The Lease-Up

Hosted by Multi-Housing News

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184

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May 2026

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About the show

The Lease-Up is a multi-series podcast channel by Multi-Housing News that explores issues and trends within the multifamily housing industry. Find out more at our website: www.multihousingnews.com.

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60 recent

May 25, 202626 min

Student Housing Unlocked: Inside Subtext’s Award-Winning Social Media Strategy

For the current and next generation of students, showcasing a polished lifestyle across a property’s social media channels is no longer enough. Since social platforms are often where prospects first discover student housing communities, the most effective campaigns are the ones that make students feel like they already understand what it would be like to live there before they even schedule a tour.In this episode of Student Housing Unlocked, MHN’s Senior Associate Editor Olivia Bunescu is joined by Maggie St. Geme, vice president of marketing at Subtext Living, to discuss what it takes to build a social media strategy that feels authentic and resident-first. St. Geme breaks down how Subtext turns brand identity into content across its Local, Verve and Ever communities, while keeping each property’s voice connected to its residents, neighborhood and on-site team.The conversation also highlights the approach behind LOCAL Nashville’s Silver-winning social media strategy at last year’s MHN Excellence Awards. Rather than making the property the main character, the campaign leaned into Nashville, the Midtown neighborhood and the residents, turning them into the main characters of the community, instead of amenities. From hyperlocal storytelling and short-form video to curated giveaways, St. Geme explains why social media now plays a role across every stage of the leasing process.Here’s what they talked about:Defining success in social media (01:36)Building trust with renters (02:37)Creating an authentic brand voice (04:12)Subtext’s three content filters (05:44)Turning brand identity into content (07:46)Creating a viral reel (08:50)LOCAL Nashville’s award-winning strategy (11:25)Balancing polished and organic content (15:00)The power of short-form video (16:47)On-site teams as content engines (17:50)Applying lessons across the portfolio (19:22)Measuring social media’s success (20:51)Trends that will shape student housing marketing (22:58)

May 21, 2026Episode 533 min

Mission Success: The Courage to Pivot

Kerry Fedigan’s story begins far from real estate, in the halls of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and later in her own thriving speech pathology practice. But life, as she shares with striking honesty in this podcast, rarely follows a straight line. A deeply personal family challenge prompted her to step away from her business. What followed wasn’t a calculated pivot, but an unexpected opening into real estate that would ultimately redefine her career.In this episode of Mission Success: Women in Multifamily, Multi-Housing News Executive Editor Laura Valean sits down with Fedigan, now director of sales at Sun Homes. She leads sales at One Kingsland, a townhouse-condominium community within Sleepy Hollow’s Edge-on-Hudson, where her relationship-first approach has translated into strong momentum.Fedigan reflects on a reality that will feel deeply familiar across the multifamily and real estate industry in general: the constant tension between professional ambition and being present for the moments that matter most at home. There’s no perfect balance, she admits, only choices, trade-offs and the quiet determination to show up where it counts. That mindset continues to shape how she leads today.

May 18, 202620 min

Management Diaries: What’s New at Apartmentalize 2026

Elizabeth Ambacher, NAA's vice president of meetings and expositions, and Clark Ebbert, director of conference education discuss what’s on the agenda this year and what it says about the evolution of apartment operations.This year’s educational programming, shaped by direct input from NAA’s advisory board, reflects the challenges operators are facing right now. AI remains a major focus, but the conversation has evolved from “What is AI?” to proving ROI and scaling adoption.Listeners can save $150 on registration with promo code "MHNPODCAST" through May 26.Here are a few highlights from this episode:(3:19) Why centralization and automation haven't delivered as cleanly as operators expected(4:20) Doing more with less is the No. 1 challenge members bring to NAA(9:21) The shift from fixing things faster to building systems that break less(12:31) Why "we want less" is really code for "we're overwhelmed by options"(15:55) Three keynote speakers bringing perspectives from outside the industry

May 13, 202632 min

Top Marketers: What Large Portfolios Know About Renter Behavior

As multifamily operators navigate shifting renter expectations, rising competition and rapid technological change, large portfolios are uncovering behavioral patterns and operational insights into renter behavior that smaller firms may not yet see. At scale, data becomes more than a performance metric; It becomes a window into how renters think, search, compare and ultimately decide where to live.From digital trust and pricing sensitivity to tour behavior and response times, today’s renter journey is becoming increasingly nuanced. Operators are no longer competing solely on amenities or location. They are competing on speed, transparency, convenience and authenticity across every touchpoint.What’s emerging is a broader shift in multifamily marketing: the convergence of marketing, centralized operations, customer experience and technology. The operators best positioned for the future are those learning how to connect these functions into a seamless renter journey, while still maintaining a local, human touch.This episode of Multi-Housing News’ Top Marketers podcast explores what large-scale multifamily platforms are learning about renter behavior and how those insights may shape the next phase of leasing, marketing and resident engagement.Joining us is Josh Draughn, senior vice president of marketing and centralized operations at Hillpointe. A recent hire at Hillpointe, Draughn brings nearly two decades of experience spanning multifamily marketing, centralized operations and technology strategy. Before joining Hillpointe, he held leadership roles at Greystar, Cortland and Weidner Apartment Homes, where he helped oversee large-scale marketing initiatives and operational systems across tens of thousands of units.Throughout the conversation, Draughn discusses how renter behavior has evolved over the past two decades, why authenticity now outweighs overly polished branding, how AI and centralized operations are reshaping leasing strategies and what operators can learn from analyzing millions of renter interactions.Key topics include how data-driven marketing, renter trust and centralized operations can better interpret renter behavior at scale, transform multifamily leasing in an era where authenticity beats polish.From Indiana Jones to Multifamily Marketing (4:31)What Renters Really Think at Scale (9:09)The Laughter Stat: 1.6M Calls Analyzed (11:00)Why Polished Marketing Backfires (20:43)Reddit, Speed & the Modern Renter Journey (19:00)Tech, Trust & the Future of Leasing (22:28)

April 28, 202619 min

Management Diaries: 3 Questions Multifamily Operators Should Ask Before Automating

Arqline Property Management was formed in 2026, after residential technology platform Alfred acquired and merged RKW Residential and A Residential (formerly Quarterra Living). For this episode of Management Diaries, Arqline President Kevin Owens shares how the firms navigated the integration, and why aligning people and processes turned out to be harder than aligning the tech.He discusses the three-part framework his company uses to decide what can be automated, what to centralize and what should stay with a human.Owens prefers simplicity over complex tools or systems. As he puts it, “Things can sound really smart when they're complex. They also aren't very easy to execute."Here are a few highlights from this episode:(5:18) Why cultural alignment was a critical part of the merger(11:37) How structured feedback loops drive better outcomes(13:29) Why following through matters more than the feedback itself(20:22) What operators need to pay attention to moving forward(17:45) What “Property Management 3.0” looks like and what it means for operators

April 21, 2026Episode 413 min

Mission Success: Scaling Impact Through Resident Services

From fighting food insecurity to advancing housing affordability, Rebecca Ely has built her path around one core idea: Real change happens when you connect resources with the people who need them most and invite others to step into that mission.Now Director of Resource Development at Operation Pathways, the resident services arm of The NHP Foundation, Ely operates at the crossroads of affordable housing, philanthropy and community impact. In this episode of Mission Success: Women in Multifamily, MHN’s Laura Valean sits down with Ely to explore what leadership actually looks like behind the scenes, from navigating expectations as a woman in the industry to now contributing to a broader shift where resident services are finally being recognized as essential, not optional.

April 8, 202623 min

Top Marketers: Winning NYC Multifamily Marketing with Creativity

Creativity is becoming a decisive advantage in New York City multifamily marketing, where intense competition and shifting renter expectations demand more than traditional campaigns. In a city defined by high supply, fast-moving lease-ups and demanding renters, standing out requires more than attractive amenities.Across the country, multifamily teams are rethinking how to attract and retain residents, but nowhere is the need for originality more urgent than in New York. From luxury high-rises to mixed-income communities, successful campaigns increasingly rely on authenticity, hyperlocal insight and experiences that resonate beyond traditional advertising.What’s clear is that creativity in New York City multifamily marketing isn’t about flashy campaigns. It’s about clarity, originality and understanding renter behavior—whether for a luxury apartment, a boutique rental, or a large mixed-use project. This episode of Multi-Housing News’ Top Marketers podcast explores how innovative approaches to New York City multifamily marketing translate into measurable lease-up results. Joining us is Michelle Easterlin, vice president of leasing and marketing at Avery Hall, who also manages high-profile Brooklyn projects including 544 Carroll, a luxury rental bridging Gowanus and Park Slope. With a fashion background and years of experience in New York City multifamily marketing and leasing, she brings a consumer-driven perspective that blends creative branding, problem-solving and on-the-ground strategy.Previously, Easterlin led leasing for Nancy Packes and advised on One Boerum Place, while her brokerage experience at Compass and Douglas Elliman generated over $150M in GCI. Key topics include how innovative multifamily leasing strategies, authentic branding and community engagement can drive performance in the highly competitive New York City rental market.From Fashion to Real Estate (01:35)Defining Creativity in NYC (04:23)NYC Market Reality Check (06:47)Authentic Marketing That Sells (10:10)Resident Events That Retain (16:54)Selling Lifestyle Over Units (20:13)

March 30, 202628 min

Management Diaries: Solving Property Management Friction

Savas Karas, COO & Chief Transformation Officer at CAPREIT, discusses why so many tech-forward initiatives stall or fail in property management.With more than 30 years of management and technology leadership experience, he shares his approach to aligning strategy with execution, from observing on-site teams firsthand to eliminating the hidden workarounds that drain employees.Listen to hear his advice on where to start if your organization has never had a formal change management plan. Here are some of the topics we cover:(3:31) Why you should begin with the end in mind before launching any initiative(4:53) The importance of failing fast and redeploying resources quickly(7:52) How observing on-site teams can reveal hidden friction and inefficiencies(18:06) Why skipping change management derails transformation efforts(19:21) Why one-and-done training doesn't work and what to do instead(26:20) How to define success as an organization before investing in change

March 26, 2026Episode 325 min

Mission Success: Building Teams People Don’t Want to Leave

What keeps great employees from leaving, especially when they have every reason and opportunity to do so?In this episode of Mission Success: Women in Multifamily, Multi-Housing News Senior Editor Laura Valean sits down with Christine Gilmore, vice president of learning and development at Bell Partners, to unpack one of the industry’s most persistent challenges: retention. And not just any retention—the kind that keeps your best people engaged, growing and, most importantly, staying.

March 23, 2026Episode 125 min

NAA Insights: How to Use Data to Explain Rising Costs to Your Residents

At a time when housing affordability debates are often driven more by perception than data, taking a closer look at what’s actually behind a rent payment matters more than ever. The National Apartment Association’s Dollar of Rent tool provides a clear, data-driven view of the expenses tied to operating a multifamily property, drawing on tens of thousands of audited, property-level financial statements.In this episode of NAA Insights, host Laura Valean, senior editor at Multi-Housing News, sits down with Leah Cuffy, director of advocacy research at NAA, to explore how the tool can be used in practice.

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