Friday, May 22, 2015

Legislative Pulse - May 2015

Board of Directors Elections  
November 2015   
 

Elections for the 2016-2017 CAA Board of Directors are right around the corner.  The board term starts January 1, 2016 and runs for 2 years.  Nominations will be accepted starting this fall for members who are interested.  For more information, reach out to Katie Chapman, KChapman@CharlestonApartmentAssociation.com.  

House Rejects Bid to Cut Core Military Housing Benefit
 
The House passed the annual "National Defense Authorization Act," rejecting a Department of Defense proposal to cut back the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), on May 15. The BAH is a core military benefit that compensates service members for their housing costs and a cut could jeopardize the continued success of the privatized military housing program.

NAA/NMHC circulated letters to both the House and Senate in support of the BAH. They will continue to raise awareness among lawmakers about the negative impacts of any reduction in military housing benefits.

The House broadly pushed back on the Obama Administration's plans to roll back military pay and benefits, instead continuing to review comprehensive compensation recommendations made through the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission released earlier this year.  Importantly, the Commission did not recommend any changes to the BAH or military housing programs.

The Pentagon continues to argue that to combat budget challenges it must confront rising personnel costs.  The Senate has begun consideration of their version of the bill and is poised to move forward with a modest adjustment to the BAH for FY 2016.

*Provided by NMHC as part of the NAA/NMHC Joint Legislative Program.

South Carolina Apartment Association Update

The South Carolina Apartment Association (SCAA) attended the Real Estate Commission meeting this week to share their perspective on the experience requirement for property managers. The Commission agreed to the compromise they reached to get rid of the experience requirement in favor of a prerequisite PMIC course. The draft language now reads:

(4) For a property manager-in-charge license:
(a) completion of qualifications for an active property manager license; and
(b) completion of seven (7) hours of Commission approved instruction in property management accounting and record keeping.

Although the Commission has approved this draft, legislation has not yet been introduced.   SCAA will certainly let us know when a bill is filed.
 

Thursday, May 21, 2015

June Dinner Meeting

June 16th Dinner Meeting with
Charles Dalton, President and Founder of Carolina Real Data

Join us as we welcome Charles Dalton, Principal of Carolina Real Data on June 16th.  Mr. Dalton will share a Charleston Apartment Market Report and touch on various topics such as rent growth, market statistics and forecasts for the Charleston area.  

Charles Dalton
President and Founder of Real Data

Charles Dalton is the President and Founder of Real Data, which tracks the apartment markets in 20 metro areas in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia.    Mr. Dalton is an active member of several local apartment associations, chambers of commerce and has served on the board of directors for the Greater Charlotte Apartment Association and the Charlotte Regional Commercial Board of Realtors.   He began his real estate career in 1988 as a commercial broker and has been on the market research side of the business for the last 20 years.   Mr. Dalton has a business degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Tuesday, June 16
5:30 - 6:30pm Registration and Networking
6:30pm Dinner Meeting

Crowne Plaza Hotel
4831 Tanger Outlet Boulevard
North Charleston, SC  29418
$35/Member
Email info@CharlestonApartmentAssociation.com to RSVP.  All RSVPs are invoiced.  
Deadline to RSVP:  Thursday, June 11   

Vendor Spotlight:
The Lake Doctors
Microsoft Excel Classes
Conducted by Pamela Harrell, Varner Commercial

     

Basic Microsoft Excel Class   


Date:   July 7 
Time:   8:30am - 12:30pm 
Place:  BELFOR, 7629 Southrail Road, North Charleston, SC  29420
$50/member, $60/non-member
RSVP by July 1 to info@charlestonapartmentassociation.com.    
All RSVPs are invoiced. 

Attending the entire four (4) hour class will result in four (4) continuing education credits for attendees.

     
Advanced Microsoft Excel Course

Date:   July 8 
Time:   8:30am - 12:30pm  
Place:  BELFOR, 7629 Southrail Road, North Charleston, SC  29420
$50/member, $60/non-member
RSVP by July 1 to info@charlestonapartmentassociation.com.    
All RSVPs are invoiced.  
  
Attending the entire four (4) hour class will result in four (4) continuing education credits for attendees.  


The courses will be taught using an overhead.  Students may bring his/her own laptop to follow along, but it is not required.  The material is presented in PowerPoint and demonstrated in MS Excel.  Handouts to the students will be presented at the beginning of the class with follow along on the overhead presentation for potential note taking.


About Pamela Harrell
Pamela Harrell is currently Vice President of Operations for Varner Commercial Property Consultants, Inc. where she began 4 years ago.


Prior to joining Varner, Pamela was CEO of OnTrack Training Solutions (self owned computer training center) in Atlanta, Georgia for over 20 years. Her clients included  GA Department of Natural Resources; Delta Airlines; HBO television and movie divisions; Northern Telecom; US Attorney General's Office and other fortune 100 companies throughout the Southeast and Eastern US.


Pamela's education includes dual majors in mathematics and physics. Graduate studies in HR and a background in Operations Management round out her experience. Her computer experience began on the West Coast as a beta tester for Microsoft Products and an internal software implementation specialist for major corporations. She has written numerous course material booklets for a vast array of software programs.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Ashley Village Apartment Fire - Call for Donations

 Ashley Village Apartment Fire - Call for Donations  

Our hearts and thoughts go out to our friends at Ashley Village in light of the recent fire.  We're gathering donations for the displaced families and received the following wish list.
  •  Any and all household goods - towels, bedding, blankets, etc.
  •  Toiletries  
  •  Non-perishable foods
  •  Cash gift cards 
Items may be dropped off at the following locations:   Edgewater Plantation,  100 Eighty Oak Ave, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464 and Silvana Oaks, 8439 Dorchester Road, North Charleston, SC  29420 during regular business hours.  Deadline to submit donations is May 15th.

Our sincerest appreciation for your support on behalf of our Ashley Village friends.