When weighing options on how to attract renters for available apartments, property managers should consider the added appeal that lighting can contribute. Trimark Properties specializes in apartments in Gainesville, Florida, and has used unique exterior lighting at Deco ’39 to attract the attention of student renters. When analyzing the development site, the design team realized that many potential tenants would drive by the real estate signage at Deco ’39 and other nearby Gainesville apartments daily without truly noticing the properties that are being advertised. Curb appeal is vital for property managers since a potential tenant’s first impression of a building should be positive.

Successful property managers like Trimark pride themselves on features such as their impeccable landscaping, new paint job, and stunning architecture. These features can all be seen by passersby during the day. However, apartment complexes should be eye catching and appealing not only during the day, but at night as well. One creative way to call attention to an apartment complex while enhancing its natural features is to add creative lighting.

Exterior building lighting is a creative way to show potential tenants how beautiful a property is, even in the dark when many people are actually driving home. Students living in apartments want to feel safe, and exterior lighting contributes to tenant comfort after nightfall. Exterior lighting can therefore be vital for tenants and their parents. But creative uplighting should do more than just illuminate the building; it should also add to the aesthetic of the apartment complex and create unique appeal.

One great example is the use of lighting at Deco ’39 apartments in Gainesville. In the case of Deco ’39, the lighting is impactful because it matches and accentuates the architectural design style. Trimark Properties modeled Deco ’39 after the Art Deco apartments in Miami’s South

Beach, which is home to dozens of Art Deco buildings such as The Carlyle which date back to the 1920s and 1940s. Art Deco buildings are notable for their geometric compositional shapes, rich colors, symmetrical design, and decorative motifs. Deco ’39 draws on these motifs and the apartment complex name was chosen specifically because 1939 was one of the peak years during the development of this architectural trend. While living in Deco ’39, UF students are able to travel back in time through their experience with the rich architectural style of the Art Deco building. 

Deco ’39 has two prominent vertical columns made of glass block. Each column encloses a single strand of LED rope light capable of displaying a variety of colors. Both strands are wired together at a controller which allows the property management team to choose the color, change in unison, and adjust light changing speed. One fixed color can be set as well when the controller is set at a pause. This lighting accentuates all of Deco ‘39’s best architectural assets. The LED lighting chosen by Trimark Properties at Deco ’39 is also remarkable because of its high energy efficiency and ability to display a full range of colors at a low heat emission. Due to the bright vertical columns of flashing light, Deco ’39 is an easily locatable apartment near UF. It’s truly hard to miss. 

Not only do the colorful lights attract nearby passerby, but the controller for the lights can also be set to display orange and blue – the official colors for the University of Florida. Used for special events such as the fall football season in the swamp, the exterior lighting at Deco ’39 creates a sense of camaraderie among students and the Gainesville community as they cheer for the gators to win.

Lighting is also crucial when it comes to the real estate signage placed outside of apartment complexes. This is another creative way to attract potential tenants. To make the biggest impact, potential tenants should be able to see the main property development sign and signs advertising vacancies both during the day and at night. The use of additional lighting to fully illuminate signage adds many more hours of exposure to potential tenants seeking rental housing. Additionally, illuminated signs will make your listing pop, causing your property to uniquely stand out from the others.

What are you doing to attract potential renters to your apartments or houses for rent?

This post is written by: Claire Washburn

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