Keys to Good Tenancy
A parternship with the Lawrence Board of Realtors and Family Promise of Lawrence
This month I want to take the opportunity to introduce you to an ongoing program I run through the Lawrence Board of Realtors with Family Promise of Lawrence: Keys to Good Tenancy. This is a wonderful educational program designed to give Family Promise graduates the skills to be successful once they reach secure housing following a stint of homelessness. We just wrapped up our second time running this program (we previously ran the pilot program last Fall) and we're already seeing successful results!
It's hard to imagine the difficulties families can face after a crisis. Often it takes a lot of time, work, and help to get back to a secure life. And I think we all can understand some of the challenges out there when it comes to finding a good home. Many of the skills and resources we take for granted are rarely assured for all. Realtors have a lot to offer when it comes to relating our experiences in helping our clients, and this is a fitting opportunity to serve those in the Family Promise umbrella!
For example, I've been able to teach about spotting scam rental listings, how to successfully land the right home, what to look for in a lease, how to take care of a home, and how to protect one's rights during a home search and afterwards. What's been tremendously eye-opening to me is that none of these things is a given, and it's often those among us who are the most vulnerable who are targeted and taken advantage of. Consider for a moment; when you purchase a home with a Realtor, you've got an advocate working for you and making sure that such a massive life decision is executed correctly. On the other hand, no one is advocating for someone looking for a rental home. Keys to Good Tenancy is designed to give them the tools to be advocates for themselves!
This month I was honored to head down to Texas for a couple days and represent the Lawrence Board of Realtors and Stephens Real Estate at Family Promise's national conference in San Antonio! There I had the opportunity to help Family Promise affiliates from around the country to engage Realtors and implement the Keys of Good Tenancy program in their home locations. Being a Realtor isn't just about selling houses, it's about using your talent to help everyone you can! And as you can see from the pics below, I was able to have a little bit a fun with my family while doing it!
Lawrence Spring Market #2
