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Coming in during the aftermath of the financial crisis, Freddie Mac Chief Information Officer Robert Lux took the company and transformed it to create a better housing and finance system through technology innovation. This Q&A reveals how he took the challenging situation he inherited and created a symbiotic relationship with the rest of the company to better drive strategic initiatives. …read more

From:: Real Estate Wire

The Department of Justice announced last year that it planned to begin targeting individual employees for corporate misconduct. Now, a group of senators are asking the DOJ to put that new policy to work and investigate, and perhaps even prosecute, executives at Wells Fargo for the fake accounts scandal. …read more

From:: Real Estate Wire

After some real estate agents complained about receiving phishing emails instead of leads from Zillow, the company responded by saying not only do they do everything they can to prevent these scam emails from going through, but they have one of the best filters in the industry. Zillow argues that scammers are only an occasional occurrence. …read more

From:: Real Estate Wire

By Mary Girsch-Bock

You’ve worked hard to attract and keep the best tenants; making sure that your properties are well maintained and attractive. Resident safety issues are also a priority, so your property is patrolled regularly, burned out lights replaced immediately, and security cameras working. Everything is working great; you’re happy, your tenants are happy, and the property owners are happy.
Or so you thought. Suddenly, your Facebook page is flooded with negative comments. When your management company name is Googled, negative comments far outweigh positive ones.

Is this the work of a few disgruntled former tenants, or a much bigger problem? And once you find the source of the problem, how do you communicate to others that the issues have been addressed?

· The most important thing to do is discover the source of the problem. Disgruntled former tenants frequently trash the reputation of their former landlords on social media. While the claims may have little or no validity, it’s important to respond to these posts all the same.
· If the complaints do have some validity, take the time to address the problem in a straightforward manner. You may also want to address how you’re handling the problem at the property, so social media followers will know that the complaint has been acknowledged and addressed.
· Honest communication is key. If despite increased security measures, your apartment community has experienced a number of break-ins lately, pretending it didn’t happen will do nothing to reassure current residents, nor encourage quality applicants to apply. Hire armed security, install additional locks, and actively discourage loitering on the property grounds. And remember, while it’s important to do those things, you must follow up and address those things on social media sites as well.
· Don’t always be on the defensive. Instead of only responding to a negative comment, be the one to post first. Ramp up your social media presence by posting about what you’re doing to make your property better, safer, more attractive.
· Lastly, it’s important to be upfront with tenants about any potential issues that may arise. Tenants will not appreciate being told about a series of car break-ins weeks after they occurred. Address any issues promptly, and actively keep them in the loop regarding any solutions that will be implemented.

It’s important to remember the power of social media, and that while there is nothing to prevent someone from posting negative things about your properties, there’s also nothing preventing them from posting great things as well. Give them something great to post about.

…read more

From:: Property Management