What young renters want

Tucked away in an office on Pilot Road in Las Vegas, Drew Brunson is working to ensure college students have everything they desire in an off-campus rental property.

Brunson, director of Residential Rating Services at ResiRatings, a student housing entity funded by Las Vegas-based real estate company, Northcap, found out what students want and evaluates properties surrounding University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and Nevada State College based on that criteria.

"What we've found is that students place most of their decision when choosing a rental property on location, followed by amenities and price," he said. "We also found that even though students can live at home for free, 74 percent of them would rather live near UNLV, given a certain amount of amenities."

Those amenities, according to Brunson, include ample parking, private and group study areas, Wi-Fi, social kitchens and pools.

"One of the biggest face-to-face feedback I've gotten is that they want a pool with lounge chairs, cabanas and fire pits," he said. "Students at UNLV also look at security and what properties are doing to keep them safe."

Though dorms often offer Wi-Fi, social kitchens and study areas, Brunson said students turn to off-campus housing not only because it tends to be cheaper but for social reasons as well.

"While living on-campus is convenient, you have a roommate and shared bath and are forgoing certain amenities," he said. "Off-campus, you have a choice to live with no roommates, have a pool and fitness center so students have to make a lot of sacrifices to live in the dorms whereas they don't have to off-campus."

According to Brunson, ResiRatings has a rating system of 0 to 100 based on how appealing a property is to students. If a property has a score below 70, he will reach out to consult with them on what they can do to improve.

Over the past six months, ResiRatings has propelled nearly $12 million in renovation investments to surrounding UNLV properties, Brunson said.

"We currently have 22 properties (owners) who said they are willing to spend the money and make the necessary changes," he said. "They're listening to what students want and programming their buildings that way."

ResiRatings also offers students a new apartment checklist, which includes things students should be asking about and looking for when touring a potential rental such as functional door locks and a mold-free bath.

"We want them to take that list and find a property that fits that bill rather than adapt to a property," Brunson said. "They need to decide on what they want in an ideal property and give themselves at least several months to check them out and talk with leasing agents and third-party sources."

In the future, Brunson said ResiRatings hopes to improve the campus feel surrounding UNLV.

"Right now there's a very clear line at UNLV where you can tell you're not on campus anymore," he said. "We want students to live, shop and work in that area and make the most out of their college experience."

Brunson added that he also anticipates the properties making changes to attract students will inspire others to do the same.

"If there's a ResiRatings community sandwiched between two communities that didn't pass, they'll see the benefits of that community and it will rub onto the other two so they can improve and qualify," he said. "That's a really realistic goal that we see coming to fruition."

Amenities are also important to young renters at WestCorp Management Group's more than 20 rental properties across the Las Vegas Valley, according to Emily McMann, vice president of marketing and education.

"Young people now are willing to ask for what they want and they expect a certain level of service and amenities," she said. "We aim to provide a different level of service than what we've seen in the past."

McCann said at the company's four newest properties in Las Vegas offer water bottle and towel service inside its 24-hour gym, free chair massages, Starbucks coffee and an e-lounge, equipped with Mac computers and PCs for residents.

"We try and think of things that our demographic constantly uses at this point in their life," she said. "They go to Starbucks and the gym so we provide services they actually use and put it in our clubhouses so they can not only have it be more accessible where they live but also save them money."

According to McMann, 50 percent of WestCorp's renters are under the age of 33 and they've seen an influx in young renters at their Domain and Dream apartment communities in Henderson, The Wyatt and SW apartments in the southwest part of town as well as Union in Summerlin.

"We're able to see the demographic at each of our properties so we're looking at what we can do to draw them in more," she said. "We're constantly trying new things and I think we'll continue down that path."

Contact reporter Ann Friedman at afriedman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Follow @AnnFriedmanRJ on Twitter.