“Staying in the 90% occupancy area is largely a function of the culture that you build in the community and what’s critically important is that the residents are engaged and cared for.” -- 12 Oaks Senior Living CEO Greg Puklicz
As occupancy approaches 90 percent, the marketing challenge changes. A community can no longer depend primarily on filling a large inventory of vacant apartments through promotions, concessions, and aggressive sales efforts. Future occupancy will depend increasingly on replacing normal turnover promptly—and that requires a strong waiting list.
Resident satisfaction and a healthy community culture therefore become central to long-term marketing. They influence how long residents stay, what families say about the community, and whether prospective residents see it as a place where they will belong and thrive. Culture has always mattered, but high occupancy makes its business value unmistakable: the residents’ lived experience becomes the community’s most credible advertisement.
Residents should help management see that community culture cannot be manufactured by a sales department or repaired only when occupancy begins to decline. Resident associations can ask that satisfaction, trust, engagement, and the quality of resident-management relationships be treated as strategic measures alongside occupancy and financial performance. They can encourage regular, candid communication; meaningful resident participation in decisions; support for resident-led activities and leadership; and careful attention to the experience of both newcomers and long-time residents.
Residents also have a role in sustaining the culture they value. By welcoming new neighbors, participating in community life, raising concerns constructively, and recognizing management practices that build trust, they help create the reputation that attracts future residents. A strong waiting list is not merely the product of effective advertising. It is evidence that current residents are willing to recommend the community—and that the community has earned their endorsement.
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Richmond Shreve
NaCCRA Board Member & VP
Forum Moderator