“I truly believe that the foundation of CHR’s success comes from respecting our residents and maintaining our properties to the highest standards. We manage people’s homes with pride and everyone prospers. “ Ed Zuker, Founder and CEO

Chestnut Hill Realty has a strong and enduring set of core values that not only inform how it does business, but also function as a code of conduct within the organization. These values - first-class service, excellence, teamwork, integrity and caring - are the driving force of the special relationship the Company has with its residents, its employees, its apartment communities, and the neighborhoods where these communities are located.

Respect for Residents
Chestnut Hill Realty understands that the place where you live and call home is at the center of your life. Good living is the basis for many of the decisions regarding reinvestments in apartment renovations, amenity upgrades, and all the services CHR provides. Customer satisfaction is the number one priority and this is achieved through active, and often proactive, outreach by the onsite property management and maintenance services teams. Representative of this commitment is CHR’s 24-hour maintenance guarantee, which assures that repair emergencies are addressed immediately and routine repair requests are responded to within 24 hours. 

Teamwork
Chestnut Hill Realty’s senior management and leadership teams have a depth of experience, expertise and longevity that is increasingly rare in today’s business environment. All have been with the Company for 25 years or more. To encourage long-term tenure, CHR trains, mentors and educates its staff, promoting from within whenever possible. The Company believes that employee longevity ensures a cross-functional and cross-departmental spirit of cooperation, synergy and institutional memory. 

The continuing contributions of an experienced, dedicated and knowledgeable team of managers and professionals at CHR are at the forefront of identifying new and better ways for the Company to do business, serve residents, and provide personal and professional growth opportunities to its employees. In 2019, as in previous years, there are several noteworthy and exciting initiatives underway, including customer service, eLearning and a mentorship program.

 

 

Pride in Properties and Neighborhoods
Apartments are a commodity that can be provided by anyone. The difference, as CHR sees it, is to also provide a place where people want to make their home. To achieve this, the Company continually reinvests in the apartment interiors and brings award-winning landscaping to all its properties. When a resident returns home after a day of work or travel, and when friends or relatives come to visit, being greeted by well-maintained buildings, lush landscaping and seasonal flowers can help to create a feeling of pride of place.

CHR’s investments in horticulture extend to the neighborhoods surrounding its properties. The Company donates labor and materials to maintain several public spaces and parkways. In addition, the company actively supports many charitable and civic organizations that contribute to the enjoyment of residents of its properties and the community at large.

Long-Term Perspective
Every day, CHR earns its reputation for quality and stability by applying a long-term perspective to all aspects of its business, focusing on operational excellence, exceptional customer service and high-value investing.

 

 

Operational Excellence
Chestnut Hill Realty is built from the ground up to master every detail of owning and managing real estate. CHR has developed a synergistic infrastructure that includes specialized departments dedicated to each management function, including property management, leasing, marketing, construction, information technology and horticultural management. Every department is led by a seasoned manager who collaborates with their peers, thus creating a spirit of cooperation and a collegial, open-door working environment. The result is cost savings, efficiency, profitability and highly satisfied residents.

Exceptional Customer Service
As it is stated in the Company’s mission, Managing People’s Homes with Pride, CHR values its residents by understanding that their apartments are their homes. Taking good care of residents and meeting their needs results in long-term satisfied customers, better maintained properties and lower turnover.

The resident experience is paramount, and CHR has also focused on making the leasing process and the transition to resident status as seamless as possible. Resident Services Professionals are committed to delivering exceptional customer service and remain a constant point of contact and communication for prospective residents throughout the leasing process, and continue this relationship once the leases are signed. Residents’ issues are courteously and promptly addressed, and often times requires the staff to work late to ensure that their apartment homes meet or exceed expectations, and sometimes just offering to lend a hand by carrying in shopping bags or boxes.

Chestnut Hill Realty provides a superior level of customer service. All of the apartment homes are well maintained and equipped. The grounds feature beautiful landscaping and a wide range of amenities from swimming pools, fitness trails and business centers. Customer service response is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Residents have access to a secure, passcode protected app, Rent Café, to help enhance the enjoyment of their apartment home and neighborhood. They can use Rent Cafe to submit and track maintenance requests, pay rent, view account balances and renew their lease.

High-Value Investing
Over the years, CHR has remained true to its business acumen by investing for the long term. Chestnut Hill Realty’s portfolio strategy is focused on value. CHR looks for smart values, buying underutilized properties in attractive, high-demand locations, then strategically reinvesting in these assets and controlling expenses to bring them to their highest and best use. 

With strategic exceptions, CHR tends to build rather than buy, because high demand and convenient locations within the Company’s footprint are better opportunities for cost-effective new construction. Chestnut Hill Realty “polishes the apple” by remodeling and repositioning its properties. CHR updates the buildings’ infrastructure and unit interiors, improves the landscaping to reflect pride of ownership and adds amenities such as clubhouses, exercise rooms and Wi-Fi cafes – all of which help the company compete for quality residents.

Technology Excellence
Chestnut Hill Realty is a leader in the real estate industry in its use of technology. CHR’s new state-of-the-art website offers prospective residents real-time availability of specific apartments, the ability to view videos and photos of the properties, neighborhoods and floor plans, and even rent an apartment without going to a leasing office. 

The firm invests in leading-edge technology, including the latest versions of property and asset management software to manage many aspects of day-to-day operations, online project management and collaboration. The result is increased revenues, improved efficiencies and greater accountability.