Blog Posts

Writing and Evaluating Apartment Reviews

Recently we shared the post, Luxury Apts WNY Win Awards , which focused on honors we recently received for our apartments. Positive reviews from members of our apartment community were an important part of why we received these honors and today, we want to share some tips on how to write an effective apartment review as well as how to evaluate a review. Why Write a Review In this day and age, reviews are the name of the game. Whether you are looking for the best pizza in town, a reliable mechanic, or a reasonably priced photographer for your next event, reviews are a helpful tool in the decision-making process. This is true for apartment communities too. Writing a review allows residents to be an apartment community advocate who provided objective, factual feedback about our properties. We want to know what we do well and what we can do better. It's important to stick to the facts and to be fair. Prospective renters want to know the truth, not an exaggeration (either good or bad) because they are in the process of deciding where they are going to be living, and want to know what it's really like in the apartment community. What to Include in a Review Whether your review is positive, negative, or somewhere in between it is important to include relevant details, stick to the facts, be specific, and strive to be objective. Take time to think about what you want to say and focus on sharing the experience. Pay attention to spelling and grammar and use complete sentences. Use exclamation marks sparingly, and resist the urge to use more than one at the end of a sentence! Remember that poor writing mechanics can instantly devalue what you are saying — a reader may ask the question: Why should I trust this person’s opinion if they don’t take the time to write clearly ? Even when you’ve had a less than stellar experience, make your case coherently, intelligently, and honestly. Polite articulation is far more likely to get results than bombastic name-calling. Better yet, rather than resorting to a negative review, contact the apartment manager to set up a face-to-face meeting to discuss your concerns and allow them the opportunity to come up with a win/win solution. Of course, like anyone, we like to hear about the good things we are doing too. Not everyone has the same experience, and this is a good thing to indicate in your review with phrases like, “in my experience” or “this was my experience.” Also, keep in mind that what is a top priority for you may not be on your neighbor’s top ten list. Evaluating Reviews If you’ve ever taken time to read through a multitude of reviews, you know they can range from being helpful to being laughable, so here are some tips on how to evaluate reviews: — Take the extreme reviews (both good and bad) with a grain of salt. In fact, toss them out of consideration. — Look for common themes among multiple reviews. If several people are saying the same thing, it’s more likely to be legitimate. — Read the overall tone of the reviews. Are they mostly positive or negative? — Prioritize the content. Focus on the reviews that are most relative to YOUR top concerns. For example, if you don’t care if there is a specific amenity, disregard reviews about that specific amenity. We work hard to make our apartment communities pleasant places to live here in Western New York. Check out our reviews here: Renaissance Place / Windsong Place / Autumn Creek / StoneGate We hope these tips about reviews are helpful to members of our apartment community. Thanks for taking time to read our blog post today.

Happy Halloween! Let's Celebrate

October is here, and that means it’s time for all things pumpkin! Like most things, nobody does it better than New York — which is why the Luxury Apt WNY Blog is bursting with pumpkin decorating and carving ideas, pumpkin-based recipes, and Halloween party ideas today. Creative Pumpkins Decorating pumpkins has evolved into an art form. Get out your chalk paint, glue, drill, and lights to try these ideas for creating the perfect jack-o-lantern or pumpkin decoration. Check out the transformations you can create with Country Living’s 88 cool pumpkin decoration ideas . Modern Farmer advises that you choose pumpkins that are far from decay. The sturdiness of stems and the gourd will tell you just how “fresh” your pumpkin is. Modern Farmer also gives this tip: buy separate pumpkins for your pies and for carving. You could eat a carving pumpkin; it just wouldn’t taste very good. Pumpkin-Based Recipes Mummy pumpkin cookies These cookies are like mini pumpkin pies, but in mummy-cookie form and without too much pumpkin puree. You get the perfect taste of pumpkin, topped with sweet cinnamon sugar and candy eyes. You’ll feel almost too attached to your sweet creations to let them go, but you won’t regret it as soon as you take a bite . Pumpkin chocolate chip cookie bars Bake a delicious backdrop to some cute and tasty bats with this pumpkin chocolate chip cookie bar recipe. You can keep the bars as they are if you don’t want to make the bats, but the little bats are an easy addition to making the treat extra sweet and Halloween-ready. Halloween Party Ideas Halloween is itself a theme. Many parties include Halloween decor, games, and food. Whether you are doing a full-blown meal for your party or merely providing finger foods, there are a multitude of options. We like the suggestions from Southern Living’s Halloween Party Appetizers and Finger Food post. If scary, creepy Halloween fare isn’t your cup of tea, take heart. A harvest home theme readily lends itself to the celebration. Traditional fall decor coupled with down-home games and hearty food make this a great choice. Themed parties can be a lot of fun too. Turn to Harry Potter or perhaps a Halloween movie for inspiration. Simple fall-themed decor may be all you want or need, but if you are looking to go into more detail or follow a specific theme, head to Party City for Halloween decorations (including hanging decorations, scene setters, wall and window decorations, door decorations, and balloons). Or you can try these DIY party decorations with supplies from Home Depot. We hope these ideas help get your creativity flowing as you prepare to celebrate this month! We want to wish everyone in our apartment communities a Happy Halloween!

Apartment Organizing 101

Getting organized is a common goal, whether you’ve just moved in or you’ve been living at a Luxury Apts WNY apartment home for awhile. It’s a good idea to “have a place for everything,” and “keep everything in its place,” — however, figuring out where that place is for everything can be a challenge. Today we will be sharing some tips for getting a handle on getting organized. First, make a plan. Make a list of what area you want to organize and use it to stay on track as you work through one area at a time. If need be, start small. Organize a set of drawers, or maybe a closet, and keep working until you’ve done the whole room. Then move on. Ask if it fits. Figure out what exactly you have and where it is currently stored. Does the storage place make sense? Is it with “like” items? Could it be placed in a kit? Does it require any sort of special storage? The answers to these questions will help you determine the best place to keep any given item. Sort it. As you work, create three piles: Throw Away, Donate, Keep. Once the items are separated into these three categories, go through the items you want to keep and ask yourself these questions: “Do I really love it?” “Do I really need it?” And for clothing, “How often do I wear it?” Your answers will help you determine whether to keep it or to put it in the donate pile for someone else to enjoy. Contain it. Do you need additional totes to organize all of the toys or your hat collection? Use some sort of system to identify contents (a certain color or label, perhaps). Think outside the box or borrow creative solutions from others. Check out Pinterest; it has a multitude of ideas for organizing your home. We hope these tips are helpful as you set out to get your apartment organized this month. What are your favorite organizing tips? Share in the comments. Thanks for reading today’s post.

Adding Color to Your Apartmentwithout Painting

Welcome back to the Luxury Apts WNY Blog! Today we have rounded up some ideas about how to add color to your apartment here in Western New York without painting the walls. The nature of apartment living means changing the wall colors isn’t part of the every day, so we’ve rounded up some great ideas about how to add color to your apartment without breaking the bank — or painting the walls. Flower arrangements are an easy way to add a summery accent color to your decor. Put together a traditional arrangement of summer flowers. Martha Stewart has some lovely ideas for unique combinations of flowers and containers to help you get your imagination going, or simply follow the directions to create the arrangements that are shown. Another fun twist on unusual containers for summer flower arrangements comes from Better Homes and Gardens — repurpose an outdoor birdbath to create “living artwork” featuring a “display of moss, spring-flowering bulbs, and pussy willow branches.” Get the directions here , or use the idea to jumpstart your imagination on what you can use to liven up your apartment decor. Instead of adding color by adding flower arrangements or painting the walls, paint some furniture instead. Go thrift shopping for an inexpensive piece which you can then paint a bright color to become the focal point of your room. Tip Junkie has a tutorial about How to Paint Wood Furniture in 3 Basic Steps that may be helpful. Or if you are in the market for new furniture, choose a colorful sofa instead of a neutral one. Add a splash of summer color with new throws, pillows, curtains, or wall hangings. If you are looking to do a bedroom, add new linens for a fresh look in your apartment. Here are some additional ideas for adding color to your apartment without painting . What are your tried and true ideas for adding color to your apartment? Where do you find colorful accessories and the best deals? Please share in the comments so we can all take advantage of your knowledge. Thanks for reading today’s post!

Luxury Apts WNY Win Awards

Receiving an award for one of our apartments here in New York is a wonderful thing, but winning multiple awards is exceptional, and we’re pleased to announce, that all four of our properties — Windsong Place , Autumn Creek Apartments , Renaissance Place Apartments , and StoneGate Apartment Homes — have all received the 2016 “Top Rated” Award by ApartmentRatings.com. This honor, places our four communities among the top 5% of listed apartments receiving good marks in all areas of customer satisfaction. ApartmentRatings.com is “the largest online rating community for rental housing, reaching approximately 30% of apartment hunters nationwide, and is among the Top 5 most-visited apartment hunting sites in the world.”* In other words, they know what to look for in customer satisfaction. The criteria used to rank the properties for the award includes the following: — 10+ total reviews — 5+ reviews in 2016 — Overall recommended score of 70% or greater. In addition to each property receiving this award, StoneGate also came away with the coveted ORA (Online Rated Property) Award (for the second year in a row), marking this particular apartment community among the Elite 1% of properties in the nation for 2016. This is out of 63,000 properties that were surveyed by J Turner Research . This award was recognized by the Multifamily Executive website . We are pleased with receiving these awards, but we feel that they are simply a reflection of the high caliber of people who call our Luxury Apts WNY communities, home. Thank you for being who you are: wonderful, individual, amazing residents. We will continue offering the services and amenities we’ve been recognized for with these awards. We couldn’t have done it without you! Thanks for being a part of this exciting journey. Next time our blog will focus on ways to add color to your apartment without the need for painting, so stay tuned and thanks for reading today’s post. *Information taken from the About page.

Tips for a Smooth Move

Last month we talked about tips for finding the perfect apartment, and we’re following it up this month with some helpful tips for a smooth moving experience. Chances are you’ll be moving several times throughout your life, perhaps across New York state or maybe across the country. In either case, learning how to pack and move is a good skill to have. Let’s begin with what is helpful to have on-hand for packing. Packing Supplies Be sure you have the following before you start to move: — Moving boxes — Packing paper — Moving blankets and tarps — Mattress covers, furniture covers — Stretch wraps — Packing tape Make a List Make a list of your furniture and take note of where each piece will be placed in the new apartment. There are apps available that can help with that task. It may be helpful to create labels or use painters tape to note where the piece goes in the new apartment. Also note fragile items to help you plan packaging materials you will need. Set Important Items Aside There’s nothing worse than needing a document, keys, medications, or other important items and not knowing where they are come moving day. As you pack, place these sorts of items in a clear tote in that is placed in a designated place. That way, you will have those items when you need them. Consider transporting sentimental, irreplaceable items personally. It’s also a good idea to pack a suitcase with clothes, toiletries, and electronics you will need for the first few days in your new apartment before everything is unpacked. Use Appropriate Boxes for Items When filling boxes, put heavier items on the bottom, topped by lighter items. Choose boxes appropriate for the item being packed. Use plenty of wrapping paper or newspaper for fragile or odd-shaped items. Be sure to label and securely tape the boxes. It may be worth getting boxes from a packing company to have uniform sizes. Stretch wrap is great for wrapping around dressers to keep the drawer shut or armoires to secure doors. Loading the Moving Truck or Storage Pod Place heavier items in first then build heavy to light in layer by layer. Use furniture as a foundation. Dressers, buffets, and tables all make a good base to hold smaller items in and prevent rolling. Protect your furniture with moving blankets (pick up some extra blankets at a thrift store to supplement the moving blankets). Put the items you will need first toward the back of the load. Adding box springs and mattress pads last is a good way to keep things in place. Use rope or straps to secure the load to decrease movement during transit. If it’s at all possible, we suggest loading and unloading on separate days. We hope you’re planning on moving into one of our Luxury Apts in Williamsville, NY soon! Thanks for reading today’s post.