valley rental housing journal june 2015

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Rental Housing Journal Valley

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By Rebecca McLean, Executive Director of the National Real Estate Investors Association

Real estate investment is, and al-ways has been, one of the best ways of investing available

to individuals. Real estate investing works. Real estate investing is the surest and safest road to financial freedom. In a recent article in Fortune Magazine it states that 97 out of 100 self-made millionaires have made their money today through real es-tate investing.

In the long term, historically, Real Estate has shown a consistent growth in value, even when some other investment choices were less stable. If there is an increase in value and you are paying down your mortgage balance, it’s pretty simple: You increase your equity in the property and add to your net worth. The nice thing about investing in real estate is if you have purchased the property right – for the right price and under the correct deal structure - and main-tained it properly, your residents, in effect, make your payments for you! In addition, there may be tax advan-tages available to you when you deal in a long term Real Estate Investment. Although there are definite limits to these potential tax advantages, they can be substantial. There are many other short term real estate strategies that have been incredibly successful over the last five years that have their own advantages. (Consult a tax or legal professional to see how your situation would be affected.) In gen-eral real estate investing allows you to:

Why Invest in Real Estate?

continued on page 6

2. Dear Maintenance Men:

3. Motivation and Attitude – Choose Your Path, Determine Your Destination

6. Ask the Secret Shopper

As everyone in Oregon is aware, starting on July 1st, 2015 recreation marijuana

use will be legal within the state of Oregon. Whether you are for or against the use of marijuana this is something that you will have to deal with as a landlord. They have estab-lished some of the rules surrounding the use of Marijuana as I will talk about in this article, but a lot is left up for determination by the OLCC.

The big question on a lot of land-lords mind is if they can restrict the use of marijuana on their property. This hasn’t been officially decided yet and may never become a part of law. As it stands right now it seems that most things will follow the same rules as alcohol. Since the use of drugs and alcohol, which are not prescribed by a doctor, are not a pro-tected class then the initial opinion is

How Does the New Recreational Marijuana Law Affect Oregon

Landlords?

...continued on page 4

By Marc Courtenay

Often in life, it’s not only what you know but who you know that can make all the

difference. Knowledge is powerful, but relationships are the bedrock of the property management business. It all begins with the people we work with, the folks we depend upon, and the personnel that help keep the wheels of progress turning.

Are you staying connected, in touch with your V.I.P.s? Group meet-ings can be useful in this regard. But there’s nothing like one-on-one time

with your key people to really get the feel about what they’re thinking and what ideas they may be willing to share.

One of my clients has lunch each month with a rotating selection of the people she relies on the most. She’s a big advocate for having a “garden filled with allies” and she keeps that “garden” nourished well.

Next, if I were to ask you for a list of your most important clients, would you have it memorized? If you think about it, 80% of your busi-ness as a property manager usually comes from 20% of your clients. The

20% are your key relationships that you can’t afford to neglect. When was the last time you had coffee or breakfast with these sources of ongo-ing business? Do you communicate with them regularly?

The other 80% of your book of clients are important, too. Make sure you have an outstanding client man-agement system (CMS) that won’t let you forget them. A good CMS keeps people from falling through the cracks, which might make them easy pickings for your competition. Loyalty must be earned and then

Successful Property Managers Guard Key Relationships


2 Rental Housing Journal Valley • July 2015

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Octoberp Septemberp

Dear Maintenance Men:We have been in drought conditions

for a long time here in the West, how-ever I keep hearing about the wet weath-er condition called “El Nino”. What is “El Nino” and how should I prepare my apartment building for its coming?

John

Dear John:An El Niño is a weather pattern

produced by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacif-ic. The El Niño phenomenon is asso-ciated with extreme weather around the globe and in California it typi-cally means a wet winter with higher

than normal rain levels. The Nation-al Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-istration (NOAA) is predicting a 60 percent change that the El Niño con-ditions will continue all year.

So how do you prepare for El Niño? Inspect your building’s roofs, gutters, drains, flashing and trim overhanging trees. In other words, don’t wait for the wet season to find out your roof is in poor condition. Get the work done now while it is dry and the roofing companies are not busy. Don’t forget about large trees that hang over your roofs. In wet windy weather, they can cause a lot of damage to a roof if a limb breaks

or a tree falls because of soggy soil. Flat roofs are especially vulnerable to blocked scuppers and roof drains. The backed up water will find the slightest weakness in any roof sys-tem and even cause a roof collapse.

Dear Maintenance Men:Pigeons are driving me crazy! I have

tried everything to get rid of the pigeons that have taken over eaves and patios at my complex. I have used fake owls, high pitch sound devices, goop to give the pi-geons sticky feet and spikes everywhere. They just laugh at the spikes and walk and nest over them. Any advice will be welcome!

Jennifer

Dear Jennifer:Although your situation is be-

yond this; the first line of defense is not letting pigeons get a foot hold at your property in the first place. Talk to your residents and make sure no one is feeding the pigeons! It sounds like you have tried most of the common antidotes for getting rid of established unwanted pigeon flocks. Getting rid of pigeons is a war of wills. If you give up, they will re-turn. The key is to make them as un-

comfortable as possible and not stop-ping until they are gone. First thing to do is clean the area with bleach to remove any pigeon nesting smells and spraying any stubborn pigeons with a water hose over and over. If the area lends itself to be closed off, put up netting to keep the birds from entering the area. If the spikes are broken, replace with stronger ones. Check at your local farm supply or the internet for stronger better qual-ity spike strips. The area must be monitored constantly until the birds have found a new nesting area away from your building and remember, this is a daily battle if the campaign is to be successful.

Dear Maintenance Men:Drought or no drought, I have decid-

ed to ditch my lawn! I figure in the long term, getting rid of the grass will save me time and money with less watering and maintenance. What recommenda-tion do you have to help me achieve my plan?

Dorothy

Dear Maintenance Men:

...continued on page 5503-391-6274CCB# 155631

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Rental Housing Journal Valley • July 2015 3


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

President, Multifamily Northwest

WHEN: Thursday, August 20, 2015

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

WHERE: Emerald Valley Golf Course

83301 Dale Kuni Road Creswell, OR 97426

WHY: Raise money for the Relief Nursery

The 9th Annual Southern Willamette Valley Charity Golf Tournament

Multifamily NW & the SWV Council Present

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

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

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

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

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

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

Motivation and Attitude – Choose Your Path, Determine Your Destination

Several years ago and early in my management career I was fortunate to come across these

axioms surrounding the power of attitude and the driving force it ul-timately creates: motivation. Time tested by many –including a few of my most valued mentors -it eventu-ally became quite apparent that these the components creating the founda-tion of this motivation-framework truly help determine success or fail-ure in all areas of personal and pro-fessional development.

If experiencing life to its fullest is the goal one pursues, one must stay motivated. People who fail to keep themselves motivated on a consis-tent basis are setting the stage for self-doubt, fear, and stress. It has been said that keeping motivated is much like eating. If we keep our-selves fed with balanced healthy meals each day, our bodies remain strong and our minds stay sharp.

However, if we go too long without food, or eat things that are unhealthy for us, we will grow lethargic and become weak. The same goes for motivation. If we surround our-selves with inspiring ideas and uplifting people, we continually increase our levels of performance. If we do not, we become stagnant and ineffective. Worse, we become vulnerable and subject to the nega-tive tendencies of our nature. Make the commitment to spend time each day with positive information and positive people.

Stay positive. Stay focused. Stay strong.

Living a day without goals is like climbing aboard an airplane without knowing its final destination. Once in the air, we know we’re moving forward but we have no idea how far we’ll be going, the duration of the trip, or where we will eventually wind up. Of course, we could just sit back, go along for the ride, and just wait for whatever blind luck decides to send our way. But like the imagi-nary plane ride, just simply waiting

for luck in life involves a high degree of uncertainty. If you don’t know where you’re going you’ll end up where you’re headed. By setting spe-cific goals we minimize that uncer-tainty and increase the probability of achieving the things we desire most. And we can more easily adapt to change, in a sense the only constant we can depend on. Start planning. Start writing out your goals today. No matter what you do, for as long as you live, your life will change. You can either be a victim of that change or a master of it. You and you alone make that determination.

Beware the winds of negativity. People not doing anything with their lives will try to discourage you from doing anything with yours. Misery loves company. So does lack of ambition and a bucket of excuses. Take a stand against the naysayers of the world. Refuse to accept medioc-rity. Shine in the spotlight. Even if you fail in the pursuit of something you thought at first would be suc-cessful, do not quit. Remember the credit goes to the individual who is constantly trying and in the game,

not sitting on the sidelines and never taking chances.

Always give more than it takes. Greatness has never been achieved merely by meeting the minimum requirements. Exceptional effort is the surest way to achieve exceptional rewards. Make it your personal chal-lenge to do a little more than what is expected in everything you do. Start today. Not only will the fruits of your labor increase, but also you will steadily acquire the habit of “going the extra mile”. This will put you in a circle of rare individuals -and a place where you’ll never find a crowd.

Positive energy attracts and pro-duces positive results. Negative energy attracts and produces nega-tive results. When we smile and reach out to the world, the propen-sity is that it will reach back in like kind. When we frown and pull away, the world almost always does the same. Each day we have an important choice to make: We can either enter the day projecting posi-tive energy, or we can enter the day

Multifamily NW

Upcoming Educational Opportunities 7/7/2015 Mold Awareness and Remediation

7/8/2015 CAM: Legal Responsibilities

7/10/2015 It's the Law Lunch Series "Section 8 and Renter's Insurance: Understanding the Latest Laws"

7/14/2015 CAMT Heating Systems Maintenance & Repair

7/15/2015 Basic Fair Housing with a Leasing Focus

7/21/2015 Maintenimiento de apartamentos (campo de entrenamiento): Maintenance Boot Camp for Spanish Speakers

7/21/2015 Law and Rule Required Course (LARRC)

7/22/2015 CAMT Plumbing Maintenance and Repair 2-Day Class

8/3/2015 Oregon Landlord Tenant Law Part 1

8/4/2015 Fair Housing for Maintenance

8/5/2015 NALP Marketing and Maintaining Your Community

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


Oregon Single Family/Condo/Multiplex Move-In & Out Inspection – M207 OR

Multifamily NW has expanded their standard Move-In & Out Inspection form for single family homes and more unique rentals. This critical form that provides the written record of the condition at the beginning and end of the tenancy, has been updated to include up to 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and many more prompts to note additional rooms, essential services and exte-rior areas.

Form of the Month

ON SITE RESIDENT MAIN OFFICE (IF REQUIRED)ON MOVE-OUT, FORWARD TO HOUSING AUTHORITY IF A HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM

PAGE 1 OF 3

MASTER BEDROOM IN OUT

25. WALLS / CEILINGS A * NA A * NA

26. FLOORING________________________________ A * NA A * NA

27. DOORS / KNOBS / LOCKS A * NA A * NA

28. WINDOWS / SCREENS / COVERINGS A * NA A * NA

29. LIGHT FIXTURES / BULBS A * NA A * NA

30. ELECTRIC OUTLETS / SWITCHES A * NA A * NA

31. SINK / VANITY A * NA A * NA

32. OTHER_____________________________________ A * NA A * NA

BEDROOM 2 IN OUT


34. FLOORING________________________________ A * NA A * NA





39. OTHER_____________________________________ A * NA A * NA

BEDROOM 3 IN OUT


41. FLOORING________________________________ A * NA A * NA





46. OTHER_____________________________________ A * NA A * NA

BEDROOM 4 IN OUT


48. FLOORING________________________________ A * NA A * NA





53. OTHER_____________________________________ A * NA A * NA

LIVING ROOM / ENTRY IN OUT


2. FLOORING________________________________ A * NA A * NA


4. SLIDING DOOR A * NA A * NA




8. FIREPLACE A * NA A * NA

9. OTHER_____________________________________ A * NA A * NA

KITCHEN / DINING ROOM IN OUT


11. FLOORING________________________________ A * NA A * NA

12. SLIDING DOOR A * NA A * NA




16. CABINETS A * NA A * NA

17. COUNTERTOPS A * NA A * NA

18. SINK / FAUCET / DISPOSAL A * NA A * NA

19. RANGE / STOVE A * NA A * NA

MAKE_______________________________________

MODEL_____________________________________

COLOR_____________________________________

20. HOOD / FAN A * NA A * NA

21. REFRIGERATOR A * NA A * NA

MAKE_______________________________________

MODEL_____________________________________

COLOR_____________________________________

22. DISHWASHER A * NA A * NA

MAKE_______________________________________

MODEL_____________________________________

COLOR_____________________________________

23. MICROWAVE A * NA A * NA

MAKE_______________________________________

MODEL_____________________________________

COLOR_____________________________________

24. OTHER_____________________________________ A * NA A * NA

BEDROOM 5 IN OUT


55. FLOORING________________________________ A * NA A * NA





60. OTHER_____________________________________ A * NA A * NA

MASTER BATHROOM IN OUT


62. FLOORING________________________________ A * NA A * NA






68. SINK / FAUCET / VANITY / MIRROR A * NA A * NA

69. TOILET A * NA A * NA

70. SHOWER / TUB / SURROUND A * NA A * NA

71. TOWEL BARS / SHOWER ROD A * NA A * NA

72. FAN A * NA A * NA

73. OTHER________________________________ A * NA A * NA

BATHROOM 2 IN OUT


75. FLOORING________________________________ A * NA A * NA






81. SINK / FAUCET / VANITY / MIRROR A * NA A * NA

82. TOILET A * NA A * NA

83. SHOWER / TUB / SURROUND A * NA A * NA

84. TOWEL BARS / SHOWER ROD A * NA A * NA

85. FAN A * NA A * NA

86. OTHER________________________________ A * NA A * NA

OREGONSINGLE FAMILY/CONDO/MULTIPLEXMOVE-IN & OUT INSPECTION

DATE __________________________________________ PROPERTY NAME / NUMBER ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RESIDENT NAME(S) ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

UNIT NUMBER ___________________________________ STREET ADDRESS ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CITY ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ STATE ___________________________________ ZIP _____________________________________________________________

# OF BEDROOMS ___________________________________ # OF BATHROOMS ___________________________________

Circle one item on each line. A = Acceptable * = Issue noted on page 3 NA = Not applicable

Form

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that you can restrict the use of mari-juana in your lease as long as the tenant knows about it and they sign the lease contract agreeing not to use marijuana while living on the prop-erty. Obviously even if you support the use of marijuana then you will still want to maintain the no-smok-ing rules you have for inside your unit as the smoke will do damage to your property just like cigarette smoke. There are many other ways for them to ingest THC though so you won’t be completely restricting their ability to use the substance.

A lot of the rules that have been established do follow that of Alcohol.

You must be at least 21 years of age to legally possess or consume mari-juana, you cannot drive while under the influence of marijuana, and you are not allowed to use it in public. Use in public spaces is something that managers of multi-unit proper-ties with common areas will need to be cognizant of. If there are hall ways, playgrounds, or any other common areas of your complex then it is not legal for them to use mari-juana in those areas. So if you have a tenant that decides to break this por-tion of the law you would have grounds to evict them assuming that you have an illegal activity adden-

dum or section of the lease that they signed. Pretty much any area that is not inside their private unit or is in plain view of the public (balconies) would be considered using marijua-na in public.

People will be allowed to possess up to 8 ounces of usable marijuana inside their home and up to 1 ounce outside of their home. Usable mari-juana is considered to be the dried flowers & leaves or finished product. Starting in July they will be able to share and give away recreational marijuana, but the OLCC won’t start accepting applications for wholesale or retail sales of Marijuana until January of 2016. So if you find out that any of your tenants are selling marijuana it will still be a violation of the law.

In my opinion the main thing that landlords need to monitor is their ability to grow up to 4 plants per residence out of public view. Since they can’t grow them in public view then they will most likely be grown inside the unit. When marijuana is grown there typically has to be alter-ations made to the property for ven-tilation and electricity in addition to high risks of water, mold, and dirt damage to the surrounding area that it is being grown. So be sure that ten-ants know they have to get your permission before making any alter-ations to the property as this is a lease violation for the majority of

leases. Also be sure to stay on top of your inspections as a landlord. Within my company we do them once every 6 months, but work out a schedule that is best for you and be sure to do a thorough inspection. When it comes to grow rooms be sure to inspect any carpeting for mold growth. Look behind any reflective plastics or foil on the walls and ceilings for mold growth. And be sure to physically press on any sheetrock or wood surfaces to see if they have become soft from moisture damage.

For more information as it comes up you can visit the OLCC website and this page that they set up spe-cifically for the recreation marijuana law, http://whatslegaloregon.com

Christian BryantPresident

Portland Area Rental Owners Association

www.PortlandAreaROA.comColdwell Banking Property

Managementwww.CBPropertyManagement.com


VALLEY

Marijuana Law ...continued from page 1



Dear Maintenance Men: ...continued from page 2

Dear Dorothy:Creating a drought tolerant land-

scape is a great idea. As you men-tioned, the drought tolerant land-scape will cost you less money in water and will be easier to maintain. The single greatest consumer of wa-ter in your landscape is the turf. Re-duce the grass area to ease the bur-den on water. Xeriscaping is a term for a water conserving landscape. Some of the benefits of Xeriscaping is water saving, low maintenance, pesticide free, pollution free (no lawnmowers) and use of local native plants. You might want to consider using Ornamental grasses, as they are drought tolerant, look great and give your landscape a bit of vertical dimension. Succulents of course are great at conserving water. Flax and Delphiniums Iris are a few perenni-als to use. Marigolds, Mexican Sun-

flowers, Phlox and Vinca Passion are Annuals that will work well. As for shrubs, look at Japanese Black Pine, Mountain Currant, Sassafras, Hon-eysuckles etc. A good choice in trees are Acacia, Gray Birch, Monterey Cypress, Eucalyptus, Fig, Juniper Amur Maple to name a few. Check with your local nursery for what best suits your area as or climate. Be sure to provide good drainage and using plants native to your area are best.

Call Buffalo Maintenance, Inc for maintenance work or consultation. JLE Property Management, Inc for

management service or consultationFrankie Alvarez at 714 956-8371

Jerry L’Ecuyer at 714 778-0480 CA contractor lic: #797645, EPA

Real Estate lic. #: 01460075Certified Renovation Company

Websites: www.BuffaloMainte-nance.com & www.ContactJLE.com www.Facebook.com/Buf-

faloMaintenance


VALLEY

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maintained through caring contact. As you climb the ladder of success you’re likely to slip from time to time. If you have others on that same ladder with whom you’re loyally connected you’ll keep from falling too far.

The few mountain-climbing expe-riences I’ve had taught me to be teth-ered to my group. Once, years before the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, I ascended its icy surface all the way to the summit. Several times I, or another member of the climbing party, slipped in spite of our quality equipment. Because we were tied together by strong ropes none of us were lost down a deadly crevasse. This experience emphasized the importance of “staying connected” to the dependable, competent people I relied on and who relied on me. It also reminds me today of a motto that I learned: “Do what you can to leave people a little better than you found them.”

Even if all you do is send emails or a text with a few appreciative words, do it. The late Maya Angelou had some powerful things to say on this topic. One of her most memora-ble quotes was “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

If the key people in your lives, including family and friends, feel appreciated, understood and respect-ed they are much more likely to respond in kind.

PropertyManager.com a Service of AppFolio


VALLEY

Guard Key Relationships ...continued from page 1



Each apartment community has certain features and benefits, which are the selling points of

that particular community. It could be its location, friendly staff, spa-cious floor plans, beautiful landscap-ing or affordable price; just to name a few. Yet even with the most fabulous features, there will be times when the apartments you have available won’t seem to meet the needs of your pro-spective renters. The following ques-tion from a leasing consultant ad-dresses this issue:

Q: We have several vacant apart-ments right now and I know I’m supposed to try and rent all of them, but how can I rent to someone when it doesn’t seem like the apartment will really meet their needs?

A: Things are not always what they “seem.” Many times you may have the tendency to make an assumption about what you think someone needs based upon your limited perspective, frame of refer-ence or belief system. For example, you might have 2 bedrooms avail-

able right now that are all located on upper floors. If a family with small children comes in, you might auto-matically assume that they are not going to be interested because you think they won’t want to deal with the stairs. On the other hand, you could have all first floor openings and your prospective renter could be a single woman. You might think women living alone only want upper level apartments because you believe they feel safer off the ground. Therefore, when you have a single woman seeking a new home, you may not try to sell her on a first floor location because you don’t think it will meet her needs.

Until you truly get to know your prospective renters and determine what is most important to them, you really don’t know what they need. You are merely making “assump-tions.” It could be that the husband of the family mentioned above trav-els a lot. The wife may prefer an upper level apartment as she is fre-quently home alone with their small children, and would feel safer living upstairs. The single woman might have a lot of equipment that she has to bring home from work each day, and does not want to deal with con-stantly lugging it up and down the stairs.

It’s important to remember that every person who walks through

your door is as unique and specialas each one of your available

apartments. The term “one size fits all” may work when you are buying a stretchy article of clothing. However, when it comes to helping people find a new home, no apart-ment will fit the same two people in the same way. For those times when you have prospective renters with needs you just cannot meet, send them to a sister community and/or offer to pay them a referral fee for anyone they refer who rents. Since things are not always what they seem, you never know when a pro-spective renter who does not end up leasing could be a source of referrals for months, or even years to come.

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

ASK THE SECRET SHOPPERProvided by: Joyce (Kirby) Bica Former owner of Shoptalk Service Evaluations

Consultant to Jancyn Evaluation Shops E-mail: [email protected] Copyright

© Joyce (Kirby) Bica


VALLEY

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projecting negative energy. Projecting negative energy is easy. There are always plenty of reasons to be mad, sad, or afraid. Projecting positive energy is more challenging and tougher. It means consciously going against the grain of the world in which we live. Remind yourself each day that being positive, no mat-ter what the circumstances, builds perseverance. Perseverance builds character. Character builds hope. Hope is what keeps our dreams alive.

The responsibility of making our way in life is ours and ours alone. Each of us is at a point in our lives as the result of all the decisions we have made to this point. When we study great leaders throughout world his-tory, in the final analysis we see a common thread throughout their character: The courage to take

responsibility for their actions. People of sound mind and body who shirk responsibility for the things they do exert enormous burdens on society. They make excuses. They shift the blame. By doing so, they actually demonstrate a disrespect for the freedoms and opportunities that have been protected and made avail-able to us all. If we are to achieve meaningful success in our lives – be it financial, profession, in relation-ships, or otherwise – we must recog-nize our obligation to accept full responsibility for our actions. When we do, those same threads of great character will show forth in us as well!


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Nowhere to Go but Up ...continued from page 1

• Become financially independent or at a minimum vastly supplement your current income

• Use the power of leverage - create income even when you aren’t “on the job”

• Take advantage of great tax benefits

• Real estate investing works no matter what the condition of the market

• Appreciation of your asset

• Create a constant stream of income

• Be your own boss

• Work on your own schedule

Best of all, real estate investing works no matter what the condition of the market. Your strategy might change or need to be tweaked but the underlying principles are the same.

In the short term, Real Estate makes a great investment simply because the numbers are so large. It is not like buying a $200 collectible and reselling it for $250. Yes, the return percentage will be high, but you still only made $50. With Real Estate, a decent rate of return can mean big profit dollars. If you buy a

house at $25,000, put $5,000 into repairs and upgrades and add some sweat equity, you can often sell that same house for $40,000! That’s a much larger dollar return on your investment.

One of the golden benefits of real estate investing is the opportunity to avoid the onerous taxes. Every time you exempt yourself from a tax it is like earning an extra percentage on your investment. That alone can have a powerful effect on your wealth building, but it doesn’t stop there. You have more profit to roll into another property, so you keep every one of your investment dollars compounding and building your financial net worth.

Real estate investing has become attractive to everyone in the last decade. Average individuals, not just high income earners looking for sup-plemental retirement income or those looking for freedom from cor-porate America. In 2005, investors accounted for nearly 10% of the new mortgage loans- up from 6% in 2001. And that number does not even account for investments using cre-ative financing, a term real estate investors use to mean investing via creative strategies for acquisition. The number of conventional loans was significantly reduced after 2009

and then investors began to use cash and private money to participate in the market. Bankrate.com, in its April 22, 2005 article, said that it esti-mates that nearly a quarter of home buyers were purchasing property as an investment. After the overall mar-ket cooled that number remained high as only investors with access to alternative funding could freely par-ticipate in the market. Many areas that recovered more quickly were only able to do so because of inves-tor participation. During some months in 2010 and 2011 NAR reported that over 30% of the pur-chases were by investors.

Those who chose real estate as a career have much more flexibility than in the past. You can even be a real estate investor and never have tenants! Many strategies such as wholesaling and private money don’t have tenants or physical labor. There is one thing about real estate investing that has remained unchanged through the years – the smart investor is making his money (or time, or talents, etc.) work harder so he doesn’t have to.

The biggest plus to becoming a real estate investor is your ability to invest on your terms:

• Seller financing that means little

upfront investment vs all cash deals

• Working from home vs using an office and staff

• Normal office hours vs by appointment only

• Gaining education from books, informal meetings, or in exotic places on a cruise

It all depends on your style of investing and the lifestyle you are pursuing. That is what makes real estate investing the perfect business for everyone. You can build your business on your own terms.

For more information on how to get started in Real Estate, I can recommend no better resource than your local Real Estate Investors Association. These associations feature great benefits such as discounts from product and service providers, special programs for every-one from beginners to advanced inves-tors, and unbeatable networking oppor-tunities. Your local REIA group can be an invaluable partner on your road to financial independence! For informa-tion about REIA Chapters and affiliates around the country, visit www.national-reia.com.



IT’S JUST SMART BUSINESS

SUCCESS STORIES ABOUT MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES

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

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

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

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

just for upgrading.

Amanda Schulz, business manager

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

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

valley rental housing journal june 2015

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