WE WENT LOOKING FOR A NOISE PROBLEM Ahead of the back-to-school season, our research team tested whether properties with more family- sized apartments had lower resident satisfaction. More bedrooms generally mean more occupants. More occupants could mean more foot traffic, children, packages, and noise. So, we tested that assumption.
intentions, value for rent paid, and likelihood to recommend. The result? Noise, package delivery, and renewal intentions showed no meaningful relationship to unit size. The remaining measures showed effects so small that even the strongest relationship explained only about 1% of the variation. The expected pattern did not appear in the scores. So, we examined what residents were saying in their written comments.
We matched unit-mix data against resident survey results from 2,954 properties across 91 markets. We examined eight measures, including overall satisfaction, noise, maintenance, renewal
THE COMMENTS TOLD A DIFFERENT STORY
Grace Hill analyzed 9,823 open-ended resident comments that referenced family-related topics, including children, schools, playgrounds, strollers, daycare and homework. That is where the picture became more interesting. Among 1,254 school-related comments, 65.8% came from residents responding to what they enjoyed about their community. Residents talked about being close to schools, shopping, and work. For them, location was a practical benefit that
made everyday life easier.
Playgrounds told a different story. Among 978 playground-related comments, 81.1% came from improvements or issue-related questions. Residents were identifying a specific gap in how the property supported their daily lives. If an owner looked only at an overall satisfaction score, both signals could disappear inside an otherwise healthy average.
RESIDENTS TALKED ABOUT BEING CLOSE TO SCHOOLS, SHOPPING, AND WORK. FOR THEM, LOCATION WAS A PRACTICAL BENEFIT.
PAGE 97
Powered by FlippingBook