Best lease & keep ideas for a small studio that has proved difficult to lease?

We have small ( but gorgeous) studio that has proved difficult to lease.. What are your best lease & keep ideas to really close the deal??

Advertise it as a "microunit". Hold a staff meeting in the unit and get everyone's opinion on what the benefits and challenges are and then construct a way to overcome those objections. Mini model it and have suggestions to applicants on where they can place everything.

Once had a difficult studio/floorplan to lease. Had Cort stage it and it was gone in a snap. The renter even purchased the furniture from Cort.
I should add Cort staged it for free for us. A little negotiation with the local rep works wonders!

Dress it as a mini model & let it be a move-in gift: place setting, kitchen / bath towels ...

Weve done that, mini model it up and the items come with the unit.

Mount a TV or turn into smart home with nest, google home etc... add 1 year amazon membership or one year unlimited shipt, etc.

Put an additional incentive (AirPods, Apple Watch) that you can get when you rent

I would do that but it would be way out of budget for us - I'm afraid the court furniture would be too. Which is why i feel like i have run out of affordable ideas

Put the model music in there

What about making it an AirBNB?

I did a model once of a super small unit. I used a love seat instead of a sofa, a sofa table up against a wall with a table setting and chair on one end, and a lamp, laptop, catch all area with chair on the other. I then put a bar stool up at the kitchen counter and set another place setting there. It went from no where to put a kitchen table to having two different eating spaces with an office space. I mounted curtains up to the ceiling and used slender, tall book cases fill with books to give the illusion of more space and storage and a wall mounted faux TV that needs no stand. It is all about scaling things to fit the space. Have professional wide angle images taken for future use and then take the unit down once you are leased up.

We have studios and Traveling Nurses have been a great source of traffic

For any one interested in seeing what I’m working with

Beautiful unit. I would, however, get rid of the scalloped piece above the sink. It doesn't match anything else. Maybe put in 2 sealed wood floating shelve above the sink. Change out the dated fluorescent light fixture for maybe a nice chandelier. Host an open house during a time you are usually closed and market that to local churches, stores, banks and vendors.

Deck it out with mini-model stuff plates, wine glass towels ect. use it as your closing destination have it the last apartment your leasing tour, Have floor plans in it, applications, to go goodies (bag of candy or offer a water (kept in the frig) even if they are not looking for that size they may have friends that are-perfect time to tell them about your resident referral program if you have one.

Colleges in area? Post to their boards

Change what you call it! “Executive Studio” sounds more inviting than “studio”. Find a name that fits your community/residents

We have tiny apartments too, try an air mattress pump built in $30 to with bedding and using some type of divider, Pinterest had a million ideas. Some of these are super cheap to put together and maintenance may be able to help too.

Go after you residents for a referral of $500 to $1000 you probably have lost that much in vacancy loss! Host a Valentine’s Day resident function in their like “stop by for sweet treat” and hand out the referral flyer❤️

If I was you, I would play up on the fact that the apartment is small. For your advertising say "Big Things Come in Small Packages". Play up the fact that there is stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, hardwood (or plank) flooring throughout the apartment. It's all about making the apartment sound as appealing as possible.

A lot of really great ideas here already! One thing I would also do is consider what the primary objections of prospective residents have been. Are they objecting to the size? lighting? location? price? storage? Work those things into your presentation as well. While I was onsite we had economy rooms (about 205 square feet with a large common area) that prospective residents would often say were too small, didn't have enough storage, didn't offer enough privacy, etc. We worked as a team to make a list of all the major objections, and built their solutions into ads, tours, etc. We staged mini models to highlight the benefits (i.e. decorating the private bathroom, highlighting the built-in desk with plants, decor, movie collections, games, etc.).

Don't be afraid when touring to ask what the biggest drawback is that a prospective resident has with the space. If they're thinking through the drawbacks, they've already thought through their advantages. And if they share their objections, they are usually willing to let you overcome them! That's where team brainstorming comes into play, to have a solution at the ready when an objection is raised. You might have an iPad (or binder, if you need to be really budget friendly) of pics of other studios onsite. Have a contest where residents show their best photos, decor, storage solutions, etc.! We did that once and wound up with a ton of great, real pictures that showed not only how to overcome many common concerns but also showcased the personality of the community

Love the Pinterest photos/ideas. How about offering a complimentary storage unit? We also save nice furniture left behind from former residents, and then use to stage mini-models. This has been very successful for us and cost no $$$!

I am actually a resident trying to get management to either do their own or let me take a lead in the newsletters. To make an apartment complex a community. People will stay long and refer people. I'm in the process of making a marketing kit for him and schedule a meeting.My question to all of you is two fold. What is the most important part of you newsletter? What is the hardest part that you have had to deal with the newsletter.

I do the newsletters for the 2 properties that I work at. For me the most important part of the newsletter is the resident events in the apartment building and any events that may be of interest to the residents that are taking place in the surrounding community. Finding what all to include in the newsletter is the hardest part,especially local events.