And a New Year will soon be here...

I hope each of you are ending your 2007 with many happy memories and are ready to start making new memories in 2008.

I will be back in the New Year with hopefully many, many new ideas and thoughts for you and I hope you have many, many thoughts and ideas to share with me...

Be safe bringing in the New Year.

I've not forgotten you or this blog

Hello all:

I just wanted to put a short note up to let you know that I have not given up on this blog and am still very interested in sharing ideas with you and learning from you.

I have been very busy (as I am sure most of you have been) with the Holiday Season, not only personally, but also at work. I am hoping that I will be able to catch up soon, so please keep checking back with me.

I am sorry for the delays and I hope you can forgive me. I may not be posting, but I am researching, so when I get a chance to catch up...I will have ideas after ideas.

K.I.S.S.

Keep It Simple Sweetie - this goes for getting people to turn in applications to live at your complex.

Offering your residents a referral gift is a great way to get the word out about your complex. This can be something as simple as offering a carpet cleaning or a gift card as long as the person they bring to you signs a lease, pays the first month rent and security deposit.

Offer a gift card to a restaurant (especially if the resident has a family).

Or give one big gift out and put every one's name in a drawing for that...

Sometimes giving away something, gets you a great resident...

Activities with a twist

I have a family property, and I do tend to lean my suggestions toward families, but I recently decided to have a "Soup Off" with my residents and found that more of my elderly participated than my other residents. I asked one of these residents why I hadn't seen her at any of the activities before now and she told me that this activity was something she was comfortable with. This was something that she loved doing, but because it was just her in the household she didn't do much cooking. And she hoped I did more of these types of activities in the future.

So I have planned a "Pie Off", and a "Cookie Off", etc. next year and I hope this will bring out more of my elderly residents.

How do these "Cook Offs" work? You need to make it manageable. You can have each person bring in their soup and then you dip it out and everyone gets a taste. You have a questionnaire ready for each of them to fill out about what they like and dislike about the soup and they give it a score and then each of them put their questionnaire in a "suggestion box" type of container. I purchased some Ziploc freezer bags and put about 2 cups of each soup in a bag. I wrote the name of the soup on the bag (before filling it). This way everyone got a sample of the soup (and the recipe which the resident brought with them and I made copies of to hand out).

I then went through the questionnaires, added up the points and announced the winner while everyone was enjoying the soup and company.

I ended up with 6 different soup recipes to try at home and they ended up with some new friends. They have talked about doing some kind of cook off each month. I can't wait for the desserts, cookies, pies and cakes cook offs.

So try something a little out of the box. You might find your residents enjoy it and you might even get something special out of it.

Friday - Laugh day?

I've had a few people mention to me that they aren't sure telling stories about things that happen on their properties that involve residents is a good thing.

This whole blog is a learning in progress, so I appreciate the suggestions and comments...although, I would love to hear more from you on the blog. Let your comments help others...

So once again, I am asking for your help. What should Fridays be about?

I had thought about maybe moving the Q&A to Friday and leaving the weekend open...

Thanks,

Thursday - Your Staff

Recognition is a motivating tool that is easy to do and can go a long way. Here are some ideas:

Most employees want individual recognition and that doesn't necessarily mean money.

Make sure you give the recognition soon after your employee does something. Match the recognition with the performance.

Make sure you are specific about what you are giving recognition for. It helps the employee know what they did and helps them continue to do them.

And make sure you know your employee. Some employees don't want to be the center of attention, so making a big deal out of something in front of everyone can do more harm then good.

Wednesday - Extras

Bulletin boards can be a great feature in a community room or laundry room. Have one with a theme for each month. Hang up recipes, or craft instructions, make copies and put them in a wall file folder so your residents can enjoy them.

You can have one that has information on it about activities that are happening in your area, financial help fliers, information about flu shots and where they are giving them out, activities pertaining to your elderly. This bulletin board is your information area, so make sure the information that you post here will help your residents.

Another bulletin board can be used as a classified bulletin board. This is where your residents can post things that they have for sale or things they want to buy, etc.

Bulletin boards can be fun and interesting and something that your residents just might enjoy!

Tuesday - Move-ins

Send a survey to your new move-ins. Find out what they like or didn't like about the whole process and about their apartments.

Surveys can help improve ideas that you are already doing, and it lets your move-ins feel like what they have to say is important.

Make sure your questions are yes or no and give them a comments section.

Monday - Keeping Your Residents

Late again...sorry.

I think I've touched on this a little bit in other posts, but it is worth saying again...

Don't forget the children! If you have a complex with children then you know that they can sometimes be a handful. If you keep them active and give them things to do that are fun, then I have found that you have less trouble with them. And if the children are happy, then the parents will be happy.

So what ideas will entertain the children:

1. When it is time to plant flowers, give the children their own flower bed. Let them plant the flowers. I found that the children didn't run through my flowerbeds after they saw how much work went into planting the flowers.
2. Have coloring contests. This is something that is so simple and you can have a theme for just about every month. Give away a $10.00 gift card to the winner.
3. Have parties. A Fall Party can be great time to have a party. The children have just started back to school. They are half way between summer and Winter Break. Have games for them to do and fun food to eat.
4. Do a contest that helps the children in school, or if they volunteer.
5. Set up an "Adopt a Grandparent" day with your local nursing home. This is where the children will do activities and spend time with the elderly at the nursing home. Or if you have an elderly complex near by, see about setting something up with them.

Letting children have a little fun doesn't hurt and it can help a lot!

Did you get enough to eat?

Did you get enough to eat for Thanksgiving?

Yes, I did

Did you go Black Friday shopping?

Yes, but I did it from my home computer. Less traffic that way. lol

Thursday - Having a "Gonna have fun day"

Why not take a day and do something with your staff. Your staff's personalities, likes and dislikes can be used to figure out what to do.

Something as simple as taking your staff out to dinner can be the boost they need. Sign up for a day long class in something. Maybe an art class or even a class at Lowe's to learn something new.

If you have a large staff or a complex close by with a similar size staff, then why not have a checkers contest or a baseball game. Anything with teams.

Get an old fashion group picture taken. One of those black and white pictures.

Have your staff and their families meet you at an ice cream shoppe for some free ice cream.

Get together with your staff and have a little fun. You might find that you enjoy yourself as much as your staff.

The New Wacky Wednesday

I am changing Wednesdays. I think Wednesdays will be for "extra" topics. Like maintenance, paperwork, etc.

It will be a melting pot of information. If you want to learn about something, just let me know and I will see what I can do to find the answers.

For the first Wacky Wednesday, I think we will discuss maintenance.

I want to believe that the majority of our residents really want to help us anyway they can, I just don't think they know how.

Most residents don't know that there are some very basic things they can do on their own or that they can do to keep an emergency from being a MAJOR emergency.

Things like turning the valve off behind the toilet if the toilet is overflowing to keep the mess from being worse.

How to reset the garbage disposal if it won't spin. Or flipping a breaker back on if it flips off because of a power surge.

Simple things that a resident can do (that isn't dangerous) that will not only help them, but will help us also.

Tuesday Topic - Move-Ins

The holiday season has put me a little behind, but I am going to try very hard to catch up this weekend.

Move-ins are as important as your residents. When you have a vacancy, your applicants are like gold.

People need to know your complex is there before they can take an interest in it. Placing fliers around your town, sending letters to different agencies and having your complex be involved with local groups are all great ideas to get your complex name out there.

Your fliers need to have basic information: layout, size, does your rent include anything (water, trash, etc). But your flier also needs to stand out. Make sure you put things down that will make your complex stand out. Are you the only complex that has a pool in your area? Do you offer van service to and from stores for your residents? How about after school programs (tutoring or babysitting) for your students? If all the complexes in your area do these or have these things, then you need to come up with a way to make yours stand out. If you offer the after school service, what about having healthy snacks for the students and/or a fun learning experience...bike safety, drop, stop and roll programs, basic first aid courses, etc.

Sending letters to different agencies is a great way to get your name out there. If you manage affordable housing, then make sure you get your letters to your local Housing Authority, Women's shelters, Salvation Army, thrift stores, etc. The letter you send can be a copy of your flier.

Get your complex involved with your local groups. If you have a community room, then why not see if the Boy/Girl Scouts would like to meet in there. A writing group might like to meet there because it is quiet. See if your local art teacher would like to teach art to non-students, etc.

All of these ideas get your complex name out there and by inviting local groups into your community room, potential residents and/or friends of potential residents will be in and out and they will remember your complex when someone they know, needs a home.

A Special Note Just For You...

Do you remember the last time you were having a bad day? Did someone do something small for you that made you feel better? Well your residents are human also and they are bound to have bad days. So what can we do to help them feel better?

What about little notes? They are simple, to the point and you can make them cute and clever. They can be sent for different holidays or just for the heck of it. They don't have to say a lot to say sooo much.

For Thanksgiving, you could send a note that says: "In the spirit of Thanksgiving we want you to know that we are grateful to you for being our resident.

You could send a note along with a small bag of the goldfish crackers and the note would read: "You're a big Fish in our Pond!

In a small ziploc snack baggie, put some type of mint (Andes Mints, Peppermint patties, mint certs, etc) with a little note that says: "You're a Mint of a resident and we're happy you're here."

Send some Starburst candies with a note that says: "You're a Star in our sky!" OR "We're bursting to tell you how wonderful you are."

Milky Ways with a card that says: "You're out of this world."

Send apple flavored Jolly Ranchers (or an actual apple) with a note that says: "You're the apple of our eye and we are so happy that you are here."

Get creative, send a tea bag with a note that says: "You're TEArrific!"

An Equal sugar packet with a card that says: "Nothing Equals how happy we are that you are here."

These are just a few simple ideas that will let your residents know they a special, and when someone feels like they are wanted, they tend to stay.

Are you ready for the holidays?

The holidays get crazy around my complex. For some reason, my mind is somewhere else during this time. Do you think that is why things get crazy? lol...

I use to be done with my holiday shopping before Thanksgiving and my husband would do his shopping Christmas Eve. Now, we pass each other in the stores on Christmas Eve.

So are you ready for the holidays?

Elderly Residents...aren't they cute!

I have several elderly residents on my property that are such a joy to talk with. They are fun, active and have a lot of spunk. Sometimes too much spunk.

Several years ago, I had one of these overly spunky resident. She made myself, the staff and other residents laugh and was loved by many.

She also had a crush on my maintenance man! He was 40 and she was 75. She would cause something to go wrong with her unit, just so he would come "visit".

With every work order, she would bake him something or make him something. He would come back to the office wearing a new scarf or carrying a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

Then one day, he came back from her apartment wearing and carrying nothing. So I asked him if he had made her mad or something and he said "no". He didn't make any other comment or anything else, so dropped it for the moment.

Later that day before he left, I asked him if everything was okay because he seem to have been down in the dumps all day.

He sat down in the office and said he didn't want to get her (this resident) in trouble, but he didn't think he could go over there again, alone anyway.

It seems that this spunky 75 year old really had the hots for him. She had put candles all over her apartment and when he came through the door, she wrapped herself around him and kissed him on the lips!

My maintenance man said he had turned around and left right after he peeled her off of him. I told him he should have told me earlier and that from now on I would go with him so that I could keep her busy.

I did this a couple of times and then on one work order visit, she sat me down and wanted to know if I was jealous of her and if I was afraid she would take my man away from me. I told her the maintenance man was not my "man" and the reason I was coming with him was because she could not behave herself when he came alone.

She said, "I knew it. I'm too much woman for him. I guess I will have to keep baking him things."

And then she looked at me at said, "You know that is the way to a man's heart." I said I heard that before.

She promised not to throw herself at him again and she promised to be a good resident when he was near.

He finally started going to her apartment alone again and she did behave herself. Of course, the fact that the maintenance man had an uncle that he fixed her up with didn't hurt.

Days off vs money?

If your staff is like mine (and if you are like me) days off with pay or more money is what most employees say would motivate them to do extras in their job.

So why not give them what they want? Now if your property is like mine, it is set in stone when it comes to the budget. So the money part might be out of the question, BUT what if "money" doesn't mean hourly wage?

What if you gave them a gift card when you see them go above and beyond their job? Or buy their lunch every now and again. This saves them money. If your maintenance man drinks soda all the time, why not buy him a six pack, again, this saves him money. If your assistant has children, why not give her a gift card to a restaurant or give her McD's/Burger King gift cards for those evenings when she has to run little Jimmy to football practice the same that she has to get little Suzie to dance class.

As for the time off with pay - The same goes as with the money, if you see them go above and beyond, then give them half a day off on Friday. If your staff has worked hard to make your property the best it can be, give them "get out work early" cards. Each card can be worth a 1/2 hour or one hour and they can save them up and turn them in when they want a day off (with prior approval from you and you can set the limit on how many hours they can take at a time).

You can purchase Monopoly money and use it: a $5.00 play bill can equal 5 minutes of early leave or you can buy those business cards that you can do yourself on the computer and create a "get out of work early" card. That way you can put the amount of time you want to give them right on the card. Neither of these ideas cost much and both are reusable items.

Motivation is the key and you can motivate your staff with the things they want, without going overboard and let them know this is something you want to do for them as long as it doesn't get taken advantage of.

Wednesday Activities

I sat down (a day late...sorry) to do this Wednesday post and I realized that my Monday posts on residents usually has an activity of some kind mixed in with it.

So I was thinking...What else could I do on Wednesdays?

• I could do something on paperwork, but if you aren't affordable housing you probably don't have the same kind of paperwork
• I could make Monday's for the adult activities and Wednesday for activities for the children
• I could do something on maintenance issues. Mold, plumbing, OSHA, simple tips for cleaning vacant units, etc.
• Or...do you have something else you would like to read about? Suggest and I will see what I can do...

Since I listed some activities in Monday's posts, I will leave this post with these things for you to ponder.

What would you like to learn more about or share ideas about?

Thanks for any and all suggestions!

Welcome Home

We've talked about a move-in folder that gives your new move-in important information about your complex and your town, etc. but what about giving them a little gift also.

I give my new move-ins the "move-in notebook" right after signing the lease. I go over the things that I think are important (if they have children, I go over school directions, etc.)...

After going through this notebook, I hand them the key and welcome them to the complex, and then I send them on their way to their new home.

Waiting for them is a gift bag. Inside this gift bag is a sample bottle of dish liquid, a small packet of dishwasher cleaner, a small box of laundry detergent and of dryer sheets, and two trash bags. Beside the gift bag, I have a regular size roll of paper towels and toilet paper. And sticking out of the bag is a "Welcome to your new home" letter that is signed by my entire staff.

These are just some small things that I can get in bulk through my maintenance supply company. The entire bag costs me under $5.00 and several new move-ins have written me thank you notes or come in and thanked me for their little gift bag. Some new residents have even gone out of their way to track down and thank my staff.

What other move-in gifts can you try?

• Gift card to the local grocery store with a note that says, "Enjoy your first meal in your new home on us"... or something like that...
• I know a manager who gives out a toilet plunger, with a roll of toilet paper to each move-in. She puts the roll of toilet paper over the plunger handle and ties a bow at the top, with a little note that says, "Thanks for taking the plunge with us."
• Or how about leaving them a roll of toilet paper, paper towel, some paper plates and paper cups with a note that says, "Let us take the paperwork out of moving"
• How about getting a pack of "We've moved" cards, stamps, and typed labels with their new address on them and put a note that says, "People need to know where to send your housewarming gifts."
• Some bottled water in the refrigerator will be a nice refreshing drink during/after their move. Just make sure you put a note on the counter so they know it is there.

A simple gift with a cute note, will make them smile and they will appreciate the fact that you took the time to think of them.

Just For You...

Residents love to get things! It is a fact and we just need to get use to it. But then, who among us doesn't like to get things. Free things are even better.

But residents also like to feel they are a part of something. Given the chance I think residents do want to be good residents and they want to make your job easier and they do appreciate everything you do for them.

I know at my complex, the residents that know their neighbors and become friends with their neighbors, tend keep the common areas, their apartments and the grounds cleaner. They take pride in where they live and they don't want their new neighbors to think the worse of them.

So why not find a way to bring your residents together:

• Plan an ice cream social for the complex (have the residents make their own ice cream - there are some very simple recipes on the Internet that you use)
• Plan a cookie swap for each building/floor a month - when you have gone through all your residents, then have one big cookie party. You can make a "cookbook" of sorts for all your residents with all of the recipes in it. Why not have a contest, let those who want to make cookies bring them to the party and have some local judges (bankers, policeman, etc) judge the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place cookies and give away cookie jars as gifts or something to do with baking.
• Have a breakfast or cookout for your residents. Your staff can take their orders, cook for them, serve them, make them feel special.
• Have a theme party - Valentines Day - Everyone can wear red or have heart name tags on, etc. - they can draw names and end up in groups with other residents (or have each floor/building be a group) and have them complete several tasks (word finds, mazes, etc.) the team that gets done first, wins. Give them tasks that they have to work together to complete. But make sure you think of everyone and don't make the tasks too hard or too easy.

Simple tasks that are fun will get your residents in touch with each other. I know at my complex something like this took a little while to get started. The first time we did something (we did the ice cream social) we only had about 10 residents show up, but when we did the breakfast we had almost 40 residents show up. The word gets around and hopefully even more residents will show up with each activity.

These residents will share their experiences with family and friends and who knows, one day those family or friends may need an apartment and they will keep your complex at the top of their list...