Mark Olshaker Author Archives

ICAST’s IRA & BIL Instant Benefit Estimate Calculator is now available on NH&RA’s website under the Resources section.

Just about any good novelist, playwright or screenwriter will tell you that the way character is revealed is by the choices that character makes. We may define character by action, but every action is preceded by an intent and decision to act, whether that decision takes place three years or a split second in advance. Thus, it is the initial decision that ultimately determines the success or failure of the action, and the higher the stakes of the action, the more interesting the decision becomes.

Simply stated, it is an emphasis on wellness that, in many cases, can preempt an emphasis on sickness and infirmity. And it is paying off in measurable financial results for the facilities that have embraced the approach.

The result of this National Housing & Rehabilitation Association initiative, now in its second year, has been a program that encourages sustainable efficiency in affordable housing. But that is not how PTEE was sold. “We present utility efficiency as an economic imperative and a business opportunity,” states NH&RA Executive Director Thom Amdur. “How can we leverage energy efficiency to increase the residual value of a property, increase cash flow and decrease operating expenses? The word green doesn’t even show up in our literature; this is about dollars and cents.”

When the term “historic Texas building” is mentioned, almost everyone conjures up the same image: the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, with its heroic evocations of Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie and Colonel William Travis. But Texas’ rich history has generated many lesser-known structures well worth preserving. And in 2013, the state legislature went a long way toward promoting their creative and functional re-use, through the passage of House Bill 500: the Texas Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit.

On any given morning, the manager of any rental apartment or housing complex can expect to be barraged with a diverse array of questions, comments and complaints from tenants. They may range from no heat or cooling or hot water, to dripping faucets, noise, cooking odors or smoke from next-door, burned-out light bulbs in the hallway, lost keys, balky appliances, perceived rudeness from a staff member or someone else’s car in an assigned parking space. Each manager has his or her own roster of recurring “favorites”.