The Psychology of Rental Pricing: Fees vs. All-In Pricing

To fee or not to fee? Rental housing economist Jay Parsons tackles the hot-button topic of fees for apartment and SFR renters. With short-term rentals and event ticketing sites now rolling fees into all-in pricing, will apartments and single-family rentals be next? Jay talks with BH Management CEO Joanna Zabriskie, who oversees a portfolio of more than 100,000 units, about BH's pilot of all-in pricing. Joanna reveals what happened with leasing traffic and occupancy when fees were rolled into the base rent. The results may be surprising ... and could encourage other operators to follow suit. At the same time: It's important to recognize all-in pricing doesn't make housing more affordable. Also in this podcast: Jay shares highlights from the apartment REITs' presentations for the big NAREIT summer conference – focusing on interesting updates specific to renter demographics and renter financial health.