Crime Prevention Update from Kent Police

Here are few tips from Kent Police about common crimes they are seeing in the Kent area. Thank you to the City of Kent and Kent Police for this info:

Save Your Honda
This last week we saw another upswing in the trend of stolen Hondas, especially overnight. Vehicle thieves and prowlers look for any opportunity; don't give them one. If you own a Honda, or any car, it is important to do all you can to prevent it from being stolen or prowled. Please follow these prevention tips:
Install and USE a club - clubs can be purchased through the Kent Police Foundation

• Park in well lit areas
• If car has an alarm, be sure it works and is on
• Remove all valuables ALL the time
• Park close to entrances of stores or apartments
• If you park outside your garage, be sure to park in drive way and install motion lights or keep outside of house well lit.

For more information visit www.kentpoliceceu.com

Residential Burglaries of Asian Family Homes Continue

This past week there were 4 residential burglaries of homes of Asian families. These have occurred during the daytime and early evening hours. In all cases, windows by the front door or rear sliders were smashed. We have learned that suspects of residential burglaries look for indicators that homes are owned by Asian families. They look for shoes piled outside the front door or Asian yard/home decorations. In some instances, electronic equipment was stolen, but almost always jewelry and cash. One of the first places they go is to the master bedroom. Please pass the word along to your block watches and other residents that would be interested. It is important to remove shoes from the front porch and to keep jewelry and money in a safe or other secure location. Document serial numbers for all electronics and take pictures of jewelry and keep in a secure location.

Board Training Seminar: Mock Board Meeting

by Maria Garcia, Maintenance Coordinator

Our first Board Training Seminar of the year was a great success!! The topic of our training seminar was “Conducting a Successful Board Meeting”.  We had David Batchelder, owner of David’s Roof Service, sponsor our meeting. He graciously provided sandwich fixings, potato salad, macaroni salad and beverages.  Also in attendance was Gil Price, Executive Director, and Jennifer Hill, Attorney, from Condo Law Group.  During our meeting we explained the roles and duties of a president, vice-president, treasurer and secretary, as well as how to conduct a meeting. With our presentation we conducted a mock board meeting about how to avoid letting a meeting get out of control. Jennifer Hill answered many legal questions for board members on disclosure, executive sessions and financials.  At the end of our presentation we gave away door prizes: two attendees walked away with a copy of the Vickie Gaskill’s book “Community Associations, A Guide to Successful Management” and one lucky winner got away with a $50 gift card to Home Depot.

Thank you to all our board members that attended and we hope to see you at the next one!  We also owe a big thank you to Jennifer Hill, Gil Price and David Batchelder for your participation and contribution!

View more pictures of the event at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150641194573462.400340.92113323461&type=1&__adt=2
 

Team Cookie - Big Climb 2012

On March 25^th, three members of the Bell-Anderson staff will be climbing the 1,311 steps of the Columbia Tower, the tallest skyscraper in downtown Seattle, to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Condo AP Bookkeeper Jen Corp and Residential Property Managers Dawn Hardley and Kasey Medina are part of a 18-person team climbing in loving memory of Cookie Collins, Jen’s mother, who passed away in 1999 after a battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. While we welcome the challenge of 69 flights of stairs, we are doing this to fight blood cancers so other families don't have to go without their mothers, sisters and aunts. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to Team Cookie or find out more about the event, you can do so at this link: http://www.llswa.org/site/TR/Events/BigClimb?team_id=41581&pg=team&fr_id=1230

Thanks for your support!

   

 

Why Renters Rule U.S. Housing Market

Check out this article re-posted from Bloomburg about some factors affecting the rental housing market. Written by A. Gary Shilling.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-22/why-renters-rule-u-s-housing-market-part-1-a-gary-shilling.html

"...It also means the addition of 3.9 million new renters, or 780,000 per year. This doesn’t suggest that we are becoming a nation of renters. Instead, it reflects the elimination of the widely held belief that house prices always rise and the end of loose lending practices that drove the homeownership rate to its 2004 peak."