Of course all of this isn’t just plug-and-play magic. The GPS and compass location capability of smart phones can pinpoint users within a meter, but cell phone triangulation currently maxes out on accuracy between 20 feet and 30 feet. Likewise the process of maximizing location awareness ROI involves back-end labor that includes establishing GPS identifiers for properties and individual units and tying those location IDs back into a property management software platform of a corporate Web site.
It might even turn out that industry tech partners—particularly the ILSs—offer a value proposition to owners in terms of jumping into location-based apartment applications. “I’ve been excited by the early news on location awareness and the use of augmented reality,” says Peggy Abkemeier, president of Santa Monica, Calif.-based ILS Rent.com. “It might not make sense for the individual owner, but I think it could totally make sense for an ILS. I do think it is a part of the future, especially if it can be delivered in an app format.”
