Dishwashers recalled due to fire hazard

from The Seattle Times Website

More than a million GE dishwashers are being recalled due to fire hazard.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday the voluntary recall includes about 1.3 million GE, GE Adora, GE Eterna, GE Profile and Hotpoint dishwashers. The machines' heating elements can fail and cause fires. GE has received seven reports of fires, three of which caused extensive property damage. No injuries have been reported.

The dishwashers were sold nationwide from March 2006 through August 2009 for $350 to $850. They came in black, white, bisque, stainless steel and CleanSteel colors and finishes.

The government said people should stop using the dishwashers and immediately disconnect the electric supply by shutting off the fuse or circuit breaker. The government said not to return recalled dishwashers to stores where they were purchased but that GE will provide free repairs or rebates toward new dishwashers.
In a speech Thursday at the National Press Club, CPSC chairwoman Inez Tenenbaum urged people to respond right away.

"My message to consumers is to immediately stop using these recalled dishwashers and disconnect the power supply to the unit," Tenenbaum said.

Tenenbaum credited a new consumer safety law with making people safer. The 2008 law and its implementation have "created one of the strongest product safety systems in the world."

For more information on the dishwasher recall, people can contact GE at (866) 918-8760 or visit GE's website at http://www.geappliances.com/recall.

Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2018882175_apusdishwasherrecall.html

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.

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."

National Night Out

National Night Out is tomorrow night, August 2nd! We are looking forward to visiting with Maple Woods in Maple Lane. If you are hosting an event in your community, we would love it if you shared your photos! You can e-mail them to us at info@bell-anderson.net. Have fun!

Reminders from City of Kent

Thank you to Sara Wood with the City of Kent for these important reminders!

"We are hearing more and more instances of random people knocking on doors’ of homes during daylight hours. When the resident answers, these individuals ask a random or strange question or make some sort of excuse as to why they are at the door. This behavior is typical of “casing” homes to burglarize and these individuals are looking to see if anyone is home or not. Please report this by calling 911 and if you have a Block Watch, notify your neighbors of incidents that occur. If you happen to identify a car they are associated with, please report that and include the license plate number!

The weather is getting warmer and I just have to do my usual reminder about left open doors and windows. If you have your windows and doors open and they are not in line of sight of where you are, or you leave your house, or you go to bed, please double check that windows and doors have been locked. We start to see residential burglars gain access to homes by a left open window or door around this time of year when the sun actually decides to make an appearance."

Why Use Bell-Anderson?

by Vickie Gaskill, CPM®, MPM@, RMP@, Owner/Broker

Recently, I had the opportunity to evaluate the income and expenses of the single family rental homes that we manage. If any of you are thinking about investing in real estate and want to take advantage of present day purchase prices as well as lower interest rates, here’s what I found out after looking at the past five year’s history:

As you can see, our properties are spending about 22.1% of their income in operating expenses. There are a number of items that are not included in this analysis. Collection costs as well as Professional Services for the owner were less the .2% so I didn’t see a need to add them. Also, because we do not pay the mortgages of our owners, one would have to include their debt service when looking at a complete income and expense analysis.

A friend of mine did this same type of analysis for the properties that he manages in Boise, ID. He found that his total expenses were running at about 30% of the income collected. That might seem a bit higher then my figures. However, Tony included the apartment communities that he manages as well as his single family homes in his overall analysis. Multi-family communities will tend to have higher turnover rates then single family thus lending themselves to slightly higher operating costs. His figures also did not include debt service.

As far as how Bell-Anderson is doing in the marketplace, here’s a couple of graphs that demonstrate that overall in the past seven months we (green line) are slightly below the surrounding area (yellow line) in our vacancy rates. Also, our rental rates were running above the local and national rates but seem to have tapered off to meet other management firms in the local area, yet are still above the national average for rents. As you can tell, this is a great area of the country to invest in single family home rental property.

A whole new world..of technology!

I (Kasey Medina) along with Jen Collins from the associations side of the company had the opportunity to attend a "Social Media and Blogging" class taught by Glenn Froehlich. It was an incredibly interesting and informative class, and really challenged our ideas about using social media networks as advertising sources.

As technology changes (isn't it amazing!) we have some really great opportunities to connect with new and current tenants and owners via services like this blog, Twitter, Facebook, and even YouTube!! I'm proud to announce our first venture into the videosphere. Please be patient with us as it will take awhile for us to learn to use this technology, but we are so excited about the possiblities.

Without further ado...our YouTube channel and first video!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/BellAndersonPM

Featured Listing Friday!

4 bedroom split level at a GREAT price!

Monthly Rent: $1,350
Deposit (Refundable): $1,000

Lease Term: 12 months
Square Feet: Approx. 1600
25031 35th Ave So Kent WA 98032


This 4 bedroom, 1.5 bath split level home has been remodeled on the inside, to include berber carpet and updated wall colors. The full bath upstairs has also recently been remodeled. All appliances are included. It is well-located near I-5 for superb commutability. The house sits on a very nice size lot and even has an entertainment deck off the kitchen eating area. There are two seperate entrances which could be a great setup for a roommate situation. For further information or to set up an appointment to view please contact Dawn Hardley at dhardley@bell-anderson.net or 253-852-8195 x208.

Featured Listing Friday!

Large 4 Bedroom, 2.5 bathroom Home in Vintage Hills with 3-car garage

Monthly Rent: $1895

Deposit (Refundable): $1200

Lease Term: 12 months

This 2800 square foot home has much to offer! The Master suite has a magnificent soaking tub, shower, 2 sinks and a walk in closet. The three remaining bedrooms have lots of closet space. All the rooms have plenty of light and designer painting on accent walls and arches, with a pleasant neutral color scheme throughout. Featuring an open kitchen/great family room with a deck for entertaining and and summer BBQs, leading into a well-landscaped and fenced yard. There is an extra bonus room as well, perfect for a media room or office. This is a great neighborhood and the location is close to freeways, stores, malls and schools. Cats are possible with approval. There is a $300 non-refundable pet fee per animal. For more information, contact Carrie Fjeld at cfjeld@bell-anderson.net or 253-852-8195 x 206.

To view the complete listing, visit our website at http://www.bell-anderson.net/?page=rplistings

What is Renter’s Insurance and Why Do You Need It?

What is renter’s insurance?

Renter’s insurance covers damage to or loss of your personal property. Whether you rent from a homeowner, a property manager, or a university (as a student living in a dorm), consider purchasing renter’s insurance.

Why do I need renter’s insurance?

Landlords insure the physical apartment building or home against damage from occurrences like fire, hail, and vandalism. However, their insurance policy does not cover your belongings, so don't expect the landlord to owe you payment should anything happen. Another reason to get renter’s insurance is to protect you against any accidents caused by other tenants.

Renter’s insurance can also protect against liability lawsuits or medical bills of guests injured in your apartment, that the landlord’s policy would not cover.

Some landlords will require you to purchase renter’s insurance. If so, this would be stipulated in your lease or lease riders.

What kinds of loss of or damage to property does renter’s insurance cover?

Coverage can vary depending on your insurance company and policy. In addition to cost, this can help you choose from where you want to get rental insurance. For example, some of the better-known places do not cover damage from floods, unless you pay an extra charge. If you live in an area prone to floods, it makes better sense to search for options where flood protection is included.

How does renter’s insurance work when you need to replace your property?

There are two kinds of payouts: actual cash value and replacement cost coverage. Actual cash value pays an amount equal to the current cost to replace your items minus the depreciated value. On the other hand, replacement cost coverage pays you the amount it would cost to replace your lost or damaged property. You only get the money if you replace the items. There is also usually a limit on how much money you receive, and the premiums tend to be higher.

The deductible is the amount you pay for the lost or damaged goods, before the insurance company would begin paying. Typically, the higher the deductible, the less your policy will cost.

I have a roommate? Do we each get our own policy?

It depends on the policy. Some insurance companies offer one policy that covers multiple people. Others require each person to get a separate policy. Check with your insurance agent to insure you have proper coverage.

Are there any discounts available?

Some insurance providers offer discounts to people who already have or have had insurance with the company. Check to see if your motor insurance provider has such discounts, and you may be able to save some money by bundling the insurances together.

Where do I obtain a renter’s insurance policy?

If you do not have an insurance company already, there are several websites like netquote.com or insureme.com that provide quotes from several different companies at the same time. Most major insurance companies will provide quotes online or over the phone. Be sure to do some research into the reputation of the insurance firm you select. Finally, asking for referrals from friends and family can also be helpful when trying to find a reliable insurance company.