Lowe's selects On-Site to defend online leasing

August 22nd, 2008

We've shown you how some companies are gung-ho about moving leasing online, but it's important to mention that to be successful, technology needs to be an extension of your on-site presence.

Real estate remains a very personal investment, and maintaining personalized, face-to-face service is key. Moreover, real estate professor John Rosenberg notes:

If a tenant is filling out information at home anonymously, they might not be as honest as they would be in person. "You can learn a lot about a residents from filling out applications with them."

We couldn't agree more. The best resident screening comes before the credit check is even pulled, as experienced landlords well know. But this whole print vs. online battle misses the point. To us, online leasing is not about replacing paper and human interaction, but eliminating wasted time and money. Most all of your leases will meet your community in person before moving; you just need to make it convenient to take the next step.

Face it: renters are online. If you're not there, they'll keep looking.

Still not convinced? Lowe's (the big box home improvement place) asked us to square off against Professor John. They report, you decide.

Meet the new leader in the fight against housing discrimination

August 5th, 2008

How did we miss this?

Over a year ago, the Feds celebrated the 39th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act by creating Franklin the Fair Housing Fox. The mascot is meant to make Fair Housing everyone's responsibility, including your kids!

Franklin even has a foxy email address and online discrimination quiz for kids; a sample:

My family saw an ad that said "Only white people need apply." Is this housing discrimination?

Franklin joins a proud legacy of anthropomorphic awareness cartoons, including Smokey Bear and McGruff the Crime Dog, but lacks that certain je ne sais quoi. Even so, we wish him luck.

 
  
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