As a growing small business, day to day tasks can at times be overwhelming; keeping track of new tenants, resolving repair requests, working on advertising material, educating oneself, looking for new growth opportunities and the list goes on.

Sometimes we are all too busy to stop and think about what makes us tick, our values and how we live by them and how we can work to improve them.

Our Goal for the new year, would be to let our mission, vission and core values permeate our culture, our minds and our goals; your mission statement should be a foundation for an enlightened organization.

As a customer service based company, if it was not for the satisfaction of our guest we would not be in business but that does not mean we should not continue to strive for excellence. So back to the "Thou Shalt Be Caring,"  I think this statement is one that can/should be meditated on daily, putting oneself before your own needs goes a long way. We always "try" to go out of the way to make guest comfortable, but at times we do fail. Meditating on our mission, values, "thou shalt be caring" will help eliminate error, and conitune to help reach our goal "peace of mind" for our guests.

The Sanskrit greeting Namaste expresses the intent;  "The divine in me bows to the divin in you"

We thank everyone for your support, have a wonderful new year!!! 

We want to thank Melinda Carter, a recent graduate for making a guest appearance on our blog!

As winter break approaches on most campuses, many freshmen are just now getting acclimated to the financial rigors that can come along with the first semester away from home. Money is often an issue in college, with student loans and not much money putting a limit on overall spending. Luckily, tons of first time students have waivered the waters of money problems in college by taking advantage of money saving tactics.

One of the first areas to key in on saving is housing. This could start when looking for sophomore housing arrangements during your second semester of school. Luckily, there are some great resources that promote affordable and quality student living are continuing to grow. For example, in the Western New York area, Roc Rooms is a great source for local students looking to find Rochester apartments that have good locations, prices and quality living spaces.

Many students adapt to saving money buy eating small meals such as ramen and macaroni and cheese that can be bought in bulk. Saving money on food can be done without having to eat snack type meals such as those previously mentioned. At the grocery store, you can sign up for programs which give discounts and points for frequent shoppers. Also, the natural route of coupons is a big assist to students looking to get a bang for their buck.

Another thing to remember as a student is to simply take advantage of being in school. Many restaurants and stores near universities often hand out discounts when a student id is shown. Most movie theaters also have discounted rates of a dollar or two for students as cinema tickets continue to drive up prices.

Staying away from a credit card is usually a pretty solid suggestion. While it’s hard not to use credit during college years with the difficulty of financial requirements, building debt up is unacceptable. Having one credit card to build up your score during college is probably okay, however you should look to avoid carrying more than one could be dangerous. Stay on top of your finances by making a budget complete with spending allowance and expenses, which will help keep you on top of your finances.

Certainly there are other ways students can save money during college, but acclimating to a few suggestions can definitely help the process for freshmen. In the end, saving money on items such as groceries and choosing to stay away from multiple credit cards can not only allow for less stress right now, but it can also keep away future burdens such as credit card debt.  

The Wedge published an article in the November/October issue covering Roc Rooms and Rentals 1st annual Charity Event!

The article can be read on p.7, give it a read.  http://www.swpc.org/uploads/theWedge/WedgeCurrentIssue.pdf  

The silent auction was a great sucess, we look forward to planning and raising money for a new charity next year.  If you would like to be part of our planning comminty please contact brett@rocrooms.com. 

RIT Housing: The Province

The newest venture to enter RIT’s student housing market is The Province. A company with five other housing complexes in Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina and Ohio, Province brings a mix of general knowledge and local naïveté to their newest development here in Rochester. From delays in its initial construction to continuing problems with trash removal, the growing pains of Province are tempered by their staff and communal amenities.

Last week, Erica Bryant of the Democrat and Chronicle interviewed Brett and myself(Jesse) for an article that ran in last Saturday's paper. Titled "Good riddance to absentee city landlords",  the article stresses the frustration and problems many out-of-state landlords experience when trying to remotely operate a property particularly in the Rochester area.  RocRooms has come to the rescue of many out-of-state property owners and turned their struggling properties around.    

The article highlights our Brooksview property that we purchased and renovated.  For this property it became too late for the homeowner to turn it around.  It was in serious disrepair when we purchased it, but with time we were able to redesign the property in a way that our residents really loved.  To see some pictures of this property, check out our flickr account here.

The D&C article link: Good riddance to absentee city landlords.   

Finding off campus student housing is always a stressful undertaking. It seems as if anything nice is out of your price range, and what you can afford does not completely suit your needs. When researching student housing options, we often forget to draw upon our friends’ personal experiences. They may not know how many apartments in their complex have dishwashers, but they can share their day-to-day experience and provide useful information in your quest for affordable housing.

Here at RocRooms, we want to help you make the decision that is right for you. You’re spending quite a bit of time and money on where you will be living for the next year, and it’s an important decision. We all know that it can be tough to find affordable housing; why not find out where the best service and the best rates meet?

To help Rochester area college students find their off campus housing, RocRooms has asked students about their current living situation. Whenever you see a title like “RIT Housing: Park Point,” we are getting insider information on housing designed to attract students and passing along their impressions to you. Read through the series we will continue to develop, and learn a little more of what daily living in that specific housing complex is like.

If you agree or disagree with what students have said, shoot us an e-mail and let us know what you think. If you live in housing that attracts a significant student population, contact us so that we can cover that location in the future.

For more information on renting in the Rochester area, go to newdigs.com or rentrochester.com.