Wow.  Times are stressful for homeowners and for people just looking for shelter! It is time for a new perspective on the human condition in tough economic times and a seriously changing economy.  I see our community as reaching deep for connections….just take a look at all the social networking sites! And then, pow! your site gets hacked, and you take it down. Then you are unconnected. Or are you? Everyone from Google to Dictionary.com is selling the places your curiosity takes you on the internet. We have never been so connected….photos of our friends and family, our summer vacation trips, experiencing the first day of school for our children or grandchildren….all of it is out there in the clouds for the world to see. And beneath all that connectivity is the rumble of disrespect.

When I opened my company in January 2009, a service I added for my client’s benefit was property management. My thought was, if my client could not sell their property for a decent price, and renting it worked for them within their personal financial situation, then I could honestly tell them  to hold on to their property for a year or so with the goal of selling it when times improved. OK….like everyone else, I thought they might improve a bit sooner, but that is another story. I wanted to provide a good choice or option for my clients. What I discovered when I began renting out property was two things: the owner of the property had a deeply held belief that any renter would wreck their property. That no one who could not afford or choose to buy a home would treat a home well. That a renter would pound holes in the walls, scratch the floors and generally live like a low life because they did not own the property. The second thing I learned was that there are terrific renters in Portland who choose to rent for a number of realistic reasons. They might not have a down payment, they might be waiting for market improvement, they haven’t worked at their present job for long enough to pass underwriting standards for a mortgage, they want to try out living in an apartment or a house before buying or they couldn’t sell their own home but needed to move for some other reason.

My last conversation with a home owner was disturbing on some level. In my initial interview with her, she rolled right over my questions about her home. She wanted to tell me her views of renters. The conundrum here is that while she wants to rent out her condo, she dislikes and disrespects all people who could afford to rent it. She does not believe that a good person, who values a clean and well maintained home, is looking for a place to rent. She confuses a high rental income with a high quality renter. If they can afford a high rent, then what is wrong with them that they don’t just buy a home? I began to realize that no matter who applies to rent her home, once they move on, she will regret having rented it even if it comes back to her unscathed.

Ironically, owners of property in the lower rent area, are much more respectful of their renters. They try harder to make their property desirable. And they get a top quality renter. So what is the answer? Or maybe, what is the question! We are definitely transitioning as a society. But the truth of home ownership still stands: it has been the key wealth builder for the average American for many generations. Renters should be respected. As I tell my clients: People who rent are buying a home; it’s just not their own. They are buying it for you. I suggest thanking them by believing that they will take care of your property, being realistic about the fact that there may be some upkeep and damage while they live there, protecting your investment through insurance and through choosing the right person to rent your home, and establishing clear, business-like expectations for their tenancy. Be a good landlord, but also be a human being.