Simplifying the Application Process

TransUnion has launched a new online tool for renters and landlords to make the application and screening process more efficient, less intimidating and more thorough. The tool, cleverly named "SmartMove" allows applicants to apply online without the need to provide their social security number. The system essentially creates an online database of tenants that can grant access to landlords that want to review their credit and criminal history. Sounds like a tool that makes things easier for everyone. For more information visit MySmartMove.com.

More denial?

According to the Commercial Investment Real Estate magazine... "It'll be heaven in 2011" was one predictions made at September's Multi-Housing World Conference. Demographic shifts will boost the rental market in a couple of years, experts predicted. On the investment side, now is the time to buy, although steer clear of suburban luxury housing and condo development. Student housing and workforce housing are hot areas, particularly in urban areas, said Rob Brock, president and CEO of Pierce-Eislen. B and C properties in A markets are another good buy, said Keith Rosenthal, president of Phoenix Realty Group, who suggested purchasing at a discount to replace the cost of over-leveraging. But lenders are looking into investors' net worth and questioning the veracity of obtaining projected rents. "You've got to have a real substantiated story for value-adds," says David Carlson, managing partner at Redwood Capital Partners.

The above copy was originally published in the Nov.Dec 2008 of Commercial Investment Real Estate, written by managing editor Sara Drummond.