valley rental housing journal august 2015

• Prospects focus on basics: pho-tos, floor plans, rents, specials, avail-ability, and features / amenities. Re-views are also very important (4.18 on a five point importance scale) because they offer the transparency today’s consumer demands.

• The top rated factor impacting rental decisions was viewing an actual apartment home available to lease; this has implications on the market ready process and raises questions about how much to invest in models (ranked #12). Consistent with importance of transparency

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

Maintenance personnel monthly.

Call 503-221-1260 for more info.

Rental Housing Journal Valley

EUGENE • SALEM • ALBANY • CORVALLIS


VALLEYWWW.RENTALHOUSINGJOURNAL.COM • PROFESSIONAL PUBLISHING, INC

August 2015

Professional Publishing, IncPO Box 30327Portland, OR 97294-3327

PRSRT STDUS Postage

PAIDPortland, OR Permit #5460

By: Chuck Nelson, Owner of Dog Inspectors

Being a landlord is no easy task. It is riddled with responsibili-ties, from screening all tenants

to taking care of maintenance repairs and keeping properties clean.

Perhaps one of the most dreaded calls a landlord can get is, “I think we have bed bugs.” According to a 2015 Bugs Without Borders Survey, conducted by the National Pest Management Association and the University of Kentucky, the No. 1 place where pest professionals report finding bed bugs is apartments/con-dominiums.

That’s why it’s important for landlords to be prepared and respond effectively.

Be preparedAs a landlord, you’re bound to

run into a bed bug issue at some point in time. First, you must deter-mine what laws apply to your state to ensure that you know what you are responsible for should you be faced with a tenant infestation.

Twenty-two states have laws addressing bed bugs in rental prop-erties, institutional facilities and schools. In many states, landlords have a duty to maintain their build-ings free of pests. Although laws in most of these states use very general terms for ‘pests,’ those in Florida and New York City specify that land-lords must exterminate bed bugs. In some states, landlords only need to act if more than one unit is infected.

Once you know what laws per-tain to your state, develop a proac-tive plan to prevent bed bugs from entering your building. For example, schedule a pest control or K-9 inspec-tion after each tenant leaves. You can

What Landlords Need to Know

About Bed Bugs

continued on page 6

2. Dear Maintenance Men

3. Membership Has Its Privileges: MFNW

6. Ask the Secret Shopper

...continued on page 4

By Doug Miller

We just conducted a 2015 re-visit of our landmark 2011 “Today’s Online Renter”

study. The study addressed questions about how today’s online prospects shop, what drives rental decisions, what impact reviews have, the im-portance of social media and more. Big picture, transparency and the ba-sics are more important than ever.

• Shopping, Rental Decisions, Brand, Trust

• 60.1% of apartment shoppers used a smart phone or tablet in their search (26.3% in 2011) and 78.3% vis-ited a property’s website before con-tacting the office. Therefore websites must utilize Responsive Website De-signs (as of April 2015 Google boosts rankings for sites with RWD) and HTML5 coding (how Apple products read websites and permits for ideal viewing on smartphones, tablets, laptops).

• The Top Five sources used changed since 2011 [chart], and re-view sites now a top source. Since 45.4% of shoppers now use review sites, it is critical to manage the resi-dent experience and a property’s reputation.

Today’s Online RenterNational Study Sheds Light on Changing Prospect

Behaviors and Preferences

Apartment shopping sources 2015 TotalILS 68.8%Apartment community or management company web-site

66.5%

Driving in desired neighborhoods 59.2%Search engine 50.5%Rating / review website 45.4%Referrals 42.4%Printed apartment guide 21.1%Apartment community or management company social media

11.6%

Newspaper advertising 6.1%

2 Rental Housing Journal Valley • August 2015

RENTAL HOUSING JOURNAL VALLEY

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Or mail a check to: Rental Housing Journal PO Box 30327Portland, OR 97294-3327

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Dear Maintenance Men:I have a bathroom sink that is slow

draining. I have already snaked the drain and found no stoppage. When I remove the pop-up assembly and have an open drain, water whooshes down with no problem. However, with the pop-up in place, water backs up into the sink and

drains very slowly. PaulDear Paul:Most bathroom sinks have an

overflow hole near the top edge of the sink. This hole serves two pur-poses; 1: Acts as a safety drain to keep the sink from overflowing should the

water rise above a certain level in the sink. 2: The overflow hole also serves as an air vent for the sink when the water levels are above the pop-up plug. The overflow hole allows air to escape through the drain and the wa-ter to evacuate more efficiently.

What has happened is hair, tooth-paste, grime etc. have built-up and sealed off the overflow drain where it exits just below the pop-up as-sembly plug. Most snakes are too big to go through the overflow drain. Alternatively, a speedometer cable will work great or even a long zip tie will work. Push the cable or zip tie down through the over-flow hole at the top of the sink and push any gunk out into the drain. Use water to help push the debris out the overflow drain, a funnel works great to direct a good flow of water. If you cannot access the overflow to drain, you will need to disassemble the main drain assem-bly to gain access to the overflow drain exit. Once the overflow drain has good airflow, the sink should drain a bit faster. If this does not solve the problem completely, look at restricting the water flow coming out of the faucet. Use a restrictive aerator to cut down on the GPM of the faucet.

Dear Maintenance Men: I run into a vendor communications

problem every now and then. It is very frustrating and at times costly to my pocket book or the vendors’ depending on whose error it is. It can be as simple as the wrong shade of paint, to as se-rious as work completed in the wrong unit. I try to keep my directions as sim-ple and direct as possible, but mistakes still happen. What do you recommend?

SteveDear Steve:Sometimes familiarity and the

assumption the other party can read our mind gets in the way of proper communication skills. We have found that even with vendors

we have used for a long time and who should know better, fall victim to mind reading errors. We no longer rely on verbal confirmation when fi-nalizing a job. Everything is in writ-ing no matter how small. Now, errors can still happen, but it is much easier to find who is at fault. To minimize errors further, be sure to write in a concise direct manner in simple sen-tences. Do not use compound sen-tences or complicated, jargon filled sentences. Write for the lowest com-mon denominator. Often the work order will go from the contractor directly to his techs without any fur-ther explanations. The techs need to understand clearly what work is ex-pected and authorized. If you have more than one task being performed in an apartment unit, itemize and specify by room what the work is. If you are painting, specify the color, flat or semi-gloss and what rooms are to be painted. If you have rooms or objects that are not to be painted, use a separate sentence so the differ-ence can be clearly noted. This works with faucets, window coverings, flooring etc. Have the other party ini-tial not only the original work order, but also any changes that take place before work proceeds. With the work order initialed, miscommunication is less likely. Don’t forget to add special notes and details when needed, in-clude a phone number for any ques-tion.

Dear Maintenance Men:I am getting complaints for my resi-

dents that they are not getting hot water or that they need to run the water a long time before getting hot water. I checked the water heater and it is operating prop-erly. What do you think the problem is?

David Dear David:The first thing we would check

is the circulation pump for proper operation. Calcium or hard water


Rental Housing Journal Valley • August 2015 3


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

President, Multifamily Northwest

WHEN: Thursday, August 20, 2015

12:00pm Registration & Putting Contest 1:00pm Shotgun Start

WHERE: Emerald Valley Golf Course

83301 Dale Kuni Road Creswell, OR 97426

WHY: Raise money for the Relief Nursery

The 9th Annual Southern Willamette Valley Charity Golf Tournament

Multifamily NW & the SWV Council Present

This is your chance to make a difference in our community while you enjoy a great day of golf! To

date, Multifamily NW on behalf of its generous members, has raised over $300,000 for local housing

charities. Join us on Thursday, August 20, 2015 at Emerald Valley Golf Course.

Register Now! First-come, first-served basis (Maximum 144 golfers)

Get your registration form and check out golf and sponsorship opportunities at

Multifamilynw.org or email [email protected].

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

Membership Has Its PrivilegesAugust 2015

For a few days in June I had the privilege of attending the NAA

(National Apartment Association) Education Conference and Exposi-tion. This is a four-day annual multi-family industry event held in differ-ent locations each year throughout the United States, drawing partici-pants from around the world! Seven different countries represented in 2015! This year the conference was located in Las Vegas. And it was ex-tremely hot. The “115 degrees” kind of hot! Fortunately, the resort hotels in that city have excellent air condi-tioning to keep you inside, comfort-able, and, of course, “generating rev-

enue” – also referred to as gambling. The conference was a spectacular

event and drew record attendance of more than 9,000 industry profession-als. Education sessions totaled 65 courses offering valuable learning opportunities for those seeking lead-ership skills, information technology, ROI enhancement, marketing, social media strategies, management com-munication, HR, and much more. As with past conferences, it was an amazing event providing excellent opportunity to network with fellow professionals, learn about industry advancements, and view new indus-try products via the largest trade show (870 exhibitors) the multifami-ly world has to offer.

For this month’s article I am focusing upon one of the key bene-fits of membership with Multifamily NW: affiliation with the National Apartment Association (NAA).

As an entity or individual, joining the NAA is only possible through membership with the local rental housing affiliate. Along with the multitude of benefits offered by MFNW such as education, network-ing, board involvement, government affairs, charity events, tradeshows and more, it is important that mem-bers understand how the connection with NAA enhances this platform – offering even further opportunities of professional development and industry support.

So what is the NAA organization and how did it come into existence?

The entity was established over 75 years ago. In 1939, the mission of the association was defined as serv-ing the interests of multifamily prop-erty owners, managers, developers and industry suppliers to promote and maintain the highest levels of professionalism. Prior to this time, the property management industry

was struggling to gain a sense of pro-fessionalism, with many owners and landlords operating without unifor-mity and any established rules of conduct or legal navigation. A pri-mary goal of the association was, and still remains, maintaining the highest level of professionalism in the multifamily housing industry to best serve the rental housing needs of the public.

The NAA represents all sectors of the multifamily housing industry: Property managers, apartment own-ers, management executives, build-ers, developers, investors, leasing professionals, maintenance techs, suppliers and related industry pro-fessionals.

NAA seeks to support and further its mission through a variety of offer-ings to the industry professional. At the forefront is education. As any multifamily industry professional knows, learning, understanding and keeping current with our rapidly evolving world is critical to business survival and essential for success.


Pest Control Addendum M060 OR

This form as become a popular addition to the typical move-in package of forms tenants sign at the beginning of a tenancy. It sets the expectations that tenants will promptly report any pest issues and agree to follow all instruc-tions and treatment proto-col. With this form signed, tenant noncompliance during pest treatments is a violation of the rental agreement. It also disclos-es dangers of introducing uninspected second hand furniture as well as acknowledging that the rental was pest free at move-in.

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It is our goal to maintain the highest quality of living environment for our residents. Owner/Agent has inspected the unit prior tolease and knows of no pest infestation. Residents have an important role in preventing and controlling pests. Good housekeepingwill help control any problem, minimize any infestation, and limit its spread.

Resident acknowledges that all furnishings and other personal property that will be moved into the unit are free from pests.

Resident agrees to avoid and not bring in secondhand goods that have not been thoroughly inspected for the presence of pests.

Resident agrees to promptly report any problems, specifically any signs of pests; and any related maintenance needs. Residentacknowledges that failure to timely report pest problems can substantially increase the kinds, number and costs of treatments.

Owner/Agent may conduct extermination operations in the unit several times a year and as needed to prevent or treat for pestinfestation. Owner/Agent will notify Resident in advance of extermination operations in the unit, and give Resident instructionsfor the preparation of the unit and safe conduct during and after treatment. Resident will be responsible to prepare the unit forextermination treatments in accordance with Owner/Agent’s or the exterminator’s instructions. Resident must request, inwriting, extermination treatments in addition to those regularly provided by Owner/Agent.

Resident agrees to follow the preparation guidelines required by Owner/Agent or the exterminator on the day of interiorextermination treatments to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the extermination operation. If Resident is unprepared onthe scheduled treatment date, Owner/Agent may charge Resident for the service call. Owner/Agent also reserves the right tocharge Resident for necessary extermination services.

Preparation guidelines may include but are not limited to the following:

• Empty and clean all cabinets and drawers in kitchen and bathroom

• Remove all miscellaneous items from floor, clean all closet floors, and remove all items from under beds and/or furniture,allowing as much floor as possible to be accessible to treatment

• Remove pets from the areas to be treated and notify Owner/Agent of their placement

• In most cases, all residents and pets must vacate the unit for 3-4 hours after service

• Remove chain locks or other types of obstruction on day of service

• Cover fish tanks and turn off their air pumps

• Do not wipe cabinets after treatment

Prior to extermination, Resident is solely responsible to notify Owner/Agent, in writing, of any anticipated health or safetyconcerns related to extermination and the use of pesticides.

Resident agrees that violation of any of the terms of this addendum constitutes a material noncompliance with theRental Agreement and is grounds for eviction and/or other legal action by Owner/Agent. Pest control protocol maychange as new research developments occur.

Resident acknowledges that Owner/Agent will not be responsible for damage to, or decontamination of, Resident’spersonal property or for providing temporary accommodations due to Resident’s failure to follow the terms of thisAddendum.

ON SITE RESIDENT MAIN OFFICE (IF REQUIRED)

DATE __________________________________________ PROPERTY NAME / NUMBER ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RESIDENT NAME(S) ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

UNIT NUMBER ___________________________________ STREET ADDRESS ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CITY ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ STATE ___________________________________ ZIP _____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________

RESIDENT DATE RESIDENT DATE

_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________


_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________


_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________

OWNER/AGENT DATE

X X

X X

X X

X

PEST CONTROL ADDENDUM

SAMPLE SAMPLE

SAMPLE SAMPLE SAMPLE SAMPLE



Multifamily NW

Upcoming Educational Opportunities 8/4/2015 Fair Housing for Maintenance

8/5/2015 Landlord Study Hall: Marijuana Regulations, from Medicinal to Recreational

8/6/2015 Forms and Notices 101 (Vancouver)

8/11/2015 Maintenance for New Hires

8/14/2015 It's the Law Lunchtime Series: Time to Part Ways: Terminating the Tenancy

8/18/2015 CAM: Marketing

8/18/2015 MWV Membership BBQ

8/19/2015 New Hire Training: Introduction to the Industry

8/20/2015 9th Annual SWV Charity Golf Tournament

8/25/2015 EPA Lead-Based Paint Renovation Certification 8-Hour

8/26/2015 Strengthening Frontline Skills for Maintenance

8/27/2015 PDX Membership BBQ

9/1/2015 NALP: Why Your Competition Matters

9/3/2015 CAM: Management of Residential Issues

9/8/2015 CAM: Property Maintenance for Managers

9/9/2015 CAM: Human Resource Management Part I



Online Renter ...continued from page 1

What sources do you trust? 2015 TotalFriends, family members or co-workers 74.4%Online ratings / reviews / comments 67.7%Company website 32.6%Ads 11.8%Social media 7.1%

What impacts rental decisions – Top Five [Five point impact scale]

2015 Total

Viewing the actual apartment I can lease 4.58Perception of quality customer service 4.24Ability to pay rent online if no convenience fee 4.18Security, access control features 4.16Ratings/reviews of community 3.99

• 24.4% report rental decisions are impacted by the management company brand name; this means 75.6% of decisions are not impacted by brand name. Therefore communities must focus on service delivery and the resident expe-rience as drive their online reputation.

• 74.4% trust friends and family. At 67.7%, reviews had the second highest “trust” score; sites offering reviews rank high in Google searches so proper-ties must focus on delivering a quality resident experience and leveraging this feedback online. Residents do not trust ads (second to last, 11.8%) or a property’s social media efforts (ranked last, 7.1%).

• 49.7% do not trust websites where most or all reviews are positive. Be-cause negative reviews are as important as positive ones, resist the temptation to cherry pick reviews to post on those sites that permit this.

• Ratings and Reviews • 61% were willing to post positive reviews about their community,

however only 16% have ever been asked by the property; and a majority re-

ported being “very likely” to post comments or reviews online. This reveals an opportunity, however re-member that offering incentives to post reviews violate Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

• Residents have strong feel-ings about properties responding to reviews. 51.7% felt that the staff responding communicates they provide great customer service, and 48.9% felt this shows the staff cares about residents. Only 11.1% said they did not care if the staff re-sponded. Lastly, a majority reported that the staff not responding created a negative impression of the com-munity. Responding presents anoth-er marketing opportunity.

• Social Media • Only 11% reported using social

media a “source” when shopping, and social media earned a low 2.27 score on its impact on rental deci-sions (five point importance scale). Additionally, as noted earlier, resi-dents do not trust social media as a shopping source.

• Renters do not follow commu-nities or management companies on most social media. While 20% reported following a community on Facebook, less than 3% reported following on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.

Key Takeaway #1 - Transparency • Prospects feel empowered and

want transparency so they can make informed decisions. They want to know what it’s really like to live at a community via unfiltered reviews, to tour actual vacant apartments they can lease, and they don’t trust marketing, ads or social media.

Key Takeaway #2 - The Basics • Success continues to have its

foundation in the basics. And the basics are more critical than ever due to their impact on satisfaction with the resident experience and a property’s online reputation.

Doug Miller is founder and presi-dent of SatisFacts Research. Prior to creating his own businesses in 1996,

starting in the late 1980's Miller was Director of Marketing for several

national and regional property man-agement firms. Miller received his

B.S.B.A from Washington University (St. Louis) and his M.B.A. from The American University. Doug can be

contacted at [email protected].


VALLEY

and the resident experience, perceived quality customer service and unfil-tered reviews were rated second and fifth, respectively.



Bed Bugs ...continued from page 1

also provide guidelines for new ten-ants on prevention tactics, such as not bringing in used furniture and carefully inspecting luggage after a trip.

Respond EffectivelyWhen responding to a tenant’s

complaint of an infestation, follow these guidelines:

• Respond with empathy and un-derstanding for the person mak-ing the complaint. Bed bugs can cause fear and hysteria, so a little kindness and compassion can go a long way when speaking with the person who reported seeing bed bugs.

• Promptly inspect the areas in question, especially beds and areas where luggage might be stored. Look for the bugs them-selves, their shed skins or dark spots on sheets, bedding, walls, electric outlets, etc., as this may be an indication of bed bug fecal remains.

• Contact your pest management company. The sooner the problem is eradicated, the better. Make certain that whoever you use to treat the problem has a great deal of experience in bed bug eradi-cation and offers a warranty for their work.

• Schedule a follow-up pest con-trol or K-9 inspection after the treatment has been completed to confirm all bed bugs have been eliminated.

• Document all actions taken.Bed bugs are not something to

mess around with, especially as a landlord. Nothing will cause resi-dents to scatter and new tenants to avoid your property like the plague like a report of bed bugs. That’s why it is important to be proactive in pre-venting an infestation and in responding to a tenant’s report of bed bugs.

Chuck Nelson is the owner of Dog Inspectors, the first company in

Tennessee to utilize trained, certified detection dogs to find bed bugs in commercial and residential build-

ings. For more information about the company's services, visit www.doginspectors.com.

FEATURING:Dr. Ivan JosephThe Skill of Self-Confi dence

With a Ph.D. in sports psychology, Ivan Joseph shares studies that apply in business and life. He put these

studies to use in his work – he coached at the World Championships and took a collegiate soccer team from a losing record to the National Championship

in just 5 years.

16083 Upper Boones Ferry Road, Suite 105 Tigard, Oregon 97224

Property Management Industry Educational Conference & Trade ShowSeptember 24, 2015

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Fair HousingLandlord Tenant Law

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Advertise in Rental Housing Journal METRO

Circulated to over 20,000 Apartment

owners, On-site, and maintenance personnel

monthly.





Closing the sale is of utmost importance in turning pro-spective renters into new

residents for your apartment com-munity. It would be the equivalent of “setting the hook” for those who are trying to catch a fish. In each case, the prospect and the fish are trying to “get away” without committing to a home or a hook, while your job is try-ing to get both of them to BITE!

Building owners and management companies want to know:

What can we do to get our leasing staffs to close the sale? Even when we authorize incentives and rent specials to give them additional tools to work with, they still aren’t asking for the sale. What else can we do?

Even with incentives and promo-tions, the leasing people are still ultimately responsible for closing the sale. Very few clients will whip out their debit cards and say, “I’ll take it!” Most people who are not forced into making a buying decision will delay making one. They will contin-ue to weigh all their options, and there are LOTS to consider!

I believe that the number one rea-son that leasing people are not con-verting more prospective renters into residents is because they stop short of asking for the sale. They are not “setting the hook.” They do a sensa-tional job of presenting their product

and explaining the application pro-cess, which I would refer to as “put-ting the ‘bait’ out there.” However, when they get a buying signal (A BITE!!) they do not recognize it for what it is, and then let the prospect get away.

Here is what it looks like on a shop-ping report:

After an outstanding presenta-tion, the leasing consultant asked if I thought the apartment would work for me. (bait) I responded with great enthusiasm, “I love it! It’s perfect!” (bite) She said, “That’s great. All you have to do if you want this apart-ment is fill out an application form and leave a $250 deposit. We can process your application within 24 hours. I’ll get you an application to take home with you. Then you can fill it out and bring it back if you decide you want the apartment.” (letting the fish off the hook) I agreed to take the application form and thanked her for her time. (fish swimming away) She thanked me for coming by and closed with, “I hope to hear from you soon.” (watches fish swim away and won-ders how that fish got off the hook . . . )

Relaying information about rental requirements is not the same thing as ASKING for the sale. I firmly believe that many leasing consultants hon-

estly think that they are closing the sale by describing the application process if someone is interested in renting, rather than coming right out and asking that person to rent. Remember: In order to get a commit-ment, you have to ask for one. Asking for the rental sounds something like this:

After an outstanding presenta-tion, the leasing consultant asked if I thought the apartment would work for me. (bait) I responded with great enthusiasm, “I love it! It’s perfect!” (bite) She said, “That’s great. Let’s go back to the office and I’ll get you started on the application.” (setting the hook) I told her I wasn’t ready to do that just yet because I had a cou-ple more places to look first. She reminded me how much I loved the vaulted ceilings and the spacious kitchen, and I had to agree. When we got back to the office she handed me the application form and a pen. She said, “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I’ll get you something cold to drink while you start filling out the application.” (reeling in the fish) She returned with my soft

drink and said, “I’ll need two separate checks: One for the deposit and the other for the application fee. Make the first one out to…” (having fish for dinner tonight)

Some of the most exciting, yet

discouraging stories shared among fishermen (and women!) are about the “ones that got away.” Do you want to tell leasing stories about the clients who “drove away” or about those who rented and decided to stay?

Remember: It's much easier to reel in a fish on a hook, than one that is swimming away…

If you are interested in leasing training or have a question or con-cern that you would like to see addressed, please reach out to me via e-mail. Otherwise, please contact Jancyn 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 Shops

E-mail: [email protected] Joyce (Kirby) Bica

If you are interested in leasing train-ing or have a question or concern that you would like to see addressed, please reach out to me via e-mail. Otherwise,

please contact Jancyn for your employee evaluation needs: www.jancyn.com

Copyright Joyce (Kirby) Bica


VALLEY

sk the Secret Shopper

Dear Maintenance Men: ...continued from page 2

deposits in the water heater and lines may also aggravate this prob-lem. The circulation pump’s job is to bring hot water to all the units at the same time. When the pump is not working or is clogged; the hot water will take much longer to get to the units furthest away from the heater. The first step is to determine if the pump is working. The pump is nor-mally found next to the water-heater. Check that the motor is plugged into an electrical outlet. Next, touch the water lines on either side of the pump and determine the temperature. If it is working properly, the lines should be warm or cool to the touch, not

hot. If the pipes are hot or very hot to the touch, the pump is not working properly. If the pump does not spin when plugged in, it may need to be replaced. If the pump motor is work-ing, the pump may be clogged with debris. Remove the pump and clear out the lines. Pay special attention to the line between the pump and the water heater. The pump tends to impact this section of the water line due to calcium buildups in the water heater tank. While you have things apart, this is a good time to clean out the tank deposits, which may be contributing to the slow hot water is-sue. Water heater clean outs should

be done at least once a year. If you live in a hard water area, adding a water softener to the incoming cold water line will greatly improve cal-cium and hard water buildups in the

water tank. Plumbing Joke: So there was a neurosurgeon

who called a plumber for a house

visit. The plumber arrived and after spending an hour bestowed the neu-rosurgeon a bill of $500. The surgeon was stunned; he said, “Even I don’t charge this much after a surgery.” The plumber stood up, gave him a sly look and said, “Well, that is why I am a plumber now; I used to be a neurosurgeon.”

Please call: Buffalo Maintenance, Inc for maintenance work or consultation.

JLE Property Management, 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.comwww.ContactJLE.com

www.Facebook.com/BuffaloMaintenance

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Membership...continued from page 3

NAA offers a variety of educa-tion, training and recruitment pro-grams to attract, nurture and retain top-quality professionals. Understanding that the key to future success of our

industry is dependent upon drawing and developing young tal-ent today, NAA established the NAAEI (NAA Education Institute).

For anyone seeking proficiency in specific area of multifamily housing management, NAAEI offers desig-nation programs. Each course is annually reviewed and updated to ensure material is accurate and time-ly. Courses are delivered through the local affiliate such as MFNW mini-mizing travel challenges and saving time. Many are available as on-line courses.

Current NAAEI designation pro-grams include the following:

• Certified Apartment Manager (CAM)

• National Apartment Leasing Professional (NALP)

• Certificate for Apartment Main-tenance Technicians (CAMT)

• Certified Apartment Supplier (CAS)

• Certified Apartment Portfolio Supervisor (CAPS)

• Independent Rental Owner Pro-fessional (IROP)

In addition to these designations, NAA offers a course in advanced Fair Housing providing real-life situ-

ations that encourage critical think-ing, careful decision making and method coaching to prevent expen-sive mistakes. In conjunction with the National Affordable Housing Management Association, NAAEI offers the Specialist in Housing Credit Management (SHCM) and the Credential for Green Property Management (CGPM).

Leadership training is offered through Leadership Lyceum, a year-long curriculum to develop highly motivated, engaged and well-informed volunteer leaders. This prepares candidates who are track-ing to serve and chair NAA commit-tees and task force committees and eventual NAA Board positions.

Legislative decisions have major impact upon how our industry oper-ates and how we protect our inter-ests and those of our clients, employ-ees and customers. Along with edu-cation programs, NAA also provides an excellent opportunity to become involved with local and national government affairs.

The NAA Capitol Hill Conference is held annually in Washington D.C. In March, I joined MFNW Executive Director Deborah Imse to attend this event. The conference affords a rare opportunity to meet our local mem-bers of congress and directly advo-cate on behalf of our industry, focus-ing on state and federal issues- including such issues as tax reform, housing finance and immigration laws. Education sessions are provid-

ed in advance to help understand and gain knowledge for advocating prior to visiting congress and senate members. The NAA staff conducts legislative tracking in all 50 states and provides members with expert insight into the industry’s most vital policy topics and trends. The associ-ation can also assist members on a local level by managing policy issue campaigns and developing advoca-cy strategies.

I have touched upon just a few of the benefits offered to the multifam-ily professional through NAA. Speaking from my experience with both NAA and Multifamily NW, I

would encourage any and every multifamily industry professional - management, leasing, maintenance, supplier, owner or other affiliate –to seek out and fully explore ALL that these associations can provide. The investment is well worth the effort and the potential dividends are immeasurable! To have such resourc-es available provides an amazing opportunity to nurture and enhance professional and personal develop-ment. As an old ad campaign used to say: membership has its privileges. Take advantage of all that yours has to offer!


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valley rental housing journal august 2015

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