Satin Touch News

There are numerous things that property managers can do in order to conserve energy on a larger scale. It’s currently estimated that about 40 percent of outside heat comes through windows, while 10 percent of heat is lost through windows during the winter, so while it’s important to keep those shades or curtains closed, it may be time to upgrade your property with more efficient window coverings.
One of the biggest energy savers are ‘smart shades’ that help conserve energy. And while any window covering is better than nothing, with current energy prices increasing, managers may want to start thinking about replacing those traditional window shades with more energy efficient ones.
Energy Efficient Cellular Shades – Cellular shades help to filter out damaging UV rays. The shades contain air pockets inside that protect against cold drafts in the winter months. During the summer, direct sunlight and damaging UV rays are blocked by blind fabric, preventing energy waste.
Blackout Shades – These are not like the old blackout curtains used by hotel rooms. Blackout shades block 99% of incoming light.
Thermal and insulated shades – These shades are designed with up to four layers of insulation and are made to fit as closely to windows as possible. Insulating window panels not only offer insulation from the heat, but block out most light as well.

In the home, where do you spend most of your time? Just a guess, but it’s probably your living room. So it’s important this room is designed just the way you want it because it sets the tone for the rest of the house. It says a lot of about your personal style and you as a homeowner.
Here are some creative tips for your living room design that are sure to help get you started.
Set the Tone:
The best way to plan a room is defining its purpose. Is it for entertaining? Or do you want it to have multiple functions? Determining the room will overall help create a useful and comfortable area in your home.
Fixate on the decorations:
Once the purpose is defined, you now have to find a centerpiece: that one feature that draws the eye. Most of the time, it’s the TV. Instead, consider being more original with your living room design. Focus on something more personal to you, like photos or a painting.
Rearrange Furnishings:
Once the focal point has been defined, the next step is furnishing. In order to make things look fresh, you don’t have to buy new stuff. Instead create a whole new atmosphere with just a little imaginative rearranging. Before you start moving around heavy couches and loveseats, picture how the new arrangement would flow in your home. Remember, not everything has to be against the wall.

satintouch helps save a house of a newly single mother in need.
Jennifer was living a fairly ordinary life. She had a husband, a daughter and a house.
The family worked, played, and were active members of their community on the West side of the Twin Cities. While this sounds like a safe and uneventful life, there was a dark secret her husband kept that would affect the life of Jennifer’s family completely.
“On the outside, he played the part of a great husband and father. He brought in money through his storm damage business and apartment he managed.” Jennifer said. “He played with his daughter daily after school, coached her soccer team, and was active in local politics.”
She trusted him implicitly. Was there any reason not to?
After 17 years of marriage, she found out that not only was he not paying taxes, but he made forged checks to deceive her into thinking that he had paid them.
Once it was apparent that he would not escape his debts, he fled to Arizona saying he had business. It was the last time the family would see him again.
“I depended on him 100 percent to take care of our family.” Jennifer said. “I kept asking myself, ‘what do I do now?’ But, I had no answers.”
Thankfully, the IRS did not find her liable for all the taxes owed by her husband, but she was still liable for what is considered her share of them.
She worked slowly to build her now single parent family back up by taking on a second job, and a new tenant in her home, but shortly thereafter was hit by another large setback.
“I was sure that I was going to lose my home.” Jennifer said. “My insurance company demanded that I repaint my entire home or they’d deny my coverage. I just couldn’t afford it.”
Losing homeowners insurance means Jennifer would have lost her ability to own a home. So she tried to find loans, and attempted to contract just the extremely difficult jobs to professionals to save money.
That’s when she met Chad and satintouch. When he heard about her situation, he had a simple solution.
satintouch reinvented details beyond a simple coat of paint. “He said he’d do it for the price of paint.” Jennifer said. “I was floored. That doesn’t happen everyday.”
satintouch painted the entire house, down to every detail, including the concrete basement to their mailbox and house numbers. They brightened the house, giving it a fresher look that would impress any insurance company.
And, it did. After seeing photos of the house, her insurance agency did not deny her homeowners insurance saving her house and family.
When Jennifer tried to pay satintouch for the paint, owner Chad refused saying, “Don’t thank me. Thank God.”
“I don’t know why I became so fortunate.” Jennifer said. “It’s been a very humbling experience. There really are still good people out there.”

A service that not only increases your bottom line, but prepares you for a MADACS.
Reinvent the Way You Rehab Rooms
Every apartment complex needs rehab from the normal wear and tear of living. As you approach updates to your units, make sure to consider that a room’s rehab not only includes necessary functional updates, but aesthetic details that turn heads.
satintouch Design is your rehab solution. We see a room beyond the turnover and rehab. From timeless improvements – like subway tiles – to targeted improvements – including thematic retro styling – satintouch Design – we see a room reinvented.
Getting Down to the Details
From whether or not a bathroom mirror is framed to installing a backsplash in the kitchen, it’s all about the tiny details with satintouch Design.
Done By Deadline
When we enter a space, we take inventory of the details that are often missed or cut from a budget line to save money in the short term. With these elements designed and implemented in your apartment spaces, this redesign not only makes the space more functional, but also more appealing.
These details can mean the difference between being an average complex, to being viewed as upscale.
Reinvent Your Bottom Line
To attract a customer base with more money, it starts with a reinvented room with satintouch Design. With our insight and implementation, your apartment building can easily charge 100-200 additional dollars per unit. And, having an apartment over market rate isn’t unheard of for a reinvented room.
We understand the importance of getting through a project quickly while ensuring quality. Having a unit off-the-market digs into your bottom line, and we work diligently to reinvent your rooms on deadline.
Start Turning Heads Today
Once your complex has been completely reinvented by satintouch Design, people will take notice. So we recommend getting your pen and paper after you contract satintouch. That way, you’ll have plenty of time to ensure that your MADACS acceptance speech is ready.

Attract new tenants without all the stress with a rehab by satintouc
Every apartment complex ages.
What was once new and hip, is now aging and tired. In the apartment management business, reinventing your rooms is a part of the long term business strategy.
An apartment complex in Bloomington had apartments that weren’t in bad shape, but needed a facelift to give their aging apartments from the late 80s a new appeal.
They planned to rehab all their apartments in phases, tackling rehab work like new cabinets, countertops, color conversions, and some floor plan modifications.
“We tried to complete some of them ourselves, but soon found ourselves in a tight spot,” the Bloomington apartment manager Ted said. “We had a lot of units, and tight deadlines and a lot of detailed work.”
satintouch had worked with Ted at previous apartment complexes doing apartment turnovers.
“I’ve seen great work from them throughout my career,” Ted said. “When it came time to look for rehab vendor that does quality work, responsive, and meets deadlines, it was a no-brainer for me to call satintouch.”
With over 60 apartments and counting reinvented through rehab by satintouch, Ted continues to work with satintouch because, “working with satintouch lowers my stress, not just at the end of the month, but daily.”

Save time, money, and resources.
Reduced Overhead Cost
The whole set up for an in-house team can cost a fortune. Add to that the factor of uncer- tainty involved and it can be a pretty strong reason not to build in-house. By working with a vendor partner, costs for equipment, solutions, and educational expenses are no longer a concern.
Reduced Cost of Labor
Regarding operational costs, reduced cost of labor is the most apparent advantage of a vendor partnership, simply because employees are expensive.
“As Needed Basis”
It’s not often discussed regarding the benefits of a vendor partnership, but having a team of professionals hired on an “as needed basis” gives the freedom from committing long term associated costs like medical insurance, gratuity, and annual bonuses.
Easy Taxes
With a vendor partner, all tax burdens are placed upon the vendor giving your business a simple expense line that makes a great deductible.
Avoid Health Care Headaches
Beyond the cost of health care, navigating new healthcare laws and plans can be daunting. With a vendor partner, there is no health care obligation.
Better Productivity
On the surface, it may sound counter-intuitive, but better productivity will come from a vendor than an in-house employee. A vendor partner continually works to keep your busi- ness on current and new projects. They only keep them by performing their best.
We’re Never Sick, and Always Available
With a vendor partner, you never get a call that says, “I can’t make it in today.” We guar- antee that the job will be done when you need it to be done.
Free to Focus on What Really Matters
With a vendor partner, you know that the job of cleaning and maintenance are taken care of by professional staff. You’re free to build the community and focus on what really matters: your tenants.
A Vendor Partnership Saves Time, Money and Resources
For all these reasons, having a vendor partnership is the best way to save your sanity, your bottom line, and receive the best results.

 
Living in an apartment complex could be kind of lonely. Putting multiple people in a party room with food and icebreakers and expecting valuable connections to be made just is not the name of the game anymore! So why not start up a newly discovered game of Bubble soccer with your fellow apartment dwellers?
Combine soccer with giant inflatable bubbles, and you have got yourself into the new craze of Bubble Soccer! Create a sign up sheet for teams, talk to your neighbors about it and send out emails informing people about a fun event that can turn into a well-liked activity for everyone!
Teams of any size play against each other exactly like the normal soccer game rules, except one major difference, everyone wears huge plastic Bubbles.  Not only does it not matter what your athletic ability is, but you can do this almost anywhere!
Explore all the different creative ways you could set up your very own league and ‘soccer field’ at your community.  As long as you have teams of equal numbers, you’ve got a game!
Sounds exciting right?  It is even easy to get the equipment since there are rental companies across the states, like Bubblesoccerusa.com, making it convenient to host your own game, but not over commit your funds by owning the supplies yourself.  Prices start as low as $300 for 10 Bubble Suits with an included event coordinator.
Organizing your own league or short-term tournament can spark interest in your fellow neighbors and create a fun and different summer activity that will leave you and your newfound friends with memories for years to come.

Give your new tenants a warm welcome with these inexpensive presents:
Potted plants. Not only do they add nice decorative touches to a room; they also keep indoor air filtered and clean. Shoot for a small plant that is low maintenance and could be stored in multiple places, like an aloe plant or a cactus.
Food. Edible gifts only take up space until someone scarfs them down. Seek out a cool local bakery for some sweet treats.
Cleaning products Put some Windex on it! It may not sound like the most fun presents to receive, but your tenant will buy them anyway, making for a thoughtfully practical gift.
Coffee? Yes please!
A bag of coffee ready for the brewer gives your tenant a nice perk that welcomes them to your property.
Laundry. Give your tenant a wash on the house with a roll of quarters, if you have a coin-operated washing machines, or a nearby Laundromat. Or a package with a few packets of detergent and/or fabric softener will help them with their first load.

As the weather warms and people head outdoors, it is important that custodial departments don’t forget about the tasks needed to be done inside. There are many reasons why carpets should not be neglected.
1. Prolongs the life of carpeting. Regular carpet cleaning using the extraction method can increase the life of carpets significantly, saving you money in the long run.
2. Protects indoor air quality. Carpets trap airborne pollutants and eventually those pollutants must be removed in order to maintain your home’s air quality and the carpet itself.
3. Makes carpets easier to maintain. Most carpet damage is made up of dry soils; when carpets are kept up with on a regular basis, most dry soils can be removed with thorough vacuuming.
4. Removes blemishes. Spots and stains can lead to further soiling of the carpet. Removing them promptly protects against worsening damage.
5. Prevents buildup of allergens and bacteria. Moist dirtying of carpets can result in an ample supply of several unhealthy contaminants.
6. Enhances the appearance of any room. Well-maintained carpets speak volumes about the overall cleanliness of a home and increase the appeal in a space.
7. Improves working environment. Workers feel better about coming into work and doing their best when it is clean. Carpets should not be overlooked.
8. Removes dust mites and bedbugs that may have found a home in carpets. The pile on of dust may take a toll on the people who work/ live in the space due to allergies.
9. Maintains the carpet’s warranty. Most carpet warranties require that carpets be cleaned using the extraction method, usually every 12 to 18 months.