Giving Our Best So You Can Do Yours
See how we've helped others improve their skills and fill more vacancies!
"Thank you for your lovely note and thank you so much for your incredible training sessions with our team! We truly appreciate your kind words and share in your enthusiasm---we also love working with you and always look forward to your insightful discussions!
Your ability to guide us through meaningful conversations has helped us see new ways to level up our business. Even though we didn't cover everything, the depth of our discussions was invaluable. We feel empowered and better equipped to stand out even more in our industry, thanks to your guidance.
The photos are a great reminder of the energy and collaboration we experienced during the training. We would love to have you back for another session soon. I'll get back to you with some potential dates so we can lock them in.
Thank you again!. "
Jaimie Howell
Vice President, Property Management
Mainline Living
"On behalf of my team, thank you so much for that seminar. It was super impactful and everyone is excited to put some of the strategies they learned in place. "
Thanks again!
Christine Murray
Senior Vice President
Madison Apartment Group
"Hi Elaine, Thank you so much for the great fair housing training yesterday! My staff raved about your enthusiasm, how you kept everyone engaged and that the presentation was packed with vital information."
Sheila Morris
Director, Affordable Living
Samaritas
"Thanks for the info. I have enjoyed working with you, and appreciate the insights you've given our team into market rate leasing! I know working with you has benefited not only our Southgate Senior Living development, but our other ongoing projects as well."
Amy Cogswell
Senior Property Manager
ICCF Community Homes
"Elaine mobilized her team within a few days to help my organization meet a tight compliance deadline. The team was professional, responsive, and met the tight turnaround. I would recommend Occupancy Solutions for compliance needs."
Cecili Leal
Director of Multifamily Development
Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership
"Elaine, your assistance has been exceptional and I believe has resulted in the amazing turn around in the Leasing of Lawndale. It took a while, but we're now seeing the results.
While November will be your last month on this project, we won't hesitate to call on you again should the need arise.
Again, thank you for your assistance and best wishes for success in your future projects!"
Philip I Mappa
Principal
MR Properties, LLC
"Elaine Simpson was GREAT to work with! She communicated all the way up to the event, then her presentation knocked it out of the park. Fair Housing can be a difficult topic, however, she was able to keep our guests' interested, and had time to answer any questions. Everyone left happy! 5 out of 5, we would recommend Elaine."
Deb Belobraydich, CAM, CALP
Education Director & Special Projects Coordinator
St. Louis Apartment Association
"We had Elaine Simpson, Occupancy Solutions, speak at our 2021 Education Conference in Lansing, Michigan and she was great! Her enthusiasm and interaction amongst the attendees kept the group, ranging from maintenance techs to owners, engaged while providing practical tips and tricks for increasing communication amongst team members. Her knowledge of our industry was obvious and instilled a level of trust amongst the attendees that she truly understood their challenges and knew what she was talking about.
On a personal note, Elaine was hired in 2019 to speak at our 2020 conference that had been rescheduled due to the CoVid pandemic. Her willingness to tweak her program, nearly two years after her originally scheduled date to speak was greatly appreciated. We had another speaker back out at the last minute, but with Elaine's professionalism and expertise, she was able to fill the void and knocked it out of the park.
We highly recommend Elaine for any future engagements you may have and look forward to bringing her back to Michigan in the future!"
Heather Collin
Executive Director
Property Management Association of Mid Michigan
"Elaine and her team have been great to work with, we appreciate the peace of mind Occupancy Solutions provides us with."
Jody Towson, HCCP
Compliance Manager
CSI Support & Development
"Thank you again for the script. IT WORKED!!! I rented the unit yesterday. Your tips and tricks were very helpful. I started closing from the first call and had them excited and all in by the time they came to see the unit. GREAT INFO!!!
Thanks so much."
Arlene V.
"Thank you for the great presentation today!"
Kathrine Esqueda
Director of Property Management
Greystar Management Group, Inc.
"Pirhl had a project that suffered every possible set back related to COVID19 as such the lease up was severely behind. After 45 days of trying to achieve qualified occupancy, Pirhl called Occupancy Solutions to support the lease up efforts. Elaine's team came to the property to forge a partnership with the on-site management team to provide leasing and support the marketing and outreach efforts. COVID19 was relentless and the city imposed additional restrictions on operations but that didn't stop Occupancy Solutions. Armed with this information, and determined to succeed Occupancy Solutions got the project leased in 35 days. Amazing results!"
Alicia Morgan
Vice President of Asset Management
Pirhl
"Thank you for providing my team with It's Fair Housing Not Fear Housing webinar today. It went very well. Your manner of presentation kept the webinar upbeat and easy to listen to.
Thanks again!"
Stacey McGee
Chief Operations Officer
Cormorant Co., Inc.
"I have worked with Elaine with Occupancy Solutions in assisting a few of our Senior Living Campus with Sales Support from a far. They have been wonderful to work with, very efficient in communication and quick in turning on the support. Her team is very seasoned and understood our CRM with minimal training. I would recommend using them for future sales support needs.
Thanks Elaine!!"
Tiffany Affolter
Senior Director of Corporate Sales
National Church Residences
"As we come to the end of our direct working relationship on Baldwin Creek I just want to personally thank you for your help. That help went well beyond just the marketing strategy or numbers. You clearly took a personal interest in helping us as owners, our management companies, and most importantly the residents that benefited from your involvement and guidance. The problems we've faced at Baldwin Creek have been years in the making and we weren't anticipating an immediate turn around but needed to see light at the end of the tunnel that wasn't a freight train. None of us were prepared for the additional contributing factors like coronavirus, fires, floods, etc. In spite of all these challenges you've helped us to begin to right the ship and our occupancy is now up to over 90%for the first time in over 3 years. And, your help defining a good residential selection strategy has assisted in improving the profile of our tenancy. That single factor will help us establish the ground work for success. We were well on our way to finding a new owner to purchase Baldwin Creek before the world came to a temporary halt because of the corona virus. Hopefully it will be short-lived and we can get back on track.
I know you've had a much longer and deeper relationship with others here at Cinnaire. When I was looking for suggestions on who we could turn to for advice on Baldwin Creek your name kept coming up as the best expert we should contact. You've definitely lived up to your reputation. It's clear that you're invested in Cinnaire both professionally and personally. I'm sure that's why Occupancy Solutions is so successful and respected in our industry.
I'm going to miss our regular calls and stories about running; both through airports and on Arizona exercise trails. I'll keep you posted on our continued progress at Baldwin Creek. I'm looking forward to seeing you at future conferences and potential consulting engagements. Perhaps they won't all be as challenging as Baldwin Creek but if they are I'm confident you'll be able to help."
David Helm, CPB
Asset Manager
Cinnaire
"I believe that Occupancy Solutions offers a thorough Fair Housing class. It is informative, offers an easy to follow guideline, plus the interaction of asking questions keeps a person alert. I highly recommend Occupancy Solutions for anyone looking to take their annual Fair Housing training. It is also very affordable."
Patti A. Cohoon
Rental Agent
Stratford Group, LTD
"We have a 2 person housing department for development and owner/manager of rental units, and this is the best Fair Housing webinar I have been through (most are in person and we rarely get further than comfort/service animals)."
Jeremy Jostand, CCAP, NCRP
Housing Director
NEICAC
"We engaged Occupancy Solutions to help us lease-up a senior property in south Texas that had to be vacated post hurricane Harvey to allow extensive repairs to be made to the property. Occupancy Solutions was fantastic to work with. They went above and beyond to market the property and find leads to bring it to full occupancy within the anticipated time frame. The staff are knowledgeable, professional, and respond to questions. We were very pleased with their services and are happy to give them a high recommendation!"
Ron Lee
Asset Manager
National Church Residences
"Elaine and her team are some of the most knowledgeable in their field throughout the country. They have helped us on several occasions and always delivered."
Brad Long
Director, Asset Managment
Community Development Partners
"We had Elaine teach at our Prism Awards and MC our Awards Banquet she knocked it out of the park for us! We were very pleased. She is very detail oriented so no loose ends were left at either event. Our members were tweeting immediately about how engaging her class was."
Peggy Ellis
Executive Director
Detroit Metropolitan Apartment Association
"Elaine did an amazing job presenting Fair Housing to our Florida team. We require our associates to attend an annual in person Fair Housing seminar, which for long term employees can be a little boring. Elaine made it fun and engaging! Occupancy Solutions is a great resource for Multifamily training and occupancy needs - you will love working with Elaine!"
Robyn Cue
Director of Training
Maxx Properties
"I will certainly suggest you for classes!! Your presentation was the best! Thanks so much. !! Do you have other class presentations? Let me know!"
Paragon Management Inc.
"Elaine Simpson traveled to Mt. Pleasant to speak at our annual Samaritas Affordable Living Manager's Meeting. Her presentation was highly engaging and all participants came away rethinking their inter-personal skills. The interactive activities were entertaining as well as thought-provoking and was presented in a professional manner. Highly recommended for your next corporate meeting!"
Sheila Morris
Director, Affordable Living
Samaritas
"Worry free solutions with Occupancy Solutions! Elaine and her team make an effective social media presence for our properties! Keeping Prospects and Residents engaged"
Jennifer Staniszewski
Regional Manager
Lockwood Management
"Wanted to thank you for doing our own online Fair Housing Training. Since we have a large staff of 13, it is very difficult to leave the property for our required training. It also gave us the opportunity to interact with our maintenance staff in different scenarios that may not have come up or that were not fully understood on a day to day basis.Your presentation indeed sparked questions which I believe is the key to successful learning! Hope that we are able to continue this for years to come!"
Mary Arnett
Property Manager
Green Acres Apartments
"Your class last week was a wonderful and I appreciated your presentation very much. I was pleasantly surprised to learn a new prospective in several areas, even though I have had many fair housing classes through the years. The presentation kept us all on our toes, thanks again."
Jane Lamerson
Regional Property Manager
KMG Prestige, Inc.
"I was in your fair housing seminar last week; it was very interesting and I definitely learned a lot from it. Coming from the construction side I wasn't aware of some of the things that the housing people have to be aware of."
Nick Wesolek
PK Construction Co.
"Thank you so much for providing our employees such a great training! I got very good feedback from them and hope they can apply what they learned into practice. We look forward to having you again next year!"
Siyang Xia
Vice President of AssetManagement
HH Fund
"Having been to many trainings in my career, I can honestly say that Elaine Simpson is one of the best in the business! She is my favorite trainer. She is extremely relatable, personable, and very passionate about what she does. She makes the topics fun, interactive and definitely not boring. I have learned so much from her these past 5 years. I truly look forward to her workshops."
Rick Goren
Community Manager
Lockwood of Waterford Senior Community
"With expertise and efficiency, Occupancy Solutions completed a difficult lease-up in a compressed time frame. Their mindset is strategic and their execution is crisp."
Jen Nguyen
Chief Financial Officer
Community Development Partners
"Thank you so much for speaking at our yearly training meeting. Over a few simple conference calls, you were able to capture every point with such ease making your presentation customized for our team. Speaking to a group of employees who have "seen it all," you were able to keep them engaged, spark interaction and maintain a new level of energy with our crowd. That's not easy to do! You really understand your audience and it shows. Thank you for making our meeting a big success. We look forward to working with you again in the future."
Tammy Hubble
Systems Administrative/Corporate Trainer
Winterwood Property Management
"Last week I attended our annual training conference in which Elaine Simpson lead several courses. She did a phenomenal job. When you walk into a classroom with a small number of people and are told you're going to be there for 2 hours, there's that sense of dread that we all feel, right? Not necessary with her. The class was over before we even realized it. She kept our attention so well; the time just flew by. I can undoubtedly say this year was my favorite thus far, because of the energetic and effective way she taught her courses. Who knew ANOTHER fair housing seminar could keep 350+ people interested? Way to go, Elaine!"
Kristi Benfield
Sr. Property Manager
The Lux Townhomes
Winterwood Property Management
"Thank you so much for bringing your stimulating training to our 2017 Employee Education Conference last month. I received a lot of positive feedback on the surveys regarding your Fair Housing training and also the Tax Credit training that Julie presented. I was a little nervous having new trainers this year, but I absolutely should not have been. You and Julie were so refreshing! The enthusiasm for the subject matter that you both imparted on our group was very welcome. The coloring books that everyone received in their welcome bags were a big hit too! I appreciate the part that you and Julie played in making this conference a success!"
Belinda Ray
Executive Director
Community Housing Management
"Elaine, I just wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you on behalf of the Harmony Oaks staff for the excellent Leasingtraining we received last week. We are excited about trying some of the ideas you and our colleagues presented. Thank you!"
Aisha Duniver
Property Manager
McCormack Baron Management
"Good morning,
I recognized that the only time I really send emails copying all of you only when there is an issue. I really want to thank you, Emily for really stepping up and providing us with timely responses, great teamwork from you and quality work. There are so many properties that rave about you! The managers feedback is incredibly positive in Arizona and California. You have really become our partner and teammate. There were some bumps in the road initially However you have worked those out and have made such an impact. I know your responsibilities have grown immensely and you have done an amazing job. Thank you for all you do and really being on top of these properties. You are appreciated!"
Jacquelyn Karre, CAM, HCCP
Senior Property Manager
WinnResidential
"Whether you're working on multi-million-dollar real estate deals or parenting a recalcitrant child, Elaine's presentation on negotiation offers practical tips for success! She is an entertaining and engaging speaker. Her talk was both fun and informative!"
Jessica Hallmark, Esq
EducationCommittee
Commercial Real EstateWomen
"We reached out to Elaine Simpson to provide a leasing training to some of communities in the New York area and after having a couple of phone calls, Elaine narrowed down our needs to be marketing not leasing. Following the all-day training, I asked the property managers individually about their thoughts from your presentation, they were thrilled with the training. It was refreshing,focusing on opportunities and low to no cost marketing efforts and resident retention. The activities wererelevant andwell received. The training reminded them that there is more to our business than compliance. I heard from several attendees that we simply do not have enough of this type of training. All good stuff!"
Pamela W. Monroe, CPM
Vice President, Property Manager
National Church Residences
"Excellent webinar presentation "It's Fair Housing Not Fear Housing"! It was delivered smoothly for all to follow even through its many facets. Also, your knowledge of the topic with real life examples made it far more effective than one 2-hour presentation would normally be on a topic so complex."
Scott Lembke
United Church Homes
"Thank you!! I absolutely LOVED having Julie out at our properties!! She is close to perfect!! I really appreciate all of you being so diligent in our reporting to ADOH. It has always been really important to me to have everything submitted before the due date (this was the first time a compliance auditor has visited each one of my sites to pull information, let alone Douglas). Also, if I did not show my appreciation in catching the UA changes, I am VERY thankful that you are checking that! I understand tax credit but I am certainly not an expert and that is why all of you are our teammates! I always want to be confident that our limits are accurate and our files are GREAT! I know I can be aggressive when I am following up on compliance, I just don't ever want to NOT be in compliance; that does freak me out. I feel much better knowing that you are checking income/rent limits in addition to UA's and sending me the changes when they apply, then I update the rent schedule and send it to our owner in addition to a copy of the new UA. I never want to be in a position where they catch it before us. HUGE THANK YOU!!!!
Jacquelyn Karre, CAM, HCCP
Senior Property Manager
WinnResidential
"Elaine Simpson provided an entertaining and enlightening Customer Service presentation to our team of leasing, managers, maintenance and corporate multifamily professionals. The content was spot on for our team and kept everyone engaged! It was a great program to kick off our team holiday event! I would highly recommend Elaine Simpson for your workshop or for your keynote needs."
Roxann Kalski
Property Manager for Lakeside Village
Altman PropertyManagement
"We were highly impressed with the ability of Elaine and her team to navigate very specific criteria that applied to our applicants. They truly are experts at what they do. We reached our occupancy goal with a remarkably fast turnaround."
Caryn Winter
Owner
Oracle Consulting Services
"We are very fortunate to have met you and look forward to continuing to work with you as our future developments come to fruition. Thank you for all of the guidance and results from you and your team! We certainly intend to call you in the future."
Edward S. Taylor
President
Fairfield Property Management
"We appreciate all you have done to help increase occupancy at our properties. Your service has been invaluable to the property, owners and management company!"
Renee Wiggins
Senior Asset Manager
Fairfield Property Management
"It was a pleasure to be in your CAM class yesterday. You have a way of simplifying formulas, to where it is not so overwhelming for people that do not have math brains."
Cathie Udeck
Property Manager
909 West
"I highly recommend Occupancy Solutions to any Owner that is looking for help with successfully positioning their property in the marketplace. Elaine and her team did a phenomenal job in assessing the property's marketing needs, implementing the marketing program and helping us achieveour goal of leasing 200 Section 42 units within three (3)months. Thank you, Occupancy Solutions. We couldn't have done it without your help!"
Dean Nucich
Managing Principal
Urban Offerings, Inc.
"Thanks Elaine! That was a very informative session (Affordable Marketing & Outreach Solutions)on Thursday. Thanks for coming to St. Louis and sharing a bit of your knowledge bank! We've already started anentire campaign focused around Resident Referrals. Thanks for the ideas!"
Scott Johnson
Marketing/Leasing Director
The Village of Bogey Hills
"Elaine did a great job teaching the Conflict Resolution Solutions class and this class should be given to every new manager!"
Sharon Jones
Continental Management
"I would just like to say thank you for providing extra tools to help me with resolving conflict. I really enjoyed the training and I look forward to more of them. Thanks again!"
Michelle R. Stokes, COS, TCS
Property Manager
920 On The Park
"Thanks for being awesome and providing uplifting training!""
Claudia Jones - COS, ARM, CAPS
Regional Manager
Associate Management Companies
"I'm extremely happy with your session! You are an excellent teacher. I will definitely keep you in mind for future AHAIN events!"
Charyl Luth
Executive Director
Affordable Housing Association of Indiana
"We just received the brochures for Centre on Wednesday and they look GREAT! I wanted to say thanks again and I really appreciate how quickly you were able to get these done." Thanks, and have a great holiday weekend!"
Chris Bromley
Area Manager
"I recently participated in an Elaine Simpson Communication Strategies Solutions class. The class was awesome! The class teaches us to really listen to what a person is asking. Body language can play a very big part of communication and can sometimes be misconstrued if you are not paying attention. Elaine makes this class and other classes fun and interesting including games relating to the class series. I believe all team members should be included in these classes."
Cheryl Smith
Property Manager
Silver Lake Arbors Apartments
"I would highly recommend Occupancy Solutions to any company looking to tackle marketing needs. We have finite budgets and Elaine was able to provide marketing ideas as it relates to resident retention and how to add value through outreach and local community relationships. Our managers left the seminar with great ideas they will implement at their properties for little to no cost."
Joanne J. Golden
Executive Vice President/Regional Vice President
KMG Prestige
"Eight months ago, we met to discuss ways to improve our occupancy while increasing our rents. Like most properties, ours was a special situation and needed input that was unusual and creative. Your initial suggestions convinced us to commit to your program, understanding there is never a quick, simple solution. Based on your early observations we set out on a long-term plan. The plan required us to make changes to all parts of our business plan. It was not an easy transition, but we wanted to make a major improvement in our operation. After eight months we can summarize our experience as follows: Our occupancy is higher and remains between 93-97%; Our rents have increased between $200-300 per month depending on style and location; Our traffic has increased between 25-35%, depending on how it is measured; Our future bookings for next winter are showing an increase, between 15-30% in both volume AND in rates; Our office Policies and Procedures Manual is being updated and perfected; Our office staff has improved their presentation, telephone & closing techniques, making them better prepared to help outAND to make them over valuable in their own careers; Our websites have been updated and improved; We are able to spend less personal time supervising the property since you are helping AND the employees are better able to manage after eight months of improvement; By increasing our gross income and projected future income, our property is more valuable than it was eight months ago. Thank you again for your help these past eight months. And don't plan on leaving us as we need your continued input. We believe the SkySong area is just beginning to flourish and our property will continue to benefit."
Kathleen & George Beebe
Managing Member OSAGE, LLC
"I just wanted to say thank you for all the time and talent you shared with us that contributed to the success of Mapleview. Your training, follow up, attitude and expertise were integral in the turnaround of the community. Thank you for helping us achieve this 100% milestone! Thank you!"
Krista Gross
Area Manager
Lockwood Management
"We found Elaine through the recommendation of a stranger who attended one of her previous sessions and talked about it at an association meeting. We decided to give Elaine and Occupancy Solutions a try and we are thrilled with that decision. Elaine was a true professional as we worked through the training logistics -- extremely responsive and flexible. She presented two different seminars for us over two days. Both sessions were well presented, on topic and fun. Our staff have thanked us for finding Elaine as they had a positive learning experience with her."
Theresa McDowell
Director - Risk Management & HR
TM Associates Management, Inc.
"Elaine and her staff at Occupancy Solutions are FANTASTIC! We acquired a property out of foreclosure that had occupancy of 33% occupancy with a 15% economic occupancy. Our rehab efforts, coupled with Occupancy Solutions's marketing initiatives, resulted in an occupancy rate of 100% with a 48 family wait-list! It's wonderful to know that Ginosko Development Company can rely on Occupancy Solution's expertise to help mitigate the risks when analyzing a property for acquisition; or increase cash flow in an already existing property. I highly recommend Elaine for all of your occupancy solution needs!"
Amin Irving
President
Ginosko Development Company
"Elaine-We have implemented several of your suggestions at Rock Creek, updated internet advertising, put some urgency in the newspaper ads, developed some community network contacts and already we have seen results! We currently are down to 4 vacant units and are processing 2 more applications! We are very excited and looking forward to ending the year in a good light! We will be implementing even more of your suggestions throughout the remainder of this year and hoping for valuable networking relationships for years to come! YEAH !!!! and Thank you!"
Mary Arnett
Area Director
PK Housing & Management
"Thank you again for the Basic Leasing Solutions Class held on Monday, Jan. 14th, 2013. It was very informative, fun to participate in, and gave me tools I used on Tuesday, the very next day, as we had a referral come in looking at several apartments."
Nancy M. Valek
Leasing Agent
Jefferson Street Square Apartments
"Training with Elaine was undoubtedly time well spent. Maintaining a balance of being both personable and professional, Elaine was an enjoyable source of knowledge. Training with Elaine was beneficial to my professional growth, which I feel had a direct impact on the performance of the property. I think every leasing specialist in our office would agree. In our first meeting, Elaine was able to methodically target both our strengths and weaknesses in the leasing process. With this knowledge, Elaine engaged us in group discussions, activities, and presentations to build upon what we were already excelling at and to also give us fundamental information and skills to strengthen our weaknesses. Elaine's exercises helped instill a sense of confidence in my abilities to lease. She helped me become more descriptive when showing the property so I could portray a space in a more aesthetic light. Most notably, Elaine armed me with tactics and strategies to read people in order to highlight what we have that best fits their needs in relation to what our property has to offer versus competitors. After gathering a personal account of our product and market, Elaine provided input and suggestions in regard to our marketing strategy based on her past experience. Elaine also provided an extensive overview of Fair Housing Laws - she stressed the importance of providing every prospective resident who walks through the door with the same experience. Lastly, Elaine reminded us of the importance in "shutting the back door" to reduce turnover; based upon our accounts of why people were leaving, Elaine made several suggestions in regard to practices we could implement in order to increase retention. In the months since our time with Elaine our property has flourished. Our marketing tactics are successful as traffic through our doors is at an all-time high. A large portion of people who walk through our door now leave with a lease in-hand. In addition, the portion of people renewing their lease has increased. Lastly, more people than ever seem not only thrilled with the product and presentation we offer, but are also grateful for the relationship we nurture with our residents. In my opinion, there is a direct correlation with the time I spent in training with Elaine and the current success of our property. So, thank you, Elaine, for strengthening my confidence, abilities, and knowledge in regard to the work I do"
Andrew Roberts
Assistant Property Manager
Plaza at Overland Park
"I wanted to send you a brief e-mail to tell you how much I loved your seminar for Terry Scott Associates in South Lyon yesterday at Waters Edge apartments. Your seminar was fun and insightful. I hope I have the opportunity to attend another seminar of yours in the future"
Dawn Herron
Camelot Villas
"We contracted Occupancy Solutions to design, purchase furnishings, and stage a two-bedroom model for our newly acquired apartment community. Elaine Simpson of Occupancy Solutions promised to have the model finalized within ten days and understood the importance of appealing to our target demographics. We are so thrilled with the end result that we intend to have Elaine improve one of our commercial office buildings as well. The model created by Elaine Simpson is even more impressive than the model we were hoping for and was complete in less than a week! The attention to detail and whimsical clever accents makes this model an incredible tool in our leasing process. We highly recommend hiring Occupancy Solutions because they are very responsive, creative, and understand the various target demographics and rental markets!"
Jennifer Essary
Regional Property Manager
The TSA Group
"PK Housing & Management contacted Elaine Simpson of Occupancy Solutions because we had a senior community that had to be 100% leased within the next 60 days and had several units still to fill with very little traffic. Elaine was sensitive to our budget constraints and responded very quickly by visiting the site within just a few days of our telephone conversation. After the site visit and an internet marketing assessment, Elaine provided my team with a number of suggestions and assisted them by providing guidance on their outreach efforts, temporary signage, open houses, and advertising ideas. I am happy to report that with Elaine's assistance we reached our 100% goal within the required 60 days and our building was qualified! I would recommend using Elaine Simpson and Occupancy Solutions for all your lease up needs because they are very cost effective and provide great service. Elaine Simpson's vast knowledge and innovative ideas were of tremendous help on this particular assignment and we plan to use her again."
Pete Potterpin
President
PK Housing & Management Co.
"My properties have shown incredible improvement since you started working with them. I can't believe how much better the sites are doing today. I don't know what took me so long to get you involved!"
Lora D. Gilbert
Vice President of Asset Management
LarC Properties, Inc.
"Kathy and Elaine conduct a very valuable Fair Housing seminar that spoke to a diverse audience. Our specific group had many individuals new to property management and fair housing and others who are well versed in the history and practices of Fair Housing. Their presentation kept all attendees engaged and their use of real-world examples prompted much better absorption of information, because individuals could relate example scenarios to one's everyday work experiences."
Aaron L. Rosenhaus
Uniland Corporation
"Thank you again for such a great seminar on Fair Housing -- very informative and interactive! Thanks!"
Cheryl H. Carney
Vice President of Housing
Presbyterian Villages of Michigan
"Just a quick note about your Fair Housing Seminar and to say thanks for a great seminar yesterday. I've been to a lot of seminars in the past 25 years and I've got to say -- this presentation was one of the best. Thanks for keeping it interesting!"
Mary Ellen Walsh
Service Coordinator
Lutheran Social Service of Michigan
"Elaine created an extensive 4-hour Customer Service seminar based on our company's specific needs and desires. She facilitated a high energy, fun, interactive and a very educational class that kept everyone's interest and participation by varying the pace with numerous individual challenges and group break out problem solving activities. The session was a great success with our team of 40+ attendees and I would highly recommend using Occupancy Solutions and Elaine's training services."
Steve Shimmons
General Property Manager
Edward Rose & Sons
"Occupancy Solutions has assisted my team in creating a strong Marketing Plan using the information we gathered from our training sessions and has coached us over the last few months via telephone, emails, visits and regularly scheduled conference calls to make sure we were not getting sidetracked on our plan. I am proud to say that we have increased qualified traffic, increased closing ratios and considerably reduced resident turnover the result is that we are 99% leased in Phase I and 97% leased in Phase II! We have learned a lot, we have been able to actually live out the plan and seen results thanks to the efforts, knowledge and support that Occupancy Solutions gave us in our time of need."
Melissa Fuller
Community Manager
Mapleview I & Il
"Elaine has provided one on one and group training, individual & team development, outreach training, proper telephone techniques with continued feedback, and closing techniques to my leasing team at Lakeshore Village Apartments. While using the services of Occupancy Solutions, my leasing team has trained very hard using the techniques and unique approaches to leasing. They have advanced their skills and increased their closing ratios considerably. Our occupancy has improved so much over the past 12 months that we are 100% leased in one phase with over 95% occupancy. Currently Lakeshore has a waiting list for both our 1 & 3- Bedroom apartments! The basis of this success is from the training and consulting that we have received from Occupancy Solutions."
Christina Collings
Property Manager
Lakeshore Village Apartments
"I was first introduced to Occupancy Solutions during a 2-day Market Positioning Training Session in September 2009. Our site staff was scheduled to participate in this special training that was supposed to give us a better understanding of Marketing, Outreaching and Networking "and it did! This was one of the most valuable training sessions I had ever participated in. This session was strictly about our community so we spent 2 days focused on Centre Street and how to market it. I found the outreach strategies and networking information to be the most unique and useful than any other marketing training that I have received. We created a plan based on the notes and have since reached 100% occupancy mostly in part to the strategic planning created as a result of the training provided by Occupancy Solutions. I found the outreach strategies and networking information to be the most unique and useful than any other marketing training that I have received."
Sandy Hildebrand
Community Manager
Centre Street Village
"The quick response, wonderful customer service and knowledge that Occupancy Solutions has of not only the multifamily but specifically senior market and leasing far surpassed anything that I could ever imagine!"
Krista Gross
Community Manager
Cranbrook Terrace Senior Community
"We enlisted the consulting services of Occupancy Solutions to assist us with a community that has had significant leasing/occupancy problems. At the end of May 2010, we had 59 vacant out of 200 tax credit townhomes. In just about two months we have decreased vacancy to 38 vacant units (a decrease of 21 vacant units). Currently, we are working 39 applications including 6 applications that are on a waiting list for our three-bedroom townhomes. This is and was a team effort and Occupancy Solutions has played a very important role. The knowledge, expertise, support and consulting services provided by Occupancy Solutions are superb."
Cheryl Chorazewitz
Larc Properties
"Occupancy Solutions provided a thorough assessment identifying how our unique product fit in the senior market as well as our many strengths and a few weaknesses. This was complemented by 4 days of site staff training including a 2-day leasing training and the 2-day Market Positioning Brainstorming session. The information, techniques and strategies were very helpful and pointed us in the right direction and we are on our way to reaching 100% occupancy. Along with the assessment and training sessions, Occupancy Solutions went above and beyond their scope of work and created numerous reports and policies such as a telephone script created specifically for Heron Manor staff, resident retention plan, resident survey, weekly occupancy and leasing report and a very useable outreach log."
Kim R.H. Cross, CPM
Chief Operating Officer
Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids, Inc.
"Park Place was struggling with low occupancy of 54.5%. Occupancy Solutions assessed the situation and determined that the lack of leasing skills and a negative public image were the cause of the high vacancy. Occupancy Solutions worked closely with site staff improving leasing procedures and skills while also creating and implementing an intensive outreach program that would educate and connect the local agencies with Park Place Apartments and our residents. The site staff's closing ratios tripled while the public image of Park Place improved as a direct result of the training and outreach efforts by Occupancy Solutions resulting in 95% occupancy."
Bradley Froling
President
Schwartz Bradley LLC
"Working with Elaine has been a refreshing change of pace. Elaine's bold new approaches to training and community outreach programs have proven successful each time we have worked with her."
Rick Laber
Executive Vice President
Great Lakes Capital Fund
"We have used Elaine and her companies for a variety of services relating to marketing, leasing, outreach and training. Not only did Elaine play a primary role in rewriting our Marketing and Leasing section of our P& P manual, she provided the roll out training to all of our employees. She has stepped up and created specific training programs to address the many different needs of our multi family and senior communities. Elaine's knowledge, experience and creativity provide innovative training and services that have all had very positive results."
Rodney Lockwood, Jr.
CEO
Lockwood Companies
"We have utilized the services of Occupancy Solutions/Senior Options and Services for marketing consulting and training. They have always been responsive, flexible and willing to tailor the program to what we need. We are very happy with the results and have seen improvement with increased productivity. Elaine has a "can do" attitude and determination that is evident in her presentations."
Sandra Kravitz
VP of Sales and Marketing
Presbyterian Villages of Michigan
"Lockwood Companies has used Elaine and her 2 day Site Specific Marketing/Leasing Training" on a number of communities that were struggling with occupancy and leasing. She works with the site staff as a team to identify their target demographic, then brain storms and creates a marketing plan that they all believe in. She then leads them and guides them through the process of implementing the plan. The site staffs love the training program and we have seen great results in leasing, marketing and even staff morale."
Pam Predium
Regional Property Manager
Lockwood Companies
"Elaine and Kathy facilitated an interactive, fun and very educational Fair Housing Continuing Education session! They did their homework and made sure that the session was geared to our senior resident population as well as the various types of affordable and market rate rental programs. We were captivated by the stories and experiences that were shared by Elaine and Kathy. The pace was upbeat and well set with a few video clips and a number of interactive activities and discussions. I would highly recommend attending this Fair Housing presentation!"
Kathy Bartz
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Presbyterian Villages of Michigan