Security and Locks

You can imagine that in this business we get to deal with a lot of locks and keys. On occasion we get locked out on a tenant move out and get to resort to more interesting methods of entry. Through the years we have had to become amateur locksmiths as real locksmiths are hours away and very expensive. So some of us at Empire (I am one of them) can pick locks fairly well. This saves you money and saves us time. So how secure is your rental and your home? In reality, probably not very secure at all. Most locks are easily defeated in a matter of seconds with just a little practice and until you spend about $150 on a front door lock set your not anymore secure than your neighbor. These locks from Kwikset and Schlage have been the industry standard for many years. We re-key the  locks  between tenants and keep the door and window locks in good working order. The rest is up to the tenants
By Ed Waggoner

More Rent Control!

More Rent Control
and worse!

With the rental market finally on the mend, the politicians in Salem are trying to purchase more votes by promising an utopia to tenants. The inventory of available rental is at an all time low. This in turn is putting pressure on existing inventory. With supply short and demand high, rental rates are on the rise. This is good for everyone, as some landlords have dug to the bottom of their savings since the beginning of the recession/depression and cannot dig any deeper. Tenants can now see improved living conditions and a landlord that may be in a better mood. If the red tape and local governments were amiable to development, new housing would spring up and prices would balance back out. This problem exists because we often forget that government has no wealth of its own and cannot give us anything that it did not take from us first. I urge you to call your congressman and tell them to vote "no" on any new landlord tenant laws. Here is a link to their website and a link to the bill.

By: Ed Waggoner