Many factors influence residents’ decision to move to an HOA or condo, but community amenities considerably affect this choice.

Why Community Amenities Matter

According to a survey by 2ndkitchen, 87.2% of multifamily residents say amenities significantly impact their renting decision. They also impact buying decisions. They’re one of the primary reasons why people move into HOAs or other types of communities. 

Today, individuals seek more than just a place to live. They are looking for a lifestyle and a sense of community. Amenities offer that to residents. 

As a property manager or board member, part of your role consists of providing safe and enjoyable facilities to your residents. This is clearly easier said than done when dealing with a pandemic.

Since March last year, communities have faced serious challenges around their amenities. Community leaders are torn between (re)opening common facilities or keeping them closed to ensure everyone’s safety. At the same time, this difficult situation gave rise to new trends and new practices.

Managing amenities can be tedious and time-consuming. In this article, you will learn five easy ways to facilitate it. 

1. Latest Trend In Community Amenities

Amenities attract new residents, but it’s important to bear in mind that these communal spaces need to meet certain needs. Desires and lifestyles vary all the time. What is perceived as convenient and enjoyable at 20 can be completely irrelevant at 60 and vice-versa.

On top of that, the pandemic has sparked new interests and requirements. We are used to seeing new trends each year regarding amenities. However, this year we noticed exceptional and creative new tendencies. 

Let’s take a look at some examples here:

Outdoor, coworking/workspace with great connectivity

Since the beginning of the pandemic, many people had to start working from home. Being trapped inside your house the whole day can be a terrible feeling for many. Providing a place outside with WIFI, where people can sit and work, will be appreciated by your working residents. 

Child care amenities 

Again, since the outbreak, many children have been out of school, and it became a struggle for parents to find a safe place to leave their children. Leaving them with their grandparents was not a good option either. So, communities that provide childcare amenities for small groups of children have been a life-saver.

IT Help Desk 

Seniors are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. As a result, their isolation is strict, and they feel very lonely. Besides, seniors are usually not tech-savvy. So the idea of an IT helpdesk is to help this group of people use digital devices to connect with their loved ones and be connected to the rest of the world. Volunteers from the community or IT professionals could run the IT helpdesk. 

2. Managing Community Amenities during COVID-19

Handling community amenities during a pandemic is a real challenge. These stats perfectly demonstrate the impact that COVID-19 had on amenities. 

This situation is confusing for everyone, and it’s hard to decide on the best approach. We believe that the first step is to encourage communication. It’s crucial to inform your residents about the current situation by sending fact sheets and continuous communication by emails, SMS, or calls. It’s also important to update residents regularly about common areas and amenities. Using communication software such as Neigbrs by Vinteum allows you to send texts, smart calls, and emails directly to residents, management, and committees while on the go. 

Besides communication, avoiding transmission in your community is essential. Make sure to disinfect the area regularly and to provide cleaning supplies and hand sanitizers in your facilities. 

If you haven’t yet reopened some of your amenities, it’s important to follow a reopening plan before you do so. We spoke to condos and HOAs in Florida, Indiana, California, Rhode Island, and New Jersey to see how they opened or planned to open their amenities. 

3. Why You Should Invest In Community Amenities Reservation System 

Investing in software to manage your common areas will save you a lot of time for a very little investment. 

1. You will be able to create and categorize your amenities quickly.
2. Residents will have an easy overview of all communal spaces available in their community. 
3. You can manage, approve reservations and establish rules of usage for residents. 
4. You can personalize the rules of your amenities, and ask residents to accept them before continuing
5. Allow one or more residents to book an amenity at the same time

These three features have been extensively used during the pandemic. They allowed regulating the number of people using a facility and informing residents immediately on the amenity’s status. This thorough tracking and establishing of rules made it possible for many communities to reopen their facilities during the pandemic.

During the pandemic, we noticed that a lot of communities were adding their pool to Neigbrs by Vinteum so that residents would reserve it. This created a need for shared reservations. So you could set the rules so that up to a certain number of people could reserve the pool at one time. By doing that, then the board can open amenities and ensure social distancing. 

Using software to manage your amenities is more convenient for boards and residents. If you’d like to know more about the benefits of the amenities reservation system, you can watch our webinar here.

4. Have Fantastic Community Amenities With Minimal Spending

Community garden 

According to a GlobalData market research survey in May of 2020, gardening was listed as the second most popular lockdown activity after watching TV. It even came ahead of cooking, reading, and exercising. 

A community garden is a great activity for residents to get together and relax. It gives the chance to connect with neighbors but also with your own family members. Your community only needs to provide gardening land. The rest is up to residents. Creating a community garden is a lovely activity that can be done while social distancing. It’s also an intergenerational activity that can be educational and fun. A report in the Mental Health Journal cited gardening as reducing stress and improving mood, with a reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Library 

Creating a library can be a fun project for the community to participate in. You only need to provide a free space with shelves and sofas, and the residents can maintain the rest. We all have books that sit on our shelves without being read. Donating them to the community library will give them a new life. As time passes by, residents will have a large selection of books to choose from. It’s perfect for retired seniors who are looking for a place to enjoy their free time.  It’s also the place students could go to find some quiet and study for their exams. Residents can also hold Book Clubs every month or two weeks. It’s a great opportunity to connect with neighbors and to share your feelings about a book. 

If you don’t have space to set up a library, then it could be a shelf of books. Even an old fridge can be repurposed as a mini-library. If you do this, then you need to encourage residents to leave books, as well as take them.

Books enrich our lives in many ways. Having a library within your community will do good for your residents. It’s an amenity that doesn’t require much investment, but that brings such a positive impact. 

5. Top 3 Community Amenities You Must Have in 2021

Property-owned bikes 

A lot of people don’t buy bikes. They think they won’t use them enough, they don’t have storage or they believe they passed the age. Otherwise, maybe they want one, but they’re out of stock! Communities providing renting bikes for their residents is a recent but growing trend. It promotes healthy living, and it’s eco-friendly. Many communities offer in-door gyms but keep neglecting the importance of outdoor exercises. Property-owned bikes are the solution.

Off-leash dog park

67% of U.S households own a pet, which means about 85 million families. These sweet companions are a big part of your community, so they deserve at least one amenity, specially made for them. Dog parks can also act as a gathering spot for pet parents. It’s a great way to connect with new people while being able to stay socially distanced.

Popups and food experiences in your community

Some companies, such as 2ndkitchen, curate, schedule, and organize community food experiences. So you can enjoy Food Truck Fridays, Taco Tuesdays, or Wine and Cheese Nights without leaving your neighborhood. 

Those are lovely activities that can be done while social distancing. 

You could also invite local food trucks to come to your community so that residents can support local businesses.

Conclusion: Community Amenities

If we’ve learned anything this past year, it’s that community matters more than we ever realized. Without a doubt, amenities play a huge role in keeping residents connected. If managed correctly, they truly add a sense of community and increase engagement. 

Since last year, it has been a struggle for many community leaders to handle their amenities because of the pandemic. Yet, hardships teach important lessons. First, technology can be our best friend in difficult times. Amenity reservation software has helped communities thrive during these challenging times. Second, it’s important to keep up with new trends. Your residents’ desires will change over time. Third, great amenities don’t mean expensive ones. You can offer excellent amenities with minimal spending. Finally, community amenities matter as much for seniors as for young families and millennials. Keep in mind that people don’t just choose a community; they choose a lifestyle.

Our award-winning solution makes property managers’ lives smoother, the board of directors’ work easier, and makes community association living more enjoyable for residents. Try it now!