Property Management Nation

Entries from November 2009

Fun Not Fire These Holidays

November 30, 2009 · Leave a Comment

image from Wikipedia

The holidays are upon us and this means decorations and lights and about 250 home fires annually.  Here are some tips to follow to make sure that you can be your own Chevy Chase without burning down the neighborhood.

  • Keep candles away from all decorations and NEVER use them on your Christmas tree
  • Inspect all lights and cords for broken sockets, fraying wires, loose connections and check labels for proper placement (indoor or outdoor)
  • Use hooks or insulated staples instead of tacks or nails to hold lights in place
  • Keep lights off of metal trees and make sure they are plugged into ground-fault circuit interrupters to avoid shock
  • Turn off all lights before leaving the house or going to sleep
  • When picking out a live tree check for freshness and set it up away from fireplaces, heaters and radiators
  • Keep live trees in water to avoid them drying out
  • Artificial trees should be labelled “fire-resistant”
  • When using the fireplace be sure to clear area and make sure the flue is open
  • Do NOT burn wrapping paper as it can cause a flash fire

Unattended cooking is the number one cause of home fires in the United States so be sure to excercise caution when entertaining as well.   Enjoy your holiday decorations and lights without worry this year!

Categories: Property Upkeep

Cities in the US that Suck!

November 20, 2009 · 2 Comments

places-that-suck

Time and again, all you see are lists of how great places are.  Live here, buy there, the biggest places, the tallest places.  Enough already!  Every city from the smallest village to the largest metropolis has its pros and cons.  We already know plenty about why these cities are great, now let’s take look at why they also can suck. (more…)

Categories: just for fun

Should Airing Laundry be Stopped?

November 18, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Many housing associations say yes and have “no-hanging” rules in place.  They complain about the aesthetics of clothes lines and air drying laundry outside.  These rules are put in place by community developers and are along the same lines as no commercial vehicles or sheds.  “Kevin Firth, who owns a two-bedroom condominium in a Dublin, Pennsylvania housing association, said he was fined $100 by the association for putting up a clothesline in a common area,” (yahoo news).  Many Americans are choosing to hang laundry as a way to go green or to save money.  Should they incur a fine in order to do so?  Project Laundry List is attempting to help air-drying advocates hold their ground.

Project Laundry List claims that by turning off your dryer you can save close to $25 a month off your electric bill (dryer use accounts for 6% of your annual energy usage), reduce climate change, conserve the environment and energy and help your clothes last longer.  They go on to estimate that there is over $194 million dollars in fire damage to structures each year caused by clothes dryer fires.  Sunlight is also a great disinfectant and contains none of the toxins you may add to your dryer to achieve that outdoor fresh smell.  For more information on the non-profit visit Project Laundry List.

Six states (Hawaii, Vermont, Utah, Maine, Colorado and Florida) with another five about to follow suit, have passed laws to restrict local authorities rights to stop residents from utilizing clothes lines.  Townhouse and condominium housing associations account for about 20% of the American population with about 60 million residents and are the major opposition to Project Laundry List.  More than half of these associations have no-hanging rules and enforce them with hefty fines. 

Where do you stand?  Does your neighbor’s laundry hung outside make your neighborhood look like white trash or like a neighborhood with an environmental conscience making an effort to save money?

Categories: food for thought

Ten Tips For Heating Your Home Efficiently

November 15, 2009 · Leave a Comment

It’s time to turn up the thermostats in our homes and batten down the hatches for winter.  Here are  ten tips to help you lower your heating costs and increase efficiency at the same time.

  1. Check your HVAC or heating, ventilation and cooling system which is the largest power draw and the greatest source of energy loss.  Have it serviced once a year.
  2. Check your filter every month and change if dirty- change it at least once every 3 months for a few dollars a time.  A dirty filter causes the HVAC to work harder and decreases your heating efficiency.
  3. Seal all ducts and openings.  Any leaks can take in outside, unheated air and blow it into your home.  Use mastic instead of duct tape.
  4. Seal all air spaces in the attic as this is a common source of drafts.  Tunnels or holes for plumbing or wiring can cause cold air to move inside your walls and throughout the house when left open. 
  5. If your insulation level in your attic is level with or below your attic floor joists then add insulation.
  6. Make sure all windows and doors are tightly sealed.  If there are any leaks use weather-stripping.  Double-paned windows positioned to let in sun are the most efficient.
  7. Wrap your hot water heater if it is in an unheated part of your house.  Consider a tankless, on-demand water heater since they do not have to be constantly heating a large tank of water.
  8. Use a programmable thermostat and set it to be cooler during the day when you are away and at night when you are sleeping.
  9. Consider investing in ENERGY STAR units and having them properly installed.
  10. If you are building a new property, use landscaping to increase heating and cooling efficiency by strategically placing trees.

These 10 tips can put hundreds of dollars back in your pockets just in time for the holidays!

Categories: Property Upkeep

Unlucky Number 13?

November 13, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Hospitals and hotels traditionally won’t have a room thirteen, airports will skip terminal 13 while many tall buildings will go straight from floor 12 to 14.  Fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia.  The number thirteen has been linked with bad luck since the Biblical times.  This is when the thirteenth guest (Judas) betrayed Jesus at the Last Supper.  By the middle ages Friday was also considered a bearer of bad fortune and when the thirteenth day of the month falls on a Friday it is considered doubly unlucky.  Praskavedekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia is a fear of Friday the 13th which is a popular modern myth of science.

This could be due to the fact that the number 13 has to follow the number 12 which is considered to be a complete number according to numerologists.  There are 12 months in a year, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 eggs in a dozen, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 labors of Hercules and 12 days of Christmas to name a few.  Numerology is considered para-science today and is the belief that numbers are connected to physical things and life.  This belief is dismissed by mathematicians who claim it lacks scientific merit.

Several key figures of history were triskaidekaphobic including Napoleon, President Herbert Hoover and President Franklin D. Roosevelt who would not host 13 guests at a meal or travel on the 13th day of any month Friday or not.  Mark Twain was once urged not to attend a dinner party in which he would be the 13th guest and in Paris you can hire a professional 14th guest or quatorzieme.

If you do consider Friday the 13th to be unlucky then 2009 has been a truly unlucky year with three of them!  One was in February, one in March and one today (November).  Luckily for you this is very unusual; it only happens once every 11 years, and is the last one you will have to endure this year.

Categories: just for fun

Famous Fictional Street Celebrates 40 Years

November 10, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Photo fromWikipedia

123 Sesame Street is known by children spanning 140 countries and is one of the most famous fictional addresses in the world.  The large brownstone has an inviting front stoop  is next to Big Bird’s nest and Oscar’s trash can, bordered by the courtyard with Hooper’s Store and Charles’s Auto Repair.  This infamous street debuted on television on November 10th, 1969 and will celebrate it’s 40th anniversary with episode #4187 on Tuesday, November 10th 2009.  The show has won 122 Emmy’s and has over 5 million viewers each week in the United States alone.  Sesame Street’s creator Joan Ganz Cooney determined that “every piece of education would be entertaining, and every piece of entertainment would be educational,”  in the show’s inception (Newsday.com).  This trend continues today.

 The anniversary episode will feature the letter H and the letter 40 and the muppets will be visited by First Lady Michelle Obama.  Obama will be planting a vegetable garden with Elmo and a few children as part of a two-year science initiative to increase positive attitudes toward the environment and nature.  Sesame Street may have changed some over the years adding a CGI character segment in the new fairy Abby Cadabby, but the educational ideals remain consistent.  Big Bird will be visited by a rapping real-estate agent in the opener of the 41st season who tries to convince him to migrate.  Big Bird who is brought to life by Carol Spinney (who was handpicked by muppet creator Jim Henson) decides that Sesame Street is his habitat after all.

For more information on Sesame Street visit their website.

Categories: just for fun

Selling Your Home in the Off-Season

November 5, 2009 · Leave a Comment

The spring and summer months are considered peak season for real estate while the fall and winter are thought of as the off-season.  This doesn’t mean you can’t sell your home in the colder months, you just may have to work a little harder.  There are some advantages to selling your home or property in non-peak season as well.  You will have less competition and have the knowledge of what the market did during the prime season and can therefore adjust your price accordingly.

As for showing your home to a potential buyer, many of the same rules apply.  You should make sure to pack up all personal belongings, empty drawers and stage closets to protect your privacy.  You also need to clean thoroughly: dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures, clean cobwebs, wash windows, polish chrome mirrors and faucets, bleach grout, wash and wax floors, vacuum daily in one direction, re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks if necessary, clean out the refrigerator and empty trash and recycling.  Be sure to provide specific information by printing up cards and attaching them to items potential buyers should know more about.  For example if you have an antique chandelier, attach a card with its age and details or if you have removed a washer and dryer from the laundry room attach a card to the wall describing what the room is used for.  These cards can give a potential buyer more information in a short time since you have so little time to make an impression.

There are also certain things you as a seller can do differently in the colder months to attract potential buyers.  One of the most important things you can do is to clear a path to your house.  If you live in a snowy area be sure to shovel the snow, scrape the ice and lay down some sand.  If a buyer cannot get to your front door they will not be interested!  Also consider placing a rubber mat by your door if you live in a wet climate and a container for umbrellas.  The best way to make your house inviting during the shorter daylight hours is light.  Open all blinds, drapes and shutters to encourage as much natural light as possible and turn on every light in the house.  Don’t forget appliance and closet lights!  If you are no longer living in the home use electric timers on indoor lights and motion sensors on outdoor ones.  For rooms with few windows you can brighten them by placing spotlights behind furniture on the floor.

Heat is another way to make your potential buyer want to linger on a cold day.  Be sure to make your home comfortable by setting the thermostat to a warm temperature.  If you have a gas fireplace turn it on!  If you have a wood burning fireplace and are home it can make for a nice homely touch, but be sure to open the damper, put up a grate and attend the fire.  Soft music is another nice touch.  Jazz and classical are soothing, however be sure to load a CD player and not utilize a commercial radio station.  You want the music to be continuous.

As a seller, you also want to create a mood.  Place vases around the house filled with winter flowers and set up your fine china in the dining room.  Display photographs of lush green lawns and summer flower gardens.  You can turn your bathroom into a spa by hanging plush robes, placing groups of lotions and soaps on the counter and rolling up wash cloths tied with ribbon and placed in a basket.  Go easy on scents as many buyers are allergic to candles and air fresheners.  The number one pleasing scent to potential buyers is that of chocolate chip cookies.  If you want to create that scent be sure to provide some for the buyer to munch on!  You may also consider serving winter foods that encourage the potential buyer to linger as well.  These foods include hot soups like squash, potato or tortilla or stew or chilli.  You can also serve hot cocoa and apple cider.

While attempting to sell your home or property in the winter and fall months can seem like a daunting task , if you take a little extra time to create a warm and inviting home you just may have better luck with potential buyers!  Consider adding holiday touches during the holidays as this can tug at the heartstrings of those looking to buy your home and hopefully will make your holiday a little brighter as well.

Categories: Real Estate Trends

World Trade Center Honored

November 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Not long after the tragedy of September 11th, 2001, George E. Pataki the Governor of New York wrote a letter to Gordon England the Secretary of the Navy requesting that a surface warship be named after the city of New York to honor the victims of the terrorist act.  In 2003 the contract to build the sixth ship in the United States Navy to be named the USS New York was awarded to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in New Orleans, Louisiana.  This ship is special not only because of the name however, it was actually created from seven and a half tons of melted down steel recovered from the rubble of the World Trade Center.  The ship was christened with a ceremony at Avondale Shipyards in New Orleans on March 1st, 2008 and was delivered to the Navy on August 21st, 2009.  The New York is a San Antonio-class amphibious dock vessel that is 684 feet long and can carry as many as 800 Marines and has a flight deck large enough to accomodate helicopters.  The crew of the ship contains 361 sailors, 13% of whom are from New York state.  This is an extremely high percentage due to many requests from Navy personnel from New York to serve on the ship.

The new Navy assault ship USS New York, built with World Trade Center steel,AP

On November 2nd, 2009 the USS New York arrived in the city of New York very near ground zero to a 21-gun salute and an emotional viewing by the public. The warship was escorted by many vessels and tug boats up the Hudson River toward the George Washington bridge where it executed a U-turn and headed south to Pier 88.  There a short ceremony followed with a speech by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.  He said, “this ship is actually a physical representation of that spirit with the steel from the World Trade Center built into its bow so every friend that sets foot on it and every foe that dares challenge it will feel its power and know that it is literally made from the heart and soul of the city that has sacrificed so much,” (Yahoo News).   The New York will remain in its namesake city until Veteran’s Day and will be commissioned on November 7th in an official ceremony.  Afterwards the ship will head to Norfolk, Virginia for a year of exercises and crew training.  Two other ships are also being built to commemorate the victims of 9/11.  The USS Arlington was named to honor the attack on the Pentagon and the USS Somerset was named after the county in Pennslyvania where the United Airlines flight 93 crashed.

Categories: New York