In this episode, I sit down with Village Green CEO Diane Batayeh to talk about leading a 106-year-old company.
Our conversation goes beyond operations, diving into lessons from Batayeh’s decades-long career, including getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, learning from “fresh mistakes” and mentoring the next generation of leaders.
Batayeh shares how she bridges resident expectations with investor priorities and why transparency and data always factor into her decision-making.
She talks about the risks and tough decisions that come with leadership and her role as a steward for investors.
Here are some highlights from this episode:
In proptech, it’s estimated that only about 10 percent of company founders are women. Narrow that focus to multifamily proptech, and the percentage likely drops below one. Why?
"From my perspective, it’s not a capability thing, it’s more about capital allocations and who has access,” said Jessica Beck, co-founder & CEO of Alfred, in a conversation with Multi-Housing News Senior Editor Laura Valean for this month’s Mission Success: Women in Multifamily podcast.
Tune in for an insightful discussion on what it takes to succeed as a woman in proptech, and how true inclusion starts with equal opportunity!
Guided by seven fundamentals, dubbed return on environment, Mary Cook Associates is known for bringing art and science into the spaces the firm designs, driving measurable results for both residents and its collaborators. In the student housing space, rather than focusing on current trends, the firm positions itself as a “design choreographer” by co-crafting experience beyond just interiors.
In this podcast episode, I’m joined by Josh Kassing, Mary Cook Associates’ Senior Vice President, as we delve into the main factors reshaping student housing design. Rather than following a checklist and trying a “one-size-fits-all” approach, Kassing believes that student communities should speak to their residents through flexibility, tailored experiences and design finishes.
At the same time, the whole process should combine a clear-eyed look at research, feedback and operations, so it appeals to the next generation of students who are no longer impressed just by flashy features. Kassing believes that student housing design should be a coordinated system and that aligning its intent with day-to-day use improves outcomes for residents and operators.
The conversation also touches on the need for tailored solutions in the sector, including the firm’s “Built to Spec” collaboration with Morgan Li, launched in April this year. Instead of relying on the “catalogue effect” when designing a space, customized furniture can solve common space problems and add to the students’ experience.
Here’s what we touched on:
Housing economist George Ratiu joined the National Apartment Association as vice president of research a few months ago, after 15 years working for trade associations, Fortune 500 companies and the federal government. In his first podcast with MHN’s Laura Valean, he dives into the association’s latest research, but also touches on how AI is changing multifamily operations, and the metrics he monitors to tell where the industry is headed.
Multifamily fundamentals continue to be strong, with record demand and annual absorption at high levels, Newmark’s second-quarter multifamily capital markets report found. Investors continue to favor the Sun Belt, but some Rust Belt markets like Milwaukee and Columbus have also been showing strong absorption.
"Because of affordability and stable employment basis and perhaps lower supply growth in these markets, we have seen more investors move into those Rust Belt markets," Karaffa told Multi-Housing News Senior Editor Laura Valean in this month’s Mission Success: Women in Multifamily podcast episode.
Press Play to listen to the entire conversation!
Once considered a nice-to-have, digital concierge serviceshave become essential in multifamily living. From AI leasing to intuitive resident apps, they streamline operations, elevate customer service and shape the way communities connect and thrive.
In this episode of Multi-Housing News' Top Marketers podcast, we explore the transformative power of digital concierge services in the multifamily world—toolsand technologies designed to streamline leasing, enhance resident communication and create more personalized living experiences. From AI-powered leasing assistants to intuitive resident portals, these services are redefining how communities connect and operate.
Joining us is Brianna “Bri” Bocker, Senior Director ofDigital Experience at Cortland, a multifamily investment, development and management firm headquartered in Atlanta. Bri leads the team responsible for Cortland’s customer-facing technology—everything from the website and marketing automation to the resident app, self-guided tours and AI-powered innovations.
Since joining Cortland in 2019 as its first marketing technology associate, she has built the company’s digital customer experience strategy from the ground up, expanding it into a thriving eight-person team. Today, Bri is at the forefront of blending technology and hospitality to make apartment shopping and living more seamless, personalized and human-centered.
Key topics include the evolution of resident portals, AIleasing agents, communication strategies and the future potential of AI-driven automation, all grounded in a philosophy of maintaining meaningful human touches alongside digital advancements.
For owners and operators, an underperforming property can negatively impact renewals, resident engagement and even on-site teams.
My guest for this episode is John Griggs, co-founder & co-CEO of Presidium. We talk about how operators can identify problems early and get properties back on track, without your residents losing faith in you.
Even the small issues, like a broken window or a candy wrapper on the ground, can signal neglect. Griggs points to early warning signs that need attention, which can be physical signs such as poor upkeep or deeper issues such as decreasing renewal rates and consistent negative feedback.
Here are a few highlights from this episode:
September is National Preparedness Month, making it the perfect time to rethink what readiness really means for multifamily property managers.
In this episode of Management Diaries, MHN’s Denile Doyle sits down with Stacy Brown, Vice President of Property Management Enablement at Real Property Management, to dig into what preparedness really looks like for today’s operators.
Here are a few highlights from this episode:
• How to evaluate your properties with a clean lens (6:51)
• Why operators should make sure their people are “on green” (9:35)
• Where to standardize vs. customize in a preparedness strategy (14:19)
• Back-to-basics communication tips for stronger planning (19:03)
• Why practicing realistic scenarios is the only way to stay ready (24:56)
One in eight Americans go to bed hungry each day, while 92 billion pounds of food is wasted annually. Hunger is a blind disease, and food insecurity is rampant across the country. But the multifamily industry can play a key role in combating this phenomenon.
When people move, they tend to throw away a lot of food. This is when your onsite staff can provide them with a food collection bag and encourage them to donate the items they don’t plan to take with them. A Move for Hunger partner from a transportation company will come to pick it up and deliver it to a local food bank. Doing good is that easy!
For Bridget Foley, altruism is part of her DNA. Today, she’s Director of Multifamily Memberships for nonprofit Move For Hunger, which mobilizes transportation networks and the multifamily industry to deliver surplus food to communities in need. "Doing good in my life has always been my driving force," she told Multi-Housing News Senior Editor Laura Valean in this month’s Mission Success: Women in Multifamily podcast.
Immersive marketing is rapidly transforming how prospective renters discover and connect with apartment communities. From interactive tours to fully immersive media platforms, today’s marketing landscape is all about meeting renters where they are—digitally.
In this month’s episode of Multi-Housing News’ Top Marketers podcast, Izzy Carunungan, industry principal at Yardi and former chief marketing officer and LCP Media—a visual media company recently acquired by Yardi—joins MHN Senior Associate Editor Corina Stef to explore how immersive marketing in multifamily is evolving and why it’s becoming essential in the renter journey from first click to signed lease.
With a multifamily marketing career dating back to 2005, Izzy brings a rare blend of experience from both the operator and vendor sides. He held senior marketing roles at Greystar and Bozzuto and led marketing efforts at LCP Media. Today, he drives strategic initiatives to advance Yardi’s visual media and digital content solutions. His deep understanding of branding, leasing strategy and resident engagement allows him to bridge the gap between property management and cutting-edge tech.
We also explore how the pandemic accelerated adoption of immersive leasing tools, and why virtual staging, 3D site maps and VR tours are now standard in successful marketing campaigns. Tune in to discover how immersive marketing strategies like gamification, augmented reality and interactive experiences are shaping the future of multifamily marketing.
When it comes to student housing management, operators often need to adopt a more targeted approach due to the sector’s unique leasing cycles and seasonal “turn” periods. Operators need to have a deep understanding of regional fundamentals while still upholding branding consistency. With 60 years of experience in the field and over $2 billion of student housing assets under management, Campus Apartments believes that an “all-size-fits-all” strategy doesn’t work for the sector.
For this episode of Student Housing Unlocked, Dan Bernstein, president & chief investment officer at Campus Apartments, joins me as we unpack the evolving demands of student housing and how operators are navigating an operationally intensive sector. Bernstein emphasizes the importance of vertical integration, good partnerships and feedback-driven community building as key strategies for long-term success.
With students and parents expecting more than just campus proximity and technology-driven amenities, our conversation explores how Campus Apartments is reshaping the student living experience through wellness-driven programming, design and a deep understanding of regional campus cultures.
Here’s what we discussed about:
For property managers who want a seat at the table, it starts with thinking differently about your role and showing the value you bring beyond the day-to-day operations.
In this episode of Management Diaries, MHN’s Denile Doyle chats with Kelley Brine, president of Rose Valley Management, to explore how property managers can go beyond day-to-day operations and take on a more strategic role.
Here are a few highlights from this episode:
• How shifting from an operational mindset to an ownership mindset can influence long-term strategy (3:14)
• Why the small interactions add value, and how they reflect the kind of care and investment that owners expect (5:01)
• Why understanding the story behind the data is just as important as the numbers themselves (8:17)
• How leaders can empower their teams simply by asking the right questions (12:09)
• Why property managers should know their communities deeply and use their insights to shape smarter, more resident-focused decisions (19:26)
With tight supply and inelastic demand, manufactured housing is one of the most resilient and strategic sectors in the real state landscape, according to Kristin Millington, a Managing Director in the Manufactured Housing and Self Storage groups of Crow Holdings Capital. "I think it’s one of the most unique supply and demand stories that we see in real estate," Millington said in the July episode of the Mission Success: Women in Multifamily podcast series. "In all of the product types that I’ve touched, this is the only one where you don’t worry about the threat of new supply."
Press play for the entire conversation!
In this episode, Joe McDiffitt, Managing Director of Property Management at Coastal Ridge Real Estate, joins MHN’s Denile Doyle to share lessons from overseeing a diverse portfolio that includes student housing and traditional multifamily properties.
Operators need to have a strong framework, understand their residents and be responsive when things change, shares McDiffitt.
Managing multiple property types shouldn’t be siloed. Deploying resources where needed and being attentive to the leasing cycle of each property type can prevent teams from being overwhelmed and unprepared.
And despite key differences in these two markets, McDiffitt says they can still inform each other. Here are a few highlights from this episode:
• Key operational differences between student housing and traditional multifamily (4:40)
• How Coastal Ridge applies data from its multifamily portfolio, such as renewal conversion ratios, to improve student housing performance (8:19)
• Aligning the preleasing cycle with on-site teams to ensure smooth execution during peak periods (10:05)
• Where it makes sense to share resources across property types to improve efficiency (13:29)
• How relationships, mentorship and discipline can help you succeed in the industry (17:54)
"You need culture to create a thriving company,” is the phrase that shaped Amy Steadman’s career. While studying at UCLA, she heard one of her professors say this and it stuck with her ever since. Today, she's MidPen Housing's Chief People Officer, even though she doesn't have a multifamily background. But it's precisely that outside perspective that's helping her come up with creative solutions that contribute to MidPen’s mission. To her, HR is a strategic business partner that focuses on creating meaningful connections among the company’s nearly 700 employees spread over 12 counties in California. How does she do it? What are the principles that guide her work? Tune in to find out from this podcast hosted by MHN Senior Editor Laura Calugar!
1 in 5 Americans plan to quit their job this year, with 1 in 2 even considering switching industries, accord to a recent study from SideHustles.com. If multifamily is on their radar, they will definitely need some guidance through all of the different career paths that the industry has to offer.
To cater to the needs of those entering or currently in the residential property management industry, the National Apartment Association recently launched a career mapping tool that anyone can access, free of charge.
MHN Senior Editor Laura Calugar invited Tiana Heath, senior manager of Industry Relations within NAA, to talk about all the features this tool encompasses and how it can help professionalize the apartment industry during a turbulent time in the job market.
Campuses and student housing are no longer just a place to sleep for students, but rather the space that promotes connection and supports overall mental health. Whether it’s through fostering a sense of inclusivity, offering tailored amenities, or design, student communities are now embracing a more wellness-centric approach by integrating certain amenities and decisions that help them connect, study and feel better.
As we acknowledge Mental Health Awareness Month, I interviewed Beryl DePalma Alder, AIA associate and senior project designer at Moody Nolan, about what it means to design student housing projects with wellness in mind. Since well-being is not limited only to amenities and green spaces, Alder shared some insights on integrating natural light, biophilic design, adaptable layouts and certain colors into communities to foster connection and support students’ mental health.
Even the smallest architectural or design decisions can make or break an environment. If done right, thoughtful design creates a sense of belonging and reduces stress. “Design is preventive care,” believes Alder and it can help reduce burdens by incorporating wellness into the daily lives of students.
Here’s what we talked about:
In this episode, NAA Vice President of Meetings and Expositions Elizabeth Ambacher joins MHN’s Denile Doyle to preview Apartmentalize 2025, which kicks off on June 11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
From smart networking tips to can’t-miss programming to strategies for navigating a conference of this scale, this episode is your guide to planning your experience and getting more out of Apartmentalize, whether it’s your first time or you’re a regular attendee.
Here are a few highlights from this episode:
• What Apartmentalize is all about and its purpose (2:08)
• Navigating the conference as a first-time attendee (3:26)
• How to break out of your bubble and network with intention (7:25)
• Creative session formats that go beyond the standard panel (12:05)
• The professional impact of Apartmentalize on attendees (14:47)
Back in the '90s, Jessica Melendez was studying finance at the University of Miami. At one point, she decided to take an art class, which immediately sparked an interest in real estate.
“What really motivated me is not seeing many women in the development world at that time,” Melendez said in the May episode of the Mission Success: Women in Multifamily podcast series.
Today, she is the senior vice president of development at Related Group, a company with a 40-year track record. It was founded by Jorge Perez, often dubbed “the condo king of South Florida.”
Tune in for a conversation about leveraging relationships and pushing deals forward in one of the hottest multifamily markets in the country.
Although it recently showed some cooling off and is influenced by the volatile economic environment, student housing remains a hotspot for investors. Tier 1 institutions have kept their strong fundamentals, including high preleasing rates, despite an overall decrease in rent growth. Several headwinds, such as construction slowdown and affordability, still pose challenges in the sector, but student housing remains high on investor appetite and has shown resilience in the face of broader multifamily volatility.
In this episode of Student Housing Unlocked, Coastal Ridge’s Co-Founder and & Co-CEO Patrick McBride joins me as we discuss the company’s history from a localized business to a national-scale company that is now present in over 50 markets, mostly focused on institutions in high-growth markets.
Investment success largely hinges on experience, which can significantly influence your overall strategy. McBride offers an overall look at investors’ appetite in today’s climate and shares the lessons that helped him scale the business, along with early-stage risks and affordability pressures. How did three college roommates go from investing in a single student asset to an almost $5.1 billion platform? McBride explains.
Here’s what we touched on:
