Should property developers start looking at moving away from amenities and social spaces and start focusing on in home entertainment features?

I’m beginning to think that property developers should start looking at moving away from amenities and social spaces and start focusing on in home entertainment features such as built-in television sets with gaming systems, grander kitchens and spa-like bathrooms, home game packages, media centers, home WiFi, smart home functions and items that ease the pain of social distancing. Also, consider creating a virtual leasing office where leasing agents and managers communicate through FaceTime software and items are issued remotely. Self guided tours that have been enhanced with directions and with key card control doors like hotels offer with expiration dates of door cards and have those cards covered in advertising material/collateral as a tangible takeaway. Hotels do it. We should give a crack.

Not sure about doing away with amenities, but I 100% agree with this!

Tyler Mazdra outdoor social distance spaces would be great, too.

Dustin Nelson yes! Like cabanas 10 feet apart, and a pool with fountains separating people. I like the thought!

You’re not going to find underwritinng financiers willing to fund those kind of electronic amenities in each unit (or even in just some units). Locks and tstats maybe but not home theater electronics or game systems or whatever. Can you inagine the work orders and how would you determine resident caused damage? If its in the apartment it is partof the rent so lets say the game system goes down. Who is gonna fix it? And now you’re giving a concession off the rent.
Fitness centers and pools are all easily funded in the development costs and construction costs and are depreciable items from the accounting side of the equation.

Megan Goodmundson you may want to take a look at Nevada West (Westcorp) . They are already doing it. Have been since 2012.

Smart TV, Ring, Bluetooth bathroom mirrors... to name a few

Anything can be modified for durable use. I’ve been in the industry 20 years. I’ve seen it all.

Dustin Nelson offered as an up charge or optional add on is very different than standard in the development/construction costs

They’ve also offered other items like vitamin infused showers, built in sleep lighting, Cox Homelife security and cameras and integrated wall mounted smart sleep systems that play spa sounds, nature sounds and more.

Megan Goodmundson you have to roll with new trends, and instead of thinking negative about it. Remember, we are now in the Millennium era, and a lot of people who are closed minded or not willing to change with the trends/ideas, the individual simply will have a hard time finding a job.
I've had managers tell me that they don't want to hire "older age, anyone over the age of 40" This is the reality we are shifting to a new world.
I am not attacking you, but just trying to let you see the other side of it. It's true.

Garcia JFlow i'm so sorry you have come across managers who are willing to discriminate based on age. you'd think with all the fair housing training we get in this industry, they would be more informed and less willing to be discriminatory.

Ive been in multifamily development marketing for years... I agree, less emphasis on amenities beyond a nice pool and gym... renters have wanted larger units, bigger closets, larger bathrooms and technology advanced apts for a while now. Personal Electronics become dated quickly, so best to have the latest hook-ups , app controlled temp, cameras, locks, etc, and let residents provide their own personal devices. ????

David Doyle thats what i was gonna say.
Upgrading the gaming systems and such is a no from me, but a new smart tv every 3 or 4 yrs wouldn't be bad, and the sound system would be cool!

I agree with increasing in-unit amenities but the last thing we need is to provide things that encourage people to limit interaction with one another. Social distancing is not a new reality or a new way of living; it is temporary. Personally I cannot wait to open the doors to our leasing office and start interacting with my residents again. Can you imagine a world where we aren’t creating public spaces for people to gather and interact? Talk about virtual reality.

We have started using Teams as part of our offices. It works like Zoom but you can share documents and computer screens.

Certain amenities aren’t going away. Fitness isn’t going anywhere, and Fitness Centers are the in the top three of what renters are looking at.

It will just be different. I am on it and looking to publish something to this site about how to open your Fitness Centers back up when it is allowed!

For anyone who thinks that this isn’t a cost effective idea, Just keep in mind that microwaves were also thought of the same way during their infancy and now they are standard in almost every apartment home. It’s how you implement the hardware that matters. Also you can get a decent size smart television set for around 250 bucks these days.

Me too. This “pandemic” shouldn’t effect how properties are developed IMO

Kelly Martin And that’s your right. But I know my residents and they are stuck at home. The pool and gym are useless to them. And quite frankly, they don’t get as much use as they could. I’ve rented more homes with smart home packages ever did for a gym.I wouldn’t remove all outdoor spaces but I would have some alternative in place like multiple cabanas and a lot of them. More barbecues. Places where people can isolate.

Dustin Nelson so you’re saying we should design communities for the exception (this Covid mess) and not the rule (the other 99.9% of the time)?

This instance has shed light on some thing I’ve been saying for years. Focus more on the homes where people actually live. People don’t live in the amenities.

I know for example that I didn’t use the pool or common spaces when I lived at an apartment community because I don’t like to share my space or be around other people all the time. I’m around them all day so I want to be somewhat isolated when I’m at home.

Dustin Nelson ok.
I’d love to see deal built with a small pool, small gym and tons of open space for distancing and cabanas.
Not really.

Kelly Martin of course you wouldn’t. You’re a general contractor and that would take away from your business platform. As for me, I’ve lived in a high-rise buildings without any of these amenities for that exact purpose. I’ve been in multi family 20 years and I know what I’ve seen

Dustin Nelson my point was your changes suggested likely aren’t supported by the needed demand for such drastic changes.
But you’re the expert.