“Our Profit is October 2007

Your Success”

An Affiliate Of

The 2007 CIAA Vendor Trade Show was a great success this
year. We had a large turn out of people in attendance as well as
many vendors with booths. Upcoming Events

National Apartment
We want the give a “BIG” Thank You to all the vendors who
participated this year. Your booths and games were great along Leasing Professional
with all the wonderful door prizes given away at each booth. At Education Course
the end of the night the Grand Door Prize of a trip for two to Las October 18th & 25th
Vegas was given away with the lucky winner being Dick Major
November 7th & 14th
of Country Club Village Apartments.

The 1st CIAA Maintenance Olympics were a blast to watch and

the teams that participated did a great job. It came down to the General Membership
wire on a few of the competitions with some nail biting from Meeting
their supporters and lots of cheers for everyone. Our judges, Bill November 13th
Armstrong of Timberland Partners and Doug Robison of The
Peterson Companies, did a great job of monitoring the events for Location to be determined
us. Thanks to the teams who participated in this years events —
“The Git-Er-Done Gang”, Newbury Management, “Best of the
West”, Signature Place, “Peterson Pros”, The Peterson Compa-
nies, “Wrench Warriors”, R&R Realty, and “Wellington Will-
power”, Wellington Apartments.
Inside:

The winners of the Maintenance Olympic events were awarded • Committee News
plaques that will have their names engraved on them and passed • Leasing Tips and Tidbits
on to next year’s winners. Congratulations go out to: • TAB Properties Expands
Steve Anderson (Peterson Companies) • CIAA Board Members
First Place—Smoke Alarm Installation and Assembly • Vendor Members
Joe Norris (R&R Realty) • 2008 NAA Education
Conference & Expo
First Place—Lockset Installation and Assembly
• CIAA on the Web
Braden Banning (R&R Realty)
• Promotions and Postings
First Place—Lightbulb-Ballast Installation and Assembly
Aaron Schoon (R&R Realty)
Blind Tool Identification
 COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Education Committee Update
National Apartment Leasing Professional Education Course
The NALP Education Course scheduled for October/November is really taking shape. The
All-Star cast of instructors are thrilled to be a part of this class. They include Melissa John-
son, Michelle Ogden, Jeremey Hummel and others to be announced. Hope to see you there.
Location: West Des Moines Police Department Conference Center
250 Mills Civic Parkway, West Des Moines
Date and Time: October 18th and 25th, November 7th and 14th
9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m.

Do you have a Guest Suite??

We have some people who are traveling from Eastern Iowa to attend the NALP Education course in West Des Moines. We are
hoping to be able to put them up for the night before the classes at no charge so they can be fresh for class
instead of driving for
2 –3 hours the morning of the classes. We are anticipating as many as 4 people who will need places to
stay so please respond generously.

The nights we will need the Guest Suites are: October 17th and 24th
November 6th and 13th

Please call Mary Spain ASAP at 515-327-0606 to volunteer the use of your Guest Suite…it will be greatly
appreciated!!

Have you let your professional designation lapse? Continue being a Certified Success!
Are you a dedicated and driven professional in the Apartment Industry? Do you strive to improve the lives of your residents and
of those working with you? Do you give all of your time and energy to your work…at the expense of
renewing your professional designation? Don’t worry. Until December 31, 2007, the National Apartment
Association Education Institute (NAAEI) will enable formerly certified professionals who have allowed
their designations to lapse to reinstate their designation. By contacting NAAEI you are able to participate in
a streamlined re-designation program and regain your certification quickly and easily. To learn more, visit
www.naahq.org
It’s as easy as:
1. Complete a Reinstatement Form online
2. Pay a $50 Fee (NALP + CAMT) or $100 Fee (CAM + CAPS)
3. Earn 6 Continuing Education Credits in 2007

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 Leasing Tips and Tidbits by: Rick Koontz

I’m going to share some of my ideas with you. Take what you want, use what you can, ignore what won’t
apply. The things that work for me aren’t always universally accepted in this business. Every leasing office
and management company is different.

RELAX!
Be yourself. We’re all under a lot of pressure to lease apartments, and chances are your prospects have been to a number of commu-
nities already. If you’re feeling pressured to sell, it’s going to reflect in your approach with your prospects. Don’t forget that they
have been hearing “pitches” all over the place! Let your prospect get to know you. Use your warm up to share just a little about
you. They want to rent from someone with whom they feel totally at ease. One comment I hear over and over from prospective resi-
dents is “You guys are so laid back. That other place I just came from, everyone is so stiff and unfriendly.” If your clientele tends to
be more casual, follow suit! Perhaps a few more “casual Fridays” may be in order. Your professionalism will show in your person-
ality, not in the clothes you wear. Times are changing. Places that used to require jackets and ties are now few and far between.
And don’t forget to adjust your “pitch” to suit your prospect; don’t expect them to understand all the industry “lingo”.

As a manager, I will enter the leasing office as the prospect is filling out the guest card. I usually sit on the edge of a desk and start a
conversation about anything but apartments! These people are stressed, they’ve been looking and filling out guest cards and being
“pitched” and frankly they’re tired of the usual grind. I do my best to make them laugh (those of you who know me won’t find that
too hard to believe!). If I’m not available at that time, I will do the same after the apartment tour. I do not introduce myself as the
manager. That usually comes from the leasing consultant as a “by the way, this is our manager.” People seem to like the fact that
I’m right there with them during one of the most important decisions they will make! I rarely encounter a manager during “shopping
trips”. I think this is an important way to let your prospects know that you are there for them. It is a more personal experience for
them, and it makes them feel that they’re not out of touch with management.

TAB Properties Expands

Portfolio in Metro CIAA Board Members
PRESIDENT
On August 31st, TAB Properties DSM became Melissa Johnson, Olde English Village
the new management company for nine proper- VICE PRESIDENT & LEGISLATIVE CHAIR
ties in the Des Moines Metro Area: Colonial Rick Koontz, Signature Place
Village; Crescent Chase; Ingersoll Towers; TREASURER & EDUCATION CHAIR
Plaza Manor; Robin Hill; Woodland West; Mary Spain, Apartment Finder
4220 Grand; 500 31st Street; and 520 31st SECRETARY
Street. Jennifer O’Brien Konior, TAB Properties

VENDOR COUNCIL CO-CHAIRS

Mike Richmond remains the Property Man- Tom Newton, Gorman Roofing
ager at Colonial Village. Deb and Dave Duez Rocky Sposato, Tub Wrx
are taking over the reins as the Resident Man- PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAIR
agers at Ingersoll Towers. Pete Marks and Deb Lanpher, R & R Realty
Janie Richmond remain as Property Managers
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIR
for Plaza Manor and Robin Hill, respectively. Lesley Sweet, Knapp Properties
And last but not least, Michele Staker is Resi- TRADE SHOW COMMITTEE CHAIR
dent Manager for 4220 Grand and the two 31st Michelle Ogden, Timberland Partners
Street properties. TAB would like to welcome
these new properties and all their staff to the
TAB family!
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 CIAA Vendor Members

A+ Lawn and Landscaping
Apartment Finder
Carpet Pro by Baker Interiors
Cort/Instant Furniture Rental
The Des Moines Register
Dewitt Painting
Diamond Vogel Paints
First Advantage SafeRent
Furniture Options
Gallon, Inc.
Goalsetter Systems, Inc.
Gorman Roofing Services
Hawkeye Legal Services
Jetz Service Co.
Nationwide Office Care
Performance Leasing
On the Spot Carpet and Tile
Qwest
Reliable Construction
Sherwin Williams Carpet
Snider Lawn
State Farm - Glenn Waterhouse
Stew Hansen’s Dodge City-Jeep
Stitzell Electric Supply
Sudzy’s Carpet Cleaning
Tenant Data
Transworld Systems
Tub Wrx
To Become A Vendor Member
Contact:
Tom Newton 515-883-0838
tomn@gormanroofingservices.com

Your vendor members make many CIAA events possible. Please support them!
Vendor Members’ websites and contacts are linked through our website!
www.ciaahq.org

Vendor Trade Show Signs Spotlight Vendor’s Needed

Just a reminder to all Vendors who
participated in this years CIAA Ven-
dor Trade Show, please hang on to
your signs provided by the CIAA at
your booth . If you misplace your
sign we will need to reprint them and
charge you to replace it for next
year’s event.
If you are interested in being featured
as our Spotlight Vendor in upcoming
newsletters, please email your inquiry
to Deb Lanpher, Public Relations
Chair lanpher.deb@rrrealty.com

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 Save the Date ~ 2008 NAA Conference
Budget season is here for most of us!! And now is the time to budget
for your trip to the 2008 NAA Education Conference and Exposition.
June 26-28, 2008
Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center
Orlando, Florida
Get more information regarding costs and registration at
www.naahq.org

The CIAA on the Web

To be a guest blogger, please submit your article in MS Word or PDF format to info@ciaahq.org.
Share you ideas and experiences with your industry peers!

Website: Email: Blog

www.ciaahq.org info@ciaahq.org http://blog.ciaahq.org

Promotions, Positions and Postings

HELP WANTED
Multi-site apartment community seeks self
motivated maintenance tech.
Must be able to work independently, atten-
tion to detail, general maintenance experi-
ence, HVAC certified a plus. Please fax
resume to 866-801-2249 or e-mail to
john@sunrisedesmoines.com. Call 515-
975-1976 and ask for John for any ques-
tions.
HELP WANTED
Country Club Village is looking for a
Part-time Leasing Agent to work eve-
ning and weekend hours. Please email
resume to: lanpher.deb@rrrealty.com
HELP WANTED
Peterson Companies has the following
positions to fill:
Maintenance Person
Leasing Consultant
Contact: Melissa at:
223-1010 or 223-666
HELP WANTED
R&R Realty is looking for person with a
strong background in property manage-
ment, able to train and develop a staff
and has a knack for marketing for the
Property Manager position at Country
Club Village Apartments. If interested
please email: lanpher.deb@rrrealty.com
Need to post a job opening?
Would you like to announce a new mem-
ber of your team to the apartment com-
munity? All you need to do is email your
information to us and we will be sure to
get it posted in the next newsletter!
lanpher.deb@rrrealty.com

Email: info@ciaahq.org Website: www.ciaahq.org

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