We've lived in lots of places but have never experienced
management, no leadership, like we saw at the Monroe Place apartments in
Herndon. When I found out there were going to be some issues with job
stability, my wife and I made the decision to get out of our mortgage by
selling our home, paying off some other expenses and beginning to rent. We’ve
just completed our sixth move into our sixth apartment and begun working with
our sixth management team in less then six years of marriage. The team at
Monroe Place did some things that stood out and can really be attributed to
property manager Judy Kessler. Our initial contacts were not with Judy but
further experience proved that her influence was all over them. It started
during our initial visits as we were being shown around the property we noted
that the agent showing us around acknowledged the residents that we encountered
during our tour, often by name, and received smiles and greetings in return.
Previous experience has shown us that this is a very good sign of the
atmosphere of courtesy that exists. Monroe Place was only about 30 minutes from
the less hospitable apartment building we were living in so because the
particular unit we were interested in was not vacated yet, we returned a couple
of times. Management showed empathetic patience as we were shown the exact
apartment and carefully worked with on the timing of signing the lease and
moving in. Our move was quite eventful because of a snowstorm but when we
arrived at our apartment at Monroe, we found little welcome gifts and messages.
During our stay at Monroe Place we loved the convenience of
the location, took advantage of apartment community events, and were often on
the other side of the management greetings shared as new residents were being
shown around the property. During our time at Monroe ownership changed causing
a turnover in the management office and the new employees were equally
responsive and personable. This is a reflection of the fact that Judy Kessler,
the property manager, remained and her influence continued.
With a large apartment building maintenance issues will come
up leaving a very common problem, what happens when the residents are not home
when maintenance staff address the issue and how will residents know. We had
very few issues but once when we put in a request to fix a leak in the kitchen
faucet, we came home to a message card and were reminded yet again that
management cared.
Unfortunately our time at the Monroe Place apartments was
cut short when I received a welcome but unexpected job re-assignment. Judy
Kessler worked with us to make our departure as smooth as possible. When it was
time to have the apartment looked at after our belongings had been removed, she
checked kitchen cabinets to be sure we had gotten our belongings and was more
gracious then expected. As my wife and I said our final good-by, in a genuine
caring fashion this property manager actually gave hugs to my wife and I.
A follow-up action to our departure involved my wife taking
a “selfie” with me in the car before we pulled away. She posted it to facebook
commenting that we were saying good-bye to our home at Monroe Place. Later she received
a notification from the Monroe Place facebook page saying “we will miss you”. Someone in Monroe
Place management searched for and found my wife’s post and made the comment.
The staff of Monroe Place apartments led by manager and true leader Judy Kessler have provided an excellent example of Extreme Customer Service.
Monroe Place Apartments
Monroe Place Apartments
