Our nation is changing

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The pace is like at no other time in history. And here we are—apartment operators—at the center of it all.

As the multifamily housing industry, a significant part of the nation’s largest engine of GDP, begins to collide headlong into the digital economy, most are on a scramble to catch up. The whole concept of a digital economy is so strikingly new that it’s a challenge to define, much less quantify. Then there’s the matter of assessing what tech makes sense (low cost, high return) for your operation. And every location, type and demographic of each of your assets can have a different answer.

There are prognosticators. There are bleeding edge creators, entrepreneurs and adopters who are shooting arrows through the fog, hoping for a hit. As Americans, innovation is what we do, so this, naturally, is our moment.

The digital economy has already descended upon multifamily housing in the way of billing, submeters, communications and more. IoT, security, facility IoT and others stand at the threshold. And we’re far from there yet.

Digital is about experience. And experience is what apartment operators have made their living on for centuries. We’ve got this.

We’ve covered this and more in the latest edition of Multihousing Pro. 

Were you traveling this week, or just behind on your knowledge bank? Take a look at this week’s 5 Bullet Friday topics: Tech Wreck, Rent growth down, Digital economy, Seattle’s First-in is now the last out, and Freddie Mac’s new survey.

Linda Hoffman is an industry analyst on customer strategy. As publisher of Multihousing Pro magazine (the only remaining independently owned and operated title in the apartment space), she focuses on how owners and operators connect with their residents, and suppliers connect with their customers. Her publication has featured a number of notable interviews from Bon Jovi to Donald Trump, and has spent decades showcasing the truest examples of operational success in the apartment business.