My Thoughts on Accountability

My Thoughts on Accountability


Whatever happened to accountability? When I was a kid, I remember not getting the grades I should’ve gotten and having to answer to my parents. Or not doing my chores and having to answer to my mom. I would’ve rather been hit by a car than disappoint my parents. Now, my parents were not unlike most others in expecting more from their children than perhaps they were capable of, but if high standards aren’t set, how high will a kid reach on their own? This mental conditioning we experience as youth is supposed to be the foundation for our futures. Raising responsible children who become responsible adults is by all means the duty of parents. And yet more and more in our society around us, we are seeing accountability fall by the wayside.

Whether it’s Barack Obama and the super committee that he created so that he would have someone to blame for his own inability to lead, compromise and reach an agreement, whether it's a professional Boxer (Antonio Margarito) and his trainer who conspired to put plaster in the boxer's hand wraps pre-fight and then in the aftermath acted as though neither knew how it got there, our City Councils who exploit their roles and then fail to act in times of need, or whether it’s an employee who simply shrugs off shortcomings or mistakes by saying things like “I didn’t know” or “Nobody told me”, nothing exacerbates a problem more than shrugging it off or sidestepping it.

It takes a lot to admit you were wrong, but in doing so, you free your conscience and exhibit personal character and strength that most lack. So the next time you make a mistake: acknowledge it, learn from it and move forward; admit it and move on. In this age of transparency, accountability is more necessary than ever.

Who Needs a Property Manager, Anyway?

Who Needs a Property Manager, Anyway?
By: Nicholas A. Dunlap, CPM


In meeting property owners, one of the questions I often encounter from individuals who operate or manage their own rentals is: why do I need a property manager? While I cannot speak for all property managers, I usually start by saying that professional management can preserve current income, create additional income and lead to additional improvement projects so as to ensure your property evolves with the times. Ultimately, these renovations can lead to decreased maintenance expenses and higher occupancy as a result of a well-maintained curb appeal. Of course, these are the tangible, real-life, real-world solutions that occur on a frequent basis. The in-tangibles, such as tenant screening prior to move-in are best explained by the newspaper headlines, that is, when professional management is not retained and, well, your tenants start to grow marijuana in your beautiful four bedroom, three bathroom rental home.

Unfortunately, I am not making this stuff up and you can read about it here:http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-pot-homes-20111113,0,574959.story