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aim news
Source: PRNewswire
Apartments.com, a nationally-recognized online apartment rental listing service, today announced a strategic partnership with Associated Cities, a network of the most intuitive and compelling city.com brands online. Comprehensive apartment rental content provided by Apartments.com can be viewed on more than twenty local city.com Web sites, including Albuquerque.com, Denver.com, Portland.com, SanAntonio.com, SanDiego.com, SanFrancisco.com, Seattle.com and many more.
Source: Danielle Babb, PhD, MBA - Author: Commissions at Risk
 Once thought of as a great enhancement tool, technology is now determining the winners and losers in a fierce battle for the lead.
Leasing agents are in a unique position to help owners and managers understand how to integrate technology into their business. Why? Agents are talking to potential clients and have an opportunity to truly know their client base -- and this group of individuals holds the keys to your next technological advancement.
 The VaultWare Market Index is a free, online report that measures online leasing activity in the multifamily housing industry. Some of the recent highlights from the report recently published includes:
- There was a 95% increase in people viewing current apartment availability online from 2005 to 2006 and a 307% increase from 2004 to 2006.
- From 2005 to 2006 there was a 66% increase in online apartment reservations made and a 262% increase over 2004.
- Nearly 4.5 million renters in 2006 checked availability online via VaultWare-Powered "Check Availability" buttons on both Internet Listing Services and apartment community websites combined. That number is nearly twice the 2.2 million renters who did so in 2005.
- In 2006 nearly 60% of all online apartment reservations occurred outside traditional office leasing hours.
Source: Ellis Property Management Services
 Out of a total of 32,113 shops, we recorded 8,795 individuals who followed up in some manner. Note that some leasing professionals used more than one method to follow up with their prospect so the total follow up count is slightly higher than the actual number of prospects. Factoring out the multiple follow up attempts on the same prospect, the leasing professional followed up with the shopper 27.4% of the time.
Despite more and more of our leasing prospects choosing the internet to make the initial contact with our communities, follow up by email remains dismally low. Only 10% of follow up was done online. This is perhaps the most efficient and effective forms of communication with the prospect, especially the internet prospect.
Source: Apartments.com Survey
All signs point to a positive apartment rental market in 2007 that is fueled by several important growth indicators. The number of people searching online for apartments continues to increase year over year. Apartments.com reported record visits to the site in 2006 with nearly 45 million visits - an increase of 20% over 2005 - and more than 157 million searches conducted. The top searched markets on Apartments.com with the highest growth over 2005 are: - Chicago (214%)
- Los Angeles (203%)
- Phoenix (182%)
- Ft. Lauderdale (168%)
- Atlanta (163%)
- Detroit (158%)
- New York (157%)
- Tampa (156%)
- Orlando (153%)
- San Jose/Silicon Valley (144%)
All percentages reflect 2006 over 2005 growth in searches per specified market on Apartments.com.
Source: United Dominion Realty Trust
United Dominion Realty Trust (NYSE: UDR) announced today that 1.1 million unique visitors went to its website in 2006, up 71% from 2005. Nearly 60% of those visits were the result of organic search engine referrals. Users searched phrases such as "apartment for rent" or "apartments" to assist in finding an apartment. United Dominion's focus on Internet lead-generation for new residents is a cost-effective, user-friendly way for apartment shoppers to visit UDR communities online and learn about community amenities and rental rates as well as apply for and reserve a home.
Source: MSN Real Estate
 A slowing economy and continued construction could make 2007 a better year for renters, flattening occupancy rates and apartment prices or even sending them down.
Renters across the country may be able to breathe a sigh of relief in 2007 after three years of a landlord's market. In many areas of the country, occupancy rates and rents are expected to stabilize or, in some cases, even decline as the economy sputters along and more rental properties are added to the market.
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