December 25th, 2008 → 8:28 pm @ terry
The first report which indicates a property as vacant is called “first time vacant†or “FTVâ€. Correct inspection results on FTV properties are critical because this report initiates a series of events and possibly expensive services. The information supplied on the “FTV report†is used to determine if property preservation work is required to secure and or winterize the property.
Verified status of all utilities is essential because different preservation services are ordered depending on whether the water is on or off; gas service on or off and whether the electricity is on or off.
All FTV reports are required to include a narrative which substantiates the report – a simple “yes†or “no†is not sufficient. A narrative explaining why the report is “yes†or “no†is always required. Some forms give the option of reporting “unknown†in which case the narrative must explain this choice. Normally, the only acceptable reason for using “unknown†would be if the inspector is unable to access the utilities to verify the status. Examples are: No trespassing and Locked utility cabinets like you find at condos and apartment buildings.
Thoroughly reporting utility status helps mitigate risk for inspectors and others.
December 3rd, 2008 → 9:14 pm @ terry
You’ve been there. Taking a nice warm shower, then BAM. Nothing but ice coming out of the shower head. Thats exactly what I felt like just a few minutes ago.
I had invested well into two hours doing some research and writing an article for you. Something real meaty. It was a real nice article – probably one of my best. Then I was interupted by an e-mail from another writer. I stopped to read what he had written and felt the water getting cold.
Two hours! Two hours which I really cannot afford to invest but I did anyway. Trying to make reading this blog worthwhile. Well those two hours are gone and will never be recovered. I had to scrap my story. My friend’s email told a story of a new trend in the industry that was causing him and his company quite a bit of grief. And I thought I had a story!
My article was to be titled “A Sizzling Tale Of Corruption And Betrayal”.  It was one of my types of articles. You know, absolutely one-sided with my forefinger stuck in their face. I was on a roll and it was a darn good example of describing myself as the epitome of innocence and just about everyone else at fault. But, after reading the email from the other writer, I decided that maybe, just maybe, the problems started with others higher up the food chain.
Before I go much further, I want to assure you that I’m not going milquetoast on you. It’s just that I’m going to put the wheeled weapons back in the armory – for now. Also, it’s important to this new story that you know that I’ve handed two situations to our attorneys this week; hmmm, let’s see – this is Wednesday; the third day of the week. I also decided to dump a client which sent about $350 worth of business per month but gave us $500 worth of grief. And of course, I’ve had the normal twenty or so conversations per day with other reps looking for solutions that I don’t have.
So, here’s what I’ve decided to do: I think we should get ourselves in a position that allows us to weather what appears to be a doozie of a storm. If you care to participate you will need to prepare a bit. Here’s what you need to do. I want you to give some serious thought to it and put down in writing what your ideal client would be like. This is an idea I literally stole months ago from the guy that sent the email. You need to describe the traits of this ideal client: how does this ideal client treat you; how much do they pay; how quickly do they return your calls and so on. You need a minimum of twelve traits and fifteen would be better.
Now, before you say that your ideal client does not exist, I know that. We’re dreaming here, remember. Let’s get a vision in our head of utopia – something to aim for. Once we have our ideal client described – on paper – it will be so much easier to create a score card we can use to measure our clients. Then, when we have to make some hard decisions about our businesses, we can readily identify who we want to work with and who we don’t.
Work on your vision. E-mail your ideal traits to me and we will meet late next week to discuss the ten most valued traits.