Our top priority is to focus on organization. Even with maximum storage opportunities in your apartment, you should capitalize on every space available to store your items. You will be more comfortable and utilize your apartment space when every item in your apartment is stored appropriately. Buy drawer and cabinet organizers for your apartment home, specifically in the kitchen and bathroom. You want to clear your countertops to feel less cluttered and make apartment cleaning easy.

While in the bathroom, use towel hooks as an easy hack to use less space and keep your towel off the ground. If your apartment doesn’t already come with towel hooks, you can get these inexpensively. Style tip: if you have a towel rack, hang decorative towels here and separately hang your shower towels on hooks to avoid clutter.

Looking to live apartment life comfortably? Use either a white noise machine or a fan to keep out noise from neighbors or traffic depending on where you live. Even in the quietest apartment communities, this is a life saver and will result in better sleep and more relaxation in your apartment.

Lastly, utilize under bed storage containers. Fill these with clothes you don’t wear frequently and easily slide the container under your bed. This will free space in your apartment closet and help maximize every square foot in your floor plan.

We hope you are enjoying apartment life! If you ever need anything else to feel comfortable in your apartment home, let our leasing team know and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

The post Things You Need for Your Apartment that You Didn’t Know You Needed appeared first on Mosaic at Levis Commons Blog.

If you’re new to apartment living, you may want to read our top list of apartment living do’s and don’ts! These are a few great tips and rules to live by when living with neighbors, rented space, and community living. Follow these, and your apartment home experience will be great!

DO:

Spend time researching your options before settling on an apartment home, floor plan, square feet, location, amenities, and more that are necessary in your next apartment home and community. You can save yourself time and resources by narrowing your search to only include exactly what you want in your apartment living experience.

DON’T:

Don’t make your search too narrow. There is likely the perfect apartment home community out there for you but you may need to adjust a few “must-haves” for your new apartment space.

DO:

Read your lease carefully. Reading every line of your lease is important to establish a clear understanding of the expectations from your new apartment management company. Buckingham only includes important details and encourages you to understand these from the day you move in so you have a smooth apartment living experience.

DON’T:

Don’t forget to ask questions. If something seems confusing and you don’t fully understand your lease, you should connect with our leasing team to provide clarity.

DO:

Simplify your moving process by only moving your items and furniture you know you will need. Moving too much into your apartment is easy when you are moving from a larger space like a home to a smaller space like your new apartment home.

DON’T:

Don’t buy everything you think you need at once. It can be easy to get swept into over-purchasing furniture and décor in the effort to finishing moving. We suggest that you buy everything you need to live comfortably, but then wait. Live in the space for a little and figure out through experience what you actually need for your new apartment home.

DO:

Get to know your neighbors. One of the best perks about apartment community living is the opportunity to make new connections with your neighbors.

DON’T:

Don’t be a bad neighbor. That means don’t be too loud, please pick up after your pets, and be friendly around the apartment community. Go by the golden rule and treat others how you want to be treated. Kindness can go a long way!

Follow these apartment living do’s and don’ts and we know your apartment living experience will be a positive one. Welcome home, and if we can do anything to make your experience in our community the best it can be, connect with our leasing office for assistance.

The post Apartment Living Do’s and Don’ts appeared first on Mosaic at Levis Commons Blog.

Price

The most important detail when searching is price point. You don’t want to get too far along in the decision-making process to realize an apartment home is out of your budget. To avoid this, check with our leasing team to make sure our apartment homes are in your price range.

Size

Finding the right sized apartment with enough square footage for your lifestyle is very important when moving to an apartment home. The number of square feet helps determine if your furniture will fit, if there’s enough room for your pets, or even if you can go for a smaller home. 

Floor Plan

Your perfect floor plan is out there! Your floor plan helps determine the type of kitchen, how many bedrooms, how many bathrooms, how big is the living space, if you have a balcony/patio and more. These details shape your next apartment home and help to make your space your own. Our apartment homes feature unique, spacious floor plans just for you.

Location

The location of your future home may be flexible but can be a very big decision. Your apartment home location determines your commute to work, restaurants, and shops. Location even effects your drive to friends and family. Ask our team about the perks of our convenient location today.

Amenities

Our apartment home community features extensive amenities for our residents. The amenities package in an apartment home is an added perk to living in a professionally managed community. You get the perks of our amenities along with the experience when you choose our community.

Should you need any help making your apartment home search easier, please feel free to contact our team any time to discuss whether our community is the best fit for you.

The post How to Find the Perfect Apartment Home for You appeared first on Mosaic at Levis Commons Blog.

Keep Your Dog at Home

We know you want to  bring your furry friend to the neighborhood party, but we suggest leaving your pets behind during the fireworks. While typically outdoor adventures would be a great time to pack up your companion, the 4^th of July can cause anxiety in your dog with the loud noises and unexpected sights. Take your animal off of the RSVP and leave them inside where they will be comfortable, and not tempted to escape during the excitement.

Block Outside Sights & Sounds

Once you have determined it would be best to leave your pets at home, create a calming environment for your furry friends. While you may not be able to control how your neighbors celebrate, you can ensure  your pets feel safe by closing the blinds to keep out unexpected sights. Next, turn on a distracting noise to keep your pets from being shocked when a firework goes off in proximity. Music or the TV make great background noise to keep on while you are out and lowers the chance of an unexpected sound terrifying your pets. If possible, keep your pet in an interior room without windows for maximum relaxation.

Monitor Your Guests’ Interactions with Your Dog

If you decide to stay home and find your furry friend hanging around with the grill fired up and friends surrounding you, be careful with food scraps. A few surprising toxic cookout foods for pets are onions, avocados, and grapes. Other toxic chemicals that can be harmful to our furry friends are found in insect repellent and sunscreen when sprayed too close.

Claim Your Furry Friend

In case of emergency or escape, it is always a safe practice to ensure your animal is wearing identification tags or has a microchip inserted. With the excitement, loud and unforeseen sounds, and unmonitored guests there are extra escape opportunities to watch out for. If you know your dog will be joining you for holiday excitement, remember to claim them as your own with proper identification.

We hope that your Independence Day is full of grilling out, community fun, and fireworks! Take care of your animals in your apartment home, and enjoy your holiday knowing your pet is safe and taken care of indoors.

The post Keeping Your July 4th Pet Friendly appeared first on Mosaic at Levis Commons Blog.

Games. Who says there has to be an age limit on pool games? Loads of fun can come from Marco Polo, synchronized swimming competitions, and Sharks and Minnows. This weekend, try a new pool game that can be fun for all ages called “Pool Tag Survivor.” Here you will have one person who is “it” and they will either call out “dolphin,” “froggy,” or “submarine.” The dolphin swims on top of the water, the froggy swims in the middle, and the submarine swims at the bottom of the pool. The person who is “it” closes their eyes and tries to tag others. When players get to the other end, they yell “survived” and if a player is tagged they are now “it.”

Exercise. Believe it or not, you can have fun and exercise at the same time. Grab a pool noodle and head to the water because our pool noodle exercises can be as effective as working out at the gym. An easy way to get your exercise started is to push and pull your noodle through chest-high water. If you are wanting to increase your heart rate march or run and alternate arms as you push and pull noodles. Don’t forget, just because you are not sweating doesn’t mean you don’t have to stay hydrated.

Drinks. You are going to need a nice refresher if you decide to suntan by the pool and a Sparkling Summer Limeade will do the trick to quench your thirst. This quick and easy mocktail takes less than ten minutes to make and is filled with fruit.

Ingredients:

· 1 cup blackberries or blueberries

· 1 cup kiwi fruit, peeled and diced

· 1 cup fresh diced pineapple

· 1 cup fresh diced mango

· 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced

· ¾ cup limeade concentrate, thawed

· 1 liter (4 cups) lemon-lime soda or ginger ale, chilled

Sweets. An after pool sweet treat is the best way to end your pool day for you and your kids. Our easy, two ingredient Pina Colada Popsicle will be the best cool-down from a day of fun in the sun.

Ingredients:

· 2 ½ cups of pineapple chunks (fresh or frozen), choose a ripe pineapple for sweetness

· 13.5 oz full-fat unsweetened coconut milk

· Shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)

Directions:

· Blend the pineapple chunks and coconut milk in a blender until smooth.

· Pour the substance into popsicle molds (option to sprinkle coconut shreds into popsicle molds before setting popsicle sticks).

· Freeze for 6 hours until popsicles are frozen solid (option to spread shredded coconut once served).

Do not let the blazing heat keep you inside on a summer day! Follow these steps to survive the summer at the pool.

The post How to Survive the Summer appeared first on Mosaic at Levis Commons Blog.

Make a list of daily tasks.

When working from home, it’s important to stay on task and hold yourself accountable. The beauty of flexibility means you can make your own schedule, but keeping that schedule is important to stay productive and produce quality work. By making a list, you can help keep track of progress toward your goals.

Get dressed.

Although a perk of working from home is the chance to wear pajamas, try getting dressed every day. People say that when you look good, you feel good! This helps set boundaries and will subconsciously motivate you to get started on your day.

Set aside workspace.

Working from bed or a couch may be comfortable, but they aren’t as likely to be productive workspaces. Try designating a desk or table for your work in order to keep work vs. relaxation separate. If you don’t have room for an office in your apartment home, clearing your counter or using your kitchen table can work just as well.

Get out of your apartment.

Whether it’s working from a coffee shop for the day, or simply running an errand, plan to leave your apartment at least once during your WFH (work from home) day. Working elsewhere helps add a little peer pressure to not be “that guy” who takes up valuable space near an outlet in the coffee shop. Or, consider going to your local library for a free, quiet space to work. If you are running an errand or run out to get lunch, this will motivate you to set small goals to accomplish before and after the time you leave, adding little reminders to stay on task.

Set clear office hours.

Sticking to regular office hours even when you aren’t in the office can help hold you accountable for a healthy work-life balance. This way, you are online when co-workers are working, and you are available when needed. Plus, setting a time to log off each day will help keep work and your personal life separate, even when you bring work home.

If you have the flexibility to work from your apartment home, we hope you found these five tips helpful. The key is to set goals, stay motivated and find your balance!

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Want to utilize your windowsill space? Try basic herbs like basil, rosemary, mint, ginger, cilantro, or parsley. If you have counter space in your kitchen, this is the perfect location for these little plants. Plus, when it’s time to harvest your goods, you don’t have to go far!

Have balcony or patio space? Try growing a plant that needs ample sunlight and a little more room like tomatoes or a dwarf fruit tree. You can get different kinds of dwarf trees like apple, lemon, or orange easily. These outdoor plants may need a little more care-taking, so be ready to take on a challenge.

Don’t have a great space for natural light in your apartment? Buy a mushroom growing kit online to get started. You don’t have to do much, and you can enjoy fresh mushrooms from your apartment home.

This spring we hope we can spark some ideas and that you can to grow some delicious fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs right at home. It’s easy and a great hobby to get started. Happy growing!

The post Ideas for Growing Food in Your Apartment Home appeared first on Mosaic at Levis Commons Blog.

Property managers and team members took strides in improving their overall customer service tactics, which resulted in the increase of SatisFacts award winners from six in 2016, 25 in 2017 and now 30 in 2018!

Each property received at least a 4.0 (on a five-star rating) score on their annual surveys sent out to residents and prospects with a minimum of 25 surveys completed.

SatisFacts is the leading provider of resident surveys, focusing on multifamily retention and reputation management. By providing surveys to undecided prospective residents, residents after move-in, residents after service is completed in their home, and to residents near the expiration of their lease, Buckingham properties are always able to keep up with customer satisfaction. The purpose of these surveys is to provide a communication tool and customer service safety net to ensure questions, issues, concerns and praise don’t go unheard and that the team can then meet their residents’ needs.

Buckingham Companies' vision is to maintain an excellent reputation and integrity of our brand while delivering exceptional results. The properties who made this list exceed our vision on a daily basis!

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These annual awards recognize properties with outstanding resident satisfaction as measured on ApartmentRatings.com. Approximately 5% of the total apartment communities listed on the site qualify for this award. Criteria for this accomplishment includes:

• 10+ total reviews
• 5+ reviews in 2018
• Overall recommended score of 70% or greater

Buckingham Companies' vision is to maintain an excellent reputation and integrity of our brand while delivering exceptional results. The properties who made this list exceed our vision on a daily basis!

The post Mosaic at Levis Commons Awarded Top Rated Recognition from ApartmentRatings for 2018 appeared first on Mosaic at Levis Commons Blog.