PropertyManagementMaven: January 2010

If you haven't had the gas valves and water valves on your property inspected and tested in the past 12 months, now might be a good time to do it.

Water and gas valves need to be used in order to keep them working, to make sure they don't become frozen from rust, corrosion, or mineral accumulation from the public water supply.

When valves are not used on a regular basis, they tend to fail at that exact time when they are needed most. San Diego Gas & Electric, as well as local plumbers, recommend that gas and water valves be inspected and tested at least once every twelve months, and I cannot summarily dismiss their recommendations.

Here is a list of locations where you should find gas valves in your home:

• kitchen range/oven/cook top
• dryer
• water heater
• heating systems (furnace, wall heater, floor heater)
• gas meter (main valve)
• gas fireplace

Here is a list of places where you should find water valves in your home:

• sinks
• toilets
• street curb or garage (main valve)
• sides of buildings, garage, or under houses with raised foundations (secondary valves and irrigation valves)
• washer
• water heater

Home inspectors won't turn valves on during an inspection because they don't know why the valves were shut off, so turning them on could result in injury or propery damage.

If you haven't had the gas valves and water valves on your property inspected and tested in the past 12 months, now might be a good time to do it.

 

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Twenty most recent posts

1. Please help me welcome Daren Wright to our ActiveRain community
2. Remodeling ingenuity at its finest
3. 2010 San Diego Cat Show
4. Your home could be a health hazard and a fire hazard!
5. I just couldn't take any more of Zoey the Cool Cat
6. An inexpensive way to get those macro photographs
7. Grading, ground clearance, and watering really are important
8. Some assistants are simply better than others!
9. Using different camera lenses and diopters at a cat show
10. Our homes are flooded!
11. Do you walk on the roof?
12. I might be bald, but I'm still majestic
13. Bigger is not always better
14. Dream on! Tropical landscaping on a waterwise budget
15. How to walk through glass and survive with just injured pride
16. And now, your local San Diego weather....
17. It's raining, it's pouring, I'll get to do some snoring....
18. Just because it's been raining for four days doesn't mean the drought is over
19. Not a single snake out in the boondocks, but I found these!
20. Just because it slithers doesn't mean it's bad

My Favorite ActiveRain TV Stations

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RUSH: I penned a message to Obama that I would like to deliver now. Because Mr. Obama, I think it's time we had a heart to heart talk. Let me be the father that you never had or never really knew, because I think you need some guidance. It's time to man up. It's time to grow up. That speech last night was an embarrassment. You couldn't focus, you lashed out in all directions, you refused to accept responsibility for your own actions, and you were angry.

And he was, folks! He was mad. Being president is a big job. It's a big responsibility. You wanted the position, Barack. You campaigned for it. You told the public to trust you with it, and they elected you -- and you're now president of the greatest country mankind has ever known, and yet you act like this was all coming to you, like you deserve it, that you're better than the people you are supposed to serve and that you have no tolerance for debate or dissent. That's not the way it works as president, Barack. We have a Constitution, we have checks and balances, we have separation of powers, we have states -- and most of all, we have the people. You don't get to impose your programs and policies on the nation and the people without our consent.

This is a representative republic, not a banana republic, and let me remind you: Karl Marx and Saul Alinsky are not our Founding Fathers. This is a nation built on individuality, built on liberty, free markets, and faith. Yet you, Barack, demand fidelity to a different belief system: A system that crushes individual initiative and free will. The president does not berate Supreme Court justices who are guests of the Congress and who have no ability to respond to your attacks. You've made such a mess of things, Barack, and it's time to stop deluding yourself. It's time to stop blaming others. You are delusional. You are delirious. It's time for you to assume the responsibilities of a president rather than pretending to be one.

You've driven the nation's debt over the edge. It is your responsibility to fix it now. Otherwise, our young people will have no future. You were wrong to grant terrorists constitutional rights. Even the libs in New York don't want the trial there now! You, Mr. President, are endangering the security of this nation. Now fix it! Reverse course, and end the terrorists -- all of them -- back to Guantanamo Bay, where they belong. You are wrong to nationalize one industry after another from automobiles to banks. You are destroying competition and jobs. You need to stop what you were doing before million of more families go broke from your misguided policies. It's not too late to stop this. I know you're not going to stop it because last night you said you don't quit, and I know what you mean.

You're gonna keep plugging for the same agenda, which is going to destroy this country even more -- which makes me think, Barack, that's your objective. You know, Barack, unlike most presidents you're dealing with a Congress that has super majorities in both houses, fellow Democrats. It amazes me that with all the talk about your ability to persuade and communicate, that you can't even hold your own party members together anymore. Is that Bush's fault, too? Is it is fault of the banks and the insurance companies and the lobbyists that you can't keep your own Democrat Party unified -- or is it a problem with your leadership, Barack, or lack of leadership? It's the latter, Mr. President. I'll tell you, you are not a leader. You are an agitator and an organizer, and a process guy, but you are not a leader. It is you who are doing something wrong.

The people in Virginia don't like it. The people in New Jersey don't like it. The people in Massachusetts don't like it. The people in Massachusetts and all over the country have the ability to inform themselves outside of your sycophant press corps, and they are doing so. Members of your own governing majority don't like what you are doing. I mean, this calls for some self-reflection and some circumspection. Has it occurred to you, Mr. President, even once that you're not as cool as you think you are? Has it occurred to you that you are screwing up? And if it has, are you happy about that? Has it occurred to you that you have a great deal to learn and that you need to take your own measure, or are you Mr. Perfect? Are you God-sent?

Are you The One that you've been waiting for? See, I have a little concern there may be a psychological issue at play here. I don't say this to demean you, Barack. I say it because I'm concerned. I mean, Tom Daschle was always "concerned" and I like the word. I'm concerned. You seem to have a whole lot of enemies, at least in your own mind. A partial list would include Fox News, insurance companies, banks, oil companies, the "special interests," the Supreme Court, Republicans, talk show hosts, executives, anyone or any business that earns over $250,000 a year, mortgage companies, credit card companies -- and the list goes on and on and on. You have the longest enemies list of anybody I've ever known.

These people are not your enemies, though, Barack. They are Americans. They are part of this country. They are part of what makes the nation work. You are not. You have nothing to do, and have had nothing to do, with this nation's greatness. You can't lay claim to greatness on any scale, not even rhetorical. But you have no direct relationship to the greatness of this country. You are damaging the possibility of further greatness. Nevertheless, like a bully, you continue to threaten all of these people. The Supreme Court, Big Oil, Big Pharmaceutical, Big Retail, talk show hosts, Fox News, the list goes on. You threaten anybody who does not agree with you. You try to intimidate them. You smear them. Your sycophantic media goes right along and carries your water. But this is not what presidents do.

You're supposed to lead not by threatening people but by encouraging them, by embracing them, by thanking them, by inspiring them. Most of all you don't seem to appreciate the magnificence of this nation! I know you don't. The way you've been educated about this country it's painfully obvious. You think this country is guilty, period. Guilty and unjust. You seem to think this country needs to be torn down so you can rebuild it. But you were elected to be president, not some kind of dictator. You must operate within the confines of the Constitution. You are not bigger than the law, and you are not bigger than the people. You were elected to serve the people, not dictate to them. Anyway, I'm sure this little lecture will not do you much good, particularly given the spectacle of your speech last night. You really are full of yourself. But I truly hope that this little talk does do you some good down the way, because something is going to have to change in you or we are doomed for at least the next three years.




END TRANSCRIPT

OK  Boys & Girls!  It's almost time.  We can hear the roar of Daytona, can't wait to see a silly SpeedTV personality doing something stupid on the lake,  and it's almost time to pull those belts tight one more time.....It's time to think about NASCAR..... during the OFF SEASON some fun things happened...

 Jimmie and Chandra Johnson announced they will have their first baby this summer. Jimmie was injured in a mishap during practice for the 24 Rolex race at Daytona

The Carl Edwards will have a baby in February

Denny Hamlin injured his ACL during a charity basket ball game last week

Jamie McMurray will be in the #1 Bass ProShop Chevy for DEI and back working with Chip Ganassi

Elliott Sadler and his wife expect a baby boy and Elliott will drive the #2 Truck for KHI

And we can't forget, Danica Patrick will be racing for JR Motor Sports in the Nationwide series GoDaddy #7 Chevrolet

And YES * there is a GROUP just for you  http://activerain.com/groups/nascarnation

A dollar saved is a dollar earned. Who hasn't heard that? It couldn't be more applicable as when you are talking about your San Diego CA income property. Be it 2 units or 200 units, high property maintenance costs can cut into your bottom line, thus reducing or even eliminating your "cash flow". The 7 following ways have proven to curb property maintenance costs in your San Diego CA income property:

1.Review Insurance Policies:
Annual review with your insurance provider for your San Diego CA income property can save you a bundle. And better still get quotes from other insurance companies. My property insurance company offers me a discount if I add my auto and homeowners to the policy. 10% is not a fortune but over the years it adds up.

2. Buy Low-Maintenance Properties.
Always prefer properties that are constructed with materials and fixtures that require less maintenance and are built to last with minimal care. That lovely fountain, manicured lawn and non-native plantings may require more time and effort than you care to give. After all, tenants don't really care if the flowers are high upkeep roses or wild native daisies.

3.Require Strict Tenant Policies:
This may be the single best way to avoid disasters. Tenants can be "high and low" maintenance, and you know which ones you need to avoid. Tenants that demonstrate personal responsibility will save you on repairs, cleaning, maintenance and wear-and-tear (think clogged drains). I have lived in my house for 5 years now and have never once had a stopped up toilet, i.e. toilets don't just break by themselves.


4. Impose Sound Repair Clauses
A great way to promote responsibility is to shift the first $50 of every repair cost onto the tenant. You may never again see a beer tab in a disposal or a child's toy in the gutter. (this really happened).

5.Recruit a Handyman
I just lost the best handyman at my San Diego CA income property! Jake was one of my tenants for 3 years and moved out of the area. I cannot begin to tell you that those were the best years of my life **sigh**. Building a relationship with a person(s) you can depend upon and trust is key.  Jake was great at plumbing and painting. He did all the "move-outs" and was always available for an emergency.Electricity was not his thing, so I developed another relationship with Ken, a skillful electrician. It basically boils down to this: an e-mail or phone call a few times a month and you can manage almost any property if you have a network of dependable handymen.

6. Don't Overlook the Small Stuff
Washers/Dryers are a source of additional income for landlords. There are some options: leasing the machines and having a company collect the money, and sending you a check every month. Owning the machines and collecting the money yourself. I prefer leasing: it may cost a little more but I do not have to respond to a 10 pm call for a broken machine, since the leasing company does all the repairs AND upgrades the equipment. If there is no laundry on the premises you lower your potential monthly rent  and appeal to tenants who don't think doing laundry is all that important. (no comment).

7.Sustain Preventive Maintenance
Apply the same principles to your income property that you would to your car. Annual "snaking of drains", recaulking bathtubs, checking elbow pipes under sinks for leaks every few months. I always send out an e-mail blast to my tenants after a rainstorm and request them to look at ceilings, walls and around windows for moisture or stains.

Collecting rents is only part of the equation. Keeping an eye on repair costs can increase your bottom line and create a solid investment. Contact me today! I will find you a great first time investment property.

Deborah A. Stone, Realtor
Integrity-Solutions-Results
Realty Source-Bankers Hill
San Diego, CA

"Representing clients with the experience of an investor"

It's not my Mother's NASCAR anymore!

Ranked #11, Dale Earnhardt, Jr (JR to announcers and his fans are known as Junior Nation)  may be struggling on the track since joining Hendrick Motor Sports; however, he is not OUT of the $$$.  He is NASCAR's most popular drive and earned a total of  $26,611,290 from racing and endorseents  in 2009  * $4,611,290 from racing and $22,000,000 in endorsements.

Likewise, according to Sport’s Illustrated’s Fortunate 50, a list of the 50 highest paid American sports stars, Jr's HMS team mate and co- owner of the #48 car driven to 4 consecutive CUP Champtionships,  FOUR time  Cup Champion Jeff Gordon is ranked #21 winning $5,944,140 from race winnings and $15,000,000 in endorsements.most popular driver banked $26,611,290 in 2009. That’s $4,611,290 from salary and winnings and $22,000,000 from endorsements.

Enhance Your Business Listing - Rank Higher and More Often

Having your Local Business Listed on the web is important for its future survival.  Claiming your listing will help give you more control over how the search engines index you and will also help prevent spammers from hijacking it.  There's also a good chance it could improve your search engine rankings and deliver your Company increased traffic.

GetListed.org has some tools and information to help you get your Business noticed on the WEB and by the searching consumer.  GetListed checks the most popular and commonly used search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN Bing, and Best of the Web, to see how your Business rates and ranks in a variety of ways. 

Get a listing score or percentage based on your Business listing or Company name. Your "listing score" is a number that ranges from 0-100 that approximates how effectively your business is taking advantage of free listings at the major search engines.  Claim your Business Listing on the major search engines, it's the easiest and yet most over-looked detail by many Local Businesses today. 

DON'T JUST HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON ON THIS ALARM!

In the process of consulting a client on how to get more exposure for their Company and Local Business on the Web, this is what we discovered.  You can see below why I am sharing this with you today, and why it is so important.  No matter how large or small your Company, you need to be registered and "LISTED" with these search engines. 

It's FREE, and your efforts could make a huge difference for your Local Business.

DO YOU WORK HARD GROWING AND PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS?

GetListed.org has Local Marketing Advice, Advanced tips, and News for marketing your business.

• Why Local Search Is So Important
  Over 10 billion unique searches are performed each month, and that's just in the United States! See why listing your business online is so important.  Learn More »
  

• Why Citations Are Important to Your Local Business Listings
  Citations are defined as "mentions" of your business name and address on other webpages, even if there is no link to your website. Find out why they matter in Local Search.  Learn More »

• Managing & Improving Your Business's Reputation Online
  In this article, they recap the advice of a number of prominent Local Search Experts about the importance of paying attention to, and even encouraging, customer reviews of your business online.  Learn More »

NOTE: There are many other search engines on the web, not quite as popular, but here's a quick list if you're interested.

Understanding the importance of "why you are doing the things you're doing" in today's "Staying In Business" model, should help to motivate you in getting these certain tasks done.  I find it very beneficial when others that have learned by "Trial & Error" take the time to share their experiences.  We can all learn from each others mistakes, I trust that will be the case here today.

(Imagine the potential of sharing this info with other local businesses you wish to connect or build a relationship with)

Do your Local Business a favor, take the next 10 seconds to run your Company name and Zip Code.  Then take 10-15 minutes and List your Local Business in each of the Top Search engines, this will help to "Enhance Your Business Listing & Rank Higher and More Often."

"RainMaker" Special - Signup Here for New Member Discount
Visit RainCamp™ - "Because The Way We Do Business Has Changed!"

Using Online Press Releases to Get Top Spots in Google FAST!  

SEO Marketing Tips - Using Online Press Releases to Get
 First Page Rankings in Google in 24 Hours or Less! 

Check out this video I did showing some Press Releases I have done that rank high in Google
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxyR_NVJnDk

There are a lot of ways nowadays to get traffic from the internet and search engines. If you have read my blog you know that I have been pushing Google Business Directory Listings, Google Websites, Profile Pages etc....but perhaps nothing brings in faster results than submitting Online Press Releases.

Online Press Releases can get first page search engine rankings within as little as 15 minutes up to 24 hours and if you are a bit savvy with how you market them you can get them to "stick" for months and even years at a time.

I have written 85 press releases in the last 8 months and have gotten an extra 25,000+ visitors to my websites and client websites I have done work for.

If you are a real estate agent looking to get some targeted traffic I would suggest a few things about doing Press Releases.....

1. Focus on niche markets - I am in San Diego but if I focus on Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach etc...I will have a better chane for success.

2. Submit your press release to multiple services -
I nomally use three that are either free or less than $5.00 to use

3. Write script and copy that is at least 6-8 paragraphs in length.

4. Focus the Press Release on ONE keyword phrase per article

If you do not rank in the search engines within 24 hours then the chances are you did not get the keywords in the article enough or you repeated the phrases over so many time Google did not like it.

IE: Pacific Beach Condos for Sale
I want that to be the main keyword but I want to say things like

"the condo market in Pacific Beach is picking up"

"condos are becoming popular in Pacific Beach"

etc...I do not want to keep repeating the same phrase over and over as that constitutes spamming and the search engines do not like it.

So the goal is to incorporate those words in the text without repeating the same phrase over and over, although the main keyword phrase should always be used in the title and 2-3x in the article max.

Check out this video I did showing some Press Releases I have done that rank high in Google
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxyR_NVJnDk

If you want some more free real estate marketing tips visit www.milliondollarhomesellingsystem.com  or www.realestatemarketingnerds.com and I can send out other ways to get free or low cost traffic to your real estate website.

Best wishes to your success!

Sean Callahan
www.realestatemarketingnerds.com
www.milliondollarhomesellingsystem.com