As a property manager, it is imperative to know about the various properties you are marketing out to the college student groups. You must know your audience in order to match them with the right property. Trimark Properties in Gainesville, FL offers many apartment complexes that are ideal for grad students, but our success is in part due to our knowledge that Arbor Lofts is better positioned as apartments near the UF law school and that University Heights is better for UF grad students studying medicine, since it’s walking distance to the UF Health hospital previously known as Shands.
The trick to succeeding in leasing to grad students is in part to recognize that different grad students studying within different colleges have different needs. Though two apartment complexes might both be walking distance to UF Library West (or the equivalent at other schools), one might be a better fit for one college student than another, due to how close it is to the lecture halls of one particular college or area of study.
The needs and requirements of graduate students are different from undergrad students. Let’s analyze some of the most important factors that attract grad students and how property managers can utilize those in their marketing messages.
Apartment Location: One of the most important factors that affects the decision for a college grad student is the location. A grad student is looking for off campus housing that is close to the library and classes where he/she will be teaching as a teaching assistant, or working as a research assistant. Being in close proximity to the school library gives them easy access to the area where they will be spending most of their college life outside of working hours. I have helped grad students in Gainesville for over a decade and can comfortably say that if you show the grad student two properties - one, that is closer to the library and is priced a little higher and two, a property that is not so close to the library and is a bit inexpensive, almost 99% of the grad students will pick the apartment close to the library.
(Photo: Arbor Lofts. Conveniently located near the UF library, Stadium, Shopping and Dining in Gainesville, FL)
Internet Speed: If you provide Gigabit, they will come! A higher internet speed will attract anyone, but it’s especially helpful for college grad students, particularly those studying in tech fields like engineering, biotech, and life sciences. It’s not just about studying; greater internet connectivity also means that their online entertainment will not be in "buffer" mode when it's time to unwind. A higher internet speed will also mean that they can be watching online lectures while uploading heavy files at the same time.
Gatornet in Gainesville provides gigabit internet to apartment communities. Many of Trimark's apartment communities in Gainesville come with gigabit internet free for college student tenants.
Apartment Neighbors and Surroundings: Living with undergrads is ok when the college student is an undergrad. When coming back to attend grad school, the age difference may be 1-2 years, but this small gap in years represents a big gap in needs and lifestyle between undergrad and college grad students and lifestyle. Grad students prefer a place that is away from the partying crowd, in a peaceful and serene setting. This will help them focus more on their studies. Midtown and downtown Gainesville are the big party areas, however, some of the apartments offered to grad students are near midtown but are tucked away from the noisy and party scene. This is especially true at communities like Arbor Lofts, which only offers 1 bedroom apartments. In Gainesville and in many other cities, the apartment complexes that offer large sized apartments, such as 3 bedroom apartments and 4 bedroom apartments, tend to be the apartment complexes that attract lots of parties and noise complaints.
Parking: A reserved parking spot (or at least a parking spot) is very important to grad students. More than likely they are on a different schedule when compared to undergrad students and may need to come and go to class more often. A grad student may also be interning or employed, in addition to studying at the University and acting as a teaching assistant or research assistant to a professor. Parking their vehicle close to their apartment as opposed to a random street parking spot is therefore important to many grad students.
Trimark Properties was recently awarded two awards for their luxury Gainesville apartments Tuscana and Solaria II.
