Spreading Out
The popular consensus in multifamily right now is the idea of New Urbanism, or people moving back toward the transit, restaurants, and entertainment of America’s cities. While that may be true, the Harvard Joint Center for Housing’s The State of the Nation’s Housing 2005 report says that the vast majority of 20 million units constructed between 2005 and 2015 will be built in low-density areas. Until changes in policy encourage higher density, this trend won’t change, the report says.
–L.S.
Head of the Class
Jorge Perez, CEO and chairman of the Related Group of Florida, has topped the multifamily builder charts years, landing on the cover of MFE in January 2004 as Builder of the Year. Now the national mainstream media has taken notice. TIME Magazine named Perez one of the 25 most influential Hispanics in the United States in its Aug. 22, 2005, edition, calling him “The Donald Trump of the Tropics.” The magazine said Perez’s company generated $2.1 billion in revenue in 2004, placing it on top of the Hispanic Business 500.
–L.S.
Extra Fuel
The National Association of State Energy Officials partnered with The Enterprise Foundation’s $555 million Green Communities initiative to create 8,500 affordable, energy-efficient homes. The association will provide funding, training, and educational activities to promote energy efficiency at state and local levels.
–R.Z.A.
Green Giving
Wondering why your colleagues are sporting bright green bracelets? Apartments.com distributed 5,000 bracelets to multifamily industry professionals this summer. But these bracelets are much more than just a fashion statement. For each bracelet distributed, Apartments.com contributed one dollar to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, for a total donation of $5,000.
–R.Z.A.
Easy Answers
On-site property management staffers no longer have to review and analyze criminal records, thanks to a new product from First Advantage SafeRent. Registry CrimSAFE analyzes criminal reports and provides a clear accept/decline leasing decision based on the property owner’s predetermined criteria. “It takes all of the confusion out of trying to train the site people on all the various [criminal] codes from all of the various states,” says Nevel DeHart, executive vice president of First Advantage SafeRent. Time savings is one of the biggest product perks for property management firm Greystar Southeast, a division of Charleston, S.C.-based Greystar. “It literally has been drilled down to 20 or 30 seconds to wait for the report to process,” says Cathy Phillips, the company’s systems administrator.
–R.Z.A.
Online Changes
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