Sounds incredible @Keith Cantley ! Will reach out! Thanks @Shane Chapin! yes the pricing increase is one major pain point for me, along with credit card processing fee. There are discussions around passing it down to tenants. While I see success stories from operators who had transitioned to softwares that offer that capability, I am just unsure how would it incentivize tenants to use cards vs cash/check, especially in smaller/tertiary markets.

@Terry Royce : While I don't have any major complaints, I have run into a few operational limitations with ESS, such as not being to set the same due date with multiple rules, inability to send a payment link without requiring tenant login, inability to add simple marketing banner on website at will without having to relying on ESS marketing team to make such update, just to name a few that are on top of mind. Fee increase is another factor. To me, it's prudent to always explore what's out there in the market. So that I can determine if I am using a platform that's evolving with operator's needs and delivering the value that's commensurate with the cost.

@Brielle Mai Thank you! Appreciate your suggestion: professional and neutral.

@Shane Chapin good reminder to keep in mind. Thank you!

@Mike Perkins : Congratulations to you and @Tammy Perkins ! 10 move-ins in January (still counting) is awesome! Inspiring story! Thanks for sharing. Among the various strategies you deployed, what are one or two things that you think made the difference in this particular facility?

I understand each decision "depends" on various factors (market conditions, personal preferences, strategies etc) but just to share the thought behind my question (i.e. how has the lease up been, what's the rate vs. the competition) is if all appear to be on the right track and performing well, personally I would like to hold and bring the occupancy to cross the 50% or even 60% threshold so that the facility can, hopefully, command higher premium when selling. Again, it all depends on the situations and strategy. If I have other investing opportunities that my capital can be better invested in, while also giving the new buyer more meat on the bone, then exit. Thanks for reading my streams of consciousness. 😅

@Wes Eaves : for me, researching on local competition and understanding their performance is an important part of due diligence process after getting under contract (personally I would even say before under contract to certain extent, but not spending too much time). This will help me understand why the facility that i am interested in buying is at low occp: is it due to market saturation, or no marketing spend and simply not answering the phone. If it’s the latter, I will consider digging further.

Thanks @Shane Chapin @Andrea Chapin. Is there a particular brand that you use and prefer?