metro (portland, or ) rental housing journal august 2014

After the economy crashed in December 2007, nascent online peer-to-peer lend-

ing platforms quickly grew. They’ve since evolved into an increasingly popular investment alternative to Wall Street and other traditional op-tions.

Peer-to-peer lending isn’t new and it’s no passing fad, says P2P pioneer Brendan Ross, president of Direct Lending Investments LLC, (www.dirlend.com), which runs a short-term, high-yield small busi-ness loan fund.

“It’s a rebirth of the simplest and oldest way of making money: one individual loaning money to another and getting paid back with interest,” Ross says.

What makes this new incarnation different is accessibility.

“Online lenders like IOU-Central and Prosper.com make it easy for prospective lenders to find and fund borrowers through a website,” Ross says. “These platforms have auto-mated the underwriting process, in-cluding checking credit and looking at applicants’ bank accounts, so they can vet borrowers based on reliable information.”

Each online lending platform op-erates differently, but all vet appli-cants. The lender posts qualifying

WWW.RENTALHOUSINGJOURNAL.COM • PROFESSIONAL PUBLISHING, INC PORTLAND/VANCOUVERPublished in association with: METRO Multifamily Housing Association; Rental Housing Association of Oregon; IREM & Clark County Rental Association

August 2014Rental Housing Journal Metro

Professional Publishing Inc.PO Box 6244Beaverton, OR 97007

PRSRT STD US Postage PAID Portland, OR Permit #5460

Current Resident or

2. Campus-Style WiFi Systems: The Amenity for Today

3. The Joys of Technology Integration

4. Help, My Time’s Been Hijacked

6. RHOA President’s Message:

10. Ask the Energy Expert:

12. Dear Maintenance Men:

14. Fed Chair Says a Mouthful to Property Owners and Managers

15. The Post-Dated Notice to Vacate

16. C23 Property Management Tips for Mastering E-mail ©

Advertise in Rental Housing Journal MetroCirculated to over 6,000 Apartment owners, On-site, and

Maintenance personnel monthly.

Call 503-221-1260 for more info.

You have insurance on your home, your car, your health. How about your retirement

plan?“People have homeowners in-

surance to protect against fires and floods,” notes independent financial planner Stephen Ng, founder and

president of Stephen Ng Financial Group, (www.stephenngfg.com). “They buy insurance to replace their car if it gets wrecked and they buy health insurance to protect them-selves from medical costs.

“But for many people, their big-gest material asset is their retirement

portfolio. When I look at a new cli-ent’s portfolio and ask, ‘Where’s your insurance?’ They look at me like I’m crazy!”

Insure your retirement fund by taking steps to safeguard at least a portion of it, Ng says. As you get

continued on page 7continued on page 11

Straw, Sticks, or Bricks… What is Your House Made Of?

When the big bad wolf, bet-ter known as online re-views, comes knocking at

your door, how solid is your commu-nity’s reputation? Think back to the children’s bedtime story, The Three Little Pigs. Each pig decided to leave home and seek their fortunes. Be-fore leaving, their mother told them, “Whatever you do, do it the best that you can because that is the way to get along in the world.”

The first pig decided to build its house of straw, because it was the easiest, leaving him more time to play. Is your community built of straw? Are you doing just enough to get by? Residents living at a straw community may feel as though all they are to you is an apartment num-ber and a monthly check. Walking into your office, they may be second in priority to prospects, a ringing telephone, or even a conversation among co-workers. Straw commu-

Do You Have Insurance on Your Retirement Plan?

Financial Planner Shares Tips for Protecting Your Savings

‘You Need to Learn Enough to be Dangerous,’ says P2P

Pioneer

3 Tips for Low, Middle & High

Net Worth Peer-to-Peer Investors

PropertyManager.com a Service of AppFolio PropertyManager.com a Service of AppFolio

2 Rental Housing Journal Metro • August 2014

RENTAL HOUSING JOURNAL METRO

Contact Tom Barbour, Client Manager at (503) 598-3657or [email protected]

A city like no other deserves a multifamily lender like no other. LOW F E ES | G REAT RATES | STR EAMLI NED P ROCESS

Credit is subject to approval. Rates and programs are subject to change; certain restrictions apply. Products and services provided by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.#1claim based on 2012 HMDA data. © 2014 JPMorgan Chase & Co. Member FDIC. Allrights reserved. PA_14_261

We are #1 in Portland becauseclients are our #1 priority.Chase brings you low fees, great rates, and in-depth industry knowledge. Combined with our fast, effi cient loan process, the majority of our customers close in 40 days or less. To work with the nation’s #1 multifamily lender on your next purchase or refi nance of an apartment building with fi ve or more units, call me today.

Apartment residents have long held in high regard such amenities as a fitness

center, a patio, a washer/dryer and a pool, but now of equal importance as those features is having high-speed community-wide Internet service.

Having high-speed community-wide Internet service is now among the most desired amenities accord-ing to a 2013 survey by the National Multi Housing Council. More than 70 percent of respondents said that it was important or very important.

Easy enough, right? Practically every restaurant and coffee shop you visit has wireless Internet service. Most libraries have it. Many college campuses do too. If the corner Star-bucks (and mid-block Starbucks and other corner Starbucks) can pull this off, surely you can too. Is it as simple as expanding the WiFi you already have running in your business center or around the pool area? It’s not.

As many an apartment manager has discovered, there are a plethora of significant hurdles to setting up a WiFi system that provides consistent, fast and full coverage across a num-ber of buildings and in open spaces.

It would be hard to design some-thing that would be tougher to bring WiFi to than an apartment commu-

nity. Concrete. Stucco and wire fram-ing. Metal duct work. Hot-water heaters and washers and driers. Fire-places. And any number of devices in each unit trying to connect to the Internet. In fact, everything apart-ment communities have in quantity interfere with the microwave level frequencies that WiFi uses.

The vastness of the area to provide coverage is yet another challenge. Most WiFi access points (AP) have an indoor broadcast range of be-tween 25 to 100 feet, so dozens if not

hundreds of AP units are required to create complete coverage. These AP units need to be installed with great care and must operate in coordina-tion so that all areas get coverage but that each signal doesn’t interfere with the other.

In most urban areas, all the other devices operating on the license-free radio frequency cause interference

with WiFi systems, which weakens the signal and can cause interrup-tions. These devices include mobile phones, baby monitors, radios, two-way radios and other WiFi systems. Couple that with the small antenna most consumer devices have and you have connectivity issue.

Security is increasingly one of the biggest issues in setting up a WiFi system. Hackers target public WiFi systems that are weakly defended or are poorly designed, snooping about for sensitive information to ex-ploit. With the high-profile security breaches in the past few years, users are more conscience than ever of the need for top-quality security.

Perhaps the greatest hurdle in in-stalling community-wide WiFi in apartment communities has been the cost. The electronic hardware and cost of installing the equipment can easily top $100,000 (not to mention on-going maintenance), too great a price tag for most apartment com-munity owners to justify installing, leaving residents to each get their own Internet service.

Campus-Style WiFi Systems: The Amenity for Today

The “Really Fun” Golf Tournament brought together Friends, Peers and New Friendships to the course July 24th for a day of fun & benefit the charity

“JOIN” Connecting the street to a home

The 1st Annual “Really Fun” Golf Tournament!

Thank you to everyone that enjoyed the day with us at the “Really Fun” Golf Tournament! See you all next year!

The Full Spectrum Residential Services & Apartment Maintenance Institute’s Dana Brown & Zach Howell send a huge “Thank You” to the Golf Committee for their

commitment & dedication

1st Annual “Really Fun” Golf Tournament Possible due to a passionate group of industry professionals.

Proudly Gathered The Housing Industry at

LAPORTE INSURANCE

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE MAIN TOURNAMENT SPONSORS!

Apartment Advantage Pioneer Pest Miller Paint Alliance Flooring Waste Recovery Systems Valleyscape.Net Forensic Building Consultants

Lynne Whitney - Real Estate Roofing Trina Latshaw - Squires Electric Matt Korshoj - Paul Davis Restoration of Greater Portland Liz Albright - Lovett Services AJ Sheppard - Uptown Property Management

Keller Baum - I & E Construction Brian Ermshar - Alpha Impressions Ryan Mattila - College Movers Will Johnson - Rental Housing Journal Dan Meister - Pacific Screening Larry Johnson - Laporte Insurance

Portland Construction Solutions Payne West Insurance NW Tree Service ServiceNow - TPI Geoff Brown G & R Painting Tualatin Island Greens Golf Course & Grill

continued on page 8

Rental Housing Journal Metro • August 2014 3


Got Leaks?Is there a leak lurking around your property?

High water bill? Hear water running?Be safe! Find out!

Undetected leaks can threaten property values and repairs will be more costly. Avoid hit and miss digging. Save your property!

Our highly trained specialists use advanced technology to accurately locate water lines and leaks. We save you time, money and frustration.

• Leak Detection on water and sewer lines• Video inspection of sewer and drain lines• Line locating of all utility lines including PVC• Cause & Origin investigation for water damage• Leak detection and inspection on Pools & Spas

CCB #164212

www.americanleakdetection.com

Call 503/777-0253888/777-5325

INVEST IN APARTMENTS!

Jason Waxberg (503) 327-8237

136 NE 28th Avenue, Portland, OR 97232

Longview, WA - 10 Units

The Westbrook AptsLongview, WA - 65 Units

www.equitypacificrealestate.com

· Strong Cash Flow!· Excellent 1BR, 2BR & 3BR Unit Mix· Many New Upgrades Throughout· Attractive Curb Appeal

· Solid Cash Flow!· Turn-Key 10-Plex on Corner Lot· Nicely Updated Units· All Electric Individually Metered· Great Unit Mix

Higher rents and low interest rates are creating strong cash flow opporrtunities!

Call today for a market analysis on your property.

New Listing!

New Listing!

Toll Free: (800) 526-0955www.hainsworth.biz

HAINSWORTHLAUNDRY COMPANY

Increase Your Laundry Room Capacity by as much as 50%And Save Up To 50% on Utility Costs

Coin • CardRent • Lease

Life’s Good

By Mary Girsch-Bock

Once upon a time there was a woman we’ll call Jill. Jill worked in a fairly large property manage-ment company that handled both commercial and residential property management, so Jill was kept busy.

When Jill became a property man-ager, she was trained on the com-pany’s property management soft-ware. The software was adequate, but didn’t perform many of the tasks that Jill had to utilize in order to run

her property smoothly. So Jill used the primary software product exclu-sively for move-ins and move-outs. But the software was unable to run the reports that her management team at headquarters wanted, so they purchased reporting software for her to use. Without proper train-ing, Jill was unable to run reports on the new system, so she simply started using Excel. Her primary software didn’t support her mainte-nance department staff, so Jill began to use yet another software product

The Joys of Technology Integration

continued on page 13



16083 SW Upper Boones Ferry Road, Suite 105, Tigard, OR 97224 503-213-1281, 503-213-1288 Fax www.multifamilynw.org

Help, My Time’s Been HijackedDoes it feel like

you manage your schedule or does your schedule manage you? I’ve started days focused, with my

task-list in front of me ready to tackle the day. Then I opened up my email, received some phone calls, had peo-ple walk into my office needing instruction, and before I knew it I had completely lost focus on my task list allowing my day to be hijacked. We can’t always control the hours we work, the interruptions or additional tasks we have to complete but there is a way to manage it more success-fully and to focus on the right things. I’m going to share ten tips that have helped me over the years to have more balance in my life and to take control of the busy chaotic demands of my career.

1. The first step is to conscious-ly set your priorities. This includes priorities for work and for life. Determine what is most important to you and what your goals are. Pick your top 5 (keep it simple) and stay focused on these. Take time each

morning to review your priorities reminding yourself to block out time each day that will focus on what is important to you. Live a life that reflects the priorities you have set.

2. Track your time for one week. Look for time wasters that suck up your day without being obvious. These may include social media sites, news feeds, personal calls, shopping online, or a gossiper in the office. You may notice that in addition to wasting your time, they drain your energy too! Identify times in the day that you are more produc-tive and schedule more challenging tasks during those times.

3. Use Microsoft Outlook or other electronic calendar programs to schedule out your month as much as possible in advance. Organizing your schedule puts you in a pro-active frame of mind. Schedule one thing you look forward to doing every day. These are the items in your day that reenergize you and give you the energy and focus you need to accomplish the other tasks in your day that you don’t like as much. Keep your commitments to personal

appointments on your schedule. If you have something fun on your schedule (for instance making it to your son’s baseball game) then you will work harder and stay focused so you don’t have to cancel or show up late.

4. Make health a priority. Getting up earlier in the morning is not always the easiest thing for most of us to do but the benefits of taking time to exercise are proven. Studies show that you deal with stress much better when you regularly exercise and you also have more energy and focus. Make sure you get enough sleep every night. This can have an impact on your focus during the day and also helps maintain a healthy weight. Plan out your meals for the week to ensure you have healthy snacks and lunches throughout the day. I hear a lot of people say “I haven’t eaten all day” and they won-der why they are so tired. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Drinking water can give you that boost of energy and focus you are looking for in the middle of the after-noon. Make space in your life for

quiet time. This is a great time to reflect on life and if you are living your priorities.

5. Learn to say “no”. I admit this is not something I am good at but over time I have learned that there is not choice, I can’t do it all. One of my mentors taught me that it is important to say “yes” to the right things and equally as important to turn down projects that are too much to handle at that time. Over commit-ting will spread you too thin and then you aren’t great at anything.

6. Ask for support. Asking for help on projects is not a sign of weakness but shows you know when you need help. Be sure to have peo-ple in your life that are positive and help to support you. Delegate. This empowers your teams when they know you trust them with responsi-bility. If you think no one can do it better than you then you need to reevaluate your perspective. Hiring smart people that you can develop and delegate to is a positive reflec-tion of your abilities.

7. Dale Carnegie says “About

Pam McKennaMultifamily NW President

Continued on next page

August 5, 2014 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM OR Landlord/Tenant Law Part 1 (Portland, OR)

August 6, 2014 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM NALP: Leasing and the Internet (Portland, OR)

August 7, 2014 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Washington State Forms & Notices (Vancouver, WA)

August 8, 2014 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM Mold Awareness & Remediation (Portland, OR)

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM It's the Law Lunch Time Series: Crazy But True: Stories From a Full Moon (Portland, OR)

August 12, 2014 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Washington State Landlord/Tenant Law (Vancouver, WA)

August 15, 2014 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM New Hire Training (Portland, OR)

August 19, 2014 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM OR Landlord/Tenant Law Part 2 (Portland, OR)

August 21, 2014 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM CAMT: Plumbing Maintenance and Repair Part I (Portland, OR)

August 22, 2014 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM CAM: Legal Responsibilities (Portland, OR)

August 25, 2014 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM Property Maintenance for Managers (Portland, OR)

August 27, 2014 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM CAS: Supplier Success Class - Members Only! (Portland, OR)

August 28, 2014 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM CAMT: Plumbing Maintenance and Repair Part II (Portland, OR)

4:00 PM - 7:00 PM PDX Membership BBQ & Salsa Contest (Portland, OR)

September 4, 2014 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM NALP: Keys to Success in Leasing (Portland, OR)

September 9, 2014 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM CAM: Fair Housing (Portland, OR)

September 12, 2014 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM It's the Law Lunch Time Series: Habitability Disputes: From Mold to Make Believe (Portland, OR)

September 18, 2014 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spectrum Educational Conference & Trade Show (Portland, OR)

Multifamily NW

Events Calendar

Maintenance Door Hanger M111 OR-WACheck out this practical “form” that functions as a door hanger that

can communicate either maintenance that is currently being performed in the rental, or the reverse side leaves information for the resident re-garding the service call. This works as an easy confirmation of work completed, disclosure of entrance due to a maintenance emergency, or reasons why maintenance tasks were not performed.

M111 OR-WA © 2014 Multifamily NW®.NOT TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION. Rev. 2/4/14.

MAINTENANCE

DEPARTMENT

IS WORKING

IN YOUR

UNIT NOW

UNIT # DATE TIME

REASON: c MAINTENANCE______________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

c EMERGENCY_________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

WHO ENTERED___________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

ACTION TAKEN____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

FUTURE ACTION REQUIRED_______________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

c SOMEONE HAS BEEN IN YOUR UNIT

c ENTRY REFUSED

c UNRESTRAINED PET(S)

c RESIDENT REQUESTED TO BE PRESENT BUT DID NOT ANSWER THE DOOR

c OTHER__________________________________________________________

c WE COULD NOT ENTER BECAUSE:

c A.M.

c P.M.

M111 OR-WA © 2014 Multifamily NW®.NOT TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION. Rev. 2/4/14.



Help...continued from page 2

90% of the things in our life are right. Make sure you don’t overlook the 90% that is right because you are focusing on the 10% that isn’t.” Do you waste a lot of energy focused on the things that are going wrong? Ask yourself “how much of this is in my control?” It isn’t worth your time to focus on the things you have no con-trol over. Spend your energy coming up with solutions on the things you actually can have an impact on.

8. Take vacations. Plan your

vacations in advance. Schedule you vacations at the right time of the month to avoid critical deadlines or meeting. Make sure you are choos-ing adequate coverage during your absence and give everyone the tools needed to handle any emergencies that may arise. Learn to let go for that week and turn off your email. If your team can’t handle things while you are gone then you may need to reevaluate your hiring and training skills. If you have done your job well

you should be able to leave for a week without any problem.

9. Find a mentor. This can be a formal or informal arrangement. Look around you for someone that has their time management and work life balance figured out (or at least they appear to). Ask them to help you to review your habits and work style to improve your efficien-cy. Glean from them as much as you can and adopt their good habits.

10. You will have to put in extra hours when learning a new skill or taking on a new project but it if it related to achieving your bigger career goals it is worth it and will pay off. Successful people will put in the time when needed and aren’t focused on punching a clock.

These ten tips are the tools that best helped me to manage my sched-

ule more effectively. But I have one last tip that sums it up for me. Be passionate about what you do. When you find your drive and passion for what you do at work and in life it will give you more energy to keep going. Be sure to surround yourself with smart, positive people who are passionate about what they do. They are energizing and will rub off on you. In turn pass along your passion for life to others. Be the person that leaves a positive impact on everyone around you. Make an impact!

• Legislative Representation• Dinner Meetings• Mentor Program• 1800+ Members• Educational Classes• Substantial discounts• Membership starting at $99• Tenant Screening• Fully staffed office open 5 days a week to

answer all of your questions

Since 1927 the Rental Housing Alliance Oregon has set the standard for community participation by landlords providing affordable and quality housing.

Visit www.rhaoregon.org or call 503/254‐4723 for details!

THE VALUE OF MEMBERSHIP

503-281-6390Cell (503) 349-7208 • Lic - Bond - Ins

Diversif iedCleaning Services

Specializing In Apartments, Estate & One-Time Move-Outs

• Janitorial Service• Complete Estate &

House Cleaning• Floor Maintenance• Capets/Windows

• Move-In/Move Out• Gutter Cleaning• Power Washing• Common Areas

Summer Maintenance

Parts, surfacing • New Playstructures Sale!

Contact: [email protected]

1800-875-7529

Serving Oregon and Washington for 35 Years

Wildwood Playgrounds

Swings $29.00 each • Clamps $38.00 pair

www.rentalhousingjournal .com



President Elizabeth Carpenter • President Elect John Sage • Past President Phil Owen • Vice President Robin Lashbaugh • Secretary Lynne Whitney • Treasurer Elaine Elsea • Office Manager Cari Pierce

10520 NE Weidler Portland, OR 97220 (503) 254-4723 • fax (503) 254-4821 [email protected] • www.rhaoregon.org.

Liz Carpenter RHAOregon PresidentPresident’s Message:

What do an Irish cook, a hot summer, and RHA have in common? A lot!

Since the early years, committed volunteers have run the Rental Housing Alliance. Certainly people with an interest in the rental housing industry, but also people who have a built in need to serve others.

In 1969, leaving Ireland to join the US Air Force, Tony Kavanagh became a cook. He saw first hand how serving people their most basic need not only kept our forces going, but also how something so simple changed someone’s outlook on life.

With knowledge of stoves, Tony landed at G & C Distribution in Portland. In 1986, he joined the RHA and served as a RHA board director from 2001 to 2012. His humor, his

delightful way, and that Irish accent that never quite left has always been an important part of RHA.

What makes RHA, a collection of community-minded people who are drawn to serve, so special is that it never stops. Tony, one of our best, has shown the way. Though he recently stepped down from serving on the board, Tony continues to serve! He now cooks for the less fortunate and those who need a hand finding housing through JOIN, the non-profit we at the RHA support. He is still changing peoples outlooks for the good. Tony, on behalf of RHA and the Rental Housing community, we thank you.

Since it is summer and we are on the theme of food this month, I want to invite everyone to our traditional

Summer Picnic.Wednesday, the 13th of August,

come join your friends at the Rental Housing Alliance for our family pic-nic. We Barbeque, we bingo, we have rides, laugh, and share what makes RHA truly unique: Our people. And guess what? Tony will be cooking hot dogs.

Yes it’s true, August is always the hardest month to focus on business. The sun is out, kids have only a few weeks before school starts, and vaca-tions have been planned. The list goes on and on, but the RHA keeps everything going with our tenant screening and our popular “Understanding your Decision Point” webinar classes.

Can’t wait to see everyone in a few weeks at our Picnic. Join us at

Oaks Amusement Park August 13th in Area 1, registration desk opens at 2pm.

Sincerely, Liz Carpenter, Rental Housing

Alliance Oregon President

Since 1927, the Rental Housing Alliance Oregon has set the standard for community participation by land-lords providing affordable and quality

housing.

Advertise in Rental Housing Journal

METROCirculated to over

20,000 Apartment owners,

On-site, and maintenance

personnel monthly.


PGE_SpectrumAd_BW_5.pdf 1 8/30/2013 9:46:48 AM



closer to retiring, the amount you safeguard will be what you need to rely on for your retirement income.

“Your retirement income should be derived from guaranteed sources, such as Social Security benefits and your pension plan,” says Ng, a li-censed 3(21) fiduciary advisor, certi-fied to advise companies about their 401(k) and other retirement plans. “It’s the amount you need to pay the bills and do the other things you hope to do in retirement, so your re-tirement income needs to be a guar-anteed source of income.

“Then you look for your ‘play checks.’ That’s the money you don’t absolutely have to have, so you can still try to grow it, and take risks with it, in the market.”

Ng offers these tips for insuring your retirement plan:

• Invest a portion of your portfo-lio in annuities.

Annuities are long-term invest-ment options through insurance companies that guarantee you pay-ments over a certain rate of time, which could be the rest of your life or the life of your spouse or other sur-vivor. Note: The guarantee is subject to the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insur-ance company.

• If you leave your job, quickly roll your employer-sponsored 401(k) into an IRA.

While 401(k)s are a great tool for saving, particularly if your employer is providing matching funds, if you were to die, the taxes your survivors would pay on your 401(k) would be much higher than on an IRA. That’s because they would have to inherit the money in a lump sum – that could easily take 35 percent right off the top. The lump-sum rule does not

apply to IRAs. While your spouse would have the option to inherit your 401(k) as an IRA, your children would not. So, take advantage of your employer-sponsored 401(k), but if you leave the company, convert to an IRA or ROTH IRA. You can also begin transferring your 401(k) funds to an IRA at age 59½.

• Consider converting your IRA to a ROTH IRA.

For protection from future income tax rate increases, you should con-sider slowly converting your tax-de-ferred IRA funds into a ROTH IRA. Yes, you’ll have to pay the taxes now on the money you transfer, but that will guarantee that withdrawals in your retirement are not taxed – even as the money grows. If you plan to leave at least part of your IRA to your children, they’ll benefit from a fund that continues to grow tax-free.

About Stephen Ng Stephen Ng is the founder and presi-

dent of Stephen Ng Financial Group™ (www.stephenngfg.com). Since 1992, he has helped pre-retirees and retirees preserve and increase their wealth by,

in part, helping them avoid common mistakes. He regularly holds financial

management, retirement investing and insurance planning seminars at busi-

nesses, churches and non-profit organi-zations. Ng is a Chartered Life Under-

writer, Chartered Financial Consultant and a Certified Estate Planner. He is

also an Investment Advisor Represen-tative with SagePoint Financial, Inc.,

member FINRA/SIPC. He brings a national and international perspective

to his financial advice, with professional and educational roots in Australia and

Asia, and certifications in 19 states.

Insurance...continued from front page Straws, Sticks...continued from front page

nities are defenseless to the big bad wolf because cutting corners and in-different service are surefire triggers for negative reviews.

The second pig built its house of sticks. While stronger than the straw, this material had its own shortcom-ings. The second pig chose sticks because he could fashion a sturdy structure quickly and still have the rest of the day to play. Stick com-munities have great intentions when it comes to their residents however, consistency and longevity are often a challenges. By not providing a stel-lar level of service day in and day out, the big bad wolf has no problem lurking outside your door, waiting for an opportunity to pounce.

This brings me to the third little pig. While its brothers teased him be-cause of the playtime he was missing, this pig never wavered in his quest to build a solid structure. The third pig had a “one and done” mentality. Building his house correctly the first time and preparing for the unfore-seen proved to be beneficial for this little pig. The wolf tries to blow the house down and when that doesn’t work, the wolf decides to climb to the roof and enter the house through the chimney. Oh but the third little pig, always prepared for the unforeseen, had a huge kettle of boiling water to meet the wolf as he came down the chimney, putting an end to the big bad wolf.

Brick communities, although resil-ient, are not immune to the big bad wolf. The wolf knows the communi-ty is strong and well-built, but can’t resist trying to take a shot at its repu-tation. Knowing that a strong online reputation begins with a first-rate onsite experience, brick communities put forth the effort to make the most of every resident interaction. They sacrifice the easy to make residents top priority on a daily basis. And when the wolf does try to get it, they are prepared with a ready response.

Protecting your community’s on-line reputation starts with having the right attitude (work hard, build it right, prepare for anything) along with facing the negative head on with a counter attack. As the mother of the three little pigs said in the be-ginning of the story, “Whatever you do, do it the best that you can be-cause that is the way to get along in the world.” Straw, sticks or bricks…who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?

BY Lia Nichole Smith | VP – Edu-cation and Consulting | SatisFacts

Research and ApartmentRatings.com

PROPERTY NAME

NAME

CITY STATE ZIP

Send for your FREE subscription to Professional Publishing, Inc., PO Box 6244 Beaverton, OR 97007 • (503) 221-1260 • fax (503) 221-1545

EMAIL ADDRESS PHONE

ADDRESS

RHJ METRO FREE SUBSCRIPTION



But a few wireless internet ser-vice companies have developed new equipment, software and delivery methods that solve the issues that have long prevented apartment com-munities from installing campus-like WiFi. A growing number of apart-ment communities are installing the service and marketing the much-de-sired amenity.

Residents of the Emparrado Apartments, a 154-unit community in Mesa, have been receiving high-speed Internet service since the spring. In addition to faster speeds, resident are most excited about be-ing able to unbundled service from cable providers, saving money, and in the flexibility of service, said Deb-bie Achs, property manager.

“I live here and I am dumping the Internet portion of my cable service,” she says. Most residents don’t want a land line phone, and a good portion want to drop cable TV service, given the increasing cost.

Having campus-style WiFi has made the property more attractive to potential residents, Achs said. “It's been the one amenity that every single potential resident has asked about,” she said. “It's been a huge in-fluence. It just opens the door to new and better things.”

How have wireless Internet ser-vice companies overcome the diffi-culties in having campus-style WiFi in apartment communities?

First, they’ve taken advantage of the high-speed and high-capacity data packages available directly from data center operators. By eliminating the cable or satellite dish companies from the equation, end users get In-ternet service at a fraction of the pri-or cost and the apartment communi-ty owners can establish a new profit source. Installation costs are typical-ly borne by the Internet service com-panies, who earn a return from the monthly charge to end-users.

“The technical solutions were dif-ficult; we tried many designs that just didn’t perform,” said Rory Conaway, a well-known radio frequency engi-neer and owner of Phoenix-based Triad Wireless, which designed and installed the campus-style Wi-Fi sys-tem that was installed at the Empar-rado Apartments. “But we knew the market demand for campus-style WiFi was strong and worth the engi-neering and technical effort.”

At the behest of Red Hot-Spot Company, a start-up Internet ser-vice provider, Triad Wireless spent more than a year in R&D creating a

WiFi ...continued from front page

continued on next page



WiFi ...continued from page 8

proprietary Wi-Fi design for apart-ments. Access points are where end users connect to the Internet. Triad’s design uses access points that are a third the size of the smallest access point previously on the market. The small size and increase in power made it possible to design and build a campus-style WiFi system that overcomes stucco, steel, firewalls and a geographically spread com-munity, Conaway said.

Concurrently, Red Hot-Spot de-veloped a proprietary software system that manages each account separately, blocks external sharing, allows each household to have mul-tiple devices connected at any one time, manages gamers, and manages the revenue and service components.

“It seems like a simple task – hav-ing multiple users and multiple devices trying to connect from one apartment unit – but it was quite a challenge to develop the software to allow that to happen without con-nection and security issues,” said Red Hot-Spot President Zach Spain.

Security for end users was also addressed in designing the campus-style WiFi system, Spain said. Rather than users having to rely on the se-curity filter on their home computer and devices, which are often out-dated or over-matched, users of campus-style WiFi are protected by a commercial security system that filters out threats and dangers before

they ever get reach users' computers. “This is a level of security typical-

ly found at Fortune 500 companies,” Spain said. “We knew we had to of-fer that kind of peace of mind on a WiFi system, given that it’s viewed as a shared system and because of the increasing level of threats on the Internet.”

The Phoenix-based company, which is just two years old, has in-stalled campus-style WiFi in a num-ber of communities in Phoenix and Tucson, and expects to start con-struction on dozens of communities throughout the Southwest by fall.

D.J. Burrough is a Scottsdale-based freelance writer. His work has appeared in Urban Land Institute Magazine, The New York Times, The Dallas Morning

News, The Christian Science Moni-tor and The Arizona Republic. Red

Hot-Spot is a Phoenix-based wireless Internet service company that creates

campus-style WiFi in commercial and multifamily housing settings. For more

information contact Red Hot-Spot at www.redhotspot.net or call 1-800-468-

6851.

Your Multi-Family andCommercial Specialists

PaintingWood Repairs & ReplacementWrought Iron Fabrication& Welding RepairsDecks & Waterproo�ingStucco Repairs & ApplicationFence Repairs & InstallationProperty Inspections& Scope of Work Creation

www.empirepainting.com1-888-278-8200



Ask the Energy Expert:New property manager alerts streamline move in, move out

Larisa Seibel, Business Services Team

Q: Is there a way to simplify managing electric utility service when tenants move in and out?

A: If you’re a Portland General Electric cus-tomer, we have good news! We now can send you emails to alert you that a tenant has contacted PGE to start or stop service. By setting up this convenient self-service feature on your accounts, your move-in and move-out process becomes more streamlined.

Benefits of property manager alertsProperty manager alerts are simple. When a

resident cancels service with PGE, you receive an automatic email from us so you know the exact date the account will switch over to you. Similarly, when a tenant opens an account, you are notified of the date service will switch to that resident’s new account. These alerts benefit property man-agers in several ways:

• Let you know when tenants plan to start or stop service

• Keep you in the know on exactly when you will be responsible for power charges

• Eliminate unnecessary calls and faxes to PGE. If

your records match what’s on the alert, no fur-ther action is necessary.

• Help prevent errors or misunderstandings about when billing transfers to you

• Help you better manage move in and move out on multiple accounts Call us to sign up for property manager alerts In the Portland area, call us at 503-228-6322. In

other areas, call 800-822-1077. We’re available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

When you call, please have the following infor-mation for each property:

• Property manager agreement signed by the property owner

• Property address

• PGE account number(s) for the property

• Mailing address and phone number of property manager

• Email address where PGE will send alerts for each property. Because personnel may change in your property management company, PGE recommends you set up a unique and generic email address for property manager alerts, such as [email protected].

Nothing changes for your tenantsPlease remind tenants that they also need to

contact PGE when they move in or move out. They can do this easily online at PortlandGeneral.com/StartStopMove or by calling PGE customer service.

If you have questions you’d like to have answered in future columns, please e-mail Sarah.

Vis i t us atwww.rentalhousingjournal .com

Advertise in Rental Housing Journal METRO

Circulated to over 20,000 Apartment owners,

On-site, and maintenance personnel monthly.


Multifamily NW 16083 SW Upper Boones Ferry Road, Suite 105 Tigard, OR 97224 800-632-3007 | 503-213-1281 | Fax 503-213-1288 www.multifamilynw.org | [email protected]

Thank you to our General Session Sponsor:

Multifamily NW Members: $100 • Non-Members: $150 Ask about special rates for first-time attendees!



requests on its website, and private investors decide which to fund, ei-ther in their entirety or in part. At Lending Club, for instance, investors can choose to lend the entire amount requested by a borrower, or as little as $25 to multiple borrowers, which adds protection if one defaults.

Investors can manually choose which loans to fund, or they can ask the platform to choose within certain parameters. Yields on a portfolio of loans can be 10 percent or more, Ross says.

He offers these tips for investors in three tiered financial levels:

• Investing $10,000 to $24,000: Visit the Lending Club and Pros-

per.com websites, and choose the one that most appeals to you, Ross says.

“Open an account in a tax-de-ferred IRA and shift a portion of your investments out of stocks and into lending,” he says.

The reason for that is interest in-come is taxed at a higher rate than the capital gains from stocks. Deferring those taxes until you begin spending from the IRA will help keep a lid on your current tax bill.• Investing $25,000 to $100,000:

At $25,000, you have enough money to start getting professional advice about which loans to choose and how much to invest in each.

“I recommend going to www.lend-academy.com/invest because it’s run by Peter Renton, who’s very knowl-edgeable,” Ross says. “You choose between a conservative or balanced portfolio – I recommend balanced for higher yield -- and they’ll choose the loans for you and put them in your account.”

The fee is just 0.95 percent.

• Investing more than $100,000: Accredited investors have privi-

leged access – they can shop around

for private fund pools, Ross says.“As P2P matures, borrower cat-

egories that have always had the highest yields, such as small busi-nesses, become available as private fund pools that are managed to de-liver the highest yields,” he says.

These pools form mutually ben-eficial relationships with the P2P lending platforms, allowing the platforms to serve a larger volume of borrowers. The private funds get well-vetted borrowers from the plat-forms and manage the funds to the maximum benefit of all their inves-tors.

“Everybody wins,” Ross says, “in-cluding the borrowers, who get fast loans at reasonable rates.”

About Brendan RossMoney manager Brendan Ross is a

peer-to-peer lending first adopter who has become an expert in this non-tradi-tional transaction. The president of Di-rect Lending Investments LLC, (www.dirlend.com), which runs a short-term,

high-yield small business loan fund, he previously ran a number of other

companies, including ReserveAmerica, the world’s largest outdoor recreation

reservation company.

3 Tips ...continued from front page

We support local & USA Companies Weatherization experts for Rental property SF to large Apt complexes Private Homes WINDOWS DOORS INSULATION We provide the product and Install Yes there are incentives Ask us about Energy Trust of Oregon Cash Incentives State Tax Credits & Fed Tax Credits

Goose Hollow Window Co. Inc

www.goosehwc.com Licensed Bonded Insured

CCB 53631 1987

General Contractor

Free Estimates

503-620-0898

Are your WINDOWS & DOORS old , drafty, leaking, hard to work, foggy , metal framed , stormed , Ugly ? "

Want to be more comfortable and safe and improve the efficiency ? Increase Rents ? Retain Renters ?

We Can Help You !

Mary Mann Owner Estimator

25+ Years

"As a trade ally contractor of Energy

Trust of Oregon, we can help with cash incentives and state energy tax credits to improve the energy efficiency of your home."

What’s New ?

GOLF CAR SALES & SERVICE503-647-5001 - 800-331-9910

----------PACIFIC NW YAMAHA GOLF &

UTILITY VEHICLES

Selling New & Used Utility & Leasing VehiclesProviding Service & Repair on ALL Major Brands



Dear Maintenance Men: By Jerry L'Ecuyer & Frank Alvarez

Dear Maintenance Men:I am a firm believer in doing interior

and exterior inspections at my proper-ties. However, as I’m getting older, I find I am spending less time at the buildings, so I need to use my time constructively. What should I include in an inspection report to help me decide what work to do now or later?

Fred

Dear Fred:You are thinking ahead and that is

a good thing! Just because you visit the property less, does not mean the building requires less maintenance and as you know, routine mainte-nance issues evolve into costly re-pairs that could have been avoided. Here are some of the things we pay special attention to:

1: First and foremost, we look for potential hazards. Broken side-walks, poorly lit stairs, missing handrails; anything that can po-tentially cause an injury for a resi-dent or a guest. And, of course,

we make sure those fire extin-guishers are functional and fire escape areas are clear of clutter.

2: It is important to check building exteriors for cracks in the founda-tion, open crawl spaces and any places in brick work or stucco where water might get into the walls during heavy rain. This in-cludes making sure that caulking around vents and piping is suffi-cient. We do a similar inspection of the roof, looking for spots were leaks might occur.

3: Make sure that all of the proper-ty's windows close smoothly and securely and identify any broken panes. Windows that leak or col-lect condensation on the sills can create major problems down the road.

3: Fire Hazards such as dryer vents should be inspected to make sure they are clear of lint and debris. Chimneys are inspected for cracks and proper ventilation. Both gas and electric water heaters pose fire and water hazards. Electrical connections are checked as are gas lines along with water pipe connections and venting.

4: Biannual furnace filter inspec-tions at the end of fall and spring will keep your HVAC systems operating at peak performance, while ensuring dangerous condi-tions are not present.

5: The most costly and damaging of all deferred maintenance is water related.

Plumbing throughout the building must be inspected to make sure that seals are secure, faucets are not leaking and pipes are in good condition. Residents should be encouraged to report leaks and drips. A small leak under a cabi-net can create serious damage if left unchecked.

6: Inspect breaker boxes and all elec-trical equipment:

7: Include washing machines, ga-rage door openers and other me-chanical devices such as garbage disposal units and re-circulation pumps etc. in your inspections. Check for loose wires, water leaks and unsafe conditions.

This is only a partial list and indi-vidual buildings may differ in their needs.

Dear Maintenance Men:It is currently summer time and that

is when we get the most vacancies. How do I keep my residents from moving?

Denise

Dear Denise:According to the 2011 national res-

ident study, "Getting Inside the Head of the Online Renter," the number one factor in a resident's decision to renew a lease is "Quality of Mainte-nance Services."

Additionally, the current Satis-Facts Insite® Index for Work Orders indicates that 18% of all service re-quests are not completed right the first time. And of those, only one-third of residents received notifica-tion that there would be a delay in completing the request.

What the above means is poor maintenance service can lead to higher vacancies. It does not mat-ter if you have 10 units or 100 units; maintenance is a critical tool in the physical well-being of your property and the happiness of your residents. Think of it this way. A service call and parts may cost $250 to service

By Jerry L'Ecuyer & Frank AlvarezDear Maintenance Men:

... continued on page 19

Do you haveBED BUGS?

• Heat Treatments kill bugs in a single, 1-day treatment that’s odorless, green, organic, non-toxic and canine confirmed for effectiveness.

• Dog Inspections – the fastest, most reliable way to locate infestations

• Preventive Treatments – keep bed bugs from spreading to adjacent rooms

• Mattress and Box Spring Encasements

• Staff Training Programs

Proactive Inspections – Smart Treatments – Staff Training

Local and Nationwide Service

Portland Eugene 503.230.0236 • 800.452.5528 541.485.4402 • 800.472.1224

www.spraguepest.com

PEST PREVENTION • BRAND PROTECTION • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Know for sure.

Bed Bug Dogs areFAST and ACCURATE!

Just 2-3 minutes per roominspections for complete

PEACE of MINDPhone 503-542-5120Fax 503-281-5644

Mon - Fri 8:00AM to 5:00PM

Servicing the Property Management Industry for over 30 Years

LOWEST PRICES GUARANTEED!

LARGEST SELECTION...

APPLIANCES • mATTRESSES • HDTVs

Pat Jennings33 years experience

Tony Kavanagh40 years experience

• Knowledgeable, experienced staff• Personal account managers• 7 day delivery & set-up• Free haul away of old appliances • Coin-Op laundry/Commercial Grade • Special pricing on mattresses and HDTVs



SoldPropertiesSoldPropertiesSoldProperties

ApartmentBrokersApartmentBrokersApartmentBrokersPrePrePre‐‐‐SaleAnalysis•AssetManagementSaleAnalysis•AssetManagementSaleAnalysis•AssetManagement1031Exchanges•PropertyClinic1031Exchanges•PropertyClinic1031Exchanges•PropertyClinic

5200 SW Macadam Ave., Ste 300 • Portland, Oregon 972395200 SW Macadam Ave., Ste 300 • Portland, Oregon 972395200 SW Macadam Ave., Ste 300 • Portland, Oregon 97239p. 503.546.9390 • f . 503.546.9395 • p. 503.546.9390 • f . 503.546.9395 • p. 503.546.9390 • f . 503.546.9395 • josephbernard.netjosephbernard.netjosephbernard.net

Joseph ChaplikJoseph ChaplikJoseph Chaplik President/PrincipalBrokerPresident/PrincipalBrokerPresident/PrincipalBroker

$3,000,000$3,000,000$3,000,000‐‐‐42Units42Units42Units

$515,000$515,000$515,000‐‐‐12Units12Units12Units


ManymorepropertiesavailableonlineatManymorepropertiesavailableonlineatManymorepropertiesavailableonlineatjosephbernard.netjosephbernard.netjosephbernard.net

Oregon Washington Arizona


Portland Apartment Properties GroupSpecializing in Increasing Your Wealth

Through Multi Family Investment's

www.PortlandApartmentProperties.com

Keller Williams Commercial 700 Multnomah, Ste 950 Portland, OR 97232

915 Broadway, Ste. 100 Vancouver, WA 98660

Patrick Ormiston Multi Family Specialist

[email protected]

OR#200901167 WA#0104496

Division of Keller Williams Realty Portland CentralEach Office Independently Owned and Operated

FREEPortland and Southwest WA Multi Family Sales Report

See All Apartment and Plexes sold in the

Portland/Vancouver Market area within the last month including “Pat’s Cap Rate*” for each with expected monthly income and

expenses

Call 503-953-0672 or register at

www.PortlandApartmentProperties.com

Get Your Quick Apartment

Calculator

Services for Real Estate Investors• PropertyValuations• RentSurveys• ExclusiveSellerAgency• ExclusiveBuyerAgency• 1031ExchangeIssues• TeamofProfessionalAgents• Specializingin$500K-$5MillionProperties

Your Multi Family Property SOLD in 60 days, Guaranteed or Receive $5000 Credit!*

*To find out more about the program visit www.PortlandApartmentProperties.com

or call Pat @ 503-953-0672

to track maintenance requests and equipment warranties. Jill was also unable to track leasing agent activ-ity using her current software, so she simply wrote the leasing detail down on a piece of paper every time one of her agents leased a unit and sent it to headquarters, so they could pay the commission. And while Jill used one of the most popu-lar customer resource management database programs to manage ap-plicants, the program truly didn’t fit the property management industry well; forcing Jill to enter applicant data several times in order for it to show up in all the necessary places.

Years ago, most of us were in Jill’s position. Many software programs were built to solve one of our prob-lems; two – if we were lucky. Today, with fully integrated software sys-tems, the days of four or five differ-ent software systems running in the same property management office should be over.

But they’re not. A surprising number of offices continue to pur-chase products separately; with none of those products designed to integrate together. While very small offices may not suffer as much as larger operations; a company expe-riencing rapid growth or the addi-tion of another residential complex can suddenly find themselves in the middle of a technology nightmare.

It’s easy to tell if your office has fallen victim to muddled technol-ogy. Have you experienced?

Lost or ‘overlooked’ maintenance orders

Tenants entered multiple times into your system with several varia-tions on their name

Inaccurate reporting due to man-ual accounting manipulation

Missed commissions because the manual form was never processed

Two or more employees working on the same task because there’s no way to track what has and what has not been done

If you’re currently going through any of these issues, you may want to take a look at an integrated software system.

Let's talk about the advantages of upgrading.

I understand that most of us are averse to change. Just the thought of changing a familiar product can make the most competent people break out into a cold sweat; even if that familiar product has resulted in more work and increased mistakes.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the repercussions of Jill’s cur-rent technology situation. Jill’s ap-proval rating has dropped among some of her tenants; mainly because when they call with a maintenance

The Joys ...continued from page 3

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

RHJ_Print_Ad.pdf 1 6/26/2014 2:17:23 PM

... continued on next page



By Marc Courtenay

On Tuesday July 15 Fed Chair Janet Yellen said more than Congress and most manag-

ers were anticipating. Her carefully prepared comments are a big insight into how those who control America’s monetary policies are thinking.

According to a report by USA

Today Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen told Congress the economy is improving but still needs the central bank’s support, refusing to provide a specific timetable for raising short-term interest rates.

“There’s no formula or mechanical answer I can give you,” Yellen said when pressed by Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Sen-

ate Banking Committee. She added, “The economic outlook is very un-certain.”

That is a plain spoken way of say-ing that the Fed needs to continue its accommodating monetary policies. This includes keeping interest rates low.

The benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield fell to 2.54% which will lower mortgage rates in the weeks ahead. Now’s an auspicious times for property managers to remind their clients to refinance loans while rates are down and lenders are likely to have more funds to lend.

With inflation rising and the gov-ernment’s unemployment rate fall-ing some economists and lawmak-ers have suggested the Fed should prepare to raise its benchmark short-term interest rate sooner than planned.

Although the Fed is steadily elimi-nating its bond buying stimulus pro-gram, Fed policymakers have indi-cated only that they plan to be able to begin raising interest rates sometime in 2015.

Ms.Yellen said that several labor market indicators, like the share of

the population in the workforce, re-main low. She said the ranks of the long-term unemployed are still at “unprecedented levels historically.”

The Fed Chair also downplayed concerns about inflation, which has been picking up, but at 1.8%, remains below the Fed’s 2% target. Noting that wage gains are improving, she said they’re “not rising to the point where they can give way to infla-tion.”

No doubt about it, The Fed knows the economy still faces headwinds as a result of the Great Recession. Not-ing low productivity growth, Yellen told lawmakers: “We have seen false dawns” before.

As for the housing market, the Fed chair noted that the housing sector “has shown little recent progress.”

“While this sector has recovered notably from its earlier trough, hous-ing activity leveled off in the wake of last year’s increase in mortgage rates, and readings this year have, overall, continued to be disappointing.”

While also speaking to the Senate Banking committee, Ms. Yellen set a powerful precedent.

She spoke directly about her con-

FULL SERVICE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT OF HOMES, CONDOMINIUMS AND TOWNHOUSES

Serving the greater Portland Metro Area.PHONE: 503-232-5990

www.rappoldpropertymanagement.coEmail: [email protected]

Rappold Property Management, LLC

Fed Chair Says a Mouthful to Property Owners and Managers

request, it is frequently ignored. While large, catastrophic issues are handled fairly well, many ‘little’ requests never get funneled to the maintenance staff.

Jill decides to email out a residen-tial newsletter, but she’s found many of her tenants are entered into her CRM system multiple times. She has no idea which ones are correct, so she sends the newsletter out to all of the emails, resulting in several an-gry residents accusing her of ‘spam-ming’ them.

Since Jill was never comfortable using the reporting software she has installed, she uses Excel to pro-duce her monthly reports. During a long month end closing, she acci-dently transposes numbers to create a devastating loss of income. Now several of her superiors are question-ing her ability to do her job. To make matters worse, she had two leasing agents quit because they felt they were being short-changed on their commissions. One of those employ-ees has now filed a formal complaint with Human Resources.

While using an integrated soft-ware system can eliminate many of the problems highlighted above, there are also several benefits that property managers like Jill can begin to reap immediately. They include:

• A reduction in the amount of data entry needed daily. With employ-ees no longer required to enter applicant and tenant data more

than one time, they are free to concentrate on leasing more units

• A more proactive maintenance department. Maintenance staff will no longer have to operate in ‘reactive’ mode, resulting in few-er lost maintenance orders, and a much better response time for all of your tenants

• Quick, accurate report processing. Staff can process a report with a few mouse clicks. And while no system can guarantee that infor-mation is input correctly, you’ll no longer have to worry about transposing numbers, eliminat-ing a line of data or inadvertently deleting a mathematical formula

• An accurate database. You’ll have more confidence in your tenant database, and can communicate via email more effectivelyToday, Jill’s office uses a fully in-

tegrated property management soft-ware that combines their accounting system, leasing system, and mainte-nance system seamlessly. With the proper tools at her disposal, Jill can now do what she was hired to do; manage her property.

from PropertyManager.com a Service of AppFolio

The Joys ...continued from page 13



The Post-Dated Notice to VacateAccording to urban legend,

there are teachers who will address their students on the

first day by stating “As of today, you all have F’s. It is your job to work your way out of the cellar to the grade you truly deserve.” Urban leg-end or not, I had such a teacher – AP English…senior year of high school. For fear of a 25-year grade reversal, I won’t mention said teacher’s name. Let’s just call him/her, The Professor.

The Professor was a piece of work; hard, brash, and unyielding in ev-ery sense of the word. The Profes-sor treated everyone as if we were already in college. Students with ex-cuses were often ridiculed and those who outright lied were made to exit the class altogether. The Professor had extremely high standards and very little patience. Everyone dread-ed their daily encounter with The Professor and thought of graduation more like prison release day.

So, imagine the collective groan-ing when The Professor was tapped to represent the faculty and give a speech during the graduation cer-emony. The Professor, really? In the past, the faculty representative was always the “popular” teacher, the one who got the most screams and cheers from the graduating

class. The year before, when my sis-ter graduated, the faculty speaker quoted Run DMC. That’s what we wanted – not some long, drawn out soliloquy by The Professor.

The Professor began with, “I want to open by stating three important facts. Yes, I was tough. Yes, I de-manded a full effort from each and every one of you. And yes, you have become better human beings for it.” The Professor went on to explain the “work your way out of the cellar” philosophy tested a student’s moti-vation, tenacity and confidence. For a student’s grade go from an F to a B over the course of the year, purely based on effort, was more of a moti-vation than to tread water or to just get by with the minimum required to pass the course.

Years later, I still remember his closing, “Whether you’re swimming or treading water, your arms and legs are moving. The big difference is swimming gets you to the shore. Treading water gets you exhaus-tion.”

So how exactly does The Professor relate to our industry? Well, imagine a new resident arriving for move-in, happily looking forward to becom-ing a part of your community. Upon signing the final page of the lease,

they turn in a post-dated notice to vacate. What they’re saying is, “I have every intention of leaving after one year unless you can convince me otherwise.”

If you knew a resident was on their way out at day one, would you throw in the towel or prove them wrong? It’s the same as the out of the cellar philosophy. Motivation, tenac-ity and confidence mean everything to resident retention. Make the most of every resident interaction, have

ready answers (not excuses) and demonstrate there is no better com-munity for your resident through unparalleled service.

BY Lia Nichole Smith | VP – Edu-cation and Consulting | SatisFacts

Research and ApartmentRatings.com

p

1/8 Page4 7/8” x 3 5/8” bwOn-Site3a

ON-SITEVALLEY, METRO, ARIZONA APT. NEWSSalsbury Industries

Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Nov,

The Industry Leader in Quality

Order Factory Direct!Contact Us Today for a Free Catalog!

1010 East 62nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90001-1598Phone: 1-800-624-5269 • Fax: 1-800-624-5299



According to a recent survey by Matrix Information, three billion people around the

globe have access to Internet-based services and E-mail. In addition, this report expects electronic commerce to grow from $3.2 trillion in 2013 to $6.2 trillion by the year 2015. Is your property management company ready for these exploding communi-cation and marketing trends? Is your leasing team ready to handle the E-mail just sent by 15 new prospects re-locating from Paris or Moscow? Read the tips in this article and learn how easy it is to master E-mail and profit from it…it’s just a few keystrokes away!

Tips for using E-mail with prospective new residents:

Ask your leasing teams to always use spell check before sending an E-mail to a future resident

• Have your teams read each E-mail twice before they send it, just to make certain it conveys exactly what they are trying to commu-nicate and it portrays the profes-sional image important to your property management company

• When sending an E-mail, the sub-ject line must clearly summarize what the body of the E-mail says

• If your leasing teams are using the E-mail “reply” feature to respond to a future resident, make certain they reply by including the infor-mation the prospect sent in their original E-mail note. In addition, ask your leasing teams to include the name of the future resident throughout their E-mail reply.

Tips for using E-mail within your property management company:

When your leasing teams are using E-mail to communicate inter-nally, make certain they understand when to respond by E-mail and when to call the person who sent the original E-mail, depending on the tone or content of the E-mail

• Explain to your leasing teams how and when to use carbon copy {cc} and blind carbon copy {bcc} with E-mail

• Have a written company policy regarding the use of E-mail, clear-ly outlining the rules and expecta-tions of your company. Have this

document signed by each person who will be accessing your E-mail software

• Explain to your leasing teams that deleting an E-mail does not remove it from their computer system nor from the system of the person the E-mail was sent to. During several recent lawsuits, damaging E-mails that had been deleted were used in the courtroom to the surprise of the individuals and their property management companies

• Instruct your leasing teams about the extra care required if they re-ceive an E-mail that has an at-tached document, as this is where most computer viruses are hid-den. Many property management companies do not let their leasing teams send or open attached files

• E-mail files can easily be opened and read so confidential informa-tion like salaries, financial reports, social security numbers or credit card numbers should not be sent by E-mail.

Tips for using E-mail as a marketing tool:

E-mail can also be used as a pow-erful marketing tool to attract new residents or to better service your ex-isting residents. Here are some tips: Aside from a small $15-$20 service charge per month, sending or receiv-ing E-mail is free. When compared to other forms of marketing…hav-ing your leasing teams send E-mails to new or existing residents is their least expensive form of marketing

• Imagine the marketing success your leasing teams will have if they had the E-mail address on the guest card of every future resident who visited their apartment com-munity over the past 12 months…and your leasing teams can stay in touch with these potential new residents for free!

• When your properties are using E-mail to handle resident questions or maintenance requests, a timely response is expected and required

• Create two separate E-mail lists…one for future residents and one for current residents so you can send appropriate marketing infor-mation to each group

Continued on page 18

by Ernest F. Oriente, The Coach {Article #220…since 1995}

C23 Property Management Tips for Mastering E-mail ©

LANDLORD-FRIENDLY RENTAL FORMS

Now 4 Convenient Ways to Get Forms

1. Visit www.rhaoregon.org, go to the “tools” page for hard copy forms mailed to you

2. Visit www.rhaoregon.org, go to the tools page for individual fillable forms that you can download in PDF directly to your computer.

3. Call 503-254-4723 and order forms over the phone with one of our friendly representatives.

4. Come visit us at 10520 NE Weidler St. Portland, OR 97220 for fast and frienly service.

RHAOregon Rental Housing Alliance Oregon

www.rhaoregon.org10520 Portland, OR 97220

503-254-4723

Attorney Drawn Forms for all Your Rental Needs!



Fed Chair...continued from page 15 BackgroundScreening

Visit us at www.erentalservicesinc.com

Rental Services, Inc.RSI Now Offers: Online Rental Applications and

Online Lease Agreements!

RSI Offers

Credit Reports Nationwide Criminal Records Resident Verifications Eviction Records Employment Verifications Sex Offender Report Civil Records Drug Testing Driving Records Employment Screening Business Reports Tenant Screening Nationwide Access Custom Reports

Call for more information!

Toll Free: 800-628-6414Fax: 800-296-9902

Please Vis i t us at www.

RentalHousingJournal .com

cern over what Reuters reported as …stretched valuations in certain cor-ners of the U.S. equity markets, in-cluding the small cap, biotechnology and social media sectors.

“The unusual comments from the Fed’s monetary policy report – the first time in 14 years that the Fed has commented specifically on valuation of a particular equity sector – that ac-companied Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s semi-annual testimony to Congress, hit stocks in riskier sectors of the market” Reuters summated.

Yellen said in her remarks that val-uations across equity markets remain generally in line with long-term av-

erages, but the Fed’s report said the forward price-to-earnings multiples for smaller companies and those in the biotechnology and social media sectors appear “high relative to his-torical norms.”

My takeaway is that the Fed Chair wants to cool down the stock market while noting that the housing sec-tor still requires sufficient stimulus. Look for home prices to move higher along with rent rates.



The Coach ...continued from page 16

• Create an E-newsletter which can be easily sent out on a weekly or monthly basis. Remember, since sending E-mail is free, your leas-ing teams will have lots more flex-ibility. In addition, E-newsletters portray a professional image about your property management com-pany and are quick to be passed-along to others, thus expanding the reach and exposure for your marketing

• When sending E-mail, have your leasing teams develop a five to seven line signature which is auto-matically placed at the bottom of

every E-mail they send out. This signature line will further pro-mote their apartment community, your corporate website and can be changed on a daily basis, if neces-sary

• Use E-mail to stay in touch with the media in your area, especially if your apartment communities have any exciting events or com-munity projects to announce

• The E-mail address at each of your properties should be included on every business card, every bro-chure, on any sales information and with all print advertising.

Want to hear more about this im-

portant topic or ask some additional questions about how to use E-mail as a powerful marketing tool? Send an E-mail to [email protected] and The Coach will E-mail you a free PowerHour invitation.

Author’s note: Ernest F. Oriente, a business coach/trainer since 1995

[32,320 hours], serving property man-agement industry professional since

1988--the author of SmartMatch Alli-ances™, the founder of PowerHour® [ www.powerhour.com ], the founder of

PowerHour SEO [ www.powerhourseo.com ], the live weekly PowerHour

Leadership Academy [ www.power-hourleadershipacademy.com/pm ] and

Power Insurance & Risk Management Group [ www.pirmg.com ], has a pas-sion for coaching his clients on execu-tive leadership, hiring and motivating

property management SuperStars, traditional and Internet SEO/SEM

marketing, competitive sales strategies, and high leverage alliances for property

management teams and their leaders. He provides private and group coaching

for property management companies around North America, executive re-

cruiting, investment banking, national utility bill auditing, national real estate

and apartment building insurance, SEO/SEM web strategies, national

WiFi solutions [ www.powerhour.com/propertymanagement/nationalwifi.html

], powerful tools for hiring property management SuperStars and build-ing dynamic teams, employee policy

manuals [ www.powerhour.com/prop-ertymanagement/employeepolicymanu-

als.html ] and social media strategic solutions [ http://www.powerhour.

com/propertymanagement/socialme-dialeadership.html ]. Ernest worked for

Motorola, Primedia and is certified in the Xerox sales methodologies. Recent interviews and articles have appeared

more than 8000+ times in business and trade publications and in a wide variety

of leading magazines and newspapers, including Smart Money, Inc., Business

2.0, The New York Times, Fast Com-pany, The LA Times, Fortune, Business Week, Self Employed America and The

Financial Times. Since 1995, Ernest has written 225+ articles for the property

management industry and created 400+ property management forms, business and marketing checklists, sales letters

and presentation tools. To subscribe to his free property management newslet-

ter go to: www.powerhour.com. Pow-erHour® is based in Olympic-town…Park City, Utah, at 435-615-8486, by

E-mail [email protected] or visit their website: www.powerhour.com

FULL SERVICE MANAGEMENT

COMPETITIVE PRICING

PROFESSIONAL EVICTIONS

KNOWLEDGEABLE STAFF...

OVER 25 YRS. EXPERIENCE

CONTINUING EDUCATION PROVIDERS

SMART MANAGERS + SMART RESIDENTS = SMART PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

503-465-4404 [email protected] www.smartpm.co



Dear Maintenance ...continued from page 12

a broken washing machine or water heater, resulting in a satisfied resi-dent. However, a resident having to live with a broken washing machine or intermittent hot water may elect to move rather than dealing with the hassle of calling in repeated service requests. That resident vacating will now cost the owner thousands of dollars in loss rent and rehab work to bring the unit back to rent ready condition. Good maintenance is a year round tool to keeping your in-vestment healthy and your residents paying the rent month after month.

Dear Maintenance Men:I have been hearing the term “Aging

in Place” more and more lately. What does it mean and how does it affect my apartment building?

Harold

Dear Harold:Aging in place is defined as liv-

ing in the community with a level of independence for as long as possible without the need of in home care. The biggest barrier to aging in place is our homes. Most homes and rent-al communities are ill equipped for long term aging in place residents. As an eye opening statistic, the Baby Boomer generation is 25 percent of the population and the first of the Boomers turned 65 in 2011 and the last will turn 65 in 2029.

As apartment owners and man-agers, we need to pay attention to this aging trend and not be caught off guard. Aging in place means big-ger showers with wider doors, taller toilets, grab bars and bath sinks that will accommodate wheelchairs etc. As your units come up for rehab over time, think about these improve-ments; they might just be money in the bank for the long run.

Bio: Please call: Buffalo Mainte-nance, Inc for maintenance work or consultation. JLE Property Manage-

ment, Inc for management service or consultation Frankie Alvarez at 714 956-8371 Jerry L’Ecuyer at 714 778-

0480 CA contractor lic: #797645, EPA Real Estate lic. #: 01460075 Certified

Renovation Company Websites: www.BuffaloMaintenance.com &

www.ContactJLE.com www.Face-book.com/BuffaloMaintenance

• Furnaces• Air Conditioners• Heat Pumps• Ductless Mini Splits• Water Heaters• Electrical• Maintenance Plans• Servicing All Brands

Serving Oregon Since 1922

www.Sunsethc.com

503-234-0611

CCB# 161085 Licensed/Bonded/Insured

• How often do my fire extinguishers have to be serviced? Annually. A trained and certified person who has undergone the instructions necessary to reliably perform maintenance and has the manufacturer’s service manual shall service the fire extinguishers not more than 1 year apart, as outlined in section 7.3.(7.1.2.1) of NFPA 10 2007 Edition.

• How much is it going to cost? There are several variables that determine pricing such as the extinguisher size, type (dry chemical, CO2, halotron) and internal inspection dates. On average, your fire extinguisher (all types) only needs an “annual service”. • How should payment be made? Payment is due at time of service unless a credit application has been filled out to open a charge account. The process for setting up a charge account takes 1-5 business days depending on the charge limit requested.

• How do I set up an appointment? Once the necessary information has been gathered and approved, a technician will contact you to set up a service appointment. On average you should be able to obtain service within 1 week unless special circumstances apply.

Your complete resource for Fire Suppression and Safety Products and Services

National Fire Fighter has over 100 years of combined fire and safety experience on staff. We are committed to providing the most knowledge in fire safety. We

have been in business in Oregon for over 80 years and have built our reputation on providing the best products, services and knowledge at prices that make us

truly a value to your business.

1574 W 6th Ave, Eugene OR 97402 541-485-3566

FIRE EXTINGUISHER TRAININGClassroom Power Point Presentation: $125.00 - Session is at your facility, for as many participants as you would like to have involved. Class lasts approximately 30-45 minutes and covers: what to do in the event of a fire, types of combustibles, types of extinguishing agents, hazards involved with incipient stage fires and proper extinguisher use. Class will finish with a question and answer session. Hands-On: $150.00 (up to ten participants) $10/person for each additional participant - Our hands-on training is where it gets exciting! We bring the fire to you! The confidence gained by using an extinguisher on a real fire is invaluable. Knowing when to use an extinguisher is just as important as knowing when not to use one. This training will give your employees the confidence to make that important decision when it matters most. Classroom & Hands-On: Only $199.00!* - If you are serious about safety in your workplace and want to ensure that your employees will make wise decisions in an emergency situation, this training session is for you! Technical information from the classroom session is combined with practical hands-on training to create a well rounded, informative, and exciting class that won’t soon be forgotten. * Meets OSHA’s requirement for annual extinguisher training. * Classroom session includes as many participants as you would like. The hands-on portion includes up to ten people. A rate of $10/person will be charged for any additional hands-on participants.

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

metro (portland, or ) rental housing journal august 2014

Documents