Happy Autumn! The fall returns. The leaves turn red and gold. Football is on! Kids are back at school (and parents have free time again). It’s the season to re-stow the patio furniture and weatherize the boat and service the furnace. It’s time to clean the chimney flue and clear the downspouts. Get the ant traps out as they start to migrate. Put weather stripping on the doors and replace the window air conditioner with the storm windows in the basement…
Okay, there I go again – I’m always taking the issue to it’s burdensome extreme.
Let’s just leave it with the fact that fall is a great time in Oregon. It’s a wonderful time for taking a walk or bike ride. (And a good time to paint the shutters and do a seasonal yard cleaning etc., etc.)
Being a landlord is a full-time, year-long job and the bottom line is every season brings on unique challenges. Another task I do at this time of year is try and do what I can to prevent any more vacancies until January. I want to be fully rented by October. Nothing’s worse than having a freezing cold vacant house with no one looking or wanting to move in, especially during a storm like last year’s snow-pocalypse. Leasing activity always seems to shut down in November, so I plan ahead.
You see, for a lot of us, it’s hard to make a seasonal change and not get caught up in the notion of “what’s next.” Like kids on a road trip, we find ourselves asking “Are we there yet?” instead of just enjoying the scenery along the way. So what to do for today? Hmm. I’ll go on hike and tomorrow I’ll get in a round of golf in between the rain clouds. Maybe I’ll put my cell phone on mute. I’ll try not to pull it out of my pocket anymore than 1 time every 10
minutes.
But honestly, it’s the same at the Rental Housing Alliance Oregon. We’re doing our own chores as well at this time of year. Primary on our list is to recruit, nominate and elect new Board members. Also, this is the season that some of our long-term volunteers decide that it’s time to step down and it’s also the time when committee chairs are changed with new leadership to go forward with new and refreshed ideas beginning in the new year.
Maybe you are a bit restless too? If you have weathered the year through your own landlord experiences or are feeling a little apprehensive of the changing political climate swirling around you – it could be the perfect month to raise your hand and get involved.
Our Board of Director meetings are the 2nd Wednesday of each month and start at 5:30 pm. They are open to all members, who are permitted to come in and view what takes place. I invite you to stop by and see where we are going and how we are getting there. You might decide it’s the perfect time of year in your career to hop aboard and go for a ride! (But take note: if your phone rings during the session, it’s a $10 fine…)
Sincerely,
Ron Garcia, RHA Oregon President