The Bosshardt Blog

Despite what skeptics thinks, Property Managers are leading the green movement

One of the interesting topics at the 2009 NARPM national convention was energy efficiency and emissions. Most property managers have already adopted green practices both for themselves and for educating their clients, but the perception may not meet the reality. I recently asked a local area green expert and contract worker for the Department of Energy if a few of my owners could hire him to do some energy evaluations of their properties. He just about flat out refused! He even went so far as to say that he worked on a municipal committee and they all agreed that landlords would be too cheap to make green improvements. Two days later, my owner just went ahead and put in an $8000 Energy Star 15 Seer AC unit without an energy study on his building. If he had an energy study would he have considered other improvements? Absolutely.

Bosshardt Property Management recently asked our landlords if they would be interested in some type of green evaluation or measurement of their property. Most replies were that they were in fact interested, but had already made substantial improvements to their homes. The reality of the situation is that it's often up to the tenants to make decisions and lifestyle changes that reduce energy usage. "Property Managers have to green the planet, one tenant at a time," said Sina Sheku, activist and founder of Propertyware.

The truth is there are a lot of things we can do to educate our tenants on how slight changes might just make a big impact. For years, we have pushed tenants to change air filters monthly from a maintenance aspect, which can increase the lifespan of A/C units and decrease costs. We haven't ever really pushed it from the perspective of saving energy, which feels good and should put more money in our tenants pocketbooks. 

 

Pictured above is our complimentary tenant move in package. We've added a CFL light bulb to illustrate the point that reducing energy use can be easy, cheap, and fun for all of our tenants. In the very near future, we will have our properties categorized by their level of green improvements. "We are making improvements to both our tenant education and marketing efforts. This is really a two pronged effort from our owners and our tenants," said General Manager Ashley Morrell.

 

Florida Friendly Landscaping and Senate Bill 2080

I was at a chapter meeting of the SunCoast CAI just the other day, and the topic of conversation was State Bill 2080 and 494: Florida First Landscaping (FFL). The new law replaces language referencing "xeriscape" because, in the words of Lisa Strange with HIllsborough County Polk County Community Association Outreach, "People thought that meant replacing your grass with rocks and cactus."

I couldn't correct her, because that's what I thought until not too long ago. They've got great training programs set up down there in Hillsborough and Polk counties for property managers, association managers, and homeowner associations to learn about the new Florida Statue. Up here in Alachua County, there is a website to direct you to our contact person, Wendy Wilber. Marion County residents can click here. Wendy says that, while the bill is somewhat vague, people should thematically "be concerned equally about water quality and water quantity." Wendy is a great resource and said that a few HOAs have contacted her with the direction of making themselves "green." She didn't think they understood the legal ramifications of SB 2080 and was worried that a lawsuit could be on the horizon for some area HOA that treads too lightly.

That being said, the bills should be a major change for many HOA' and the way they conduct their business. First, no rule or regulation can be made nor enforced against a lot owner that makes a change to his or her property that is in compliance with Florida First Landscaping. So, if you change out some grass, plants, bushes, and mulch that are in compliance with FFL, it doesn't matter what your HOA says about it. Wilber said she hopes residents will work positively with their Architectural Review Boards, commonly known as ARBs.

In all, there are nine principles of FFL that are considered improvements that cannot be hindered by your HOA:

1. Right Plan, Right Place

2. Water efficiently

3. Fertilize appropriately

4. Mulch

5. Attract Wildlife

6. Manage Yard Pests Responsibly

7. Recycle

8. Reduce Stormwater Runoff

9. Protect the Waterfront

For more details on the nine principles of a Florida Friendly Landscape, there is training available online.

Some regulatory changes to irrigation systems and contractors come along with Florida Friendly Landscape. Irrigation systems installed before 2002 used to be exempt from having an automatic rain sensor and shutoff. That exemption is gone, and any commercial fertilizer will have to have new training by January 1, 2014. Limited certification is available.

Jim Defurio, an attorney with Cianfrone and Defurio, addressed the new bill by reading a verse of poetry. He compared the bill to poetry more than law, citing that the language was vague and subjective. However, according to Defurio, HOAs should not think to ignore the new legislation, but rather adopt one of two approaches:

1. Place the burden on the lot owner. If the owner claims a violation is unenforceable under FFL, then ask the lot owner to prove it.

2. Defurio says the preferred approach is to deal with it proactively. "Times are changing; get on the train before it leaves the station. The state has serious water problems. Get training. Go to the state websites and adopt a new plan for community landscaping that is in the spirit of FFL."

This legislative change has been a long time coming for Florida. One fellow manager I spoke with in Hillsborough told me that her father told her twenty years ago that, if Florida was going to have enough good clean water, they should have a building moratorium. Twenty years later, we've built a lot of homes. Overall, this is important, positive legislation that we all need to be aware of, educate ourselves about, and understand and support the goal of having clean available water. 

Bosshardt Realty Services and Old Republic "Together Again...Together at Last!"

Bosshardt Realty Services, Inc., is pleased to announce our new exclusive partnership with Old Republic Home Protection (ORHP).  It is our belief that this home warranty plan best fits our mission of offering exceptional customer service that meets our company's brand.  ORHP has been is service since 1974.  Executive VP, Michael Kitchens says, "It is our feeling that we are bringing another exceptional product to the table for our valued Buyers and Sellers.  We feel as if this Home Protection plan will provide the best possible protection to our customers."

 

 

As Bosshardt Realty Services' Sales Representative, Dolores Foster of Old Republic, says, "I am excited and appreciative that Bosshardt Realty Services has chosen Old Republic Home Protection to take care of their agents and clients regarding their home warranty needs.  We look forward to producing many positive and productive transactions for years to come."

 

"The team up will provide a great warranty for our customers and clients. Our agents get some really nice online tools as well. I think this is a winning team," said Gene Anne McKay, Executive Sales Manager with Bosshardt.

 

Download Color warranty 

For more information, go to http://www.orhp.com/

Bosshardt Realty Services severs relationship with American Home Shield amid customer complaints

After many years of preferring to sell only American Home Shield warranties, it is with great regret that we have ended our relationship. For years, Bosshardt Agents preferred to offer AHS warranties, known for their stability and customer service. In recent months, however, AHS has been plagued by customer service issues, specifically revolving around air conditioning units.

Part of the problem has been that AHS has chosen to contract out to vendors out of Wildwood and Lake City to do their Gainesville service calls. "We have had promises that our local vendor would be picked up and added to the available vendor list; these promises have been empty to this point and we and our customers can't continue to wait in the heat," said Mike Kitchens, Executive Vice President at Bosshardt Realty Services.

Complaints have really picked up in our Property Management department, where A/C repairs that local, trustworthy vendors can handle in hours are taking weeks and often months. "Weeks instead of hours in unacceptable," said Bosshardt Property Management General Manager Ashley Morrell. Furthermore, promises to reimburse Landlords for having local vendors cure the problems and reimbursements for lost rents remain unfulfilled.

"This is not a decision we take lightly nor made expeditiously. Loyalty is important to us. The customer service failures combined with the failure to respond from their management team has forced our hand," said Kitchens.

Bosshardt Realty Services is currently in the process of searching and interviewing new home warranty vendors. We need a partner that is committed to paralleling our drive for customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

How do I know if my Property or Home has Termites?

Termites101.org put out this video on prevention. They show you the three different types. The video stresses prevention, which I think really needs to be addressed right now. We are all in cutback mode, and if you have a baiting system, you may be inclined to cut that out of your budget. I would say it's essential in protecting your home and familly from a catastrophic event. Even tenting would require you to move out of your home or take a forced vacation for a short period.