Going Mental with Property Rentals
Get a glimpse into Uplancer’s common sense approach to solving a web design and development problem for Murlin Realty
The Background
Residential rental property is a 280 billion-dollar industry booming across the United States. We’ve seen this, especially at our headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. Regardless, gaining visibility while focusing on quality renters is challenging for every leasing operation. With interest rates decreasing and an influx of businesses and people moving into Columbus, the number of renters in the market is climbing. Evan Murlin, owner of Murlin Realty LLC, wanted to position his company for this growth and provide renters a place they could call home within the flourishing city of Columbus.
The Problem: Establishing a Realty Brand in Columbus, Ohio
As the demand for rental property increased, Evan needed to ensure that his brand, Murlin Realty, was ready for this growth. He faced a few problems:
- A Brand to Match: Murlin Realty is not a new company; it has been around for over a decade. Evan has a deep property management history with 23 rental properties across Columbus. He had to tie everything together in a brand that captured his unique story.
- Lack of Visibility: As an established property manager in Columbus, Evan listed his properties on sites such as Zillow, Apartments.com, and Reator.com. Other realty companies in the area are doing the same. As a result, renters aren’t aware of brands like Murlin Realty that provide exceptional renting experiences. In fact, renters were associating his properties with Evan! Evan needed to change that.
- A Seamless Rental Application Experience: Paperwork is the bane of many tenants and property managers. A considerable time commitment is needed to collect and process rental applications: the applicant has to apply with accompanying documentation and fees, a cosigner (if required) has to complete their application, and Murlin Realty has to process all applications. There needed to be a way to automate the collection of forms and fees during the applications.
The Problem: Establishing a Realty Brand in Columbus, Ohio
As the demand for rental property increased, Evan needed to ensure that his brand, Murlin Realty, was ready for this growth. He faced a few problems:
- A Brand to Match: Murlin Realty is not a new company; it has been around for over a decade. Evan has a deep property management history with 23 rental properties across Columbus. He had to tie everything together in a brand that captured his unique story.
- Lack of Visibility: As an established property manager in Columbus, Evan listed his properties on sites such as Zillow, Apartments.com, and Reator.com. Other realty companies in the area are doing the same. As a result, renters aren’t aware of brands like Murlin Realty that provide exceptional renting experiences. In fact, renters were associating his properties with Evan! Evan needed to change that.
- A Seamless Rental Application Experience: Paperwork is the bane of many tenants and property managers. A considerable time commitment is needed to collect and process rental applications: the applicant has to apply with accompanying documentation and fees, a cosigner (if required) has to complete their application, and Murlin Realty has to process all applications. There needed to be a way to automate the collection of forms and fees during the applications.
The Solution: Localized Web Design & Development
Evan needed a new way to increase the visibility of his properties while positioning his company at the forefront. He reached out to Uplancer for help with web design and development, and automation.
- Branding Playbook: To complete his branding, Uplancer developed a branding playbook that included his brand new logo, typography, and color palette, which could be used throughout his marketing efforts. This playbook also dictated the design and creative direction of Evan’s website.
- A Columbus-Focused Website: Using Evan’s subject matter expertise, the Uplancer team leveraged his roots in Columbus, Ohio, to design and develop his local website, murlinrealty.com. It would also be realty-focused in Columbus, Ohio. Therefore, copywriting was central to making his website sound different.
- Digitizing the Whole Rental Journey: Keeping KYC compliance in mind, Uplancer converted all physical forms to fillable online forms. Automation was used to generate the document signature workflow and notify all involved parties to complete the form, such as the applicant, cosigner (if required), and Evan. Additionally, all applications were aggregated under one system for simplified access and management.
The Result:
Evan was now set with a fresh brand that represented who he was as a realty company. He established his digital footprint in Columbus and let his website do the heavy lifting in renting.
- A Brand True to Murlin Realty: The playbook allowed Evan to extend his company beyond his website. Everything he created for Murlin Realty – documentation, swag, signs, and other marketing collateral – stayed within his new branding guardrails.
- Customer Association with Murlin Realty: Tenants can now associate his properties with Murlin Realty instead of with himself or the other listing companies. Additionally, when you search Murlin Realty, you find Murlin Realty on the search engine results page. It’s only a matter of time before SEO starts to show.
- Less Time Managing Paperwork: Evan could now let his website manage the rental applications. As a result, his follow-up went from being heavily involved with a ton of physical paperwork to only contacting applicants who’ve successfully applied online and are serious.
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