ABODE February 2020

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THE HOUSTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE

www.haaonline.org

ABODE February 2020

e g a n You Ca a n M Lear n your to man the r team an age ight d way. yourse lf

No Harm, No Foul

We See You

Courts take a practical approach to approving notices to vacate.

at the NEXT mixer, PAC luncheon, the HAA Food Drive and much more!

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CONTENTS February 2020

ON THE COVER

FEATURES & PHOTOS

38

32 On the Scene – Photos from the HAA Political Action Committee December Luncheon.

You Can Manage – This month, ABODE takes a closer look at team management and wellness. Learn to manage your team and yourself the right way. Also, don’t miss photos from NEXT, the Food Drive, HAAPAC, Open House and much more.

34 On the Scene – Photos from the Harris County Justice of the Peace and Constables Appreciation Luncheon.

Images © Denisismagilov | Dreamstime.com

38 Five-Minute Meditation – A practical approach to meditating, whenever, wherever, and in just five minutes.

36 On the Scene – Photos from the Fair Housing Seminar.

42 Onboarding & Engagement – By treating your employees as individuals, employers can learn the best onboarding and team engagement strategy.

46 Your Role in Teamwork – Rowing in the direction of effective teamwork.

50 On the Scene – Photos from the HAA Open House.

52 Dealing with Mental Illness – Apartment professionals balance mentally ill residents’ needs and their own well-being.

COLUMNS & MONTHLY UPDATES 7 President’s Corner – Make it better in 2020.

8 Patron of the Month – Meet and support Cotton Commercial USA. 9 Legislative Update – New Houston City Council members bring new energy.

11 It’s The Law – Courts take a practical approach to approving notices to vacate.

14 Resident Relations – Management approves an applicant 20 days after filling out an application.

20 Calendar – HAA’s schedule of events for the next coming months.

26 NAA Update – New year, new developments in housing affordability.

28 On the Road with HAA – See scenes from the Fort Bend Justice of the Peace & Constable Holiday Luncheon and the Webster Happy Hour.

56 RCR Update – Outdated or incomplete application and screening processes put properties at risk.

66 Go-Getters – Membership: Engage!

57 Celebrating 50 Years – Looking back for HAA’s 60th Anniversary: HAA’s Presidents and Houston Mayors.

68 The Ambassador ONE Society – Join the teams for 2020.

58 On the Scene – Photos from the HAA Food Drive.

62 On the Scene – Photos from the NEXT Holiday Mix-N-Jingle.

72 On Site with ABODE – Take a closer look at one of HAA’s member communities.

67 Welcome Mat – Find out about the newest HAA members.

70 Portfolio Changes and In the News – Property updates and industry news clips from our members.

74 Index of Advertisers – See the supplier members who support this publication.

75 MarketLine – The latest area market numbers.

76 BackPage – News from around the community.

We welcome your comments. Email us at comm@haaonline.org.

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OFFICERS AND ASSOCIATION LEADERSHIP JOHN BORIACK President-Elect

TINA CAVACO Vice President at Large

CLAY HICKS President

SCOTT DOUGLAS Vice President at Large

STEPHANIE GRAVES Vice President at Large CHRISTY RODRIGUEZ Secretary/Treasurer SHELLEY WATSON Vice President at Large

HOWARD BOOKSTAFF General Counsel

JEFF HALL Executive VP BOARD OF DIRECTORS Starla Turnbo Immediate Past President Mack Armstrong Jeff Blevins, CAS Jill Bounds, CAM Michelle Bridges, CAS Joseph Bryson, CAM, IROP Tina Cavaco Terri Clifton Michelle Croasmun Derek DeVries, CAS Ian Douglas Gina Erwin Tamara Foster Israel Garza, CAS Diane Gilbert Monica Gracia Ira Gross, CAPS Bryan Head, CAM Melissa Herrera Deborah Holcombe Crystal Jackson, CAM, CAPS Debbie Kelm Jacob Kunath, CAS Laura Lestus, CAS David Lindley, CAS Robert Lopes, NALP, CAM, CAPS Sonia Lopez, CAM, CAPS Betsy Marshall, CAM, CAPS Kristin McLaughlin, CASE Candis Mohr, CAS Carlos Neto Dean O’Kelley, CAS Jenifer Paneral Mark Park, CAS Velissa Parmer Loyal Proffitt Jackie Rhone Kelly Scott Kurt Seidel Kelly Suess Debbie Sulzer Dana Tucker Quintina Willis, CAM Tracie Yoder, CAPS DIRECTORS EMERITUS Josh Allen Ken Bohan Gary Blumberg

Kathy Clem Jack Dinerstein Jenard Gross Darlene Guidry David Hargrove Alison Hall Larry Hill Stacy Hunt Hap Hunnicutt David Jones Mel Kieke Mike Koch Dick LaMarche Tim Myers P David Onanian John Ridgway Kim Small Eileen Subinsky Steve Sweet Kirk Tate Suan Tinsley H J Tollett, Jr. Pat Tollett Vic Vacek, Jr. Beth Van Winkle Jerry Winograd ADVISORY DIRECTORS Billy Griffin Manu Gupta Cesar Lima Mary Lawler Patrick Magnuson Bruce McClenny Angelee Kumar Parikh Nikki Sekunda Penny Sprang Theri Tinelli Tony Whitaker GENERAL COUNSEL EMERITUS Joe Bax HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS Claude Arnold Kenn Brown Tina Cavaco Terri Clifton Kevin Fenn Diane Gilbert Anita Harrison Dwayne Henson Mike Koch Merry Mount Monette Reynolds Sherry Stevenson Kirk Tate

Suan Tinsley Sonny Unverzagt Del Walmsley Nancé Wells H.P. Paul Young Jeanne Marie Zublin Dicks PRODUCT SERVICE COUNCIL OFFICERS Laura Lestus, CAS, President The Liberty Group David Lindley, CAS, Vice President FSI Construction Derek DeVries, CAS, Secretary Camp Construction Services Candis Mohr, CAS, Treasurer AAA Plumbers Jacob Kunath, CAS, Immediate Past President Century A/C Supply MEMBERS Marivel Bownds, CAS, Valet Living Dixie Caldwell, CAS, The Liberty Group Shaun Callaway, CAS, Earthworks Peggy Charles, CASE, Fidus Construction Services Neal Conant, CAS, Gemstar Construction Development Sean Cunningham, CAS, Flooring Warehouse Deborah DeRouen, CAS, Designs By Holmes Clark Gregg, CAS, Fidus Construction Dan James, CAS, Redevelopment Services Debra Knight, CAS, Fidus Construction Services Stephanie Krop, CASE, Poolsure

Liz Levins, CAS, Rasa Floors Tracey Moore, CAS, Flooring Warehouse Karen Nelsen, CAS ALN Apartment Data Matthew Nunn, CAS, Camp Construction Services Doug Oehl, CAS. Flooring Warehouse Joseph Rodriguez, CAS, The Urban Foresters Nikki Sekunda, CAS, The Liberty Group Blaise Spitaleri, CAS, Gemstar Construction Development Blake Subinsky, CAS, HD Supply Mat Tilley, CAS, WeDoTrash Alan Young, CAS, Dixie Carpet Installations PATRON MEMBERS 1961 CSC ServiceWorks 1986 Craven Carpet 1994 AAA Plumbers 1996 Houston Planned Energy Systems 1997 RentPath 1999 FSI Construction Inc. 2003 Cotton Commercial USA Inc. Dixie Carpet Installations 2006 Maintenance Supply Headquaters 2009 Camp Construction Services 2013 Interior Logic Group Property Services 2018 Apartments.com

SPONSOR MEMBERS 1968 Century A/C Supply Hoover Slovacek LLP Reliant 1973 Brady Chapman Holland & Assoc CORT Furniture 1974 Mueller Water Conditioning 1976 Great American Business Products 1977 Webb Pest Control 1978 Houston Metro Electrical Corp The Liberty Group 1981 AmRent Marvin F Poer & Company 1983 Sherwin Williams Company 1984 RENCON 1985 Gemstar Construction Development Inc 1986 ApartmentData.com 1988 W Partnership 1992 Alexander-Rose Associates Saint Clair & Sons Inc 1998 AAA Staffing Ltd CoreLogic Rental Property Solutions 2000 Moveforfree.com Inc Pura Flo Corporation 2001 Apartment Life Inc 2002 American Fire Systems Southwest Painting Contractors Inc 2003 Sign-Ups & Banners 2005 Swain & Baldwin Insurance & Risk Management United Protective Services 2006 Bell’s Laundries CAD Restoration Services DoodyCalls Lopez Carpet Care & Painting Masonry Solutions Inc Roto-Rooter Services Co TXU Energy Multifamily Services Valet Living 2008 CRE Business Solutions LLC Flavor Finish Resurfacing HARCO Insurance Services Texas Turf Management 2009 Contractors Inc Moen Inc Redevelopment Services Storm Maintenance & Monitoring 2010 ALN Apartment Data Inc Belfor Property Restoration Believe, Achieve and Conquer, LLC Certified Termite and Pest Control FTK Construction Services 2011 Fantastic Floors Infinite Energy Inc Parking Management Company/PMC Towing 2012 ABC Supply Co Inc Accent Sign & Awning Co BGE/Brown & Gay Engineers Cantrell McCulloch Inc EnviroSmart Multifamily Pest Solutions Giordano Construction Inc Go-Staff Inc Maldonado Nursery & Landscaping Inc Nationwide Eviction Texas Concrete Professional Company 2013 ACTIV Answer by Audio Images Arbor Contract Carpet Inc ASAP Steamers Carpet Cleaning Comcast Gambit Construction Outdoor Elements Pool Works LLC Tidal Renovations LLC 2014 Adventure Playground Systems Inc Chadwell Supply Classic Same Day Blinds J National Jonah Digital Agency MX2 Commercial Paving Pathfinder Insurance Group Ram Jack Foundation Solutions

Texas Apartment Pool Services WCA Waste Corporation Zillow Group 2015 America Outdoor Furniture ASAP Personnel Inc BSI Cameras Onsite DeNyse Companies Gateman Inc Infinity Power Partners Kathy Andrews Interiors Notifii LLC Pace Mechanical Services The Allshouse Group LLC The Lane Law Firm Wilsonart 2016 Action Window Coverings Bath Fitter Cinch – Cabinet Refacing Kits Citi Fence & Concrete E-Systems Pest Management Inc Ecolo Environmental Inc Embark Services Fidus Construction Services Fun Abounds Green City Security LLC Guardian Chimney Sweep Halo Doors Inc JLL Johnstone Supply KONE Leah McVeigh Design and Consulting Liquid Waste Solutions Paul Davis Restoration North Houston RAM Construction Sparkle Wash Pressure Washing Texas Southwest Floors Inc WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems WellKept Whitmans Contracting and Roofing 2017 ACT Security Group All About Doody Pet Solutions LLC All American Mailboxes of Houston Inc Allegion BioTechs Crime & Trauma Scene Cleaning Cano Electric Inc Classic Towing Continental Adjusters Inc Cypress Landscaping & Irrigation, Inc Designs by Holmes Fast Forward Services LLC Frost Insurance Agency General Recon, LLC Lithotech Printed Products/Forms Center McMahan's Flooring Inc MPS Direct Norman Construction NorthMarq Capital On Site Towing LLC PCS Creative Surface SEAL Security Solutions LLC Secure Insurance Symmons Industries Texas Engineered Roofing & General Contracting USA Patrol Division Vima Decor Willbanks & Associates Inc 2018 A Homestead Specialist LLC AAdvantage Laundry Systems AirAide LLC Allura Apartment Lines Archcon Arizona Tile Benefits 4 Rent Brannan Designs LLC Architecture & Interior Design C&D Towing LLC CashFlow Pros LLC Centex Construction CenturyLink Construction ECO Services Featherston Sign Partners Finish Factory Inc Green Garbology Greenseen Guardian Gutters Higginbotham Kastle Systems Ledge Lounger Lockmer Collins Roofing LLC DBA Roof Repair Squad Matrix Construction Services Merricks Company MirrorMate Frames O’Conor, Mason & Bone PC Penco Access Control PERQ LLC Phoenix Roofing & Construction Inc Platinum Enterprises LLC Preventive Pest Control Quatro Tax LLC Rent Debt Automated Collections RG Miller Engineers Saifee Signs & Graphics Signal 88 Security

Spray and Play Surface Designers Remodeling Inc Swadley Roof Systems LLC Texas Steam - Laars Heating Systems Tropical Roofing Products Wildlife Removal Experts Windstorm Restoration Wonder Wall Wraps Inc 2019 3 Men Movers A + Infinity Blue Outdoors, AAA Texas Absolute Construction LLC Action Towing, Inc ACUTRAQ Background Screening, Inc Advance LED Solution Al Hicks & Associates / Allstate AmCap Insurance Anchor Roofing Inc Andrews Myers PC AppFolio ARC Solutions Atom4 Security Camera & Electronics August & Suttles Contractors Beekman Company LLC Beyond Contractors LLC Bio-One Houston South Builders Direct Depot Classic Touch Painting CLS Technology Inc Consolidated Communications Cougar USA CSI LED & Hardware D.A.M. Remodeling Group Dal-Tile Corporation DNM Contracting Inc Door Clearance Center Enforce Security Services Epic Air Conditioning Expertz Construction & Renovation LLC Granite Surfaces of Texas Green Faubourg Lawn & Landscaping LLC H.S. Services Harding & Carbone Inc Heritage Construction Co Hive Technology Howitzer Building Engineers Hurtado Roofing & Construction IGD Plumbing LLC In Service Security LLC Interior Logic Group Property Services IronEdge Group ITWS LLC J and B Carpet Services Kerely Towing Solutions King's Granite and Marble Knight Restoration Services, Ledtech Lexington Group International LP Building Solutions: Louisiana-Pacific Corporation LSR Multifamily Max Digital Printing McKenzie Drake Corporate Housing Morris Contracting Nations Roof Houston LLC Northwest Construction Group NSJ Painting & Flooring Odor-DeFence/BugDeFence One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating Onesource Moving Onyx Restoration LLC Opiniion PHR A/C & Heating Pool Knights Prime Texas Metal Roofs Prime Texas Surveys LLC Property Services Quick Roofing Reliable Roofing Service Master by Century Signal 88 Security of The Woodlands & East Houston Slime Busters Inc Smart Water Valve SOS-ASAP Softwashing Strata Roofing and Construction LLC Streamline Construction Houston LLC Structural Concrete Systems, LLC Surface Experts League City Target Restoration Services Texas Crime Prevention Agency Texas Management Group The Playwell Group Inc Three Amigos Texas LLC Total Renovation Services Turnage & Associates US Multifamily LLC Waterproof Solutions Window World Winhill Advisors Woodlands Water Restoration YottaReal 2020 Wayfinder Tax Relief LLC

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ABODE

FEBRUARY 2020 I VOLUME 43, ISSUE 2 Executive Vice President and Publisher JEFF HALL, CAE jhall@haaonline.org EDITORIAL AND DESIGN STAFF Director of Publications and Design DEBORAH NIX dnix@haaonline.org Managing Editor MORGAN TAYLOR mtaylor@haaonline.org ADVERTISING Vice President of Membership and Marketing AMANDA SHERBONDY, CAE asherbondy@haaonline.org CONTRIBUTING STAFF Vice President and General Manager SUSAN HINKLEY, CAE shinkley@haaonline.org Vice President of Professional Development EMILY HILTON, CPP, CAE ehilton@haaonline.org Vice President of Public Affairs ANDY TEAS, CAE ateas@haaonline.org Vice President of Finance NANCY LI LO, CPA nlo@haaonline.org Director of Information Technology ART EIDMAN aeidman@haaonline.org Director of Resident Relations MATILDE LUNA mluna@haaonline.org Director of Events and Meetings LAUREN WOLFSON, CMP lwolfson@haaonline.org Director of Rental Credit Reporting TINA DEFIORE tdefiore@haaonline.org Director of Outreach LAUREN TURNER, CMP lturner@haaonline.org Public Affairs Specialist ALPA PATEL apatel@haaonline.org Education and Meetings Coordinator KAREN MITCHELL kmitchell@haaonline.org Membership and Marketing Manager KAYLON NEWCOMB knewcomb@haaonline.org Membership Engagement Assist. MONSERRAT BUFFINGTON mbuffington@haaonline.org Webmaster and IT Specialist WILL ALFARO walfaro@haaonline.org PRINTER TGI PRINTED www.tgiprinted.com

HOUSTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION COMMITTEES COMMITTEE CHAIR STAFF ADVISOR Executive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CLAY HICKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JEFF HALL Program & Budget . . . . . . . . . . . .JOHN BORIACK . . . . . . . . . . . . .JEFF HALL Nominating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .STARLA TURNBO . . . . . . . . . . .JEFF HALL Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MICHELLE PAWELEK . . . . . . .JEFF HALL Investment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHRISTY RODRIGUEZ . . . . . .JEFF HALL Fair Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MACK ARMSTRONG . . . . . . .JEFF HALL By-Laws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .KYLE BROWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JEFF HALL Past Presidents Council . . . . . . .KATHY CLEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JEFF HALL Leadership Development . . . . .ALISON HALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SUSAN HINKLEY Product Service Council . . . . . . .LAURA LESTUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SUSAN HINKLEY Community Outreach . . . . . . . .TRACIE YODER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SUSAN HINKLEY Legislative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JOHN BORIACK . . . . . . . . . . . . .ANDY TEAS HAA Political Action Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .STACY HUNT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ANDY TEAS Multifamily Fire Safety Alliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JOHN BORIACK . . . . . . . . . . . . .ANDY TEAS Developers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TODD TRIGGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ANDY TEAS Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TERRI CLIFTON . . . . . . . . . . . . .AMANDA SHERBONDY Ambassador ONE Society . . . .MARIVEL BOWNDS/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RYAN WEIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AMANDA SHERBONDY 2020 Expo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DAVID LINDLEY . . . . . . . . . . . . .AMANDA SHERBONDY Independent Owners Council .STEPHANIE BRYSON . . . . . . .AMANDA SHERBONDY Education Advisory Council . . .MONICA GRACIA/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BETSY MARSHALL . . . . . . . . . .EMILY HILTON Career/Community Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PENNY SPRANG . . . . . . . . . . . .EMILY HILTON NEXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PATRICK MAGNUSON/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NIKKI SEKUNDA . . . . . . . . . . . .EMILY HILTON Strategic Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . .CHRISTY RODRIGUEZ . . . . . .LAUREN TURNER Century Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CANDIS MOHR . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ALPA PATEL PAC Fundraising . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GARY BLUMBERG . . . . . . . . . .ALPA PATEL Golf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MARK PARK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ALPA PATEL Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . .NORMA ALVEAR/ . . . . . . . . . . .ALPA PATEL/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MARILYN ROMERO . . . . . . . . .LAUREN WOLFSON HAF Fundraiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DEBBIE ANDREOZZI/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MARK PARK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .LAUREN WOLFSON Resident Relations Appeals . . .DARLENE GUIDRY . . . . . . . . . .MATILDE LUNA Resident Relations A . . . . . . . . . .BEVERLY NORRIS . . . . . . . . . . .MATILDE LUNA Resident Relations B . . . . . . . . . .KEVIN HARTMAN . . . . . . . . . . .MATILDE LUNA Property Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SUSAN DEAR/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CRYSTAL JACKSON . . . . . . . .TINA DEFIORE IT Task Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JOE BRYSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ART EIDMAN HOUSTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION MISSION AND VISION: HAA is the leading advocate, resource and community partner for quality rental housing providers in the Houston and surrounding area. HAA develops leadership in the multifamily industry by engaging broadly diverse membership, embracing effective technology and advocating for a geographically inclusive association. ABODE IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HOUSTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION serving the multihousing industry in Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Waller and Wharton counties.

ABODE, FEBRUARY 2020, VOLUME 43, ISSUE 2 ABODE (USPS 024-962) is published monthly by the Houston Multi Housing Corporation. Publishing, editorial and advertising offices are located at 4810 Westway Park Blvd., Houston, Texas 77041. Telephone 713-595-0300. The $50 annual ABODE subscription rate is included in all member dues and additional subscriptions are available. The annual subscription rate is $50 for members, $65 for non-members.

Advertising rates are available upon request. Contributed material does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Houston Apartment Association. Copyright © 2020 by HAA. Periodicals Postage Paid at Houston, Texas.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ABODE, 4810 Westway Park Blvd., Houston, Texas 77041.

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2020 HAA Volleyball Tournament Dust of your skills, grab your coworkers and get ready to bump, set and spike your way to the top!

Festivities include a buffet and snacks, networking opportunities and checking out the HAA athletes.

Teams are registered on a first-come, first-served basis.

All players must be members of HAA. Form your teams now (two per company).

Teams are not confirmed until payment has been received.

Friday, March 6 Gates open at 10:30 a.m.

Registration and Practice: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Tournament begins at 11:30 a.m. *Each team must have all players present by 11 a.m. to play.

Houston Sportsplex 12631 S Main St.

Entrance fee is $300 per team (6 players, 2 alternates).

Spectator fee is $35 per person.

Register online at www.haaonline.org.

Requests for refunds must be received in writing by end of business day on February 28 and will be subject to a $50 cancellation fee.

No refunds will be granted after February 28 or for no shows.

No refunds will be given for individual tickets, but tickets arefully transferrable.

Questions? Contact the Meetings and Events Department at 713-595-0323, or email at events@haaonline.org.

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Letter from the President

By CLAY HICKS, 2020 HAA President

MAKE IT BETTER. I’m writing this on the Tuesday night before the 2020 Installation and Gala, but by the time you read this column, it will be February, long after the big event. So many thoughts have been running through my head this week. The gala is finally here and it’s hard to even comprehend, honestly.

I’ve been attending the Houston Apartment Association Installation and Gala for almost 20 years now. As 2019 was ending, I had a lot of ideas on how I wanted the gala to be different when it was my turn to serve HAA as president. I hope you noticed those fun changes and enjoyed them as much as I did. I hope, when you do read this column, you’ll be able to say it was the best gala you’ve attended. (Although, if it wasn’t, you don’t need to tell me.)

Gala has always been a formal event, but formal isn’t me. I wanted people to be comfortable, so I turned it down a notch and went “ties optional” this year. While I love music, dancing really isn’t me. When I was thinking about ideas for the band, I had this vision of a New York City jazz club that you go to for the live music and to hang out with your friends. The relationships amongst HAA members is really one Change is necessary to create a culture of of the driving forces of our association continuous improvement, change is necessary to and that’s what I wanted the night to get better and better should be our goal this revolve around. The lounge areas and year. Let’s make 2020 our year to “Make It Better.” the jazz music were meant to facilitate that and give everyone an environment to socialize. There were some fun surprises at the end as well that I hope you enjoyed. Craft coffee and craft cocktails, what more could you want?

Yes, this event was different than years past. I know people are sometimes uncomfortable with change but I believe change is necessary for growth and improvement. Change is all around us, forcing us to evolve to stay at the top of our game. Everyone says they want change, until it happens. If this event made you uncomfortable, then buckle up for this year!

HAA celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. This is an amazing organization that has done so many things well for a long time. A few of my goals this year is to challenge us all to self-reflect and decide if we’re doing the best we can, to put an end to settling for doing things “because that’s the way we’ve always done it,” to stop going down the same path “because no one has complained,” and to really look at everything we’re doing and say “Can we make it better?” I know that’s a scary question to ask sometimes because if the answer is yes, it means we have to embrace change, and change is sometimes uncomfortable.

What I do know is: Change is necessary to create a culture of continuous improvement, change is necessary to get better and better should be our goal this year. Let’s make 2020 our year to “Make It Better.”

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These companies have generously supported the Houston Apartment Association with their patron membership. Please give them careful consideration, whenever possible, in your business.

Houston Planned Energy Systems

Apartments.com

HAA Member since 1978

HAA Member since 1997

Cotton Commercial USA Inc.

Interior Logic Group Property Services

HAA Member since 1982

Maintenance Supply Headquarters HAA Member since 2006

CSC ServiceWorks HAA Member since 1961

Craven Carpet HAA Member since 1986

Camp Construction Services HAA Member since 1994

February Patron of the Month

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HAA Member since 1985

AAA Plumbers HAA Member since 1984

FSI Construction Inc. HAA Member since 1999

Dixie Carpet Installations HAA Member since 1987

RentPath HAA Member since 1979

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Legislative Update

By JOHN BORIACK, HAA Legislative Chair, with ANDY TEAS, CAE, Vice President of Public Affairs

NEW FACES AT CITY HALL New Houston City Council members bring new energy.

LAST MONTH, JUDGE Vanessa Gilmore administered the oath of office to Mayor Sylvester Turner, who was reelected to a second term as Houston’s mayor. Turner then administered the oath to our 16 city council members, which included a record seven freshmen.

Houston’s new city council is a little younger and includes a lot more female than the previous one. Eight of the 16 are women – an increase from the previous five. There are more black council members, fewer Hispanic council members and or the first time in decades, Houston is without an Asian on city council.

One thing they all have in common is that they are all Houston Apartment Associationendorsed candidates. Every candidate endorsed by the HAA Political Action Committee in the December runoff election won – 12 out of 12, including Turner. If you ever wondered if your support for your industry’s PAC makes a difference, wonder no more.

While our new council is full of energy and new ideas, the challenge will be to stay focused on the city’s core functions. Cities exist to provide services that the private sector cannot efficiently provide on its own – fire and police protection, water and sewer service, parks, libraries and single-family garbage collection. The government of a city in Texas is really the board of directors of a municipal services company that you own. Large cities in Texas have sweeping powers. They can basically do anything they want that’s not specifically prohibited in state or federal law.

Accordingly, mission creep is a constant temptation. HAA’s mission – and our common mission as taxpayers and citizens – is always to remind elected officials to keep their attention focused on those essential services.

Let’s take a look at your municipal service company’s new board members.

Amy Peck Possibly the smoothest transition at Houston City Hall has been the transition from Brenda Stardig to her former chief of staff, Amy Peck. Peck was Councilmember Stardig’s top aide for the past four years, and worked previously as a legislative aide to state senators Jon Lindsay and Dan Patrick. A quiet, smart conservative, Peck already knows as much about city issues as most veteran council members as she begins her new job representing Spring Branch.

Houston’s new city council is a little younger and includes a lot more female than the previous one.

Eight of the 16 are women – an increase from the previous five. There are more black council members, fewer Hispanic council members and or the first time in decades, Houston is without an Asian on city council.

One thing they all have in common is that they are all Houston Apartment Association-endorsed candidates. Every candidate endorsed by the HAA Political Action Committee in the December runoff election won – 12 out of 12, including Turner. If you ever wondered if your support for your industry’s PAC makes a difference, wonder no more.

Abbie Kamin Replacing long-time Councilmember Ellen Cohen, Abbie Kamin will represent the highly-educated Heights/Montrose/Meyerland, District C. Her background in progressive political activism seems balanced by her understanding of the city’s core functions. After graduating from Tulane University and earning a law degree at American University, she practiced law in Houston, then clerked for the Texas House of Representative’s Human Services Committee. Her energy and policy background make her a great addition to Houston City Council.

Carolyn Evans-Shabazz Carolyn Evans-Shabazz is no stranger to public service or public office, having served as a trustee for Houston Community College from 2015 until this year. A career teacher and fellow real estate professional, EvansShabazz earned a Doctorate of Education from TSU. She succeeds Dwight Boykins, representing a southern wedge of Houston from Almeda to the Gulf Freeway.

Tiffany Thomas Another education policy veteran, Tiffany Thomas comes to Houston City Council having served as a trustee for Alief Independent School District. With a bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State and a master’s from Prairie View A&M University, Thomas also brings a background in housing, having served as the chief development officer for Temenos Community Development Corporation.

Edward Pollard Replacing veteran council member Mike Laster won’t be easy, but Edward Pollard seems to have what it takes to represent what is probably the most diverse district in Houston – the Gulfton/Sharpstown area where more than 60 languages are spoken. Pollard was an All-American basketball player at Morehouse College. He played professionally overseas before returning to Houston to earn a law degree. Joining the other former / See Legislative Update, Page 73

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It’s the Law

By HOWARD BOOKSTAFF, Hoover Slovacek LLP , HAA General Counsel

NO HARM, NO FOUL Courts take a practical approach to approving notices to vacate.

THE TEXAS PROPERTY Code provides that an owner must give a resident who defaults or holds over beyond the end of the rental term or renewal period at least a three day written notice to vacate before the owner files a forcible detainer suit, unless the parties have contracted for a shorter or longer notice period in a written lease or agreement. The Texas Property Code also provides that the notice to vacate shall be given in person or by mail at the premises in question.

Apartment owners should strictly comply with all notice to vacate requirements, including requirements pertaining to the delivery of the notice, before filing an eviction.

Don’t give the judge an easy way to rule against you! No ifs, ands or buts! Follow the requirements and you will not have a problem with your notice.

While that should be your way of thinking, two recent court decisions seem to provide some wiggle room if your notice has not been delivered exactly as it should be.

Mendoza v. Bazan (El Paso Court of Appeals, April 5, 2019) Background: In June 2016, Bazan filed an eviction against the Mendozas to evict them from her house.

The justice court granted her possession. The Mendozas appealed to the county court of Hudspeth County and another trial was held.

The county court entered the same judgment as the justice court and the Mendozas appealed to the El Paso court of appeals.

On appeal, the Mendozas raised several issues including an issue that the evidence at trial was legally insufficient to prove the notice to vacate requirements were met.

The Notice to Vacate Issue: The Mendozas contended that there was legally insufficient evidence that Bazan gave proper notice. The court stated that under the www.haaonline.org

Texas Property Code, an owner Apartment owners should strictly comply with must give a resident at least three all notice to vacate requirements, including days notice before an owner can requirements pertaining to the delivery of the file an eviction suit. The court notice, before filing an eviction. Don’t give the judge further stated that since an eviction is a statutory cause of action, an easy way to rule against you! No ifs, ands or buts! the owner must strictly comply Follow the requirements and you will not have a with its requirements. problem with your notice.

At trial, Bazan presented a dated document entitled “Letter to Tenant for Eviction.” While the letter apCourt’s Ruling: peared to contain the mailing address of the The court stated it could not ignore that house, there was no evidence that it was Mendoza did not dispute, either at trial or on mailed. During her testimony, Bazan testified appeal, that he received notice to vacate that while she had not personally sent notice or that he knew he was supposed to vacate to vacate via mail or personal delivery, her atthe property. torney “took care of that.” Later at trial, MenThe court overruled this issue and upheld doza admitted that he had received the notice the judgment for possession in favor of Bazan. and had knowledge that he was supposed to Furrer and Schnelle v. Furrer vacate the house.

(Beaumont Court of Appeals, October 10, The court stated that it was faced with a 2019) (Petition for review has been filed with situation in which the resident did not disthe Texas Supreme Court.) pute that he received the notice to vacate, but nothing in the record established that the Background: notice was properly delivered by mail or perPursuant to a divorce judgment, Fay Furrer sonal delivery. The evidence did show that was awarded a house in Conroe. In 2018, Fay Mendoza received the notice and knew that filed an eviction against her ex-husband Ronhe and his wife were being asked to vacate nie Furrer and his co-resident Geneva Mae the property.

Schnelle in a justice court in Montgomery On appeal, Mendoza complained about County. Prior to filing suit, Fay attached a nothe lack of evidence establishing that the notice to vacate to the exterior of the front door tice was sent at least three days prior to the of the house but did not mail the notice. The filing of the eviction. justice court dismissed the suit.

Although Mendoza did not testify when he Fay appealed to the county court. Fay testireceived the notice, and Bazan did not presfied that when she and Ronnie divorced in ent evidence of the date she either sent or 2006, she was awarded the property, but gave hand-delivered the notice, the court Ronnie permission to move back in with her nonetheless held that Mendoza’s admission in 2008. However, Fay left in 2009 because of of receiving the letter along with the date of family violence. the letter was sufficient evidence supporting Fay testified that, prior to the eviction, she an implied finding that Bazan sent the notice posted a notice to vacate on the front door of on or about the date of the letter. Thus, the the house and Ronnie refused to move. Fay court held that Bazan complied with the further testified that she was afraid of Ronnie three-day notice requirement. because of the violent past, so she posted the February 2020

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notice on the outside of the door, because she was scared he would be violent if she tried to go inside.

Ronnie testified that he received the notice that was on the door but never received a copy of the notice in the mail.

The county court concluded that Fay made proper demand for the property. The manner of notice was legally sufficient and Ronnie and Schnelle had actual notice to vacate, but did not. The county court rendered judgment in favor of Fay. Notice to Vacate Issue: The court of appeals first reviewed the applicable statute relating to serving notices on the outside of the door.

Under section 24.005(f-1) of the Texas Property Code, as an alternative to posting the notice on the inside of the door, an owner may deliver the notice by: 1. Securely affixing the notice to the outside of the main entry door in a sealed envelope; 2. The sealed envelope containing the notice must have written on it the resident’s name, address and in all capital letters the words “IMPORTANT DOCUMENT” or substantially similar language; 3. The notice must be mailed not later than 5 p.m. on the same day the notice is delivered from the same county in which the premises is located; and 4. The owner must have reasonable belief that harm to any person would result from personal delivery of the notice.

Ronnie and Schnelle argued that the county court erred because the evidence established that Fay failed to follow the required statutory procedure. Fay posted the notice on the outside of the front door but

failed to put the notice in an envelope marked “IMPORTANT DOCUMENT” or to send the notice by certified or regular mail.

The trial court concluded that the manner of notice was legally sufficient, and the mailing requirement became moot because Ronnie admitted to receiving the notice. The court of appeals affirmed the county court’s ruling in favor of Fay. What can we learn?

1. These courts have taken a practical view that, as long as the residents received actual notice and understood that they were being asked to vacate the property, the court would consider the notice to be valid under Texas law. In other words, the court will not ignore a situation when a resident receives actual notice, understands what the notice says and still fails to vacate the premises.

2. It would be beneficial to use these rulings to support an argument if one is needed when there is some problem with the delivery of the notice. However, these rulings should not be relied on to intentionally avoid following the strict requirements of the statute. Your procedures should be set up to comply with the strict requirements.

3. Notices to vacate should be given in person or by mail at the premises in question.

Notice in person may be made by: (i) personal delivery to the resident or any person residing at the premises who is 16 years of age or older; or (ii) personal delivery to the premises and affixing the notice to the inside of the main entry door. Notice by mail may be by regular mail, registered mail or certified mail, including a return receipt request to the premises in question.

4. As an alternative to this procedure,

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These cases may provide some comfort to an owner that unintentionally fails to comply with the requirements of the statute.

However, keep in mind that not every court may rule the way the Beaumont and El Paso courts of appeals ruled. Further, petition for review has been filed in the Beaumont case with the Texas Supreme Court. The Texas Supreme Court may weigh in and overturn the ruling. You should keep informed of any developments with respect to the ruling in the Beaumont case.

Want more “It’s the Law?” Want to see current and previous issues of ABODE online?

Go to http://issuu.com/haa_abode.

FIND QUALIFIED LEADS

With HAA’s job board, you’ll discover a professional community that’s committed to helping you find the right candidate or your next job opportunity in the greater Houston and surrounding areas.

www.haaonline.org

under exceptional circumstances, an owner may deliver the notice by affixing it to the outside of the main entry door, but the labeling and mailing requirements must be met.

Additionally, delivering the notice on the outside of the door should only be used when the owner reasonably believes that harm would result from personal delivery.

5. If you decide to use the procedure that allows you to deliver the notice to the outside of the door, be prepared! In a typical nonpayment of rent eviction, if you choose to deliver the notice to the outside of the door, you should be ready to prove: (i) the non-payment default; and (ii) that you believe harm would come to you if you attempted to deliver the notice by opening the door. If you are evicting a resident because of threatening conduct, serving the notice on the outside of the door makes sense, but the evidence that the resident’s conduct was threatening will need to be shown for both the default and the delivery of the notice.

jobs@haaonline.org

713-595-0300 www.haaonline.org

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Resident Relations from the RESIDENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE

APPROVED AND REFUNDED Management approves an applicant 20 days after filling out an application.

AN APPLICANT FILED a complaint

with HAA to receive a refund on his application fee and security deposit.

A renter applied to live at an apartment community. That renter claims to have paid a $450 security deposit, however, according to the application form provided by management, the applicant paid a $200 security deposit plus a $50 application fee.

The applicant applied to live at this apartment community on June 21. Prior to approval, the applicant called the apartment community to request a refund on the security deposit and application fee. According to the applicant, management denied his request for a refund because he was already approved

The HAA Resident Relations Committees provide to live there. After the an impartial review of resident complaints using resident inquired about moving in, management the documentation provided by both the resident stated his application was and management. canceled due to their previous conversation. The resident expressed he didn’t intend to cancel. form on June 21 and was approved on July Management responded to the Houston 11, which is beyond the seven-day approval/ Apartment Association and that response was non-approval time limit. The applicant should forwarded to the resident. Management felt have received a refund on his security deposit. they were within their rights to retain the apManagement is to refund the applicant his plicant’s money. Enclosed were copies of the $200 security deposit. final account statement and application.

The committee ruled in favor of the resIf you are a manager with a resident ident. Per the TAA application provided by relations issue, call HAA at 713-595-0300 management, the applicant filled out the for direct assistance.

I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

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I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

www.haaonline.org

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Content is King

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king n.

3) a person or thing preeminent in its class.

e! l u R n a You C

your h t i w t Connec d showcase n clients a pany's your com by writing e expertis E. D for ABO

Pushing content as a marketing technique is on the rise. There are big opportunities for companies that supply content to ABODE magazine. Content informs, educates, entertains and offers utility. Your expertise attracts people rather than interrupts them. Content is centered around the customer, rather than the company.

You don’t need to be a good writer to write a good article. If you’re experienced in your field, the right words will come easily.

What is trending in multifamily right now? What are your customers asking you all the time?

What are you having to explain to your customers time and time again?

These are questions you can ask yourself to easily come up with an article topic.

ABODE magazine’s managing editor can also help you brainstorm a topic and edit your article!

You can work for a property and/or management company or a supplier partner to write for ABODE. Credential holders can earn one CEC credit by writing one short article!

If you’re interested, contact Morgan Taylor at mtaylor@haaonline.org for more information.

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New Location!

Bayou City Event Center

Thursday, March 26 9401 Knight Road Houston, TX 77045

Show off your maintenance skills and cheer on your best!

8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. – Registration, practice and breakfast 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Skills-based competition Noon to 1 p.m. – Awards luncheon Cash Prizes for Contestants! The following cash prizes will be given for achievement in Maintenance Mania competition events • $100 for First Place, Individual category • $200 for First Place, Overall • $100 for Second Place, Overall • $50 for Third Place, Overall Attendees will compete against other Maintenance Professionals in a series of skill-based competitions that challenges them to exhibit talents used on the job every day. Compete for a chance at the National Title – one participant from each region will compete at the National Event at the NAA Education Conference in Boston and will receive an all-expense paid trip to attend!

Maintenance Mania Competitors: $65 (Entry fee for competition, breakfast and awards lunch)

Spectators: $55 (Access to competition event as spectator, breakfast and awards lunch)

Register online today at www.haaonline.org

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FEBRUARY S M T W T

Calendar HAA Education, Events and Meetings SCHEDULE

2 9 16 23

F

3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13 14 17 18 19 20 21 24 25 26 27 28

S 1 8 15 22 29

MARCH S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

FEBRUARY 4

6

12

25

NALP 1: Bringing in New Residents – Be Prepared Tuesday, February 4 8:30 a.m. to noon Sponsored by Camp Construction Services

TAA Redbook Seminar Thursday, February 6 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.

See Page 23 for details.

Sponsored by CORT Furniture and The Liberty Group

Avenues: Maintenance 1 Wednesday, February 12 8:30 a.m. to noon See Page 22 for details.

Sponsored by Century A/C Supply

CAMT Interior and Exterior Maintenance and Repair – Spanish Tuesday, February 25 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Expo Committee Meeting Tuesday February 4 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

For Expo Committee members only.

NALP 2: Marketing and Maintaining Your Community Tuesday, February 4 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Sponsored by Camp Construction Services

Pearland Region Meeting Thursday, February 6 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Villas at Shadow Creek 2020 Business Center Drive, Pearland, TX 77584 Come meet your next judge.

Register online at www.haaonline.org/outreachmeetings, or email Outreach@haaonline.org for help registering.

5

7

Avenues Mainstreet: Session 1 Wednesday, February 5 8:30 a.m. to noon See Page 22 for details.

Sponsored by CORT Furniture

IROC Breakfast Friday, February 7 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

New Supplier Member Orientation Wednesday, February 5 3 p.m.

Craft Republic 11470 Westheimer, 77042 All new supplier members welcome.

Contact Amanda at asherbondy@haaonline.org for details.

Ambassador ONE Society Meeting Wednesday, February 5 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Craft Republic 11470 Westheimer, 77042 Contact Amanda at asherbondy@haaonline.org for details.

11 NALP 3: Why Your Competition Matters Tuesday, February 11 8:30 a.m. to noon Sponsored by Camp Construction Services Sugar Land Region Meeting Tuesday, February 11 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Telfair Lofts Apartments 7500 Branford Place, Sugar Land, TX 77479 Come meet your next constable.

Register online at www.haaonline.org/outreachmeetings, or email Outreach@haaonline.org for help registering.

NALP 4: Relevant Laws and How to Apply Them Tuesday, February 11 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Sponsored by Camp Construction Services

Resident Relations Committee B Wednesday, February 12 2 p.m.

Supplier Education Program Wednesday, February 12 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

See Page 65 for details.

13 TAA Redbook Seminar Thursday, February 13 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.

See Page 23 for details.

Sponsored by CORT Furniture and The Liberty Group

14 HAA NEXT: Professional Development Breakfast Friday, February 14 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

18 State of the Submarket – Montgomery Tuesday, February 18 7 a.m. to noon The Woodlands Country Club 100 Grand Fairway Drive, The Woodlands, 77381 Join HAA in Montgomery County to learn the state of the area’s economy and apartment market.

See Page 29 for details.

NALP 5: The Sales Process and Building Relationships Tuesday, February 18 8:30 a.m. to noon Sponsored by Camp Construction Services

Outlying TAA Redbook Seminar – Baytown Tuesday, February 25 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

SpringHill Suites Baytown 5169 1-10 East, Baytown, TX 77521 See Page 23 for details.

NALP Market Survey Presentation and Exam Tuesday, February 25 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

26 CAMT Electrical Maintenance and Repair – Spanish Wednesday, February 26 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

27 CAMT Plumbing Maintenance and Repair (two days) – Spanish Thursday, February 27 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Outlying TAA Redbook Seminar – Pearland Thursday, February 27 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Hilton Garden Inn Pearland 12101 Shadow Creek Parkway, Pearland, TX 77584 See Page 23 for details.

28 ACES Luncheon Friday, February 28 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Artisans 3201 Louisiana Street, 77006

NALP 6: Effectively Meeting the Needs of Current Residents Tuesday, February 18 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Sponsored by Camp Construction Services

UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, all events meet at our Dinerstein Reed Prokop Education Center, 4810 Westway Park Blvd., second floor, in either the Direct Energy and Liberty Personnel & Executive Search or the Camden and Michael Stevens Interests Room. Meetings located at the HAA Offices, 4810 Westway Park Blvd., first floor, will be held in the Redi Carpet and Winograd Families/Judwin Properties Conference Room. See www.haaonline.org for an interactive calendar.

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www.haaonline.org

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Please note that dates and times are subject to change. Check the calendars at www.haaonline.org for the most up-to-date information.

MARCH 3

9

12

24

CAM: Orientation and Industry Math Tuesday, March 3 Noon See Page 25 for details.

Avenues: Supplier Circle – Session 1 “Sensory Sales: Making the Sale Without Saying a Word” with Katie Rigsby Monday, March 9 8:30 a.m. to noon

Go-Getter Happy Hour Thursday, March 12 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Cadillac Bar 1802 Shepherd Drive, 77007 Join the Go-Getters and help strengthen your association with new members and new involvement. New and prospective members are welcome!

Visit the Go-Getters Corner at www.haaonline.org/gogetters for tips and tools for recruiting.

CAM: Marketing Tuesday, March 24 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

See Page 25 for details.

4 CAM: Industry Essentials and Resident Experience Wednesday, March 4 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

See Page 25 for details.

10

New Supplier Member Orientation Wednesday, March 4 3 p.m.

Craft Republic 11470 Westheimer, 77042 All new supplier members welcome.

Contact Amanda at asherbondy@haaonline.org for details.

11

Ambassador ONE Society Meeting Wednesday, March 4 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Craft Republic 11470 Westheimer, 77042 Contact Amanda at asherbondy@haaonline.org for details.

5 CAM: Financial Management Thursday, March 5 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

See Page 25 for details.

6 2020 Volleyball Tournament Friday, March 6 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Houston Sportsplex 12631 S. Main St., 77035 Bump, set, spike! Don't miss a chance to play in a friendly volleyball tournament with industry peers.

Grab your coworkers, form your team and get ready for your chance to be crowned the 2019 HAA Volleyball champions!

See Page 6 for details.

CAMT: HVAC Maintenance and Repair (two days) – Spanish Tuesday, March 10 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Northwest Lunch and Learn Wednesday, March 11 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

NAM, Second Floor 15702 Bammel Village Drive, 77068 Program fee: FREE To attend, you must RSVP to outreach@haaonline.org in order to guarantee lunch.

Join us for a discussion on pools.

With pool season approaching, there have been changes to pool inspections. Learn what you need to you onsite.

Resident Relations Committee A Wednesday, March 11 2 p.m.

12 CAMT: Appliances Maintenance and Repair (two days) – Spanish Thursday, March 12 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Redbook Seminar: The Woodlands Thursday, March 12 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Woodlands Waterway Marriott 1601 Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77380 See Page 23 for details.

17 Mental Wellness Seminar Tuesday, March 17 8:30 a.m. to noon See Page 24 for details.

18 Leadership Lyceum Session 2 Wednesday, March 18 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Houston City Hall 901 Bagby St., 77002

19 Expo Committee Meeting Thursday, March 19 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Expo Committee members only.

HAAPAC Luncheon Thursday, March 19 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Program fee: $30 per HAAPAC member; $40 per non-HAAPAC member Registration starts at 11:30 a.m. The program and lunch begin at noon.

Contact Alpa at apatel@haaonline.org for registration and details.

Sponsored by Flooring Warehouse

25 CAM: Property Maintenance Wednesday, March 25 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

See Page 25 for details.

Lake Jackson Region Meeting Wednesday, March 25 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Registration starts at 11 a.m. The program and lunch begin at 11:30 a.m.

This event is free, but we kindly ask you to RSVP yourself and/or team members. More information to come. Visit www.haaonline.org/outreach meetings for up-to-date information. Contact outreach@haaonline.org to RSVP.

26 Maintenance Mania Thursday, March 26 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Bayou City Event Center 9401 Knight Road, 77045 Hands-on competition dedicated to the celebration of HAA's maintenance and service professionals.

From faucet repair to ceiling fan replacement, come cheer on your favorite maintenance technicians as HAA competes against the region for a chance to send a representative to the National Championship.

See Page 18 for details.

Sponsored by HD Supply

Need a log in to register for our next event?

Email webreg@haaonline.org

www.haaonline.org

February 2020

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Main

Follow a road that fits you career journey with Avenues. The Avenues series of seminars feature some of the best nationally-acclaimed speakers in the industry with learning sessions for every level of multifamily professional. There are five Avenues to choose from, follow just one path or pick and choose from all of the 15 great sessions:

ST

Avenues: Main Street - 1 February 5 Once Upon A Time – Selling through Storytelling With Lisa Trosien Avenues: Main Street– 2 April 8 Pot, Pit Bulls, Parking, Felons and Other Fair Housing Pitfalls!With Anne Sadovsky

Maintenance

Avenues: Main Street - 3 August 20 Leasing In a Saturated Market: Stand Out with Personal Branding With Lisa Trosien

BLVD

Avenues: Maintenance Blvd - 1 February 12 Moisture and Indoor Air Quality With Nicole Curl

Avenues: Maintenance Blvd - 2 October 21 Crisis Response Management With Nicole Curl

Leadership

Avenues: Leadership Lane - 1 April 30 The Power of Relational Leadership With Rommel Anacan Avenues: Leadership Lane - 2 July 14

Marketing

Be A Coach Not A Boss: The Method to Support, Challenge and Lead Your Team Effectively With Amy Kosnikowski

Avenues : Leadership Lane - 3 October 22

Are We No Longer User Friendly? With Anne Sadovsky

Laying a Foundation (of knowledge) on Foundations With Nicole Curl

Avenues: Supplier Circle - 1 March 9 Sensory Sales: Making the Sale without Saying a Word With Katie Rigsby Avenues: Supplier Circle - 2 July 13 Are You Packing Too Much in Your Life’s Luggage? With Katie Rigsby

Sponsored by

PL

Avenues: Marketing Place - 1 May 27 Stop Selling-Start Attracting! The Keys to Relationship-Driven Selling With Rommel Anacan

Avenues: Marketing Place - 2 September 10 Reputation Management: A Winning Strategy in Response and Recovery To Bad Reviews With Amy Kosnikowski Dilisio

Supplier

Avenues: Maintenance Blvd - 3 November 18

LN

Avenues: Marketing Place - 3 November 5 6 Strategies Your Competitors Are Not Using to Gain More Market Share With Patty Morgan Seager

CIR

Avenues: Supplier Circle - 3 October 12 Own Your Awesome . . . Delivering Exceptional Customer Service With Patty Morgan Seager

Need

Individua just one se per perso l sessions are pri minar? n, a real s c teal for q ed at only $50 Annual Property Subscriptions are uality edu available with unlimited attendance cation! for all on-site property staff to all sessions at discounted prices: • Only $199 per year per property for properties with fewer than 200 units • Only $399 per year per property for properties with 200 to 350 units.

• Only $450 per year per property for properties with more than 350 units.

If you need a single workshop, individual sessions are priced at only $50 per person, a real steal for quality education.

Sessions begin February 5. Enroll today. Contact the HAA Education Department at education@haaonline.org or register online at www.haaonline.org.

2020

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Learn about the new 2020 Redbook

SEMINAR Choose February

Choose your day.

Choose your location.

6 or February 13 in Houston

Location – HAF Education Center 4810 Westway Park Blvd. (off Clay Road and the Beltway)

February 25 in Baytown

Location – SpringHill Suites Baytown 5169 1-10 East, Baytown, TX 77521

February 27 in Pearland

Location – Hilton Garden Inn Pearland 12101 Shadow Creek Parkway, Pearland, TX 77584

March 12 in The Woodlands

Location – The Woodlands Waterway Marriott 1601 Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77380 Registration – 8:30 a.m.

Program – 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Program Fee (includes lunch) – $145 prepay; $180 invoice Sharpen your knowledge of your legal rights and responsibilities as a rental housing owner or manager by participating in one of the REDBOOK seminars being offered around the state.

Seminars emphasize changes in management practices required by new laws passed during the last legislative session as well as updates on key regulatory issues that affect property management.

Presented by Howard Bookstaff, HAA General Counsel

For more information and to register, see online at www.haaonline.org.

Sponsored by CORT Furniture and The Liberty Group

Each section will include an interactive exercise to help you learn how to apply the law to your job. Full of videos and interactive tools, the 2020 REDBOOK seminar will deliver the quality legal instruction you expect from TAA. Here’s your chance to hear from the experts and get answers to your questions. Learn the major changes to TAA’s Rental Application, Lease and other major forms. Understand major operational issues and get comfortable with the newly updated REDBOOK.

Conquer Your Stress:

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Go from Worrier to Warrior with Dr. Kathy Gruver

Onsite Property Management is Stressful! In any given month onsite professionals can deal with violence, natural disasters, resident trauma and more. Is it any wonder that stress can negatively impact job satisfaction and performance in this industry? It’s estimated that stress is responsible for 60 to 90% of doctor’s visits and, one million workers miss work each day because of stress, costing companies $602 per employee per year, according the American Institute of Stress.

It is imperative that we recognize that stress is not the problem - it’s our reaction to our stress and we can learn to control it. Acquire cutting edge self-care techniques – affirmations, visualization, mindfulness techniques and mini-meditations – that staff can do on their own for better health. A stress-free staff is a productive, healthy and happy staff. Dr. Gruver will share her decades of experience and you will walk away inspired to make positive changes in your life, your company and your staff.

Objective Points: · What is stress? · How stress is impacting your bottom line and your health · Stress indicators · How we relate to stress is the key · Cutting edge stress reduction techniques · Vital health and well being · Learn to meditate even if you think you can’t · Master practical techniques that you can do in the moment to stop stress Kathy Gruver, PhD, has graced stages on four continents (including TEDx), three cruise ships and a handful of islands. Her combination of humor, performance background, real life experience and formal education makes her a well-rounded, in-demand speaker. She hosts the TV show based on her first book, The Alternative Medicine Cabinet, and has earned her PhD in Natural Health. Dr. Gruver is the twelve-time award-winning author of seven books, including Conquer Your Stress, Workplace Wellness, Conquer your Stress at Work and Journey of Healing.

Mental Wellness Seminar Tuesday, March 17 Houston Apartment Association HAF Training Center, 4810 Westway Park Blvd. off Clay Road and Beltway 8 8:30 a.m. – Registration 9 a.m. to Noon – Program Program Fee: $75 online; $95 invoiced or at the door

Register online at www.haaonline.org

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Apartment Managers – Write it down: CAM is the best way to advance your multifamily career!

What are you waiting for?

Credential Qualifications: • Minimum of 12 months of on-site property management experience in a management role or position (assistant managers do qualify) • Classroom attendance in at least six of the seven scheduled class days • A passing score on parts I and II of the CAM exam within 12 months of enrollment Course Schedule and Fees: • The CAM curriculum is comprised of eight modules and is administered by HAA in seven days over the course of six weeks • Check-in and registration begins at 8:30 a.m., except for the Orientation Luncheon beginning at noon.

• Modules vary in length; classes generally will conclude by 4 p.m. or earlier • Lunch is provided • Total Program Cost: $1,150; Tuition can be paid in full or divided into two payments of $575 • All textbooks, exam fees and meals are included in the course fee • New CAM Candidates must begin the program with the first course on March 3 CAM Course Schedule and Descriptions: March 3: Program and Orientation Luncheon/Industry Math Learn all about the process and best practices for success as a CAM candidate, PLUS receive a math refresher and start preparing to calculate industry formulas you’ll need to know for the exam. This first course begins at 12 p.m.

March 4: Industry Essentials & the Resident Experience • Summarize the global state of the apartment industry • View property as an investment • Identify the roles of people a CAM will interact with • Describe the value of the CAM role as an investor advocate and resident advocate • Identify characteristics of different types of housing • How to build relationships with residents • Explain the Resident Cycle including: - Lease & Application - Screening - New Resident Education - Ongoing Resident Communication - Resident Retention/Renewal - Move Out Procedures March 5: Financial Management • Relate CAM responsibilities to the financial performance of a property • Analyze an income statement • Develop and manage a stabilized budget • Prevent and solve for bad debt • Perform a property valuation March 24: Marketing • Identify the components of an effective Marketing Plan • Use resources to effectively gather and calculate data needed in a Marketing Plan • Develop a Marketing Plan - Analyze a market including competitors - Identify the internal market readiness of a property

- Perform an economic analysis of a property - Analyze and draw conclusions from a Market Plan using the SWOT methodology • Add value to a property through use of rental income, rates, and/or adjustments • Add value to a property through managing occupancy • Select and write an effective recommendation - Identify types of promotion - Identify types of advertising media • Develop a budget for a Marketing Plan • Measure the success of a Marketing Plan March 25: Property Maintenance • Relate CAM responsibilities to the maintenance of a property • Oversee service requests - Ensure employees in all roles receive the appropriate training to ensure service requests are completed accurately • Manage inventory • Identify the need for a contractor or vendor - Complete the bid process and signing of a contract • Use inspection results to prioritize maintenance and repairs • Develop a preventative maintenance program • Identify maintenance needs for green properties April 7: Legal • Describe reasonable accommodations and modifications for persons with disabilities • Explain compliance with laws that govern applicant screening • Explain the purpose and impact of fair housing laws • Explain how to remain in compliance with fair housing laws • Identify a CAM’s responsibilities in providing safe living conditions with adherence to residence rights • Summarize the bid process requirements • Explain compliance with laws that govern employment practices April 14: Risk Management • Relate risk management to a CAM’s role • Propose a solution to an issue of fraud, theft, embezzlement, etc. to minimize financial risk • Identify necessary preventative maintenance to minimize risk to physical plant • Create a resident education/orientation message to minimize risk to residents • Practice preparing for an OSHA inspection • Create sample guidelines for entering homes to minimize risk to staff/vendors • Create emergency plan for a common regional emergency • Provide the best course of action for various crime emergencies • Prevent and control loss April 15: Human Resources • Identify laws that affect employment procedures • Understand how to manage payroll including benefits, overtime, and rent-free employee housing • Summarize the employment process - Recruit potential employees - Interview applicants - Evaluate candidates - Complete new employee orientation • Maintain employees’ records appropriately • Address employees’ needs throughout the lifecycle of their employment - Identify training needs - Manage performance - Perform an employee evaluation - Execute disciplinary action - Terminate employment

For a more detailed synopsis of individual course content and to register, please visit the education page of our website at www.haaonline.org.

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Industry Update from the NATIONAL APARTMENT ASSOCIATION and the NATIONAL MULTIHOUSING COUNCIL

ADVOCACY ALERT New year, new developments in housing affordability.

THE NEW YEAR has only just begun and already there are multiple, critical updates on housing affordability measures occurring throughout the country of which National Apartment Association (NAA) members should be aware: In Atlanta, City Councilman Antonio Brown (District 3) introduced a resolution encouraging the state of Georgia to allow local jurisdictions to implement rent control.

Currently, Georgia law preempts localities from regulating how much a rental housing provider can charge for rent. While the resolution does not have the force of law, it is meant to signal support for state action. Atlanta has sought a waiver from the state’s preemption as far back as 2016. No bills to remove the state’s preemption have been pre-filed at this point. The Atlanta Apartment Association is actively engaged on this issue and other local concerns affecting the industry, including a projected 300 percent increase to the development impact fee that is projected to be a $5,000 cost per door.

When the state legislature convenes in Utah later this month, Rep. Jennifer DaileyProvost (D-Salt Lake City) plans to introduce a bill to remove the state’s preemption on rent control. Provost says rent control can be used to address homelessness in the state and contends that localities should have the power to decide what types of legislation fit the needs of the communities they represent.

In response, the Utah Apartment Association (UAA) released a statement saying what the industry knows to be true: “Rent control hurts all property owners in Utah by capping

property incomes and values across the board.” UAA pointed to reducing barriers to development and zoning for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as viable alternatives.

This bill is one of 20 renters’ rights proposals that they are actively monitoring.

The Pennsylvania Apartment Association will be introducing a rent control preemption bill in the upcoming session. The introduction of the bill itself is a win for the industry.

If passed, localities in the state will be prohibited from regulating rental prices. This is important given that the Philadelphia City Council will be considering a rent control ordinance in the coming months.

The Massachusetts State Legislature’s Joint Committee on Housing will be holding a hearing on January 14 to consider H.3924, legislation that would enable municipal governments to adopt restrictions on rents, evictions, and condominium conversions, as well as establish real estate transfer taxes. The Massachusetts Apartment Association, formerly known as the Rental Housing Association of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, has already submitted comments to the committee and has prepared testimony. NAA and the National Multifamily Housing Council also will be submitting comments jointly to the committee.

In Nashville, last August’s city council elections produced the highest number of socialist councilmembers in the city’s history.

There is a concerted push to eliminate incentives for development, address homelessness and create “one Nashville for all,” where neighborhoods are prioritized over so-called

“big business.” The council is evaluating several policy recommendations: • Extending just-cause eviction requirements; • Mandating advance notice of intent to sell, which would require owners of low-rent, market-rate housing to provide 90-day advance notice to residents and local government prior to the sale; • Requiring a 120-day advance notice of rent increases; • Placing limitations on resident screening; and • Mandating that rental housing providers accept Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as “source of income” fair housing protections.

The Greater Nashville Apartment Association is diligently working to educate the City Council Chairman and other councilmembers about the rental housing industry and the unintended consequences of these policies.

In California, State Senator Scott Wiener (District 11) has reintroduced Senate Bill 50, the “More Homes Act.” SB 50 would require local governments to meet certain housing and transportation goals or risk losing authority over zoning standards, increasing transit-oriented development in the Golden State. Efforts to pass the bill in the state legislature last year were unsuccessful despite California’s dire need to reduce barriers to new housing construction. The bill allows for increased multifamily housing in single-family zoned areas and has undergone revisions in attempt to increase support of the effort.

The new iteration of SB 50 would allot two additional years for local governments to de-

Did you know you have access to more member benefits than just the lease contracts and forms?

If you’re receiving this magazine, your company has joined and made your company and YOU part of the largest local apartment association in the nation! Every employee of your team is a member of HAA and also a member of the TAA and NAA. Check us out online at www.haaonline.org. This is YOUR HAA!

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velop their plans. California cities may account for local conditions so long as they adhere to the state’s goals of adding more housing units while decreasing emissions. SB 50 represents the type of sustainable, thoughtful legislation that is needed in communities across the United States to address the nation’s housing affordability challenges.

As housing affordability challenges continue to drive bad policy at all levels of government, it is as important as ever for the members of the apartment industry to be a part of these conversations to provide their expertise in how to effectively build more housing, address complex challenges and shape housing policy that will affect the industry for years to come. NAA will continue to work with the affiliate network to ensure that public policy does not impede but rather enhances the ability of rental housing providers to run their businesses and provide housing to one-third of Americans. 2020 surely will be a busy year on the legislative front.

Additionally, NAA offers a variety of tools, expert insight, research and resources to assist in making your conversations with residents, media and policymakers all the more effective (including an entire library of resources dedicated to policy issues): • Rent Control Resources • Just-Cause Eviction Resources • New! Modeling the Impacts of Rent Control research • Barriers to Apartment Construction Index • Economic Impact Data The industry needs everyone involved.

NAA's Key Contact program locates, develops and leverages relationships our members have with policymakers at all levels of government to communicate the apartment industry's perspective on issues that affect us.

Utilize NAA’s resources in your conversations to educate policymakers and mobilize activists on issues affecting their businesses and the industry. Sign-up for the Apartment Advocate e-newsletter. Register for Advocate, the nation’s largest rental housing advocacy event. Forward this mail to all of your colleagues in the industry. The future of your job, your company and the industry depend on it.

Please stay tuned to www.naahq.org for further updates.

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On the Road with HAA Fort Bend Justice of the Peace & Constable Holiday Appreciation Luncheon Thursday, December 5 at Churrascos – Sugar Land HAA’s Annual Justice of the Peace and Constable Holiday Appreciation Luncheon for the Fort Bend area was a great success. Managers had the opportunity to thank their local elected officials and ask questions. Thank you to all those who attended. We look forward to seeing you at our next Outreach events!

HAA IS REACHES OUT to better serve our members by bringing targeted networking and educational events to different parts of our 12-county service area. Contact Director of Outreach Lauren Turner at lturner@haaonline.org to sign up for these FREE, management-only events where you can learn about issues affecting your area and network with your fellow managers. Want to host an event?

We are looking for member properties to host a Region Meeting. Contact lturner@haaonline.org.

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State Submarket of the

Montgomery County Speakers:

Moderator Stephanie Graves, The Signorelli Company

Jim Carman, President of the Houston Region at The Howard Hughes Corporation

Mark Keough, Montgomery County Judge

Gil Staley, CEO for The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership

Jordan Brooks, Market Specialist for ALN Apartment Data Inc.

Join HAA and industry leaders as we assess the current and future state of the greater Montgomery County multifamily market.

State of Submarket Breakfast Tuesday, February 18 Breakfast and Registration: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Program: 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Location: The Woodlands Country Club 100 Grand Fairway Drive, The Woodlands TX 77381 Program cost: $80 prepay $110 invoiced or at door See www.haaonline.org for more information.

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On the Road with HAA

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Onsite Goes Offsite – Webster Tuesday, November 19 at Cheddars Pasadena Sponsored by 1 Gemstar Construction Development HAA hit the road to Webster. Area managers had a chance to mix and mingle with each other over drinks and appetizers.

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On the Scene with the HAAPAC HAAPAC Luncheon Monday, November 18 at the HAF Dinerstein Reed Prokop Education Center Sponsored by 1 Northwest Construction Group The November HAA Political Action Committee Luncheon featured a screening for Harris County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 6, Place 1 and Harris County Commissioner Court, Precinct 3.

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WE’RE ALL ABOUT BETTER GOVERNMENT Threats from government are coming at the apartment industry at a rapid pace. The HAAPAC, the political action committee of the Houston Apartment Association, needs your help to fight bad legislation. HAA members can participate in the PAC on several levels. Committee application forms are available. To join, renew or learn how to become involved with the PAC, see online at www.haaonline.org/haapac or contact apatel@haaonline.org.

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On the Scene with HAA PAC Harris County Justice of the Peace and Constable Appreciation Luncheon Tuesday, December 17 at Maggiano’s Little Italy More than 30 judges, constables and staff from various counties attended the annual Houston Apartment Association Political Action Committee’s Justice of the Peace and Constable Appreciation Luncheon. A big thank you to all of the elected officials and to our members who took time out of their schedules to join us for lunch.

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On the Scene with the HAF Houston Apartment Foundation Fair Housing Seminar Sponsored by 1 Camp Construction Services and Century A/C Suppy Tuesday, November 19 at the HAF Dinerstein Reed Prokop Education Center HAA management company members got in the game and were the winning contestants for “Fair Housing Feud” with speaker Katie Rigsby.

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Do you need to find a product or service for your property on the go?

The Buyer’s Guide is online!

Simply search for a member by name or category to find the most up-to-date HAA supplier member listings.

You can contact the companies directly or use our “Request for Information” tool. It's quick and easy!

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This five-minute meditation is called square breathing or box breathing. All that is required is a comfortable, upright chair and a timer (a cellphone is always handy). If you use your cellphone as your timer, choose a pleasant chime for when your session ends. Try to be in a stress-free quiet environment so that you are not disturbed.

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A practical approach to meditating, whenever, wherever, and in just five minutes.

By

DEAN O’KELLEY, CAS, The Liberty Group

Five-Minute Meditation

S

everal years ago, in the pre cell phone and internet era, I made the decision to return to school after a three-year hiatus and obtain my degree from the University of Houston. It was without a doubt one of the best decisions I have ever made, however, I found myself taking a full load of classes in the mornings and working full time in the evenings and weekends.

I learned in my precious spare time the art of taking short naps, as it was a key to getting everything done. Between classes and work, I would set my alarm for 30 minutes and it was lights out. There was one caveat or condition that I had to follow without exception: When the alarm went off, feet had to be on the floor! There was no turning over or mental bargaining for five more www.haaonline.org

minutes. I am grateful I learned how to take short naps as they enabled me to reset and be present for the tasks at hand.

And so, it begins.

As time has progressed, cell phones and the internet have indeed made life easier, though more challenging to disengage. In fact, it is almost impossible to imagine our lives with our electronic connectivity. Today, naps are a luxury I seldom afford myself, however, I’m fortunate to have discovered something that allows me a moment of pause and the opportunity to reset.

A few years ago, I was discussing mediation with a friend when I mentioned that I wouldn’t know where to start. I always thought that the practice of meditation would be too involved, take too much time and that

I wouldn’t do it correctly. My friend assured me this was not the case and that I could get started in as little as five minutes. Five minutes? I was willing to risk five minutes, and I can say that for such a small investment of time, the dividends have been immense.

The practice of meditation spans back centuries, and while it conjures thoughts of mystery, it is becoming more mainstream in how it is used. Many people use meditation for spiritual or relaxing reasons. In thinking about team management, a small investment in self is important to maintain my full value and potential to my team. This meditation in no way covers all aspects, however, it is a very good place to start. As I am certain almost everyone has had to turn off and wait for a period of time to reset their electronic devices at some point or another, I February 2020

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like to think of this as an opportunity to turn myself off, to temporarily disengage so that I can reset myself.

This five-minute meditation is called square breathing or box breathing. All that is required is a comfortable, upright chair and a timer (a cellphone is always handy). If you use your cellphone as your timer, choose a pleasant chime for when your session ends. Try to be in a stress-free quiet environment so that you are not disturbed. If you don’t have a door on your office or if you’re on the go, you can use your car as a place to meditate.

With your feet flat on the floor, sit back in your chair and make sure that you are seated upright. Allow the back of your seat to support your spine. The goal is to make sure you allow yourself to be comfortable so that breathing will be easy. Set your timer at five minutes. Place the palms of your hands face up. Close your eyes. Imagine a square on your chest, upper to mid-chest, down to your belly button, and the same distance side to side. I use a four count when breathing, however, you can choose any number. You can increase your count perhaps to five or six count as you become more comfortable. The key is to breathe at a pace that will be comfortable yet provides a stretch.

Start with slowly exhaling through your mouth. Imagine a soft, glowing light sliding down the side of the square. Either side you choose to begin with is fine, just keep going in the same direction as you continue around your square. The light can be white or any color you choose or that appears. No need to

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keep the light the same color as it may change several times in the process. Begin exhaling and say to yourself “out-two-three-four” as you imagine the light descending, then go across the bottom of your square while holding your breath, “hold-two-three-four.” Allow the light to travel across the bottom of the square as you count. Begin to ascend the other side of the square and slowly breathe in through your nose, “in-two-three-four” as the light ascends. Hold your breath as the light travels across the top of the square, “holdtwo-three-four.”

Continue the process and be conscious of your breathing and your posture. Adjust as needed and allow yourself to relax and concentrate. Keep repeating as you travel around your square, focusing only on your breathing.

I have found whenever I venture into meditation, my mind tends to wander. In research, I have found this to be universal. Everyone’s mind tends to drift as random thoughts begin to enter: to-do lists, what to cook for dinner, tomorrow’s presentation, etc. This is natural.

The key is to reign in your attention to breathing and counting. By doing so, everything else is set aside and your body is allowed to reset, recharge, relax.

Small effort, large gain.

When your timer brings you back to reality, slowly open your eyes and take a deep breath.

Notice how you feel. I notice that my vision seems clearer, sharper, I have a sense of peace and that I am ready to re-engage with the world.

Studies have shown that even with small

exercises such as this, large benefits can be gained, such as lowering heart rate, lowering stress levels and blood pressure and decreased anxiety, just to name a few.

In stressful times of my life, I think about when I have stopped and allowed myself just to take a breath. I notice that my body really appreciates the infusion of oxygen. As the world becomes more stressful, I have learned a small amount of self-care can allow me the capability to take on any task at hand. I hope that your venture into five-minute meditation will allow the same.

"The process of breathing is the most accurate metaphor we have for the way that we personally approach life, how we live our lives, and how we react to the inevitable changes that life brings us." ~ Donna Farhi Dean O’Kelley is a national sales associate for The Liberty Group. O’Kelley has been with The Liberty Group for 14 years, where he focuses on account management and delivering exceptional customer service to both onsite and corporate multifamily clients.

Services include temporary staffing, payrolling and direct hire placements.

O’Kelley can be reached at deano@thelibertygroup.com. You can learn more about The Liberty Group by visiting them at www.thelibertygroup.com.

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Not only does engagement have the potential to significantly affect employee retention, productivity and loyalty, it is also a key link to customer satisfaction, company reputation and overall stakeholder value. There is simply too much riding on your team’s engagement to not make it an immediate priority when bringing on a new team member.

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By treating your employees as individuals, employers can learn the best onboarding and team engagement strategy.

By

ROBERT COTE, Hire Priority Staffing & Executive Search

Onboarding & Engagement

T

he onboarding process is one of the most important parts of ensuring employee retention and establishing a baseline for team engagement. While in most circumstances, onboarding covers the basic skills of job success, studies are showing that the approach used in the onboarding process can greatly affect the level of engagement shown by the employee in the future.

Why does engagement matter so much?

Not only does engagement have the potential to significantly affect employee retention, productivity and loyalty, it is also a key link to customer satisfaction, company reputation and overall stakeholder value. There is simply too much riding on your team’s engagement to not make it an immediate priority when bringing on a new team member.

Before we tackle the task of putting together an engagement encouraging onboarding process, let’s talk about what it means for your

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team to be engaged and how that may look from the perspective of the individual.

What is employee engagement?

Employee engagement is a term that has been born from the shift to focusing on company culture, a buzzword that started popping up in the last few years around corporate trends. With the concepts of company culture and employee engagement being relatively new, there are multiple definitions floating around on what exactly “engagement” from an employee standpoint means.

Engagement can be anything from an employee showing up for work and successfully completing their tasks, to an employee feeling emotionally and physically tied to their job as part of their own identity.

According to Forbes.com, below are some of the most interesting definitions of employee engagement that have been vocalized: 1. “The emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals,” said Kevin Kruse, Forbes contributor

and New York Times Best Selling Author.

2. “The art of getting people to believe what you want them to believe,” said Jim Whitehurst, CEO of Red Hat. 3. “Emotional connection an employee feels toward his or her employment organization, which tends to influence his or her behaviors and level of effort in work related activities,” according to the Business Dictionary.

4. “A business management concept that describes the level of enthusiasm and dedication a worker feels toward his/her job.

Engaged employees care about their work and about the performance of the company, and feel that their efforts make a difference,” according to Investopedia.

5. “The illusive force that motivates employees to higher (or lower) levels of performance,” according to Workforce Performance Solutions.

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comes,” said Michael Shuck and Karen Wallard, authors of “A Historical Perspective of Employee Engagement: An Emerging Definition.”

As seen from the definitions above, emotion is the common theme. It can be understood that to successfully achieve employee engagement, you have to be able to elicit emotion from your team members in regard to the company at large and their individual jobs.

This is no easy task in most cases, especially when it comes to lower-paid, entry level positions.

How to Achieve Employee Engagement at All Team Levels Achieving an emotional engagement from your employee starts with focusing on the individual. Since most large companies can’t logistically do this, it is ever more important to make sure middle managers and team leaders have the tools they need to properly define, encourage and monitor engagement on a consistent basis.

As with any emotional connection between two people, communication is paramount.

Ongoing communication with workgroups can occur through regular weekly or biweekly meetings, ideally with 10 to 15 employees in each meeting. In this forum, issues can be aired and ideas can be discussed to gain immediate feedback. Another component of keeping in touch with your employees is oneon-one meetings with an employee who is targeted for superior performance, identified for performance improvement or randomly chosen from the workgroup.

Below are some other ways to use communication to encourage engagement: Formal opportunities include: Recruitment; onboarding Performance reviews Goal setting Training Communications by senior leaders Employee surveys Informal opportunities include: Coaching Mentoring Career development discussions Ongoing performance feedback Recognition programs Company social events Personal crises Different technologies allow managers to maintain contact, including: social media and

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mobile apps to discuss issues, share ideas, conduct surveys and vote on issues; blogs that routinely inform and update employees on new initiatives and allow employee responses to be recorded and openly available; and videoconferencing or teleconferencing and email newsletters are also helpful.

Communication is important, however, it’s the content of the communication that is the most important. This is where focusing on the individual becomes increasingly critical in a world that is quickly moving toward personalized experiences across the board.

Focusing on the Individual There is no “I” in team, right? Not necessarily true.

A team is made up of individual “i’s” and failure to acknowledge that will result in a lower level of engagement from each of the team members. The old thinking of toeing the company line has been left behind in today’s world of mental happiness seekers.

One way to identify the personality traits of your employees is to administer a personality test during the onboarding process. Not only will this give you a starting point for guiding your new hire, but it can be a fun way to break up the educational materials required for your new hire’s position.

There are many tests out there and you will want to find the one that is best for you. We recommend the Enneagram Test that identifies nine different types of personalities. Each result gives clear strengths and weaknesses that a hiring manager can use to guide the new hire throughout their entire career.

If a personality test becomes part of the onboarding process, educational materials can be modified for each personality type (nine types using the Enneagram Test), which would automatically streamline the process of individual attention to each employee. This approach can be used in goal setting, performance reviews, promotions and special assigned tasks. You can even pair similar personalities together for mentorship between new and veteran employees.

The bottom line is, you need to understand how your employees think before you can have success in team engagement. Not everyone will respond to the same types of motivation and while you may have success with engaging certain individuals, you will never engage the entire team if you are not recognizing the individual emotional needs of each member. / See Onboarding, Page 49

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Turn your boat around, be a courageous captain of your own mental ship and always row in a positive direction.

Turn up your own volume in teamwork.

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Rowing in the direction of effective teamwork.

By

DEBBIE PHILLIPS, Ph.D, CPM, The Quadrillion

Your Role in Teamwork T he concept of teamwork is nothing new – from the ancient Spartan warriors, to late 1960s space exploration, to geese flying in carefully orchestrated formation, meeting goals in many facets of our universe often requires a group working together to achieve a common goal. A quick search on the success of rowing crew teams will give you a few basic truths such as collaboration and coordination being the real drivers of performance, not individual effort. In other words, no one rower is responsible for winning the race. It takes an entire team rowing together in harmony to cross the finish line first.

So, what’s changed? For starters, none of these groups work in today’s ecosystem of digital everything, in which professionals are managing remote teams and maneuvering complex global organizational structures. We’ve traded our boats and oars for www.haaonline.org

community workspaces and video conferences. The good news is that through our new digital environment, in some ways, we’re more connected than ever. Leadership has changed as well. It’s no longer hierarchical and top-down. Today’s leaders must have an entrepreneurial mindset, even in the most corporate environment, and inspire and connect people and teams across organizations, not just manage a group of people that happen to report to them on an organizational chart.

It’s been over 50 years since educational psychologist Bruce Tuckman identified a five-stage development process that most teams follow to become high performing.

He called the stages: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. Since most of us belong to at least one or more teams in our lives, we have likely experienced the good, the bad and the ugly when working with these teams. The not-so-good

experiences could be a result of generational differences, time zones, geography, technology and a wide array of personality styles.

No wonder we are still scratching our heads as to why there is chaos and confusion.

Forbes recently predicted that 50% of the U.S. workforce will soon be remote, and while the topic of managing remote teams could be a stand-alone article, here we’ll focus on recommendations for taking personal responsibility that can improve your contribution and serve as a catalyst for effective change. After all, the only person you can truly control is you.

In 2002, Patrick Lencioni’s book “Five Dysfunctions of a Team” appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list and continues to be a topic in management forums today. For the purposes of this article, I’ll simply offer Lencioni’s definition of a team: a relatively small number of people that share common goals as well as the rewards February 2020

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When it comes to teams and the effort required to make teamwork work, focus more on your individual contribution and less on what others are doing or not doing.

It’s easy to place blame or engage in fault finding.

Shift from fault finding to value finding. When you genuinely look for the good in others, you can find it.

and responsibilities for achieving them.

Despite the unlimited resources and countless coaching conversations around strategies for improving team performance, much of a company’s success can be traced to what I call the four key cornerstones for effective teamwork: trust, commitment, communication and connection.

Trust Trust is a critical imperative to success in almost any situation, but it is a non-negotiable when building successful teams that are designed to go the distance. Stephen Covey emphasized the role of trust in his seminal work “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and later in his follow-up book “The Speed of Trust.” A lack of trust tends to feed an array of negative consequences, including an environment of turf-guarding and sidebar manipulation. Contrarily, when there is a deep trust among members, projects go more smoothly, team members enjoy the project more, have more fun and report more successful outcomes. If there is a gap between what you say and what you do, it undermines your integrity, making it harder for people to trust you. When it comes to selecting your team members, I’d almost bet trust is your first consideration.

Commitment Commitment is shown by being actively engaged and sticking with the project or person for the duration. I smile when I think about the example of the chicken and the pig.

The chicken is involved and the pig is committed! We have all been impacted by the team member that has lost interest in a project or experienced a situation when he or she could not fulfill his or her obligation. Perhaps our own commitment has waned and we were counting the minutes until the project would

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come to an end. As we consider our projects in the coming year, I urge you to carefully consider those projects that you are genuinely sold out for and tactfully say “no” to those projects that aren’t aligned with your natural gifts and abilities. Before you roll your eyes and say, “What if your boss assigns you to a project that isn’t a true match?” I can only encourage you to have a a courageous conversation. Make your case for your highest and best use of your genius zone.

Communication The quality of any relationship rises and falls to the level of effective communication.

When people know what is expected of them and understand the rules of the game or parameters of the project, they are more apt to meet the expectations. Weak communicators can stall the project or at the very least interrupt the success that creates impenetrable and unnecessary barriers. I’m often reminded of the wisdom of my doctoral professor at Georgia Tech. He said, “If you don’t understand it yourself, it is nearly impossible to explain it to someone else.” Bottom line: Take time to get clarity about the goal, articulate the mission and identify the action steps that lead to the desired result.

Connection Simon Sinek best describes this as your “why.” Why are you even involved in the project to begin with? Have you every thought to yourself, “How did I get myself into this?” You are not alone. I’ve found that the more personal the project was to me or the more I cared about the people involved, the more energy, intellect and depth of my soul I poured into the team or the project. When you care about the people involved, you tend to operate at a different level. When some-

thing is important to you, you will often move heaven and earth to make success happen.

When it’s not as important, we tend to find excuses. I refer to this as having skin in the game. I think of it as your signature. It’s like entrepreneurship and decision making. When you’ve had to make payroll, you tend to make decisions differently. The same holds true when it comes to the connection you have with the project or team. When you care about the people involved, you want the best for each other and the best possible outcome.

When it comes to teams and the effort required to make teamwork work, focus more on your individual contribution and less on what others are doing or not doing. It’s easy to place blame or engage in fault finding. Shift from fault finding to value finding. When you genuinely look for the good in others, you can find it. At first you may find crusty layers of criticism, mockers, cynical attitudes, leftover residue from previous projects or overall malaise. Don’t give into these emotions. Turn your boat around, be a courageous captain of your own mental ship and always row in a positive direction. Turn up your own volume in teamwork.

Debbie Phillips is an internationally recognized industry thought leader, educator, career coach, author and speaker who holds a doctorate degree. She has dedicated her life’s work to educating and connecting high potential talent to opportunities in the real estate industry. Debbie can be reached at debbie@thequadrillion.com or 404-787-4409.

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Onboarding, continued from Page 44 The Takeaway The path to successfully engaging your team members starts in the onboarding process and continues throughout their careers with your company. Successful engagement strategies must evolve with the progression of your team’s careers and be dynamic to continue to catch your employees’ minds and interest.

There is no catch all method for team engagement. You must have an individualistic approach with your team to have real and lasting success. Tools such as personality tests, customized educational materials, mentorship and communication can help managers engage with their team on a meaningful level.

It has been proven time and again that an engaged employee is an invaluable asset to a company and that level of engagement can trickle all the way down to directly impacting customer satisfaction, not to mention increase the chances of an employee staying with a company.

Now is the time to invest in getting to know your staff on an emotional level and using that knowledge to drive job satisfaction and employee efficiency. Whether your company employs a large human resources department that handles staff relations or a smaller operation that equips middle managers with the tools necessary to ensure their team’s success, it is clear that the old one size fits all approach will not suffice in the future of professional onboarding and team management to keep a company operating at its top level.

Robert Cote is the chief operating officer at Hire Priority Staffing & Executive Search with over 15 years of staffing and search experience, and more than 10 years of executive oversight and direct P&L responsibility with consistent achievement in excess of expectations. Hire Priority has been one of the leaders in multifamily job placement since 1990, providing temporary, temp-tohire, payroll hire, permanent placement, training and career coaching. Cote can be reached at rcote@hirepriority.com.

Want to see current and previous issues of ABODE online?

Go to http://issuu.com/haa_abode.

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On the Scene with HAA HAA Open House Wednesday, January 15 at the HAF Education Center The Houston Apartment Association and Houston Apartment Foundation welcomed members for an open house held at the HAA offices. Staff from each department and Product Service Council members were available to explain how members can become more involved with HAA and the many ways the association can help them network, learn and grow.

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THE HOUSTON APARTMENT FOUNDATION DINERSTEIN REED PROKOP EDUCATION CENTER IS HERE FOR YOU.

The Direct Energy LP and Liberty Personnel & Executive Search Computer Lab seats 24 and is fully equipped with computers.

The Dinerstein Reed Prokop Education Center is located on the second floor of the HAA/HAF facility, 4810 Westway Park Blvd. in the Westway Park Development at Clay Road and Sam Houston Parkway, a premier location with easy access for members and their employees.

Available features for each room include: • Podiums • Ceiling-mounted LCD projectors • Automated projection screens • DVD/VCR with direct projection • Fully functional sound systems • Hand-held microphones or lavalier microphones • Wireless internet access • Kitchen facilities And much more…

Keep the education center in mind when your company is in need of a facility for your next meeting or employee training. The center is available for rental to members and is the perfect venue for budget meetings, planning sessions and more. For more information, contact 713-595-0300, email shinkley@haaonline.org or visit us online at www.haaonline.org.

The Michael Stevens Interests and Camden Room can be divided into two training rooms, each seating 60 to 72 classroom-style, 102 to 112 theater-style or 80 in rounds. The entire space will seat 120 classroom style or 200 theater style. Other table arrangements are also available. Call for more information.

Image © Lightfieldstudiosprod | Dreamstime.com

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Apartment professionals balance mentally ill residents’ needs and their own well-being By

THOMAS JOSEPH, Contributing Writer

Dealing with Mental Illness

M

ental health issues can have wide ranging impacts on residents and staff alike in the apartment industry. Houston-area developers and management groups find different solutions with the same goal: a satisfied and healthy community.

Mental health issues can have wide ranging impacts on residents and staff alike in the apartment industry.

Houston-area developers and management groups find different solutions with the same goal: a satisfied and healthy community.

For-Profit Stressors “In Houston, a big stressor for agents and residents is flooding,” Zach Batche, a leasing agent at The Millennium High Street in River Oaks said. The Millennium High Street in River Oaks is owned and managed by The Dinerstein Companies.

“We offer many of the amenities of luxury high-rises in the area,” Batche said. “We just happen to be a mid-rise.”

Even for higher income residents, the severe weather that has become common to Houston can cause residents problems.

“Sometimes you’ve got people paying rent on a unit they can’t occupy,” Batche said.

Insurance claims and lost property pull residents in a variety of directions.

The Non-Profit Side At New Hope Housing, Vice President of Onsite Operations Tamara Foster often works with residents on the other end of the socioeconomic spectrum.

“We’re a real estate development company that runs our own assets,” Foster said.

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“We can never work hard enough at the self-care side of it.

Dealing with a mentally ill resident can be very trying,” Foster said.

New Hope Housing oversees eight affordable housing properties with a focus on holistic solutions to homelessness. Foster sees the issues of mental health and homelessness as related, but not intrinsically linked.

“Most of our residents do have some sort of behavior issue,” Foster said.

“That’s not to say that they’re homeless because they are mentally ill – folks become homeless because there’s not quality, affordable housing.”

The unique structure of nonprofit apartment communities goes beyond development. NHH is part of a larger network of nonprofit organizations called The Way Home.

This network provides a variety of services to the homeless in Southeast Texas. Foster mentions The Way Home partners like Healthcare for the Homeless, Salvation Army and Harmony House, among a host of others.

“In a case management environment, peo-

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ple normally go to an office and head home,” Foster said. “Our case management environment is their home.”

New Hope only directly provides limited counseling to residents, however, their facilities offer office space to other The Way Home-affiliated organizations for residents to receive counseling, therapy and other mental health services.

The 1,188 units Foster oversees are largely single resident occupancy, although their most recent development is family oriented.

“We have about 450 kids, which brings up different issues like domestic violence and bullying,” Foster said.

Mental Health Advocates “If there are not adequate or safe responses, an occupant’s contract can be terminated,” Neal Sarahan, the executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness -

Greater Houston, said.

Sarahan notes the work of organizations like New Hope Housing in helping prevent homelessness among the mentally ill. NAMI’s website emphasizes the role of stable housing.

Their literature offers basics on affordable rent, discrimination and types of housing.

Training from an Advocacy Perspective NAMI’s work extends across the industry in nonprofit and for-profit management and development companies.

“We provide staff training for apartment managers and leasing agents,” Sarahan said.

The one-day course helps with de-escalation of tense situations, as well as recognizing when residents show signs of mental illness. It’s part of a larger outreach that strives to help those struggling with mental illness to feel part of the community.

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Company-Provided Training The staff at New Hope Housing undergo a variety of training courses to adequately help mentally ill residents. The Harris Center (formerly the MHMRA) provides New Hope staff with what Foster refers to as “mental health first aid” training.

“Our staff is issued that every two years,” Foster said. “Our entire company does a one-day course.”

Similar to courses offered by NAMI, The Harris Center course teaches staff how to provide that first level of help in an emergency situation.

“We work with our partners through SEARCH,” Foster added, touching on another organization involved in The Way Home.

“They are well trained in dealing with people with mental illness and cognitive disabilities.”

New Hope staff also use Grace Hill online training for property management. Grace Hill offers courses in general safety for staff.

No matter the amount of training, many in the industry note a required level of professionalism.

“We can never work hard enough at the self-care side of it. Dealing with a mentally ill resident can be very trying,” Foster said.

Living Onsite “I grew up in the industry,” Batche said.

“My mom started as a leasing agent and worked her way up from there.”

Although he does not live onsite, Batche estimates that 30 to 35% of TDC employees choose to.

“There can be a work-life balance issue there, but a lot of leasing agents love it,” Batche added.

Foster also noted that a portion of residents work at New Hope properties.

“It provides a job opportunity as well as a housing opportunity,” she said.

Both see it as an opportunity to create a greater sense of community in their buildings, and ultimately part of their respective end goals.

“It’s sort of like an EMT or doctor. You see some crazy things early on, but you settle in and find a groove.”

Thomas Joseph is a freelance writer who can assist you with any of your editorial needs. Joseph can be reached at leibowitz.thomas.j@gmail.com.

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RCR Update

By TINA DEFIORE, Director of Rental Credit Reporting, with RANDALL C. PATTON, CoreLogic

BOOST EFFICIENCY WITH THE RIGHT TECH Outdated or incomplete application and screening processes put properties at risk.

IN TODAY’S PROPERTY management world, there’s a technology solution for almost every task. The right mix of technology makes life better for residents, property managers, property owners and supplier partners by streamlining business processes and improving human relationships while increasing profitability.

Whether you’re managing apartment communities and/or short-term vacation rentals, examples of efficiency-boosting technology abound. Take the resident procurement and onboarding process as a prime example. Online applications integrated with resident screening and renter’s insurance solutions make it easy for top applicants to flow from initial interest to signed lease in no time at all.

On the flip side, some properties still require people to fill out confusing paper application forms and antiquated screening processes. Properties that haven’t made the shift to online applications and high speed screening processes risk losing prospects to frustration. Even the most interested prospective residents may look elsewhere if cumbersome paper forms and week-long screening processes set up roadblocks. If one or more competitors offer technology enhanced speed, the chances that a qualified potential resident will go elsewhere are high.

Of equal concern, outdated or incomplete application and screening processes also put properties at risk. After a brief downward trend, identity theft is on the rise again and generating staggering losses. According to the 2019 Identity Fraud Study by Javelin Strategy & Research, fraudsters opening a new account under a victim’s name caused losses totaling $3.4 billion in 2018. The Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel

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Network Data Book for 2018 found that fraud affecting apartment or house leases jumped by 38% from 2016 and 2017 and 50% between 2017 and 2018. So, along with lost efficiency, having an ineffective resident screening technology, or none at all, can lead to significant financial losses.

Whether you’re managing apartment communities and/or short-term vacation rentals, examples of efficiency-boosting technology abound. Take the resident procurement and onboarding process as a prime example. Online applications integrated with resident screening and renter’s insurance solutions make it easy for top applicants to flow from initial interest to signed lease in no time at all.

Avoiding Technology Siloes Finding the right solution to improve efficiency in each aspect of property management can be a complex process. The interconnected nature of property management means that each solution must integrate with all other solutions. Siloed solutions that don’t connect and interact with other applications can create more work, reducing efficiency and generating frustration.

Imagine for a moment that you’ve hired amazing employees, but each employee can only communicate to employees within their workgroup. For example, employees in the leasing office employees only communicating with other leasing office employees. Instead of communicating directly to staff in other departments, each employee group has to go through you to communicate with another workgroup. If your leasing manager wants to find out when a new resident can move into a unit being vacated, for example, he or she must ask you. You, in turn, need to check with bookkeeping to get the paidthrough date on that property. You then need to tell the unit prep crew or vendor manager in facilities when teams can access the unit to repaint, make repairs and install new carpet. After scheduling the work, the facilities

team must get back to you with a completion date for the work. Then, at long last, you can finally give your leasing manager a move-in date for that unit.

As ridiculous as that process sounds, siloed technology solutions often create these types of inefficiencies. If your accounting software tracks upcoming lease renewals or move-outs, but your leasing manager can’t see the reports, he or she will have to spend time tracking down that vital information.

Single-Supplier Partners To avoid integration issues, many property managers choose a single technology suite to cover all needs. The single-vendor approach overcomes the integration problem but it may create other challenges. Many overarching property management solutions are uneven. The payment processing and accounting applications may be ideal, for example, while the resident screening module leaves you exposed to risk. Also, every property, operations process, management style and risk tolerance level are slightly different.

Unique aspects that require customization may not be adequately addressed in an offthe-shelf package. www.haaonline.org

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Celebrating Achieve Technology Efficiency To ensure your technology choices lead to greater efficiency, the process of choosing any new technology solution should begin long before you research solutions on the market or talk to a salesperson. Conducting an internal assessment with trusted team members can help you zero in on critical wants and needs by looking at each operational area and determining: • What’s working well and what isn’t • Problems you need to solve • Risks you need to reduce • Areas of inefficiency you want to address • Existing technology you can’t live without • Unique aspects of your operations that must be addressed • Features you need • Wish list of features you’d like to have Understanding where you are now and what matters to your team allows you to protect what’s working and prioritize your needs as you undertake the product research phase.

As you look at the choices available to address your needs and wants, don’t forget that even the best solutions can create problems.

Single-vendor packages may not provide all the functionality you need. Standalone solutions may deliver ideal functionality, but only if they integrate easily into your technology environment.

CoreLogic is a quarterly, featured columnist for ABODE in 2019. CoreLogic has been a valued partner for HAA’s Rental Credit Reporting for 13 years.

Randall C. Patton is a senior professional in sales at CoreLogic with over 15 years of credit experience in the multifamily industry, including applicant screening, online leasing, renter’s insurance and more. Patton supports the partnership between CoreLogic and HAA by helping to expand the RCR presence for Houston-area apartment owners and management companies. He holds a CAS designation, has been a licensed insurance agent for 13 years and is regarded as an industry expert on applicant fraud and identity theft. www.haaonline.org

Looking Back for HAA’s 60th Anniversary: HAA Presidents and Houston Mayors HAA has a long history and many strong connections with the leaders of our city over the past 60 years.

We have been honored when they have installed our incoming presidents. Here are a few moments from the ABODE archives.

1979 1998

HAA President Eileen Subinsky with Mayor Lee P. Brown during her Installation & New Year Gala.

1983

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On the Scene with HAA COMMUNITY OUTREACH HAA Food Drive With the help of Marlo Simmons, HAAmember management companies were challenged to get as many of their properties as possible to collect food for people and pets. Thanks to all of the volunteers, properties, managers and supervisors who got behind this year’s effort.

Property Collection Contest Winners Collection Area Decoration 1st Place – Residences at Kirby Collection 2nd Place – Oak Park 3rd Place – Hardy Yards 4th Place – Hollister Place 5th Place – Live Oak Property with highest total number of items collected 1st Place – Lauren Scruggs, The Woodlands Lodge, Francis Property Management 2nd Place – Anita Gilliam, Ventura Lofts, Southhampton Property Management 3rd Place – Vania Thompson, Telfair Lofts, Francis Property Management 4th Place – Jessica Martinez, Lakeshore Villas, Sunchase American 5th Place – Nancy Gilman, Estancia San Miguel Apartments, Francis Property Management Regional with Highest Portfolio collected Michelle Woodard, Francis Property Management

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Managment Company with Most Food Items Collected 1st Place – Francis Property Management 2nd Place – Southhampton Property Management 3rd Place – Greystar 4th Place – Morgan Group 5th Place – Better World Property with the highest collected per number of units 1st Place – Monica Morales, Las Villas de Magnolia, 75 units, 1,518 items, Whitney Management 2nd Place – Lupe Moreno, Riviere on MacGregor, 84 units 1,000 items, Better World LLC 3rd Place – Juanita Herrera, The Grove at Renwick, 93 units, 632 items, Grove Texas Capital

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Volunteers Marlo Simmons, Stratis Derek DeVries, Camp Construction Services Matt Nunn, Camp Construction Services Cody Hodge, Camp Construction Services Ryan O’Shields, Camp Construction Services Jim Martensen, Camp Construction Services Diane Suits, Camp Construction Services Shelby Jurca, Camp Construction Services Sheila Bailey, Camp Construction Services David Reynoso, Cotton Commercial USA Chad Weigman, Cotton Commercial USA Jesus Mosqueda, Cotton Commercial USA Russell White, Cotton Commercial USA Stein Spillar, Cotton Commercial USA Tyler Hillman, Cotton Commercial USA Javier Osorio, Cotton Commercial USA Tatiana Osorio, Cotton Commercial USA Rossana Martheius, Cotton Commercial USA Daniela Valdez, Highmark Residential Paula Raper, Highmark Residential Tracey Moore, Flooring Warehouse Doug Oehl, Flooring Warehouse Tammy Wetter, Carroll Fidel Lozano, Carroll Jessica Baez, Carroll Bertha Suarez, Carroll Rolando Sauceda, Carroll Monica Morales, Whitney Management Maricella Quinones, Better World Kelsey Callaway, The Liberty Group Claribel DeLeon, The Liberty Group Dixie Caldwell, The Liberty Group Laura Lestus, The Liberty Group Nikki Sekunda, The Liberty Group Megan Stone, The Liberty Group Aisha Harrison, RentPath Kristin Buck, RentPath Stephen Webster, RentPath Terrill Lewis, RentPath Jennifer Fisher, RentPath Brooke Evans, RentPath Ryan Weis, Crestmark Construction Services Samantha Hernandez, Houston Waste Solutions Kristin Batterton, Apartments.com Liz Berglund, Greystar Jennifer Devine, Valet Living Marivel Bownds, Valet Living Kelda Davis, Valet Living Peggy Charles, Fidus Construction David Rawls, Cougar USA Will Carroll, Paul David Restoration Kayla Cestarte, Brook Furniture Rental Cyndi Leeney, Brook Furniture Rental Amanda Kelly, Corinthian Roofing Candis Mohr, AAA Plumbers Dina Hoopoer, Abbey Residential Julie Hutchinson, Abbey Residential Ruha Vohra, Veritas Roberto Guzman, Veritas Eliet Delgado, Veritas Leticia Acevedo, Veritas

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On the Scene with HAA COMMUNITY OUTREACH HAA Food Drive

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Nominate the best of the best for the Honors Property Awards!

T

T Awards will be based on size, age and style of the property.

For nomination forms and more information, including award criteria, log on at www.haaonline.org.

Nominations open February 10.

T T

Hurry! The DEADLINE for property award nominations is Tuesday, March 24.

T T

E

Then it’s time to nominate your star people!

ach year, HAA selects the top industry professional in each of 14 categories from nominations made by management company executives, supervisors, coworkers, vendors and friends. Any HAA member can nominate a deserving industry professional. The nomination process is a simple one – go to the online nomination forms on the HAA website at www.haaonline.org and fill out the information requested.

All of the nominees and winners will be recognized at the Honors Awards ceremony on June 13, with photos to be published in the ABODE magazine.

The deadline for individual nominations is May 4. See www.haaonline.org for details. For further questions, contact HAA at 713-595-0300.

Owner/Management Executive of the Year

Portfolio Supervisor of the Year

Independent Owner of the Year

Marketing/Training Director of the Year

Supplier of the Year

Administrative Support Professional of the Year

On-site Manager of the Year (in three categories)

Maintenance Supervisor of the Year (in two categories)

Assistant Manager of the Year

Maintenance Technician of the Year

Leasing Professional of the Year

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On the Scene with the HAA NEXT NEXT Holiday Mix-N-Jingle Sponsored by 1 The Liberty Group and 2 Arbor Contract Carpet Thursday, December 19 To celebrate the hoiday season, the HAA young professionals group held a “Country Chirstmas Holiday Hoedown” at the Firehouse Saloon.

MEET THE NEXT GENERATION OF HAA LEADERSHIP. This niche group within HAA is dedicated to the networking and professional development needs of HAA’s young professionals. Network with your peers and grow your career together among the next generation of HAA leadership! To Learn how to become involved with NEXT, see online at www.haaonline.org/next.

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Suppliers: Be the best by learning from the best.

Join these HAA Hall of Famers for a special panel in honor of HAA’s 60th Anniversary

Learn from the Legends Are you a new supplier member?

Get advice from top industry leaders on how to be successful in the multifamily industry and have your questions answered.

These supplier partners and property management executives will share their experience, insight and personal journeys.

Don’t miss this free program that will be beneficial to any supplier.

Hall of Fame Panelists (from top): Cesar Lima, AAA Plumbers Ken Bohan, The Liberty Group Mike Koch, Camp Construction Services Darlene Guidry, Hettig Management Suan Tinsley, DayRise Residential Jerry Winograd, Judwin Properties Moderator: 2020 Product Service Council President Laura Lestus, The Liberty Group Wednesday, February 12 2 p.m. – Registration 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Program HAF Education Center 4810 Westway Park Blvd. (located off Clay Road and the Beltway) Sponsored by the HAA Product Service Council Free for all supplier members.

Register online at www.haaonline.org. www.haaonline.org

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The Go-Getters HAA’s MEMBERSHIP RECRUITERS

MEMBERSHIP: ENGAGE! Recruit for HAA and become part of the Go-Getter Club.

HAA works because our members support each other and the industry.

The association is your best bet for informed referrals when you are looking for a new product or service provider. If your property deals with a vendor that is not a member, encourage your contact with that company to join HAA and discover all we have to offer!

What is a Go-Getter?

The Go-Getter Club is a year-round membership recruitment group comprised of individual HAA members who work for owner/management and supplier companies.

Why recruit for HAA? Joining the Go-Getters will give you additional exposure and special recognition among HAA members. You are also helping to strengthen your association with new members and increased involvement. HAA events create opportunities to talk with your peers, make new industry connections and develop lasting relationships.

Recruit all year long!

Go-Getter meetings are quarterly: March 12 July 9 September 10 December 10 Visit www.haaonline.org/gogetters for details

HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS Members who have recruited more than 100 companies Monette Reynolds Claude Arnold Sherry Stevenson Kenn Brown Kirk Tate Tina Cavaco Suan Tinsley Terri Clifton Sonny Unverzagt Kevin Fenn Del Walmsley Diane Gilbert NancĂŠ Wells Anita Harrison H.P. Paul Young Dwayne Henson Jeanne Marie Zublin Dicks Mike Koch Merry Mount

THE GO-GETTERS ARE THE BACKBONE of the Houston Apartment Association. By recruiting new members, the Go-Getter Club helps both new management and supplier companies and the association grow for the future.

To join the club and get going on recruitment, see online at www.haaonline.org or contact Amanda and Kaylon in the Membership Department at members@haaonline.org.

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www.haaonline.org

Welcome Mat

Introducing HAA’s NEW MEMBERS

OWNERS 11810 Algonquin Manager LLC Jack Franco P.O. Box 430 Kemah, TX 77565 310-245-8084 Valencia Grove Apartments Albert Woods Albert Woods 14318 Red Creek Cove Lane Humble, TX 77396 310-808-3780 Dixie

Bynum Real Estate Group Alexis Bynum 2407 N. Mystic Meadow Houston, TX 77021 713-452-9009 Various Locations Referred by Evelina Romland

Class A Management Crystal Graham 8701 Bedford Euless Road #305 Hurst, TX 76053-4285 817-284-1411 The Heights at Werner

Greg Smith Greg Smith 12915 Stone Field Canyon Lane Cypress, TX 77433 713-213-6606 Lifestyles Realty Advisors Retreat at Westchase Melissa Chase 2921 Briar Forest Drive Houston, TX 77042 713-783-8656 Retreat at Westchase Apartments Living Steward Properties Yakeema Allen 2300 Hamman Road Bay City, TX 77414 979-318-5380 New Haven One New Haven Two Priderock Capital Management Tara Doyle 525 Okeechobee Blvd.

West Palm Beach, FL 33401 561-653-9332 Kingwood Glen

Sienna Ranch Investments LLC Allen A. Aydogdu 702 Santee St. Prairie View, TX 77445 832-808-9603 Campus Edge Apartments Village Green Stephen Roth 3890 W. Northwest Highway #601 Dallas, TX 75220 214-431-3087 Tessa at Katy

SUPPLIERS

Big Tex Pool Supplies Will Rommelmann 820 Gessner Road #1630 Houston, TX 77024 832-859-9678 Chemicals, Swimming Pool Equipment & Supply

Blast Away Pressure Washing Solutions Mitchell Watts II 18715 North Young Elm Circle Houston, TX 77073 832-367-1380 Roof Cleaning, Pressure Washing Equipment & Service

CND Signs Monica Arellano 5213 Tucker Hill Lane Cedar Creek, TX 78612 512-667-5705 Signs Corporate Answer Tim Allen 10645 N. Tatum Blvd. #200-425 Phoenix, AZ 85028 602-244-1833 Answering Service, Telecommunications Services Referred by Valerie Lacy, CAM, CAPS Expertz Construction & Renovation LLC LaFayette Hodges P.O. Box 1986 Cypress, TX 77410 832-954-8100 General Contractors, Painting Contractor

ALL SUPPLIER MEMBERS are listed online at haabuyersguide.com, searchable by product/service category or company name. www.haaonline.org

H.S. Services Joe Meza 9214 Cadawac St. Houston, TX 77074 832-596-2267 Balcony Repair, Building Contractors, Electric Contractors, Framing Contractors, General Contractors, Painting Contractors, Remodeling & Repair-Building Contractors, Siding Contractors, Stucco & Exterior Coating Contractors, Tile - Ceramic Contractors IronEdge Group Cassondra Richard 3000 Wilcrest Dr. #300 Houston, TX 77042 713-574-5555 Information Technology, IT Services Jaguar Security and Investigations Patti Diane 5868 Westheimer Road #480 Houston, TX 77092 832-744-8883 Private Investigators, Security Guard/Patrol Service Referred by Donna Farthing Merit Roofing & Construction Brittney Long 6323 Singing Creek Lane Spring, TX 77379 832-764-3060 Gutters & Downspouts, Painting Contractors, Roofing Contractors Real Simple Energy Trent Crow 2211 Norfolk #350 Houston, TX 77098 877-789-5350 Utility Consultants, Utility Management Retention Pensions Wendy Cook 17515 Spring Cypress Road #C223 Cypress, TX 77429 713-775-9741

Reyes Service Gaby Leon 7431 Alderly Drive Spring, TX 77389 832-605-3022 General Contractors, Gutters & Downspouts, Drywall Contractors, Fences, Framing Contractors, Granite, Kitchen Cabinets, Painting Contractors, Patio & Deck Builders, Pressure Washing - Equipment & Service, Remodeling & RepairBuilding Contractors Referred by Ernesto Vazquez

RoweDocs Tisha Rowe 2727 Bissonnet St. #240-14 Houston, TX 77005 888-258-3734 Employee Benefits, Executive Services, Health Care Management Consultants Stealth Monitoring Shawna Ivy 15182 Marsh Lane Dallas, TX 75001 214-341-0123 Security Control Equipment/ Systems, Security Systems Consultant Structural Concrete Systems, LLC Michele DiBassie 21200 Country Pines Rd Magnolia, TX 77355 281-583-7776 Awnings & Canopies Repair & Service, Balcony Repair, Building Contractors, Building Inspection Service, Building Maintenance, Coating-Protective -Industrial/ Powder, Concrete Patching Products, Concrete Repair, Concrete Stain & Sealer Materials, Cooling Tower-Repair & Replace, Disaster Recovery/Relief, Drainage Contractors, Engineers-Structural, Excavating Contractors, Exterior Surface Protectant, Foundation Repair, General Contractors, Leak Detection Service, Leak Prevention Products, Masonry Contractor, Parking Area Maintenance & Marking, Parking Garages, Pressure Washing - Equipment & Service, Sandblasting, Stucco & Exterior Coating Contractors, Swimming Pool Repair & Resurfacing, Waterproofing Contractors, Window-Replacement & Repair Texas Crime Prevention Agency Jaime Barba 4807 Mission Lake Court Richmond, TX 77407 281-806-6329 Courtesy Patrol, Security Guard/ Patrol Service The Perfect Light Shawn Yates 2010 Valley View Lane #100 Farmers Branch, TX 75234 281-296-7777 Lighting - Outdoor, Landscape Lighting I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

February 2020

I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

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ambass pg 68, 69.qxp_Layout 1 1/17/20 11:18 AM Page 1

The Ambassador ONE Society HAA’s WELCOMING COMMITTEE

IT STARTS HERE!

Come learn and grow with one of HAA’s most active organizations – just for supplier members.

“T

he Houston Apartment Association’s Ambassador ONE Society offers supplier members a number of opportunities to get involved with HAA, meet potential customers and network with fellow peers in the industry.

The Monthly Exchange (ME) program allows Ambassadors, like myself, to visit apartment communities in the Houston area that have recently changed ownership or management groups. We meet with property managers and leasing staff to gather information for HAA. Doing this allows HAA to stay up to date with its apartment members and it gives Ambassadors the opportunity to engage with the customer relationship.

When visiting properties for HAA, the conversation typically segues from the property’s recent changes to who I work for and what I do at JMI Contractors. Being able to provide HAA with updated information on its members and connecting potential customers with JMI Contractors at the same time makes being in the Ambassador program worth every minute.

There are other valuable benefits you can reap through the Ambassador ONE Society’s program. For example, I can earn reward points towards advertising space, event tickets, lunch with board members and recognition in ABODE Magazine. The Ambassadors monthly meetings also allow supplier partners in the apartment industry to get together, have a good time and network. These additional incentives drive me to be as active as I can be in the Ambassador program. I look forward to seeing what the Ambassador ONE Society has planned for 2020.”

– 2019 Ambassador ONE of the Year Janelle Richter, JMI Contractors

1

2

3

Mark your calendars and join us!

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at Craft Republic, 11470 Westheimber:

February 5 • March 4 • April 1 Crawfish Boil May 6 • June 3 • July 1 • August 5 September 2 • October 7 • November 4

68

1. Team “The Bomb Squad” with Captains Arely Pena, The Liberty Group; Liz Levins, Rasa Floors; Marcy Holmes, Designs by Holmes; and Matthew Nunn, Camp Construction Services 2. Team “Green Machine” with Captains Amanda Kelly, Corinthian Construction; Blake Subinsky, HD Supply; Joey Rodriguez, The Urban Foresters; and Kyle Turney, Impact Floors 3. Team “Stay Classy” with Captains Blaise Spitaleri, Gemstar Construction Development; Phillip Price, HD Supply; Shaun Callaway, Earthworks; and Tracey Leach-Moore, Flooring Warehouse ABODE

February 2020

www.haaonline.org

ambass pg 68, 69.qxp_Layout 1 1/17/20 11:19 AM Page 2

1. Ambassador Co-chair Ryan Weis, Crestmark Construction Services 2. Ambassador Co-chair Marivel Bownds, Valet Living 1

www.haaonline.org

2

February 2020

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prop news pg 70,71.qxp_Layout 1 1/17/20 11:20 AM Page 1

Portfolio Changes #mynews #mynetwork #myfriends #myhaa

#myabode Get in the picture! ABODE magazine is your source for what’s happening in the Houston-area apartment market. Every month, our members-only publication highlights industry news and trends, plus photos of YOU, our members, from HAA events! ABODE is your source for industry-specific legal and legislative news as well. Share your promotions and new hires in our “In the News” column, or the latest development in your area of expertise by writing an article. Look for ABODE in the mail the first week of each month, or read online at issuu.com/haa_abode.

Contact the Communications Department at comm@haaonline.org for details and contact Amanda at asherbondy@haaonline.org to advertise.

ABODE is your HAA!

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The following owner/management companies have added the listed properties to their portfolios: • Hazel Management: Candleridge Park Apartments, 128 units at 1601 Wooded Pine Drive.

• 11810 Algonquin Manager LLC: Valencia Grove Apartments, 460 units at 11810 Algonquin Drive.

• Abbey Residential Services Inc.: Crescent Northpoint, 307 units at 23550 Northgate Crossing Blvd., Spring.

• Albert Woods: Dixie, 3 units at 3249 Dixie Drive.

• American Landmark: McAlister, 214 units at 450 El Dorado Blvd., Webster and Lodge @ 1550, 204 units at 1550 Katy Flewellen Road, Katy.

• Avan Property Management: The Place at Greenway Apartments, 219 units at 3333 Cummins St. • Better World Properties LLC – Sumar: The Wilcox, 312 units at 2400 South Loop W. • Blazer Real Estate Services LLC: The Villas at Heritage, 48 units at 255 Flagship Blvd. and Seville at Clay Crossing, 351 units at 21919 Clay Road, Katy.

• CAF Management LLC: Oak Grove Apartment Homes, 272 units at 10770 Barely Lane.

• CLEAR Property Management: The Quinn at Westchase North, 737 units at 2101 Hayes Road.

• Fairfield Properties LP: Ascent at CityCentre Apartments, 160 units at 801 Town and Country Blvd.

• Fat Property LLC: Dorchester Apartments, 143 units at 4011 Galveston Road.

• Golden Door Properties: various locations, 20 units at various locations.

• Greater Coastal Management Company LLC: Stonebrook Senior Residences, 120 units at 12112 Kurland Drive.

• Greystar: Lenox Reserve, 382 units at 23403 Kingsland Drive, Katy; The Parker, 264 units at 160 Birdsall; and The Standard in the Heights, 301 units at 601 Waverly St. • The Hanover Company: Hanover River Oaks, 370 units at 2651 Kipling St. • Indus Management Group LLC: Santa Monica Apartments, 192 units at 6203 Marinette Drive.

• JED Properties: Phillips Road Apartments, 12 units at 222 E. Phillips Road, Angleton and Angleton Townhomes, 12 units at 200 S. Anderson, Angleton.

• Kastle Assets: Falls of Maplewood Apartments, 108 units at 9600 Glenfield Court.

• Lifestyles Realty Advisors – Retreat at Westchase: Retreat at Westchase Apartments, 162 units at 2921 Briar Forest Drive.

• Living Steward Properties: New Haven One, 107 units at 5001 Avenue F, Bay City.

• Lurin Property Management: Latitude 2976, 734 units at 201 Wilcrest Drive.

• MLDC Management LLC: Fairfield Cove Apartments, 135 units at 15615 Blue Ash Drive.

• Mosaic Residential Inc.: Kensington Crossings, 254 units at 14651 Philippine St. • Priderock Capital Management: Kingwood Glen, 294 units at 200 Northpines Drive, Kingwood.

• Q10 Property Advisors: 2322 Richton Street, 20 units at 2322 Richton St. and 3602 Garrott, 20 units at 3602 Garrott St. • Roscoe Properties: Everwood, 530 units at 444 E. Medical Center Blvd., Webster.

• Sienna Ranch Investments LLC: Campus Edge Apartments, 378 units at 702 Santee St., Hempstead. www.haaonline.org

prop news pg 70,71.qxp_Layout 1 1/17/20 11:20 AM Page 2

• SYNC Residential: 88Twenty, 336 units at 2475 Gray Falls Drive.

• Valiant Residential: City Station Apartments, 448 units at 905 Cypress Station Drive; City Gate at Champions Apartments, 278 units at 12811 Greenwood Forest Drive; and City Chase Apartments, 336 units at 2475 Gray Falls Drive.

• Village Green: Tessa at Katy, 312 units at 150 Cobia Drive, Katy.

• Virtu Golf Point Associates LP: Mirabella Apartments, 240 units at 12055 Sabo Road.

• Waterton Residential: Reserve by the Lake Apartments, 348 units at 18600 S. Park View Drive; Madison on the Meadows Apartments, 264 units at 12660 Stafford Road, Stafford; and Summerwind Apartments, 197 units at 2414 County Road 90, Pearland.

In the News HAA member John Walsh and the director of the University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by REDNews.

Debra Knight joins Fidus Construction.

SYNC Residential is proud to now offer its Leadership Education Full Knight Tuition Scholarship. The scholarship awards future company leaders with fulltuition financial assistance and flexible working hours to go back to school. Ashley Ritchie was the first SYNC employee to receive a scholarship.

Monument Property Management welcomes Chad Christian, CAM, CAPS as the vice president of operations and Lynne Gage as regional supervisor.

Corrections from the January issue of ABODE: Creative Property Management was started by HAA Vice President at Large Scott Douglas’ father, Greg Douglas. On the 2020 HAA Leadership page (Page 48), Jeff Douglas was incorrectly mentioned as Scott’s father and the founder of Creative Property Management.

On the 2020 HAA Leadership page (Page 48), Secretary/Treasurer Christy Rodriguez was incorrectly mentioned as a regional property manager for Judwin Properties. Rodriguez is a director of multifamily for Judwin Properties.

John Boriack is HAA’s president-elect and Clay Hicks is HAA’s president.

Diane Gilbert was not listed as an HAA board of director on Page 4. Gilbert remains on the HAA board of directors. www.haaonline.org

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On Site with ABODE

Photos provided by Morgan Taylor, HAA Staff

AMLI RIVER OAKS A boutique apartment community where residents are treated like family.

Property: AMLI River Oaks Owner/Management: AMLI Residential Location: 1340 W. Gray St. Units: 275 Built: 2013 Web: www.https://www.amli.com/apartments/houston/montrose-apartments/amli-river-oaks?switch_code=58696 Interesting features: Not only is AMLI River Oaks a beautiful, updated and well-maintained apartment community, the team’s superior customer service alone makes AMLI River Oaks a stand-out property.

Every few years, the team comes together to brainstorm redesigns, keeping AMLI River Oaks updated and on trend. Recently, the hallways were painted grey, which extended past the base boards, making the hallways feel bigger and brighter.

A fireplace was recently to what the team calls its “residents’ patio,” pictured left.

The team turns almost every resident event at AMLI River Oaks into a philanthropic activity. Before Hurricane Harvey, the team and its residents planted a butterfly garden at the Buffalo Bayou, which was miraculously untouched by Harvey.

At the end of January, a Valentine’s Day card-making station allowed residents to get creative. Those cards would then be delivered to the Ronald McDonald House Houston. Of course, the team also hosts other events such as a monthly brunch and quarterly pet events.

Residents and their pets are treated like family at AMLI.

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www.haaonline.org

I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done

I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done

leg update pg 9,73.qxp_Layout 1 1/17/20 10:25 AM Page 2

Legislative Update, continued from Page 9 legislative aides on council, Pollard worked at the Capitol in Austin in both the House and Senate.

Letitia Plummer Having lost our two medical doctors from Houston City Council (Jack Christie and Steve Le), we are gaining one dentist in Dr. Leticia Plummer, who grew up in Houston before earning a degree from Spelman College and her Doctor of Dental Surgery from the Baylor College of Dentistry. Operating her own dental practice has given her experience as a small business owner. Plummer has been an active volunteer for the Houston Food Bank, and she is a past president of her local chapter of the League of Women Voters. She was elected to an at-large position where she will represent the entire city.

Sallie Alcorn The other new at-large councilmember is Sallie Alcorn, who joins Peck in bringing a wealth of direct city policy experience to her new job. As an aide to three different council members and the chief of staff to the chair of the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee, she knows the details of Houston’s $5 billion budget better than most. As the top aide to Houston’s “flood czar” Steve Costello, she has also been closely involved with the formulation of Houston’s flood control policy. With a finance degree from the University of Texas and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Houston, it is hard to imagine a better qualified new member.

If you see one of these council members at an HAA meeting or in your neighborhood grocery store, take a moment to thank them for their work on our behalf. Serving on a city council of any city is a chore and helping manage the fourth largest city in the United States is especially challenging. Like managing an apartment property, the job involves getting a little credit for things that go right and a lot of blame for things that go wrong.

We should all remember to tell them how much we appreciate it.

If you have a regulatory problem or question, call the HAA main line at 713-595-0300 and ask for Public Affairs.

If a particular code requirement or issue concerns you, let us know by emailing Andy at ateas@haaonline.org.

www.haaonline.org

Do you need to find a product or service for your property on the go?

Visit the Buyer’s Guide is online at www.haabuyersguide.com Simply search for a member by name or category to find the most up-to-date HAA supplier member listings. You can contact the companies directly or use our “Request for Information” tool. It's quick and easy!

February 2020

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Index of Advertisers By CATEGORY A/C Supplies

Laundry Equipment & Supplies

Century A/C Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 281-530-2859 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.centuryac.com

Scott Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 713-686-7268 . . . . . . . . .www.scott-equipment.com

Carpet Installation

Locks & Locksmiths

Dixie Carpet Installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 281-261-6334 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.dixiecarpet.com

CKI Wholesale Lock Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 713-462-0704 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ckilock.com

Texas Southwest Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 800-719-4321 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.texasswfloors.com

Personnel Agency ASAP Personnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 972-432-6667 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.asapdo.com

Collection Agencies Alexander-Rose Associates Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 713-644-4441 . . . . . . . . . . .www.alexanderrose-inc.com

Plumbing Contractors AAA Plumbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 713-462-4753 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.aaaplumbers.com

Electric Contractors Affordable Quality Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 713-695-5992 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.acuityelectric.com Brandt Electrical A/C & Heating Services . . . . .19 281-693-3383 . . . . . . . . . . .www.brandtelectrical.com

Resident Screening Service CoreLogic Rental Property Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Front Cover 888-297-8821 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.corelogic.com

Foundation Repair Church Foundation Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 713-468-8400 . . .www.churchfoundationrepair.com

Resurfacing Perfect Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 713-952-0202 . . . . . . . .www.perfectsurfaceinc.com

General Contractors Camp Construction Services . . . . . . . .Back Cover 713-413-2267 . . . . . . . .www.campconstruction.com

Screens

Cotton Commercial USA Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 877-511-2962 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cottongds.com

Ameristar Screen and Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 713-683-6767 . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ameristarglass.com

Crestmark Construction Services . . . . . . . . . . . .33 713-426-6161 . . . . . . . . . . .www.crestmarkservices.com

Security Control Equipment/Systems

FSI Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 832-767-1115 . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.fsiconstruction.com

SentriForce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 888-671-2202 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sentriforce.com

TARGET QUALIFIED LEADS With HAA’s job board, you’ll discover a professional community that’s committed to helping you find the right candidate or your next job opportunity in the greater Houston and surrounding areas.

www.haaonline.org jobs@haaonline.org 713-595-0300

Gemstar Construction & Development . . . . . . .2 281-821-1195 . . . . . .www.gemstarconstruction.com Guardian Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 832-672-4196 . . . . . . . . . . . .www.guardianconst.com MultiFamily Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 713-266-9100 RENCON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Back Cover 713-666-3636 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.rencon.com

Swimming Pool Service Poolsure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 800-858-POOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.poolsure.com

Trash Hauling Waste Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 713-354-5230 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.thinkgreen.com

Glass – Plate, Window, Etc. Ameristar Screen and Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 713-683-6767 . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ameristarglass.com

HAA Products & Services

Insurance

Job Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 713-595-0300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.haaonline.org/rcr

Harco Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 713-681-2500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.harco-ins.com

HAF Education Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 713-595-0300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.haaonline.org/rcr

Rental Credit Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 713-595-0300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.haaonline.org/rcr

Landscape Contractors Outdoor Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 713-955-0990 . . . . . .www.outdoorelementstx.com Texscape Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 281-846-3779 . . . . . . . . . .www.texscapeservices.com

HAA reserves the right to reject any advertising if its content is inappropriate or inconsistent with HAA’s standards for publication or HAA’s business interests, in HAA’s sole opinion.

www.haaonline.org/rcr

Want to see current and previous issues of ABODE online? Go to http://issuu.com/haa_abode.

Or view this issue on your computer, iPad or smartphone at http://issuu.com/haa_abode/docs/abode_feb2020.

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MarketLine By BRUCE MCCLENNY, President, ApartmentData.com

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1025 – • •

HOUSTON

1050 –

Snapshot 89.8% $1,047/mo. $1.18/sq.ft./mo.

884 sq.ft.

Past 12 Months: 2.9% rental rate growth 14,025 units absorbed

– 90.0 975 –

– 89.0

– 88.0

•

Recently Opened (12 months): 61 communities 15,987 units

1000 –

Under Construction: 79 communities 22,963 units

Occupancy (%)

Operating Supply: 2,830 communities 663,799 units

Rental Rate (¢/sq.ft./mo.)

Occupancy: Price: Rental Rate: Size:

• • • • • •

Dec 19

Nov 19

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Proposed Construction: 93 communities 28,316 units

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– 87.0

History of Effective Rental Rate & Occupancy for All Units

Hottest Submarkets Over the Past Three Months

Concessions

Annualized % of Market Rank Submarket Absorbed 1 Richmond/Rosenberg 3.2% 2 I-69 North 0.6% 3 U of H/I-45 South 1.1% 4 Lake Houston/Kingwood -0.1% 5 Energy Corridor/CityCentre/Briar Forest 2.0%

Rental Rate Growth % 0.7% 1.5% 1.2% 1.4% 0.5%

Total Units Class w/Concessions All 305,708 A 83,491 B 117,141 C 91,349 D 13,727

% of Total Units 46% 53% 45% 45% 31%

Average Special -3.0% -4.2% -2.3% -2.5% -1.8%

Citywide Effect -6.2% -7.7% -5.0% -5.6% -5.5%

One Month Free = -8.33%

THE FIRST TABLE ABOVE GIVES A SNAPSHOT of the current market conditions. The graph displays the overall occupancy and effective rental rates over the past 24 months. These statistics are derived from a continuous survey of all apartment communities in the Houston region. The effective rental rates are the calculated net of concessions and utility adjustments. The second table lists the five hottest submarkets in the Greater Houston area. There are a total of 42 submarkets, and the ranking is based on the best combination of rental rate growth and absorption over the past three months. The third table distributes and analyzes concessions (specials) by classification.

Concessions generally are represented by three types of specials: move-in, months free or floor plans. The effect of these specials is captured and prorated over a lease term to arrive at a percentage reduction in market or street rents.

TEXAS

Dallas/Ft. Worth

San Antonio

Austin

Occupancy: Price: Rental Rate: Size:

Occupancy: Price: Rental Rate: Size:

Occupancy: Price: Rental Rate: Size:

91.3% $1,158/mo. $1.32/sq.ft./mo.

876 sq.ft.

89.8% $977/mo. $1.15/sq.ft./mo.

853 sq.ft.

91.3% $1,301/mo. $1.49¢/sq.ft./mo.

875 sq.ft.

Past 12 Months: 5.2% rental rate growth 22,187 units absorbed

Past 12 Months: 4.4% rental rate growth 5,536 units absorbed

Past 12 Months: 7.2% rental rate growth 8,408 units absorbed

Operating Supply: 3,152 communities 743,086 units

Operating Supply: 926 communities 197,505 units

Operating Supply: 1,010 communities 235,820 units

www.haaonline.org

ApartmentData.com has been providing apartment data and marketing products since 1986.

ApartmentData.com provides real-time access for property specific information, market surveys and historic submarket data for more than 3.5 million apartment units in Texas, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina and Tennessee.

For more information, contact Bruce McClenny at 800-595-8730. © 2020 ApartmentData.com February 2020

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with News from around the COMMUNITY

Sound the Alarm for Fire Safety Every eight minutes, the Red Cross responds to a disaster. In the Texas Gulf Coast Region alone, more than 1,500 families were assisted due to home fires since July of 2019. Of those fires, 47 occurred in apartment complexes.

According to the National Fire Protection Association: • Home fires destroy nearly $6.5 billion worth of property each year • A home fire-related injury is reported every 44 minutes.

This is why the Red Cross launched the Home Fire Campaign (HFC) with a goal to reduce deaths and injuries from fires by 25%.

One way we can work together with the apartment communities is to host home fire safety education for your residents.

Apartment managers: If anyone is interested scheduling a presentation at your community please reach out to Paula Jemison, Regional Preparedness Manager, to discuss the details at paula.jemison2@redcross.org.

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