Multifamily Trends with Virginia Love

Across dozens of Facebook groups, hundreds of multifamily associates are regularly venting their extreme frustrations about working in the apartment industry and detailing work habits that would horrify their employers. 

One associate even explained how, because she and her team resented having to work on the Friday after Thanksgiving, they locked the doors to the leasing office, turned the lights off, closed the blinds, ordered pizza and shopped online while their kids watched movies. The post was met with comments along the lines of “that’s a great idea” and “I’m going to do that next year.”

The low morale of many onsite team members was one of the many takeaways of Entrata Industry Principal Virginia Love’s Multifamily Trends presentation at the 2025 Entrata Summit.

While discussing the groups, Love told attendees that operators can’t afford to dismiss the Facebook posts and the ensuing comment threads. “I want you to eliminate thinking, ‘This is not my company or my property. My people would never do that.’ They do work at your property. They do work for your company. Sorry. They do.”

Her discussion of the groups was part of her detailed examination of four trends she says are currently impacting the apartment industry: people, Gen Z, value and expectations. The Facebook issue was presented as part of the “people” trend.

Associate concerns

Along with her friend Lia Nichole Smith, currently the Chief Brand Strategist at Spherexx.com, Love recently analyzed the posts and comments in the three largest multifamily Facebook groups. They saw that the chatter most regularly concerned burnout, personal safety, feeling overloaded by technology, gaps in operations and solicitations for advice. 

Love said operators have to take the sentiment in the Facebook groups seriously and work to address the concerns. 

“We’ve got to meet them where they are and not assume, ‘Oh, they don’t really feel that way,’” she said. “They do feel that way.”

Among the potential, low-hanging-fruit fixes: operators should make sure they’re reducing associates’ reporting and paperwork burdens as much as possible. They should also consider forming peer-to-peer groups to mitigate the isolation that associates often feel and reduce their need to seek advice and commiserate on social media.    

As for Gen Z, Love noted four characteristics of the cohort that apartment operators need to pay attention to: 1) they prioritize digital/mobile-first platforms, 2) they value authenticity and individual expression, 3) they have a pragmatic financial approach and 4) they possess a strong commitment to social justice and ethical consumer consumption.

Members of Gen Z also make their mental health a top priority, Love added. 

“It’s wonderful, probably one of the best assets of this generation,” she said. “When I say they don’t want to get yelled at, they don’t want to get yelled at. When they say they don’t want to do things that don’t feel good, they don’t want to do things that don’t feel good. We have to start accounting for this as we bring this generation into this industry because it’s going to change everything. It’s going to change our procedures, our policies and how we work within our brand, so we’ve got to get prepared for it.”

It’s the little things

Because of inflation, today’s renters are price sensitive and looking for good values, Love noted. She explained the concept of Treatonomics, a trend in which consumers buy small items—like lipstick, concert tickets or even Labubu dolls—that provide affordable indulgences and offer a morale boost during uncertain economic times. 

Operators should lean into the trend by offering “little bitty wins” like waiving pet rent for a year for residents who renew by a certain deadline, Love explained. “They’re very familiar with how good it feels to just get a little bit of something.”

As for meeting and then exceeding renters’ expectations, the keys are speed and flexibility, Love said. Communities have to respond almost instantly when prospects reach out or when residents report a problem.

“You have to reach out to them before they tell you something’s not fixed that they reported,” Love said. “You’ve got to tell them, ‘The part’s not here, but we’ll get it next week, and we’ll be back at your unit.’ Everything leans on speed.”

Renters also want flexibility in their apartment shopping and living experiences. “The consumer wants flexible tour types, payment options, lease options,” Love said. “They want to have flexible ways for them to communicate with you. You’ve got to meet them where they are.”