How to Build an Apartment Community in 5 Easy Steps

Constructing an apartment complex is one thing. Permits, contractors, tools, materials can all make a solid, safe places for people to live out their daily lives. Building an apartment community, however, takes a completely different set of skills, and it requires all of us reach out and to work together.

1. Commitment. The property management firm sets the tone for the living environment provided to its residents. When there is a willingness to provide exceptional customer care and maintenance services, residents feel safe and confident in their homes.
2. An approachable environment. An apartment community needs common places for people to come together. This could be a laundry room, a picnic area, pretty landscaping with park benches, or a common mailroom. These areas are not just there out of convenience or necessity; common areas encourage strangers to become neighbors and neighbors to become friends.
3. Engaging activities. Of course, sometimes it takes more than sharing an elevator to get people to talk to each other. That’s why many apartment managers make the extra effort to create additional opportunities for residents to get to know each other. Bingo, shared meals, movie nights, walking groups, and book clubs are several ways neighbors can approach each other from different angles.
4. Encourage homemaking. The more residents settle into their apartments, the more connected they feel to their environment. Pictures hung on the wall, curtains over the window, familiar furniture, dishes, and books—all of these things sets each resident apart from each other and allows them to nestle in. Never underestimate the power of having a “home”; it’s the source of strength for many, if not all, people. The sooner and stronger that strength is established, the safer the rest of the world feels, and the greater the potential of a community becomes.
5. A willingness to make the first move. This, of course, goes beyond moving into your apartment, although that certainly sets the scene. When you see a neighbor, make eye contact and say hello. Small talk, even just 10 minutes, exercises your brain just as much as a word puzzle, so engage that important muscle. Topics include the infamous weather, their pet, a broach, the score of the latest baseball game. If none of these topics come to mind in the moment, do the bare minimum—smile and wish them a good day.

Oakleaf Property Management works hard to never lose sight of its daily goal: to provide comfortable, quality homes to the residents who need them while exceeding their expectations in customer care. Join us as we build strong communities throughout the Midwest.