#step one: google ‘contact [political figure/department/etc.]’

[chaosnojutsu]

What he’s doing is a direct violation of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

[ID in alt text]

If you’ll direct your attention to Article 5 and refer to the headline about Abbott, someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but I think most would agree that requiring employees to perform manual labor in temperatures above 100° F without providing them adequate means of hydration constitutes “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.” Furthermore, it might be a stretch but one could say that since water is necessary to life, Abbott’s actions also violate Article 3.

And you can argue that “they should bring their own water” if you want. I’m not out there on the construction sites every day, so I can’t imagine what it’s like or make up what rules/policies are in place concerning the matter. But as someone who also lives in Texas and experiences these temperatures and their effects on a day to day basis, while spending most of my miserable time indoors with the air conditioning on, working around the house but definitely not performing construction, and has chugged more water in the past month than I have in the past five years combined (and I wish that was an exaggeration)… I’d venture to say that these workers already are bringing their own water. But there’s no way to refill or replace water consumed. They’re probably finishing it off in the first half hour of work and then suffering the rest of the day. Or maybe they’re rationing it so they can make it through the day relatively hydrated. I honestly can’t tell you which one sounds more horrifying, but I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that those things are happening.

(Side anecdote: Texas has a University Interscholastic League of which most, if not all, school districts are a part of. UIL is taken incredibly seriously across the state, including enforcement of rules at any and every academic/athletic practice or contest to the nth degree. The UIL rules concerning groups that practice outdoors (football, marching band, etc.) require frequent water breaks. It’s odd to me that, given Texas’ abysmal education system and its rapidly worsening state under Abbott’s administration, there are strict mandates regarding the health and safety of student competitors— as there should be, but guess what, UIL is not a government entity and they still managed to implement those rules and put the fear of god into anyone who dares disobey— but not for paid laborers. It’s almost as if Greg Abbott is so bigoted that he doesn’t care about the lives of the predominantly POC construction workers and doesn’t care who knows it.)

So weaponize your horror. Call my governor about it. Call YOUR government about it. Call the ACLU and the UN about it. Because even if I’m wrong and this is somehow technically legal and there’s “nothing we can do about it,” at least we tried something to stand up to our oppressors and make life less miserable for each other.

And don’t you dare say a word about Texans “getting what we deserve for living in a red state” when there are so many marginalized groups who simply cannot leave at this point in time, especially when our attorney general was impeached earlier this month and admitted to blocking millions of votes in the last election cycles so that the GOP would win. Had Ken Paxton not done that, Beto O’Rourke would have ousted Ted Cruz, Trump would not have won Texas, and Abbott would not be emboldened to take action this heinous with so many political adversaries in office, if he were even still in office.

Their goal is cruelly and death to minorities, especially with this sadistic ruling.

[her-culture]

Tips for Getting Involved with Undergraduate Research

Today’s university experience has progressed to encompass a scope of opportunities that include various forms of research in a range of fields. Depending on your career plans or interests, research ranging from field to lab-based experience may be considered a crucial aspect of your undergraduate experience and play an important role in your résumé. This is because research can be beneficial to individuals by honing and developing critical-thinking skills, independent study, the process of experimentation, paper writing, reading-analysis techniques, and hands-on training in a specific field. However, getting involved or into a lab as an undergraduate can appear to be a challenging and daunting feat.

Those concerns and feelings of nervousness along with not knowing where to begin was my experience when attempting to get involved with research at my university. In order to help with getting started for anyone interested in research, here are some steps and tips from my personal experience:

What are you interested in?

Ask yourself this question to gauge your own interests about what you’d like to research. Perhaps begin with an academic subject or field (i.e. anthropology, neuroscience, art history, linguistics, biology) and then think about any specific topics within those fields that you are interested in.

Check out the university’s departmental websites.

This step is all about honing in on the specifics such as what research topics you’d like to explore (i.e. oil painting during the Baroque period or memory functions during developmental stages, etc.) or perhaps which professors you’d like to work with. Once you have chosen a field or fields, go onto your university’s departmental websites for those fields (i.e. art history, neuroscience, etc.) and look for any sections labeled “research” or “faculty.” Faculty members listed in the department often have summaries about what they teach and if they do research, what their research interests are. Another way to find more information or opportunities is to search  for the university’s name followed by “undergraduate research opportunities” or any variation of that phrase on a general search engine. Select however many faculty members you would like to work with; I suggest selecting two-three faculty and research topics that you’re interested in.

Another method is to speak to the professor of a course that you’re interested in and see if they are involved in research or have any colleagues that are.

Read up!

Once you have chosen faculty members who you’d like to work with, it’s time to research or read a little about the faculty member’s work. For example, search for any papers written by that faculty member, and read about their experiments or research questions. Make sure you understand the gist of the paper and are able to pinpoint any particular processes, information, or findings that are interesting to you. This is important because it’ll help you gauge whether you still want to continue pursuing research in that field or topic. One great way to find papers is to see if your university library has any of the papers on hand or access to databases that may contain those papers. If not, Google is a great place to begin your search for more information on the faculty member and their work.

Contact the faculty member.

Once you have read at least one paper from each faculty member about the research topic that you are interested in working with, it’s time to send some emails!

To begin, address the faculty member using “Dear Dr….” or “Dear Professor….” depending on their credentials. This information about whether they teach a course or have a Ph.D. is often listed in their biography or in their contact information.

Next, introduce yourself in one-two sentences such as stating your name, your grade level, what you are studying, or what you are intending to major in. This part is essential to provide a potential connection between your interests and the research topic.

This part of the email is extremely important because you need to justify your reason for contacting that faculty member and explicitly express your interest. Let them know that you are interested in undergraduate research opportunities in their lab or academic field. This is also an excellent opportunity to indicate that you’ve read about some of their work and state any questions or interesting points from the papers that you read.

Politely ask if they are available for a meeting to further discuss their research. Remember, you are only asking for an initial meeting, not a job or a guaranteed position in their lab. You should provide your availability and thank the faculty member for their time and consideration. Use a formal ending for the email and provide your name again. The key to these emails is to keep them brief and concise, so be straight to the point if possible. Many faculty members are quite busy and receive many emails on a daily basis. If they cannot figure out the purpose of your email in 30-60 seconds, they may not finish reading your email, much less respond to your request.

No response? No problem. Follow up!

It is a good idea to email more than one faculty member as some may not reply. If you do send more than one email, you should keep track of who you send emails to and whether they have replied. If a faculty member you’d like to work with has not replied, send them a follow-up email within the same email thread. State how you have contacted them about your interest in getting involved with their research and briefly re-iterate that you’d like to set up a meeting.

If you get a positive response, meet the faculty member.

Once the faculty member has responded and is able to meet with you, then you should prepare a little for the initial meeting. While it is not a job interview, you should still dress in attire that you feel is appropriate for a very casual but still professional meeting. Some faculty may be more lax while others may pay attention to attire. Before attending the meeting, it is important to refresh your memory with any information from the papers that you’ve read because they might be brought up during the conversation. Arrive prepared with a few questions for the faculty member whether it is about specifics from the paper, about their research group, the research process in that academic field, or anything in relation to the faculty member or research. You should use this meeting to see whether you can envision yourself working within this field or with the faculty member. If you are interested, you could also discuss what the initial steps would be to become involved in their lab or research group.

Send a thank you email.

After the initial meeting, send a brief email thanking the faculty member for their consideration and taking the time to meet you.

I took these steps when I got involved in research, and I’ve provided a general outline on how to contact faculty and/or look for research opportunities. However, keep in mind that these steps do not guarantee a research position, and there are many other ways or methods to get involved with research.

[davidoespailla]

13 creative marketing strategies for independent landlords

As an independent landlord who self-manages a portfolio of rental properties, you probably don’t outsource the job of filling vacancies to a property management company.

Unlike a property management company, you are the manager AND the owner. This means you control the marketing strategies and are directly impacted by their success or failure.

The best marketing strategies are designed to find the highest quality tenants—people who pay rent on time, treat the unit and property as if it were their own home, and are courteous to the neighbors—in the fastest possible time.

Finding high-quality tenants makes your life easier as a landlord and puts more money in your pocket. You’ll have more qualified leads, less turnover (and lower turnover costs), fewer evictions, and less late rental payments. Finding these tenants faster reduces your vacancy loss. By filling vacancies yourself, you eliminate the lease-up fees, new lease fees, and ongoing fees charged by a property management company.

How can you find the highest-quality tenant in the shortest period of time?

Now the question is how to find the highest-quality tenant in the shortest period of time without spending all your time marketing your vacant units?

As a result of building a portfolio of over $400 million in apartment communities, I have identified 13 creative marketing strategies to attract high-quality tenants:

1. Advertise on the internet 

Eighty-seven percent of renters search for their homes on the internet, so an online presence for your rental properties is a must. Start by creating a website (or at least a Facebook page). Then post your listing, and market the listing on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Next, all of your “for rent” units should be listed on popular online rental listing services like Cozy, Apartments.com, Craigslist, Realtor.com, Trulia, ApartmentFinder.com, and Zillow. Make sure your listings include a clear and accurate description of the unit and property and highlight major selling points. It’s also a good idea to invest a few hundred dollars into having professional pictures taken.

Related: How to write attractive property listings in 8 steps

2. Hire locators

A locator is a rental agency that specializes in helping prospective tenants find their ideal home based on their needs. These are great sources for finding high-quality residents. The fastest way to find the locators in your market is on Google. The standard commission is 50 percent of a month’s rent, which is less costly than a property manager’s fees. If you decide to hire a locator, make sure you provide them with weekly updates on your current availabilities.

3. Partner with a real estate agent

You can partner with your real estate agent agent to advertise your rentals on the MLS. Realtors usually charge 50 percent of a month’s rent as a commission. This is a great way to build rapport with your real estate agent and ideally become their go-to investor for their pocket listings and off-market opportunities.

4. Use corporate outreach

Most major corporations have someone whose sole responsibility is to place employees who are relocating to the area into new rentals. Contact the human resources department of the major employers in your market. Ask for the contact information of their relocation specialist.

5. Target local businesses

Create a list of local businesses, employers, schools, bus stops, train stations, etc. to target your marketing efforts based on your renter demographic. Then, to generate leads, print out and drop off fliers, business cards, price sheets, floor plans, and site maps to these targets. Always ask for permission first.

6. Negotiate discounts with target businesses

Another approach is to negotiate discounts at local eateries, salons, fitness centers, etc. for your tenants, and then leverage those discounts when marketing your rental listing. The local business gets more customers, and your tenants get access to local businesses at discounted prices, so it is a win-win.

7. Build a referral program

Fifty-seven percent of renters search for a home through referrals from family and friends. To capitalize on this, incentivize your tenants to provide referrals. One approach is to offer cash to any tenant who provides a referral. A fee of $300 paid 30 days after the execution of the new lease is standard. To advertise the referral program, deliver notes to your tenants’ doors, and send out friendly emails with the details of the referral program on a monthly or bimonthly basis.

8. Provide a free gift to target business employees

Similar to the referral program, send a small gift such as a gift card, gift basket, bottle of wine, toolkit, etc. to the current tenants who are employed at the businesses on your target list. Thank them for their residency, and ask them to refer your rental properties to their colleagues at work.

9. Hold tenant appreciation parties

To promote resident satisfaction and retention, host tenant appreciation parties a few times throughout the year. Examples are to provide a small to-go breakfast; host a wine night; host a timely or holiday-themed event, like a Valentine’s Day card-making party; holiday gift wrapping session; back-to-school barbecue; or a Halloween costume contest. Be creative!

10. Encourage online reviews

The online rating of your properties will likely be the first thing a prospective tenant looks at during their rental search. Organic reviews are great, but you should also be proactive to increase your number of reviews. One strategy is to ask a resident for a review after fulfilling a minor maintenance request (probably not a good idea if it was a large maintenance issue) in a timely fashion. Or have a laptop station set up at your tenant appreciation parties and ask them to write a review before they leave.

11. Contact exiting tenants

Call all tenants who have previously notified you that they plan on leaving at the end of their lease to figure out why they are leaving. See what you can do to convince them to stay (assuming they are a high-quality tenant). Maybe they want to move to a different unit or want a minor upgrade, like an accent wall or new curtains. Also, explain to them the costs associated with moving out (new security deposit, hiring a moving company or U-Haul, cleaning costs, new furniture, etc.). This conversation should take place at least 60 to 90 days prior to the end of their lease.

12. Follow-up with old leads

Reach out to leads you received that are older than 90 days to see if they or someone they know is still searching for a rental.

13. Offer good customer service

Provide stellar, good old-fashioned customer service to prospective tenants. Be responsive and timely with requests and questions. It doesn’t matter if you’re a marketing wizard and get hundreds of leads if you don’t pick up the phone or respond to emails quickly, politely answering questions, and getting possible tenants one step closer to viewing the property and signing the lease.

Summary

All 13 of these strategies have been proven to attract the highest quality residents in the shortest amount of time without the help (and costs) of a property management company.

Some of these strategies are free and just require some sweat equity on your part. Others require an upfront investment and/or result in a short-term reduction in income. So it’s important that you create a marketing strategy and set a marketing budget before closing on a deal. That way, you can account for the costs in your underwriting.

About the Guest Author – Joe Fairless

Joe Fairless is a multifamily real estate investor who controls over $400 million in real estate, author of Best Ever Apartment Syndication Book, and host of the popular real estate podcast Best Real Estate Investing Advice Ever. His advice has been featured in Forbes, Yahoo! Finance, Huffington Post and U.S. News & World Report. Learn more at JoeFairless.com.

13 creative marketing strategies for independent landlords