Nearly 43% of Charlotte households rent the property they live in. Unless you’ve been living under a rock you know the Queen City’s in the middle of a full-fledged apartment boom: over 12,000 apartment units are currently being built across the city with a record-breaking 13,500 more planned for the near future.

With new apartments come higher rents – and more discerning renters.

The average rental rate in Charlotte has topped $1000 for the first time and developers are in a veritable arms race to offer the best product available, a tall order in this seemingly-crowded rental market. One trick apartment developers are using more often than ever is to bring in experienced commercial designers to help with every stage of the process. Here’s how design and staging firms like Creative Model Designs are impacting Charlotte’s apartment boom.

Initial Commercial Design
From the get-go, more and more developers are choosing to allow designers and architects to work together to blend form and function in increasingly limited spaces. Many of Charlotte’s newest apartment complexes need help determining the best – and most aesthetically pleasing – way to fit everything from dog runs to swimming pools to resident lounges into their design, and enlisting help from day-one helps them avoid redesigns down the line.

Staging of Common Areas
Today’s renters demand more for their sky-high rental rates. Some of the most popular amenities for apartments in Charlotte include common space with skyline views, pool areas, gyms, and pet facilities. Buildings are also playing to their market by offering amenities like waiting areas with coffee stations near the lightrail pickup and spinning rooms for active millennials. Staging these spaces before bringing in potential renters allows apartment developers to sell on their strengths. This is particularly important in buildings whose actual apartments may be tight on square footage.

Sales and Leasing Offices
In today’s rental market you’re likely to feel like you’ve entered a spa rather than an apartment building’s leasing office! From greenery to fountains to high-end finishes like granite and LED lighting, developers realize fully staging leasing areas sends a subtle message to renters. In Charlotte, many apartment complexes are competing for renters before construction is finished, so staged sales offices gives the renters a peek into apartment life as well as a respite from the dust and noise.

Model Apartment Staging
The piece-de-resistance for any apartment community is a fully staged apartment model. In many cases, developers like to stage one unit of each size so renters might be tempted to “upsize” their rental when taken to a larger unit than initially considered. Staging apartments to feel like home is particularly important in a market like Charlotte, where many complexes offer nearly identical bare-bones units. Helping renters see how comfortable and unique they can make their rental unit is the best way to stand out.

Apartment complexes in Charlotte turn to Creative Model Designs when they need help staging, designing, and furnishing new developments. Wondering how we can lower your vacancy rate? Give us a call today to find out how Charlotte’s apartment boom can work for you.