By Kelly Larsen

Wi-Fi is truly the unsung hero holding the modern household together. From streaming TV and working from home, to powering your smart thermostat or Roomba – Wi-Fi is a must-have. Under a traditional choice model where the owner may or may not have a marketing agreement in place with the telecom provider, each resident is purchasing their own wireless modem or renting it from the provider themselves. However, there are three other categories of owner-sponsored Wi-Fi that help your properties and residents stay connected:

• Internet Ready – a no-cost option, this is a Wi-Fi router setup in the apartment for convenience when a new resident moves in, so they can connect and sign up for services in minutes without a technician appointment or picking up equipment.
• In Unit Modem-Based Wi-Fi – traditionally referred to as bulk Internet, with this option there is no construction, in-unit access or capital expense to owner. The owner can either include this service in the rent or pass on a reduced Internet rate to residents, in exchange for buying service for the entire property. There are various ways residents can obtain equipment and their Wi-Fi network is limited to their home only.
• Property […]
  

By Kelly Larsen

With most of our regular conferences and networking activities cancelled, we are keeping up with the latest trends and attending events via Zoom meetings and webinars, and of course doing lots of reading!  We thought we’d share some of what we’re reading lately.

5G – A lot of education on this topic is coming from industry partners and attorneys who are working with Carriers in this space. However, this is one of the most comprehensive summaries we have seen about what 5G is, what it can do, and concerns and challenges to deployment in the future: The Brew’s Guide to 5G

Smart Tech Regulation – An interesting review of the various legislative issues, policymaking and new privacy laws that Owner/Operators will need to address now and in the near future to implement their smart home and IoT strategies: Prop Tech in the United States: Where We’re Heading

Video Conferencing – While we’ve been doing a lot of this lately, there are so many tools and tricks of the trade. Here’s some […]

With the incredible growth of Airbnb, and resident demand for alternative living situations, our clients have been finding new ways to manage and lease their apartment communities.  While short-term rentals, or “STR’s” have been around for many years, RealtyCom has recently been working with some of our Developer-clients to find ways to provide secure and ubiquitous broadband solutions for non-traditional rentals that allow both flexibility and ease of use.

Some of our clients already operate highly successful programs aimed at corporate and student populations, but transient housing for hospitality and workforce housing are largely new concepts.

Having limited knowledge on this subject personally, but lots of interest, I asked Dennis Cogbill from the new Flexible Rentals Investment Conference (“FLEX”) for his thoughts and how the landscape for traditional leasing is changing.

Cogbill points out that implementing STR’s in existing communities can present some challenges.  Lender covenants or municipality restrictions could apply (lenders traditionally have a cap of 5% of the units to be allocated to corporate/alternative housing and each municipality has different rules and re-permitting can be costly). There is also the question of what strategy an Owner-Operator should adopt. Should you build it yourself? Use […]