— By Alex LaFlam — Budget season, whenever it occurs in your organization, can bring out the red pens. Faced with rising operational costs and pressure to meet aggressive financial goals, multifamily operators often begin the budgeting process by scanning for line items to trim. Unfortunately, that impulse frequently puts resident-facing services — especially amenities — on the chopping block. It’s easy to see why: Amenities are sometimes seen as “nice-to-haves,” expendable in the face of economic pressure. But that mindset can carry long-term costs. In competitive or stabilized markets, …
