As we work further into 2022, we are putting in all our effort to hit our monthly goals, so that soon we can reach our yearly goals of 100% prelease. This month, we are happy to announce that another one of our sister sites has achieved Century Club status! Everyone, please help us congratulate the 61 Vandy team for their success. We were extremely eager and excited to take a moment and sit down with team members Dawson Hilfiger, Property Manager, Olivia Plyer, Marketing Manager, and Rob Fabian, Maintenance Tech, who gave us their strategy when it comes to hitting 100% in their specific market.

While it seems that filling up a property with only 101 beds would be a piece of cake, you could not be further from the truth. Sure, 61 Vandy is small, but that doesn’t mean their market is! In total, Charleston has about 1800 beds, only a fraction of those being our very own Vandy’s. They have a lot to compete with when it comes to filling up to 100%. This market also isn’t necessarily early, but this team was able to get to Century Club status by February! So, the real question is…how did they do it?
According to this tiny team, there were quite a few factors that came into play in regards to their success. First and foremost, they made themselves extremely familiar with their market. While Dawson was new to this property, Olivia has been in the market for some time and was able to grasp a feel for the demographic. Understanding the market has helped them understand their prospects and exactly what they want out of housing. “One of our main tactics this  year was to emphasize the convenience of our location,” said Dawson. “Being a smaller, boutique-style property, we don’t have all the bells and whistles as far as amenities go. We sold the residents on US!” Things such as their intimate community, location to campus, and extremely accommodating staff made it quite easy for them to sign those leases. With being accommodating comes taking the time to be friends with your residents! “A key tactic of ours was really getting to know each prospect and resident that walked through our doors,” said Olivia. “Making them feel heard and accommodating their needs no matter how big or small they may be can make all the difference!” This method of communication brought 61 Vandy their record-breaking year for retention, and kept them ahead YOY since the beginning.

They also wanted to point out that they have another staff member that played a large part in their leasing success as well: he is a VERY good boy named Prince! “As funny as it sounds,” said Olivia, “he has been great at helping us get to know residents and is a great conversation starter!” Even if you do not have a pup to bring to your office, finding something that can create conversation between you and your residents and prospects can go quite a long way in creating bonds.

Now that they have hit the mark, this team is still working harder than ever to keep productivity at an all time high. “It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that being preleased means the hard work is over, but this is where it really begins!” said Dawson. Vandy is taking time to prepare for turn and move-in so that things can move as seamlessly as possible, giving them a leg up for the leasing season next year. They are also ensuring that anyone who calls with interest in their apartments are added to a wait list so that by the time October rolls around, they will already have a list of strong leads. As per Olivia, she is working on social media engagement while she has the time to get organic content on her profile to “let the presence of 61 Vandy speak for itself”!

This team’s advice? “Don’t lose your focus or your drive,” says Olivia, “and believe in the property as much as you do yourself. Everything will fall into place. I believe if you set your mind to something and work hard, you can always reach your goals.” Dawson said, “Get creative with your marketing, and shop your competitors to learn about different approaches and sales tactics. Most importantly, remember to have fun through it all!” Once again, we would like to congratulate 61 Vandy and all the staff on their remarkable dedication and determination to reach their goals! We just know that this is only the beginning of breaking records for this team, and changing the way we view innovative leasing.

To the rest of us, let’s follow suit and hit those goals! It is only a matter of time before we will all join The Century Club! We can do it!