She Did, Too! I Did Not! Handling He Said-She Said Disputes

Here’s a new one for you – it was new for me, anyway, so I thought I would share. I had one of our Residents contact the Office to complain that their next door neighbor and she had gotten into some type of dispute. Apparently, the neighbor was allowing her to use their Wifi internet connection free of charge and had provided the password.

After the initial argument, the neighbor changed the name of their Wifi network to a less than complimentary name, something to the effect of “JaniceSucks%$#@”. This meant that when her twelve year daughter logged on later that evening that was what she saw as the new network name.  

When she discovered this, of course she was embarrassed and angry. Instead of confronting the neighbor though, she called both the local police department and the neighbor’s boss. Then once it all blew up out of control, she called me to “make her change her network name.”

I told her that FCC regulations do not permit me to order her to change her network name, number one. Number two, she should stop using the neighbor’s network and get her own service provider. I wanted to say, Grow Up, Too, but I did not think that would be appropriate either. I did contact the neighbor though and ask that she create a less offensive network name. Hummm, do you think changing the network name to "GetaLifeJaniceUB*%$^" is any better?

There Is Hope - VOTE!

It’s hard to have hope after all the devastating events that have occurred in the last four years. This country has been through it all: feasts (if you received a golden parachute), famine (if your factory closed leaving you with questions and no answers), homelessness, drought conditions all across the land (ask any farmer), storms, floods, fires (victims of Hurricane Sandy and the west coast fires), and war (Afghanistan and pulling out of Iraq.) It is difficult to ask Americans to keep the faith, but we must persevere. We must be resilient.

We need to demonstrate our resolve to remain hopeful in our future to our children. When I was teaching, I became the Student Council sponsor in the elementary school where I taught. Since it was an election year, I wanted to be able to demonstrate to all the students how important one vote can be. The school itself was an official voting place so children knew they had to be quiet on Election Day, that the lunch room was to remain as quiet as possible that day while all these adults (many of whom were their parents) could come in and pull the lever. But they really had no clue as to what it all meant.

Our Student Council was made up of two student representatives and an alternate for each fourth, fifth and sixth grade classroom. We would meet at 7:30 AM each Tuesday morning and discuss what service project we could do for the school community. I suggested we hold a mock election the same day as the national election and allow all children to vote for something. Many ideas were batted around and we finally settled on the platform of changing the school colors from Red and Yellow to something else. Several color combinations were suggested and we settled on three options at first and after a Preliminary campaign, the upper grades voted and selected the final possible change of Purple and Blue.

I have to say it was pretty remarkable. Each Student Council Officer was given the assignment of going to all the lower elementary grade classrooms and making a presentation explaining how the voting process worked, what would happen on Election Day, and how this was the student’s chance to make a choice: change the colors or keep the same colors. Each Student Council member was told to make posters supporting a change or keeping the same colors in place. They all gave speeches to their classroom peers as well.

Election Day went smoothly and the students Rocked the Vote! Our mock school election stirred up so much interest within the school community that it spread into the actual city community as well. To say it was the talk of the town was an understatement. I did not expect it to become controversial, but it did! Past students now all grown up and at college wrote letters protesting the possibility of changing their alma mater’s colors. Parents called the school (and me) to ask all kinds of questions, including were we buying new uniforms if the students voted to change the school colors. Even the mayor and City Commissioners called me to ask what was going on and why it was happening.  It was amazing! It really opened the eyes of these children who were learning firsthand that the concerns of people mattered and that their opinions mattered; their votes would count.

It starts with each one of us. As a Property Manager, one way to make sure our Residents understand the importance of voting is to try to make it easy for them to vote. Holding voter registration days and registering your community’s club house as a polling place are two ways to emphasize the importance of voting to our Residents. Providing treats and stickers saying “I VOTED” is a fun little way to support our Residents’ right to choose. I cannot tell you how important it is to me to have the right to make a change or support the status quo. It is up to each one of us to make sure our voices are heard.

Conducting Due Diligence Onsite

Thursday, November 1, 2012, a group of twelve+ people descended upon an office a full twenty minutes before the Office was scheduled to open and before they were expected to arrive. The Manager was fielding a couple of No Heat calls, trying to collect the rent checks that had been dropped into the after hours drop box and the phone was ringing. To say it was a bit hectic was an understatement.

Just a word of advice for all you going about your acquisitions: conducting property Due Diligence tours on the day rent is due is inconsiderate of the onsite team. The extending of hands and the exchanging of business cards of twelve+ people at the same time, all while asking for things like making umpteen copies of this twenty page document is not the best way to introduce yourself to a Manager, Leasing Consultant or Maintenance Tech. Then stating you need keys to the units NOW is also rude and thoughtless.

Treating the onsite team as your personal servants and gophers is not acceptable either.

While I am at it, you should be respectful of the property itself and of the Residents who reside at the property. You should refrain from making the following statements while touring the community:

“Jeez. What kind of person lives here?”

 “Hey, Karl, look at this!” Apparently, looking through someone’s cabinets and commenting on the shelved items is permissible, not to mention making similar comments when opening the bedroom closets to that particular team.

“The stove in this one is newer. They should have updated all the appliances. How do these people live like this?” (The appliances are between 1-15 years old.)

“Wow, this bathroom is dark. We will have to rip out the soffits and install better lighting.” (This would be okay in theory, except that the Resident standing there listening to this remark is left feeling criticized, I am told.)

The following tips would be advisable for these Due Diligence inspection teams.

1. Arrive after the Office is open for the day. This will not make the onsite team feel rushed, as though a plague of locusts has descended upon them.
2. Arrive with donuts for the onsite team.
3. Have one spokesperson introduce himself to the onsite team and explain who will be conducting the Lease Audit and who will be doing the Unit Walks. It is not necessary to try to pass out everyone’s business card.
4. The Management Company should have a representative there on site to answer the Acquisition Team’s questions. Typically the Prospective Buyer and Reps have been provided all the needed documentation prior to the Due Diligence date. Any documents requested, such as a Rent Roll, must come from the Management Company as all information must be warranted as accurate. This cannot be the responsibility of the onsite team.
5. Refrain from making derogatory comments about the team, property and residents in the presence of the current team and residents.
6. Make notes regarding age of appliances, condition of carpet, and apartment interiors. Refrain from commenting about improvements you are considering making. Remember, the Residents usually do not know who you are or why you are in their homes. It may cause undue stress to a Resident to hear someone is buying the property or that there is new ownership coming.
7. Be considerate of those site members who are unlocking and locking doors. Ask instead of demanding immediate attention. They are there to help you and they will help as best they can.
8. Turn off any lights you turn on in someone’s apartment. Remember, you are not paying that Resident’s electric bill. Do not sit on their furniture or use their bathroom.
9. If you are not inviting the onsite team to join you for lunch, or bringing in lunch for them, then it is impolite to discuss your lunch plans in front of them.
10. Remember to thank them for their time and let them know when everyone is leaving the property.

I cannot emphasize enough the amount of stress transitions like this can cause an onsite team. The Due Diligence team should conduct themselves with the utmost care and consideration of the onsite team. Just saying ….

What Is It That You Want? Be Honest!

I can be blunt, if nothing else. Honest to a fault as well sometimes. Maybe that is a bad thing and maybe that is a good thing. Perhaps it depends on the eye of the beholder. Yesterday, I had a couple come in to talk about renting an apartment. They stated they don’t need it until possibly February, one said; March, the other one said. Right off the bat I don’t believe either one of them. They could be the dreaded Shopper.

In any event, I invited them to sit while I finished with a Prospective new Resident filling out an Application and giving me the Deposit. Usually, when others come in to the Leasing Office, as I am assisting someone with the application process, there is added interest on behalf of the new arrivals. They almost immediately feel a certain level of excitement and want to be a part of the energy. Not this couple. They each sat down on opposite sides of the room and took out their phones. Hummm.

The Applicant left and I asked the couple to join me at my table to discuss what was going on with them in their housing search. I asked the usual questions, trying to establish some rapport, trying to gain a sense of their “story.” Everyone has a story.

They seemed to be on guard and then began bad mouthing their current apartment and most especially, their Property Manager. Actually, this didn’t surprise me; this happens quite a bit. They continued a long list of items they didn’t like about their place, the manager, the maintenance team, the flooring, the appliances, the look of the apartment, the feel of the apartment. I finally asked them was there anything they did like and why did they rent there if they hated the apartment. Hadn’t they seen it before they signed the lease?

One of the couple stated it didn’t matter, they move often. In fact, she said, they had moved five times in four years. My brow furrowed. I kind of snarled my lip and leaned forward with my elbows on the table.

“I see,” I said. “Well, let me explain something to you. You may not mind moving so much. That’s your prerogative, but my goal in working with Residents is to find them a home they love. The last thing I want is to have you sign a lease here thinking this is only a temporary place. My whole philosophy is that you choose somewhere that meets your needs and exceeds your expectations. I’m going to show you a couple of styles today and you need to be honest about what you like and what you don’t like.”

One of the couple looked at me with an almost defiant look. So, I called her on it. “Are you upset about what I just said?” I asked. “It’s just that I want my Residents to love being here and if you don’t think you will be happy here then I don’t want you to rent here. I don’t want you to come in to this Office every month to pay your rent and complain because your carpet is not new or the tile is not the color you want or you hate the vaulted ceiling and gas fireplace. When you rent an apartment here, you tell me what you want and I will make it happen BEFORE you move in and you will see what you are getting before you sign your Lease.” I went on to explain that I thought they were choosing too hastily and I was so excited that THIS time, they started early enough to get what they want and what they deserve.

I took them to two different apartment styles so they could experience each floor plan with no pressure. I have seen people who display absolutely no expression when touring (these are usually engineers. Don’t get me wrong; I love engineers – I married one once! – but they can be pretty deadpan in the facial expression department.) But this couple was sulky, unsmiling and domineering in their tones of voice.

When we got to the townhouse though, all of a sudden, they took their gloves off – with one another, not me. It was almost embarrassing how loud and argumentative they were being with one another. But then I got tickled by all their emotion and I started laughing. They stopped and then started smiling and suddenly it was as if we were old friends.

“Well, now, at least I know where you each stand and now I think we can go back to the Office and talk about which apartment home will work for you when you move in 2013.”

Be a Lifelong Learner. It's Free.

I believe with all my heart that we, as human beings, should embrace lifelong learning. I don’t think it matters what we learn, we just need to keep at it. I don’t think we grow if we tuck our heads into our arms and lay our heads on the table after dinner every night. I cannot imagine how anyone could advance in his personal development if he does not seek knowledge from others.

I remember when I was small and struggling to comprehend the fact that the world was not a safe, secure place, the one thing I clung to was my wish to learn to read. Instinctively almost, I knew that once I learned how to read, the magic of the written word would, not to be dramatic, but give me a sense of freedom. Once I did learn to read, I can tell you my books did indeed open up a new quality of life I never knew before. The written word provided hope.

This is why when I found out about a training opportunity being offered by a national multifamily training company, I posted about it on a Linked-In discussion group. Wow, an opportunity to simply let this group know you are interested and would like to learn – all you have to do is post your comment – should be hard to pass up. I know if I were a multifamily professional with limited means to learn how to do a better job, I would take full advantage of this offer! As it is, I take every free webinar and class out there and I pay for others, as well. Education is important to me. (Must be why I used to teach.)

Someone posted a comment asking how much I was being paid to “promote” this offer. Am I naïve? Is that the assumption these days that the only reason someone would share the opportunity is because of personal gain?

No, I am getting zero dollars for posting the link. Nothing expected at all! In fact, I am completely offended that someone is questioning the post. Come on folks! Isn’t this what you would call a true testimonial?

Shadow Market Is Hot This Fall

I spent the last three days taking a look at the private rental market. It’s been a while since I’ve done this and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of what your dollar will get you in the private sector, as compared to the large apartment communities managed by property management companies.

For this adventure, I worked with private landlords who owned their own 4-8 unit buildings and real estate firms that are managing houses that have not sold or are now bank-owned assets. The biggest difference I found was the skimming of basic Fair Housing practices.

At least four building owners asked questions such as, “Got any kids?” or “Married?” Twice, I was offered the unit even though the Owner supposedly had already accepted someone else’s Security Deposit. When I questioned this, saying, incredulously, “Oh, I don’t think I can move next weekend. I need to at least give my current landlord a 30-day notice,” I was told, “Are you sure? The guy that wants this hasn’t called me today and he’s at least 89 years old! You would make a better tenant!”

As tempting as this may be, I declined saying, “Well, if he backs out, please call me.”

It was amazing to me that the private landlords of the small buildings were very accommodating as to allowing modifications to their units. I could paint, install me own appliances if I didn’t like the ones provided, and hang window treatments. One very nice man said he would change out the vinyl and install ceramic tile in the kitchen and bathrooms.

The real estate professionals were not so lenient. They were all about getting a lease signed TODAY. And by the way, you are responsible for all the lawn care and the snow removal. If you have problems, you can call the office but it might take a while before we can get the maintenance crew over there.

“So what happens if the water heater goes out?” I asked.

“Oh, we don’t handle replacement of the water heater. That’s on the tenant. You would have to contact the owner and make arrangements.”

“What? Why would I have to be responsible? It’s a health standard to have hot water,” I said.

“Yeah? Well, of course, you can always replace it and ask the Owner to reimburse you.” he said. (Okay, so maybe this guy is not the real estate professional I would ever choose to work with "in real life" if I was looking to hire someone.)

I will say that almost all provided great curb appeal! There were a couple of small houses in questionable neighborhoods that looked pretty run down. In fact, I didn’t even go inside those. After I completed my showing appointments, fourteen in all, I can tell you that no one can offer the amenities of the apartment communities unless it was a condo community. Nor, could they compete with maintenance issue resolution and the convenience of offering on line work order request submission. And of all these landlords and real estate agents, guess how many followed up with me? One out of three. That was it. The most significant difference I noticed was this: the private sector market is looking to close the deal quickly. Several times, as I was arriving or leaving a Showing appointment, someone else was also there to see the same available unit. This created such a sense of urgency! I admired that and have decided I think booking back-to-back appointments is defintiely a marketing strategy that I will employ going forward with our communities all year instead of only in the spring and summer months.

The best and the worst of the private sector market … One thing was clear, the shadow market is, as I suspected, definitely alive and well and thriving in this area. Obviously this was not a scientific analysis, though I think it is in line with my expectation.

Leaders Have to at Least Show Up!

When was the first time you realized you were more than someone who manages a group, that you could call yourself a leader? For me, that moment occurred in college. I was the Student Government President with no true experience at leading an organization with a true purpose. Oh, sure, I was Club President of any number of supplemental activities in high school but none of those counted where it really mattered, except that they taught me how to lead a meeting, set a goal, gather ideas and come to a consensus, the basics. In high school, though, you have your Teacher Sponsor; you weren’t on your own testing the waters of democracy. The biggest event I ever spearheaded was a Spaghetti Dinner for the Latin Club (yes, I was one of those smart girls who took Latin.)

In college, when I realized that my freshman tuition scholarship was only good for my freshman year, I went panicked to the Dean and asked how I was supposed to get through the rest of my years? He suggested I run for Student Government President as this provided a full ride and it was now too late to apply for any other scholarships. I remember telling my “who couldn’t care less” family I was going to run for election. My much older brothers rolled their eyes and said, “Sure you are. Good luck with that.” THEY knew this would be a stretch for shy, quiet, melt into the walls me. But I did it somehow and this paid for college.

Cut to the chase. Because I was super shy, I never went to high school dances and had no idea how to plan them, book a band, secure a venue, etc. I figured I did not have to know about this kind of stuff since all the rest of the Officers and members all had wonderful social skills and had attended enough dances to last all our lifetimes. They came up with the theme, we discussed the budget, got decorations and booked a band, printed and sold out the tickets and the arrangements fell into place perfectly. Since my boyfriend was working that evening, I didn’t think it would be a big deal to not go.

“You aren’t going?” the members of the Planning Committee asked incredulously. I explained that I was not but I had every confidence that they could pull it off without a hitch. As it turned out, there were a number of problems that night: with the venue, the menu and the band. Without the “person in charge” there representing the face of the College, it was a disaster. No one wanted to take charge. Everyone was upset. Finally somebody gave a couple of directions and approved a change to the menu, but it was stressful and it angered all the Officers.

That Monday we were meeting with the Advisor early in the morning. I was about the last to arrive, and not suspecting there had been any problems came into the room happy and bubbling. In a single instance, the room turned on me and my joy was quickly deflated. I asked what was wrong and several people all started yelling at once that I had let them down and this happened and that happened and no one could have a good time because the Manager at the Country Club where the dance took place was rude, changed the menu and overcharged them. I listened and remained dumbfounded. I could not get it through my head why they were so angry.

Our Advisor looked at me and seeing my confusion said, “Mindy, don’t you understand? You are the President and you were the only one who really had the power to talk to the Manager and you weren’t there. You did not handle things. They were depending on you.”

“And I let you guys down.” It never dawned on me that I was being counted on to fix things, to take charge should a problem occur, to be reliable. I assumed that with their experience any one of the others could handle any problem. Somehow I failed to see that I could not lead them if I was not there. My being present in the moment was important to the success of the organization. Right or wrong, a leader has to at least show up. This was one of the best lessons I ever learned, and it was the first time I took to heart that to be a leader, you need to calmly direct your team through incoming turmoil and get over the pitfalls. To do this, you must be present and engaged.

I was able to go back to the Manager and negotiate the price back to the contracted price, get a refund and I let him know that just because I was eighteen, I was not without the ability to think through the terms of the contract. I also quickly pointed out that he acted in a less than professional way and he needed to apologize to my other Officers. It was a nice touch at our next meeting when I could read a letter of apology to them from that Manager. Yes, leaders must show up and they must follow up as needed. Leaders must put the needs of the team ahead of their pride (and their ignorance) and produce results. Yes, I learned a lot from that position and I am grateful to my team for being patient and giving me the feedback I needed to learn.