Have you seen the Google SideWiki announcement today? Imagine the ramifications for the apartment industry. Now anyone can potentially comment about your property good or bad if they have the Google Toolbar installed.
Here's a good article from Search Engine Land on how to leverage Sidewiki for SEM and make the most out of user reviews.
Farmington Hills, Mich., December 18, 2009 -- Village Green has launched mobile wireless access to apartments that enables prospective renters to choose a community, tour and rent an apartment from their smart phone. Village Green is the first privately held multifamily company to launch complete mobile search and leasing capabilities via individual property websites and address the exploding growth of Internet access and transactions with mobile devices.
"As we recognized the frequent use of mobile Internet transactions in other facets of our customers’ lives, we created a completely mobile capability that focuses on how prospective residents want to interact and transact with us," stated Village Green Chairman and CEO Jonathan Holtzman. "We pride ourselves in being at the forefront of the apartment industry and providing a 'lifestyle for rent,' and this is another example of us responding to the marketplace."
By partnering with VaultWare, Village Green rental prospects using smart phones can search apartments by price, location, service, amenities or close to their current location (via a smart phone’s built-in GPS functionality), see current specials and availability, and reserve an apartment today at one of Village Green’s communities. This 24/7/365 service works on mobile platforms including iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Palm Pre and Windows Mobile.
"Providing smart phone users with a mobile-friendly experience and all the functionality of the regular website is a must today," commented Mike Mueller, CEO of Realty DataTrust, the developers of VaultWare. "Especially considering industry findings that prospective renters using a mobile device are three times more likely to convert to a lease.
Prospects exploring www.VillageGreen.com from a smart phone will find it easy to search for a Village Green apartment community. Each individual community’s website automatically formats to fit the user’s specific smart phone model. Viewing photos, floorplans and maps is just a 'touch' away once the desired community is selected.
"We envision renters pulling out their smart phone in the middle of a busy street in Chicago, using its GPS location feature to find a nearby Village Green community, viewing the interior pictures and floorplans and checking the pricing and availability to make an informed decision to rent before they even walk in the entrance," stated Holtzman. "For a company that’s been in business since 1919, this sets a distinct standard for leasing apartments."
About Village Green
Village Green, with offices in Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and St. Louis and operating in 13 states, is one of the nation’s largest privately held owners and managers of luxury apartment communities. Established in 1919, Village Green operates approximately 40,000 apartments in 140 rental communities under five distinct apartment brands: Village Green, City Apartments, Regents Park, Village Park and Leading Furnished Suites. Explore villagegreen.com.
About Realty DataTrust Corporation
Realty DataTrust Corporation, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, offers online leasing solutions for the multifamily housing industry that help consumers reserve apartments online and increase a property’s efficiency and occupancy rates. Over 120 management companies throughout the United States, from small property management companies to some of the country’s largest real estate investment trusts, use the award-winning VaultWare check availability and reservation system. VaultWare lets online consumers easily find, reserve, and pre-qualify for an available apartment instantly to deliver apartment management companies the highest-qualified prospects possible. PadZing.com, an apartment market trends division by Realty DataTrust, gives apartment owners, marketing executives, and apartment brokers vacancy and rental rate data to help create forecasts, compile customized data trends per geographic region, and analyze trend data to make daily business decisions. To learn more about Realty DataTrust, visit the company's website at www.realtydatatrust.com.
