valley rental housing journal april 2015

The U.S. Census Bureau con-firmed that Portland is among the 10 fastest growing major

metropolitan cities in the country. Portland is also considered a top des-tination for investors, and for “mil-lennials,” also known as Generation Y, which comprises almost one-third of the Portland population, and 24 percent of the U.S. population.

It is expected that during 2015, the millennial demographic will have $2.45 trillion of purchasing power worldwide across multiple channels. This demographic is envi-

ronmentally conscious, technically savvy and community oriented -- and the Portland metropolitan area is the community where many call “home.”

Portland is estimated to add 112,000 new apartment units over the next 20 years. Over 7,000 apart-ment unit permits were granted in 2014, and approximately 26,000 new units are in the current pipeline. With evidence of a robust and healthy construction market, there’s no better indication that Portland’s multifamily market is in its prime.

Attracting younger residents to older properties

So, how can existing multifamily properties remain competitive dur-ing this new construction boom? Energy-efficiency improvements and retrofits are an affordable alter-native that can help keep existing multifamily properties competitive and attract tenants. These improve-ments not only help to increase prop-erty value, but can provide signifi-cant cost savings while reducing energy consumption. Energy-

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Rental Housing Journal Valley

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April 2015

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By Christine DiGangi

Sorry, Silicon Valley — rent in San Francisco is still on the rise. Zillow's Rent Index, which

looks at median rents in the nation's hottest markets, has San Francisco and San Jose at the top of its list for largest year-over-year increase. As unwelcome as that news may be for people in the Bay Area, it's probably not surprising.

San Francisco tends to get the most attention when it comes to sto-ries about the expensive places to live (New York, its constant competi-tor for that dubious distinction, saw only a 2.1% increase in median rent, compared to San Francisco's 14.9% jump), but housing costs have jumped significantly in some smaller markets, like Denver and Kansas City, Mo., as well.

The Zillow Rent Index is based on the estimated monthly rental price of properties in Zillow's database, including single-family homes, con-dos, co-ops and apartments, regard-less of whether or not they're listed for rent. Nationwide, median rent increased 3.3% from January 2014 to January 2015, at $1,350. Here are the metro areas that had the largest year-

Ten Cities With

Skyrocketing Rent

Energy-Efficiency Improvements Can Help Existing Multifamily

Properties Remain Competitive+ In 2014, Energy Trust of Oregon Incentive Programs Saved Over

$4.6 Million for Multifamily Property Owners

Angie’s List Shops The Market; Finds Lead-Paint Misinformation

& ViolationsBy Jo Becker, Education/Outreach Specialist, Fair Housing Council of Oregon

Last fall angieslist.com pub-lished a very interesting article for their subscribers entitled

“LEAD: Still Lurking.” This month I’d like to share some salient points from that article with you.

What follows is portions of the Angie’s List article by Paul Pogue

with additional reporting by Kaley Belakovich, Oseye Boyd, James Figy, Staci Giordullo, Garrett Kelly, Lacey Nix, Michael Schroeder, Stephanie Snay, and Cynthia Wilson.

Angie’s List takes lead paint seri-ously. That’s why they decided to conduct a “secret shopper” program this year to test contractors and hard-ware stores about their knowledge of lead safety.

It’s been four years since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implemented its Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP). Did

awareness about the dangers of lead increase? Maybe. Are contractors passing along good advice about lead safety? Not always.

While interviewing candidates for the project, the last thing a con-sumer expects to hear is: “It’s just a bunch of B.S., really.” However, that’s exactly what one contractor told one of Angie’s List reporters.

Angie’s List contacted 150 ran-domly selected painters, remodelers and window contractors, and 50 hardware stores, in 10 major cities

Arm Yourself With InformationHomeowners can’t rely on contractors and their local

hardware store to know their stuff where lead paint is concerned.

continued on page 3

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2. Student Loan Debt Affects Real Estate Investments in a Big Way

4. What Does Your Workplace Culture Say About Your Organization?

6. Ask The Secret Shopper

2 Rental Housing Journal Valley • April 2015

RENTAL HOUSING JOURNAL VALLEY

Student Loan Debt Affects Real Estate Investments in a Big Way

Sally did everything right. She was accepted into her first choice college and received a

first rate education to pursue her dream career. She filled out the stu-dent loan applications like everyone told her to; after all, she couldn’t af-ford the $90,000 degree without it. When she graduated, she started out entry level in her chosen field, mak-ing near minimum wage which just covered her rent (with three room-mates) and living expenses. She de-ferred payment on her student loans for 2 years but after watching the in-terest inflate her debt up to $170,000 she had to move back in with her parents to concentrate on paying it off before it got any worse.

Then her boyfriend proposed to her. He talked about wanting to buy a house and have a family, the whole American dream, but though he knew she lived with her parents in order to pay off her student loans, he didn’t know the extent of her situa-tion. She knew her debt would make buying a house impossible, so she called her loan provider to see if she could get her interest reduced. They said no, she already had .25 for direct deposit taken. Her interest was 8%. She could barely make the minimum required monthly payment to take

care of the interest let alone get down to the principal. Worst of all, when she told her fiancé this, he withdrew his offer; he didn’t want her bad debt ruining his good credit.

According the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, seven out of ten college seniors who graduated in 2012 had student loan debt, with an average of $29,400 per borrower. Currently 29 million of 86 million Americans aged 20 – 39 have some level of student debt, which translates into 16.8 mil-lion households. Because federal law treats student debt as non-discharge-

able in bankruptcy proceedings, bor-rowers can be burdened with this debt for a lifetime even if circum-stances make it unlikely that the bor-rower will ever be able to repay. Asking nicely won’t make it go away.

How does this affect real estate investors?

In a 2014 blog post, Rick Palcios Jr. and Ali Wolf of John Burns Real Estate Consulting, LLC, estimated that 414,000 real estate transactions would be lost in 2014 due to student debt. At a typical sales price of $200,000 for an entry level home, they calculated that out to $83 billion in lost sales volume or 8% of the total marketplace demand. (8% of 20 -29 year olds usually buy a home each year, which would be equal to 1.35 million transactions a year.)

They calculated that 5.9 million households under the age of 40 pay over $250 a month in student loans as compared to 2.2 million in 2005. As a percentage, that is from 22% in 2005 to 35% in 2014. In that same eleven year timeframe, student debt increased from 241 billion to between $1.1 and $1.2 trillion dollars, which is even greater than current credit card debt.

That basically means that those that sought shelter in the halls of academia during the economic downturn, often have no way to pay it back. Even with a college educa-tion and a decent job, some of these college graduates live with as much expendable income as those under the poverty line since all their wages go to living expenses and to pay down their student debt.

We know that home builders are selling fewer homes. As investors, we want to know how long this will go on and how this will impact the demand for alternate living arrange-ments.Bear in mind

The percentage of students who cannot pay their student loans have a huge impact on American society and economic growth:

• They can’t afford to buy a car, and their credit may be too bad to finance one.

• They are hesitant to marry, be-cause they don’t want to assume liability for unpaid student loan debt or they don’t want their fu-ture spouse and household to be burdened by the debt.

• They are hesitant to have chil-dren, because they can’t afford to raise them or put them through school. (The last thing they want is to have their children pay their student loan debt as well.)

• They are putting off medical care because they don’t have the money to pay the deductibles or even afford insurance premiums.

• They can’t buy a house, not only is their credit bad but they cannot afford the house payments, not to mention the down payment required to close.

Where does this take us?We have already seen a boom in

apartment construction. It is esti-mated that this boom will continue through 2015 as young people con-tinue to move in together to save money. Many of those tenants don’t have a car and want to live in the downtown of a large city where they can walk or bike everywhere they need to go.

At some point, high downtown rents will force those with student loan debt out of the city center, because the rents needed to fund new construction will not be afford-able. The Y generation will then need a car, a small used car with high gas mileage, or find a place with easy access to public transportation.

As they move to potentially lower rent apartments in the suburbs, their peers without student loan debt will be buying homes and home builders will see some increased demand.

Another option for the future would be to encourage the federal government and Sallie Mae, (one of the major holders of student loan debt,) to refinance loans at lower interest rates and to forgive late pen-alties and interest rate hikes since, as they say, you can’t squeeze water from a stone.

Credit unions are showing some interest in helping the Y generation recapitalize their debt, but they are very cautious, and should be given that many of these student loans are delinquent and their holders have low credit scores.

If the Y generation can refinance this debt, then the opportunity exists that within 5 – 7 years a new cohort of buyers might end up in the hous-ing marketplace. In the meantime the members of this debt-ridden gen-eration are renting apartments and houses together, fueling the apart-ment building boom.

By Clifford A. Hockley, President Bluestone & Hockley Real Estate Services

Rental Housing Journal Valley • April 2015 3


Lead-Paint... .continued from front page

telling them a 2-year-old child’s room in a 1920s house was being renovated. What, they asked, were the proper methods to strip paint or replace windows? Nearly 11% of those contractors, and 47% of hard-ware stores, gave poor advice. Here are a few examples:

• “Lead only harms you if you eat it.”

• “Just close the door, wear a mask.

• “You might just be able to throw [lead paint debris] in the trash.”

• “The whole lead thing is very overblown unless your kids are chewing or gnawing on the win-dowsills.”While lead-safety awareness has

increased, homeowners can’t rely on contractors and their local hardware store to know their stuff where lead paint is concerned. Your best defense? Arm yourself with informa-tion.

Sadly, Angie’s List staff found that a significant number of those renovation contractors — nearly 11 percent — offered consumers bad advice when it comes to lead safety. But even more disconcerting, nearly 32 percent of those contractors told us they did not have the required EPA lead-safety certification.

Every lead-painted surface con-tains invisible poison, easily unleashed by scraping, sanding, or melting the surface – all common techniques in renovations. Lawmakers banned lead-based paint

in 1978 but contractors working in older properties operated with very little regulation until the EPA insti-tuted the RRP Rule in 2010.

Nationwide, about 40 percent of the housing stock remains at risk for lead paint, according to the EPA. Angie’s List estimates that number may be higher for its members as 46 percent of them report living in a pre-1978 home.

According Wendy Cleland-Hamnett, director of the EPA’s office of pollution prevention and toxics, “Our certified firms mentioned that they sometimes have to compete with firms underbidding jobs because that firm is uncertified and is willing to work without lead-safe work practices,” she says. “Those firms may be skirting other require-ments as well.”

In the past year, Cleland-Hamnett says the EPA stepped up its enforce-ment efforts against noncompliant firms or individuals.

Going an additional step further to protect their members, Angie’s List excludes any contractor who performs this type of work and fails to provide proof of EPA certification from this service category and key-word searches. In addition, the site includes a notice on the company's profile to alert their members of the issue.

“Correct practices are very easy to spot,” according to Ron Peik, owner of a highly rated lead-paint remedia-tion company in Mass. “You should be seeing lots of plastic being set up

to contain the area, literally taped down so air doesn’t get in, and win-dows, ducts and doorways sealed off. Homeowners really should insist on looking at the containment before actual work is executed.”

The most important thing own-ers of pre-1978 homes can do is hire certified contractors on jobs that disturb lead paint, and verify that the contractor follows the law.

Angie’s List also offers a Lead-Safe Practices Checklist to protect yourself and your property. You can find it at www.angieslist.com/arti-cles/lead-safe-practices-checklist.htm and additional resources at www.angieslist.com/articles/lead-paint-safety-what-you-need-know.htm.

For help with your own, specific lead questions, call the free Leadline at 503/988-4000.

A reminder that although lead poisoning is especially dangerous for kids, the fear of lead poisoning or liability does not give housing providers the right to deny or dis-courage families with children away from pre-1978 using. Familial status is a protected class under federal fair housing law and doing anything to deny or discourage oth-erwise qualified families is illegal. Visit www.FHCO.org for more information on this topic.

1Federally protected classes under the Fair Housing Act include: race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (children), and disability. Oregon law also protects marital status, source of income, sexual orientation, and domestic vio-lence survivors. Additional protect-ed classes have been added in par-ticular geographic areas; visit www.FHCO.org for more information.

This article brought to you by the Fair Housing Council; a civil rights organization. All rights reserved © 2015. Write [email protected] to

reprint articles or inquire about ongo-ing content for your own publication.

To learn more… Learn more about fair housing and / or sign up for our

free, periodic newsletter at www.FHCO.org.

Qs about this article? ‘Interested in articles for your company or trade asso-ciation? Contact Jo Becker at jbecker@

FHCO.org or 800/424-3247 Ext. 150Want to schedule an in-office fair

housing training program or speaker for corporate or association functions?

Visit www.FHCO.org/pdfs/classlist.pdf

LEAD REQUIREMENTS

In ‘96 federal regulation was passed requiring housing providers to disclose to potential buyers and occupants that pre-‘78 residences may contain lead-based paint before the consumer was obligated by con-tract. This involved distribution of a “Protect Your Family from Lead In Your Home” brochure and signa-tures a disclosure form.

The RRP regulation was layered on top of the ’96 law, requiring those doing work that disturbs at least six square feet of painted surfaces inside pre-’78 homes (or 20 square feet on the exterior) provide residents with the “Renovate Right” brochure and complete another accompanying dis-closure form.

Two years later EPA went on to stipulate that those doing such work must be certified (or hire someone who is) and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamina-tion.

The following work methods are specifically prohibited because they have been proven to create signifi-cant levels of lead dust:

• dry sanding or scraping,

• removing paint by torching or burning,

• the use of heat guns over 1100°F, and

• machine-sanding or grinding without HEPA equipment.

Specialized paint strippers are available instead; some even render lead non-hazardous further decreas-ing risk to workers and residents.

Safe work practice requirements include, among other things, posting of signage during the project; the use of plastic sheeting to seal and pre-vent contamination outside the work area; and proper disposal of lead-based paint waste.

KNOW THE RISKS

Lead paint lurks in nearly half the nation’s homes. Here are

several risk factors to consider, according to the EPA and highly

rated lead testers:

• About 38 million homes in the US, representing 40% of the res-idential housing stock, contain lead-based paint.

• Any home build before 1978 might still have lead paint. And the chances increase the older the home.

• Window and door frames of-ten contain lead even when the rest of the home doesn’t, and they present particular dangers. Friction or impact surfaces such as door frames, stairs, and win-dow s can break down the paint during normal use and release lead into the home. Some ce-ramic tile in pre-1978 homes also contains lead, which might be released if the tiles are re-moved or broken.

• Deteriorated paint presents a significant hazard, as it releases paint chips and lead dust. Even small amounts of dust – not just chips – can easily be ingested by young children.

• Soil can become contaminated when exterior lead paint flakes or peels off.

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

President, Multifamily Northwest

What Does Your Workplace Culture Say About Your Organization?

Presidents Message April 2015

By Scott Arena

Have you ever walked into the offices of a particular com-pany and felt a “vibe”. It’s

usually a feeling of energy and often difficult to explain but nonetheless very present and very real. Positive, neutral or negative, this work place “atmosphere” is determined by, and reflective of, a company’s culture.

Workplaces are typically com-prised of many different personality types with various backgrounds and diverse views. Although this makes for interesting interaction and learn-ing, it can also bring conflict and struggle. The backdrop of culture can significantly impact the environ-mental conditions – and determine direction toward positive or negative daily performance and overall results. Defining and maintaining a company culture takes effort, coordi-nation and planned direction.

Too often people are frustrated by their workplace culture. Having a great one can be elusive and rare and feel like impossibility for some lead-ers. Negative or toxic personalities

can place barriers to open communi-cation and creativity. When these styles become dominating - apathy, pessimism and infighting can follow. All of which prohibit innovation, forward thinking and growth.

A bad culture can cause stress and poison morale. Who would look forward to coming home from a day of working with downers and nay-sayers? It certainly would not be motivating – and likely causes tired-ness and tension at home.

Conversely, a good culture fills one with positive energy and the desire to engage and improve one-self, others in the organization, and work towards favorable outcomes. This environment is inviting and inclusive and prompts desire to par-ticipate and contribute. It promotes teamwork and encourages members to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

Early in my career I was fortunate to be a young manager at a large, new high-end lease up. What started as a pressure-filled, high stress atmo-sphere with less then optimal leasing results became a fun, high-energy, motivating, and success-fueled pro-gram within three months. One key

change prompted this shift – a change in group attitude that changed the culture. A culture of “fear of job-loss” transformed into “lets prove what we can accom-plish”. This was a mind-set adjust-ment that ultimately led to record-level leasing results and, most impor-tantly – support and respect between staff. It was an exciting time and great learning experience.

How do you know if YOUR com-pany has created a great culture? Author Tim Stevens (Fairness is Overrated: And 51 Other Leadership Principles to Revolutionize Your Workplace) notes twelve signs that a great culture exists in your company:

1. People are waiting in line to join your team. It’s about more than just compensation for your em-ployees. You might pay less. But word is out about your company. And people want to join your team and be a part of it.

2. Turnover is low. Most top execu-tives stay on long term due to comfort and pay. But look at

support positions. If long-term people hold entry-level and mid-level positions, it’s a positive indicator of healthy culture.

3. Top leaders want others to suc-ceed. They promote from within and support education and pro-fessional development.

4. No Gossip allowed. At every level in the company, gossip is not tolerated and speaking directly to the individual is encouraged.

5. Great lateral leadership. Leading people below you can be easy. Leading colleagues and co-leaders is different. A strong culture sees people coming along side their peers to encourage or on occasion correct and redirect.

6. Team members are energized and motivated. Leaders at all levels talk about the mission. They are energized and constantly thinking of ways to get it done

7. It is more than just a job. People socialize outside of work. They

Abandoned Property Release – M045

This is a new form that allows both the landlord and tenant to mutually agree that any items left behind may be disposed of without the cus-tomary notice periods outlined in ORS 90.425. This release can only be executed after a tenancy has ended, or no more than seven days prior to the termina-tion of the tenancy.

Form of the Month

Multifamily NW

Upcoming Educational Opportunities 4/1/2015 April Landlord Study Hall4/2/2015 WA Landlord Tenant Laws: Forms to Evictions4/2/2015 NALP Relevant Laws and How to Apply Them4/7/2015 Mold Awareness and Remediation4/10/2015 It's the Law Series: Crazy But True: Stories from a Full Moon4/14/2015 CAMT Interior Exterior Maintenance and Repair4/16/2015 CAM Management of Residential Issues

4/17/2015 NALP - The Sales Process and Building Relationships4/20/2015 New Hire Training "An Introduction to the Industry"4/21/2015 Strengthening Frontline Skills for Maintenance4/22/2015 Spring 2015 Apartment Report Breakfast4/24/2015 Fair Housing Bus Tour4/29/2015 NALP Effectively Meeting the Needs of Current Residents5/4/2015 OR Landlord Tenant Law Part 15/5/2015 Summer Preventative Maintenance

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over-year price jumps.

10. DetroitMedian rent, January 2015: $1,096Increase since January 2014: 5%

9. PhoenixMedian rent: $1,225Increase: 5.3%

8. HoustonMedian rent: $1,497Increase: 5.9%

7. Charlotte, N.C.Median rent: $1,235Increase: 6.1%

6. Austin, TexasMedian rent: $1,657Increase: 7%

5. Portland, Ore.Median rent: $1,587Increase: 7.2%

4. Kansas City, Mo.Median rent: $1,214Increase: 8.5%

3. DenverMedian rent: $1,827Increase: 10.2%

2. San Jose, Calif.Median rent: $3,190Increase: 13.4%

1. San FranciscoMedian rent: $3,055Increase: 14.9%

Only two of the 36 markets listed in Zillow's index had drops in medi-an rent: Minneapolis-St. Paul (down 0.3%) and Chicago (down 0.5%), though both cities still have above-average median rents, at $1,502 and $1,609, respectively.

While New York and Los Angeles didn't have top-10 increases in their median rents, the first- and second-largest cities in the U.S. still have some of the highest housing costs. L.A.'s median rent increased 4.9%

from 2014 to $2,460 (third highest), and New York/Northern New Jersey came in at No. 4 with a median rent of $2,331.

Rent experts consulted by Zillow for this report say Americans should expect to spend about 30% of their incomes on rent, as opposed to 25%, which the report says is the historical standard. No matter where you live, whether it has skyrocketing or steady rent, it's crucial to choose a place that fits your budget. Failing to pay your rent may prompt your landlord to send a debt collector after you or even evict you from the property, both of which will seriously damage your credit. Poor credit makes it harder to get an apartment, not to mention the fact that utility provid-ers often ask for deposits from poor-credit customers, so as tempting as it may be to breach your rental budget, that up-sell could really cost you. You can get a free credit report sum-mary on Credit.com to see where you stand.

From PropertyManager.com a Service of AppFolio

The importance of teamwork can not be overstated or emphasized enough. Yet

sometimes boundaries are so clearly drawn regarding the role or “job description” of each staff member, that those who desire to “go the extra mile” are forced to remain at the starting line and watch pros-pects and residents “fall through the cracks.”

I was recently asked the following question which brings up the issue of maintenance and leasing staffs getting involved with each others’ job duties:

Q: Is it appropriate for mainte-nance staff members to get involved in

the leasing process and how far should they go?

A: This is a very important sub-ject, and it brings up another ques-tion: Is it appropriate for leasing/office employees to get involved in some aspects of maintenance and how far should they go?

As property management compa-nies have to make difficult budget decisions. Some budget cuts have involved a reduction in leasing and maintenance personnel. The result is less office coverage and slower response time to resident requests, as one or two team members are trying to do the jobs of three or four people.

Providing some “basic” training

to your leasing and maintenance personnel to create an “overlap” in their job responsibilities will take some of the pressure off your team members and provide better service to prospective residents and existing residents.

If a leasing person is away from the office and a maintenance staff member encounters a prospective

resident, the maintenance person at the very least could extend a warm, friendly greeting. The visitor

could be made comfortable and offered refreshments, if available, and be given a brochure to look at while he or she is waiting. If a guest card or visitor log is available, the maintenance person could request

that it be filled out. Then, if the wait time becomes excessive and the pro-spective resident has to go, there will be a record of the visit, and a way to follow up.

Office personnel can provide this same type of support to their mainte-nance team, when they are busy turning apartments and handling service requests. Every person work-ing in the office should know how to operate a plunger and an Allen wrench. Leasing team members must also be willing to pass out flyers, pick up litter, sweep sidewalks, maintain common areas, etc. If you are constantly paging maintenance to pass out your lease renewal letters

Skyrocketing Rent ...continued from front page

...continued on page 7



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enjoy the company of the people they work with. Professional and respectful, they spend time together because they have a good time.

8. The team is more important than the task. Employees have a sense that they matter. They are not just people filling tasks. They feel val-ued and appreciated. Everything in the culture, systems, language and structure sends a message of “you matter and all you do is important!”

9. People are smiling. Look around. Even in times of high productiv-ity and intense focus, people are smiling, enjoying conversations and having a good time. Laughter is not a rare event.

10. No fear. People are not fearful of saying the wrong thing in front of the wrong person. There is no trepidation about things being overheard. No hushed conversa-tions behind closed doors. When one goes in to speak with a supe-rior they can walk out knowing they were heard.

11. Communication is strong. Ev-eryone communicates from every level of the organization – top to bottom. No surprises when things are communicated well. Mes-sages are disseminated well in advance to all involved parties. Leaders openly ask staff for help in finding solutions.

12. Change is welcomed. Not ev-eryone likes change, but a com-pany with a great culture makes changes with care and dignity.

This alleviates concerns and staff no longer dreads new directions. Revealing the evidences of a great culture is a welcome thing.

Building a positive culture is a day-by-day process. It takes time and commitment on behalf of leader-ship and management. For any com-pany seeking top performance in employees and extraordinary results, promoting a good culture is essen-tial. When your team gets up in the mornings and cannot wait to spend the next several hours working together towards a rewarding goal, success is imminent. This type of culture nurtures positive energy, cre-ating a happy environment that attracts people. The workplace liter-ally becomes a place that breeds excitement - and an energy that peo-ple begin to crave and need and, most important, want!

Who would you rather have on your team? Someone who is there only because they have to be? Or someone who is positive, motivated and really wants to be there! The choice should be a simple one. A great culture should be a founda-tional component of any success-driven organization. Just like Field of Dreams, “If you build it…they will come”.

efficiency improvements and retro-fits can go a long way to winning over the millennial demographic.

In 2014 alone, Energy Trust expects that assistance to multifami-ly property owners could result in over 21 million annual kilowatt hours and over 300,000 therms in energy savings, with approximately $4.6 million in cash incentives. An Energy Trust advisor can provide a no-cost walkthrough survey to iden-tify energy-efficiency opportunities for cash incentives, and determine where the largest savings potential exist at your property. Energy Trust

also provides technical assistance and can recommend qualified ener-gy-efficiency contractors to help you get started.

To learn how other multifamily property owners have benefited from energy-efficiency improvements visit

www.energytrust.org/multifamily, con-tact us at [email protected]

or call 1.877.510.2130.

or handle minor messes around your community, then you are delaying the make ready process, as well as prompt service to your residents.

REMEMBER: Being part of a team means doing whatever it takes to get the job done; whether it’s your job or not!

If you are interested in leasing training 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

ASK THE SECRET SHOPPER

Provided by: Joyce (Kirby) Bica Former owner of Shoptalk Service

Evaluations Consultant to Jancyn Evaluation

ShopsPhone: 425-424-8870

E-mail: [email protected]

Copyright© Joyce (Kirby) Bica

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CASE STUDIES ABOUT MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES

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

“We’ll save over $16,000 in utility bills each year because we upgraded our common area

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

only 1.25 years. Plus, Energy Trust of Oregon gave us over $16,000 in cash incentives

just for upgrading.

Amanda Schulz, business manager

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

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

valley rental housing journal april 2015

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