Author Archives: jmullis

Knowing what to do in the event of severe weather is something that we should all think about on a sunny day and not when the skies begin to darken.  

 Before the storm:

• Assemble a kit of essentials, like battery-operated flashlights and radios. Keep a list of emergency phone numbers that includes the electric utility. Be prepared for the possibility of a prolonged outage due to power line and electric equipment damage.
• Fill spare containers with water for washing, and keep a supply of bottled drinking water on hand. Maintain a supply of non-perishable food items, along with a hand opener for canned food.
• During an outage, switch off lights and appliances to prevent overloading circuits and damaging appliances when power is restored. Leave one lamp or switch on as a signal for when your power returns.
• Be sure to tune into your local weather station if you suspect severe weather is brewing. Understand the National Weather Service warning classification system. A tornado or severe storm watch means that conditions are favorable for those weather conditions forming. A warning means that dangerous weather conditions are developing and imminent.
• Consider having Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) professionally installed or purchasing a portable GFCI. GFCIs can cut off power if there is a problem and are recommended for outdoor outlets and areas of the home that are prone to water exposure such as basements, bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, etc.
• Lightning can travel up to ten miles away from a storm, so seek shelter as soon as you hear thunder.

After the storm:

• When venturing outside after a severe storm, stay away from downed power lines and be alert to the possibility that tree limbs or debris may hide an electrical hazard. Assume that any dangling wires you encounter are electrical, and treat all downed or hanging power lines as if they are energized. Warn others to stay away and contact the electric utility.
• If you are driving and come upon a downed power line, stay in your vehicle, warn others to stay away and contact emergency personnel or electric utility. Also when driving, be careful at intersections where traffic lights may be out. Stop at all railroad crossings, and treat road intersections with traffic signals as a four-way stop before proceeding with caution.
• Before re-entering storm-damaged buildings or rooms, be sure all electric and gas services are turned off. Never attempt to turn off power at the breaker box if you must stand in water to do so. If you can’t reach your breaker box safely, call your electric utility to shut off power at the meter.
• Never step into a flooded basement or other area if water is covering electrical outlets, appliances or cords. Be alert to any electrical equipment that could be energized and in contact with water. Never touch electrical appliances, cords or wires while you are wet or standing in water.
• Cleaning up and using water-damaged appliances also carry safety risks. Electric motors in appliances that have been drenched or submerged should be thoroughly cleaned and reconditioned before they are put back into service. It may be necessary to repair or replace electrical appliances or tools that have been in contact with water. Do not use any water-damaged appliance until a professional has checked it out.
• When using a generator, follow all manufacturers’ recommendations to avoid tragedy. Keep the generator dry and never plug it into a wall outlet or directly into the home’s wiring. This could inadvertently energize the utility lines and injure yourself or others working to restore power.

(Source: Safeelectricity.org)

How useful are online reviews to you?  That is the question that we seem to be asking ourselves today. The internet and social media go virtually hand in hand.     Type in any subject and you will find several websites that pertain to it.  Anyone can say anything without anything to back it up and we take it at face value.  So, how useful are online reviews to you?

If I am planning a vacation, where I lay my head is VERY important to me since I require an overly clean and comfortable room with nice people to check me in at an affordable price.  I rely on others experiences to let me know if I am getting a good deal and if I will walk away happy.   I do my research which is probably why my family never knows where they are going to be staying until we actually check-in.  At any rate, the things I am looking for when considering an online review are this:

• When was the review written?  If an unhappy customer wrote something in 2005 about the stormy night the power went out, then I will dismiss it. If an unhappy customer wrote a negative review last week, then I will pay a little bit more attention.
• How valid is the actual content? If you were angry enough to go out there and write your feelings down for all the world to see, please articulate what it is that made you upset.  Things like “worst place ever, do not stay there” are completely not useful to me.  Why is it the worst place ever and why should I not stay there?  No explanation to your random rating and review just makes you a bitter person in my book.
• Are there good reviews? I wasn’t born yesterday; I can tell when a place pads their online reviews.   Too many good reviews are not sincere to me. Let’s face it, we are stressed out humans and honestly,  if I am made blissfully happy, I am content and  I am not going to leave my happy place to write a Google review during or even after my experience and I don’t think I am alone here.  Consider no news from me, good news for your business.  However, disgruntle me and…..
• Did the company resolve the conflict? If the manager responds to all of the reviews to at least offer their side of the story or even thank those (that are more considerate than me) who give a glowing review, it says a lot about that business.  It means they are willing to learn from their customers and not get stuck in the old saying, “well, that’s how we’ve always done business.”  Customers will change and businesses need to adapt to these changes, even if that means responding to reviews that don’t make any sense.  It definitely makes the people working there human beings with actual feelings.

People can get pretty mean out there on the internet.  It is the perfect place to vent with very little consequence.  Make sure you are willing to read through both the good and the bad or better yet, just give them a call.  A “live” person will beat an anonymous internet review any day.

I recently asked one of my co-workers in our maintenance department if there was anything that she wished she could say to residents.  After a moment and one devilish grin, she simply stated that she wish she could tell residents to change their air filters. Warmer temperatures have us turning on our air conditioning for the first time this season and the calls have already started pouring in from residents saying that their air conditioning is  not working properly. On several different calls, maintenance techs  find that  the problem turned out to be a dirty air filter which usually results in  the tenant being charged for the service call and a brand new air filter. Air conditioning units are the biggest luxury item we have in our home and they are also our biggest source of energy consumption. Understanding their need for proper maintenance will not only save on costly repair bills but will also save you money on your next power bill.

Central air conditioning units have a part that is called an evaporator. The evaporator’s job is to absorb heat from the inside of our home and relies on the condenser to reject the heat coming from outside. This is how we get that nice cold air. If the evaporator’s coils are dirty, that dirt or dust will act as insulation around the coil and will essentially prevent the evaporator from doing its job. There is also a part on the air conditioner called a compressor. Damage to the compressor, due to poor maintenance, is very bad and very expensive to repair. Simply put, change your air filters. They will prevent all this bad stuff from happening and will keep you nice and cool all summer long. Here is a tip: every time you pay your power bill, replace your air filter.

According to the EPA, most people spend about 90% of their time indoors and your indoor air quality is actually more polluted than the outdoor air quality. There are many different options for air filters out there and they come at many different price levels. For me, I have a $20 air filter that filters everything from dust mites, pollen, pet hair, mold spores and viruses. However, our maintenance techs recommend that your purchase the thinnest, cheapest air filter you can find and just change it monthly. The reason is that the more expensive, longer lasting filters can sometimes be too thick and  actually prevent proper air flow, which in turn, will leave your home warmer. If you need to get rid of other pollutants such as pollen and mold, consider purchasing an air purifier instead of an expensive filter.

Remember, your A/C unit is your most valuable appliance during the hot days of summer. With a little extra attention, you will stay cool and hopefully save a little money before the end of the summer.

Stay Cool!!!

Three property managers at T.R. Lawing have earned the highest designation available from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM^®).  The Certified Property Manager (CPM^®) title was conferred upon Brenda Armstrong, Sallie Myrick and Kori Wing last month at a local IREM meeting.

 The CPM is recognized as the highest level of coursework for real estate managers, making its honorees experts on all aspects of property management including industry trends and issues. They must meet stringent standards in the areas of education, examination, management plan, ethics and experience. 

It is the only real estate management credential covering all asset classes: residential, commercial, retail, and industrial.  

 “What makes the CPM coursework so demanding is that the students are learning asset management, rather than just facilities management,” explains Nellie Donovan, Marketing Analysis Manager, Institute of Real Estate Management.

 “It is extremely comprehensive on the financial side, and our members are held to a code of ethics, so when a property manager earns their CPM, their clients can be sure the property managers they are working with are the very best in the business,” she adds.

 There are an estimated 350,000 property managers in the Unites States according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of these a mere 2% or 7,500 have earned the CPM designation.

The CPM imparts the recipient with credibility, respect, and industry recognition.  Approximately 70% of those who earn the CPM designation hold the highest management positions over those without the designation.  

T.R. Lawing’s new CPMs are:

Brenda Armstrong, a Realtor®/Broker with more than 12 years of experience in real estate sales and property management. She is the Property Manager & Broker in Charge of the Birkdale/Lake Norman office for T.R. Lawing Realty, Inc.  Since joining the company in February 2005, she has been an active volunteer and has served in vital leadership roles with the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association and the Housing Opportunity Foundation. Brenda is a graduate of the Foundation’s Workforce Housing Certificate Program and the association’s 2007 Leadership Development Program.  She carries GRI (Graduate Realtors Institute) and SFR (Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource) designations. 

Sallie Myrick has been a professional residential property manager with T.R. Lawing Realty for six years and has managed single family, multifamily complexes and condominium associations for more than ten years in the Charlotte market. She currently holds North Carolina and South Carolina Real Estate Broker licenses. Professional designations include membership in local, state and the national Realtor Associations and holder of the e-PRO designation awarded by the National Association of Realtors.

Kori Wing started her real estate career as a sales agent specializing in equestrian estates and land in the Charlotte Metro area. After two years as a salesperson, Wing joined TR Lawing Realty, Inc. and has been with the company for more than six years. Her current portfolio consists of a variety of single family homes, condominiums, and office condominium associations in the Charlotte area.  Wing said the CPM classes offered her the opportunity to speak with a number of property manager from across the country. “I realized how fortunate we are in Charlotte.  We still have companies moving into and thriving in the area, which makes our rental portfolio remain strong.” 

T.R. Lawing Realty is a full service property management company, based in Charlotte, N.C., serving Mecklenburg and the surrounding counties.  A family-owned company, T.R. Lawing has specialized in managing and leasing rental homes in Charlotte and beyond for more than 50 years.  The company serves individual owners and renters from its Charlotte offices in Elizabeth, Birkdale/Lake Norman and Providence/485.  To learn more, go to: www.trlawing.com.    

Peggy Malabuyoc, Sallie Myrick, Dottie Ciarrocchi and Carpenter, David Helms

On April 20, 2012, area Realtors® from the Charlotte area gathered and assisted 23 area families with exterior home repairs and safety modifications during the 2012 Realtors® Care Day. 

T. R. Lawing has been a proud sponsor of Realtors® Care Day and this year was no exception.  Thank you to our Realtors® who gave a day of their time to help so many:  Brenda Armstrong, Joe Rempson, Kori Wing, Peggy Malabuyoc, Dottie Ciarrocchi, Ted Gantt, Sallie Myrick, and David Helms – Carpenter.

You know that Charlotte can be a bit confusing to drive around, whether you have lived here all your life or you have just gotten into town. You have to appreciate the sense of humor that city planners must have had to create streets that have multiple name changes or intersections with the same street name.

In Myer’s Park, regarded as the most confusing intersection in town is the Queens Road/Queens Road and Providence Road/Providence Road intersection. Here is how it works: You are traveling uptown (not downtown, we go up) on Providence Road and you wish to continue on Providence Road (which will eventually turn into 3rd Street and it is NC Hwy 16 – but that’s another story), you must turn right onto Providence Road instead of going straight through the intersection which will become Queens Road. Got it? Ok, I will try a different direction. If you are traveling uptown on Queens Road, you must turn left to continue on Queens Road and then before it has a chance to turn into Morehead you must turn right on Queens Road but that will end when it turns into Hawthorne Lane. No wonder we all crash into each other in the morning.

Another great intersection is Sardis Road and Sardis Road. Traveling into town on Sardis Rd, you must turn left onto Sardis Road but that only half of the story, Sardis Road is also part of a long stretch of road that comes in from Mint Hill known as Idlewild/Rama/Sardis/Fairview/Tyvola Road. Seriously, I am not making this up!

Here’s the deal. A few years back (that’s southern for I have no idea how long ago) a lot of historic roads had to be spliced together to make major arteries and thoroughfares in Charlotte due to all the growth in the area. Once city planners began to reconfigure the roads to make long continuous arteries they decided to retain the original names when possible so as not to lose the historical aspect (this is why you see so many names a long stretch of road). At one time those were all individual communities and not part of the greater city of Charlotte when Charlotte’s city limits ended at about the South Park Mall area.

So there you have it folks! The next time you get some silly directions like, “OK just take Eastway until it becomes Wendover and just stay straight on Sharon which will then become Quail Hollow…”, know that you are not going crazy; we just planned it that way.

Happy driving everyone!

Late yesterday afternoon, I had a couple of minutes before that five o’clock whistle, so of course I checked Facebook as opposed to squeezing one more little task in before the end of the day.  As with most news, I found out the big headline of the day via a friend’s status update.  There it was; RIP Dick Clark.  My heart sank just a little. I wasn’t surprised (he was 82 years old and had suffered a major stroke in 2004), but I was still saddened.  Death eludes no one, not even celebrities.  However, Dick Clark wasn’t just a celebrity.  He was something much bigger than that.

A legend is defined as someone that inspires legend or achieves legendary fame.  It is derived from the Latin word, legenda, which means “for reading or to be read.”  A legend is a story that is told from generation to generation.  Dick Clark definitely fits that description because his “story” has been lived out on our nation’s TV screens since 1956.  He showed our nation what music to listen to and how to dance to them; and we always had something to do on New Year’s Eve.  He became a media mogul whose influence can still be seen today in shows like American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance.  I am not even sure that we would be gathering around our TV sets on Monday nights to watch celebrities try to ballroom dance if it hadn’t been for a simple, local TV show with impeccable timing in 1952. As Baby Boomers were entering their teen years and TV & Rock-n-Roll were brand new, American Bandstand began what would be a 37 year run and have a major impact on music, dance and the lifestyles of teenagers around the country.  Even today, listening to Barry Manilow’s rendition of Bandstand Boogie makes me smile and remember simpler times when the weight and worries of adulthood were unknown.   So, do we define Dick Clark as simply a legend?

After I broke the news to some co-workers of Dick Clark’s death, one of my younger co-workers said, “Dick Clark was the Ryan Seacrest of his time.”  Obviously, this created a reaction because Dick Clark IS why people like Ryan Seacrest and Carson Daly are who they are today and they would even admit the impact he had on their careers and lives.  Last night, Ryan Seacrest called Dick Clark his idol growing up as a child.  He studied him and wanted to do just what he did when he grew up.  Not only did he do that, but Ryan had the pleasure of working with Dick Clark on New Year’s Eve for the past 6 years.  Ryan Seacrest stated that there was “nobody like Dick Clark” and I suspect there never truly will be.  So again, is Dick Clark a legend or is he an icon of 20^th Century America?

An icon is defined as someone or something that represents something specifically.  For example, Elvis Pressley is the “King of Rock-n-Roll” and Michael Jackson is the “King of Pop”.  Both have passed away and though grammatically I really should use the word “was”, even in death they are undeniably icons for their influence in their respective music genres.  Elvis will always symbolize rock-n-roll and cementing it into our musical culture. He didn’t come up with it, but he did explode its popularity.  The same could be said for Michael Jackson and pop music.  So is Dick Clark the “King of Media?”

I suspect the debate between TV legend and TV icon will continue in the days to come, but for me the man who influenced multi-generations and inspired a nation with his youthful good looks and enthusiasm, earning him the title of “America’s Oldest Teenager”, Dick Clark will always be an icon in the storyboard of my childhood and maybe even life.

Dick Clark, you always had a good beat and you were always easy to dance to.  I give you a 98!

It’s that time of year when we open up our windows and let the warm fresh air into our homes. It’s also that time of year when we clean out our closets and de-clutter. So if your home is beginning to look like an episode of “Hoarders”, pay attention!!!

The 4 Container Method

Using 4 large containers, put them into the following 4 categories:

• Trash – Be honest, you have no idea how to repair whatever it is you broke 6 months ago. You have gone this long without it, you don’t need it and you can’t sell it, so THROW IT AWAY!!!! You will be surprised how much trash we actually keep in our homes. Trust me, you will feel liberated.
• Give Away or Sell – By combining these two categories together, you can be a bit more discerning about what you give away to charity. If you can’t sell, don’t donate it.  Also, if you choose to hold a yard sale, your charitable donation can go way beyond Goodwill or The Salvation Army. You know you have wanted to give money to those sad little dogs and cats on TV. A yard sale is a great way to raise some money for your special cause.
• Store – Really! It’s time to put those Christmas decorations away. Anything that you only use seasonally should be stored in well-marked containers that you can easily access and put away without ripping your attic apart.
• Keep - This container should have the least amount of things at the end of your Spring Cleaning. If not, please refer to the three other categories again, because you didn’t do it right. Keep only the things that you use on a regular basis and make sure that it has place in your home where it can be properly stored. It is not allowed back on the kitchen counter again.

Happy cleaning everyone!!!

It’s prom season, again!  Time for that annual rite of passage where area teens dress up, crowd local eateries and stay up into the wee hours of the night at various after prom parties. 

Over the past few years, I have noticed that prom has become more and more elaborate in terms of  costs and in how it is treated.  For instance, last year a youth in my church was trying to figure out his “proposal” for the girl he wanted to ask to go his senior prom.  I looked at him bewildered because “proposal?”  Personally, one of my best friends in high school raised his head off his desk during his English class nap and said, “Why don’t we just go to prom?”  That was enough for me, but now you have to have an elaborate and sometimes very public display to get a girl to go the prom (Note:  Overpass signs are soooooo, yesterday).  In fact, I know of a girl who has turned down not 1, not 2 but 3 different prom proposals because they weren’t good enough.  What?!

Yesterday, an article came out in USA Today that said the national average prom cost is up this year to $1,078 per couple.  I will break that cost down for you later, but that seems a little pricey for a dance where nobody would dance, a fancy French dinner nobody would eat and a ride around the city in a limo.  But considering where we are from, there isn’t any reason why we wouldn’t do it up big.  In fact, in the Northeast and in the South, the average prom couple will spend between $1,000 and $2,000 on their big night.  If you live in the West or Midwest, that number is only $700.  Lower incomes will spend more than the national average (around $2,600) and higher incomes will spend less.  Peer pressure to one up the other guy drives how much people will spend because for today’s celebrity influenced teens, appearance is everything.  This IS a teen girl’s Cinderella or “red carpet” moment and if that means you spend beyond your means to accomplish it, so be it.

This year my son is a junior in high school.  As we were getting closer to Spring Break, I began to wonder about his prom.  He hadn’t said a thing about going and what he could do to pay for it.  When I pressed him about it, he said, “It just seems a bit expensive for a dance, it’s not like it is my Senior Year. Besides, why strain the family budget?  We have college to pay for!” I see his point but at the same time, I would love to see him all decked out in a tux too.  Shame on me for raising such a thoughtful kid. 

Recently, there have been a lot of changes in my life that to say the least have been stressful.  I am the first to admit that I do not like being caught off guard or having to make a complete 180 degree turn.  Change for me is the enemy.  This of course leads me to ask the question, “Why are people so resistant to change?” 

Interestingly enough nature changes all the time, but humans have a little more difficulty with change.  Let’s take the recent changes going on at Facebook (I know, again!).  First, at the end of March, Facebook required all users to switch to Timelime.  If you had not made the conscious decision to get Timeline prior to March 30^th, you all of a sudden had it and you hated it. Mainly because you couldn’t find ANYTHING!  Also, everything is now getting documented whether it is what you read or the pictures you were viewing or even what you were listening to was all now appearing in your feed and viewable in the feeds of others.  Another small bit of your privacy while doing something  in your free time was gone.  So when news reports came out about Instagram being purchased by Facebook, fans of Instagram revolted for basically the same reasons.  The perception that the privacy of this little online community and the rights of the pictures would be stripped away.  (By the way, did anyone under say 30 really care about Instagram until it appeared in the news the other day? I know I didn’t but of course, now I have downloaded it and love it – Facebook, please don’t change it!)

According to a report from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, people are resistant to change for several reasons:

• The reason for change was unclear.
• Changes are made without consulting those that are directly affected.
• Communications about any changes were insufficient.
• When the benefit or reward resulting from any changes are not seen as worth the trouble.

“An unwilling user can always make an idea fail, no matter how good it is.” 

An unwilling user can always cause a good idea to fail. Interesting observation because personally, I like the new Facebook Timeline, but I was one of the few that got it when it was still in its Beta testing stage.  I was a willing user!  When everyone started posting panoramic cover photos and I noticed what everyone was listening to on Spotify, I wasn’t as concerned that I had to learn new things.  I welcomed the change.  Many of my “friends” are having a harder time because as long as they are unwilling users they will continue to reluctantly figure out how to adapt in the ever changing world of Facebook over and over and over again.  But where does the cycle end?  Simple.  By using a more positive approach to change (take note Mr. Zuckerberg).  By thinking ahead, communicating and seeing the other side of things sometimes, changes don’t have to be so hard to implement.