PropertyManagementMaven: January 2010

The Princeton Review teamed with USA Today to name the University of Virginia #1 for the second year among 50 "best value" public colleges and universities. Virginia Tech in Blacksburg was named #8.  Out of 100 colleges and universities listed, 8 are in Virginia.

In another milestone, UVA named it's eighth and first FEMALE president Monday.  Teresa A. Sullivan was voted to succeed John T. Casteen as UVA's president.  UVA is Virginia's higher education flagship.  Sullivan is coming to UVa from the provost position at the University of Michigan.

PUBLIC   1. University of Virginia (Charlottesville) 2. City University of New York - Hunter College (New York, N.Y.) 3. New College of Florida (Sarasota) 4. Florida State University (Tallahassee) 5. University of Colorado-Boulder 6. State University of New York-Binghamton 7. University of Georgia (Athens) 8. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg) 9. Texas A&M University (College Station) 10. University of Oklahoma (Norman) PRIVATE 1. Swarthmore College(Swarthmore, Pa.) 2. Harvard College(Cambridge, Mass.) 3. Wesleyan College(Macon, Ga.) 4. Princeton University(Princeton, N.J.) 5. Yale University (New Haven, Conn.) 6. Williams College (Williamstown, Mass.) 7. Rice University (Houston, Texas) 8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology(Cambridge, Mass.) 9. Amherst College (Amherst, Mass.) 10. Wellesley College (Wellesley, Mass.) Source: The Princeton Review

Have you set your up Google Profile page? I just set mine up today and it was pretty easy to do. I am not sure why it took me so many months to finally do so. Here are a few things you might want to know about Google Profile Pages:

What is a Google profile page?

A Google profile page is a personal page set up on Google, you have to have a gmail account, that allows you to add  and link your personal websites, blogs, networking accounts such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and your company web site. You have control over what you add to you profile.

A profile is just another way to get your name out there to help people find you and your business.

How do you create a Google Profile page?

Go to Google.com/profile. Click "create an account" and follow the instructions. You will be asked to sign in with your Google account. If you do not have one, you will need to set one up.

There will be information boxes for you to fill in. Answer as many or as few as you like. Keep it personal or professional, it is all up to you. You have control over what visitors see or don't see.

When you have finished, click the create button and you should be good to go. You can edit your Google profile page anytime. Simply click on edit and make or add any changes you desire. It is that simple! So what are you waiting for, set up your Google profile page and help those future clients find you today!

Your Google Profile Page ~ Do you have one yet?

 

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If you are interested in buying or selling a home in Northern Nevada, feel free to call me at 775-846-5424 or email me at Terrie@Terrieleighton.com. You can also visit Serving Reno and Sparks to see a complete list of homes available for sale in Northern Nevada.

 Posted by Terrie Leighton. Terrie is a licensed real estate agent with Ferrari-Lund Real Estate in Northern Nevada. If you would like  information on homes listed for sale in Northern Nevada, call Terrie at 775-846-5424 or email Terrie at Terrie@TerrieLeighton.com. You can visit her website at Serving Reno and Sparks. If you are interested in listing your home, call Terrie Leighton at 775-846-5424. She can help you get started today.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Search the MLS for Properties here in Northern Nevada

Read the Northern Nevada Real Estate Blog

 

Introduction
One of the most common areas for a roof to leak is around penetrations. Therefore, it is very important that the flashing around those areas be installed correctly and maintained properly. Plumbing vents or stacks are one such type of roofing penetration subject to leaking. Below is some useful information on how to correctly install and maintain plumbing vent or stack flashings. 

Background
If your roof has a pitch or slope greater than 2/12-that is, 2 inches of rise or height gain for every 12 inches of run or horizontal distance-then there is a pretty good chance your roof is a water shedding roof not a waterproof roof. 

With all water shedding roofs, the roofing and associated flashing materials must be installed like the feathers on a duck so the rain water will run off the roof instead of into the structure. This is the reason why most roofers start installing the roofing materials at the gutter edges and then work their way up to the peaks. Think of the gutter edges as the tail of the duck and the peaks as the head. If/when a portion of the roofing system is not installed properly, such as missing, incomplete, or improper flashings, there is the potential for a leak.

Nine times out of ten, the leaks or failure points of sloped roofs occur in one of two areas:

1. Around the penetrations through the roof, or
2. In the valleys 

For the purpose of this blog entry, I am going to concentrate on plumbing vent or stack flashings. However, many of the concepts and common problems found can be true for other types of penetrations as well. 

Materials Used
The material used for the plumbing vent or stack material will greatly depend upon the age of the structure and whether or not the plumbing system has been redone at some point over the years. The most common material used in today's construction is Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene or ABS. Other stack materials could include cast iron, steel, aluminum, or copper. 

The flashing material used depends upon the type of stack and roofing materials. Some common flashing materials include steel, rubber, lead, copper, aluminum or a combination thereof. 

The most common stack flashing material I see in my area-that is, the North Olympic Peninsula, which includes Port Angeles, Sequim, Port Townsend, and their surrounding areas-is rubber or neoprene, which is most often used in conjunction with ABS stacks and asphalt shingled roofs.

Installation
Below is the basic installation process for a plumbing vent or stack flashing on an asphalt shingled roof followed by a diagram that helps illustrate what a proper installation should look like.

1. Starting from the gutter edge, the roof shingles are installed up to the location of the plumbing vent or stack.
2. A roof shingle is cut and slid over the stack.
3. The flashing flange is placed over the stack and sealed or nailed in place.
4. The installation of the roof shingles then continues so that no more than the lower half of the flange is exposed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common Problems
Below are some of the common problems that are found with these types of flashings. Each one of the following conditions can lead to possible leakage. 

Rusted Flashings - Rusted flashings can be caused by a number of things:

• Age
• Failure to maintain the protective coating on the flashing
• Incompatible materials; tar or mastic over the flashings

Damaged Flashings - Damaged flashings might be caused any one or a combination of the following:

• Snow or ice accumulation on the roof
• Animal activity
• Foot traffic
• Careless roof work nearby
• Replacement of a pipe or stack without replacing the flashing
• Deterioration of the flashing due to age.

Vertically Misaligned - Flashings that have been displaced vertically-that is, up or down-are usually the result of either the stack or the roof deck moving. If the roof deck were to drop relative to the stack, say from a snow load, then the flange might be pulled up off the roof. If the opposite were to happen and the stack were to drop relative to the roof deck, then the flange might be deformed causing a recessed area around the stack. The below diagram may better explain these conditions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Installation Problems - Most often I see installation issues, some of which are listed below.

• The flashing was never installed.
• The wrong flashing material was installed.
• The top half of the flashing flange is exposed above the roofing material.
• The bottom edge of the flashing flange is covered by the roofing material.
• The flashing is located in a valley.
• There are exposed fasteners that are not sealed or that have failed sealant.

Recommendations
If any of the above conditions are found, I recommend having a qualified individual, such as a licensed roofer, further evaluate the condition and repair as needed.

---------------------------------------------------------
Jason Aldrich | Owner, Licensed Home Inspector
Aldrich's Home Insepctions, Inc.
Serving the Sequim and Port Angeles Areas
JasonA@Olypen.com
www.AldrichsHomeInspections.com

I met with an owner today that was convinced her property should rent for $800 or more.  I explained to her that the owner two doors down was asking $650 and the comparable rents in the area were closer to $700.00.  Her vacancy was extending into its third month with no bites.

To make matters worse, the neighbor upstairs was noisy and had two illegal tenants.

In my estimation, the root of the problem is an over priced property.  Rents that are two high make an owner make bad decisions.  Since only a few people apply due to the high price the owner gets desperate.  The only tenants that apply are those with bad or questionable credit, bad or no rental reference, and income that may not qualify for the long term.  Why, because good tenants shop price and can live anywhere.  Bad tenants have to find an owner that has no standards.

In the end the owner will have to make a tough decision.  Continue with the high rents and those problems, or lower the rents and have fewer problems and less income.  But, the income may actually be higher at lower rates as it will be collected and vacancies will be filled.

As a real estate virtual assistant & internet marketing specialist I help agents find creative ways to advertise their listings online to help maximize exposure and cut advertising costs. I created this list a useful resource for agents who need to advertise listings online while cutting costs on advertising. I hope you enjoy it. As a bonus many of these websites also syndicate your listing to other websites as well.

BEST FREE WEBSITE FOR ADVERTISING YOUR LISTINGS:

www.postlets.com

www.base.google.com

www.craigslist.com

www.trulia.com

www.homescout.com

www.oodle.com

www.edgeio.com

www.livedeal.com

www.secondspace.com

www.hotpads.com

www.zillow.com

 

BEST BLOGGING SITES FOR ADVERTISING YOUR LISTINGS:

www.activerain.com (of course-wink. wink)

www.trulia.com/voices

www.sixapart.com

www.housingwidgets.com

www.livejournal.com

www.wordpress.com 

www.blogger.com

 

DON'T FORGET YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA SITES:

www.facebook.com

www.twitter.com

www.myspace.com

www.linkedin.com

www.youtube.com

This list could go on and on...but these are some great sites to get you started on maximizing your exposure and getting your brand ahead of the competition. If you want more ideas for marketing your listings feel free to download our free guide: 

Real Estate Marketing Guide

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Megan Faust | Founder, REVA
VIRTU-ASSIST
Real Solutions For Realtors!
Phone: 1-251-216-4080
Fax: 1-888-222-7962
Email: megan@virtu-assist.com
Skype: Virtu-Assist
www.virtu-assist.com

Recently Rick Rogala, the Real Estate Marketing Coach from Chicago, put up his list of top ten business/motivaitional/inspirational books, and being the book worm that I am, I thought I'd put up my own top ten. Susan Emo and I came up with an idea to do our own. Susan's is great and has some books not found on the top shelf. Check her's out!

1. The E-Myth, by Michael Gerber. If you want to run a business, instead of having just a sales job, this is an absolute MUST READ. This was life changing for me. Turning the Entrepreneur into a business owner.

2.  Book of Proverbs, The Bible. Check out the ramblings of the richest man that ever lived. Chuck full of easy to understand stories, parables and quotes on how to gain wisdom, success and wealth.

3. Emotional Intellegience, Daniel Goleman. This is perhaps the book that has had the biggest influence on my business career. Speaks of recognizing your emotions and those emotions of the people around you, and how that influences your behavior.

4. How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie. An absolute must read. Enough said. Ok, well, one more thing. Did you know Warren Buffett credits a lot of his success to a Dale Carnegie course?

5. The Success Principles, Jack Canfield. Confession here- I am not all the way through this. So far, this is TREMENDOUSLY strong at helping me determine what is important.

6. Good to Great, Jim Collins. Good is the enemy of Great. Don't settle.

7. Richest Man in Babylon, George Clason. A quick must read for everyone who has finances ( I believe that would be all of us!

8. Art of the Deal, Donald Trump with Tony Schwartz. This is Trump before the TV show and a lot of the fame. Back when he was a hungry, smart and aggresive deal maker. Great insight that hasn't been watered down just to pump out a book.

9. Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki. Basic but fundamental book about employees, self employed, business owners and investors. Success doesn't have to be complicated.

10. The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren. Faith is a big part of this book, but even if you are not religious, this book is very insightful and will probably help you get through some sticking points in your business and life.

Honorable Mention:

Snowball, Alice Schroeder

You Can Negotiate Anything, Herb Cohen

The Puple Cow, Seth Godin

Often Wrong Never in Doubt, Donny Deutsch

let my people go surfing, the education of a reluctant businessman, Yvon Chouinard

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey

 

You'll notice I didn't put a link to Amazon or Barnes and Noble for any of these books. Either go to your library or support your local book reseller. I've never had a Barnes, Noble, or an Amazon list or sell their home with me, or donate to our local causes. BUT I have had employees of our local bookstore , River Run Bookstore in Portsmouth, look at my homes, and donate to our charities!  

Joshua Holt                                                                                                                                            

RE/MAX Coast To Coast

Portsmouth, NH

joshholt@calljoshholt.com

Sorry, the KING is not Gone * In fact, you can see him in the pits Valentines Day

No * Not THIS King * although he sometimes gets a ride on Tony Stewart's car

No * not THIS King of Soul * although he may still be floating around somewhere

Nope * Wrong Again, NOT THE King of Rock and Roll who would be 75 last week had he been alive

Nope * Not THE King of Pop * although he, Elvis and James Brown  are ALL still DEAD

Sorry, not THE KING of Queens

Here is THE KING * Jeff Hammond calls him THE KING when he interviews him on TV and he's STILL ALIVE * He is also one of the 5 inductees into the NEW NASCAR Hall of Fame

Few people outside of NASCAR know that the Pettys gave the land for the Victory Junction Gang Camp which is named in the honor of this grand son Adam who died in a racing accident.

These are a couple of Google Resources I like to read every day.  I thought I would share them with you.

 

One is for Matt Cutts who works for Google he blogs about Google. He is an interesting guy.

 

The second one is the Official Google Webmasters Blog.  Good reading here as well

WHY BLOG? NOBODY WILL EVER READ MY BLOGS! BOY, I WAS WRONG

I have been reflecting on my blogging experience from the past ten months. It has been quite the experience. I never thought much of blogging to tell you the truth. I thought who would want to read my material. I really have nothing to share when it comes to my real estate experience. I am just doing what I do best. Well, I WAS WRONG about blogging. I loved writing when I was in graduate school because it gave me a chance to share the knowledge that I possess in writing. The same goes for blogging.

I have reached the milestone of having over 100 people who have subscribed to my blog. Wow, I have a 100 people who want to read my blog posts. So, I must ensure that I continue to give quality content at all times so I do not let down my readers. I devote 90 minutes per day to social media. Why? It is the number of minutes that I have personally decided to devote because it is vital to my game plan. I never intended to reach this milestone in my blogging career. However, I just keep blogging about the things I do and experience on a daily basis. I want to be the local expert when it comes to real estate investing. Blogging sets me apart from my competition. Furthermore, I host a popular two hour weekly real estate radio show. I make things happen.

I have everyone on my real estate team blog in order to stand out from the crowd. Some of them do not get it until they obtain their first lead from one of their blog posts. Then, the light bulb goes off in their head. Yes, it is hard work because it takes dedication and thinking. Too many people are not comfortable with being quiet for such a long time. Personally, I do all of my blogging before the kids get up in the morning.

I received an Email from a person who had trouble inserting pictures into her blogs. I sent her an Email back instructing her to hold down her control button. Voila, it worked in five minutes. It is nice to have a Network that wants everyone to succeed on a daily basis. I thoroughly enjoy blogging on a daily basis about my escapades in real estate. I will introduce video blogging this month to enhance my content.

Make the Call, Set the Plan, Do the Deal$!

Feel free to listen to my Radio Show to learn more about the phoenix real estate market, new trends, and the latest opportunities.  The Real Estate and Beyond Radio Show Airs every Saturday from Noon-2:00pm on Conservative Newstalk KKNT 960am in Phoenix, Arizona.  You can listent to past shows, or stream on-line.

Phoenix Real Estate Resource Center

 

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