the top of your game each day. Here are the top 5 mistakes leasing agents make and how to correct them: Lack of Followup I've seen a lot of leasing agents focus their follow-up efforts on renters who have toured the community and showed a real interest in the community or property. But not many take the time to follow-up with EVERY lead (including ones that haven't seen the community already) that comes across their desk. Sometimes that lead that requested information but never set up a tour is busy. Following up on all your leads is vitally important. Not Gathering Enough Information So you have a prospects name, email, move date and price range. But what about the other stuff? One fundamentally selling tec...