We are proud to announce that our very own leasing team at Charles & Co. Edwin, David, and Andy has won the esteemed Sales Team of the Year award at the NAHB. Charles & Co. is a seven story, 99 home, mixed use rental community developed by Silverman. It competed against three highly amenitized, new construction, luxury developments that opened simultaneous, as well as vacancies in over a dozen recently constructed developments.
We had an on-site leasing office as well as 3 model homes. We leased 99 homes with a total traffic of 242 visitors, achieving over a 40% conversion ratio. Homes consisted of studio, one bedroom, two bedroom, and three bedroom rentals, priced from $2,025 to $10,500.
Over the past six years, rental demand and pricing has steadily risen in Jersey City. With prices in popular neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens reaching parity with those in Manhattan. Jersey City has become a relatively affordable alternative while still providing an easy commute, burgeoning food and arts scenes, and a sought-after “neighborhood feel.”
As with any new opening of a site, the team underwent a Core Sales Training for both Sales and Product training. In addition, this year the team was lucky enough to have John Palumbo as a guest speaker for our company-wide sales rally.
The leasing team was comfortable with the usual obstacles faced when leasing new construction homes like unfinished, dirty homes and hallways cluttered with materials. However, for the first month of leasing, Charles & Co. was surrounded by a fence and resembled a construction site more than a luxury rental building. The team spent one morning taking apart that fence in full suits in front of customers after a miscommunication between security and construction.
More often than not, the team conducted presentations without the following: air conditioning, electricity, sidewalks leading to a lobby, a lobby, elevators, computers and internet access, phones, and bathrooms with running water. Did we mention air conditioning? Temperatures were often in the 90’s during this past Jersey City summer while feeling closer to 110 in the stairwells.
We attribute the success of the building to the team’s familiarity of the product, neighborhood, and competition, our extensive training, and our willingness to put our team’s success ahead of personal reward or recognition.
Since a large portion of prospective residents were visiting Jersey City for the first time, they appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the neighborhood as well as Charles & Co. David previously resided just blocks away for over ten years and Edwin is a lifelong Jersey City resident. We were able to highlight the benefits of local public transportation options, share insider info on the best hangouts, and illustrate how easy of a transition a move to Jersey City is from nearby New York City.
Before opening the leasing office, Edwin, David, and Andy took two weeks to study the product - walking through every home, measuring each layout, noting details like differences in window and closet configurations, and determining the advantages of each home. This knowledge proved great value as we make it a goal to listen to our customers and find out their preferences and needs in a home. We were confident we were able to find the perfect fit for everyone.
Product training, like everything else, was done as a team. They made it a point to familiarize themselves with each other’s customers in order to assist our teammates when needed, providing a seamless experience for the customer. The Marketing Directors is fortunate to have succeeded as a team.
Sophie Ghadamian – Marketing Coordinator