Michael Zaransky’s Blog
Aesthetics vs. Security: How to Straddle that Fence When it Comes to Your Property
Securing a multifamily property is a wide-ranging proposition, a matter of locks, lighting and landscaping, of entrances and elevators, of fencing and fire escapes. Things like concentric circles of protection and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) must be considered. And then a fine line [...]
Why It Pays To Scope Out the Competition
For any real estate professional, the competition represents more than a sign in somebody’s lawn, and more than a website. It represents opportunity. Opportunity to learn, to gauge, to grow -- to recalibrate one’s own approach to the profession. Competition, far from bad, makes you [...]
A-List Amenities in Multifamily Properties
The ancient axiom about real estate, accurate (it seems) since the dawn of time, continues to hold true in the booming multifamily housing market: It’s a matter of location, location, location. That said, potential residents are seeking far more in the way of amenities from [...]
How To Know When The Rent ISN’T Too Darn High
The challenge facing the owners of rental properties was underscored by a man named Jimmy McMillan, who once ran for governor of New York on the-rent-is-too-(darn)-high platform. In fact, that was what he dubbed his party: The Rent Is Too (Darn) High. (Footnote: He was [...]
What to do When Your Multifamily Property Turns Out To Be Historic
The phrase “George Washington slept here,” a reference to a long-ago play and motion picture, has also been used, tongue-in-cheek style, in connection with any property that might have historical significance. But what if that is really the case? What if George Washington (or, for [...]
The Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of Midwestern Towns
The images of Rust Belt cities haunt and amaze: frame after frame of homes and businesses and factories, hollowed out and abandoned -- some looking as if the occupants just stepped out for a minute. They leave one thinking of a bygone era, when [...]
