After over 36 years of business, Berger Rental Communities continues to hold true to the same principles to which it was founded – we understand that the resident is the most important part of our business. This principle is complimented

Why Should I Move to Highland Manor Apartments?

  • Highland Manor residents have been living in the community for an average of 3.7 years.

 

  • 95% of Highland Manor residents are satisfied with the completion of their maintenance requests.

 

  • Highland Manor employs 30% more team members per apartment than the industry average.

 

  • Highland Manor has an ApartmentRatings.com overall rating that is 49% better than the average rating of apartment communities in Pottstown.

Why Should I Move to Goshen Manor Apartments?

  • Goshen Manor residents have been living in the community for an average of 3.14 years.

 

  • 91% of Goshen Manor resident’s maintenance requests are completed within one day.

 

  • The resident retention rate at Goshen Manor is 41% better than the industry standard.

 

  • 27% of new residents at Goshen Manor were referred to the community from satisfied current and previous residents.

Why Should I Move to Audubon Manor Apartments?

  • 99.4% of Audubon Manor residents are satisfied with their move in experience.

 

  • 67% of Audubon Manor team members live at the community.

 

  • Audubon Manor residents have been living in the community for an average of 3.43 years.

 

  • Audubon Manor has an ApartmentRatings.com over all rating that is 78% higher than the average rating for apartment communities in West Chester.

Short Term Housing Options

Regardless of whether you own or rent your home, it is so important to walk in your door, and hang your hat saying, “Ahhhh…I’m home.” At Berger Rental Communities, we understand that property management has very little do with apartments-it is about providing people with wonderful experiences at a place they call home for both short and long periods of time. During their first visit to our leasing offices, about 80% of future residents mention the words, “buying a house” or “in between houses”. Many of these future residents are pleasantly surprised to learn how great and easy apartment living can be when the goal for the near future is to own their own home. While I cannot speak for other property management companies, Berger Rental Communities makes these transitions very easy for people:

  • We offer short term leases at phenomenal rates! Most people expect that they would have to spend a fortune to live in short term housing-our short term leases are offered with a minimal premium.
  • Most people choose not to “settle in” to their rental housing and do not want to take the time to really make this space their home because they know they will not be living in that space for a long time. We make it easier by offering custom paint options-our residents do not have to do anything but pick a color. Their color choices are painted on their walls before they move in, which makes feeling at home happen naturally.
  • We can arrange to have our apartments furnished before new residents arrive with their boxes-our rental furniture packages allow residents to move in just with a suitcase. They do not have to worry about their furniture that they intend to use in their dream home getting damaged during the moving process; They do not have to worry about picking out bedding that will match both their apartment and their new home. Rental furniture really makes these transitions easy.
  • When residents are new to the area, they love using our team as resources-we know our locations and surrounding communities like the back of our hands. Our knowledge can be a priceless tool for a lot of residents.
  • When residents know they are about to become tied down with the responsibilities of home ownership, they love to take advantage of our maintenance program! Our rule is, call us for anything-if it is a maintenance emergency at 2:00 in the morning, it will not wait until the next day. It is not so simple when you own a home-enjoy our maintenance program while you can.

Our team is always available to assist people with any of their rental housing needs. Please do not hesitate to contact us when you are in need of a housing resource.

First Time Renter Advice

Congratulations! You are moving out and are now own your own. This is no doubt a very exciting time in your life. Here’s some advice about what you need to know to make renting your first apartment a very positive experience.

Private landlord vs. Management Company
Before you start looking, you might want to decide whether you want your apartment run by a private landlord or a management company. There is an important distinction. A private landlord might be someone who rents their property for extra income while working full-time outside of the real estate industry. This could mean that the private landlord might not have the time to put into being available to their residents 24 hours per day. On the other hand, a private landlord might only have a few properties, and might be more apt to making exceptions to rules for individual renters. On the other hand, a management company is in the business for long-term. Management companies should always be available for their residents, and mostly have 24 hour emergency maintenance programs. Because management companies have many more apartments to manage, exceptions to rules are harder to make with management companies. Berger Rental Communities manages over 2,000 apartments in more than 10 communities across the state of Pennsylvania. We are professionals who have built our business on word-of-mouth advertising and resident referrals. We strive to ensure that our residents are happy in their new home.

Choosing a Roommate
Unless you landed yourself a really great job just out of college, you will probably need to consider getting a roommate to share expenses. Consider your friends list. Is there someone you already know that will be living in the same area who you would consider rooming with? The idea is to pick someone fairly similar to yourself. Find someone who keeps the same hours, who shares your level of cleanliness, someone who can afford his or her share of the expenses and someone you genuinely like to spend time with. This is an important decision and one that shouldn’t be made too quickly. If you need to look outside your circle of friends, consider local free ads such as community newspapers and local roommate matching services or online at Craigslist or Move.com to post an ad. Also consider checking the listings or create your own at Roomates.com, RoommateNation.com or RoommateLocator.com. Some of these services may charge you a small monthly fee. When evaluating potential roommates, it is important for you to check references, contact their previous landlord, and verify that they are responsible in regards to making payments.

Apartment Layout
There are many different apartment floor plans available. There are studio, one, and two-bedroom apartments with one or multiple bathrooms and other amenities such as dens, dining rooms, extra storage, etc…Take the time to review the different layouts available to you. Pick a floor plan that most closely fits your lifestyle today…and something you can live with for the next few years.

Compare Apartment Community Amenities
When looking for an apartment, it’s all about the complete package. Many Berger Rental Communities, for example, offer swimming pools, fitness centers, computer facilities, outdoor trails, etc…Take the time to compare offerings of several area communities and consider the potential savings if you don’t need a separate gym membership, for example.

Reserve your Apartment
Once you find the perfect apartment, act quickly. Reserve your apartment by paying a small deposit and completing the application for rental.

Application Fee
Once you place a hold on an apartment, the next step will be a credit screening and the application so you can be approved to rent the specific apartment you are interested in. Once you submit the application, you will generally be asked to pay a small application processing fee to cover the costs of ordering a credit report, checking references and processing your application. This fee is generally non-refundable. For more information about deposits, read Understanding Apartment Deposits.

The Lease Agreement
Once your application has been approved, and you are ready to move into your perfect apartment, you will be presented with a lease agreement. The lease is a legal document that is binding on both the resident and the landlord. It specifies the terms and conditions of the agreement and defines roles and responsibilities. Read this document over carefully. You might even ask a trusted relative or good friend read over it as well. The team at your new apartment community should be available to assist you with any questions and concerns that you might have about this document. Once you fully understand the legal agreement you are signing, go ahead and take the next step. In addition, all of your roommates will need to sign the lease as well.

Security Deposit
You will be required to put down a security deposit. This will be held by your landlord during your residency, and will be applied to the cost of repairing any damages to the apartment. After deducting the proper amount to cover damages and repairs, the remainder of the security deposit is refundable when you move out of the apartment. Terms for holding and refunding the security deposit should be spelled out in the lease. Remember this security deposit while you are living in your apartment; you’ll want to take excellent care of the apartment so it will be refunded to you when you leave. For more information about deposits, read Understanding Apartment Deposits.

Renters Insurance
Before you move in, you should obtain renter’s insurance. Some landlords require this. As an added service to our residents, Berger Rental Communities has partnered with a leading insurance company to offer you pre-approved, low-cost insurance protection. Information about this insurance company can be found at www.eRenterPlan.com. For more information about renter’s insurance, read Why Do I Need Renter’s Insurance?

Apartment Walk Through
Right before you are scheduled to move in, it is important to walk through the apartment with the leasing consultant. This allows you to confirm that all preparations have been completed and the apartment is prepared to your satisfaction.

Arrange for Utilities
Because utilities such as gas, electric, cable television, Internet service and telephone service will be placed in your name, it is your responsibility to call and order service before you move in. The leasing team at your apartment community should be available to assist in making these arrangements.

Furnishing Your New Apartment
Before moving in, you will want to give some thought to furnishing your apartment. The most important component is having a good bed. After that, consider hunting for furniture and supplies at garage or yard sales, thrift stores and the attic or basement of relatives or friends. You might also consider checking the classified ads in local newspapers or community advertisers. Beyond couches and coffee tables, you may also need to find a small table and chairs for your kitchen or dining room, floor lamps, area rugs and chairs for extra seating. Don’t forget to stock up on other basics, including a shower curtain, wastebaskets, cleaning supplies, mops, brooms, etc…If you prefer to rent furniture, your leasing team should be able to arrange furniture rental for you. For more information about purchasing a bed, read Purchasing A Mattress? There’s A Lot To It…

Arranging the Move
Once you have found your perfect apartment, completed the paperwork and have a move-in date in mind, it’s time to locate a moving company. Your leasing team should be able to provide you with several options of moving companies. Ask friends and relatives for recommendations. Unless you choose to pay for the very expensive packing service, you will be responsible for packing everything yourself. Consider purchasing bubble wrap and using it to wrap fragile items such as china, glasses or lamps. Liquor stores and supermarkets are a good place to find boxes, or you may decide to purchase new boxes from the moving company or a mailing store.

Don't Let Packing for Travel Get You Stressed Out

Traveling can be very stressful, especially when it comes to packing. Prior to departing, we all have a tendency to run around our apartments, not knowing what to do first, we get crabby, and we then pack everything in sight. Nothing is worse than packing so much that you have to spend extra money at the airport, or, needing to be jam packed into a car. In addition, once finally arriving at the destination, the trip can be miserable if you have packed inappropriately, all of your clothes are so wrinkled that you can’t even wear them, and you packed so much that your belongings have taken over your hotel room, or the place you are staying. The following are some tips to make packing for travel easier:

Before you even start packing, take 15 minutes to plan, and write your “to do” lists. Make 4 different “to do” lists: What you need to do before you pack; what you need to pack; what you need to do before leaving; what you need to do when you get back home.  

List 1: What you need to do before you pack

  • Start with all of your clothes clean and put away in their proper places-this makes your clothes easier to find, and you will not forget to pack something that is sitting in the hamper.
  • Make sure your apartment is in a neat and orderly fashion-this will also make it easier to find what you need to pack, and, it will remove a potential distraction.
  • Contact the post office to put your mail on hold-you can do this online at www.usps.com
  • If you are driving, have your car serviced if needed. Also, make sure you have all of your driving directions printed.
  • If you are flying, print your airline confirmation, and write down the time you need to be at the airport. Then, calculate when you will need to leave your apartment on the day of departure.

List 2: What you need to pack

  •  When determining which outfits to take, review your itinerary to determine how many dressy outfits and casual outfits you will need. Check the local weather forecast to determine if you will need clothing for rain, snow, or extreme temperatures. Will you need a bathing suit?
  •  Take basic style clothing-bring outfits that are interchangeable. If you stick to basic colors, you can bring fewer shoes-if your outfits all go with black, there is no need for brown shoes.
  •  Try to keep makeup and hair care items to a minimum-these can all cause a mess if they break in a bag. When determining what to eliminate, ask yourself, “If I don’t take this, and I decide I really need it, can I get it at a local grocery store?”
  • Don’t forget medications, and your essentials. If you are traveling by air, carry these items on the plane with you, just in case your luggage gets lost. Check with your airline’s policies regarding carry on items first.

List 3: What you need to do before you leave

  • Change your sheets so that you can come home to a fresh and welcoming bed…Remember that the best part about going away is coming home.
  • Make sure your apartment is clean and orderly-you will not be excited to come home to a mess.
  •  To avoid odors from stagnant water, pour some Pinesol in your toilets and drains.
  •  Turn the air conditioner off, or up to 85 degrees if it is summer time. In the winter, do not turn your heat off-just turn it down to about 58 degrees to keep pipes from freezing.
  • Make sure your refrigerator and freezer doors are closed tight. Tape them shut if you have to. You do not want to come home to spoiled food.

List 4: What you need to do when you get home

  • Leave this list on your kitchen counter so you can find it easily when you get home. 
  • Turn on your air conditioner, or turn your heat up. 
  • Unpack the car as soon as possible.
  • When you bring your suitcases into your apartment, take out the items that need to be washed. If you have more than one load of laundry to do, wash your priority clothes first (the ones you need to wear the next day). Try to unpack as soon as possible-the longer you wait to unpack, the longer you will live out of your suitcase.
  • Jump back in to your normal routine.

Reducing Clutter in Your Apartment

Regardless how large our apartments are, how many huge closets we have, how tidy we keep, and how organized we are, we could always use a little less clutter. Just a little bit of clutter can easily make your 1,000 square foot apartment seem tiny. Whether you are a minimalist in your home, or could be a candidate for Hoarders on A&E, the following tips can be very helpful for de-cluttering your home.

Where To Start
Starting is the hardest part of removing the clutter, or any cleaning mission. Feeling overwhelmed about where to start can stop this project before it even starts. Regardless of the size of your project, do not consider starting unless you are mentally prepared to reach your goal for that day. If you are the type to be overwhelmed easily by these types of projects, start with the smallest, neatest area. Once you determine that de-cluttering a small area is not difficult, it will be much easier to move on to the next space. If you are the type that wants to hit the ground running, start with the messiest area that needs the most help. Once you start making headway in that area, the rest will just flow naturally.

Have Your Tools Handy
All that you need for your de-cluttering project is just a few contractor bags (these are great-they are much larger and sturdier than traditional garbage bags), empty boxes,  laundry baskets, and some basic cleaning supplies. Keep your contractor bags available for items you intend to throw away. The empty boxes should be used for items you wish to donate or sell (if you are intending to sell some items but not all, keep one box for items to sell and one box for items to donate). The laundry baskets will be used for items that you intend to keep.

Ready To Begin
Start by pulling out the items in that space that do not belong in that space, whether it be items to keep, donate or sell, or to be thrown away. Place each of those items in their appropriate bag, box, or basket. For now, do not worry about where you are going to put the items you plan to keep-just put them aside for now. When determining what to do with your “clutter”, ask yourself these questions: Do I love this? Have I used it in the last year? Do I have two? Am I sentimentally attached? Do I feel sad and guilty when I look at it? If it is an item that you do not use, and it does not make you feel positive or sentimental, pass it on to someone who would enjoy it, or, toss it if you feel it cannot be used by someone else.

Try to avoid the distraction of going down memory lane. In some areas, you might find old photo albums, or other items of sentiment that will try to pull you out of your focus. Put all of these items in your basket of items to keep. Your reward for completing this project will be that you can take all the time you want to be nostalgic now that you know where these items are.

Once your contractor bag begins to get full (or almost too heavy to carry), bring it right out to your trash receptacle, and start a new one. When your box of items to donate or sell gets full, move it to a clear area in your apartment, and start a new one. When your basket of items to keep gets full, separate the items by the room that they belong in, and place them on the floor in that room-you will not want to start finding the exact places for these items in other rooms as you need to de-clutter those rooms first.

If you are the type to get burned out easily, allow yourself short breaks throughout this project. Set a timer to remind yourself when you are due for a break. Just make sure that you set a timer to end your breaks so that you can get back to work. If you are the type that easily loses motivation, avoid frequent breaks.

Getting Back In Order
Once you have removed items from each room that do not belong in that room, it is time to get your home back in order. Each room should now have neat piles of items that need to be put back in place. After removing the unnecessary items from each room, you should have plenty of room to put back the items that do belong there. Before putting anything back into a closet, on a shelf, or in a drawer, make sure that space is clean and free of dust. Find a great place in each room for each item to go. Remember that those items now have a new home in that spot, so unless you intend to completely re-do the layout of your home, always put the items back in their proper place when you are done using them.

Keeping Up
Now that you have spent several hours (or days, or weeks) de-cluttering your home, do you really want to fall back to where you started? Keeping up on your less-cluttered home will make for a more enjoyable living space. Develop organization systems that will keep your apartment less cluttered. For example, if you have a habit of tossing your mail down on your kitchen table each time you come home, get a nice basket to leave there so that when you do toss your mail on the kitchen table, it is in a neat and organized fashion.

Spend just 15 minutes a day keeping your apartment free of excess clutter. In these 15 minutes, remove your mail from the basket on the kitchen table and put it where it belongs, remove your shows from the entrance way, clear your countertops and desks and put everything where it belongs. If you make a daily effort to reduce clutter, you will find yourself being much more efficient in your home, will enjoy your home more, and will have more time to enjoy other aspects of your life.

 

Purchasing a mattress? There's a lot to it…

Regardless of whether you reside in your own home, or an apartment, there is no substitute for high quality sleep. The quality of sleep you get will have a direct impact on most of your life, so it is very important to give yourself the best opportunity possible to sleep well. Your mattress will play a large role on the sleep you get. With all the different types of mattresses available, it is very difficult to determine which one is right for you. Below is a list of a few popular types of mattresses, and what to look for when making your selection:

Innerspring mattresses are the most traditional form of mattress. There is a large price variation on these types of mattresses. Price is determined based on the quality of construction, which includes the frame, coils, ticking and fabric. Box springs are also an important part of the mattress selection-Look for a box spring that is steel-reinforced. It is also important to purchase a new box spring with your mattress as it will add several years on to the life of your mattress. When looking for an innerspring mattress, there are several items to look for:
Number of coils: This will determine the quality of support.
Gauge of the coils: This will determine whether the support offered is firm or soft.
Interconnecting wire between springs: Look for the amount of wire there is. The more wire there is, the longer your mattress will hold its shape.
Pillow Top: A pillow top will add more cushion to your bed, which is great if you are looking for a firm, but soft feel. A common mis-conception is that a pillow top provides better support-support comes from the coils, not the top, so whether you go for a pillow top or not will be based upon personal preference and budget.
Memory Foam: Mattresses made with memory foam contours to your body, forming a nightly personalized cushion. While most find these mattresses to be very comfortable, some people feel that memory foam mattresses are not as breathable as other types of mattresses.
Latex Foam: Mattresses made with latex foam can be more expensive than other materials, however, it breathes well to keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer, is anti-microbial, hypoallergenic, and conforms to your body in a springier fashion than memory foam.

Be careful when making the purchase:
Because of the potential for spreading illness, mold, bacteria, and even bed bugs, it is illegal to sell a used mattress in the United States. Be sure to find out the history of your bed before taking it home-purchasing a floor model or a bed than an unhappy customer has returned can be just as harmful as purchasing a used bed.

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