Putting the "family" in multifamily.

Over the course of my career, I've heard a couple of variations of the phrase, "We really know how to put the 'family' into multifamily." And interestingly, I've found that the longer I'm in the industry, the more I've really come to appreciate and agree with that statement. Of course, as an industry, we collectively provide quality housing for thousands of families, but taking it to a more micro level, my company makes a concerted effort to educate, encourage and empower all employees to do their jobs as best as possible. Our vendors, suppliers and partners are always ready to help us do our business better. And, my colleagues at other, similar companies are more than willing to network, brainstorm and share their experiences: when I have a question about a process, product or conference, I can easily get some feedback by sending a quick email or picking up the phone. I know most industries are fairly tightly knit, but being in real estate, everyone truly seems to know everyone, and the proverbial "six degrees of separation" is usually limited to only two or three degrees. Long live the family!

Beam me to MV.

We just returned from five days on Martha's Vineyard. For the record, I have to say that MV is one of my favorite places on earth: my husband and I spent lots and lots of time there early in our relationship, and we actually got married on-island eight years ago this month. Fast forward a few years, add a baby to the mix, and suddenly, what was once a island oasis becomes pretty tricky to enjoy. Getting to the island is no longer as easy as throwing a bathing suit and shorts into a bag and simply walking onto the ferry: instead, we need to make reservations (way) in advance, and bring over a car packed to the brim with enough gear, clothing, toys and snacks to supply a small country.

Now that C is almost two, I can say that things have gotten a little bit easier (no more formula or jars of baby food), but still, I look forward to the day when we can all just walk onto the ferry as a family and not have to pack like we're prepping for the apocalypse. In the meantime, if someone could possibly refine the "Beam me up, Scotty" idea and just teleport us (and all 17 of our bags) to the island, I would be willing to pay REALLY good money.