Summer is finally here – the perfect time to organize a social event in your community. Events can be a great opportunity for your residents to get to know their neighbors and develop a sense of community. And let’s face it…residents who feel connected to your community are more likely to stick around year after year! Planning a resident event this summer? Read on for a few tips for a successful event. Give People What They Want Are your residents more interested in a BBQ or a community rummage sale? You won’t know until you ask! So before you start planning, find out what types of events your residents are interested in attending in order to get the most attendees. Involve Residents in the Planning Have you heard of the IKEA effect? Basically, the concept is that people place a higher value on things...

Extreme couponing is an activity that combines shopping skills with couponing in an attempt to save as much money as possible while accumulating the most groceries. Let’s pick a night during the week to show the residents how to get started. They supplies you will need are scissors, coupons, portable file boxes, and hanging folders. 1.) There are 2 main sources of coupons: newspaper inserts and printable coupons. FYI Local businesses might let you have any unsold Sunday papers they have leftover come Monday. Multiple copies mean multiple coupons. Let your residents know not to settle for one newspaper. Get weekend subscriptions to several (provided they carry quality ads and aren't too expensive). 2.) Here are a few websites you can go to for printable coupons....

Now that spring has sprung, it's time to gear up your apartment community activities for residents looking for more opportunities to maintain a healthy lifestyle and get active! One idea to bring your community together and promote a healthy lifestyle is to start a yoga club. Yoga is a popular practice for overall health and relaxation in which the focus is breath control, meditation and posture. There are many benefits to yoga, one being that anyone can do it, regardless of their age, gender or physical limitations. Yoga has both physical and mental benefits as well, such as increased strength, balance, flexibility, concentration and focus, all helping your sleep better at night and have more energy during the day. Offering these benefits to renters through a Yoga club is a great way to promote a healthy lifestyle and increase resident engagement and ultimately resident retention. Check out the steps...

A lot of time when we think about "pet friendly", people immediately picture dogs, probably because they are the main focus of weight limits. But there are plenty of residents who love their cats, and June is a great way to focus on our feline friends! 1) National Adopt a Cat Month - As spring is a randy time for cats, June has become National Adopt A Cat Month to find homes for those new furry little kittens. So call up the local shelters and find out more details about their adoption programs. Consider lifting pet fees during the month as a way to support the program! 2) June 4th: Hug Your Cat Day - Yes, they have a holiday for just about everything. But no matter how silly the "holiday" is, it often gives a great reason to reach...

One of the best benefits you can give a parent is FREEDOM! Although I absolutely love my children and would do anything for them, sometimes my wife and I need to simply get away to retain our sanity! Plus, nights out with just my wife allow us to reconnect with each other to help keep our relationship strong. We recently joined the YMCA and found out that once a month they have a kids night out, where they will take your kids for 5 straight hours from 5pm to 10pm, giving plenty of time to not only go out to dinner, but also catch that elusive movie! I thought it was odd that they named it a kids night out, when clearly the benefit was for the parents. This would be an absolutely great idea to implement at an apartment community - a service...