Let’s take a closer look at three areas where businesses in the real estate sector can enhance their offerings and prevent an increasing rate of vacancies in their commercial and housing stock. The ability to adapt is a critical puzzle piece for those competing for the next generation of tenants since the pandemic demonstrated that productivity can be maintained just as effectively remotely as in the office, significantly impacting the real estate sector.

Some experts argue that the pandemic didn’t create this new trend, but rather accelerated what was already happening. Regardless, many business leaders are now faced with the choice of either signing a new lease or transitioning to a more hybrid way of working. Here’s three directions real estate companies are moving in to be able to fine-tune their offers to the market to prevent soaring vacancy rates.

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Partnerships and individually tailored agreements

What does the ability to work from home mean for traditional office spaces in the long run? Some argue that future workplaces could go fully remote, and they might have a point. Companies like Spotify made headlines by being early in offering a permanent flexible work setup right after the pandemic for their team members.

But wait, traditional offices might still have a role. Many business leaders have understood the importance of having a physical space for people to gather, they’re crucial for a company’s identity, providing a physical space for collaboration and expressing the company’s culture. Some real estate companies have figured this out already, they understand the importance of building relationships and having open dialogues with their customers. These companies act as partners, tailoring premises and rental agreements to match the tenant’s identity and business needs.

This partnership requires insight – expertise and knowledge in how many people move around the office, understanding peak days, and the flexibility to scale spaces based on seasonal demands. It’s not just about physical space but also about understanding the specific activities and their optimal locations.

Tenants now expect a more service-oriented approach from property owners. They want proactive assistance in identifying their needs for the coming months, with rental agreements adjusted accordingly. AI and business intelligence tools helps with predictions, but remember, the key to success is good quality data. Regardless of the technology used, accurate forecasts rely on solid information. So, it’s time for real estate companies to establish a systematic, secure, and long-term strategy for managing customer data. In the future, mastering this might become a crucial competitive advantage. By using a CRM system you can centralize your customer data to have a quick and easy overview of all your customers.

Sharing and collaboration

Exploring the sharing economy is another way to enhance the appeal of both office and residential spaces. Innovative concepts such as co-working, co-living, or dynamic meeting places, continue to emerge. This trend shows the need for real estate companies, now more than ever, to optimize the shared use of different areas within a property, ensuring the use of each space in the best possible way.

Real-world success stories are already unfolding in numerous projects. For instance, residential spaces now incorporate co-living arrangements featuring shared amenities like car pools for tenants. Additionally, we’re witnessing the integration of diverse facilities, such as preschools and nursing homes, within the same building. In other words, the traditional notion of using a space exclusively for residential purposes is evolving. This paradigm shift is not only confined to residential properties; office spaces, especially in a future where rented spaces may not be consistently occupied, stand to gain significantly from adopting similar innovative ideas. This approach creates more opportunities for people to come together in a shared space, fostering collaboration and maximizing utility. If executed thoughtfully, the benefits are substantial, both for the tenants and the real estate owner.

In this context, having access to the right kind of data is important for successfully offering sharing services. It’s important to consider the broader picture. Many businesses hesitate to embrace such models due to uncertainty about their organization’s capacity to handle it. However, a strategic approach that considers the evolving landscape of shared spaces can lead to substantial gains, transforming both residential and office environments into more versatile, dynamic, and attractive spaces for individuals and businesses alike.

Multifunctional homes

Examining the similarities between leased office spaces and residential housing offers some intriguing insights. The blending of boundaries between homes and offices has created more needs for enhanced features in our private residences, similar to what we see in our work enviroments.

As our time spent at home continues to increase due to the trend of working remotely, the services associated with residential living must align seamlessly with our ever evolving needs. Beyond the obvious necessities like fast internet and proper ventilation, there’s a growing demand for more sophisticated technologies to enter our homes too. Circadian lighting and cleaning robots, for instance, are increasingly becoming priorities as individuals seek to optimize their living environments and reduce the friction they face in their every day lives. The importance of access to nature, open spaces, and fresh air has also increased, all part of influential factors that help with our well-being. For landlords seeking to improve on the residential experience, exploring options such as offering access to community spaces, shared terraces, group rooms, and other amenities is becoming a notable trend.

This changing landscape is placing increased demands on the support departments of real estate companies. With individuals using their homes for an extended duration and for more diverse activities, smart landlords are adapting to this shift. Automation of routine tasks, paired with self-service options allowing tenants to track the status of their issues, is becoming a common strategy. In a society embracing an “anytime, anywhere” philosophy, tenants are no longer satisfied with prolonged waiting times and a lack of communication when seeking assistance. The evolving expectations in the residential landscape creates a need for a responsive and proactive approach from landlords to meet the diverse and expanding needs of today’s tenants.

The future sometimes arrives a bit faster than we’d imagined. For both commercial and municipal real estate companies, it’s important to adapt to the new normal in order to continue to be attractive in the real estate market. Sharing and collaboration are keys to success, as well as individual adaptation and smart use of data.

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