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1870 Applications!
12/31/2011
Every year at this time we like to see "how we did" and from the look of things, 2011 was a very good year!

In 2011, we processed 1870 rental applications.

This is 58 less than in 2010 but we only approved 47% of the applications that year.

In 2011, we approved 52% of 1870 rental applications which were submitted.

All in all, we found new homes for 976 families in 2011 which was 134 more than a year earlier and we do not see any slowdown in sight.

In fact, this past weekend, 976 prospects visited our website between 5 pm on Friday and 8:30 am on Monday.

2012 is going to be a GREAT year too!

17 Move-Ins Today!
12/1/2011
The rental market remains VERY active especially for this time of the year.

New residents are scheduled to move into 17 of our vacancies today ... December 1.

Wow!

Criminal Background Checks
11/22/2011
In addition to checking credit, employment, income, payment history and prior landlord experiences, T. R. Lawing Realty now purchases a criminal background report on every applicant.

Our criminal background report includes all judgments of record as well as related information which may be available from public sources, private sources, government and/or law enforcement agencies.

Felony convictions within the last 10 years, particularly drug-, terrorism-, prostitution-, sex-, weapons- and/or cruelty to animals-related offenses as well as crimes against a person or property are, standing alone, grounds for denial of an application to lease one of our units.

Past or present registration as a "sex offender" will also result in denial.

Online Applications, Payments & Leases!
11/7/2011
More and more applicants and residents are conducting their business online!

We received 10 online applications this past weekend including 2 which were submitted after 11 pm on a weekend night.

On Saturday, we drafted November's rent from the checking accounts and credit cards of 497 residents who previously signed up for our automatic e-draft service. These residents are building a 100% paid-on-time rental reference for themselves.

And, over the last 30 days, 62 leases have been signed electronically by new residents who avoided a trip to our office. In many cases, the entire process was completed in less than 30 minutes by as many as 4 signers and many e-signers used their smartphones and new tablets.

How may we help you?

199 Applications !
9/1/2011
August was our 2nd best month EVER!

During the month of August, we processed 199 rental applications (average: 10 per working day) and accepted 89 of them (average: 4.5 per working day).

This is the 2nd highest number of applications which we've ever processed (#1 was March 2010 with 210 applications) and August's acceptance rate of 45% is one of our highest.

How may we help you?

13 Online Applications!
8/24/2011
Overnight, 13 rental prospects completed & submitted 13 online rental applications for our vacancies. This is a new record for the number of website applications in a 24 hour period.

On 2 related subjects ....

We processed 151 rental applications between August 1 and 23 or an average of 6.5 applications every 24 hours.

We processed 51 lease renewals in the most recent 2 week period. All of the lease renewals were processed electronically via DocuSign.

AMO Reaccreditation
7/18/2011
The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) reaccredited T. R. Lawing Realty as one of only 520 elite Accredited Management Organizations (AMO) nationwide today.

2011 is the 48th consecutive year which T. R. Lawing Realty has demonstrated its commitment to professional excellence by fulfilling strict requirements in the areas of fiscal stability, integrity, insurance, professionalism, operating and ethical standards as well as employing Certified Property Managers (CPMs) who direct and supervise the organization's real estate management activities.

NCREC Commissioner
6/17/2011
Thomas R. Lawing Jr was named to the N.C. Real Estate Commission today by Speaker Thom Tillis and confirmed by the North Carolina General Assembly.

The N.C. Real Estate Commission is an independent state government agency whose primary function is to license and regulate North Carolina's 80,000 real estate agents.

The Commission is a 9-member panel that evaluates policy and hears appeals.

Lawing's 3-year begins July 1, 2011.

Extended Call Center Hours
6/6/2011
Beginning today, our phones and website are staffed by T. R. Lawing Realty employees at least 60 hours every week.

For instance, inquiries from prospects, residents, Realtors and clients now are answered live until 8 pm weekdays and for 5 hours on Saturday by our regular staff members.

Our maintenance men now are available until 7 pm weekdays at regular hourly rates.

Coupled with Language Line, our over-the-phone interpretation provider, we are able to assist any caller from sunup to sundown and from coast to coast.

After 8 pm, our automated attendant still directs emergency callers to an off-site operator and non-emergency calls to voicemail.

* * * * *

During the first 5 weeks of our Extended Call Center Hours, more than 550 calls were answered live and professionally during what used to be known as "after hours." On Saturday July 16, a total of 57 calls were handled in a 5 hour period including more than 50 leasing calls.

* * * * *

How may we help you?

A Three-Peat Season!
6/4/2011
For the 3rd consecutive year, T. R. Lawing Realty's Little League team is the Tournament Champion in the 59-year old Myers Park Trinity Little League.

Congratulations to both the players and their coaches, Barry Thackston, Dick Brown, Barry Deel and Blake Voncannon.

Not only did T. R. Lawing Realty's team win the tournament but, this year, they were also the Regular Season Champions!

In other words, Double Congratulations to the players and their coaches!

Well done!

40 Yrs in Property Management
5/31/2011
Our President, Thomas R. Lawing, Jr., celebrated 4 decades with T. R. Lawing Realty on May 31, 2011.

Tommy was the 6th employee hired by his dad in 1971. The firm now employs a staff of 46 in 3 offices and an 8-county service area.

In 1971, there were no PCs, cell phones, websites or condominiums, e-signatures or virtual offices.

Tommy earned the Certified Property Manager designation (CPM) in 1974, served as President of the Charlotte Regional Realtors Assoc (CRRA) in 1993 and the N. C. Association of Realtors (NCAR) in 1999. He has also been honored as Realtor Of The Year by both associations.

Congratulations on 40 years as a Property Manager at T. R. Lawing Realty!

300+ Fans !
5/23/2011
TR-LAWING-REALTY has 300+ fans on Facebook and this count has doubled in the last 6 weeks!

We post to our Facebook page at least once every 24 hours and receive many feedback responses.

42 Move Ins in 1 Day !
4/1/2011
On Friday, 04.01.2011, our Leasing Agents moved 42 new residents into their new homes. This included 26 move-ins at our Main Office plus 16 move-ins at our Birkdale/Huntersville Office.

This was the result of processing 197 Rental Applications during the month of March which was our busiest month since last summer.

Today, our vacancy list is as short as it has been in more than 4 years resulting in some vacancies being rented before we can put a sign in the yard or shoot a full set of photos.

40 Under 40
3/1/2011
Congratulations to Joe Rempson, CPM, CCIM, e-Pro, on being selected by the Charlotte Business Journal for the 2011 "40 Under 40" award.

This prestigious award is given to Charlotte's top young talent in recognition of their achievements and their visionary leadership.

Testimonials
1/7/2011
Over the last 6 months, we've received many notes of thanks from residents, owner/clients and others. Recently, we compiled these testimonials and added them to our blog.

See what others say about us at http://www.trlawing.com/blog/testimonials/

People On The Move
12/31/2010
Dottie Ciarrocchi, Property Manager, was featured in the "People On The Move" section of the Charlotte Business Journal today.

Name: Dottie Ciarrocchi

New Position: Property Manager, T. R. Lawing Realty Inc

Hometown: Collinsville, Ill, near St. Louis

Education: B.A., Organizational Communication, University of Central Florida, 2000.

What you like the most about your new job: Being part of a business that has been doing what they do better and longer than anyone is really great.

Thoughts on your new position: I'm very excited about the opportunity to work with the clients, customers and my co-workers. I know I have a lot to learn but I'm looking forward to all of it.

Career advice: Always strive to be irreplaceable.

First job: Hostess at Bob Evan's. My first "real job" after graduation was with Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

Personal heroes: Anyone who has sacrificed anything for my freedom.

Goal yet to be achieved: Success at T. R. Lawing and eventually raising a family with my husband, John.

Last book read: The Power of Body Language, by Tonya Reiman

Person you would most like to meet: Donald Trump

Favorite vacation spot: St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Favorite cause: My cousin, who has MS, started Team Drummond a few years ago.

Favorite Restaurant: Villa Antonio

Likes about Charlotte: People are warm and very pleasant. I love that I can be at a beach or in the mountains in just a few hours. I appreciate Southern values and think Charlotte is a great place for families.

Dislikes about Charlotte: Traffic

What you most enjoy doing in your free time: Enjoying time with my husband; time with friends and their children; traveling to my hometown and seeing my family and old friends; and exercising.

E-Signatures
12/1/2010
After approximately 3 months of testing & training, residents and clients of T. R. Lawing Realty are able to sign all of their documents more quickly, confidentially and electronically.

E-signatures eliminate fuzzy faxed copies of documents as well as the need for notarizations of out-of-state signatures. In essence, it simplifies, accelerates and tracks all the documents in the management or rental processes.

President Clinton signed the federal e-sign law in 2000 and thousands of Realtors have used online e-signature services for their listing agreements for years. Property managers are also recognizing the benefits of e-signatures and T. R. Lawing Realty is proud to be one of the first proeprty managers in the region to do the same.

DocuSign.com is the largest e-signature service in the U.S. and the preferred vendor of the National Association of Realtors.

Every property manager and leasing agent at T. R. Lawing Realty is now able to process leases, property management agreements, lead based paint disclosures, pet addendum and lease renewals through our partnership with DocuSign.

Blog !
10/1/2010
T. R. Lawing Realty launched its new blog today .... "Rental Real Talk" .... with discussions about market conditions, best practices, special deals for selected vacancies, pets, credit and much more.

Follow our blog at http://www.trlawing.com/blog

Good Neighbor Award
8/17/2010
Joe Rempson received honorable mention and was awarded $2,500 through the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Good Neighbor Award today. The award is given through NAR's official REALTOR magazine.

Rempson's service to the Charlotte community is immeasurable and his latest volunteer leadership for Realtors Care Day put him in the national spotlight. Realtors Care Day, a project of the association's Housing Opportunity Foundation, has helped 64 families over the last 2 years. The project was Rempson's vision back in 2008 and, with the help of a core committee, Rempson was event chair in 2009 and served as co-chair in 2010.

Realtors Care Day 2010 was an all-day event that assisted deserving homeowners with critical but often unaffordable exterior home repairs. The event is the largest philanthropic project of the foundation; more than 650 Realtor volunteers performed repairs on more than 30 homes in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties. The project's estimated financial impact amounted to more than $400,000 over the last 2 years.

"Joe's passion for helping others is inspirational and has been the key to the success of Realtors Care Day," says Terri Marshall, executive director of the foundation. "We are truly fortunate that Joe's committment to service extends to leadership roles within our foundation and association. He has helped guide the Realtor community's efforts to improve the lives of our neighbors."

Remspon has served as a Realtor and property manager for the past 12 years with T. R. Lawing Realty, Inc. and is graciously supported by his wife, Rachel, and three children, Avery, Cole and Ryann.

Source: Charlotte Regional Realtor Association Press Release

GRI Instructor
6/8/2010
Joe Rempson was named a permanent instructor by the N.C. Association of Realtors for its Realtors Institute during meetings in Raleigh today.

Joe continues a tradition of top property managers at T. R. Lawing Realty teaching Realtors from across North Carolina about property management. Bob Lawing taught in the GRI program for more than 20 years.

The Graduate Realtors Institute (GRI) program in North Carolina was the first in the nation and continues to be one of the highest ranked programs of its kind among the 50 state associations.

Congratulations to Joe!

Little League Champs!
6/5/2010
The team sponsored by T. R. Lawing Realty in the Myers Park Trinity Little League won its 2010 Championship!

T. R. Lawing Realty has sponsored a team in the National League (ages 9-12) for more than 50 years.

Congratulations to all of the boys as well as their coaches, Barry Thackston, Dick Brown, Barry Deel, Greg Sito and Blake Voncannon.

Well Done!

In Memory of Robert W Lawing
5/6/2010
Robert W. Lawing, 58, passed away on Thursday, May 6, after a courageous battle against cancer.

He was a second-generation Realtor, Certified Property Manager, G.R.I., one of the owners & officers of T. R. Lawing Realty for 36 years, NFL Back Judge #17 and a good friend.

Bob touched many lives through his community work with Hawthorne Lane United Methodist Church, Queen City Optimist Club, Aldersgate Retirement Community, N.C. Real Estate Education Foundation, Mint Hill Masonic Lodge and Myers Park Trinity Little League and many of his friends were present to celebrate his life earlier this month.

Bob was aware of the seriousness of his health for several months and was able to involve the entire staff in making sure his clients, residents, properties and other matters continued to be completely and professionally taken care of.

Please contact Tommy Lawing Jr (tlawing@trlawing.com) or Joe Rempson (jrempson@trlawing.com) if you have any questions about your account and/or your properties.

Thank you for the notes and words of condolence as well as your understanding.

206 Applications!
3/31/2010
T. R. Lawing Realty processed 206 Rental Applications in March 2010 ... the most number of applications we have ever processed in any March and the 2nd highest month in the company's history.

95 of these applications (or 46%) were completed & submitted electronically through our recently redesigned & secure website module.

In January 2010, we processed 185 rental applications which was the 3rd best month in the company's history and 81 of January's applications (or 43%) were submitted electronically.

Translation Services
3/30/2010
Today, we provided instantaneous, over-the-phone translation for 3 different callers, which is a new record for us.

T. R. Lawing Realty offers free, professional, confidential, accurate and immediate translation to any limited- or non-English speaking prospect, resident or client through Language Line.

Language Line, LLC is a 20 year old language resource company which provides native speakers in 170+ languages.

Any T. R. Lawing Realty staff member can instantly add a fluent translator to any phone call or in-house conversation.

100 Virtual Tours
3/10/2010
Our marketing team added the 100th active virtual tour to www.trlawing.com today and continues to shoot & produce these tours.

Virtual tours save online prospects time tracking down flyers, maps and interior photos. Online tracking shows that, on average, more than 200 prospects view one of our virtual tours before it is rented.

T. R. Lawing Realty maintains more online virtual tours of its vacancies than any other property manager in the Carolinas.

Supra lockboxes on 100% of vacancies over $800
2/22/2010
Because of so many positive comments from local Realtors, we have continued adding Supra lockboxes to more and more of our vacancies since beginning this marketing campaign last summer.

As of today, there is a Supra lockbox on every T. R. Lawing Realty vacancy over $800 per month.

This means 7,500+ local Realtors can show 149 of our vacancies without picking up a key from our offices.

Realtors showed a T. R. Lawing Realty Supra lockbox-equipped vacancy to 134 prospects in the last week.

Charlotte Business Journal
2/5/2010
T. R. Lawing Realty was featured in the "Big Ideas" column of the Charlotte Business Journal today.

REALTY FIRM PUTTING TECHNOLOGY TO WORK

Tommy Lawing is a 35-year veteran of the property management sector. But he believes a successful business should mix experience with new ideas.

Lawing is president of T. R. Lawing Realty. The firm recently initiated an overhaul of its web site and launched its first foray into social media.

Was it a difficult decision to make a major investment in the middle of a recession?

Absolutely not. We're always looking for ways to create differentiation and competitive advantage. Today, we can draft rents from hundreds of residents' accounts with one keystroke. We can upload a vacancy to one website and simultaneously duplicate that listing on a whole family of sites.

www.trlawing.com saves us at least 10 minutes for every rental prospect because the prospect can sort through all of our vacancies and related information until there are just two or three that he/she desires our help with. Since more than 300 prospects contact us every day, technology ultimately saves us money.

What new online features are boosting your business?

For more than a decade, our website has been the centerpiece of our marketing efforts. To someone looking for a new rental home, it functions much like a mini-MLS. 100% of our geo-coded vacancies are online, along with virtual tours, neighborhood demographics, real-time mapping, the ability to compare our other vacancies and a completely rewritten and secure rental application. In short, our new site means we're always open.

Are you using Facebook or Twitter to build your business? Is it effective?

We only established a presence on social media sites in the last 3 months so the honest answer is that we don't know how or when it will be effective. But, in any event, we're always excited about the possibilities of tomorrow's technologies.

by Adam O'Daniel, Staff Writer

The Charlotte Business Journal (c)

44 States & 19 Countries
1/29/2010
Our clients cover the globe!

This month, we sent monthly statements to owner-clients in 44 states, 19 foreign countries, the District of Columbia and overseas military locations served through APO & AE addresses.

From Arizona to Australia, Connecticut to China, Georgia to Great Britain and Kansas to Kuwait, our owner-clients always know the status of their investment property as well as receiving a detailed statement and check every 30 days.

E-Checks for Owners
1/4/2010
T. R. Lawing Realty now offers 2 easy, fast, electronic ways for our owner-clients to add funds to their accounts, such as for vacancy or emergency repairs.

Owner-clients can transmit secure payments via an electronic check or their MasterCard or VISA credit card.

New Website
12/16/2009
A 4th generation of our award-winning website "went live" today. www.trlawing.com was first launched in September 1996 and is an integral part of our marketing and resident services.

2009 CRRA Chair Of The Year
12/11/2009
Donna Anderson, President of The Charlotte Regional Realtors Assoc, recognized JOE REMPSON as the 2009 Committee Chair Of The Year at its Annual Holiday Party today. Joe envisioned, organized and chaired the 2009 Realtors Care Day, a service project of the Housing Opportunity Foundation.