Don't allow your residents' eyes to wander, where they may think the grass is greener on the other side. We should never stop "dating" our residents! Once a prospect has become a resident we should still "court them", so why not invest in your residents the way we invest in our prospects? How can you focus on your residents when a large amount of time and energy is centered around prospects? Dating keeps us connected and reminds us that we are a priority to each other, that we are a team, we are on the journey of life together, and that someone is always there for us through the good and bad times life brings.

We need to meet the resident where they are at; communication, likes, dislikes, building a trusted relationship so the partnership continues to grow and and the resident doesn't look for something better.

Maintaining communication with residents is no different than understanding how you choose to communicate with someone you're dating. Poor Communication in a relationship can lead to unhappiness, which can also be said and true for residents.

Three easy to implement ideas to continue to date your resident 

1. Communication is the number 1 key in resident retention. You must be transparent. Share the good and the bad. Pull the current behind the window. It is totally fine to let residents know that something may be broken in the leasing office and you're working on getting it fixed. Sharing what happens is important, but what is more important is to be transparent on how it is being corrected. Most residents know things happen, but when we don't share whats is happening, residents start to assume and well we all know what happens when we assume, residents start to assume the worst. 

2. Invest in what your residents like, if you were dating someone you ask what their interests are. We should be doing the same thing for our residents. What if we offered a link for residents to fill out to get to know them better? It doesn't have to be too personal, but maybe it is like favorite party food, favorite event type, or even if it is like favorite coffee etc. Then throughout the lease term you use what you know and connect with them. 

3. Always be thinking about what you can do for your residents to add value to the relationship, particularly if there's something you are in a position to offer that is easy for you, but solves a big headache on their behalf. Above all, don't keep begging them to 'share' or "ask for them to leave a review" — work at improving what you have to offer, so that you're the type of brand they'd feel proud to show off to their friends and family.

In the end, don't just spend all your time, money and effort working to secure a prospect and then forget about them after they become a resident. It is just as important if not more to spend your time, energy and effort on residents.