Via Scoop.it – Midtown Atlanta Condos
Most Midtown Atlanta Condos come with granite counters.
But most homeowners never even think about sealing the granite. And then you get stains.
Stains in stone countertops can be a pain to get out. Now you’ve got an option! Shape up those kitchen and bath counters of your Midtown Atlanta Condo before you decide to sell!
Via lifehacker.com
You learn about news and things happening in the strangest of ways nowdays! I even get news from myself. What, you say?
I’ve created a Twitter “newspaper” if you will, called The Midtown Atlanta Monitor. It is created from various people I follow on Twitter, so the content is determined by what is tweeted out by the people I’ve choosen as contributors. Needless to say, I have a disclaimer as sometimes….well….most of the time it’s all good stuff.
There is another great source for Midtown Atlanta info that I follow closely, called Midtown Patch. Amy Wenk, Editor, does a great job on getting the scoop of what is happening in Midtown. In fact, I think I need to start stalking following her around. So, a Letter to The Editor prompted this post. Here is a portion of that letter:
“I was dismayed this afternoon to see a local catering company tweet four access codes, saying they worked at most gated communities in Atlanta. The tweet also noted he had mentioned it a year ago so this is clearly a continuing “share.”
Holy crap, pardon my French!!! Did I just read what I think I just read? Here is a link to the rest of the letter.
Atlanta condominium communities have varied levels and types of security systems. More modern highrise buildings have security systems and 24-hour Concierge such that access to the building is pretty secure. Even if you lost a key fob or access card, it can be quickly de-activated to keep anyone from using it. Elevators have controlled access, so either a code is needed to ride the elevator or again, a fob or card. Other communities may just have a gate to the parking lot. And some of these gates can have one access code that can easily be passed along….and along….and along.
Such might be the case from this Tweet that passed such access codes along. So, who knows YOUR access codes?
One of the many reasons people choose to live in a gated community or controlled access building is for the added security. But, if residents give out codes to outside service people (like this catering company) you’ve just created a breach in your security. How do you know where all that code is being passed to and to whom?
For your security and safety, you should NOT give out codes to vendors or service people. If you have a cleaning service, pay for, and get them their own access card that will let them in the building, but only to your floor. Or arrange to have a key release with the Concierge for them to have access to your home, and the Concierge will be responsible for letting them into the building.
You pay a monthly home owners association fee of which part goes to pay for the security. Don’t let your safety get “tweeted.”
Midtown Atlanta is home to many people. I know. I’ve sold a few of them their homes.
It’s also home to many “day-time dwellers” we call the office workers. They flood into the city in the morning and then escape (if you want to call it that) to the tree-lined burbs and cookie cutter homes of the outlying counties around Atlanta.
But, whether you call Midtown Atlanta home, or work here, day or night, it is always worth reminding you…It IS a big city. And as such, you should pay attention to the surroundings around you. Of particular importance is what you leave in your car. When in ANY metropolitian area, not just Atlanta, you should “Clean Your Car” and not leave anything in plain sight. You are just asking for a window to be broken by a passing-by thief looking for a few quick bucks.
Both Midtown Alliance and the Midtown Neighbors’ Association created “Safety Tickets” as a reminder to residents AND visitors to the area to make sure you clean your car.
Never hurts to have a little reminder.
Water is a very important part of our every day lives. Without it, we simply could not, would not exist. Period. And as much as we need water to survive, water can also cause some pretty extensive damage. Be it outside from a flood or rain storm or inside in the form of a leaking or even worse, broken pipe.
I find that many residents who live in a condominium kinda don’t think about the systems in their home. They seem to think because they pay this monthly HOA fee, that all is well. Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth. As a condominium owner (and really as a tenant as well) you are responsible from the exterior walls in. So, if your tub leaks, or your toilet leaks or your sink leaks, you are not only going to have to fix YOUR home, but you might be fixing your neighbors’ home as well. Next to a fire, water is the worst enemy for damage in a condominium building.
Drain piles can clog and valves and fittings develop leaks. Small leaks usually grow and can cause major water damage in your home. Fixing leaks right away and keeping an eye and ear out for them is critical.
Clean Your Drains
You can clean your drains in your sinks and tub by simply running hot water and then pouring a handful or so of baking soda down each of them. Let the hot water run for a few minutes and then repeat the procedure. This helps remove grease and sediments that buildup over time in your pipes. You may want to do this a couple of times a year.
Visual Inspections
Visually inspecting for leaks regularly is important. You can do this by checking under sinks and around toilets. Look for signs of moisture and leaks, rust or lime deposits (white) which are early signs of trouble coming.
Inspect around your toilet carefully looking for cracks in the toilet where it is bolted to the floor. Even a hairline crack can mean a leak is happening or developing. Look around the inlet pipes and on the tank bottom as well.
Drippy faucets and shower heads and toilet flush valves that operate poorly should be changed or fixed.
You’ve heard the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Spend a few moments in your Midtown Atlanta condominium or home and look for these signs before you have a bigger problem.
One of the things I love most about my blogging is that I don’t want to (or I guess HAVE to) always write about real estate. I know the general public is usually looking for two things when they visit my site, or any real estate site. Access to listings of homes For Sale or For Rent and market information like what’s selling, what’s not, etc. But there are all sorts of other things to consider when you purchase a home or condo.
Take Condominium Living. Do you Know thy Neighbor….or Not? Living in a condominium gives one quite a sense of individuality and privacy. It’s pretty easy to come and go, un-noticed by your neighbors. Heck, we all have different types of jobs, work hours, etc. Unless your TV or stereo are cranked a bit to loud, you never really know if your neighbor is home or not, right? If you live in a single family neighborhood, the same can also be true (if you hunker down in your house and close the blinds) but it is pretty easy to see a car come and go out of the driveway or see lights on at night. Such is not the case in a condo building.
In my time living in my condo, I only met 4 of the 18 residents on my floor (there were 18 homes per floor) and one of those was a client and I sold them the condo. And I’m a pretty outgoing kinda person! So, is this a good thing or a bad thing, Know thy neighbor?
This post is inspired by a story that appeared this week about an arrest made in a developer-owned vacant condo last week. First off, let me just say it was NOT in Midtown or Buckhead, two of the primary areas I serve and cover on this site. But, it raises the question of knowing who your neighbors are. In this case, if you live in a community that is not yet sold out, do you know which homes ARE still vacant? In a condominium building, with security and a 24-hour concierge, the chances of this are rather remote. I’m not familar with the community where this happened, but I do know it was gated and had security.
By knowing who your neighbors are, you can report suspicous activity, or if there is a problem, like noise for example, it’s much easier to knock on a door knowing who lives there and having a conversation with them. I recall another condo I lived in. It was a brand new building and we had not moved in yet. We visited one day and our neighbor had the music SO loud you could hardly even be INSIDE of our own home. We had yet to meet, but we quickly did, which lead to a big apology (he knew that no one else had moved in on that end of the hallway) but we never heard his music again, ever).
Maybe your neighbors are just private people, and don’t want to intract with their neighbors. Social events in my building are ALWAYS attended by the same people…it often makes we wonder where all the other people are. But at least if you know who is coming and going, you have a better sense of what is going on around you.
And for those that DO live in a single family neighborhood, perhaps your neighbors are private people. Maybe you offered up that welcoming plate of cookies and that was all you’ve ever heard from them since. But you can still recognize the car they drive so if you suddenly see totally different cars, you might take notice. Of course, they could of bought a new car but you know what I mean.
In Condominium Living, knowing thy neighbor is not always possible, but it can certainly help break the ice, make your floor an even more enjoyable place to live (think progressive dinner or drink party!) and also give you piece of mind.
A personal experience recently prompted me to do this post. And procrastination could of cost me my home. Don’t let it happen to you. Fire Safety In The Home is something you should make a top priority!
Laundry is a household task we all face. And so I worked on mine on Sunday afternoon. My dryer has not been operating well for a few weeks, in fact it takes 3 cycles to dry a load of clothes. And, even when you ran it for one cycle, the dryer got very hot on the outside. So I have always made sure I was close by while running the dryer. A call was needed to my warranty company to have them make a repair, but just did not get around to it.
Sunday afternoon, I was laying on the bed watching TV when I heard this loud sound, a bit like an explosion. I ran down the hall to the laundry room….and there it was….flames coming from the back of my dryer! Lucky for me, I had a fire extinguisher sitting near my fireplace. It’s been in my house for years, and yes, it worked. Seeing flames in your house (outside of a gas stove or fireplace) is pretty unnerving.
Do you have a fire safety plan for your home and family? How will you get out in case of fire? Do you have fire extinguishers? Smoke Alarms? A safe meeting place outside your home where everyone is to gather? All of these sound simple, but how many of us really think about it? Until it’s to late?
I really don’t remember when I bought my fire extinguisher, but had I not had one, I would of either caused some serious water damage, or the fire might have been MUCH worse. So far, it appears to have been contained to the dryer only, and no damage to the walls! Now, cleaning up the “stuff” that comes out of an extinguisher…that’s another story! And also, try not to breath in what comes out of one…it’s tough on the throat!
My smoke detector is connected to my security system, although the system is no longer being monitored. The detector still went off, but we already had the fire out by the time it went off. I actually had to cut the wires to get it to stop, so will be getting a new one, or seeing how to make this operational again.
My story ends well. I just have to get a new dryer and do some house cleaning. But it could of been much worse. Don’t ignore Fire Safety In Your Home. Do You Have a Plan?
If not, sit down with your family and make your plan today. Check to make sure smoke detectors work, and that you have them in the necessary places in your home. Plan escape routes in case of a fire. If you live in a condo building, take a wet towel with you if you have to use the fire stairs. If you run into smoke, it will help you avoid breathing it in.
You’ll be glad you have a plan if you ever need it. But I hope you don’t.
