Happy New Year!

New year

It’s a new year! (Good riddance 2024!) I don’t know that 2025 is going to be any better what with the aliens and the mystery drones but hey! They haven’t abducted us yet, so I guess we just keep on living. With that said, there are a couple of things that will not be living that should be addressed this January, specifically pumpkins and Xmas trees! If you haven’t already, you definitely need to get rid of any old pumpkins as they will rot and stain wood and concrete. They can also attract pests. If you live at The Avenues, The Fountains, or Z Street you may dispose of your Christmas trees behind the dumpster but you MUST let us know and we will dispose of it for free. If you live anywhere else, you will need to check with the city of Vancouver regarding tree pick up. (https://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/christmas-tree-disposal.aspx) January is also a great time to start thinking about removing any holiday decorations as well.

Other non-January-specific reminders I’d like to include are:

Parking: please keep yourself familiar with the lease terms regarding parking and vehicles. Whether you live in an apartment complex or a single-family home there are rules that apply. I say this because we have been having an uptick in parking and vehicle issues and in order to keep your neighbors happy, I would love for everyone to reread that section (or all sections) of your lease. Remember, your lease doesn’t just spell out your obligations to us, but our obligations to you as well.

Outdoor areas: please keep all outdoor areas clean and tidy. This means no trash or non-working vehicles, no toys scattered in yard, bicycles in garages when applicable, etc. For some reason everything looks so much nastier when it’s been rained on. Either that or the seasonal affective disorder is making me grumpy.

Wet weather: It’s that 8 months of the year again when everything is wet and slimy. Please keep an eye out for leaks and water spots indoors and growing moss/slime on sidewalks. If things start to get dangerous or moldy we need to know. I’d hate it if someone fell and hurt themselves. When it freezes the maintenance guys will try to be by first thing in the morning to put down ice melt at most properties, if we miss you and you have frozen steps/walkways/etc. please let us know.

Other than that, I really hope that you all have a fantastic 2025 and as always, feel free to call us anytime with questions, concerns, angry rants, or just to tell us how great we are. ;-).

Happy New Year

Island Properties of Vancouver

Achieving a Lush Green Lawn: Essential Summertime Lawn Care Tips

Summer is the perfect season to enjoy the great outdoors and bask in the beauty of a well-maintained lawn. However, maintaining a healthy and vibrant lawn during the scorching heat of summer requires some extra care and attention. In this blog, we will explore essential summertime lawn care tips that will help you keep your lawn lush, green, and thriving throughout the season.

1. Watering: Proper watering is crucial for maintaining a healthy lawn during the summer. It's best to water your lawn deeply but infrequently. Watering deeply encourages deep root growth, making your grass more resilient to drought. Water your lawn in the early morning or late evening to minimize evaporation. Aim for approximately one inch of water per week, either from rainfall or irrigation, depending on your climate and local water restrictions.

2. Mowing: Adjust your mowing height during the summer months. Raise the mower blades to a higher setting to allow the grass to grow a bit taller. Longer grass shades the soil, reducing moisture evaporation and preventing weed growth. However, avoid cutting more than one-third of the grass height at once, as it can stress the turf. Regularly sharpen your mower blades to ensure clean cuts, which prevent damage and disease.

3. Weed Control: Weeds can quickly take over a lawn if left unchecked. Apply pre-emergent herbicides early in the season to prevent weed seeds from germinating. For existing weeds, consider spot treatments with post-emergent herbicides. Hand pulling is another option for small infestations. Additionally, maintaining a healthy lawn through proper watering and mowing practices can help prevent weed growth by promoting dense grass growth, reducing available space for weeds to take root.

4. Fertilization: Proper fertilization provides the necessary nutrients for your grass to thrive. Apply a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer specifically formulated for your grass type. Timing is crucial, so follow the recommended schedule for your region. Be careful not to over-fertilize, as it can lead to excessive growth, weak roots, and increased vulnerability to pests and diseases. Always water the lawn after fertilizing to ensure the nutrients reach the roots.

5. Pest Control: Summer is prime time for pests like grubs, chinch bugs, and mosquitoes. Regularly inspect your lawn for signs of infestation, such as brown patches, wilting, or increased insect activity. Use targeted pest control measures, such as insecticides or biological controls, to manage these pests effectively. Consider using organic and environmentally friendly options whenever possible to minimize harm to beneficial insects and the ecosystem.

6. Aerating and Overseeding: Aerating your lawn allows for better water penetration, nutrient absorption, and root development. If your lawn has compacted soil or excessive thatch, consider renting or purchasing an aerator and aerate the lawn before the summer heat sets in. Overseeding is another beneficial practice to fill in thin or bare patches. Choose a quality seed blend suitable for your climate and grass

Preventative Maintenance part 1: Turning in work orders as soon as you notice an issue.

I have noticed sometimes that we will get a lot of maintenance requests around the first of the month. I am not sure why this is, but I have theories. One theory is that people feel better about asking for help after they pay rent (this is silly, don’t do this please). Another theory is that they happen to be online and remember at that moment to turn in a work order. Either way it is very important to turn in maintenance requests as soon as you notice an issue to prevent larger issues.

If you have a leak it could cause a lot of damage in a very short period of time and if you know about that leak and fail to tell us then you might be held responsible for the cost of repairs and no one wants that. If you only have a dripping faucet and no threat of water damage that still wastes a lot of water and if you pay a monthly charge for that utility, increased usage can cause the monthly charge to increase. That increase would be for everyone and not just you. Being responsible for a price hike for a whole community is worse than being the kid who tells the teacher they forgot to assign homework.

Other issues like moss on stairs, or a loose railing can pose a significant threat to your safety and it is incredibly crucial that issues like that be addressed ASAP. Things like this can happen slowly and with many things that happen slowly we tend to just get used to it and that can be dangerous. Many of our buildings are getting to be 30+ years old and it is expected that elements of these building will require repair or replacement. Things like loose stairs and railings, falling gutters, slippery walkways, dimming outdoor lights etc. can all be a potential hazard and your help in alerting us of these hazards is very welcome. The last thing I want is for someone to slip on moss, grab a railing that immediately breaks and then a gutter full of slugs and leaves falls on their head. That would be humiliating.

In closing, please, please, please, let us know if you have a maintenance request or even a concern. Better safe than sorry.

Covid-19, Rental Assistance, and You!

THERE IS STILL FREE MONEY IF YOU ARE BEHIND ON RENT OR IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE BEHIND ON RENT.

The administration has approved more money and if you are behind on rent it would be to your (and our) benefit to apply for that assistance. There is no reason to not seek assistance when it is being offered. On top of that, I believe the eviction moratorium is ending soon so if you are behind on rent and have not contacted us to set up a payment plan or applied for assistance then there will not be much we can do to help you when the time comes. Please, please, PLEASE seek out rental assistance or ask us to be put on a payment plan so we can continue working with you going forward.

Again, IT’S FREE MONEY!!!

Thank you and have a peachy day!

The Seven Wonders of Washington State. Part 1

Did you know this was a thing? I have lived in or very near Washington State for almost 30 years and I did not know this was a thing. Somebody on Reddit mentioned that the Palouse is one of these 7 wonders and I grew up near the Palouse so I decided to do a little research.

The first thing a learned when I started reading up was that there appears to be some confusion as to what the actual 7 wonders are with some sources replacing the Palouse with Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Nat'l Forrest. So for the sake of being thorough I will cover all 8. I do like to imagine a bunch of people getting into fistfights over whether or not their local attraction is on the list.

The Palouse

 The Palouse is a region in SE Washington characterized by gentle rolling hills covered in wheat and barley. The hills were formed over tens of thousands of years from wind-blown dust and silt, called loess forming like sand dunes. The soil is very rich and the scenery is pretty unique. Check out Steptoe Butte for tourist options. It kinda looks like the old Windows XP wallpaper but that was Sonoma Valley I think.

Mt. St. Helens

Mt. St. Helens has the distinction of being the only volcano in the contiguous 48 states to erupt in modern times, qualifying it as the 2nd wonder of Washington. When the north side collapsed it created the largest landslide in recorded history. On a side note my best friend was born at the base of that mountain 6 days before it erupted and had to be evacuated in a cardboard box.  His parents had a car seat but they didn't like him that much so he got the box. I think it used to hold kitty litter. There are a bunch fascinating documentaries about that if you are interested.

Columbia River Gorge

It is a very impressive thing to see a river flowing through a mountain range and that is what Columbia River does in the Columbia River Gorge. You might have thought it cuts through the mountains but the river was actually there first. The earth's crust lifted to create the cascades but it happened so slowly the river was able erode away its path without being blocked. If you are a hippie wook the Gorge is also a great place to catch a phish concert. They also play good music there I just wanted to trash on Phish.

Stay tuned for Part 2…….

New Office Admissions Policy

I really miss writing silly blogs about road trips and day drinking but unfortunately some of y'all didn't take a deadly global pandemic very seriously and now we are back to square one. There is another huge surge in COVID cases and Clark County is basically exploding and as a result of this we have to once again change our office admissions policy.

Starting immediately we will only allow one person in the office at a time BY APPOINTMENT and that person MUST WEAR A MASK. We will have the doors locked and will bar entry to anyone not following the rules.

TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, CALL 360-260-7315

Imagine all the goofy stuff we could be laughing about if everyone had just worn a mask for a couple weeks back in May.

Maintenance Reminder

Hi everybody, I hope you all are staying positive and testing negative. I wanted to write the blog this week about maintenance procedures. Since it is a fairly simple topic this will be short.

The VERY best way to get something repaired is to submit a maintenance request through the online portal. This method guarantees that your request is seen as soon as possible. The worst ways is to send an email or text saying something is wrong. I get hundreds of emails a day and there is a chance it will get lost. The other benefit of using the tenant portal is documentation. If you send an email there won't really be a searchable record of maintenance requests. If you are not signed up for the tenant portal you should give me a call, email, or text and I will activate that for you, easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Emergency Maintenance Requests are the things that we absolutely must tend to as soon as possible. This includes leaks that can damage the property, crucial appliance failures such as fridge or stove failure (ya gotta eat!), heating systems failure (very important in the winter), and severe plumbing issues. Most of these issues we are legally required to remedy ASAP and the others are things that can cost a lot of money if not handle immediately. If you have a serious maintenance issue like a leak and do not tell us you can be held responsible for damages and the cost can be astronomical.

Standard Maintenance Requests are the run-of-the-mill- non emergency stuff such as gutters being full and dripping, cupboard door doesn't fit right, dryer not drying, etc.. These are the less important things that we will generally address within a day or two.

Other than that you pretty much just have negligence related maintenance issues. Those are like when someone throws a hammer through their slider and then says that it broke when they closed it. Or maybe you just forgot to take the pizza off the plastic cutting board before putting it in the oven (OOPS) That is something we will happily fix but payment will be the tenants responsibility so BE CAREFUL!

Thanks and have a great day!

Holiday Reminders

Hi Everyone, I hope everyone is staying positive and testing negative. I wanted to write a blog about some of the things we would like you to remember this fall/winter/holiday season and since writing blogs is part of my job I guess there is nothing stopping me.

Decorations

·        All Halloween decorations need to be taken down by November 1st, especially pumpkins

·        All other holiday decorations must be taken down by January 1st

·        Decorations may not block stairs or pathways

·        Absolutely no burning candles

·        Christmas trees are NOT to be disposed of in the dumpster

Common Grounds & Parking Lot

·        Only park in your assigned spot

·     Make sure any guests are aware of where they can park and where they cannot park

·        Please clean up after your pet(s).

·        Do not leave pumpkins out to rot. They stain the concrete black.

·        Please do not fill up the dumpster with boxes, mattresses, Christmas trees etc.

·        Charcoal BBQs and open fires of any sort are strictly forbidden

·        Do not park in from of the fire lanes, office space, dumpster, or garages. Not even to unload your car. Park in a parking spot only.

Health and Safety

·        It is beginning to frost and now is a good time to make sure your vehicles are ready for the winter. Check your tire tread and pressure. Make sure you have good wipers and plenty of fluid.

·        Be prepared for moody weather

·        I don't know if trick or treating is happening or not but if it is happening it would be a good idea to have warm costumes that feature masks, and comfy shoes. Also bring some hand sanitizer to wipe down the candy wrappers for the kids

That's all I can think of. Be safe and have a great Halloween.

-Austin