In an industry obsessed with amenity trends, Yuval Shram, founder of TAY Investments, takes a refreshingly empirical approach to creating rental properties that residents actually value. Through extensive tenant surveys, weekly property visits, and careful analysis of how spaces get used, TAY has developed a model that prioritizes genuine convenience over flashy features.
Amenities That Drive Returns
Rather than installing trending amenities because competitors do, TAY Investments surveys current tenants extensively to understand what residents actually value. The company asks questions in different formats, visits properties weekly, talks with residents, and analyzes space utilization. An impressive movie theater that sits empty doesn’t drive occupancy or justify rent premiums.
This research-driven approach led to TAY’s signature “sanctuary” concept: integrated wellness spaces where residents can work out, swim, use saunas and cold plunge facilities, and shower without leaving the building. The amenity package serves residents’ daily routines rather than simply impressing prospects during tours.
Community-building features also receive emphasis. Spaces designed for yoga classes, social gatherings, and spontaneous interaction help combat the isolation that can accompany urban apartment living. These elements don’t necessarily generate immediate rent premiums, but they drive resident satisfaction and retention, metrics that matter more in a long-term hold strategy.
The Technology Balance
While Shram advocates strongly for PropTech adoption, his perspective differs from vendors’ typical pitches. The goal isn’t technological sophistication for its own sake, but genuine convenience that reduces friction in the tenant experience.
Residents don’t care about technology. They care about whether they can easily let their mother into the building from work, see their rent payment status, and schedule package pickup in the same app where they control building access.
This philosophy leads TAY Investments toward platforms that consolidate multiple services rather than best-of-breed point solutions that require separate logins and workflows. Integration matters more than individual feature sophistication.
The same principle applies to service offerings. On-demand cleaning services that operate building-wide provide meaningful value because cleaning crews service multiple units efficiently while residents avoid managing traditional recurring housekeeping relationships.
For Shram, PropTech should enhance convenience and create community touchpoints, not add complexity or require resident tech literacy.
Understanding the Target Demographic
TAY Investments focuses on young professionals in their twenties and thirties, a cohort that marries later and forms smaller families than previous generations. The company serves this demographic from their early twenties through nearly age forty, accommodating lifestyle changes from studio apartments for singles to three-bedroom units for young families.
This focus influences everything from unit mix to amenity selection. Rather than spreading resources across disparate demographics, TAY has developed deep expertise in what this specific tenant profile values: convenience, flexibility, and community connection rather than traditional family-oriented features.
By maintaining this focus across multiple New Jersey submarkets, the company can apply learnings from one property to inform decisions at others, creating consistency in resident experience while adapting to local market conditions.
The Proximity Premium Strategy
TAY Investments’ geographic approach complements its resident-focused philosophy. The company targets locations near transportation hubs and employment centers but avoids the cost structure of prime urban locations.
Properties positioned near light rail connections, for example, offer functional access to Manhattan employment while delivering amenities that would be financially impossible in core urban submarkets. This positioning serves tenants for whom convenience matters but doesn’t justify premium downtown rents.
A resident paying $4,000 monthly for a one-bedroom near Wall Street plus gym membership fees could alternatively choose a TAY property with integrated amenities at roughly half the cost, trading a 30-minute commute for significantly enhanced living experience and financial flexibility.
Lessons for the Industry
TAY Investments’ approach offers several insights for developers and operators navigating today’s challenging environment:
Survey extensively. Don’t assume you know what residents want. Ask questions in multiple formats, analyze actual usage patterns, and let data drive amenity decisions rather than industry trends.
Prioritize integration. Whether in technology platforms or service offerings, seamless user experience matters more than feature sophistication. Reduce friction, consolidate touchpoints, and make daily tasks effortless.
Build community intentionally. In an era of increasing isolation, design spaces and programming that facilitate connection. These investments may not show immediate ROI but drive the satisfaction and retention that matter for long-term performance.
Match amenities to demographics. Deep understanding of your target resident allows focused investment in features that truly resonate rather than trying to appeal to everyone.
Think beyond the tour. Amenities that impress prospects but don’t serve daily routines waste capital. Focus on what residents will actually use regularly.
As tenant expectations continue evolving and competition for quality residents intensifies, Shram’s emphasis on genuine convenience over trendy features provides a roadmap for sustainable differentiation. The developers who succeed won’t be those with the most amenities, but those who best understand what their residents actually value and deliver it efficiently.
Yuval Shram is the founder of TAY Investments, a vertically integrated real estate development company specializing in multifamily properties across New Jersey. With in-house capabilities spanning development, general contracting, property management, and asset management, TAY Investments maintains a long-term holding strategy focused on creating exceptional residential communities in strategic locations throughout the state.
Disclosure: Individuals or companies mentioned may have a commercial relationship with KeyCrew.
