The Driver

 

It’s another real estate convention with first class accommodations and as our van rolls to a stop under the hotel canopy, men in traditional doormen uniforms steps forward to assist our traveling group with our bags.  Walking into the grand foyer was like walking into a palace.  Marble floors adorned with red carpets, marble support columns with polished accent light fixtures and displayed works of art.  The impeccably dressed staff worked diligently to accommodate each guest’s registration request as the concierge answered questions from an impatient current guest of the hotel. As the door opened to our room, the light poured through heavy lace sheer drapes covering the doors which opened to the balcony, revealing the glass encased atrium of the hotel shops and restaurants.  The park-like setting was a constant movement of people coming and going from other conventions, open air displays with professional speakers with the Potomac River as a backdrop. We were staying in one of the finest hotels Washington DC had to offer and yet I lacked the excitement I should be feeling as I stared over the atrium.  Since we had arrived a day early and now bored with the lack of business activity we were normally accustom to, we invited ourselves into another conventions area to listen to other business speakers to gain additional knowledge to share with our other agents and staff.  One of the speakers was Michael Woodford, the former CEO of the Olympus Corporation, turned “Whistle Blower”, which could have cost him his life in Japan. His story, to say the least, was very interesting, so interesting, following his speech, my wife immediately went to our room, went online and ordered his book.  I reminded her, she already knew the end of the story and she gave me a smirk and continued to order her book.

 

Our company’s lineup of convention speakers was a who’s who of the business world.  Darren Hardy was the keynote speaker for the morning. His message of healthy living, healthy business and his drive for success is what makes his Success Magazine the primary reading choice of the professional business person.  Darren’s message was well received and although it had changed some since the last time I heard him speak, (Darren is a very good motivational speaker) and I really didn’t get all that motivated.  Upon his completion, a well-deserved standing ovation was rendered by the audience and then the introductions of another speaker, more applause, another speaker, more applause and the day was completed by a catered party, supplied by the vendors, which could have fed an army, twice the size of the attending party.  The fun part of any convention is the re-acquaintance of the people you have become familiar with over the years and hearing how they were doing in business, children, common complaints of other agents and the lack of quality supply of homes and quality sales agents.  As the week rolled on, I was soon on information over-load that I would have to process what information would best suit our business model, I was ready to go home.

 

While waiting for final check-out, the transportation concierge assigned a driver to take us to the airport.  He graciously took our bags and loaded them into the trunk of our car, opened our doors and soon, we were on our way home. As we pulled away from the convention center, silence filled the car as we were taking our last look of the area and the driver began his story.

 

He spoke with a heavy accent about his job and his love for our country.  He arrived in the US only four years earlier and had been sponsored so his transition would be easier.  He had immigrated from Ethiopia and spoke of the poverty of his home land and the riches and lifestyle of our country.  He shared his questions of his sponsor of how could everyone be so rich in this country and they had to explain to him that they were only middle class people who had to work every day to have and keep a home.  He went on to tell us of how exited he was working for minimum wage and having the ability to save enough money to buy a car and pay for the insurance.  He had worked his way up to become a driver and had much bigger plans for the future.  As he spoke, I become at awe with this man and was humbled by his goals as it was he who reminded me of why I came to convention.  The richness of the fine hotel, the content of the motivational speakers and being in the company of very successful Realtors had not stirred the coals within me to reignite the flame that the driver had done.  The fifteen minute ride to the airport had done more to rekindle the flame than the four previous days of convention.  My problem was, I went to convention to hear the speeches, not listen to them.  Darren Hardy, for all intents and purposes, delivered an exception speech, and I’m sure he was paid well to address the convention but, he was no match for our driver.  What I gained from the convention experience; I now have to concentrate and really listen to people, not just hear them and wait to answer but really listen.  My suggestion to our convention committee; save some money on the next keynote speaker and hire my driver, I’m sure he will deliver a speech that will inspire the convention, to listen.

   

Choose Your Words Carefully

What is the value of free?  For the majority of people, free is the hook for; open your checkbook or break out the credit card and pay for free for the next year or more.  I often wonder when something of value is offered for free, why most people turn their nose up and say there has to be a catch.  A great example of the value of free came from a friend who bought a new refrigerator and placed his old working refrigerator out by the street with a sign tapped to it “FREE”.  It actually worked and would be ok in the average rental property. It stood in front of his house for a week with no takers.  So he changed his strategy, he placed a sign on it; works, $50… somebody stole it. Nothing had changed other than a value had been placed upon it.

So what is the value of cheap?  If someone wants to give another person a good deal and the price is too low in the mind of person about to receive a deal; that equates to cheap. What do you get for cheap in your mind?  Poor quality, short cuts or unfinished business and the imaginary lack of value.  As a contractor, I have had customers tell me they wanted the project as cheap as I could make it.  After many unhappy customers, giving them exactly what they asked for, my response became; you won’t like the look of cheap. I even went further and gave my customers additional choices; cheap, fast and good, pick two out of three.  I have often run into people who chose to go with another contractor because the other contractor offered them cheap.  Quite often, later on, I have been met with a handshake and the comment; “I wish I had gone with you” or “You were right”.  There is never any satisfaction with being right after listening how someone else paid the price of cheap.
Expensive is generally thought of as high quality or getting your monies worth and more often, has a professional sales person reminding you of what a great deal you just bought into.   Keeping free, cheap and expensive in mind; what is the value of free information that saves you a lot of money?  What if you learned how to buy for a cheap price through the power of negotiation and never had to make an expensive mistake again?  What would be the value of that?
There are professional people and groups out there where you can learn how to answer the questions for free.  They are not well advertised and you will have to do your homework to find them. It will take you time to find these groups and professionals who find their success with your success.  So what if groups and professional people charge a fee?  If as a result of their information, you receive great value and success; would you classify their information as cheap? More than likely you would classify the information as expensive if you gained nothing from their information.
So if you want to become successful and looking for value in building a solid plan, I will give you three words to build your plan upon; cheap, fast and good, pick two of the three.  If you pick “cheap” and “fast”, the results may not be good. Pick “fast” and “good” and the results will not be “cheap” and if you choose “good” and “cheap”, the results will not be “fast”.
Three words, confusing analogies, the results of word placement which cause different results, how confusing! Success is not easy and you will be judged by others on your success.

 My advice to you; choose your words carefully.

In Search of that Silver Bullet

As a licensed contractor and real estate broker, I’m constantly inundated with emails of products which will cause me to make tons of money if I buy into their hype.  I often attend conventions where many other products and coaching companies pitch their wares which will be the “Silver Bullet” to my success as I make strides against my competition.  I walk through and bookstores and grab the latest self-help manuscript that proclaims great wealth for me, if I follow their plan.  I, like many others have purchased programs, coaching CD’s, books, attended seminars; looking for that “Silver Bullet” that will give me a step ahead of my competition, and just like my competition, I discovered that the “Silver Bullet” was nothing more than chrome plated hype.  But all was not for a loss, I did gain some knowledge and a few tips, which some have helped me gain additional income. 

Being the skeptic, I recently turned my nose up at webinar which, my wife bought into the initial hype of great wealth from a side business as a contractor, (as I am a licensed contractor).  What I found interesting was; realtors in Florida would find themselves in hot water, taking on the roll of contractor, as you must be certified by the state to be a licensed contractor. What it did offer me was a different approach to areas of which I never thought of, to where I did further investigation, got additional training which opened my construction company up to a different market and we just recently was presented with a fifty-thousand dollar contract, I wouldn't have had, if I had not been part of the webinar.  It wasn't a “Silver Bullet”, and I will have some different sub-contractors I will have to deal with, but the additional cash in my account will come in handy.

The saddest part of my business is I evaluate REO’s and foreclosed properties for repairs and debris removal, (in which many have been Realtor and contractors homes), where I find a multitude of books, CD’s, and more often, unopened training materials, I know had cost hundreds of dollars. It never ceases to amaze me the money spent, looking for that “Silver Bullet”, in which the person never took the time to remove the packing material and actually use the product. I often question; was the pitchman really that good or was the thought of sitting through all that training information that tedious?  What our agents will find in our office is an open library of this information, free for them to use and we never promise them; a “Silver Bullet” awaits them.

What I encourage agents to do is; focus on your strengths and if you need a tool to assist you in with your strengths, buy it, (or get lucky enough to find it in a foreclosed property or find it on the shelf of your office library). 

We recently bought into an investors program which has really paid-off for us, (as we started in the real estate business as investors).  By utilizing the tool, we have developed a following of investors.  No “Silver Bullet”, just another tool setting us apart from our competition.  The product would not work for everyone, (I have read reviews of how the product failed other Realtors), but it has made a huge difference in our business model.  

The real “Silver Bullet” lies inside those who are willing to make that extra effort, to set themselves apart from their competition.  Before you jump on that next “Silver Bullet”, I encourage you to evaluate your strengths and ask yourself: how will this product or service really assist me? What can I really expect, as a return of investment, from this product? Will you actually use the product or will the packing material get in your way?  So don’t be afraid to explore the tools waiting for you, enjoy the seminars and conventions but leave your credit cards and checkbook somewhere else, so you have to walk away and think about the “Silver Bullet”.

Leadership in War and Real Estate

April 1975, the last Marine was lifted off the Saigon embassy roof which ended our campaign in Viet Nam.  It would be another sixteen years before we would stumble into victory…

For the next fourteen years we trained for a European invasion from the USSR.  We patrolled borders and watched Soviet Block soldiers watch us.  After a while the training became mundane, boring… a lot of check the block on score sheets and move back to the motor pool to waste time working on our tanks and tracks with the promise of parts availability so we could someday have complete operational platoon vehicles.  There were always field problems and play battles in terrain we all were to familiar with and the only ones receiving any training, was the fresh soldiers just out of Boot Camp and soon, they too were bored with the monotonous training. Many of our soldiers decided after their first enlistment, they had had enough… the limited training they had received was not what they expected… so they left.  Many said they were leaving because they couldn’t cut it… they left because they were not given what they were promised.

 After the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 and the Soviet Union dissolved, our mission changed… exactly what was our mission?  The threat in Europe was diminished, we have a mission in Korea but it too was on the decline and turning more responsibility to the ROK Army… So we trained… for what or who…Our mission had changed.

How many brokers and managers bring on new people with fresh ideas and dreams; with a promise of training?  They go through training at the local Board of Realtors and return to your office with fresh energy and a willingness to succeed  and the training they receive goes like this; go through the expired listings and call the owners… or go through the company expired files and ask them to list again? Let’s go over our contract with you…Here is the company policy, read this…

 How many times you have matched new people with a top producer to show the new recruits the ropes, who relieved you from the responsibility of training the new recruit; did they actually train them? 

How many times did you watch those same people leave after six or nine months…you told yourself  they got out of the business, because they couldn’t cut it.

  August 2^nd, 1990.  Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi army invaded Kuwait and we all bypassed it as something that happens over there; where the heck is Kuwait and who cares? The strongest standing army in the Middle East just invaded another country, I’m active duty Army and all I could do is watch and think; is this going to be the start of the next war?  Training at that time had not changed much… a lot of going through the motions… check the block… gunnery and weapons qualifications and the same old boring training.  We watched the tensions building in the Middle East and the threats to Saddam Hussein from the UN and on November 3^rd, 1990, word from the Commander of the Big Red One, our Division was being deployed to defend Saudi Arabia… we were going to war.  Over the next two months, our training got serious… it was no longer check the box.  Every detail of our mission was being covered, it was time to get serious… it was going to be our lives that we were about to put on the line. 

How many of you know someone who is going through the motions of working or training.  How many people are sitting back and watching the happenings around them and not giving a second thought of what might be waiting for them around the next corner.  How many people do you know who are waiting till the last minute to get serious and expect everything to fall into place without the real knowledge or experience and expect someone else to carry their load?  If I were to exchange your position and place you in a military position with those same people; would you feel comfortable going to war with them? I do want to remind the brokers and managers; it is your responsibility to insure that your agents are trained and are continually training.  But with that being said; it is the responsibility of every agent to insure they are trained and have the ability to accomplish their mission with your customers and their success or failure is a reflection of the training they have received.  The life of your business is being put on the line everyday…are you taking it serious?

I had a set a goal for myself and Saddam Hussein had set the gears in motion so my goal could be obtained.  My goal was to go to war. I needed to challenge myself, I wanted to know how I would react but it was not just me… I had a crew of three other lives that I would be riding with me and five other Bradley crews, (my brothers in arms).  Our mission was reconnaissance, I was assigned to the fourth Cavalry; we were Cavalry Scouts.  We were the eyes and ears of the First Infantry Division and the Division Commander notified us that as soon as we put boots on the ground in Saudi, thing were going to change.  Our roll in the combat scheme was about to change.  On New Years Eve, I kissed my wife good-bye, boarded a bus and headed to the airfield where we boarded a 747 for our journey to war.  We landed in Saudi New Years Day, 1991 and two days later we found out what the change of mission was… We were getting brand new Bradley fighting vehicles with added armor.  We were also going to have three M1 tanks assigned to each platoon.  We were excited… the tankers… not so much.  We spent the next several days training on our new equipment and doing services to insure our equipment was ready for battle.  We uploaded our ammo, hand grenades, explosives, chemical gear and cross loading our equipment from our old Bradley’s and the waiting game would begin. Where were our radios?  A headquarters officer advised us, the radios were waiting for us at forward operations… we wouldn’t need them for transport.  Sounded good to us… So after ten days of training, getting our equipment ready and meeting our new tanker brothers, we were ready to leave our cramped living conditions in Kobar towers and head to the field.  As several of us NCO’s were walking back from chow and entering our sleeping quarters, I was confronted by my platoon sergeant and asked to step inside his quarters, there was a problem.  My gunner was having second thoughts about his roll in combat… He was not sure he could pull the trigger.  I was furious!  I had a nineteen year old observer who had joined the Army to fund his college education, my driver was a married twenty-one year old  new father and he too had joined the Army to fund his college education and now my gunner with fifteen years in the Army doesn’t think he can pull the trigger.  With all the training and our job description, just what did he think he was supposed to be doing…  My thoughts shifted to my crew, my sister tracks and our platoon was short handed.  I needed someone who could not only do their job, but in my absence, take charge, be the leader… for the first time in the months preparing for action… I was scared.  The CO, the adjutant, platoon leader and my platoon Sergeant stood by as I had some of my gunner for desert.  I was asked to step out of the room and shortly afterward my CO asked me if I wanted to head up to the front with my driver to give some security for forward operations, they would work things out when the rest of the squadron got up there and he would see about getting me another gunner… We would be leaving at midnight… when I informed my driver… his lips tightened, he just shook in acknowledgement… our first mission and I was concerned.

How often have you received new equipment and have office training on the operation of the equipment or paid someone from your office to receive special training only to come back to your office and they can’t pull the trigger.

  So what do you do if you had invested time, money, and effort, so when the time comes, your agents and staff didn’t feel like they could pull the trigger and your business depended upon them?  Replace them, with whom?  You don’t have time to hire just anyone… what do you do? The Army has the correct answer; you train them.  You as a manager have too much on your plate to be effective as both the manager and the producer.  If there is a lack of confidence in your team, it may not be their fault; it may be in the fault of the manager for not conducting proper training or establish tough standards or maybe it’s the lack of confidence your people have in the management.  The problem with my track was the leadership had only been in place less than ninety days.  We had been through gunnery and simulators together.  I didn’t believe for a second that it was all my gunners’ lack of confidence in himself, (although I initially did); it happened to be his lack of confidence in me.

Do your agents have confidence in your leadership? Are they confident when they head to the field, they will be successful in their mission?  Can they rely on your experience, will they receive guidance when things get tough and are you confident in yourself that when tough decisions have to be made, you will make the best decision?  The real estate business isn’t much different from combat, (except for that getting shot at thing), where good communications are often lacking and having the right information at the right time would assist us in making the right decisions at the right time.

As the members of the other crews, my driver and I boarded the bus that would take us to our forward operations base, I questioned myself.  I had the lives of three other people who would depend on me in making the right decision. As the bus pulled into the darkness, there wasn’t much talking… mostly silence. It would be a twenty hour bus ride before we met our forward contact and the information he had, put the lives of every soldier on the bus at risk.

To be continued…

What's Holding you Back?

  So you have an entrepreneurial spark inside you; so what do you do?  All too often, you ask the wrong people for advice.  The real question is; do you want advice or do you want an opinion?  If you wanted to be a plumber, would you ask a bartender?  If you wanted to be an attorney, would you ask a plumber?  So why would you ask a friend or a family member about your entrepreneurial ideas, if they have no experience in the field of your desire?  All too often, young entrepreneur’s ideas are squelched because the friend or family member, they were asking, were not interested in the idea or had no idea or experience of how to proceed in the business.  Several of my greatest returns on investment came from projects many of my friends and family said I was crazy for taking on and when the projects were completed and I was celebrating the sale, all too often they were reluctant to admit my success or stated how lucky I had been.

   My suggestion for you, if you want to know if your entrepreneurial idea has merit, ask someone in the business.  Find a mentor to work with or ask for some of their time to answer your questions.  Unless you have been working on a scientific discovery, your entrepreneurial idea has and is being done right now, so don’t try re-inventing the wheel.

  Real estate investment is now on the rise and if you want to jump into the game, I encourage you learn the art of investment before you jump into the game.  Just because your family and friends have bought a house before or have lost a home because of economical conditions, doesn’t make them experts with real estate investment.

  Those late night info-mercials telling you how you can buy real estate without any money and how you can gain riches for a lifetime, (is too good to be true?). For as little as $500 or as much as $19,000, you can learn the secrets to invest in real estate and they will coach you for at least six months and offer to fund your purchases for a little as 2% interest.  Just to let you know, it’s “ Snake Oil Real Estate”, so don’t get sucked into the hype. I offer workshops on how to invest in real estate and you will actually have to do homework and if you choose to participate, a walk through of an investment property with a project coordinator and contractor who will educate you on what to look for and give you an opportunity to evaluate the property for yourself. Keep this in mind, not all areas of the country, has real estate values stopped declining and unless you have the right tools and information, you could lose a lot of your investment so get educated on the right way and the right places to invest.  Gainesville Florida is one of the “Top 10” cities to invest in and I ask you to check out the properties for yourself and rely on investors who have experience in property management, flipping and rehabilitation, "we have over 20 years experience in all those areas".

  It’s never to late to ignite that spark of entrepreneurialism in real estate investment.  Contact us in Gainesville Florida or a Real Estate Investment Specialist in your area to get started.  If you are having difficulties locating an experienced agent with the correct tools, I do offer Real Estate Coaching, so there is no excuse for you not to reach for your dream.

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Property Management, not as easy as you think.

 Property management appears to be an easy way to make an income in the real estate business; show a property, collect rent and keep a negotiated portion of the rental income, easy; right? 

As I look at the limited number of available rental properties our company currently has, I often wonder if an owner of the property would live in their investment property.  What would they think if they walked into a unit looking like theirs; would they be interested or why would they be disgusted?  We understand the current real estate market can be difficult, with many properties, upside-down in value, it’s often difficult to absorb the cost to ready a unit for the next tenant but it needs to be done.  Profit margins are often very thin and in some cases, negative cash flow can be expected and property owners need to be aware of the pitfalls that come with real estate investment.  Owners need to evaluate their long term financial goals with their current list of properties and determine if a property is going to be a cash drain, (or will they make up the difference when the property is sold).  In some cases, investment property should be sold now, at an initial loss, to prevent a long term cash drain, unless you can feasibly forecast an upswing in property values due to a foreseeable development or re-development in the area. Or perhaps, your long term goal is to own several properties free and clear and have a steady income down the road for retirement.

So what does the potential renter want in a rental properties today?  They want to see the highest value for their money in their residence.  When they walk into a home or condo and see handprints on the walls, worn/stained carpet, old appliances, over-grown landscaping and faded/worn exterior paint, don’t expect them to jumping for joy to move into your investment property.  They want to see fresh paint, clean or new flooring, appliances that are clean and energy efficient.  They want modern bathrooms and light fixtures and a place where; when they invite their friend over, they will be impressed with a quality home.

So what can you expect from a rental property that doesn’t share the aforementioned qualities? Look for negotiated lower rent, one term tenants, higher than normal service calls for repairs and a loss of visual value for the next showing of prospective renters. You also have to remind yourself; people are going to pay rents at the maximum they can afford in an attempt to increase their standard of living, (live above their means), and when they lose, (in their mind), the value of your property, expect slow pay and sometimes eviction costs.  Can the same thing happen with a nice property? Yes, but chances are, at a lower percentage than a property that needs upgraded.

We have a State Certified General Contractor, who is an experienced investor, on staff, which will evaluate the condition of your property and give you a competitive bid or a feasibility opinion on whether you should invest in the property.

We have to make some current decisions on whether we are going to continue marketing some of the properties we manage or just refer the owners to another company which markets rental properties of lesser standards. If you have an investment property or are thinking about getting into real estate investment, we encourage you to sit down with us and let us help you evaluate your current real estate situation and show you how to establish a long term real estate portfolio.  Let our investment experience work for you and increase your long term financial goals in real estate.

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You Suck At Business

I just hung up the phone with a person who holds a real estate license, after asking them if they would like to put their license to work and they advised me; “the real estate market is dead and they had no idea how anyone could possibly make a living in real estate”.  Really, why would I be calling, looking for people to go to work?

 I decided to change directions and make a few calls to some active realtors who seemed to be struggling in the business, invite them for a cup of coffee, so we could discuss how our company could help them make more money in the business. The comment they replied to me was rather rude and, I reminded the person;” I could not physically put my head there and there was no reason to assume that is was where they claimed it to be, so I didn’t have to retrieve it from the location they assumed it to be”.   I just don’t understand why there was such apathy of license holders and why they were struggling in our industry, and then it struck me; they just suck at business.  Yes, I said that, they suck at business and here is how I came to that conclusion. 

It started with their business plan we worked together on to develop, so they could achieve success, which was the first mistake, (I was advised the plan would be impossible to achieve because it was impossible to actually make the numbers work).  We offered a free web site so they could have web presence, which was an even bigger mistake, (the site didn’t offer enough widgets and the majority of the public needed more information than a cheap web site had to offer).  We went over our technology, several times, (it was explained to me that we needed to hire administration people to handle the menial tasks). We showed them how to gather the low hanging fruit  in real estate by calling expired listing and FSBO’s, (which was explained to me, was a huge mistake, they only hang up on you when you call).  Along with the opportunities of failure I offered them, I advised them to use social networking to expand their center of influence, (they liked that idea because they could sit at their desk all day long and keep up with their friends, share pictures what they had for lunch, pictures of them at the office and tweet their hearts out).  I showed them how to market listings and themselves on free sites and it was soon my fault they had couldn’t afford to work in real estate because of all the great deals they found on the web sites and they informed me that they would have to get a real job.

 Yes folks, with all the distracters’ out there, keeping people from doing what they should be doing, prospecting for business.  If you really want to make money in the real estate business, you have to work.  If you have to check your email every ten minutes, log on to Facebook immediately after getting your email notification, if you must respond to the offensive tweet you received, if you can’t bear to get hung up on, be called nasty names by people who don’t even know you, then I guess you’re right, there is no way for you to make any money in real estate sales, (or any other sales jobs for that matter).  So get out there and find that 9-5 job that will pay you far less than what you think you’re worth, (while you use the company computer to check your email, Facebook, tweet, look for bargains on all the available websites and, follow up with a text to your friends from your cell phone, of what an ass your boss is. Just one thing to let you know from a business owner to an employee;  “You Suck at Business”!

The Scam

 I have just been educated on how an identity can be stolen and how criminals steal from unsuspecting individuals from overseas.

  Just like every Realtor who works hard, marketing their listings, I received an email from an individual who wanted to make an offer on one of my listings.  They made their decisions from the photographs and my description and advised me; this was the house of their dreams.  They wanted the contact information for our closing attorney and wanted to direct me on how the transaction should go; I returned an email and advised the individual how we handle business in our office.  I received a phone call a couple days later from the individual and we discussed what names they wanted on the contract and closing documents, so I wrote up the contract, emailed a copy to the potential buyer, to our closing attorney and I contacted the FBI. 

My military intuition took over and I did my background checks from the area where the individual stated they were to be coming from.  The faces of the people did not match the voice from over the SKYPE phone connection I had had.  This is how the scam works;

The criminal finds a “well to do” target, finds banking information on the target and establishes codes in order to withdraw funds.  They find an attorney or title company here in the US to wire funds into to secure and purchase a home.  Prior to the inspection period closing, or after an inspection has been made, they decide the home is not what they anticipated and want their money returned.  The attorney or title company wires the money back to an account, (not the one that it was withdrawn from).  For a few weeks work, the criminals net a quarter million dollars.

Watch your bank accounts folks, our Government doesn't care and the following is what happened after our attorney and myself figured iut the deal was a scam.

In my never ending surprise of how ineffective our government is, after leaving a message with our local FBI office, (they never returned a call), I contacted the district office again and got a different agent who answered the phone.  I explained to the agent about what was about to transpire, how there needed to be some agency exchange to assist the person whose identity had been compromised.  Their answer was; just don’t do the deal. Really; that is the best answer you can come up with?  Of course we’re not going to do the deal but I have information with the SKYPE phone number and an email address of the person who is trying to scam someone out of a quarter million dollars and, the best you can come up with is; don’t do the deal? As per the agent; a crime had not been committed here in the states and they had no jurisdiction over anyone in the UK.  What I could do is report the scam to their web site for statistical information. So I did and that was several days ago and still nothing. So I contacted London Metro, (Scotland Yard), via web site and filed a report with them and also did a crime stoppers report to the local police department where the victim lives, sent a direct email to the victim, and have yet to receive a response from anyone.  I do understood the Olympics was going on at that time but someone was about to be scammed out of a quarter million dollars and there is not one authority willing to do anything to stop it.  Still wanting someone to take notice of a crime that is about to happen; I attempted to contact Homeland Security to report the issue of internet fraud. I called the number listed on their web site and got a recording for immigration service.  I guess crimes only happen Monday through Friday, 9-5 for our Federal Government.  I have contacted several media outlets to possibly air a report to the public about how these scams work, but the Olympics took precedence over the story and, it’s only a quarter million dollars of somebody else’s money, so why should they be concerned? The Bass player in our jamming group is an attorney who explained to me, the Florida Bar has been notifying attorneys of these scams and all fault is on the attorney if a scam like this takes place and many attorney’s are not aware or haven’t been to that briefing.  The majority of Realtors have no clue, this kind of scam is going on and believe it would never effect them, but it can for the hungry Realtor who doesn't do their homework.  My only hope right  then was a media group would pick the story up and let the public know what’s going on and how these scams work, but in the mean time, please pass the word on to other Realtors, FSBO’s, title companies and attorney’s.  Keep this in mind, our government is doing nothing to protect the innocent or ignorant from criminals taking another’s ID and are only reactive instead of pro-active in financial scams.  If you are scammed, you can always fill out the FBI report for their statistics. 

Letting your house breathe

The real estate deals are out there right now, just ready for a first time home buyer to find the deal of a lifetime.  Many will buy homes that are move-in ready while others find super deals that need some sweat equity and minimal upgrades.  Many of the buyers will be concerned about conserving energy and will invest into their new homes with new energy efficient doors and windows, high efficiency HVAC, additional blow-in insulation, water saving fixtures, and energy efficient appliances and then to their surprise; their utility bill actually goes up.  Many will call the utility company and complain; there must be a mistake, and the utility company has all the proof to show the meter readings. The next call will be to the HVAC contractor who will check the system out and find all pressures are where they are suppose to be and advises the homeowners; the system appears to be working properly.  The home owner not satisfied, contacts another HVAC contractor, only to get the same answer and a service call charge.  The next call would be to the contractor who installed the windows and doors; obviously they were installed improperly and are leaking air from… The contractor pulls the trim back and shows the taped seals and foam insulation in voids along framed sides; the contractor had installed them correctly. The home owner contacts the manufacture who sends a representative to their home who pressure test the windows and doors, and to the surprise of the new homeowners, they are working as they are suppose to do.  Within a few weeks, mildew starts growing in the corners of the shower at the ceiling and at the vent in the bathrooms.  If the problem isn’t found quickly, the next expense will be a new roof and possibly mold remediation in the attic.  So what’s the problem?  The one contractor they didn’t call is the first one they should have called.

  I have found aspiring energy conservationists do this over and over and the problem is; their attic can’t breathe.  Many customers try taking the lowest bid from insulation contractors, without having been educated in the proper procedure for applying additional insulation.  Many times, the soffit needs to be pulled away and baffles installed between the rafters so outside air can be drawn into the attic and out the roof vents.  I have found many eaves stuffed tight with insulation, not allowing air to flow into the attic.  Bathroom vent fans also fall prey to the blown-in insulation techs who are just there, filling voids, watching rules tacked on to rafters and all to often just cover the vents with insulation.  Another area of concern will be dryer vents dumping into attic spaces that get covered with insulation.  Without proper ventilation, heat will build up in the attic and flow down into your living area and will also melt the seal strips on roof shingles.  I have inspected homes with two year old roofs that need replaced because all the seal tabs had melted.  Other indications can be rotten decking at the eaves or fire resistant plywood with melting resins, making walking on the roof dangerous.

Before making quick decisions and spending money on good intentions, do your homework.  Check with your utility company and see if they offer free energy evaluations and possible rebates for making your home energy efficient and if they can refer qualified contractors or, you can hire an experienced contractor for their advice or supervise the installers.  Other areas to invest into is good quality bathroom vents designed to remove air from your bathroom, based on the square footage and vented out through the roof or into the eaves, depending what your code requires.  Never allow a dryer vent to dump into an attic.  The lint deposits are highly flammable and dumping additional moisture will only cause additional problems.  Dryer vents need to have clear straight lines to the outside, either through the roof or a side wall. Roof vents need to be clear and wide enough to allow air to move freely and my favorite roof vent is the off ridge vent spaced out across the roof line at the rear exposure.  Letting your attic breathe will save energy and your hard earned money.

Our Story of Korea as an Enduring Legacy

Clyde Allen Martin Jr. received his commission in 1952 and was soon deployed with his Artillery unit to Korea to join the fight.  With the Chinese joining the war in support of North Korea, offering large numbers of humans to lay to waste in the fight to preserve the communist regime for the continent of Korea.   American forces were being pushed back, day by day, as politicians negotiated areas of real estate for surrender.  Lieutenant Martin heard the sounds of the horns and whistles moments before the attackers overrun his perimeter. The sounds of gunfire seemed to be coming from every direction around him, a blinding rain pouring down, the horns, gunfire, screams of men falling in writhing death, feet pounding all around him and the sudden hand grasping the arm of young lieutenant Martin, pulling him in a covered bunker and shoving him to the floor.  Waiting for the bullet to enter his body, Lieutenant Martin looked into the eyes of an NCO; you shut your mouth and stay quiet, lieutenant.  What seemed like endless gunfire and explosions their all around, the soldiers held their position with their Army issued 45’s as the NCO and the young lieutenant waited for death to enter their bunker.  As quickly as it seemed to happen, the only sound remaining, was the sound of the pounding rain.  Lieutenant Martin owed his life to an experienced NCO and the infantry security company who pushed the Chinese backed North Koreans out of his perimeter. Lieutenant Martin stepped out of the bunker and joined his soldiers with the tending of wounded and dying American soldiers who lay amongst the dead and dying attackers. The large artillery weapons were being attached to their tractors to move closer toward the 38^th parallel.  Lieutenant Martin would survive and employ many fire missions on an ever pursuing enemy, only to withdraw and move further South towards the 38^th parallel and the Imjim River.  Clyde Martin came home to Florida, a changed man. He welcomed his normal bankers life, but the memories of Korea often woke him in the middle of the night and only the comforting soft hands of his wife, Betty Anne, would lead him back to bed to fall asleep with the ringing of the big guns, forever ringing in his ears, the horns and whistles, gunfire, the sounds of dying and the rain. 

  On August 3^rd 1954, Lieutenant Martin was blessed with twins; a son and daughter.  It would be another thirty-four years before another Martin would land on Korean soil and begin another chapter of service to country for both the United States and Korea.

  February 1988, a young Buck Sergeant steps out of an aircraft to the cold hazy skies of Seoul Korea.  The pungent odor of ondol filled the air as the Sergeant headed to Army welcome center, only to be greeted by a Sergeant Major, directing the young sergeant to straighten his tie before going into the briefing room.  The Seoul Olympics was going to showcase Korea as an evolving nation and the United States was building forces to insure North Korea would not spoil the show.  The sergeant knew exactly were he would be going; he was headed to the 2^nd Infantry Division’s Western Corridor, to be part of a defensive posture for the 2^nd Infantry Division and help defend Korea’s showcase to the world.

  Eight miles from North Korea, the Sergeant arrived at Camp Gerry Owen, home of the 2^nd Infantry Division’s Cavalry Squadron.  Two days in country, the anxiety of being so close to the heaviest fortified border in the world and already missing his wife, the sergeant headed to Squadron Headquarters to receive his assignment for what would change the rest of his and his wife’s life.

  Upon receiving his mission, the sergeant was assigned a room in the barracks and was given time to ready his gear and prepare his quarters.  Shortly after getting most of his gear put away, another soldier knocked on his door and offered to show the sergeant around the compound.  Soon after chow, the soldiers changed out of their uniforms and head down range to the local village, which would start the life changing events for the young sergeant. It was a short mile and a half walk to the village and the sights and sounds of a foreign Korean lifestyle almost overwhelmed the young sergeant.  The clubs, specialty clothiers, the food, visiting many small shops made for a late evening and was almost too much for a first night in Korea.  By the time the Sergeant’s head hit the pillow it was almost midnight and shortly there after the alert siren went off and the reality of Korea set in, this was a real war zone.  Jumping out of bed and into uniform then suddenly remembering, all of his combat gear was not put together.  The sergeant struggled to get all the gear assembled, checking out his weapon from the arms room and double timed to his assigned defensive position, waiting for the attack to come, which never did.  Standing down from the drill, a lesson in preparedness for which the sergeant would never let happen again. The nightlife in the village would not be the direction this sergeant would go. There had to be something better than spending money on useless trivets, clothes or alcohol.  There was something on the horizon for which the young soldier would soon discover.

  It was mid-afternoon when the sergeant stepped off the bus in front of the compound after spending time at the main PX on Camp Casey, which had more choices than the small Gerry Owen PX.  The sergeant stowed his purchases in his wall locker and headed to the recreation center to find what would be the calling of the soldier.  When the sergeant opened the door to the recreation center, what he found stopped him in his tracks.  The room was full of children, 50-60 kids of all ages, watching a movie and enjoying popcorn and Kool-aid.  The Squadron Chaplin, seeing the overwhelmed look on the face of the sergeant, walked from across the room to explain what was going on and asked the sergeant if he could help chaperone the children for that afternoon. The Chaplin explained he was working on renewing a relationship with the local orphanage after a soldier tried to have his way with one of the teenage girls at the orphanage.  Regaining trust was going to be difficult but he asked the sergeant for his assistance and the sergeant agreed to help.  Over the next weeks and months, the sergeant befriended the matrons of the orphanage and developed a friendship with several young girls, (ages of eight to twelve), often taking them to the village to eat and buying clothes to share with the other children of the orphanage.  The sergeant encouraged other soldiers to participate in sponsoring their time and money to support the children.   During field training exercises, the sergeant would often bring the leftover bread, food and deserts to the delight of the children, instead of the leftovers going into the garbage.

 In mid-April, the sergeant’s wife arrived for a reunion tour and they traveled Korea, taking in the wonders of the nation.  Just before the sergeant’s wife headed back to the states, the sergeant introduced her to the orphanage matrons and his girls.  She wondered how her big tough combat soldier would turn into mush over some children and she welcomed the change in her husband’s demeanor. As her plane took off from Seoul and she watched Korea grow smaller and smaller, she already missed her husband and somewhere between Japan and the United States, she was thinking about going back to Korea.

  It was June and very hot in Florida when the sergeant’s wife made up her mind, she was going back to Korea.  She didn’t know what she would do, she wasn’t suppose to be there, it was supposed to be un-accompanied tour, an area of the world which could turn into a combat zone at any time, regardless, she was going back to Korea.

  The sergeant’s wife knew there were other wives there; she had talked with them about how they lived in Korea during her reunion tour and was determined to make a go of the adventure.  Once in Korea, she started volunteering for the Brigade Chaplin at Camp House with other wives.  With her business background and organizational skills, she worked with other wives in the development of a volunteer corps within the 2^nd Infantry Divisions Western Corridor.  She assisted the Brigade Chaplin with the development of a Brides School for the Korean wives who would be returning to the states with their American soldier husband. 

  The sergeant and his wife attended Korean ceremonies’ and a wedding of their Korean friends, organized trips with the orphanage children to amusement parks in Seoul with soldier chaperones. The sergeant organized fundraising on the compound to install new vinyl floors in the orphanage and coordinated with the PX for overage food to be donated to the orphanage. With duty hours and all the extracurricular activities, time passed quickly for the sergeant and his wife and it was time to return stateside. Leaving Korea was the first thing the sergeant wanted to do upon arriving in country but now, with all the friends the sergeant and his wife would probably never see again, leaving was going to be a painful event.  Saying good-bye to the children was almost heartbreaking for both.  The final clearance papers signed, plane tickets in hand, the shaking of hands, pats on the back and a final taxi ride to airport.  Boarding the plane, the gentle ride to the final take-off, Korea was quickly fading away from the sergeant and his wife.  Korea had changed them.  It opened their eyes to what their real military mission was; it was representing their country, being true ambassadors to their hosts.  With all they had done within the local Korean community and their Army community; had they make a difference?  Our nation had made a difference in the development of Korea.  Korea is the Phoenix, raised from the ashes of war to become the shining example of what hard work and a determined people can become.

  The Martin family had made a difference for the Korean community; Clyde Martin Jr. was there first in the defense of the nation and secondly, his daughter Debra as an ambassador to the nation and the Army community volunteer. But more importantly, Korea made them better for serving both countries.

Government, The Ultimate Fire Ant Colony

Living in the South has many benefits to the rest of the country but with all the benefits we have, we have just a few annoyances’ that most can agree with.  Nothing is more annoying than while chatting with friends, having fire ants invade your presence.  A few brushes of the hand and uttering undertone colorful adjectives, they are gone. After having to contend with fire ants for years, it has come to my conclusion that fire ants are not much different from our own government. The following is a true depiction of an actual event. Many of you will actually see the comparison but for those of you that think I have lost my mind, you would probably be part of the problem and that being the expansion of government.

  A few years ago, I killed a small rattle snake in the yard.  It had a beautiful shin and I had decided to make a taxidermy project out of the event.  My idea was to strip the skin from the snake and dry it, strip the meat from the bones, dry the bones and then assemble the bones and hide for a display.  My thought was to use fire ants to remove the meat from the bones and allow me the easy part of sun drying the bones for my project.  I laid the stripped carcass on the ground around a small fire ant mound and went about finishing my yard chores.  After several hours, I went back to find that the ants had found their meal and it seemed the entire colony was on the carcass, so I went back to work on the yard.  Before the day was ended, I returned to the project and had found the ants had covered the carcass with grass clippings to hide their prize from other predators, I found that amazing.  The next afternoon, I again returned to the project to find there were no ants around the grass clippings, so I removed some of the grass clippings only to find nothing, so I removed the rest of the clippings to find nothing at all.  The colony had not only removed the meat from the bones but they removed everything.  My project would not happen and I was rather annoyed that the ants had made my project fail.

  It has been many years since that event actually happened but since I involve myself with trying to control the growth of government and fighting government control, I come to the conclusion; government is the ultimate fire ant colony!  Keeping the fore mentioned events in mind; this is how I come to that conclusion.

  I had a project that I assumed needed government assistance.  Because I could not clearly communicate to the government what it was that I needed, I merely assumed government would be able to assist me.  Like typical government, they covered up the project to remove any outside sources from influencing the project.  They put more personnel than necessary on the project and left nothing to question as to what the intent of the project was, and that was to feed government.  The end result of the project was typical of what I normally receive from my interaction with government. There was never intent to provide service; it was an action to do nothing more than to expand government.  The colony, like government, is self serving and self protecting.  The goal is to expand government, (colony), and left uncontrolled, will leave an area uninhabitable and unless you pay attention to where the colonies have control, government will, out of the blue, bite and sting you for no other reason than to point out that they are in control.   My suggestion is we control the growth of government, (colonies), never assume government is here to help us, never volunteer to feed government and make sure to communicate your intentions before entering into a relationship with government. 

  So you see, government is the ultimate fire ant colony; how has it taken so much control of our lives?  Just one piece at a time, just like fire ants on a snake.  

I Don't think We Can Do Business

I really hope, those of “You” who read this, this is not a reflection of how “You” appear to the public… 

I tried to call “you” today… your phone prompting system would never direct me or ask me the right question; I just didn’t know which department I needed to go to… I don’t think we can do business together.

I finally got to you through “your” phone prompting system today and after I figured out what your four digit extension was.  You have such a nice voice on your message, but today is Tuesday and you reminded me that you were going to be out of the office all day… last Thursday; so I am to assume you still haven’t showed up to work? I don’t think we can do business together.

After trying to deal with “your” phone system, (it must be me, I just can’t figure out how to use the phone systems), I decided to drive to “your” office and maybe have the opportunity to speak with you face to face, as I feel your phone system must not be working correctly.  The pretty girl behind the desk, who looked up at me ,after about a minute of texting on her cell phone, was very friendly and would help me… her phone rang and she had to handle a personal emergency… thirty seconds later, the emergency was solved and she would be able to meet her friend around five on Friday as she would leave work a little early. 

She didn’t know if you were in, she tried to contact you in your office but there was no answer… she went to the computer and sent you an email to advise you, I was at the office… and no, I’ll try again later.  No, don’t bother; I don’t think we can do business together.

So I went home and called “your” office.  Your receptionist seemed very busy and quickly put me on hold but shortly returned and asked; how may I help you?  No, you were not in but you should be in shortly and if I could leave my name and number, you would return my call and if I had any questions about the company, I could just go to your web site and see how wonderful your business is.  So after I hung up the phone, I went to your web site… very impressive, lots of information and I’m waiting for you to return a call… waiting… It’s now five in the afternoon, so I tried calling you back; I can tell by your web site, you must be very busy and working late.  Wouldn’t you know it; your office was closed and if I would just leave a short message and my number, you would get right back with me… Uh, I’m sorry I called; I don’t believe we can do business together.

The next morning, I called, “you”, and you answered your phone.  You let me know you were on your way to the office and would get right back with me as soon as you got there.  After an hour, I called you back and you apologized for not returning a call, but you asked how you could help me; so I gave you my information and I could hear you typing away.  You asked me if I have been to our web site… No, I didn’t know I could fill out all the forms right there… yes I can hold… No, it’s not madam, its sir… and yes, I can come to your office and sign the forms.  What time is good?  Why, yes, I can be there in 30 minutes.  As I arrived and walked through the foyer into your office, I noticed the old fast food wrappers in your waste can and a smell of stale beer coming from the same area.  As you came through the door, I noticed the coffee stains on your shirt and you needed a hair cut; and did you forget to shave this morning?  As we walked into your conference room, I just couldn’t get over the layer of dust on the shelves and the water stains on the desk surface and the trash can over flowing.  Another thing that disturbs me is the smell of alcohol reeking from all the sweat pouring from forehead and armpits. As I looked over the paperwork and you took another swallow from your bottle of water; I asked if I could take the paperwork home to review it closer.  The look on your face was priceless, your eyes rolling up and then with your best sarcastic pleasantry, “that will be fine”.  As I walk out the door, feeling rushed, you opened the door and asked me to call you if I had any questions.  Oh, I don’t think I’ll have any questions; because I don’t believe we can do business together.

So this is how business is being done today?  Is this how your customers see you?  Did you ever wonder why your business isn’t growing?  These are just a few comments that I have received from customers so I could write of their experience.  You probably have some of your own; please share.