rental housing journal valley july 2016

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Text REALESTATE-ROI to 44222 to receive a digital copy of this year's Real Estate Opportunities in Investing (ROI) Finding Investing Success in Today's Housing Market 3. Tips for Taking Better Photos When Marketing Your Property 4. Ask the Secret Shopper – Appropriate Appearance WWW.RENTALHOUSINGJOURNAL.COM • PROFESSIONAL PUBLISHING, INC Rental Housing Journal Valley July 2016 EUGENE · SALEM ·ALBANY · CORVALLIS continued on page 8 continued on page 6 continued on page 8 5. Dear Maintenance Men – Mold, Flush Valve Seats and Preventative Maintenance for Heaters and Air Conditioners You May Want to Rethink at Lease Renewal if You are Planning to Sell Your Small Plex I f you haven’t raised your rents already, I’m sure the rent increase notices are in the mail. I’m also sure that some of you have tenants that you can’t wait for their leases to end so you can move their rents up to market levels. However, before you sign any new lease agreements you need to make sure you are not planning on selling first. Rising rents have caused small plex (2-4 units) property values to increase significantly over the past sev- eral months prompting many owners to sell and exchange into larger multifamily properties or different asset classes. If you are considering a disposition, here are a couple things you need to be aware of: 1. Locking your tenant into a lease is also locking the value of your prop- erty into place. If you sign a one year lease at less than market rents you are asking a potential buyer to take on your existing tenants for a guaranteed period of time. It is not appealing to investors to buy an underperforming property at proforma values. e bet- ter plan of action is to leave them on Single Best Way for Property Managers to get Promoted What is the Single Biggest Secret to Being Promoted From Property Manager to Regional Manager, Vice President or CEO? A s EVP at MultiFamily Traffic, I have worked with thousands of property managers, regional man- agers, marketing managers, CEO’s etc. I have seen them come and I have seen them go. Recently my friends at Rental Housing Journal asked me what the number one trend is in our industry is. My answer is this, management companies are desper- ate for rock-star talent and when they find it they will promote that person as high as they possibly can. So, what is the secret to being promot- ed in our industry? e answer may sur- prise you, it’s not hard work and it’s not who you know. It’s all about how well you can manage the asset and how profitable you can make it. If you can outperform the other managers in terms of leases and lowering occupancy rates and show lead- ership your abilities are scalable, get ready for an amazing career, you are now in line to be CEO. So let’s breakdown what it means to get leases, increase revenue and scale. Let me start by telling you what it is not. Make Your Units Spacious and Cohesive With New Flooring By Mark Voykovic, Division Merchandise Manager, Flooring, e Home Depot A s the apartment industry con- tinues to see growth, tenants are looking for the best amenities and value in properties, putting pressure on property managers to keep units looking modern. Flooring is oſten crucial to im- pressing potential tenants. New technol- ogy in vinyl, laminate, tile and wood of- fers more options for property managers, oſten at affordable costs, allowing you to generate a great return on investment. Vinyl Historically a good option for projects with smaller budgets, new advancements in vinyl give floors a unique, high-end Professional Publishing Inc., PO Box 6244 Beaverton, OR 97007 PRSRT STD US Postage PAID Portland, OR Permit #5460

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Rental Housing Journal is the business journal for Oregon's Willamette Valley rental housing and multi-family property management industry.

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Page 1: Rental Housing Journal Valley July 2016

Text REALESTATE-ROI to 44222to receive a digital copy of this year's

Real Estate Opportunities in Investing (ROI)Finding Investing Success in Today's Housing Market

3. Tips for Taking Better Photos When Marketing Your Property

4. Ask the Secret Shopper – Appropriate Appearance

WWW.RENTALHOUSINGJOURNAL.COM • PROFESSIONAL PUBLISHING, INC

Rental Housing Journal Valley July 2016

EUGENE · SALEM ·ALBANY · CORVALLIS

continued on page 8continued on page 6

continued on page 8

5. Dear Maintenance Men – Mold, Flush Valve Seats and Preventative Maintenance for Heaters and Air Conditioners

You May Want to Rethink That Lease Renewal if You are

Planning to Sell Your Small PlexIf you haven’t raised your rents already,

I’m sure the rent increase notices are in the mail. I’m also sure that some of

you have tenants that you can’t wait for their leases to end so you can move their rents up to market levels. However, before you sign any new lease agreements you need to make sure you are not planning on selling first. Rising rents have caused small plex (2-4 units) property values to increase significantly over the past sev-eral months prompting many owners to sell and exchange into larger multifamily properties or different asset classes. If you are considering a disposition, here are a couple things you need to be aware of:

1. Locking your tenant into a lease is also locking the value of your prop-erty into place. If you sign a one year lease at less than market rents you are

asking a potential buyer to take on your existing tenants for a guaranteed period of time. It is not appealing to investors to buy an underperforming

property at proforma values. The bet-ter plan of action is to leave them on

Single Best Way for

Property Managers to

get PromotedWhat is the Single Biggest Secret to Being Promoted From Property

Manager to Regional Manager,

Vice President or CEO?

As EVP at MultiFamily Traffic, I have worked with thousands of property managers, regional man-

agers, marketing managers, CEO’s etc. I have seen them come and I have seen them go. Recently my friends at Rental Housing Journal asked me what the number one trend is in our industry is. My answer is this, management companies are desper-ate for rock-star talent and when they find it they will promote that person as high as they possibly can.

So, what is the secret to being promot-ed in our industry? The answer may sur-prise you, it’s not hard work and it’s not who you know. It’s all about how well you can manage the asset and how profitable you can make it. If you can outperform the other managers in terms of leases and lowering occupancy rates and show lead-ership your abilities are scalable, get ready for an amazing career, you are now in line to be CEO.

So let’s breakdown what it means to get leases, increase revenue and scale. Let me start by telling you what it is not.

Make Your Units Spacious and Cohesive With New Flooring

By Mark Voykovic, Division Merchandise Manager, Flooring, The Home Depot

As the apartment industry con-tinues to see growth, tenants are looking for the best amenities and

value in properties, putting pressure on property managers to keep units looking modern. Flooring is often crucial to im-pressing potential tenants. New technol-ogy in vinyl, laminate, tile and wood of-fers more options for property managers, often at affordable costs, allowing you to generate a great return on investment.

VinylHistorically a good option for projects

with smaller budgets, new advancements in vinyl give floors a unique, high-end

Professional Publishing Inc.,PO Box 6244Beaverton, OR 97007

PRSRT STDUS Postage

PAIDPortland, ORPermit #5460

Page 2: Rental Housing Journal Valley July 2016

IT’S JUST SMART BUSINESS

CASE STUDIES ABOUT MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES

Energy Trust has helped hundreds of multifamily property owners and managers get more from their energy by saving them thousands in operating costs and improving their bottom lines.

“We’ll save over $24,500 in utility bills each year because we upgraded our common-area

lighting to energy-ef cient LED lamps—and we received a return on our investment in

only 8 months. Plus, Energy Trust of Oregon gave us over $16,000 in cash incentives

just for upgrading.

Amanda Schulz, business manager

The Wyatt Apartments, Portland, Oregon ”+Get more from your energy. To learn more visit www.energytrust.org/multifamily or call 1.877.510.2130.

Serving customers of Portland General Electric, Pacifi c Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas.

MF_Market_Rate_AD_1503.indd 1 5/13/2015 5:07:34 PM2

Rental Housing Journal Valley

Rental Housing Journal Valley · July 2016

Page 3: Rental Housing Journal Valley July 2016

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Rental Housing Journal Valley

Rental Housing Journal Valley · July 2016

Tips for Taking Better Photos When Marketing Your Property

By Katrina Langer and Jeffrey O’Connor

According to Buildium’s State of the Property Management Industry Report, over two thirds of prop-

erty owners feel unequipped to effective-ly market residential properties. When it comes to marketing a property, this can include a variety of tactics, whether it’s listing properties on websites or work-ing with clients and brokers for referrals. While property managers and landlords might have different approaches to how they market their rentals, it goes without

saying that the ability to show off a resi-dential property through photos is the foundation of vacancy marketing.

That being said, there are a few import-ant things to keep in mind when taking photos for your property listings. While it would be nice to hire a photographer, it’s not always within the budget of a prop-erty manager, landlord or owner. Luckily, smartphone providers such as Apple, Mo-torola, Nokia and Samsung have improved

their cameras’ specs in recent years, and newer phones have great cameras. For example, the 2007 iPhone was only 2 megapixels, while the iPhone 6s comes standard with a 12 megapixel camera—a go-to for professional photographers.

But, again, you don’t have to be a pro-fessional to effectively market your real estate. This article will dive into tips and best practices for using a smartphone to take property photos.

Get the Right EquipmentWhile most phones are equipped with

almost professional-grade camera tech-nology, some of the top-rated phones when it comes to design, function and camera specs include: Apple iPhone 6s, HTC One M9, Samsung Galaxy S7, Google Nexus 6P and Motorola Moto X Pure Edition. Additionally, property owners and man-agers can download new camera apps to

continued on page 7

Page 4: Rental Housing Journal Valley July 2016

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Rental Housing Journal Valley

Rental Housing Journal Valley · July 2016

DEAR MAINTENANCE MEN:

Everyone knows you only get one chance to make a first impression. What you communicate from the

curb, carries over into the office environ-ment and beyond. Paying attention to professional office attire is important year round, but especially during the warmer summer months. When the weather is hot and everyone is trying to keep cool and comfortable, some employees may be pre-senting more than just their apartments! This can be a distraction to co-workers and residents, and disrupt the sales pro-cess. Here is a topic of concern based on the question below:

Q: The staffs at some of our communi-ties tend to “dress down,” especially at our smaller buildings where they have responsibilities in and outside the of-fice. I have noticed this sometimes car-ries over into their personal grooming as they transition from working out-side and then come back into the office to assist clients. However, during the warmer summer months when many of my managers have even more respon-sibilities outside, I have noticed an in-crease in inappropriate/unprofession-al attire and a decrease in attention to personal grooming. I am concerned about the impression my managers are making on our residents, as well as prospective renters. Other than insti-

tuting a “uniform and personal groom-ing policy” or mandating a strict dress code, what can we do?

These are some very valid concerns, and this issue needs to be addressed. How-ever, it’s an extremely sensitive subject because how people dress and present themselves is very personal. Also, there is the financial aspect, as not everyone can afford to make a high end fashion state-ment! When you throw “gender” into the mix, this issue becomes even more com-plex, as it’s tough for a male supervisor to approach a female employee on this issue and vice versa. Typically when a con-frontation does occur, someone is embar-rassed, offended or both. Then you end up right back where you started and nothing is resolved.

For those companies who have been able to implement a “uniform” policy and standard of dress: Congratulations! You do not have any of the above headaches any more. Probably the only issue you have to deal with now on this subject is getting your employees to actually WEAR their uniforms!

For everyone else, the answer is “educa-tion.” If you have a written “dress code,” regarding attire and personal grooming for all employees, no matter what com-munity they work at, then everyone will know what the expectations are. When a

SK THE SECRET SHOPPERAppropriate Appearance

new employee is hired, they can be given this information up front as part of their new hire package. That way, they will un-derstand how they are expected to pres-ent themselves. For existing employees who are not in compliance because there was no written dress code at the time they were hired, you can institute a “new com-pany policy” and create a standard for all employees to follow.

Of course you must remember a very important principle: Everything in life has a “trickle down” effect. Your efforts to get your employees to comply with a dress code will only work to the degree in which you comply with the same stan-dard yourself. A leasing consultant does not have much motivation to dress up a notch if the assistant or resident manager is “dressing down.” On the other hand, an on site manager will not be inspired to comply with a dress code if the prop-erty supervisor or owner visits wearing casual clothing.

When employees working together dress inconsistently, this sends a mixed mes-sage to the residents and prospects that visit their office. Until people really get

to know you, all they have to go on is “appearances.” The employees who are dressed in business attire will “appear” to be professional, organized and prepared to serve their clients. Those dressed oth-erwise will not. As in every area of life, perception is reality.

While you can’t judge a book by its cover, the next person who walks through your door could make a rental decision based upon what’s covering (or not covering) you! Having a standard of dress for all employees, no matter what community they work at, will consistently communi-cate a sense of pride and professionalism.

If you are interested in leasing training or have a question or concern you would like to see addressed, please reach out to me via e-mail. Otherwise, please contact Jan-cyn for your employee evaluation needs: www.jancyn.com

ASK THE SECRET SHOPPER Provided by: Joyce (Kirby) Bica Former owner of Shoptalk Service Evaluations Consultant to Jancyn Evaluation ShopsE-mail: [email protected] © Joyce (Kirby) Bica

Page 5: Rental Housing Journal Valley July 2016

PublisherWill Johnson – [email protected]

Designer/EditorKristin Flores – [email protected]

Advertising SalesWill Johnson – [email protected]

Terry Hokenson – [email protected] Surratt – [email protected]

Rental Housing Journal Valley is a monthly publication published by Professional Publishing Inc., publishers of Real Estate Opportunities in

Investing & Real Estate Investor Quarterly

w w w . r e n t a l h o u s i n g j o u r n a l . c o m

The statements and representations made in advertising and news articles contained in this publication are those of the advertiser and authors and as such do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Professional Publishing, Inc. The inclusion of advertising in this publications does not, in any way, comport an endorsement of or support for the products or services offered. To request a reprint or reprint rights contact Professional Publishing Inc. PO Box 6244 Beaverton, OR 97007. (503) 221-1260 - (800) 398-6751 © 2015 All rights reserved.

5

Rental Housing Journal Valley

Rental Housing Journal Valley · July 2016

DEAR MAINTENANCE MEN: Mold, Flush Valve Seats and Preventative Maintenance

for Heaters and Air Conditioners

Dear Maintenance Men:I have noticed the base molding in

the living room and leading into the kitchen is starting to come off the wall. The corners are splitting and it is start-ing to look very rough. What do you think is causing this? I don’t see any water anywhere.

Randy

Dear Randy:We would bet you do have a water

problem somewhere. Chances are it will be traced to the refrigerator. There might be two issues you can look at. First check that the drain line for the defrost cycle is not clogged and two if the refrigerator has an icemaker, that the line is not leaking. Chances are the icemaker line has a hole or the drain line is leaking and the walls are sucking up the water. That is why you don’t see any standing water. Look un-der the fridge or pull out the fridge and look at the water line. It should be a small quarter inch nylon or polyethylene line; often they are white or translucent in color. If the water line goes though the cabinets to the kitchen sink; follow the line and look for rough spots or kinks in the line. Because these small water lines often leak for a long time before they are discovered, your walls may very well be saturated. The swelling baseboards are an indication they are full of moisture. The repair for this leak goes far beyond repairing the pinhole leak in the icemaker

line. You will have to remove the drywall in order to allow the walls to dry proper-ly. Chances are you will also have a major mold issue inside the walls. You should seek professional help for an evaluation of the potential mold issues involved. Please note when replacing icemaker or filter lines, only use tubing specified for that use. Ask for icemaker tubing, it will be marked icemaker compatible.

Dear Maintenance Men:I have a toilet that runs every ten or

twenty minutes. I have replaced the fill valve, the flapper valve and I have even scrubbed under the rim! In other words, all the items I can think of that are replaceable in the tank are new. What else should I be looking at?

Sam

Dear Sam:You replaced all the easy ones!! When

all else fails on a toilet leak down issue; it is time to put on your rubber gloves and get an adjustable wrench. Chances are the problem lies with the Flush Valve Seat. The rubber flapper valve seals against the flush valve seat (the big hole at the bottom of the tank.) to either keep the water in the tank or let the water out of the tank. The seat may have a burr, crack or calci-um deposits that allow a small amount of water to seep past the rubber flush valve. Sanding the seat to remove the burr or calcium deposit is a short-term solution,

but rarely solves the problem for long. A permanent solution is to replace the flush valve. Start by turning off the water sup-ply, completely empty the tank and re-move the water line. Remove the two or three bolts holding the tank to the toilet bowl. Turn the tank upside down and remove the large nylon or brass nut that holds the flush valve to the tank. Install the new flush valve. Be sure the tank bot-tom is clean and no debris gets between the new valve’s rubber gasket and the tank. Tighten the large nut on the outside of the tank and you are ready to reassem-ble the tank and bowl and put the toilet back into action. When reassembling the tank to the bowl, install new rubber wash-ers and bolts.

Dear Maintenance Men:Can I get some pointers with pre-

ventive maintenance when it comes to heating and air conditioning?

Mike

Dear Mike:Heating and air condition or HVAC

should be inspected at least twice a year or at the change of the major seasons such as summer and winter. Prior to summer or winter seasons, it is essential to prop-erly inspect and troubleshoot your HVAC (a/c)units whether they are window, wall or central. Most A/C units fail or work improperly due to nonexistent or improp-er maintenance and not age.

Cleaning is your A/C is the most inex-pensive and critical maintenance proce-dure you can perform.

Here is our 4-point check list:1. Turn on the A/C and listen for un-

usual noises.

2. Inspect/clean or replace filters. Filters should be cleaned or replaced at the beginning of each major season, such as before summer and before winter.

3. Clean & repair damaged or bent fins. (They can constrict proper air flow and decrease the cooling capacity of the A/C unit.

4. Clean out all dust and debris inside of the A/C pan or coils.

On a central HVAC unit: cleaning or replacing the main and return filters, may be the limit on a DIY cleaning. A quali-fied technician should do any other work on a central heating and air unit.

Bio:Please call: Buffalo Maintenance, Inc for mainte-nance work or consultation. JLE Property Management, Inc for management service or consultationFrankie Alvarez at 714 956-8371 Jerry L’Ecuyer at 714 778-0480 CA contractor lic: #797645, EPA Real Estate lic. #: 01460075Certified Renovation Company www.BuffaloMaintenance.comwww.ContactJLE.comwww.Facebook.com/BuffaloMaintenance

By Jerry L’Ecuyer & Frank Alvarez

Page 6: Rental Housing Journal Valley July 2016

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Rental Housing Journal Valley

Rental Housing Journal Valley · July 2016

You will not be promoted if you bring in leases by:

• Giving away the farm: Out of this world promotions that bring in unprofitable leases may im-prove your occupancy rates short term but it’s a sure fire way to get yourself locked into the role of assistant property manager for life. Giving stuff away tells your leadership that you care and can think outside the box but you are also telling them that you better be monitored by someone with expe-rience or you will bankrupt the company. Not a good label to have associated with you.

• One-one-selling: So you are the best at closing prospective renters? Awesome. You can show a unit, explain the benefits of living at the property and close the deal. These are all good skills to have. But, if this is what you become famous for, you have now made yourself a leasing agent for life. At best, you can hope for a “new title” and the added responsibilities of a “train-er” with little or no extra pay. Sales rock-star, get used to now doing your job and teaching the slackers how to do theirs with all hope for promotion quickly fading. Why would they take you away from the leasing office when talking to prospects is where you add value?

• Being a shopaholic: You know the type, you may be the type, its ok. The first step is admitting you are a shopaholic. You have banners, you have balloons, you bake cook-

ies and whenever a ILS rep comes into the office you buy whatev-er they are selling. If you want to be promoted, you need to show leadership you have the ability to make tough decisions. Saying “yes” to everything is not making decisions its going on a shopping spree with the company’s money.

You will be promoted if you bring in leases by:

• Getting the community in front of qualified renters looking to sign a lease without having to use pro-motion after promotion. The best way to do this is to make sure your property is on the first few pages in Google for as many of the top searched terms that renters in the area are typing in. Additionally, by using Google AdWords cam-paigns. The bottom line here is, if you are the first property a pros-pect finds, you don’t need pro-motions to try and change their minds about other properties they have visited. There are enough renters that sign a lease at the first property they visit for you to get to 100% occupancy without having to use promotions. You just need to be FIRST.

• Show leadership you are a leader, not a seller. Imagine meeting with the CEO, and you tell him or her that you are terrific at talking to renters, are you going to be pro-moted? No. Now imagine that same conversation but instead, you say; “I researched my commu-nity and discovered that we were

over spending and underperform-ing because we were constantly playing catch-up due to the fact that prospects were not finding the property when they looked first. We were battling to win the war of “lookie-loos” who required the best deal to sign a lease. How I fixed this problem is, 1. I evaluated our online presence, 2. I isolated the issue and fixed it by 3. ranking the property for the top searched keywords organically as well as running a Google AdWords cam-paign simultaneously. This placed the property first in front of pros-pects allowing me to close all of the potential renters that signed a lease on the first visit, leaving our competing properties to waste re-sources fighting over the tire kick-ers.” If you are able to say this, wel-come to the big leagues, you are on the path to CEO.

• Show leadership you can make tough decisions rather than spend your way out of problems. If you get to 100% occupancy but you have shown leadership a laun-dry list of expenses needed to get there, you are not ready to lead. Real leaders make calculated de-cisions. Imagine this conversation with the VP of Operations, “my strategy to improving the proper-ties numbers was twofold. First, I wanted to increase occupancy, but second I wanted to reduce waste and overspending. Both numbers have an equal effect on the bottom line. I found success by boosting the properties visibility with the

best renters and reducing unneed-ed or redundant expenses. For ex-ample, I used Google AdWords, a compressive $499 a month SEO plan and our top performing ILS. I systematically cut out all other unnecessary tenant acquisition expenses”. You just earned your-self a promotion!

Matt Easton is EVP of Mul-tiFamily Traffic, the only apartment SEO and AdWords management company that measures themselves by how many leases you sign.

Millions of online apartment searches are per-formed each day, resulting in new leases being signed. Is your website being found by renters? The fact is the first 20 results on search engines like Goo-gle receive about 97% of all click-through traffic.

MultiFamily Traffic’s job is to make your property website one of these top results. By leveraging years of expertise in both  apartment marketing  and apartment portfolio ownership they will help your property GET FOUND online and your VACANT UNITS LEASED.

MultiFamily Traffic is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. They have been in operation since 2003 and have helped thousands communities see great success in driving low cost leases to their properties. Most clients are so pleased with our service that they end up eliminating most other forms of lease-up services including expensive ILS subscriptions, sav-ing the property thousands per month in apartment advertising fees. Matt can be reached directly at 303-803-7372

Single Best Way ...continued from page 1

Page 7: Rental Housing Journal Valley July 2016

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Rental Housing Journal Valley

Rental Housing Journal Valley · July 2016

Taking Better Pictures ...continued from page 3

achieve great results, including Cocolog-ics ProCamera (iOS), Open Camera (An-droid) and Lumia Camera (Windows).

Another great piece of inexpensive equipment to look into is an aftermar-ket wide angle lens for your smartphone (about $100). Wide angle shots are essen-tial for great property photos, as it wid-ens the field of view, making rooms look bigger. Additionally, a tripod or shutter release will help to stabilize the camera to help avoid shaky and/or crooked shots.

Another great way to straighten your shot is to compare the vertical lines with-in the room (such as a doorway, window or corner) with the grid settings in your camera app.

Set up the Perfect ShotTruly great shots are usually taken in

the middle of the day, when the sunlight is softer than it is at sunrise or sunset, when it streams directly through the windows, creating shadows and bright spots. Mid-day light is evenly distributed throughout the room, creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere. To get the most out of this light, turn off the flash, open the curtains, and keep the blinds pulled down.

When setting up your shot, hold the camera about three or four feet from the floor, and try to shoot from the cor-ners to get as much of the room in the frame as possible.

Don’t forget to take exterior shots, too. It’s best to start these in the early after-noon, when the sun is high overhead. And, be sure to take at least one shot from each angle to provide context for the property within the neighborhood.

Editing and UploadingMaking simple edits to property pho-

tos doesn’t require a professional editor. There are free apps for both iPhone and Android users, such as Snapseed and Adobe Lightroom, that offer the ability to adjust verticals, exposure, white balance and sharpness. With these tools, the edit-ing process should only take around 30 to 60 seconds per photo

Once the photos are ready to go, make sure to save your work so they can be easi-ly accessed for marketing materials. Web-sites such as Google Drive and Dropbox can make this a seamless process, and you can share images easily with links you can send to colleagues and prospec-tive buyers.

While professional photographers are a nice-to-have, it’s not always a realistic lux-ury for property managers or landlords when they’re looking to quickly turn over a property. With these tips and tools that can be used at little to no cost, the images needed for marketing properties can be easily taken, edited and shared as needed.

By Katrina Langer and Jeffrey O’Connor

Katrina Langer is a content marketer at Buildi-um with more than five years of experience in writing and SEO, and has worked with a num-ber of Fortune 500 companies to improve their website experience.

Jeffrey O’Connor is a Stoneham, MA based com-mercial photographer specializing in high end resi-dential real estate, product, and food photography. His portfolio includes work for small and large clients across New England and Canada, and as far away as Seattle, WA, and Sydney, Australia. He lives and works out of his home office and studio with his wife, Erin, and their dog, Laika.

Page 8: Rental Housing Journal Valley July 2016

48-HOUR NOTICE OF ENTRYTENANT(S): ____________________________________________________ DATE:________ADDRESS: ____________________________________________________ UNIT: _________CITY: _________________________________________ STATE: __________ ZIP: _________48-HOUR NOTICE OF ENTRYPursuant to RCW 59.18.150, this is your 48 hour notice that your landlord or their agents will be

entering the dwelling unit and premises located at (Address)______________________________________________________________________________on between the hours of and . (Date) (Time) (Time)The entry will occur for the following purpose:______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________ Landlord Phone

Method of Service: Personal Service: Post and Mail: ** Add one additional day for compliance if served by post and mail.

WA-RTG-40 Washington

©2009 NO PORTION of this form may be reproduced without written permission.

CHECK-IN/CHECK-OUT CONDITION REPORTTENANT(S): __________________________________________________________________ADDRESS: ________________________________________________UNIT: ______________CITY: ___________________________________ STATE: ________ ZIP: _________________Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor IN Out In Out In OutLIVING AREAS KITCHEN BEDROOM 3Walls Walls Walls

Windows Stove/Racks WindowsBlinds/Drapes Refrigerator Blinds/DrapesRods Ice Trays RodsFloor Shelves/Drawer FloorCarpet/Vinyl/Wood Disposal Light FixturesLight Fixtures Dishwasher Doors/WoodworkDoors/Woodwork Counter Tops LocksLocks Cabinets CeilingsCeilings Sink Electric OutletsElectrical Outlets FloorGarbage Cans WindowsTV Antenna/Cable Blinds/Drapes BATH ROOMFireplace

Towel BarsCleanlinessSink & Vanity

ToiletBEDROOM 1 BEDROOM 2 Tub/ShowerWalls Walls Fan (Exhaust)Windows Windows FloorBlinds/Drapes Blinds/Drapes Electric OutletsRods Rods Light FixturesFloor FloorLight Fixtures Light Fixtures Essential ServicesEssential ServicesDoors/Woodwork Doors/Woodwork PlumbingLocks Locks HeatingCeilings Ceilings ElectricityElectrical Outlets Electric Outlets Hot Water

Smoke Detectors

OR-RTG-20 Oregon

PET AGREEMENTTENANT INFORMATION

TENANT(S): ____________________________________________________ DATE:________ADDRESS: ____________________________________________________ UNIT: _________CITY: _________________________________________ STATE: __________ ZIP: _________

DESCRIPTION OF PET(S)

1) Type _______________ Breed _______________ Size ______ Age __ Weight ___ Color ____ Name ________ Vaccinations: Yes____ No____ License Number: ______________

2) Type _______________ Breed _______________ Size ______ Age __ Weight ___ Color ____ Name ________ Vaccinations: Yes____ No____ License Number: ______________

3) Type _______________ Breed _______________ Size ______ Age __ Weight ___ Color ____ Name ________ Vaccinations: Yes____ No____ License Number: ______________

Additional Security Deposit Required:$

AGREEMENTTenant(s) certify that the above pet(s) are the only pet(s) on the premises. Tenant(s) understands that the additional pet(s) are not permitted unless the landlord gives tenant(s) written permission. Tenant(s) agree to keep the above-listed pets in the premises subject to the following terms and conditions:

1) The pet(s) shall be on a leash or otherwise under tenant’s control when it is outside the tenant’s dwelling unit. 2) Tenant(s) shall promptly pick up all pet waste from the premises promptly. 3) Tenant(s) are responsible for the conduct of their pet(s) at all times. 4) Tenant(s) are liable for all damages caused by their pet(s). 5) Tenant(s) shall pay the additional security deposit listed above and/or their rental agreement as a condition to keeping the pet(s) listed above. 6) Tenant(s) shall not allow their pets to cause any sort of disturbance or injury to the other tenants, guests, landlord or any other persons lawfully on the premises. 7) Tenant(s) shall immediately report to landlord any type of damage or injury caused by their pet. 8) This agreement is incorporated into and shall become part of the rental agreement exe -cuted between the parties. Failure by tenant to comply with any part of this agreement shall constitute a material breach of the rental agreement.

_____________________________ ______________________________Landlord Tenant ______________________________ Tenant

nogerO 42-GTR-RO

©2011 NO PORTION of this form may be reproduced without written permission.

CHECK-IN/CHECK-OUT CONDITION REPORTTENANT(S): __________________________________________________________________ADDRESS: ________________________________________________UNIT: ______________CITY: ___________________________________ STATE: ________ ZIP: _________________Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor

Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor

Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor

Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor

Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor

Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor

Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor

Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor

Rating Scale = (E)Excellent (VG) Very Good (G)Good (F)Fair (P)Poor IN Out In Out In OutLIVING AREAS

KITCHENBEDROOM 3

WallsWalls

WallsWindowsStove/Racks

WindowsBlinds/Drapes

RefrigeratorBlinds/Drapes

RodsIce Trays

RodsFloorShelves/Drawer

FloorCarpet/Vinyl/WoodDisposal

Light FixturesLight Fixtures

DishwasherDoors/Woodwork

Doors/WoodworkCounter Tops

LocksLocksCabinets

CeilingsCeilings

SinkElectric Outlets

Electrical OutletsFloor

Smoke DetectorsGarbage Cans

WindowsTV Antenna/CableBlinds/Drapes

BATH ROOMFireplace

Towel BarsCleanliness

Sink & Vanity

ToiletBEDROOM 1BEDROOM 2

Tub/ShowerWalls

WallsWindows

WA-RTG-20 Washington

5 REASONS TO USE RENTEGRATIONColor Standards for National Tenant Network Logo

• Logos are provided on the CD in all three forms: all black, reversed to white, or in PMS 280 Blue/PMS 7543 Gray spot or 4/color applications. Please see below for speci�c use examples.

• No other colors are acceptable for use for the logo.

• No altering of the logo is allowed. If you have a special circumstance that requires something not provided on the CD, please call NTN NA TIO NAL HEADQUAR TERS 1.800.228.0989 for assistance.

• Logos should not be put over a busy background.

BLACK WHITE (with 40% gray circle)

PMS 280/PMS 7543 over colorBlue PMS 280/Gray PMS 7543

1. Access - Rentegration.com is a web based,

access to forms generation, archives, prop-erty management database, basic account-ing, vendor ordering and other services.

2. Rental and Lease Forms - Unlimited use

forms. All Rentegration.com forms are cre-ated by attorneys and/or local rental hous-ing associations.

- Owners and managers can track income and expense for each unit, property and company. Per-fect for mid and small size property manag-ers and independent rental owners, who neither have the need or budget for larger, more expensive software.

4. Management Database - Rentegration.com is an easy to use, database driven soft-

from the database. The modules are all in-tegrated and work together. For example, a customer can use the rent-roll function to identify all delinquencies, apply fees, and create eviction forms with a few simple clicks of the mouse.

5. Value - Large property management companies that use Rentegration.com for only forms generation will save time and money over other methods. Mid and small size property managers and independent rental owners can manage their entire busi-ness at a fraction of the cost of other soft-ware and forms.

www.Rentegration.com

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[email protected] 7346-339-305 8

Rental Housing Journal Valley

Rental Housing Journal Valley · July 2016

Rethink That Lease Renewal ...continued from page 1Make Your Units Spacious ...continued from page 1

month-to-month tenancy and con-tinue to increase rents anyway.

2. You are turning away owner occupy buyers. The majority of offers that we are seeing on small plex properties are from owner occupy buyers using FHA and VA loans to buy. If you have your units tied up in leases, they may not be able to move into the property for several months or a full year caus-ing these buyers to look elsewhere. These buyers are usually willing to pay more than the typical invest-ment buyer and If you are looking to achieve retail values, these buyers may well be your best audience. For new tenants, consider a month-to-month agreement so that if you do encounter an ‘owner occupy’ buyer they will be able to evict the tenants within a reasonable amount of time and move in to the property.

There are a few items you should con-sider if you are trying to make your property more appealing to these owner occupy buyers aside from passing on un-wanted leases:

1. Think about your small plex the same way you would if you were selling your private residence. I am not sug-gesting that you stage the property or have open houses. However does it have curb appeal and does it look livable? Things that may not scare away a seasoned multi-family inves-tor have the ability to stop an owner occupier in their tracks before they ever even write an offer. You might need to hire a landscaper, or spend a few dollars on paint to make sure you give the right first impression.

2. Does your property have deferred maintenance that needs to be ad-dressed? Items such as peeling paint, damaged exterior, missing smoke alarms or co2 detectors may prevent a FHA or VA loan from funding un-til they are fixed. Make sure you are asking your broker what you need to do to get the property in condition to qualify for a government backed loan.

3. Don’t let your broker put up For Sale signs in the yard or show your units without an accepted offer. The last thing you want to do is parade a large number of looky loos through the property disturbing your tenant’s peaceful enjoyment of their home. Plus, what do most tenants do when the find out the property they rent is for sale? They immediately start look-ing for a new place to live! Tenants know there is usually a rent increase that comes with new ownership.

It is a great time to be a small plex prop-erty owner. If your plan is to hold your properties, rents are on the up and cash flows are looking better. If you are plan-ning on selling your property take advan-tage of these prime market conditions. It is not every day that residential buyers cross over into the multifamily market.

By Chris Salaz

Chris Salaz is Small Plex Broker at SMI Commercial Real Estate, LLC . Please con-tact Chris if you would be interested in receiving SMI’s free bi-annual newsletter which includes the most comprehensive rent and vacancy survey in the mid-val-

ley, the SMI Apartment Update.   503.390.6060  [email protected]

look with a durable finish. Instead of the sheet vinyl you’re used to seeing, many types now feature separate pieces that more closely mirror the look of ceramic tile. You can even grout some new types of vinyl, making the floor look more tra-ditional and unified.

Different installation options include peel and stick technology, as well as click-lock systems, helping reduce labor costs and increase savings. Vinyl is also 100 percent waterproof, which has always made it a good choice for kitchens and laundry rooms.

LaminateLaminate flooring has also been ad-

vancing in durability, versatility and style. Not only are laminates scratch resistant, but some newer products are even water resistant – withstanding household spills for as much as 24 hours. This technology allows property managers to install lami-nate in areas such as bathrooms and laun-dry rooms.

Due to the advancement of the single lock system, laminates can be installed easily and quickly, reducing labor costs. When it is time to replace or repair units, you will save significantly by replacing a single plank versus the entire floor.

And when you do install laminate, the finished product is going to look better than ever. Digital printing is so advanced now that certain styles are becoming dif-ficult to distinguish between laminate and more expensive materials like wood.

TileTile is constantly evolving. Floor tile

has progressed substantially, becoming sharper and more realistic through those same advancements in digital printing

that benefit other materials like vinyl and laminate. Wood tile looks like wood, mar-ble tile looks like marble, and so on. High-er end options allow you to grout and seal at the same time, eliminating the need for a second visit from installers. Select prod-ucts even qualify for a lifetime warranty.

Now ranging all the way up to 48 in. x 48 in., large format tile is becoming more popular and looks great in multifamily units but requires a different type of mor-tar. Be sure to use a mortar specifically designed for large format tile.

WoodWood flooring is now offering the

same easy-to-install features as laminate and vinyl flooring, making it more af-fordable than it used to be. In the past, property managers had to hire someone to install wood flooring. Options such as engineered and click wood can be self-in-stalled with the same benefits of long last-ing, durable flooring at a lower cost.

Innovation and advancement are con-tinuous trends in flooring, allowing more options for property managers to consider.

By Mark Voykovic, Division Merchandise Manag-er, Flooring, The Home Depot

As the Division Merchandise Manager, Mark is responsible for merchandising all hard-surface flooring products at The Home Depot. He has been with The Home Depot for 10 years, serving in var-ious merchandising roles.