The Conscious Investor
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The Conscious Investor
Ep489 Landlord Laws in Flux: Stay Informed or Get Left Behind With Alexandra Alvarado
The American Apartment Owners Association (AAOA) is a resource for landlords and property managers providing information on legal issues, tenant screening, and other resources for running a rental property.
There are a number of changes happening in the rental market, with new legislation being passed that affects landlords’ rights and restrictions.
Some of the hot-button issues include criminal background checks for tenants, security deposit limits, and pet restrictions.
There is a trend towards more tenant-friendly policies, which some view as unbalanced and not considering the needs of landlords, particularly smaller mom-and-pop landlords.
Landlords need to stay informed about the latest changes in order to make informed decisions about their properties.
The AAOA offers resources and education to help landlords navigate these changes.
Local landlord associations can also be a valuable resource for staying informed about local legislation and lobbying efforts.
Hello Conscious Investor and welcome back. I'm your host, julie Hawley. For over four years, I've paired my background in real estate, investing, education and coaching to create powerful content for you each week. This podcast is where we take a holistic approach to investing by focusing on three ingredients to a life of personal freedom health, mindset and wealth. We'll talk about everything from passive investing through syndication and how to use your retirement accounts to boost your investing, to mineral balancing and gut brain health, and into topics that cultivate your inner strength and resilience so you can thrive regardless of any of life's current events. And yes, those are all episodes currently available and linked in the show notes below. Join me each Monday for a mindset episode and later in the week for an interview with expert investors and health professionals, so that you can experience your greatest health, strongest mindset and build the wisest wealth Weeks since we had our last conversation, so very excited to be talking to you again and to your audience.
Speaker 1:I'm excited because I know that there's so much information that you have that people don't even know is available, and so buckle up, we're going to go great places. But you know, conscious Investor, where do we always start? The exact same question, alexandra who are you and what do you do?
Speaker 2:Good question. My name's Alexandra Alvarado and I'm the Director of Marketing and Education at the American Apartment Owners Association. I know it's a mouthful, but basically our association was built for landlords and property managers, investors, brokers really anyone in the rental industry space and this is going to be almost our 20-year anniversary coming up in about a month Wow, I know it's incredible. I started with the company about 10 years ago almost and it was at a time when we were really trying to grow our membership. The company had really focused on tenant screening first, so credit and background checks love those, always need them, right but they wanted to really expand into more services and offerings for making really your life easier as an investor.
Speaker 2:So, slowly but surely, we've worked on adding and marketing new products and services, like state-specific legal forms, webinars, products and services like state-specific legal forms, webinars and our magazine for landlords, and, more recently, our brokerage and buying and selling and listing properties through our site and our network. And now we're going to be launching courses, which you are going to be one of our expert instructors. So I'm very excited for that to come next and you know, what we're really trying to constantly do is just provide more tools and resources and really just be like that one-stop shop where if you do need something, we can help you usually to find a good referral if we don't offer it ourselves. Or you know, you can really just call us anytime and just talk, even vent if you want we get some of those every once in a while and really just call us anytime and just talk, even vent if you want we get some of those every once in a while and really just get into our bubble.
Speaker 2:It's a free association and so there's really no downside in just joining at aaoacom and once you get into that, we'll start sending you invites to all of our events and to our different resources. So, yeah, it's really been a great job to have just to work on adding all these really awesome features and marketing and telling people about it, because I know that's what I was telling you earlier, julie it's like I just feel like I have to tell people that there's like so many free resources that we offer and that are out there, and you know there's always people who don't know, so there's it's never ending. You know, I'm just constantly trying to get the word out.
Speaker 1:It's amazing because I've been in real estate for, you know, decades and I've been in the commercial real estate end of things for a long period of time. At this point, and all that to say, it was wild to me that my good friend Dustin Heiner said hey, do you know anything about this? And it made a connection between Alan and I, and then to you and it's just amazing to realize like I didn't know this as a resource out there and it's free. It really feels like a nonprofit to me, the way it interfaces. I'm like, wait, hold on. I'm getting all of this value and I didn't even have to pay a membership. But there's substantial value to everything that you offer. So I've just been blown away by AAOA.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you, I'm so glad you found us. I mean, that's a great example where, you know, I'm always surprised and like, oh, you didn't know yet I'm so glad someone told you. Word of mouth is definitely one of the ways people learn about us and you know I always love that's my favorite type of referral. It's like, wow, someone told you about it. You know, usually people find us to be honest because they have a problem. You know they're, they're they have a bad tenant or maybe, um, you know they have a vacancy they need to fill or they might have a legal question, or you know they're shopping around for something like that, where it's an issue and they're looking for a solution, and we happen to pop up on like a google search result or something like that. So it's always nice to hear when it's a referral. It's a more positive way to get to know us. But we're here to help as well if you have any problems. So you know, we get a lot of calls every day from new people.
Speaker 1:And you provide a lot of really critical information. I know there are so many changes taking place. I just think even in the last four years, particularly since the pandemic, you know just different regulations being passed that have kind of spread, and just I mean, I just look at Seattle, which is six hours away from where I live, and you know, you just look at, oh, that's going on in Seattle, but oh, it's heading East, and oh, it's heading South. And oh, that's going on in Seattle, but oh, it's heading East, and oh, it's heading South. And oh, california, their policies are heading North, north and heading East also. So it's kind of interesting to see and I always focus on generally the Western half and the Midwest, like the East coast and the Sunbelt is, you know, but that's my zone where I pay attention. So it's interesting to see and to go. How do we even stay current with all of the changes that are taking place across the different marketplaces and that are having implications in other markets? So I think it's interesting. You know, aaoa, that's a lot to say.
Speaker 2:I know.
Speaker 1:I just want to say, oh, or something like that, you guys create a lot of information to keep people up to date as to what's taking place. Can you maybe elaborate a little bit more as to what you're seeing and what you guys offer?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean investors and landlords. We really wear many hats right, and staying up to date on that is really difficult. So one of the things we try to do is really stay on top of it for you. I mean, we can't possibly know what every single city and municipality is doing, but we can at least try to capture what are some of those big takeaways. Our newsletter is sent out every Tuesday and Friday. For that reason I know that's more often than most newsletters, but to be honest, there's plenty for us to report on every twice a week. I mean it really is that much, and so we're really trying to stay on top of it. It's a challenge for us and that's what we do. So I can't imagine if you're a landlord you're truly trying to keep up with so many different things, and that's just one aspect of it. But you're so right that things do spread.
Speaker 2:We see that California, seattle these are sort of the testing grounds for new, innovative renter-friendly policies that then other states usually will take within a couple years later. So if you're seeing something in California that's being considered and it passes, then you should start to kind of expect to see something similar or a version of it coming to your state soon. Now there's some states where they are very slow to change, so kind of have to know where your state falls. Right, if you're an investor, are they the first ones to try these out or are they sort of in the middle. But California, I think, is one of the places to look if you're curious to see what's probably coming down the pike. Most notably, I think there's been a few major pieces of legislation that have really made the whole country question what they're going to do, and part of that is criminal background checks, and that one has been a really big one Security deposit limits, pets, allowing pets, basically making it so that landlords and investment properties you can't ban pets, you have to accept all pets. So that could possibly be a huge change In California. It's currently under vote.
Speaker 2:But if that does happen then I think we're going to see throughout other states a lot more pet-friendly laws. So I'm not just talking about emotional support animals or service animals, but just pets, right? So? Fewer restrictions on that. Fewer restrictions on the breed or size, which in turn may affect your insurance rates, right? So? Insurance companies don't love it when you have a pet friendly rental or when you accept certain breeds. So that is going to definitely be something that might affect a lot of landlords if it starts to get passed. So Arizona is also looking at a bill as well to not restrict any pets based on breed or size. So it's definitely interesting. We could dive into some of those a little bit more, if you're curious, julie, if you think about audiences.
Speaker 1:If you're watching on the YouTube channel, you're probably reading my face going like what, Tell me more. So these are things where we can pay attention, but sometimes I become so tunnel-visioned in the markets that I invest in. But I'm not always wide-eyed about these and they still seem, honestly, they still seem so outlandish to me Like wait, no, you're going to tell me the owner of this property, the one who signed the loan, or everything, that I can't do this with my property. What?
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, and it's things like that that are just shifting and this post-pandemic push by tenants who have now even formed unions to really advocate for these changes. Our nation is turning into a nation of renters and with that comes a lot of well, a lot of people who have voices, who want to be heard as well, and so we're seeing a lot more of that kind of leaning towards a tenant side of things. It kind of was happening already before the pandemic, but it really accelerated it, especially now with inflation, rent prices that are all basically across the board higher than they were ever. So all of that, I think, has made tenants really passionate about advocating for themselves and so some of the policies they can have some benefit, I think, to the society at large. But there really isn't a balance at this point. I think it's kind of swaying a lot to one side, which is the tenant side, and I think one of the biggest ones for me that really perplexes me is the criminal background check.
Speaker 2:So, like Oakland, california currently has banned criminal background checks. So you cannot do a criminal background check on a tenant. That is major. We have restrictions also on evictions, and knowing whether or not a tenant has been evicted, I mean, if you're looking at having an investment property. These are two very important things, and it's incredible to me that really it's a movement that's not isolated. In California, there's many cities and counties that are either really restricting access to criminal information or eviction information to the point where it's almost useless in some places, and so I think what we're going to start to see, even at a federal level, is some restrictions on how that data is used and also really for the purpose in their eyes, to give criminals a second chance. But it comes at the cost of, as you said, not being able to do what you want for your property or make that decision based on the information that you get. And so places already, like even New York City, you can access the information, but it's $100 for each criminal report in the New York City Five Borough area. So there's ways in which they can semi-restrict it, but the Biden administration has said that they are launching an investigation into background checks in general.
Speaker 2:So this certainly, I think, is going to show up later. This isn't going to go away. I think maybe in the next year or two we're going to start to see definitely local but also potentially federal some more restrictions on how you can use criminal records. I mean, right now it's like most screening companies are going to go back seven years and it has to be a conviction. But you know, I could see it. Maybe the timeframe gets smaller or perhaps it's. You know, certain types of crimes aren't included, or certain areas are included, or in some cases you have to give the offer of the rental before denying them or before even running the criminal. So it really is going to be, I think, interesting in the next couple of years to see that and then, even further down the timeline, what that's going to do to investment properties over time we'll have to see.
Speaker 1:It's so fascinating. Two thoughts. One, it's disappointing to me because the position is coming from a position of putting owners, property owners. Um, you know being so biased, um, I am being trying to be a little bit somewhat mindful about my words. I think it's that it's disappointing. It's like actually, yes, there are large conglomerates that do own huge chunks of real estate, and then there are those people, like those of us who are part of American apartment owners association, that it's like wait a second, we're regular people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. And who care? That's the thing. Who care? Who care and I think that's where it goes wrong is that there's no differentiation right Between. You know, like my mom who owns some rental properties, you know she lives close by the rentals. You know she has also in the past even had like a duplex situation right when you're living door to door with your tenant, where you're living door to door with your tenant, and she has to follow the rules that a large corporate property management company does. But it affects her much more than it would a large corporation and that person, those types of what I guess you could call them mom and pop landlords. They own nearly half of all rental units in the United States and so it's incredible to me how many individual investors these laws affect in such a really impactful way. I mean it really does change and make it so that these people who do care won't want to be landlords at a certain point, especially in certain places. And so if it doesn't make sense, I mean you probably want my mom as a landlord versus you know, some corporate entity that is going to do things, you know, with absolutely no leniency or any sort of care. They're really just going to do it if it matches their bottom line.
Speaker 2:I think there's definitely a huge misconception as to who landlords are. That's really where the problem stems. But, like I said at the beginning, I get why renters are frustrated. It makes complete sense. It's just that the solution is very unbalanced, kind of one-sided, when really there are other solutions or there should be at least conversations about those. So yeah, it is disappointing is a good word. It is disappointing, but certainly I think one of the things we can do at least is to just be as educated as possible as to what is happening. Landlords typically don't know that these things are happening until after they've happened, and so they're reacting to legislation versus maybe being more proactive and in the know of what's going on. So that's one thing you could do is just like stay in the know, and we try to help our members do that. So hopefully that changes. I think the scale may at some point balance the other way who knows? But at least for now it's very much like tenants are winning the legislative fight here on a lot of issues.
Speaker 1:Is there any? I imagine there are lobbies, lobbyists and such on the opposite side or does AOA I mean you guys are information bearers Do you provide like here's who to contact or any information like that?
Speaker 2:We don't. But I can say that if you, we're national right, so we're really. You know, nationwide we're looking at. You know also a lot of our members that join local associations, and I think that's a good idea too. You know, it's good to have the kind of overarching knowledge of what's going on, especially because people don't always invest in their backyard anymore, right.
Speaker 1:Most people.
Speaker 2:they're starting to invest remotely now. It's not uncommon. So it's good to have a very hyper local association. I think in some of those areas that can really hold your hand through some of the lobbying aspects and they are very great at organizing at a local level. So I still recommend that. I think for us, our goal is just to educate and that's number one. So definitely, if you want to get involved locally, I'd encourage landlords to do that and a lot of these local associations. They'll file lawsuits, they'll really lobby and make an impact on these policies. Seen it in Los Angeles, where they'll make a lot of efforts and they'll at least delay it or they'll at least get something maybe taken back a little bit or revised. It is still, even with all that effort, it's still hard to stop completely. So they're doing the best they can. So I think the more support we can give to that, the better.
Speaker 2:Although we ourselves don't do it, you know, I I always encourage people to, to look out for that and and to really advocate for themselves and really like like I said a lot of times, it's like people, just people, making these you know requests or pieces of legislation they don't know. They don't know they don't even know, like a small mom and pop landlord, they don't get what it's like. I think the media is another great example. They like to paint landlords in a very negative light. So I sometimes get interviewed. But I always encourage our members. When I'm interviewed and I talk to a reporter, I'm like okay, let me go find a member that you can interview, let's hear their story. We need more of those stories in the media. So I try to also connect them with the reporters that I'm working with and that hopefully can also get people to understand the perspective a little bit more, because I think there's not enough understanding about the difference and how it affects landlords and who they even are.
Speaker 1:Right, I, yeah, that, I think, is always a surprising thing. And and I mean really that's not to discredit anyone I remember my first apartment building, or first apartment that I lived in, actually the only apartment I ever lived in. I remember just assuming that it was owned by this beautiful complex. I just assumed like, oh, it's owned by a corporation of some sort, you know. Then you know, years later, being in the multifamily syndication space made me realize, driving across any community, you really have no idea who the owners I mean, that could just be you know 15 people that got together and bought that place.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely yeah. So that's. I think that's just well. We'll see how it plays out. Certainly, but it's hard not to separate it from political discussion but we try to stay out of politics ourselves, but really just representing the needs of landlords and whatnot. But another really interesting thing that I don't think a lot of investors are aware of either is this also push towards security deposit elimination. So that's always been a safety net right that landlords and investors rely on, so that if something does go wrong you're able to fix it with that.
Speaker 2:The downside of eliminating or drastically reducing security deposits which we're seeing happen really in states and cities all over the place is that if you don't have that security deposit money and the damages are great enough, you may want to take that tenant to court. So then that's going to maybe increase those court cases. That's at least one of the consequences I can see, those court cases. That's at least one of the consequences I can see. But what they're doing is they're creating like these. They call them renter's choice security deposits, where renters can choose whether to pay a security deposit that is all paid in payments over the course of six to 12 months, or they can pay it all up front, or they can purchase insurance, an insurance policy that would cover the lease agreement, which is non-refundable.
Speaker 2:And so for a landlord maybe the insurance policy might not be the worst because they could maybe still file a claim, but it still puts that burden on them and the payment plan makes no sense, because then you have what if, month four or five, they just decide to leave and you don't have a security deposit at that point? So that doesn't make sense either. So it's just like there's these places that are trying to really tinker with how a security deposit works. But the ultimate goal of the security deposit isn't to withhold money for no reason, like it's there to make it easier for, when they move out, to just be able to not have to take them to court or like, just fix your damages really quickly and easily and turn over that unit. So it's just that to me is crazy. Like I can't imagine like and I talked to people in um, atlanta, georgia, in Illinois, who are affected by these laws and they're opting to not collect a security deposit because they don't want to do it wrong.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, that's such a liability, exactly, exactly.
Speaker 2:Substantial liability, exactly, exactly, substantial. So, like we, we offer um, we call it a security deposit alternative, cause that's what it's called in the marketplace. But and when you do tenant screening through us, we do offer a lease guarantee option. So it's optional and the tenant can pay for it, but it was really designed to be like in addition to a security deposit, so you get extra extra protection. So basically, you know if later that tenant doesn't pay, and the security deposit, you have the security deposit first to go to, and then your second layer is the lease guarantee, where you can get you know that unpaid rent or damages that weren't covered by the deposit paid back to you by the lease guarantee, with the caveat that you do have to take them to court. But the reason why landlords don't take tenants to court in the first place is because they usually don't have assets to collect or it's just not worth the hassle, honestly, if they're not going to see any money and especially if they already moved out, it's sort of like, okay, just leave. I don't want that problem anymore. I'm glad they left. But with this at least, if you have the lease guarantee and you do take them to court, it does reimburse you for that court judgment.
Speaker 2:So that's been a really popular product that we've offered that kind of helps and I think people in these states where it is getting passed that they have to offer these options for using it. But it really was meant originally to be on top of a security deposit and I think that if we can minimize our risk that's always a plus. And there's ways that landlords can do that even with all the regulation that's happening. So that's one example Always asking for renter's insurance before getting that lease signed. I can't tell you how many of our landlords don't do that. They don't get the. It's almost like they think of it as a roadblock, so then they avoid doing renter's insurance. Have you seen that on your side, julie?
Speaker 1:No, I haven't. I've seen a lot of different like everybody's operated in different ways, and it's interesting, like when you're on that lease upside of things, you just have that as an option and it can be presented in a very positive way. But that means that you have a strong property manager or that you are strong and comfortable and you see it as an asset and you understand how to communicate that to that potential resident so that they see the benefits of it. And, honestly, that should be really well communicated to every single resident because it's such an asset to them when we think about just the unfortunate things that do happen to them, when we think about, you know, just the unfortunate things that do happen hurricanes happen, fires happen, like different things happen, they're surprises, they're unexpected and while there is an insurance policy that's going to cover and come through the complex, it's also good to have your own, to have your own insurance policy, because we all know that insurance never covers everything.
Speaker 1:One policy doesn't. So, just as a resident, having that policy in place is that coverage, especially so often when we think about, well, who is renting and why aren't they owning, and so maybe they're in transition between preparing to buy a home and own it on their own. But maybe they're in a position where they don't have the financial reserves to recover if they were to lose all of their possessions or something were to happen. But then on the damage side of things, okay, great, if my kid accidentally damages something and we move out, that's going to be okay, it's covered.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And I think what's interesting about it is that you know that if you don't have that renter's insurance policy and the renter does, you know, have nothing, they're going to be very likely to try to go after you for whatever reason they can find to kind of cover that cost for them. So like it really does kind of encourage, if they don't have the renter's insurance, to go after you when they have the insurance policy. The insurance policy is there and they try to go after you, say, okay, but you have to go through the insurance policy first and then if there's anything left over then we could talk Right. So that really helps with that part of it for the landlord side of things to kind of having that middle sort of barrier. And it's cheap. Rancher's insurance is so cheap, like I mean it's really usually, you know you can bundle it with like your auto and it's like 10, 15 bucks more a month.
Speaker 2:I mean for the coverage it gives. It just seems like a no brainer, I would think. And like it really does cover. I mean, we talked about pets, right? Dog bites that's one thing, right, that a landlord could definitely be blamed for for whatever reason. And of course, with any sort of like weather damage that really damages their physical property not just yours, right? So your insurance will cover the physical structure, but then that renter's property, what's going to happen with that property? Right, you said they could lose everything, and that's definitely happened a lot, especially lately with all of the crazy natural disasters that we've seen. And who is going to pay for that bill? Renters, surely, will not be happy paying the bill for their possessions. They may go after you. So insurance is just such a crucial part, I think, for landlords to consider. And speaking of insurance, that is another big issue right now is just that landlord insurance is increasing all across the board.
Speaker 2:I mean it's insane and you've probably seen it, julie, I'm sorry to say. I mean I have never seen so many requests from our members asking us what to do. We're going to have a webinar next week actually about it. They might already have happened by the time this podcast comes out, but if you go to our website and you look under education, you'll see our webinars. We have all of our recordings there.
Speaker 2:But we're going to have an insurance expert come and talk and see if there's any ways to mitigate it, because it really is like I mean, I know why the insurance is going up, obviously. I just talked about like the climate, and then also just inflation in general. Right, the cost to replace a property is increased, but it's just across the board. Really, even if you haven't ever filed a claim, you've done everything right, it's still going to go up. And so I mean, even looking at where you invest, right, there are some places where insurance companies are pulling out completely In Florida, places where I used to consider very investor-friendly that now I would maybe definitely consider the insurance aspect, because that's, the fewer providers there are willing to insure, the higher they can bring up the price.
Speaker 2:So that's going to be in certain areas where that you've seen the most damages that insurance companies are like this isn't worth it for us anymore. We're going to leave Bye, and then you're kind of left with like one or two options that are super expensive. So definitely, I think it's an overlooked aspect of investing and something that maybe you didn't have to even think about before, but now I do think it can be a big factor in certain areas.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it's a huge factor. I was just talking to a friend about that earlier today. It's a huge factor. I mean they've increased, they've pulled out, like as to your point, and they've increased, you know, 20, 30% in in many, many parts of the country. So that's substantial. That changes everything. On top of interest rates rising, on top of inflation, on top of it's just, there are so many different elements at play right now that are really interesting to navigate.
Speaker 2:Yes, interesting is a good word. I think the average was 26% increase for multifamily properties and, yeah, that is a lot and that is an average right. So there's places that are, I saw, as high as 120%. Could you imagine that?
Speaker 1:I can't, double, I can't. I mean there's some people that are struggling in the Sun Belt, and particularly in Florida, where I mean they're doing capital calls with their investors and it's because of the insurance, it's not because they did anything wrong, but I mean we could not have even underwritten to this. There was no precedent for this, exactly.
Speaker 2:And I have a feeling at a certain point, if it gets too out of control, I have a feeling the government might step in to sort of do something about that.
Speaker 2:But this point yeah, it kind of is what it is. So you just kind of have to know more or less. I think talking to an insurance expert is probably the best way to go about it. If you haven't talked to someone in a while about your insurance, you probably should, just to make sure you're doing everything right and that if you're going to renew soon that you're not going to be super surprised, so you can start preparing now in any way possible. I know some investors have taken the approach of just trying, and this is unfortunate. Know some investors have taken the approach of just trying and this is unfortunate but like cutting back on some of the coverage to really like your deductible, all the, all the things to try to reduce the overall cost, but that really does just make it so much riskier, and so you want to make sure if you're cutting something, it's not something that you're going to regret later.
Speaker 2:That makes me so nervous, yeah, yeah. So I think if you talk to the right professional in the industry, like a really good broker, I mean we have one, the one that's going to do our webinar next week. Her name's Lauren from Insurance Hub. She's great, and there are others like her that are really. The brokers are good because they're not necessarily so tied to one company and so they're not trying to convince you to go with their insurance company. It's like okay, let me shop around for you.
Speaker 2:And their goal is really just to get you a policy, they don't really care who it's with within their network. So if they have a good network of policies of insurance carriers, they'll look there and hopefully find something that's good and that isn't going to, you know, be super detrimental to you in the future. But yeah, definitely a new hurdle we haven't experienced before and that all goes back to, you know, like inflation is just affecting everyone. You know it's not just renters, it's the housing providers too, and the insurance companies and all of them. So it's really a greater issue, I think. But I don't know that certain policies are going to make as big of an impact we really need to have big of an impact we really need to have. It's really a much bigger issue than just, you know, whether or not you can increase your security deposit or there's like there is, there's more out there.
Speaker 1:that is definitely at play. Yeah, a whole lot more. I'm so grateful that the team at AOA, you know that you guys are on top of all of these nuances and then you know Conscious Investor. Even again, you get to join. You can join for free, which is okay free is a great number. It's valuable information and access to valuable resources. And when you're there, I mean you have so many different service providers that like vendors that are available whereas, and even just be able to pick up the phone and call up and say, hey, is there, is there someone I should call for? You know, whatever it is that you're searching for, and to be able to, you know, have access to people that are vetted beforehand is really, really powerful. I just I appreciate what you guys are creating so much, so you have a lot of cool things coming up. As we kind of wrap things up, do you have some exciting things coming up? Tell us what you have coming up.
Speaker 2:Yes, Very excited, as I might've mentioned before, our courses that we will be launching soon. So those of you wanting to really get a course on really gosh. We're trying to cover as many topics as we can, but we'll be putting out new ones on a regular basis after we launch. But everything from how to invest, syndication and looking at deal structure and then, through the management side of things, how to raise rent, how to have those difficult conversations with tenants you touched on I think that's just as important and really some of the legal aspects of fair housing that is so important for us to keep up with.
Speaker 2:Running that credit and background check. How do you even analyze what a good tenant is if you are in that role? And even if you're not, you want to know that the people you're hiring to do that are doing it right, and you can't know if they're doing it right if you don't know how it's supposed to be done. So I think that really it's endless, but we're going to do our best to address those important topics. We always had webinars that are live. We do those a few times a month. You can go to our site to check out any of those live ones. But I think the courses will be just really nice to have just on demand, whenever on very specific topics. And then we're also going to have a live event in October, which I'm so excited about.
Speaker 2:Yay, this will be for our California members, although if you're not in California, you could still come, although we'll be talking about a lot of California stuff. It'll be in Long Beach, california, in October. We still don't have the date, but I will get back to you soon with it, julie. Hopefully we can talk about it when I have more details, because I think it's just so important for everyone to meet each other in person and for us to come together and learn, and we're going to have everything from attorneys, eviction attorneys they're going to talk about all of these things that I talked about, but on a California level taxes, looking at new technology, how to stay competitive and really networking with like-minded landlords and investors. That'll be there and hopefully you can make some great connections while you're there, and I really am excited. I need to get more details because I keep talking about it. I have nothing to say other than it's going to be in October In Long Beach, in Long Beach.
Speaker 1:You know two things.
Speaker 2:I know two things and that it's going to be awesome, and so three things.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love that. Gosh, alexandra, this has been such a joy. It's always great to see you and just, I mean you really represent AOA so well. I mean just like the warmth and the sincerity and the desire to serve it comes across, you know, in communicating with you at any given point. And then also, you know, when you go to the website, conscious Investor even if you're a passive investor, join it. You can stay up to speed on all sorts of things. Also, it's a lot of fun, and so you see that coming through even on the website and I really deeply appreciate that. If you don't mind, can you tell the Conscious Investor? If you don't mind, can you tell the conscious investor again where to go so that they can get?
Speaker 2:connected up and link arms with AAOA. Best thing to do is join the association for free. Go to aaoacom, click the join button. We do have some paid levels of membership that get you some discounts on some of our products, but you definitely don't have to do that. You could just join for free. That'll automatically subscribe you to our magazine, our newsletter and any invites to events or course launches that we'll have. You'll basically be in the know of everything going on any very important updates.
Speaker 2:We just added a new field to require our free registrants to tell us what state they have rental property in so that we could send you some more state-specific updates. So soon as you register, you'll start to hear from us. You'll hear from me probably at some point, and we do really take a personal approach. So if you also want to just call us, you can give us a call and talk to anybody on our team. But aaawaycom is the best place to go and just register for free. If you want to talk to me, then you can email me. I'm always available via email, which is I don't I'm not shy about sharing it. It's Alexandra at aaawaycom, so don't be shy If you want to also talk to me about anything and be happy to you know, point you in the right direction.
Speaker 1:I love that. Thank you so much for joining me on this episode. Alexandra and Conscious Investor, Don't be shy. Make sure that you connect up with Alexandra, make sure you go and that you, you know, join up with AAOA. And then, hey, remember, adventure belongs on the trail, not in your investing and not in your personal life. So make sure that you connect up with me as well. If we haven't spoken or if it's been a little bit of time, just pop down to the show notes, jump on my calendar and let's talk about what that first or nth step looks like for you in your personal or your investing life. Until next time, cheers to health, mindset and wealth. Are you enjoying this episode? Help spread the word by sharing the episode with a friend or family member, Because, really, where would any of our lives be without other people sharing great content with us? Help spread the word by sharing on your social platforms and with those you care about. And remember, tag me at HappyJulieHolley. Thank you.
