Landlord Times - May 2013

Tax reform must be comprehen-
sive and take special care not to

harm the thousands of businesses
involved in multifamily real estate
nor the 35 million Americans who
call an apartment home. This was
the focus of testimony by the National
Multi Housing Council (NMHC)
and the National Apartment
Association (NAA) before the House
Committee on Ways and Means
recently.
Representing NMHC and NAA,
Thomas Moran, Chairman and
Managing Partner of Moran &
Company, testified on the need to
meet the housing needs of what the
Harvard Joint Center for Housing
Studies research suggests is up to
seven million new renter households
this decade.
Not long ago, it was common to
smell cigarette smoke in Washington
workplaces and restaurants. But
with mounting evidence that sec-
ondhand smoke causes disease and
death, and the passage of
Washingtons smoke-free indoor air
law, people have come to expect
clean air where they work and live.
Secondhand smoke can cause
heart attacks, lung cancer, and trig-
ger longer and more severe asthma
attacks in children. It is responsible
for an estimated 49,400 deaths among
non-smoking adults in the U.S. each
year. Yet the home remains one of
the most common places where peo-
ple continue to be exposedoften
due to secondhand smoke drifting
from a neighboring unit or patio.
Today, no-smoking rules are
becoming the norm. In fact, ninety-
two percent of Washington renters
prefer smoke-free housing. Over the
last 10 years, thousands of rental
properties across Washington and
the nation have gone smoke-free.
The trend reflects the benefits of
reduced cleaning and turnover costs,
fire and property damage preven-
tion, and cleaner, healthier residenc-
es.
The key to successfully imple-
menting a no-smoking rule is clear
and consistent enforcement. Taking
the rule seriously from the start, and
ensuring that it applies equally to all
residents, will send a clear message
that smoking is not allowed.
Clearing the Air: Best Practices for
Enforcing Smoke-free Rules
Continued on page 9
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SEATTLE TACOMA OLYMPIA EVERETT
ON-SITEPublished 22 Years
May 2013
www.TheLandlordTimes.com
Vol. 22 Issue 5
17,000 PAPERS MAILED MONTHLY TO PUGET SOUND APARTMENT OWNERS, PROPERTY MANAGERS & MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL
Published in association with: Washington Apartment Association, IREM & Washington Multifamily Housing Association
Professional Publishing, Inc
Continued on page 5
Page 16
Institute of
Real Estate
Management
Page 14
OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION
RENEWS FUNDING FOR...
IREM AND CCIM TAKE
KEY COMMERCIAL REAL
ESTATE ISSUES TO...
APARTMENTS. WE LIVE
HERE. WE WORK HERE.
WE SPEND HERE.
Washington
Apartment
Association
Chapter 27
Page 6
Apartment Insights 1st quarter
results show the Pierce and Kitsap
rental markets rebounding, but the
Kitsap market continuing to weaken
according to Tom Cain of Apartment
Insights. The data are from his Seattle
firms statistics and trends on 50+
unit properties in Pierce, Kitsap and
Thurston counties.
VACANCY: 6.24%
The market vacancy for conven-
tional, stabilized 50+ unit properties
in all three counties is 6.24%, down
slightly from 6.6% last quarter. The
vacancy rate was 6.72% a year ago.
The vacancy rate for all properties
including those in lease-up is 6.97%,
down from 7.68% in the fourth quar-
ter.
Pierce: 5.69%
Pierce County's vacancy rate of
5.69% is an improvement over the
6.55% rate last quarter. A year ago it
was 6.41%.
Pierce and Thurston Markets
Strengthen; Kitsap Declines
Continued on page 3
Apartment
Industry
Outlines Tax
Reform
Principles for
Congress
2 On-Site Northwest May 2013
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University Place/Fircrest at 4.86%
has the lowest vacancy rate among
the seven submarkets in Pierce. The
Tacoma South submarket is the high-
est at 6.58% vacancy.
Kitsap: 10.12%
The market has continued to dete-
riorate in Kitsap County with the
vacancy rate climbing from 7.34% to
10.12% this quarter. A year ago the
vacancy rate was 8.35%.
Bremerton saw its vacancy rate
climb 600 basis points to 14.46%.
Port Orchard actually saw its vacan-
cy rate improve for the second
straight quarter. It stands at 5.64%,
and has the lowest vacancy rate of
the four Kitsap submarkets.
Thurston: 5.42%
Thurston County's vacancy rate
dropped to 5.42% from 6.21%.
It's been two years since a sub-
market in Thurston was below 5%
vacant. This quarter the vacancy rate
fell to 4.84% in Tumwater. Olympia
has the highest rate at 6.05%.
RENTAL INCENTIVES
Pierce: $22 per Month (2.61%)
Kitsap: $35 per Month (4.02%)
Thurston: $16 per Month (1.9%)
The overall rate for rental incen-
tives for the three-county area is
2.71%, down from 3.42% in the pre-
vious quarter. Thurston had a
remarkable reduction in incentives,
plunging to $16 from $41 in the
fourth quarter.
Forty percent of the properties in
the three-county area are offering
incentives, down from 46% in the
fourth quarter.
RENTS: $854
Average rents for the overall mar-
ket bumped up $2 to $854. Rents
have been flat since 2Q 2011.
Pierce: $843 per Month
$0.99 per Square Foot
Kitsap: $895 per Month
Thurston: $843 per Month
Rents fell $9 per month in Kitsap,
and increased $2 in Pierce and $4 in
Thurston.
NEW CONSTRUCTION
There are 841 units under con-
struction in the three-county area,
most of which are in Pierce. There
are 560 units that have completed
the design review process, and
another 2,910 units that are in the
earlier stages of the construction
pipeline.
Construction has recently started
on Phase II of The Outlook in
Graham, featured in the photo.
Managed by Riverstone Residential,
the 92-unit addition is scheduled to
be completed in September, 2013.
OBSERVATIONS
Each of the three counties experi-
enced significant change this quar-
ter. Buoyed by an improving econo-
my and returning troops, the vacan-
cy rate dropped from 6.55% to 5.69%
in Pierce and 6.21% to 5.42% in
Thurston. Although there wasn't
much upward movement in rents,
the dollar value of rental incentives
declined, and there were fewer prop-
erties offering them.
Conversely, the market in Kitsap
continued to falter this quarter as a
result of U.S. Navy ship deploy-
ment. Rents dropped and the vacan-
cy rate climbed to 10.12%.
Tom Cain of Apartment Insights
Washington is a member of the non-
profit Central Puget Sound Real Estate
Research Committee in charge of pro-
viding apartment rent and vacancy data.
Tom has been a member of the Committee
for over 25 years, and has been research-
ing apartment market trends in the
Seattle area since 1978. His company
surveys the five counties in Central and
South Puget Sound.
This article highlights survey results
that subscribers can access from an
online database of all 50u+ properties.
Apartment Insights also provides cus-
tomized rent reports and market reports.
www.apartmentinsightswa.com 206-
632-2220
On-Site Northwest May 2013 3
Pierce ...continued from front page
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Spring is here! Do we welcome
and expect everything to fall into
place or do we prepare for our resi-
dents and protect our asset.
Margo Manager - Dana, our
phone traffic at the property has
been great, We have been setting
appointments like crazy. The prob-
lem, no one is showing up for the
appointments to tour.
Dana: Margo Manager, When
was the last time that you walked
your property? I would guess it has
been awhile!
MM: Dana, it has been awhile, I
have been very busy and I depend
on my team to ensure everything
looks great.
D: Margo Manager, really, What
Were You Thinking? As Manager, it
is one of your responsibilities to
walk you site, preferably weekly, as
a lot can change in a week. The
appointments are being missed
probably as a result of driving onto
the property and not receiving a
GREAT First Impression!
Every season brings a list of items
that need to be prepared for and
reviewed with your teams. Margo,
this is a great training tool to do
every quarter with your team, main-
tenance and office staff. I suggest
making a checklist for your team;
this is a teachable moment and an
opportunity to set clear expectations.
Your community should be crisp
and clean, look great to your pro-
spective & current residents. Resi-
dents should also feel confident that
you can handle any situations.
Here is my check list:
1. Preventative Maintenance Take
care of any property issues before
they become a BIG property issue
and expense
2. Landscaping
a. Broken sprinkler heads Cost
money
b. Water main breaks what to
look for in financials and property
c. Over grown during winter, lia-
bility issues what do they look
like
d. Moss -
3. Curb appeal
a. Painted red & Yellow curbs
Nothing worse than chipping
paint
b. Dead flowers removed Is this
how we take care of our property,
drive bys think so!
c. Balloon string removed from
A-Boards What does this say
about us???? Lazy
4. Pool
a. What to do to get ready to open
your pool for the season
b. Pool Furniture Remember, it
has been sitting for a year
5. Office
a. Brighten up to match the season
b. Do a spring clean it makes a
difference to you and customers
6. Property Walk
a. Tour Route
b. Models
c. Globes free of cob webs and dirt
d. Trash receptacle areas
Here is a list to get you started
and add to the list.
MM: Dana, you are right. We
sometimes just get busy in our daily
operations and we forget to review
the things that are so important for
us to do our jobs and represent the
property and company in a profes-
sional manner.
D: Thank you Margo Manager,
now you can get some expert ideas
from Zach, this is just part of what
he teaches his teams to be successful
and limit liability on many levels.
Zach, what is your check list?
Z: I believe in being proactive
rather than reactive. If you can pre-
vent fires from happening, then you
will waste less time fighting fires. So,
how do we prevent the proverbial
fires from starting? Two words: Pre-
ventative Maintenance. A solid PM
program should be seasonally based.
In the Summer months our proper-
ties are used differently than in the
Winter. So being that Summer is
coming lets look at a proper Sum-
mer PM checklist and its benefits.
Obviously, if you have a pool then
Memorial Day is the deadline for
getting it in line. As for the other
items, sometimes they can slip your
mind as your focus turns to the out-
doors. Remember your HVAC sys-
tems are going to be ramped up and
at the least filters should be changed.
Ideally, an annual preventative main-
tenance schedule should be imple-
mented on these larger components
to ensure proper functionality and to
extend the life of the component.
By Dana Brown and Zach Howell
What Were You Thinking Moments!
DZ &
DANABROWN AND ZACH HOWELL
Continued on page 9
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The following guidelines will help
establish your no-smoking rule:
Write the policy into your lease.
Make sure all current and new
residents know where smoking is
and is not allowed, and that the
rule also applies to their guests.
Advertise your property as no
smoking. Research shows that
many renters are even willing to
pay more for smoke-free housing.
Tell prospective residents that the
building is smoke-free before they
apply for an apartment, and
remind them as they move in.
Post signs that clearly identify the
smoke-free areas on your proper-
ty.
Offer support to help residents quit
smoking. Research shows that
smoke-free housing can help resi-
dents quit. Useful tools are avail-
able at www.SmokeFreeWashing
ton.com.
Property managers, owners and
residents can work together to estab-
lish smoke-free housing. When you
visit the property, ask residents if
they are happy with the rules, and
take note of anything that might
indicate smoking, like cigarette butts
or ashtrays for example.
If you learn that a resident is
smoking, enforce the rule like any
other. Consider having a friendly
face-to-face chat to remind them that
they live in a smoke-free property. If
there is a second incident, follow up
with a nice but firm warning letter
that outlines the next steps.
Damage like burn holes, stains
and carpet odors are expensive to
clean when a resident moves out.
Some vendors charge more for car-
pet cleaning or painting due to smoke
damage. You may want to use a third
party vendor to verify smoke dam-
age and note the charges on the resi-
dents move-out security deposit
statement.
Free resources, including an online
guide to going smoke-free, are avail-
able at www.SmokeFreeWashington.
com. Visit the site to read stories
from other landlords, and to find
tools to help you with the process.
Ultimately, going smoke-free is a
win-win for you and your residents.
One year after my company went
smoke-free, an independent resident
survey found that nearly three-quar-
ters of all residents were happy with
the policyand 43 percent of resi-
dents who smoked even reported
smoking less!
Smoke-free housing can promote
better business and, ultimately, bet-
ter health. Going smoke-free is the
perfect way to protect your bottom
line and do the right thing for resi-
dents and staff.
Amanda Clark is a senior portfolio
manager with Guardian Management
LLC, a division of Guardian Real Estate
Services in Portland, Oregon that man-
ages 280 properties in 7 states. www.
gres.com
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Clearing ...continued from front page
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ton will help you to identfy and discuss essental issues related to green
features of real estate you manage, provide advice and counsel on the
benets of building and managing Green. The program oers 30 hours
of contnuing educaton credit for real estate licensees, and all graduates
have the right to display the certcaton on their business cards and mar-
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President Barry Blanton VP Finance Mark Grey Past President Faye Crow VP Membership Glen Bachman VP Communications Christy Mays
INSTITUTE OF REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT
IREM and CCIM Take Key
Commercial Real Estate Issues to Capitol Hill
Some 320 members of the Institute
of Real Estate Management (IREM)
and the CCIM Institute recently vis-
ited Capitol Hill to raise awareness
of key issues affecting the commer-
cial real estate industry. IREM and
CCIM Members representing 28
states and the District of Columbia
held 240 meetings with their respec-
tive senators, representatives and
their staffs to raise awareness of the
industrys legislative positions on:
Carried Interest
Internet Sales Tax Fairness
Lead Paint in Commercial
Buildings
CARRIED INTEREST
Issue Highlights: A carried inter-
est is designed to act as an incentive
for a general partner to maintain and
enhance the value of a given real
estate property so that the operation
of the property is a value-added
proposition. The carried interest of
the general partner(s) historically has
been taxed at capital gains rates, just
as the limited partners gains are
taxed at capital gains rates.
IREM and CCIM Position: IREM
and CCIM Institute oppose any pro-
posal that would eliminate capital
gains treatment for any carried inter-
est of a real estate partnership.
Action Urged: IREM and CCIM
Institute urge Congress to oppose an
increase to the tax treatment of carried
interest for real estate partnerships. The
real estate sector continues to recover
from a devastating recession. Making
changes that would further hinder the
flow of capital into real estate markets
will prolong the weakening of our econo-
my.
INTERNET SALES TAX
FAIRNESS
Issue Highlights: Under current
law, purchases made online are sub-
ject to sales tax through what is
known as a use tax. Consumers who
live in states with a sales tax are
legally obligated to report and pay
sales taxes on ALL purchases made
online, although the majority of them
are unaware of this obligation, and
very few pay this sales tax.
Conversely, brick and mortar retail-
ers are required by law to collect the
tax on behalf of the state. This ineq-
uity is putting some stores out of
businesses because online retailers
are not paying the same rate in
taxes.
and CCIM support consistent state/
local sales/use taxes for economical-
ly equivalent transactions in the state
or locality in which the goods are
delivered. IREM and CCIM support
a level playing field for local in-store
retailers and remote merchants
(including Internet merchants). IREM
and CCIM believe that local and
state governments should enforce
existing taxes rather than create new
240 Meetings with Legislators from 28 States Focus on Carried Interest,
Internet Sales Tax Fairness, and Lead Paint in Commercial Buildings
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Continued on page 7
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ones. IREM and CCIM firmly oppose
any new programs that would
impose taxes on the cost of such ser-
vices, such as fees and other costs
associated with the purchase and
ownership of real estate.
Institute urge Congress to support H.R.
684 and S.336 to modernize our nations
tax policy and provide equity between
online and brick-and-mortar retailers.
LEAD PAINT IN COMMERCIAL
BUILDINGS
Issue Highlights: The Toxic
Substance Control Act includes a
provision that requires the EPA to
create and implement guidelines for
renovation activities that may create
a risk of lead exposure in public and
commercial buildings constructed
before 1978. After being subjected to
lawsuits about the EPA focusing only
on residential properties, the EPA is
now working on the commercial
issue.
and CCIM support broad regulatory
reform such as that pursued by
Congress and the concept of greater
accountability of agency rule makers
to elected officials. As well, both
organizations support a viable sub-
stitute to the legislative veto consid-
ered unconstitutional by the Supreme
Court and also endorse the need to
shift the burden of proof in justifying
agency regulations toward the agen-
cy.
Institute urge Members of Congress
to be increasingly aware of capri-
cious rule-making. As well, the orga-
nizations and are now working to
identify senators and congressmen
willing to issue a letter asking the
EPA to ensure that it has identified
an actual hazard and its target popu-
lation before proceeding with any
such regulation.
ABOUT THE CCIM INSTITUTE
The CCIM Institute is an affiliate of the
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of
Realtors, (NAR). The Institute confers
the Certified Commercial Investment
Member (CCIM) designation through an
extensive curriculum and experiential
requirements. The CCIM designation was
established in 1969 and is recognized as
the mark of professionalism and knowledge
in commercial investment real estate.
Membership includes qualified profes-
sionals in all disciplines of commercial
investment real estate, including brokers,
leasing professionals, investment counsel-
ors, asset managers, appraisers, corporate
real estate executives, property managers,
developers, institutional investors, com-
mercial lenders, attorneys, bankers, and
other allied professionals. Of the approxi-
mately 125,000 commercial real estate prac-
titioners nationwide, 9,000 currently hold
the CCIM designation, with an additional
6,000 candidates pursuing the designation.
Founded upon the principles of educa-
tion, networking, and ethical practice, the
CCIM Institute, as an affiliate of the 1.2
mi l l i on-member NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION of Realtors, helps shape
policy and legislation affecting the indus-
try and safeguards the interests of com-
mercial investment real estate practitio-
ners.
ON-SITE
IREM ...continued from page 6
1/8 Page
47/8 x 3 5/8 bw
On-Site3a
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STAFF
Dear Maintenance Men:
My tenant has a toilet that has little
cracks in various places. It has
small cracks, but no leakage. I
looked online and they said you
could epoxy it or replace it...but
you must do something. How can
you tell what will work? What
would be the best thing? Also, do
toilets just crack over time? (I read
your column every time! That and
the Legal Corner one.)
Kristina
Dear Kristina:
Our first thought is that the toilet is not
on level ground. It might not rock, but
it may have pressure points between the
floor and the bottom of the toilet or the
between the sewer ring and the toilet.
Toilets do not typically crack by them-
selves. They are either abused by the
tenant or the installation is poor. (Some-
times both!) We would recommend
replacing the toilet and doing a bit of
sub-floor work to determine what is
causing pressure on the toilet. Epoxy is
a short-term fix without repairing the
cause of the cracks. Being a rental, you
do not want the toilet breaking dramati-
cally while in use! This would not only
be a liability for you, but could cause
water damage to your property.
We have been reviewing our safety
procedures and have decided to
make a safety checklist to help
avoid a possible disaster in the
future. What is your opinion of
earthquake safety measures such as
auto shut-off gas meters, water
heater strapping and the seismic
retrofitting of older buildings?
Where can I find information about
protecting my property in a disas-
ter? Where would I find a contrac-
tor who specializes in seismic
retrofitting?
John
Dear John:
Seismic shut-off gas valves are a very
good addition to your safety list. There
are several manufactures and a wide
price range depending on the size of
your gas pipe. A simple web search will
give you many companies to choose
from or call a licensed plumber. Water
heater earthquake straps are a must. If
you are handy, your local hardware
store supplies straps, they are inexpen-
sive and easy to install.
Before you start any seismic retrofitting
for your building, we recommend talk-
ing to your local building department
for building code information, and it is a
good idea to consult with a structural
engineer.
The following publications will provide
you with most of the information you
will need to make an informed decision:
1- The Homeowners Guide to Earth-
quake Safety. Written and compiled
by the California Seismic Safety Com-
mission in Sacramento. Phone: (916)
263-5506.
2- Introduction to Earthquake Retrofit-
ting, 80 page illustrated book from
the Building Education Center in
Berkeley, CA. Phone: (510) 525-
7610.
3- Damage Control booklet. Simpson
Strong Tie Products for earthquake
resistant construction. You can pick
up a copy at any hardware store or
home improvement center.
Your local apartment association should
have earthquake information handy for
you. They should also be able to lead you
to a contractor that specializes in seis-
mic retrofitting.
I have a unit that has pocket doors
between the kitchen and living
room and also between the hallway
and the living room. The door has
fallen off its track and no matter
what I do; I cant get it to work
properly. How do I fix this prob-
lem?
Jack
Dear Jack:
Pocket doors a love/hate relationship.
We love them because they are an effi-
cient use space, but when they go bad,
we hate them. Pocket doors by their
nature are very secretive and getting to
their internal working parts is almost
impossible. Pocket doors operate very
similarly to sliding closet doors. The
door has a set of rollers that attach to a
track above the door. Typically what
goes wrong is that either a roller bracket
has come loose or one of the rollers has
broken. Unlike a sliding closet door, the
pocket door cannot easily be angled
away from the track and removed. The
only way to extract the pocket door is to
remove the casing around the door open-
ing and the vertical jamb on the side
where the door that goes into the wall.
The door can than be tipped out and
removed. This is not easy, as sometimes
the top jamb must be removed first
depending on original installation. A
second method is to make a four-inch
hole in the wall in line with the track.
This will allow access for your hand and
a tool for repairs. Every door is differ-
ent; a close inspection of the hardware
should help determine which side of the
wall to open. The most common problem
with pocket doors is the screws holding
the roller brackets becoming loose and
getting out of adjustment. Replace the
screws with a larger more aggressive
thread pattern and try to use new holes
if possible. Lastly, check that there are
no nails or screws protruding through
the drywall into the pocket door; check
for hanging picture frames or other dec-
orations.
An alternative if the pocket door is not a
critical use door. Using jamb or casing
material, seal in the pocket door in the
wall. In other words, abandon the pocket
door, seal and paint the repair, call it a
day.

QUESTIONS? QUESTIONS?
QUESTIONS?
We need more Maintenance
Questions!!!
To see your maintenance question in the
Dear Maintenance Men: column,
please send submission to:
Questions@BuffaloMaintenance.com
Please Like us on Facebook.com/
BuffaloMaintenance
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 LEcuyer at 714 778-0480
CA contractor lic: #797645, EPA
Real Estate lic. #: 01216720
Certified Renovation Company
Websites: www.BuffaloMaintenance.
com & www.ContactJLE.com
www.Facebook.com/
BuffaloMaintenance
By Jerry L'Ecuyer & Frank Alvarez
ON-SITE
Like many other small business-
es, the apartment industry has a
considerable stake in tax reform. In
addition, we provide homes for mil-
lions of Americans covering the
entire socioeconomic spectrum," said
Moran. "An estimated 300,000 to
400,000 units a year must be built to
meet expected demand; yet just
158,000 apartments were delivered
in 2012 not enough to even replace
the units lost every year to demoli-
tion and obsolescence."
To meet the ongoing demand for
rental housing, the apartment indus-
try asks Congress to:
Ensure that tax reform is compre-
hensive and does not reduce cor-
porate taxes at the expense of small
businesses.
Maintain the current treatment of
carried interest to help offset the
considerable financial risks in real
estate.
Retain the 100 percent deduction
for business interest.
Protect the Low-Income Housing
Tax Credit program, which is
responsible for more than 2.4 mil-
lion affordable apartment homes.
Respect the estate tax legislation
enacted as part of the American
Relief Act of 2012.
Modify the section 179D Energy
Efficient Commercial Buildings
Tax Deduction to enable more
properties to qualify for the incen-
tive.
The apartment industry builds
vibrant communities by offering
housing choice, supporting local
small businesses, creating millions of
jobs and contributing to the fabric of
communities across the country. In
fact, apartment homes and our 35
million residents contribute $1.1 tril-
lion annually to the economy and
help support nearly 26 million jobs,
Moran added.
For more than 20 years, the National
Apartment Association (NAA) and the
National Multi Housing Council
(NMHC) have partnered on behalf of
Americas apartment industry. Drawing
on the knowledge and policy expertise of
staff in Washington, D.C., as well as the
advocacy power of 170 NAA state and
local affiliated associations, NAA and
NMHC provide a single voice for devel-
opers, owners and operators of multi-
family rental housing. Apartments and
their 35 million residents support more
than 25 million jobs and contribute $1.1
trillion to the economy. To learn more
about apartments, visit www.weareapart-
ments.org. For more information, con-
tact:
NMHC at (202) 974-2300 or
info@nmhc.org or www.nmhc.org.
NAA at (703) 797-0616 or
carole@naahq.org or www.naahq.org/
governmentaffairs.
Apartment ...continued from front page
ON-SITE
The next big one is irrigation.
Whether its your maintenance staff
or your landscaper, a full irrigation
test and inspection should be done
to ensure that heads are present and
pointed in the proper direction.
Dont forget about the annual
items either, such as; gutters, drain-
age, crawl spaces, moss growth and
curb appeal preparation. With
regard to curb appeal, I agree with
Danas point -- curbs painted, water
features working, new bark in the
beds, and flowers popping will bring
in new perspective residents. Dont
forget this is the prime leasing sea-
son too.
Lastly, take a walk around the
areas that you dont normally go,
but children will find as the sun
comes out and they have more time
to explore. Behind buildings and on
the edges of our sites there are
always hazards that residents and
their children can find and possibly
hurt themselves. That is why we
have to find them first and take care
of them now. Remember that as
property managers, we are responsi-
ble for the preservation of the asset
physically and financially, but it is
also our responsibility to decrease
potential liability and possible future
legal issues. This is why preventa-
tive maintenance programs are
important to do at least twice a year
as the major seasons turn. Take a
couple hours do a proper inspection,
take care of the outstanding issues
stop a future fire and enjoy the sun-
shine.
D & Z ...continued from page 4
Advertise in the
Landlord Times - Onsite
Circulated to over 17,000
Apartment owners,
On-site,
and Maintenance
personnel monthly.
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ualifying prospective renters
can seem especially chal-
lenging when you must establish
their eligibility to rent based upon
income. While it is necessary to
determine if callers and visitors can
qualify to rent at your community,
coming right out and asking some-
one for their annual income can be
perceived as an invasion of privacy.
(Would you like a total stranger to
ask: How much money do YOU
make?) Recently the following ques-
tion on this subject came up:
Q: We are a tax credit property
with certain income restrictions, but
not everyone who calls or stops by is
aware of this. I try to find out about
monthly or annual income right
away because I dont want to waste
their time or mine. However, I am
getting the impression that people
are embarrassed or put off by my
line of questioning. Whats the best
way of figuring out if people are
income-qualified without offending
them?
A: Whether your community has
income restrictions or not, every
community has a set standard or
policy for qualifying prospective
renters based on their income.
Whether someone must make three
times the monthly rental rate or make
no more than a specific amount
annually, everyone who applies to
rent must qualify financially in
some way. As such, there is no need
to treat anyone differently or label
someone as unqualified. Its all a
matter of using effective communi-
cation so that everyone will under-
stand what the criteria is to qualify at
your community. Rather than say-
ing, I need to know how much
money you make, you could take
another approach. Perhaps after you
have established a rapport with the
phone caller or visitor you could say
something like this: I need to let
you know that our community has
certain income restrictions, based
upon the number of people in your
family. For a household of four, your
income may not exceed $32,000. Does
this work for you and your family?
By offering the qualifying criteria
up front, you are helping each pro-
spective renter make an informed
decision about their eligibility to rent
at your community. In addition, you
are showing respect and consider-
ation for their privacy, as well as
preserving their dignity. Would you
want to be treated any differently?
If you have a question or concern
that you would like to see addressed
next month, please ASK THE SECRET
SHOPPER by making contact via
e-mail. Your questions, comments
and suggestions are ALWAYS wel-
come!
ASK THE SECRET SHOPPER
Provided by: SHOPTALK SERVICE
EVALUATIONS
Phone: 425-424-8870
E-mail: joyce@shoptalkservice.com
Website: www.shoptalkservice.com
Copyright Shoptalk Service
Evaluations
Q
Excuse of the Day
"We don' t have it (the rent) together yet. You see, we
purchased a timeshare and the payments affect our credit,
so naturally we have to pay that bill first."
Guess what? I'm a member of The LPA and
I can affect your credit too!
- Jack K., NY
John Nuzzolese, Landlord Protection Agency
877-984-3572, www.TheLPA.com
The national housing market
showed signs of moderation in the
first quarter after months of robust
and largely unsustainable annual
home value appreciation. The Zil-
low Home Value Index (ZHVI)[i]
rose to $157,600 as of the end of the
first quarter, up 5.1 percent year-
over-year and 0.5 percent from the
fourth quarter of 2012, according to
the first quarter Zillow Real Estate
Market Reports[ii].
In March, U.S. home values rose
for the 16th consecutive month,
though last month represented the
second straight month of slowing
annual appreciation. Underscoring
this slowdown, home value appreci-
ation in the first quarter was 0.5 per-
cent compared to 2.1 percent in the
fourth quarter of 2012.
Historically, housing markets can
expect annual home value apprecia-
tion of roughly 3 percent, according
to Zillow research. Looking ahead,
the Zillow Home Value Forecast[iii]
shows national home values increas-
ing by 3.2 percent through March
2014, an annual appreciation rate
more in line with historic norms.
But in some local markets, home
values continue to rise at a break-
neck pace. Five metros covered by
Zillow experienced year-over-year
appreciation of more than 20 per-
cent: Phoenix (up 24 percent), Las
Vegas (up 22.3 percent), San Jose (up
22.1 percent), San Francisco (up 21.4
percent) and Sacramento (up 20.1
percent).
"The national housing market has
rebounded strongly over the past
year. But the sometimes dramatic
home value run-ups experienced
during these months were never
expected to be sustainable, and
recent slowdowns are indicative of a
market that is slowly finding its nat-
ural level," said Zillow Chief Econo-
mist Dr. Stan Humphries. "Looking
forward, we expect annual home
value appreciation to continue to
slow, as more inventory comes up
for sale. But pockets of very rapid
appreciation will remain, a troubling
sign of volatility and a potential
future headache as affordability is
compromised and homes begin to
look much more expensive to aver-
age buyers. This affordability issue
may become acute in many markets
in a couple years once mortgage
rates begin to return again to normal
levels."
Further underscoring the uneven-
ness of the recovery, seven of the top
30 metro markets covered by Zillow
saw a decline in home values in the
first quarter. The New York metro
saw a decline of 0.3% in home val-
ues after three consecutive quarters
of positive appreciation, the first
quarterly decline in that metro since
the first quarter of 2012. Chicago
saw the greatest home value depre-
ciation, with values falling 1.4% in
the quarter after a flat fourth quarter
of 2012.
Foreclosure rates rose in the first
quarter compared to the fourth
quarter, likely because of a seasonal
acceleration after the traditionally
slow holiday period. A total of 5.11
out of every 10,000 homes were fore-
closed upon in the first quarter,
down 1.3 homes per 10,000 from the
fourth quarter, and down 2.4 homes
per 10,000 year-over-year.
In the rental market, national
rents rose 0.9 percent in the first
quarter compared with the fourth
quarter, and were up 4.9 percent
over the first quarter of 2012. The
Zillow Rent Index (ZRI)[iv] stood at
$1,290 at the end of March.
About Zillow:
Zillow, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z) operates
the largest home-related marketplaces
on mobile and the Web, with a comple-
mentary portfolio of brands and prod-
ucts that hel p peopl e f i nd vi tal
information about homes, and connect
with the best local professionals. In addi-
tion, Zillow operates an industry-lead-
ing economics and analytics bureau led
by Zillow's Chief Economist Dr. Stan
Humphries. Dr. Humphries and his
Unsustainably High Appreciation Continues in Phoenix, Las Vegas and California,
But National Moderation Could Indicate Stabilization, According to
First Quarter Zillow Real Estate Market Reports
U.S. Home Value Appreciation Rate Slows in
First Quarter, But Values in Some Local
Markets Remain at a Boil
Decrease maintenance and operation costs, and improve
the look of your building with rebates from Tacoma Power.
Get money to upgrade
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GET MONEY FOR:
Single-pane window and sliding
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Attic, oor and wall insulation
upgrades
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Common area lighting upgrades
Clothes washer purchase
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Refrigerator and freezer recycling
Energy savings and project costs will vary.
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The incentives that Tacoma Power offers
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ON-SITE
Continued on page 13
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Dont let TVs Worlds Worst Ten-
ants on Spike TV dictate how you
manage your properties. Most of us
have seen depictions of landlords on
TV and in movies as illimitable in
their abilities of ridding of delin-
quent tenants. Landlords who
implement the methods that these
shows illustrate for entertainment
purposes could find themselves in
big trouble. It is absolutely against
Landlord-Tenant Law to use force
to evict a tenant. Locking your ten-
ant out or shutting off the utilities to
the unit is very illegal. Using unof-
ficial notices to terminate the ten-
ancy is also illegal. An example of
an unofficial notice would be a
24-hour notice to vacate for an unau-
thorized pet or noise disturbances.
These poor property management
practices are not only illegal,
immoral, and dangerous, they are
also wrecking havoc on the efforts
that good landlords have made in
combating a negative image.
Landlords can continue making
efforts towards combating the ill
effects that a reality show eviction
specialist creates by developing
effective habits not only in the man-
ner in which we communicate with
our tenants, but also by handling
tenant issues in a timely fashion.
Whens the last time you did a com-
plete inspection of your rental prop-
erties from top to bottom, inside and
out? Be proactive and maintain con-
trol of your investments. Schedule a
complete inspection with your ten-
ants at least every 6 months. In the
interim, who can you count on to
keep watch of your property and
notify you of concerning behavior
when you arent around? The neigh-
bors! Employ a couple of the prop-
ertys neighbors to contact you if
they witness any curious behavior.
Let them know that worst case sce-
nario, their testimony may be
needed if the information they relay
to you ends up in eviction court. To
appease some of the neighbors pos-
sible apprehension, send them a
thank you note and include a small
gift like a coffee gift card. This is an
inexpensive, thoughtful, investment
for a potentially large return.
Another habit landlords should
develop is self-education. Make time
to understand and learn how and
when to use your states specific legal
rental notices when addressing a
tenant issue or terminating a ten-
ancy. Depending on the state, there
may only be a few different types of
termination notices available to
landlords. Issuing the wrong termi-
nation notice and technicalities are
the two most common reasons land-
lords lose eviction cases. Not only
would your case lose in front of a
judge, but you could also be liable
for damages to the tenant!
The bottom line is never stoop to
the level of land lording that the
entertainment medias portray. Those
extreme acts are unlawful and vio-
lating. Are there some bad landlords
out there? Of course there are. But
there are also bad tenants. The only
thing that these landlord-tenant dra-
mas achieve is perpetuating that
negative image of landlords. Unlike
the actors in Worlds Worst Ten-
ants, leave your anger, frustration,
and disparity at the door when deal-
ing with tenants. The only way to
lawfully evict a tenant is to go to
court, plain and simple.
Hussa is a Licensed Property
Manager, Continuing Education
Provider and Principal at Smart
Property Management in Portland, OR.
She can be reached
with questions or comments at
Katie@SmartPM.co.
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ON-SITE
U.S. Home ...continued from page 11
team of economists and data analysts
produce extensive housing data and
research covering more than 350 mar-
kets at Zillow Real Estate Research. Zil-
low also sponsors the quarterly Zillow
Home Price Expectations Survey, which
asks more than 100 leading economists,
real estate experts and investment and
market strategists to predict the path of
the Zillow Home Value Index over the
next five years. The Zillow, Inc. portfo-
lio includes Zillow.com, Zillow
Mobile, Zillow Mortgage Marketplace,
Zillow Rentals, Zillow Digs, Post-
lets, Diverse Solutions, Buyfolio,
Mortech and HotPads. The com-
pany is headquartered in Seattle.
Zillow.com, Zillow, Zestimate, Post-
lets and Diverse Solutions are regis-
tered trademarks of Zillow, Inc.
Buyfolio, Mortech, HotPads and Digs
are trademarks of Zillow, Inc.
[i] The Zillow Home Value Index is
the median Zestimate valuation for a
given geographic area on a given day
and includes the value of all single-fam-
ily residences, condominiums and coop-
eratives, regardless of whether they sold
within a given period. It is expressed in
dollars, and seasonally adjusted.
[ii] The Zillow Real Estate Market
Reports are a monthly overview of the
national and local real estate markets.
The reports are compiled by Zillow Real
Estate Research. For more information,
visit www.zillow.com/research. The
data in Zillow's Real Estate Market
Reports is aggregated from public
sources by a number of data providers
for 929 metropolitan and micropolitan
areas dating back to 1996. Mortgage
and home loan data is typically recorded
in each county and publicly available
through a county recorder's office. All
current monthly data at the national,
state, metro, city, ZIP code and neigh-
borhood level can be accessed at www.
zillow.com/local-info/
[iii] The Zillow Home Value Forecast
uses data from past home value trends
and current market conditions, includ-
ing leading indicators like home sales,
months of housing inventory supply
and unemployment, to predict home
values over the next 12 months for the
nation and for more than 250 markets
across the country.
[iv] The Zillow Rent Index is the
median Rent Zestimate (estimated
monthly rental price) for a given geo-
graphic area on a given day, and
includes the value of all single-family
residences, condominiums, cooperatives
and apartments in Zillow's database,
regardless of whether they are currently
listed for rent. It is expressed in dollars.
Zillow Home Value Index Zillow Home Value Forecast

Metropolitan Areas
Q1
2013
Quarter-Over-Quarter
Change
Year-Over-Year
Change

Bottom in Home
Values
Change in
ZHVI,
Q1 2013-
Q1 2014
United States
$157,60
0
0.5% 5.1% 2011 Q4 3.2
New York
$343,70
0
-0.3% 1.2% No Bottom -1.2
Los Angeles
$439,40
0
5.5% 14.9% 2012 Q1 11.1
Chicago
$159,80
0
-1.4% -0.2% 2013 Q3 -1.5
Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
$132,70
0
1.2% 5.7% 2011 Q4 3.5
Philadelphia
$186,90
0
-0.6% 0.3% 2013 Q3 0.2
Washington DC
$328,40
0
1.2% 6.6% 2011 Q1 1.2
Miami-Fort Lauderdale,
Fla.
$159,00
0
4.1% 12.1% 2011 Q4 4.9
Atlanta
$117,00
0
2.3% 3.5% 2012 Q3 1.7
Boston
$321,70
0
0.8% 4.9% 2011 Q4 0.7
San Francisco
$563,20
0
6.4% 21.4% 2012 Q1 10.5
Detroit $84,700 4.1% 13.1% 2011 Q3 4.4
Riverside, Calif.
$210,10
0
6.0% 16.3% 2012 Q1 17.2
Phoenix
$165,60
0
4.7% 24.0% 2011 Q3 10.6
Seattle
$280,10
0
3.5% 10.1% 2012 Q1 7.8
Minneapolis-St. Paul,
Minn.
$180,50
0
3.1% 10.6% 2012 Q1 3.6
San Diego
$396,80
0
5.5% 17.1% 2012 Q1 8.8
St. Louis
$126,20
0
-1.2% 1.0% 2011 Q4 -0.3
Tampa, Fla.
$117,60
0
3.4% 9.9% 2011 Q4 3.7
Baltimore
$222,20
0
0.0% 3.0% 2012 Q1 0.2
Denver
$234,20
0
2.5% 13.1% 2011 Q2 3.1
Pittsburgh
$111,70
0
-0.2% 2.1% 2008 Q4 0.9
Portland, Ore.
$237,10
0
2.8% 10.4% 2012 Q1 4.0
Sacramento, Calif.
$241,60
0
7.1% 20.1% 2012 Q1 15.6
Orlando, Fla.
$130,80
0
3.8% 10.8% 2012 Q1 5.3
Cincinnati, Oh
$122,10
0
-0.3% 0.0% 2013 Q2 1.1
Cleveland
$110,90
0
1.0% 2.0% 2012 Q1 0.9
Las Vegas
$138,80
0
7.1% 22.3% 2012 Q1 7.5
San Jose
$676,10
0
6.8% 22.1% 2009 Q2 9.7
Columbus
$127,50
0
0.6% 3.4% 2012 Q1 1.3
Charlotte
$136,80
0
-0.7% 2.0% 2011 Q2 -0.6
a continuing effort to pro-

mote the apartment indus-
try as a robust driver of economic
growth, the National Apartment
Association and the National Multi
Housing Council unveiled a new
public relations campaign designed
to inform policymakers and the gen-
eral public how, in communities
across the country, apartments have
a positive impact upon the lives of so
many people. Apartments work
allowing individuals and families an
opportunity to live in a home thats
just right for them. Renting is now
viewed as a way for families to place
roots in a community, with proximity
to jobs, transportation or culture, yet
have flexibility and mobility that
helps people meet their diverse
needs.
Locally and nationally, communi-
ties grow stronger through apart-
ment jobs, residents and dollars.
Changing household demographics
mean changing housing preferences.
Among the fastest growing popula-
tion segments are young adults in
their 20s and empty nesters in their
50s. Renting is, more than ever before,
viewed as an affordable and sensible
housing choice. And demand for
rental housing is projected to con-
tinue to grow at a rapid pace and
currently outstrips supply. The short-
age of affordable rental units is par-
ticularly acute.
Apartments create communities
and contribute to the economy. Up to
half of all new households formed
this coming decade will rent. Thats
as many a 7 million new rental house-
holds by 2020. It takes at least 300,000
new apartments to be constructed
yearly to meet demand, but only
157,000 apartment homes were built
in 2012. $14.8 billion was spent on
apartment construction in 2011. This
apartment construction spending
generated a total economic impact of
$42.5 billion. Apartments spur com-
munity growth and support local
jobs. 324,000 jobs are created by
apartment construction.
There are 19.3 million apartments
in this country, and they come in all
shapes, sizes, locations and demo-
graphic factors. 686,000 people work
in apartment buildings. Many more
people work in businesses that sup-
port the apartment industry. A total
of 2.3 million jobs are supported by
operating the nations apartments.
$67.9 billion was spent on property
operations in 2011, with a total eco-
nomic impact of $182.6 billion from
property operations.
Apartments contribute to the fab-
ric of life and allow people to live
near their jobs, near family, near con-
venient transportation and near cul-
tural or lifestyle opportunities.
Apartment communities offer their
residents numerous advantages. Not
only do residents enjoy maintenance-
free living, many also benefit from
amenities and services increasingly
offered by apartment communities.
Renters generate jobs and dollars for
their local communities, bringing
valuable spending that supports
local economies. All the construction
spending, property operations and
resident spending adds up to a total
economic contribution of $1.1 trillion
annually that the apartment industry
contributes to the nations economy.
Housing in the State of Washington
is at a changing point. Economic con-
cerns as well as shifting demograph-
ics have collided with new economic
realities, challenging traditional con-
cepts of home and work-life balance.
Tomorrows households need flexi-
ble housing options to adapt to the
ever-changing job market. These
trends add up to more renters as a
percentage of households. The per-
centage of those who choose to rent
has steadily risen in the past several
years. Yet, housing policy today
hardly reflects these transforming
fundamentals.
Nationally, housing policys fail-
ure to recognize the growing demand
for rental housing not only threatens
the apartment sectors ability to meet
the nations growing housing needs
but also hinders new job creation
integral to economic recovery. We
urge policy makers to adopt policies
that respect peoples right to choose
housing that best meets their finan-
cial and lifestyle needs and values
apartment living as a sensible and
practical choice.
Apartments provide more than
just shelter. Apartments represent
fiscally responsible development. By
tapping into existing infrastructure,
apartments reduce the cost of pro-
viding public services. There are 35
million residents across the country,
illustrating that millions build their
lives around the apartment industry.
We encourage everyone in the indus-
try to invest in their future and pro-
mote the advantages of a vibrant
industry through pro-growth public
policies with regulations that encour-
age positive support for the multi-
family housing industry.
The Washington Multi-Family
Housing Association is trying to do
our part to improve the quality of life
of those who choose this industry as
a career. We thank everyone who
continues to support our efforts to
promote the industry and serve its
employees and residents. For more
information, we encourage you to
visit www.weareapartments.org or
visit our website at www.wmfha.
org.
Pl ease Vi si t us at
Apartments. We Live Here.
We Work Here. We Spend Here.
In
Executive Director Jim Wiard President Jay Olson Vice President Joe Manca Past President Cassandra Haavisto
Secretary Gail Duke Vice President of Suppliers Council Barry Savage
WASHINGTON MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING ASSOCIATION
18300 Cascade Ave. S., Suite 130
Tukwila, WA 98188
(425) 656-9077
(425) 656 9087 (fax)
admin@wmfha.org
Diamonds & Daffodils
Washington Multi-Family Housing Associations

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PROPERTY
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ON-SITE
U.S. Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) Secretary
Shaun Donovan recently awarded an
additional $2,070,603 in renewal
funds to 19 homeless projects in
Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Alaska in
a second round of renewal grants
under HUD's Continuum of Care.
Recently's awards will ensure these
HUD-assisted local homeless assis-
tance projects remain operating in
the coming year.
The renewal funds announced
recently are over and above the
$68,351,206 in renewal funds award-
ed to 408 homeless projects in Alaska,
Idaho, Oregon and Washington
awarded in March, 2013. HUD will
make a third round of Continuum of
Care funding to support selected
new projects later this year.
"We know these modest invest-
ments in housing and serving our
homeless neighbors not only saves
money, but saves lives," said
Donovan. "These local programs are
on the front lines of the Obama
Administrations efforts to prevent
and end homelessness as we know it
once and for all."
"Even with an improving econo-
my times remain as tough as ever for
those without a place to call home,"
said HUD Northwest Regional
Administrator Mary McBride. "These
funds help hard-working local orga-
nizations keep their doors open and
services flowing to help homeless
families and individuals put a roof
over their heads and stability and
opportunity back into their lives."
The projects awarded renewal
funding recently include:
HUD's Continuum of Care grants
are awarded competitively to local
projects to meet the needs of their
homeless clients. The grants fund a
wide variety of programs from street
outreach and assessment programs
to transitional and permanent hous-
ing for homeless persons and fami-
lies. HUD funds are a critical part of
the Obama Administration's strate-
gic plan to prevent and end home-
lessness.
While the Fiscal Year 2012 funds
awarded today are not impacted by
the automatic across-the-board bud-
get cuts under sequestration that
began March 1st, Donovan cautioned
that future budget cuts may reverse
significant reported declines in
homelessness: "During this challeng-
ing budget climate, we must make
certain that we don't balance our
books on the backs of our most vul-
nerable citizens. When we make even
modest investments in these pro-
grams, we see a measureable decline
in homelessness."
HUD's Continuum of Care grants
announced today will continue offer-
ing permanent and transitional hous-
ing to homeless persons as well as
services including job training, health
care, mental health counseling, sub-
stance abuse treatment and child
care. Continuum of Care grants are
awarded competitively to local pro-
grams to meet the needs of their
homeless clients. These grants fund a
wide variety of programs from street
outreach and assessment programs
to transitional and permanent hous-
ing for homeless persons and fami-
lies.
In 2010, President Obama and 19
federal agencies and offices that form
the U.S. Interagency Council on
Homelessness (USICH) launched the
nation's first comprehensive strategy
to prevent and end homelessness.
Opening Doors: Federal Strategic
Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness
puts the country on a path to end
veterans and chronic homelessness
by 2015 and to ending homelessness
among children, family, and youth
by 2020.
HUD's mission is to create strong,
sustainable, inclusive communities and
quality affordable homes for all. HUD is
President Rob Trickler Past President Judith Violette 1st Vice President Darlene Pennock Treasurer Gina deWeber Secretary Donna Lee Smitt
WASHINGTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION
1500 Water St. SW, #5, Olympia, WA 98501 (360) 951-1426 www.waapt.org
Obama Administration Renews Funding for 19
More Homeless Projects in
Alaska, Idaho, Oregon & Washington State
$2 million in HUD Continuum of Care funds awarded recently is over & above $68.4 million in
renewal funding awarded to 408 Alaska, Oregon & Washington homeless projects in March, 2013
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a
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STATE PROJECT CITY FUNDING
AK
Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association / AK-
500 - REN - 6-Plex Project
Anchorage $115,689
Alaska Total $115,689
ID
Boise City Housing Authority / ID-500 -
REN - Landmark Project
Boise $7,850
ID
Idaho Housing and Finance Association /
ID-501 - REN - Family Promise Transitional
Housing
Boise $43,122
ID
ID-501 - REN - Freedom LZ Transitional
Housing
Boise $45,452
ID
ID-501 - REN - Your Way Home Transitional
Housing
Boise $79,537
Idaho Total $175,961
OR
Oregon State Health Authority / OR-503 -
REN - Central Oregon CoC
Portland $16,301
OR
Washington County Department of Housing
Services / OR-506 - REN - SPC TRA
Homeless Families Renewal OR16C706004
Hillsboro $87,372
OR
Clackamas Women's Services, Inc. / OR-
507 - REN - Permenant Supportive Housing
Project for Survivors of Domestic and
Sexual Violence
Oregon City $59,837
Oregon Total $163,510
WA
King County / WA-500 - REN - Sobering
Support Center
Seattle $624,566
WA
Low Income Housing Institute / WA-500 -
REN - One Heart Center
Seattle $398,285
WA
YWCA of Seattle-King County-Snohomish
County / WA-500 - REN - Transition Into
Permanent Project (TIPP)
Seattle $167,867
WA
Benton and Franklin Counties Department
of Human Services / WA-501 - REN -
Shelter Plus Care
Kennewick $89,739
WA
YWCA of Spokane / WA-502 - REN - YWCA
DV SS #2 FY2012
Spokane $91,645
WA
Pierce County / WA-503 - REN - Bridges
Village
Tacoma $35,197
WA
Pierce County / WA-503 - REN - Manresa
Apartments
Tacoma $37,429
WA
Yakima County / WA-507 - REN - YNHS
PSH1 WA0189B0T071104
Yakima $10,769
WA
Yakima Neighborhood Health Services /
WA-507 - REN - 904 Transitional Housing
WA0186B0T071104
Yakima $49,106
WA
Columbia River Mental Health Services /
WA-508 - REN - New Dreams Two
Vancouver $79,261
WA
Second Step Housing / WA-508 - REN -
Story Street II
Vancouver $31,009
Washington Total $1,614,873
working to strengthen the housing mar-

ket to bolster the economy and protect
consumers; meet the need for quality
affordable rental homes: utilize housing
as a platform for improving quality of
life; build inclusive and sustainable com-
munities free from discrimination; and
transform the way HUD does business.
More information about HUD and its
programs is available on the Internet at
www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov. You
can also follow HUD on Twitter at @
HUDnews or on Facebook at www.face-
book.com/HUD. or sign up for news
alerts on HUD's News Listserv.
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Buried under mountains of prop-
erty management paperwork? Do
the projects seem to never end?
Imagine how good you would feel if
every day you could start with a clean
and organized desk? Well dream no
further! By following the three pow-
erful tips listed below, your dreams
will become reality!
Setting up your system:
Start by ordering two 8 x 11 flat
desk files. A flat desk file looks like
an accordion file, except it lays flat on
your desk and can be easily carried
with you. One desk file should be
tabbed A-Z, the second one should be
tabbed 1-31. The A-Z desk file is per-
fect for hold the resumes of potential
new hires, sorted by last name. This
A-Z desk file is also great for keep-
ing employee or resident working
files, at your fingertips. The 1-31
desk file is ideal for organizing up-
coming meetings or projects, by ap-
propriate dates. Also, this tool is per-
fect for managing any projects you
have delegated to be done by others.
For instance, if you have a big project
due on the 18th and have assigned
others to complete certain portions of
the project by the 12th, then file your
notes to the 12th and confirm on the
12th the work has been done. Then,
re-file this project for completion on
the 16th so you can do any last min-
ute changes, before the 18th.
Tip From The Coach:
Remember, any organization sys-
tem is only as good as you make it.
It generally takes 21 days to incorpo-
rate a new idea into your current sys-
tem. Stick with ithaving a system
for your paperwork is a real joy!
Using the four Ds:
The four Ds are DO IT, DELEGATE
IT, DECIDE OR DUMP IT. These are
your only four choices when han-
dling any kind of paperwork. Do It
means exactly thatdo it now and do
not handle any piece of paperwork a
second time. This means, read the
information youve been sent and act
on it. Delegate It requires you to
ask the questionwho can help me
complete this project or task so I can
stay focused on my responsibilities?
Once you have delegated a project
to someone else, then use your desk
file (1-31) to store your notes until
the project is completed. Decide
means the paperwork you have been
sent will require your quiet and un-
interrupted attention, like monthly
financial reports or annual employee
reviews. Put this type of work into a
separate folder labeled To Decide
and find a few quiet minutes early
the next morning before your work
day begins, and complete this project
or task. Dump it means exactly
thatdump as much as possible in
the trash can, the first time you han-
dle any paperwork. Its that simple.
Tip From The Coach:
In addition to the four Ds, sched-
ule an appointment with yourself
twice a year when business is the
slowest, to review all the paperwork
you have filed in your office. Take
the time to dump everything you
no longer need. Each time you do
this, it will further clarify for you
which paperwork is important to
your property management compa-
ny to save and which paperwork can
be easily discarded.

Scheduling your day:
Schedule your day using some
form of computer software/paper
calendar or appointment book. Try
to schedule important meetings early
in the week so others can work on the
assignments you have given them.
Try and schedule all interviews ear-
ly in the morning when you are the
most rested and the least likely to be
interrupted. By having a busy morn-
ing, you then have the freedom to
plan the rest of your day more loose-
ly. Use your calendar or appoint-
ment book to schedule both profes-
sional and personal activities as it
is helpful to have everything in one
place. Lastly, schedule an appoint-
ment with yourself for any projects
you are working on. This is a simple
way to manage your workload and a
powerful way to have your to do
list LIVE in your weeks calendar.
Three Effortless Ways To Win The Property
Management Paperwork Battle!
By Ernest F. Oriente, The Coach
Three ...continued from page 18
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BACKGROUND SCREENING
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Tip From The Coach:
Now, once you have followed the
tips above, schedule the things most
important to you. Start by planning
the time you are going to spend with
your family, the time you are going to
spend with those you love, and yes
time for yourself to relax and enjoy
your life. Please know that having
a rich and rewarding life starts with
simplicity.
Want to hear more about this impor-
tant topic or ask some additional ques-
tions? Send an E-mail to ernest@pow-
erhour.com and The Coach will E-mail
back to you a free invitation to be a par-
ticipant on a PowerHour conference call.
I promise we will have great fun!
Authors note: Ernest F. Oriente,
a business coach since 1995 [30,200
hours], a property management industry
professional since 1988--the author of
SmartMatch Alliances--and the founder
of PowerHour...[ www.powerhour.com
and www.powerhourseo.com and www.
pirmg.com ], has a passion for coaching
his clients on executive 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 com-
panies around North America, executive
recruiting, investment banking, national
utility bill auditing [ www.powerhour.
com/propertymanagement/utilitybil-
laudit.html ] national real estate and
apartment building insurance [ www.
powerhour.com/propertymanagement/
insurance.html ], SEO/SEM web strat-
egies, national WiFi solutions [ www.
powerhour.com/propertymanagement/
nationalwifi.html ], powerful tools for
hiring property management SuperStars
and building dynamic teams, employee
policy manuals [ http://www.power-
hour.com/propertymanagement/employ-
eepolicymanuals.html ] and social media
strategic solutions [ http://www.power-
hour.com/propertymanagement/social-
medialeadership.html ]. Ernest worked
for Motorola, Primedia and is certified in
the Xerox sales methodologies. Recent
interviews and articles have appeared
more than 7000 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 200+ articles for the property
management industry and created 350+
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. Power-
Hour is based in Olympic-townPark
City, Utah, at 435-615-8486, by E-mail
ernest@powerhour.com or visit their
website: www.powerhour.com
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The newest edition of the Center
for Housing Policy (CHP)s annual
Housing Landscape report finds that
severe housing cost burdens among
working renter households have
risen for the third consecutive year.
Housing Landscape 2013 explores
the latest American Community Sur-
vey data from 2011, showing that
26.4 percent of working renters spent
more than half of household income
on housing costs. While severe hous-
ing cost burdens stayed relatively
stable for working homeowners be-
tween 2008 and 2011, roughly one
in five working homeowners expe-
rienced severe housing affordability
challenges throughout this period
despite falling home prices and
mortgage interest rates.
CHP, the research affiliate of the
Washington-based advocacy group
the National Housing Conference
(NHC), charts the trends in housing
cost burdens among working house-
holds from 2008 to 2011 in the latest
edition of Housing Landscape. In ad-
dition to housing costs and income,
the new report includes housing cost
burden data from the 50 largest U.S.
metropolitan areas, all 50 states and
the District of Columbia. The report
defines a working household as one
with an income less than 120 percent
of the median for its area, and with
members working at least 20 hours
per week on average.
The share of working renter house-
holds with a severe housing cost bur-
den grew over the three-year period
due primarily to falling incomes and
rising rental housing costs. National-
ly, working renters saw their housing
costs rise by 6 percent from 2008 to
2011, while their household incomes
fell more than 3 percent. Lead report
author Janet Viveiros says renters are
stretched so thin by growing hous-
ing costs that many face impossible
choices.
The growing rate of severe hous-
ing cost burdens among renters is
not a new trend, but it is clearly an
unsustainable one, said Viveiros.
While rental costs have steadily ris-
en over the last few years, wages for
these working families have not fully
recovered from the hit they took be-
tween 2008 and 2009. Spending most
of your paycheck on rent means cut-
ting back on other necessities, includ-
ing healthcare and even food.
Co-author Maya Brennan noted
that the causes of rising housing cost
burdens among working renters in-
clude a difficult economy and an in-
creased demand for rental housing,
partly due to the crisis on the hom-
eownership side of the market.
While the economy pushed both
owners and renters incomes down,
More Than A Quarter of Working Renter
Households Spend at Least Half of Income On Housing
Housing cost burdens among working renters rise for third straight year;
cost burdens remain steady but challenging for working owners.
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More ...continued from page 20
the shift away from homeownership
is pushing rents up due to increased
demand. What were seeing with the
rental market is not explainable by
population trends aloneit clearly
reflects the movement of former ho-
meowners into rentals as well as de-
lays in home purchases by current
renters, Brennan explained. But
this increase in rental demand has
not been matched by an increase in
supply. This imbalance leads to rising
rents in markets across the country.
Working homeowners may have
dodged the upswing in housing costs
that hit renters, but they have not
avoided the effects of falling incomes.
In fact, while housing costs among
homeowners fell some 3 percent over
the study period, household incomes
among these homeowners fell even
more than they did for renters, down
more than 4 percent over the three-
year span. However, NHC President
and CEO Chris Estes cautioned that
a high and growing proportion of all
working householdsrenters and
homeowners combinedcannot af-
ford their housing, and that little is
being done to help.
"The challenge we face is that de-
spite the range of successful tools
to help offset this crisis, we are still
in a long trend of flatand even
slashedfunding for these impor-
tant programs, said Estes.
Estes notes that a recent report from
the Bipartisan Policy Centers Hous-
ing Commission highlighted the suc-
cess of federal housing programs like
HOME, the housing voucher and the
Low Income Housing Tax Credit and
encouraged expanded funding for
these programs to help respond to
the housing affordability crisis.
Read the Housing Landscape
2013 report
Key National Findings
Nearly one in four working house-
holds spends more than half of its
income on housing. The share of
working households with a severe
housing cost burden increased sig-
nificantly between 2008 and 2011,
rising from 21.8 percent to 23.6 per-
cent.
Declining incomes have exacerbat-
ed housing affordability problems
for working renters. The median
housing costs of working renters
rose nearly six percent between
2008 and 2011 while their median
incomes fell more than three per-
cent.
Severe housing cost burden was
most prevalent among work-
ing households earning less than
30 percent of area median income
(AMI). Eight in ten working house-
holds earning less than 30 percent
of AMI (but working an average of
at least 20 hours per week) were
severely burdened in 2011, a much
higher share than for other income
groups. Increases in housing cost
burdens occurred primarily among
working households with incomes
at or below 50 percent of AMI, but
even some working households
earning between 51 and 120 per-
cent of AMI are faced with severe
housing cost burdens.
State and Local Findings
Between 2008 and 2011, the share of
housing cost burden increased
significantly in 24 states and de-
creased significantly in only one
state: South Dakota.
Among the 50 states and the District
of Columbia, the following five
had the highest share of working
households with a severe housing
cost burden in 2011:
o California - 34%
o Florida - 32%
o New Jersey - 32%
o Hawaii - 30%
o New York - 30%
Among the 50 largest metropolitan
areas, the following five metropol-
itan areas had the highest share of
housing cost burden in 2011:
o Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano
Beach, FL - 41%
o Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa
Ana, CA - 39%
o New York-Northern New Jersey-
Long Island, NY-NJ-PA - 35%
o Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL -
35%
o San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos,
CA - 34%
A closer look at the data reveals
that the share of working house-
holds with a severe housing cost
burden increased significantly
over the three years studied in 18
of the 50 largest metropolitan ar-
eas, yet decreased significantly
only in the Washington, D.C. and
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario,
Calif., area. Of the 18 metro areas
with rising cost burdens, nine are
located in the South. Overall, the
level of severe housing cost bur-
den among working households
displayed a high level of variation
at the metropolitan level. Levels
ranged from a high of 41 percent in
the Miami area to a low of 14 per-
cent in Pittsburgh.
Methodology
This report is based on American
Community Survey (ACS) data col-
lected by the U.S. Census Bureau
in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Esti-
mates in this report were generated
using Public-Use Microdata Sample
(PUMS) population and housing files
made publicly available by the Cen-
sus Bureau. Each file includes roughly
40 percent of the full ACS sample for
its respective year, resulting in over
3 million records in each population
file and over 1.2 million records in
each housing file. There is a unique
identifier that links individuals in
the population file to households in
the housing file. The only geographic
identifiers are the state, the census re-
gion, and the Public-Use Microdata
Area (PUMA) of residence. PUMAs
are locally defined geographic areas
that allow researchers to produce
socioeconomic and demographic es-
timates with ACS data for sub-state
geographies. Each PUMA has a mini-
mum population of 100,000.
For more information on how the
PUMS files and constituent variables
were used to develop the estimates
in this report, see methodology de-
tails online at nhc.org.
Notes: For purposes of this report,
working households are defined as
those with a household income of no
more than 120 percent of the area median
income in which the household members
worked an average of at least 20 hours
per week for the preceding 12 months.
Severe housing cost burden is defined
as monthly housing costs (including
utilities) exceeding 50 percent of house-
hold income.
About the National Housing Conference
Since 1931, the National Housing
Conference (NHC) and its members and
partners have been dedicated to helping
ensure safe, decent and affordable hous-
ing for all in America. We also look to
the future. By combining the expertise
of NHCs members with the research and
analysis of the Center for Housing Pol-
icy (CHP), we develop ideas, resources
and policy solutions to shape a new and
brighter housing landscape.
About the Center for Housing Policy
As the research affiliate of NHC, the
Center for Housing Policy (CHP) spe-
cializes in solutions through research,
working to broaden understanding of
Americas affordable housing challenges
and examine the impact of policies and
programs developed to address these
needs.
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Landlord Times - May 2013

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Tax reform must be comprehen-

sive and take special care not to

a continuing effort to pro-

working to strengthen the housing mar-

qualified CFL and LED light bulbs, a

showerhead, and a section of pipewrap

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