Jerry 's Blog

More Scam Issues

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:35:45 -0700

I just received another call from a tenant who was called by a young woman professing to represent the owner of the property. She asked for access to the property. I immediately contacted the owner and, as normal, the owner had not authorized any such access, or requested that anyone contact the tenant. It's prudent to let our owner's know that they need to come to us for access to any homes we manage. It's prudent that every tenant be notified that if we don't call them first to tell them they will be contacted by a designated representative, and that we will normally, usually, generally, almost always give them the name of the person or company who will call them and the phone number of this person or company. Just a heads up for all interested. Jerry

Cost of Electricity Disclosure, Real Estate Sales

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:06:13 -0700

State of Hawaii House Bill 1464 "Prior to the sale of residential real property, the property owner shall make a good faith declaration of electricity cost based on the most recent three-month period in which the property was occupied prior to the date of the seller's disclosure, pursuant to chapter 508D. This declaration shall only apply where the owner directly pays the electrical utility bills, and shall not apply in the case of a foreclosure of residential real property or where there are no electric utility accounts associated with the property." This new electricity cost disclosure requirement applying to real estate sales disclosures goes into effect on July 1, 2009 in Hawaii. When something like this happens, it is good to keep our ear to the wall to see if it migrates into property management law. Heads up wherever you are. Jerry

RENTED RENTED RENTED

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:53:08 -0700

Hello Everyone,

I am so proud! I finally figured out how to put my rentals in here for you to eat your heart out. Well, I need a little help, but then, what the heck.

You could all be in Hawaii now, just enjoying peace and tranquility.

This one won't be here long, like I will probably rent it tonight, but here it is for what it is worth.

I am off to Kaaawa! Wish me luck.

Jerry

MAKAUA VILLAGE 0/1/1 Large Studio with Loft, one bath, full kitchen, and one assigned parking stall in Kaaawa. This cozy home comes with amazing ocean views and is just minutes away from Makaua Beach Park. To keep cool in those hot summer months walk to the beach or enjoy a dip in the refreshing community swimming pool. Basic Cable, Water, and Sewer included with rent. $15 application fee per person. Sorry, no pets. Call Katie or Ronelle for appt. 237-5306 of REMAX Kai Lani 237-5300

Showing Rentals

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:38:49 -0800

Interesting that many owner landlords want their property managerrs to start showing a rental home before a tenant moves out, or as soon as the tenant moves out with the expectation of getting the property rented earlier than if we wait until the property is in pristing renting condition. What do you think? What are your policies? Is this an ethical issue?

Section 8 Protected Class STATUS? Property Managers Beware

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:14:41 -0800

Well, here it is--Back Again! The Oahu Chapter of NARPM has informed us that two bills have now been introduced at the Hawaii State Legislature that will make "source of income" a protected class. In other words, anyone with "legal income" (welfare, Social Security, Section 8) will become a protected class.

First off, I applaud NARPM getting involved in this issue. I think, however, we may have a problem opposing this. The signs of the times are not with the rights of property owners.

We at RE/MAX Kai Lani have changed our Property Management Policy and will consider section 8 applicants for any and all rentals that we are offering. We insist that the tenants meet the same qualifications that we ask other tenants to meet: 1) Credit Report. 2) Proof of Adequate income to pay rent. 3) Suitable References. Most do not qualify under the current law, but no one knows what the intended and unintended consequences of the proposed legislation will unleash once passed.

There are at least two problems with the Administration of the Section 8 Program as it now stands:

1) The requirement that we must put a tenant on an interim rental contract that has to be approved by the government is time consuming and confusing. The time problem is a huge impediment in that owners lose rental income waiting for the system to process.

a. How do you complete the interim rental contract required by the government without obligating the property to the tenant?

b. While the Section 8 Administrator generally gets this done in two or three days, this remains costly to the owner in terms of lost rent for those two or three . . . or ten days.

c. The bigger issue is that the tenant has us over a barrel so to speak in that once the process is in motion and the interim rental contract is in place, the tenant can drag out their moving into the property and moving out of another section 8 unit interminably thus causing huge losses of rental income to the owner. Section 8 cannot start paying until the tenant clears the other section 8 unit in which the tenant may have been living. We end up holding the bag while the tenant moves at his/her convenience.

2) Equally difficult is that the property condition inspection of the property needs to be done prior to the tenant moving in and prior to the income flow starting. Even though this is done expeditiously in terms of normal government responses, the two three or five days lost income is significant.

From the perspective of a Property Manager, it is imperative that Section 8 applicants not be afforded "protected class" status in fairness to our owners.

Jerry Bangerter, RA -- Property Manager, RE/MAX Kai Lani, Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii

Tenants Beware

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:23:22 -0800

Tenants are having a hard time of things in the current economic downturn. While many are having difficulty making their monthly rental payments, and even more are frequently late with their payments, those looking for rentals are facing another threat to their solvency. Web page scammers have found a lucrative opportunity for identity-theft among these hard pressed tenants who are looking for a rental home on some of the most popular web sites where rental homes are advertised.

It works like this.

It is no longer all that uncommon to find an almost exact replica of one of my web page ads for a given property running nearly side by side with my ads. There are, however, a couple of subtle, or not so subtle, differences. First off, the fraudulent ad will show the same photos, the same descriptions of the property, and scammers even have the audacity to use my name and my company's name and a derivative of my e-mail address to defraud those who are not careful.

To seal an investigating tenant's interest, the imposter will then advertise the home at a slashed, bargain-basement rent approximately 50% less than the cost of the legitimate offering. If an offered rent is too good to be true, it probably is!

The scam then works this way. The subtly changed ad will show no telephone number where the inquiring tenant can contact a legitimate Property Manager for a viewing appointment. The applicant is thus limited to working with the "advertising party" by means of e-mail.

This works really well when the offering landlord is an owner who is managing their property from their home on the mainland or overseas and the applicant thus might expect to rent a home by e-mail.

Thus intrigued by the bargain basement price of the home, the applicant sends off an e-mail and immediately gets an application back from the scammer. The application again is almost a direct knock-off of the application we use at my company.

To complete the application, names, Social Security numbers addresses, employers and a bundle of personal information is requested.

If the applicant is now sufficiently caught up in a perceived rush to get this bargain property before anyone else beats him or her to it, away goes the information to the scammer and an unbelievable chain of events quickly follows that steals the applicant's good name, credit score and financial good standing-and probably a bundle of money.

But again, this is not all! The scammer now hastily sends off an acceptance e-mail with a fraudulent lease attached and the applicant is asked to transfer funds to cover one month's rent and a sizeable security deposit.

It is not unknown in such instances for the thus "successful" lessee to now go to the home where they come face to face with reality in one way or another, sometimes, even moving into a home on the strength of their fraudulent lease, only to be immediately evicted by the legitimate owner or managing agent representing the owner at great expense to everyone concerned.

There are a couple of points to consider. First off, no tenant looking for a rental home should ever - ever, apply for a rental home without first looking at the home with a legitimate owner or Property Manager. This is the point at which the applicant will receive an application form. If it is absolutely essential to obtain a rental sight-unseen, the applying renter should exercise extreme due diligence, a discussion of which is beyond the scope of this letter.

This said, there is another issue concerning absentee landlords. It is illegal for landlords to manage their property unless they have a local representative who lives on the island who can show the property when advertised and be easily contacted by the tenant after the tenant moves into the home. There are legitimate reasons for this, but the law is frequently ignored at the peril of tenants, and even other landlords and Property Managers.

Jerry Bangerter, RA RE/MAX Kai Lani, 25 Kaneohe Bay Drive #409, Kailua, Hawaii 96734

Section 8 --- A New Protected Class

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:22:21 -0700

Well, the inevitable seems to be coming at us full speed ahead. A Brief of Amicus Curiae in Glenmont Hills Associates Privacy World at Glenmont Metro Center vs. Montgomery County, MD has been filed that will effectively make "source of income" a protected class and thus force landlords to participate in the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) which is often referred to as Section 8.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) and National Apartment Association (NAA) had decided to write a brief on behalf of their members. Burning the midnight oil, the National Association of Residential Property Managers, NARPM constructed and filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on June 2^nd, 2008. This is pretty much a first for NARPM as they increase their professionalism and involvement in major issues confronting the Property Management Industry.

Great work Guys! Keep it up. Jerry Bangerter, RE/MAX Kai Lani, Kailua, Hawaii, 96734 -- 808-237-5333.

Rents are DOWN on Oahui!!!!!

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 13:11:17 -0700

Supply of Rentals is UP! Rents are coming Down in Hawaii! Well, a little bit!!!

Most of us in the property management business have recently recognized that the market has softened and that we are not getting the number of qualified tenants applying for a rental to which we have grown accustomed over the past several years. Mostly, we have attributed it to home owners who, being unable to roll their investment homes quickly, have put them on the rental market. But there may be more to this than meets the eye of the casual observer.

According to the Hawaii's Business Today suppplement in the "Honolulu Advertiser", a recent "study shows rents dipped 1% last year". My guess is they have already dipped more than that this year. This dip last year represents the first dip in over nine years according to Ricky Cassiday, a local housing market researcher. Cassiday says that rents dropped to $1,608 in 2007 from $1,629 in 2006. That doesn't seem like much, but it is significant to the property manager who is experiencing more difficulty in placing rentals quickly and is seeing homes languash on the market for two to three weeks whereas we are accustomed to having several applicants for each market priced property at the first showing.

Cassiday has noted that a lot of multi-story condo units have been added to the rental market from several new or reasonably new residental buildings over the last few years. I believe these are those where mainland or Asian investors bought units as investments that didn't pan out and are trying to salvage a bad business decision by rolling their units to the rental market. These units are generally in high rise buildings. About the only real estate available to builders in Hawaii is Vertical Realestate that is created by the building of new high-rise buildings. This of course brings both advantages and disadvantages as Honolulu becomes ever more dense and croweded.

The question is, where do we go from here? My guess is the market will continue to soften for a few more months, but will find its footing by the first quarter of next year. Time will tell.

Property Managers are RICH, RICH, RICH!!!!

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:19:49 -0700

Yup, it's said that we Property Managers are rolling in money. I know that I am having a hard time making it to the bank every day with all of the money I earn.

According to AOl's Find a Job at http://jobs.aol.com/article/_a/high-paying-work-from-home-jobs/20080605143209990001 Property Managers are number seven in their analysis of the ten best High-Paying Work-From Home Jobs. We are right between Graphic Designers and Free Lance Writers. WOW, I am so happy I can hardly stand it. I am now expecting a rush of people into the business!

They have a couple of thing right, however, when they note that we keep financials, expand the owner's home value investments and keep highly qualified tenants in the property. They properly note the work that goes into keeping a home maintained, but I am not so sure they capture the true time-consuming difficulty of doing all this.

Nevertheless, being a Property Manager is a challenge, and one can pretty much determine his or her own salary!!! Just takes lots of work, but then, what doesn't?

Money, Money, Money!!!

The Root of All Good and Evil!!!

Jerry Bangerter, RA Property Manager, REMAX Kai Lani, Kailua, Hawaii, 96734.

Property Management, "A Charmed and Idyllic Profession"

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Sat, 31 May 2008 16:11:02 -0700

I thought some of you might be interested in an article I recently published in the June 2008 issue of Residential Resource, the official magazine of the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM). It is a great publication. It is a greater organization. Here it is!

A Charmed and Idyllic Profession

Residential Property Management is an absolutely exhilarating career! Our tenants are universally an amicable lot, seeking always to pay their rent a day early to avoid any possible misunderstanding; keeping their rented home spic and span and always, ALWAYS reporting any maintenance issues on a timely basis. They are great neighbors and when we stop by to say HI, their neighbors clamor to meet us and tell us what nice people OUR tenants are.

Our tenants seem never to get at odds with the Association Resident Manager because they parked overnight in guest parking, roared through the neighborhood at 100 MPH, or left their garbage stand just outside their door until they get time to drop it in the chute. Our tenants are so quiet that they get the Development's "Quiet Family of the Month Award" month after month after month. Yes, our tenants are the best the nation has to offer! They have to be, we picked them.

Then our owners; always courteous, polite and prompt with a good word about everything that happens and they are especially effusive about the services we render. But what we all appreciate most about our owners is how willing they are to bear, without complaint, the sometimes onerous cost of repairing those things, large or small, that wear out or break over the course of long use by our ever suffering, wonderful tenants. Never mind that when we have to buy a new refrigerator, these owners have to put their families on a bread and water diet to make up the temporary shortage this might generate in their budget!

But they somehow always come through, and we are able to provide that brand new and shining refrigerator to our great tenants knowing full well that when those tenants check out, they will have taken such good care of it that our next tenants will be full of glee to have such a nice refrigerator in their new apartment.

These owners always support us in keeping their investment in tip-top running condition and it always looks so nice! Never, Never, Never does the Resident Manager have to call one of us to remind us that some little maintenance issue has become a problem to the community. Nope, not any units we manage!

And, oh yes, our owners are really faithful about being represented at their Owner Association meetings because, of course, they live in the community, only a mile or so from the rental they own. They never live in Japan, Switzerland, New Zealand, or on the other side of the continent. Nope our owners live right next door and it is soooooo easy for them to make every Association meeting, that they get to know every serving Board Member and often serve for year after year after year on the Board themselves. They know intimately and personally the other Board Members, the Association Managers and others who have the aggregate responsibility of keeping the entire "community" at peace with itself.

How lucky we are, not only to have such great and fantastic tenants and owners, but this is not all; there are others who also influence our lives and give us that warm fuzzy feeling of having everything always in order around us.

Think of our vendors; they are all just great, always happy and complimentary for the business we send their way. And the work they do - professional to a fault! They always do their work quietly and never leave a mess in the development when they are through. They are all just plain good vendors. We are all proud to work with each and every one of them. But then, they must be good, we chose them over their competitors.

Among these until now unnamed others is another group with whom we interface which seldom gets due recognition. I have kind of mentioned these people already. These are the Home Owner Association representatives, volunteer Board Members, Professional Managers, Resident Managers and others who keep the building or development working and the owners and residents at peace with themselves and everyone else. These guys have a real major impact on our lives.

I guess I have to confess that this relationship with Home Owner Associations sometimes frays at the edges and may need a little spiffing up from time to time. It is from this perspective that I will address a few issues as food for thought, for often, we influence this relationship, for good or evil with our very own attitudes and actions.

Can you imagine the pressures on the Resident Managers in the apartment complexes where our tenants reside? Can you imagine the pressures on the Association Managers after a contentious meeting with the Boards of Directors? Can you imagine when they get an irate call from another tenant or owner that the teen age son of one of OUR tenants ran over their dog? Compared to our lives, these guys really have things tough! Let's stop for a minute and take a look!

First off, while it is an exceptional situation, sometimes these folks don't have the same view of OUR tenants that we have! They don't really understand how really super our tenants are.

Unfortunately, there are lots of "other" tenants living in their developments who were put there either by Property Managers who are NOT affiliated with the National Association of Residential Property Managers, NARPM, (HORRORS) or a disinterested owner/landlord who doesn't give a whit about anything except collecting rent each month.

These properties sometimes get run down! Sometimes they are infected with bugs and other critters that drive their neighbors nuts! And, some of these valiant souls might even have had an accidental "blow-up" when they were cooking meth which they peddled in the building or neighborhood to unsuspecting neighborhood kids. And, wouldn't you believe it; they always live right next door to the President of the Board. Ahhh, such luck!

Now remember, these are not our tenants, no siree, these are tenants put there by those "other" guys. Nevertheless, the Association Guys just don't seem to realize this; we all get painted with the same brush, and whamo out of the next Board Meeting comes a new edict - no new tenants allowed! Now the fun and games start. Slowly but surely the development evolves into an "owner occupied" development, and our investor owners have to either sell or do something else with their property.

How in the world could this ever have happened, and could we have ever done anything to have headed off such a catastrophe? It's kind of hard to say, but let's go back and take a look. How do our idyllic tenants really behave? Then, what do we do about it when the neighbors below them or next door to them complain to the resident manager that our tenants are really an undisciplined thundering herd that keeps them awake all night; every night?

The solution is obvious! First off, we can't change such a family of thunderers, but we can avoid putting such folks in our rentals right from the get-go! Yes, Yes, I know, there are "Fair Housing" laws, but these don't drive us to put a family of nineteen in a studio apartment.

Then there is the issue of the way they live! Are OUR tenants party dolls, partying into the wee hours? Do OUR tenants leave mud and debris outside the door of their units? Do OUR tenants drive sanely in the parking garage? Are OUR tenants really the model family we might believe them to be? Remember, WE picked them, but we don't see them nearly as often as the Resident Manager and their neighbors do.

Yup, I have concluded that Property Managers live a charmed and idyllic existence, and I for one am mighty proud to be named among them, and to be a member of the finest professional organization in the whole world. You guessed it, this is NARPM, the National Association of Residential Property Managers.

Free to Smoke in Your Own Home????? Maybe? Maybe Not???

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Thu, 15 May 2008 01:24:37 -0700

Hawaii is having growing pains knowing how to manage the coercive power of government. An organization known as the "Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawaii" is working hard to get owners of apartments and condominiums to ban smoking inside privately owned living spaces. The coalition claims that second-hand smoke impacts residents throughout the building even though they don't smoke. Smokers are up in arms claiming the right to do as they wish behind the closed doors of their homes. Many are holding their breath to see if this initiative migrates into the Hawaii State Legislature.

Making Victims of Domestic Violence a Protected Class

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 17:25:22 -0800

It appears as though the Hawaii State House of Representatives and Senate are moving forward in tandem with bills that would make the victims of domestic violence a Protected Class. If a Property Manager has a tenant who is the victim of domestic violence living in a property he or she manages, the PM will have to let him or her break their lease. Then, if the tenant's lease expires, or there is no formal rental agreement in place, the Property Manager or Landlord would have to let the tenant stay in the unit as long as they pay their rent. It appears as though rents could not be increased for an indefinite period. And there is no provision for eviction if the tenant is terrorizing the neighborhood or tearing up the property. Property Managers, pay attention! Remember those of you who are not living in Hawaii, bills like this, once passed, have a tendency to move from one state to another. Take a look at the bill on the following links.

While all of us have a ton of compassion for victims of domestic violence, these efforts to accommodate the victims at the expense of the landlord and Property Manager instead of the abusing family member, need to be evaluated in terms of fairness to all concerned.

S.B. 2208 passed unamended.

H.B. 2762 passed with amendments.

Jerry Bangerter, RA - Property Manager, RE/MAX Kai Lani, 25 Kaneohe Bay Drive, #109; Kailua, HI 96734 -- 808-237-5333

Interest on Tenant Security Deposits to Tenants

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 16:58:22 -0800

Thank Heaven for the Hawaii Association of Realtors Legislative Committee. They were recently successful in getting Senate Bill 2802 deferred. This bill would have required that Property Managers pay the tenant 6% interest on all security deposit money held on behalf of the tenant at the time the tenant vacaters the property. At present Property Managers are unable to co-mingle any company funds with these security depsits, thus virtually precluding the Property Manager from earning interest on such funds from the Bank or other holder of the funds. The logic here is that once interest would be paid by the bank and credited to the Property Manager Account, these funds that would accrue to the Property Manager would be intermingled with the tenant funds, and this is against the law. To view the Hawaii Senate Bill, click on the following link. SB2802_.htm SB2802 Status

Jerry Bangerter, RA Property Manager, RE/MAX Kai Lani, 25 Kaneohe Bay Drive #109, Kailua, Hawaii 96734 (808) 237-5333.

Reducing Commissions

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:05:31 -0800

Like buying and selling agents, property managers also run into landlords who want to negotiate our commissions. I recently had an opportunity to reduce my commission in order to manage a very exclusive home that the owner wants to place on the rental market because he has been unable to sell it. I respectfully declined. Here is the rational I used. Thought you might find it of interest.

There is legitimate rationale in having our commission based on a percentage of the rent; the higher the rent, the more difficult the unit is to rent. My expenses, and yours, go up rapidly as I sequentially advertise the unit and show it over time. Please consider the fact that my time spent unsuccessfully marketing a high-priced unit can better be spent working with units that are priced at a level where there is a large pool of potential tenants. The product I have to sell is my professional time, and it is very valuable when applied to units that rent quickly.

With this kind of a home, there is always the potential that it will not rent at all, especially if I am stuck with a fixed rental rate over time and in which case I will have put in a lot of expensive effort in attempting to get it rented with no return whatsoever. This situation where the home doesn't rent is totally unacceptable to both you and me.

I am thus not willing to make an adjustment to my fees, particularly if you are going to plan to rent the unit at a level that will cover all of your expenses. I do not believe it would be a good business decision for you to attempt to rent the unit at a level that will cover all of your expenses because of the anticipated cost of having the unit vacant for an extended period. If you are going to need to cover your expenses as outlined, renting the unit will be so difficult that I don't believe I can rent it in any reasonable time and my costs will be higher than I am willing to accept.

I will be willing to take the unit at above $5,000 per month rent only with the stipulation that you would be willing to authorize me to drop the rent after a fixed period of perhaps 60 days with repetitive drops in rent until I would be able to rent the unit. Otherwise, this will simply turn out to be a lose-lose situation for both of us.

Please let me know if you are willing to work with me under these terms! And thanks again for considering me to be your Property Manager.

It always feels good when I do something like this.

Jerry Bangerter, RA Property Manager, RE/MAX Kai Lani, 25 Kaneohe Bay Drive, #109, Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii, 96734 -- http://www.rxkl.com/

National Association of Residential Property Managers, NARPM

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:12:36 -0800

Having been the Chair of the NARPM Government Affairs Committee during 2007, I had an opportunity to write the "Legislative Scoop" article in the NARPM monthly magazine, "Residential Resource". I wrote the following article that was published in the November 07 issue. I would like to share it with you simply as an introduction to NARPM. Every Realtor or Agent working with a Property Manager in any way, should be certain that their Property Manager Colleague is an ACTIVE NARPM member, trained by NARPM and adhering to the NARPM code of ethics. Property Management is a different animal than real estate.

Find NARPM at http://www.narpm.org

This article was the last article I wrote for the Resource as we affectionately refer to our magazine.

A Time to Reflect

As we enter into the fall of the year and the forthcoming excitement of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and yes a New Year, can anyone believe that old 2007 is already getting gray hair?

With all the excitement however, comes a time of renewing, and a time to be thinking as to where we might be going on the political front next year. Your Legislative Committee has not been sleeping. We have been thinking and planning and looking ahead to even more initiatives that we can undertake in the coming year.

NARPM is somewhat like a "new year" in that it hasn't been around a long time; it is a young adolescent association that needs a lot of care and nurturing, but the rudiments of greatness flow within the organization. It just requires that every one step up to the plate, find something to do and get with it. And this is what's happening. You can feel it in the air. People are stepping up. People are getting involved.

As of this writing, there will be over 450 attendees at our Phoenix conference. This is up from approximately 250 at the last conference in Burlington. Think of it, over 150 first time members will be joining us in Phoenix.

This gives me shivers as I think of where NARPM can go next year on the political front. For as the association grows from adolescence into young adulthood and ever increasing maturity, and the peak of our political power, other associations will see us in a new, more serious light. Politicians will begin to seek advice from our newly found confidence and professionalism. And our members will see our successes and our numbers will swell. This Association is rising to an unprecedented threshold of greatness, and has done so in just a few short years.

This is what is happening now!

This legacy leaves us to ponder how we can now grab the moment to more effectively gain the political prominence to which we all aspire and indeed need. We can do it but not at the national level. Not quite yet!

Of necessity, it first has to happen at the local level where the rubber meets the road. It is at the city, county and state levels that laws are born that either hinder the professionalism of property management or alternatively move the profession on to even higher and mightier heights.

And this is where we all come in, for it is with us and our chapter members that the knowledge, professionalism and understanding of Property Management and Home Rental Issues reside. Certainly, this knowledge, professionalism and understanding does not reside in the minds of our dually elected representatives and other governmental officials. It resides with us, and within our chapters. We just need to be able to share it and we are just about there!

Granted, HUD and other federal agencies swing a huge club that sometimes seems to knock us a bit off balance from time to time, but in the main, we have to learn to walk at the local level before we can even think to influence the Big Boys on Capitol Hill. But as our numbers swell, we will gain that clout. Our time will come, but not right now.

Now, it is at the city council, county commission and state legislatures where we have representatives with whom our members are friends, neighbors, and sometimes family. It is at the chapter level where these friends, neighbors and family members meet monthly, where they talk together, and share thoughts, ideas, concerns and problems with other NARPM chapter members.

It is at the chapter level where things can move forward in a way that gives us the position from which to help our governmental representatives mold the laws that affect our profession. It is at the Chapter level where NARPM can develop the real political clout we all want and need.

And, as we gain this clout and grow in prominence and prestige, we will grow even faster, for we are about to become big enough to outgrow the horns of the proverbial dilemma we have been in. We need members to have clout, and we need clout in order to recruit members. And we are just about there.

We are past the hard part. We can now stand on the shoulders of the giants who have gone before us. We can now work from a rock-solid base established by those who have lived through the really tough part of getting NARPM up and growing. It is to these giants that we owe our respect and appreciation, for they are still with us. We all stand a little taller because of the efforts of each of them.

So, from this perspective, as we in the Government Affairs Committee look forward to the new year, we see a year to encourage the chapters to organize and energize their own Political Action Committees. We see an unprecedented opportunity to influence our friends, neighbors and cousins on the various city councils, county commissions and state legislatures.

And to what do we owe this confidence?

Look to both California and Washington State where the local Chapters have organized to work with their city and county officials. At the state level, they have formed State "Umbrella" Chapters where Political Action Committees can be born of members from each of the other Chapters. These Committees will effectively represent each of the other chapters in the interest of getting first class laws out of their State legislatures to govern our profession.

Your Government Affairs Committee has thought long and hard about this, and we are going to move aggressively forward from a position of newly established organizational strength to grow these initiatives throughout NARPM. Stick around and watch the sparks fly from the industry of our members in the tremendous chapters of this marvelous association of professionals.

Jerry Bangerter, RA - Property Manager, RE/MAX Kai Lani, 25 Kaneohe Bay Drive #109, Kailua, Hawaii 96734 -- http://www.rxkl.com/.

MeMe

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:01:15 -0800

HI! Having been "MeMe'd" I was first impressed that I should just back out of this "wonderful" opportunity, but thinking more on it, I thought, why not be a good sport and enter five things about myself in a blog as requested. So, here goes.

My wife of fifty-one years and I live in Kailua Hawaii.

I have had the most exciting and wonderful life anyone could ask for. I have three grown and successful children and eight grandchildren. Here are some of the Gang at Thanksgiving following a 5K run. I was a career Army Officer for 26 years two of which were spent in sunny Viet Nam. This is where I found out what I liked about my self, but mostly what I didn't like. This was really important because when I met myself so intimately, I had to change those things I didn't like. I am now a better person because of some tough experiences there.

I spent 12 years following my military carrer in International Sales and Marketing with a Defense Contractor and then a Fortune 500 company. I have thus seen most all of the world in its various hues and colors.

I am an Advanced Open Water PADI SCUBA diver but I don't take this too seriously any more. It is just a fun thing.

I love to read and study but I don't get enough time to do this well or to my satisfaction.

Life has been GREAT and I am totally and completely comfortable with the world and all that is in it. I could not ask for more. And, oh yes, I am a dedicated and competent Property Manager. I don't buy and sell real estate, but do property management just because our company needed a property management department and now there are four of us. I built the departhment from scratch, and with the help of what I learned at NARPM.

I wish you all as wonderful a life as that which I am having. Still going strong!

Jerry Bangerter, RA, RE/MAX Kai Lani, 25 Kaneohe Bay Drive #109, Kailua, HI 96734

Seattle Scrubs Monorail Project

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:51:40 -0800

Here we are in Hawaii trying to get a train system going while trains in areas more populous than ours are failing and being discontinued and after the governments lose millions and millions of taxpayer dollars. It is really a challenge to try to understand why our genius city council in Honolulu still believes that the train here is a viable idea. I guess we will have to wait until they have lost big bucks before we get upset enough to do anything.

The whole idea should have been brought to a referendum, but the Honolulu city council didn't think the tax payers are smart enough to have made the "right" decision. Boy, how do we keep electing such arrogant and incompetent people?

Protect and Honor our Prescious Children

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:26:59 -0800

I work with an organization, Malama O Kamali'i Makamae, that has asked that I put the following information my my blog in Active Rain for your information. We work to help kids like these.

"Malama O Kamali`i Makamae (Protect and Honor Our Precious Children), a nonprofit organization, was organized for the purpose of helping children from low-income households, including but not limited to native Hawaiian children by developing and operating state of the art care facilities throughout the State of Hawaii for children in imminent danger of their physical, emotional, mental, social, and educational well-bring, the missing link in behalf of preserving our Na Kamali`i O Hawaii Nei. The Senate of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the House of Representatives concurring, passed the Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 189, "that the Legislature encourages the support of Malama O Kamali`i Makamae in its efforts to develop state of the art care home facilities for needy children¦

"Priority will be given to Na Kamali'i whose lives are endangered, orphaned, abandoned, fostered, homeless, physically abused and so forth. There is no doubt that these are categorical indicators to emotional and mental scarring, which adversely affects their growth & development, behavioral & learning abilities. These care facilities will provide a wellness refuge for them to begin to feel safe and begin a healthy healing journey. The objectives of the care facilities are to promote improvement in the physical and emotional well-being of each child; increase their self-esteem and academic/cultural learning; instill an awareness of and development of the talents and skills of each child; achieve positive well-balanced and happy Na Kamali'i who will know they are loved and grow to be successful, self-reliant and productive members in their communities and in society.

"We have the tremendous responsibility to change the course of the lives of our children.

"We face the challenges in our society of the breakdown of the family, substance/alcohol abuse, promiscuity and violence at a younger age, socio-economical decline, etc. We must help 'to develop excellence of character, to bring out the goodness from within these children.'They need our help to change their environmental living and learning experiences for the better. Though it is too late for some of our precious children having fallen at the hands of abject adults in Hawaii, we hope we will not be too late in helping to keep many more na kamali'i safe and alive. " This program will provide care facilities for children (and their families), as they deal with the stresses in life and help to strengthen the family and avoid future problems."

Thanks for taking this moment to learn about this worthy charitable organization.

Identity Theft

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:08:29 -0800

It appears as though the government, particularly here in Hawaii, has a lot to do with protecting our identity. I had mostly thought it to be a personal problem, but a report issued by Hawaii's Identiy Theft Task Force identifies a ton of things the city and state government can do to make our identies more secure.

To start out, every requirement for a Social Security number and other personal information needs to be reviewed to see if the information is really needed. At present, both Social Security numbers and other personal information can be easily accessed by anyone wanting the information in the judiciary's court files and at the Bureau of Conveyances.

Of course, to take care of the problem, but bureaucrats want more money. Always, they want more money. They never seem to be able to prioritize and find the money they need within their available resources. Thus, we are stuck with a two edged sword, pay the government to fix the problem, or lose your identity and pay to get the problem fixed. Uggghhhh!

The Task Force made a bunch of recommendations, but suffice for us to realize that the Bureau of Conveyances which is near and dear to the heart of all realtors, was singled out as a special situation requiring improvement.

Jerry Bangerter, RA -- Property Manager, RE/MAX Kai Lani, 25 Kaneohe Bay Drive #109, Kailua, HI 96734

For Rent Honuakaha

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:24:44 -0800

RE/MAX Kai Lani; 25 Kaneohe Bay Drive #109; Kailua, HI 96734 -- www.remaxkailani.com

We have a fantastic studio apartment rental available in DOWNTOWN HONOLULU! And, with covered secure PARKING! It is just plain hard to find a unit in the Downtown area of Honolulu on Oahu. It can be available as a fully furnished unit or partially furnished at the discretion of the tenant. It is immediately availalbe for only $2,000 per month. Call me at my toll free number, 877-254-1586 if you are interested. Jerry

Holiday Season

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 03:14:18 -0800

Would you believe that people are still out looking for rentals. On Saturday the 22d of December I showed a rental to eight prospective tenants. Two applied; both wanted to move in like immediately. With a little effort and an eye to customer service, I was able to do the necessary due dilligence checks and get a tenant into her new home on the 22d so she could have Christmas in a place of her own. Talk about cutting things tight. It makes one thankful for having a home and some sembelance of predictability in my own life. The Lord willing, we will continue to enjoy freedom, prosperity and security of our person and property in America. Goodnight all! When you awaken, it will be Christmas Eve. A wonderfully enchanting day! I wish you all a wonderful holiday, and particularly a Calm and Peaceful Christmas. Jerry

Religion vs Science

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:46:21 -0800

It is interesting to note that when it comes to choosing between science and religion, about half of us will consistently reject scientific claims if they are in conflict with the Bible. In America, we are at the same time, the most religious democracy in the world and leaders in scientific research. Will this put science and religion in conflict in any serious way?

While most of us respect scientific "facts", we are not always willing to accept these "facts" at face value when they are in conflict with our religious beliefs. Indeed, where scientific evidence and long-held religious belief come into direct conflict, many Americans reject science in favor of the teachings of their faith tradition. Cases in point concern evolution, homosexuality and global warming.

In the last century, the most persistent and sharpest clash between religion and science in the United States has centered on the issue of evolution. Science on one hand is in solid agreement that life on Earth evolvedover billions of years. Public Opinion on the other hand reflects that between 40% and 50% of us consistently reject the very idea of natural evolution, largely on the grounds that it conflicts with biblical accounts of creation.

While Republicans and conservatives are more apt than Democrats or liberals to deny that evolution occurs, deeper analysis shows that religious factors are far more important than political ones in explaining beliefs about evolution.

Concerning Homosexuality, conservative and religious groups reject scientific research showing that homosexuality is associated with certain genetic features or exposure to hormones during gestation, and reject the idea that homosexuals cannot change their sexual orientation or be "cured." The majority of us reject the idea that homosexuality is something that people are born with, and see it instead as either resulting from personal choice or our culture and the way we were brought up.

It is interesting that about 52% of conservatives believe that homosexuals cannot change while liberals strongly disagree.

As concerns global warming, religion is less significant in defining our beliefs than what we are taught in our schools and what we learn from our "leaders". About 80% of us agree that the temperature of the world is increasing over the recent past. Most of us who believe this also believe that man is the cause of the increase. But still, about 1/4 of us believe that it is just a matter of natural climate change that has been occurring for eons. Everything considered though, our views on global warming are much more closely linked with demographic and political attributes than with religion.

Are religion and science on a collision course in the U.S.? There certainly is potential for a conflict on these issues. There is a strong religious objection to the scientific consensus of the scientific community, particularly over evolution. But there are other things to consider as well.

Let's consider a couple of new areas of potential conflict. Consider embryonic stem cell research, cloning, end-of-life decisions and genetic testing.

There are other controversial issues that might, one day become the source of a factual dispute between scientists and religion. For instance, some scientists publicly claim that the most recent research on the human brain shows that it and it alone is the seat of consciousness and person-hood and that this disproves the very existence of a soul or spirit.

One thing we can count on with absolute surety. As we move forward we can expect the Government and other Socially Based Organizations to make every effort to engineer our religious beliefs out of our culture. This will be done predominantly in our schools and courts. Consider also the manipulative force of the "politically correct" forces that have literally deprived us of the constitutionally guaranteed right of free speech.

Are we all sure that we want big brother to drive this initiative any further? Think about it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 04:18:56 -0800

The holidays are a joyous time of year when we honor and celebrate traditions passed on to us through the generations, and hold all the members of our `ohana, those both near and far, close to our hearts. During this time, we also feel special appreciation for those serving at home and abroad. Besides that, it's my birthday!

I wish you and your family peace and happiness this holiday season and in the year ahead.

Increased Military Housing Allowances

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:48:04 -0800

The military just got a 7.3 per-cent increase in their housing allowance. This should have a significant impact on rents in Hawaii, and to a lesser extent on home sales as we have such a large number of military families living in Hawaii, particularly Oahu. These new rates go into effect on January 1. I will be interested in seeing how this will impact things in Hawaii.

For enlisted personnel, this is an increase of about $83 per month. A soldier, sailor, marine or airman in the grade E-4 with dependents living in Hawaii will receive about $1,985 per month or about $60 more than this year. Non-Commissioned Officers in the grade E-8 with a family will receive about $2,650 a month.

While this is a necessary step in assuring that our military members can find suitable homes to live in while they are stationed in Hawaii, it will tend to make it increasingly more difficult for our local population to find affordable rentals. Affordable housing in Hawaii is a real problem for our local population.

A Constitutional Convention in Hawaii

Jerry Bangerter (RE/MAX Kai Lani) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:26:41 -0800

Every ten years the State of Hawaii constitution requires that the state consider having a Constitutional Convention whether we need one or not. Yesterday Lieutenant Governor Aiona recommended that we hold the convention without really making any significant objective(s) for the convention to achieve. We haven't had one here since 1978. Aiona just seems to think it will be good for the people and that it will give us more say in how our government is run.

I am not so sure. Seems that this opens the door for lots of mischief, and once the convention is seated, it can take lots of different directions. If we do have one, and that in itself will be interesting as the debate develops, it will be most interesting to see what will happen. Jerry