Let me be real with you: The way leasing is done in multifamily real estate today is broken. We’ve seen it time and time again—properties hiring entry-level leasing agents fresh out of college, underpaid, undertrained, and thrown into one of the most critical roles in your business: sales. They are responsible for filling your building and driving your revenue, but in many cases, they’re set up for failure.
The truth is, leasing is sales. And sales is the lifeblood of your property. But somehow, the multifamily treats it like an afterthought. We challenge you today to rethink what a successful leasing candidate looks like. We don't just focus on filling vacancies—we aim to create a seamless leasing process that maximizes revenue, optimizes occupancy, and enhances the resident experience from day one.
Leasing Is Sales—Not Property Management
One of the biggest misconceptions in multifamily leasing is that leasing is simply a function of property management.
But after over two decades and 150+ successful lease-ups, we know that's never been the case.
Leasing is about selling a lifestyle and an experience. It’s about finding the right people for your building and making them feel like they’re part of something special. Property management, on the other hand, focuses on maintenance, budgets, and operations. These are different skill sets and require different teams.
What's our approach look like? We believe in functional specialization. We’ve structured our leasing team to be solely focused on driving revenue. They’re trained to sell, negotiate, and close deals—just like top-tier salespeople in any other industry.
Training and Compensation: Invest Where It Counts
You need to understand the value of investing in the right talent. Most leasing agents in the industry get a couple of weeks of training, if that. But the way it should be done is this: our agents undergo extensive training that equips them with the skills they need to close deals, handle objections, and provide an unparalleled leasing experience.
And we don’t stop there. Our agents are compensated to reflect their impact on the bottom line. They are motivated by success, driven by results, and rewarded for performance—just as it should be. We believe in creating an environment where top talent can thrive, which translates into better results for our clients.
Fixing the Disconnect Between Leasing and Marketing
One of the most overlooked aspects of leasing is the collaboration between marketing and leasing teams. At CHARLESGATE, we ensure that our marketing and leasing teams are in constant communication. Marketing brings in the leads, but leasing closes the deals. Without synergy between these two teams, you’re wasting valuable resources.
Our agents are on the front lines every day. They know what prospective residents are looking for and what keeps them from signing a lease. This feedback loop ensures our marketing strategy is fine-tuned to bring in qualified leads and convert them at a higher rate. This doesn’t just get people to tour your building—we get them to sign on the dotted line.
The Solution: Functionally Specialize and Centralize
If you want to outperform in today’s competitive real estate market, you need to specialize. We believe in centralized leasing operations, in tandem with functional specialization in each respective role in the pod model, allowing our agents to work across multiple properties, increase their experience, and get better results. They’re trained like sales professionals and compensated accordingly.
Our model ensures that our leasing agents are not just sitting behind a desk hoping someone walks in. They are proactively working leads, following up with prospects, and closing deals that drive revenue.
Do Better, Think Bigger, Lease Faster.
The traditional way of leasing is outdated, and it’s costing you millions. The pod approach is designed to change that. We believe leasing is sales, and we treat it with the seriousness it deserves.
By investing in specialized leasing teams, offering proper training, and ensuring seamless collaboration between marketing and leasing, we help our clients fill vacancies faster, increase revenue, and enhance the resident experience.
If you’re ready to stop leaving money on the table, it’s time to rethink your leasing strategy with CHARLESGATE at the helm. Let us help you unlock the full potential of your new development.