March 23,2008
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady and CondoCanDo, Charlotte, NC
Chapter Two. Now you See It, Now You Don’t…This may require several parts but I feel compelled to talk about what I have read and ultimately who I will talk to about this and what links I can provide you the reader, the listener, the real estate consumer. This is serious. It is Radon. I think I will simply publish the whole story as it appeared in the Business Journal. I have been waiting for a follow up from someone…a newspaper, a radio report, a television, but nothing as of this date.I am going to put this on my blog as well. And will do my best to follow this through. This addresses my core concern…public health, public safety, consumer awareness.I will try present the whole article as it appeared on February 22, 2008 in the Business Journal. Counting this, here will be five parts:
1.Latta Pavilion Is Sick
2.Taking Measure
3.Solving The Problem
4.Still Selling
5.Getting a Read on Radon
GETTING A READ ON RADON
§ What is it? Colorless and odorless radioactive gas formed in rock and soil.
§ How does it get in your home or business? Leaks into basement or crawl space from exposed soil, rock. Also is present in building materials such as natural stone or rock.
§ How dangerous is radon? The EPA says radon causes 100 times more deaths than carbon monoxide poisoning. It is the second-leading cause of lung cancer.
§ How to check? EPA-certified radon test kits are available for $20 from hardware, discount stores.
§ How do you cut levels? Seal cracks, openings to prevent from entering via soil; ventilation to carry gas out of a building.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency
As there is follow up, it will be posted here!!!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Latta Pavilion Is Sick. Still Selling.
March 22,2008
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady and CondoCanDo, Charlotte, NC
Chapter Two. Now you See It, Now You Don’t…This may require several parts but I feel compelled to talk about what I have read and ultimately who I will talk to about this and what links I can provide you the reader, the listener, the real estate consumer. This is serious. It is Radon. I think I will simply publish the whole story as it appeared in the Business Journal. I have been waiting for a follow up from someone…a newspaper, a radio report, a television, but nothing as of this date.I am going to put this on my blog as well. And will do my best to follow this through. This addresses my core concern…public health, public safety, consumer awareness.I will present the whole article as it appeared on February 22, 2008 in the Business Journal. Counting this, here will be five parts:
1.Latta Pavilion Is Sick
2.Taking Measure
3.Solving The Problem
4.Still Selling
5.Getting a Read on Radon
Here goes:
Still Selling
In spite of the elevated levels of radon, people are still buying units at Latta Pavilion.
Allen Tate's Dilworth office has sold three units in Latta Pavilion since the radon was found. "We have not worked with any potential buyers who elected not to purchase in this community, based on this knowledge," says Jane Richey, the office branch manager.
Kindbom says Tate has been discussing the radon issue since it was discovered at Latta Pavilion. She says radon tests are not routine in Charlotte, but adds it's always better to be safe than sorry.
"It's a fixable problem that's not terribly expensive," Kindbom says. "My hope is that once this is corrected it will be a nonfactor."
Grubb says his company has moved quickly to try to resolve the issue. "We're not trying to hide our head in the sand."
He'd like to move forward with a mitigation plan that includes the fan installation in each unit over the next couple of months. "We'll have to work through whether this is a design issue, construction materials or an engineering issue. That part won't be fun."
Next: GETTING A READ ON RADON
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady and CondoCanDo, Charlotte, NC
Chapter Two. Now you See It, Now You Don’t…This may require several parts but I feel compelled to talk about what I have read and ultimately who I will talk to about this and what links I can provide you the reader, the listener, the real estate consumer. This is serious. It is Radon. I think I will simply publish the whole story as it appeared in the Business Journal. I have been waiting for a follow up from someone…a newspaper, a radio report, a television, but nothing as of this date.I am going to put this on my blog as well. And will do my best to follow this through. This addresses my core concern…public health, public safety, consumer awareness.I will present the whole article as it appeared on February 22, 2008 in the Business Journal. Counting this, here will be five parts:
1.Latta Pavilion Is Sick
2.Taking Measure
3.Solving The Problem
4.Still Selling
5.Getting a Read on Radon
Here goes:
Still Selling
In spite of the elevated levels of radon, people are still buying units at Latta Pavilion.
Allen Tate's Dilworth office has sold three units in Latta Pavilion since the radon was found. "We have not worked with any potential buyers who elected not to purchase in this community, based on this knowledge," says Jane Richey, the office branch manager.
Kindbom says Tate has been discussing the radon issue since it was discovered at Latta Pavilion. She says radon tests are not routine in Charlotte, but adds it's always better to be safe than sorry.
"It's a fixable problem that's not terribly expensive," Kindbom says. "My hope is that once this is corrected it will be a nonfactor."
Grubb says his company has moved quickly to try to resolve the issue. "We're not trying to hide our head in the sand."
He'd like to move forward with a mitigation plan that includes the fan installation in each unit over the next couple of months. "We'll have to work through whether this is a design issue, construction materials or an engineering issue. That part won't be fun."
Next: GETTING A READ ON RADON
Latta Pavilion Is Sick. Solving The Problem
March 21, 2008
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady and CondoCanDo, Charlotte, NC
Chapter Two. Now you See It, Now You Don’t…
This may require several parts but I feel compelled to talk about what I have read and ultimately who I will talk to about this and what links I can provide you the reader, the listener, the real estate consumer. This is serious. It is Radon. I think I will simply publish the whole story as it appeared in the Business Journal. I have been waiting for a follow up from someone…a newspaper, a radio report, a television, but nothing as of this date.I am going to put this on my blog as well. And will do my best to follow this through. This addresses my core concern…public health, public safety, consumer awareness.I will present the whole article as it appeared on February 22, 2008. Counting this, here will be five parts:
1.Latta Pavilion Is Sick
2.Taking Measure
3.Solving The Problem
4.Still Selling
5.Getting a Read on Radon
Here goes:
Solving the problem
Grubb is involved in a mediation process with Rodgers Builders, the executive board of the Latta Pavilion Condominium Owners Association Inc. and the project's designer, Charlotte-based FMK Architects.
"We have consulted with numerous experts and coordinated professional tests of many units as well as overall airflow in the building," the homeowners association said in a statement sent to the Charlotte Business Journal this week. "Based on what the experts tell us, we believe the primary problem is insufficient airflow between the units and the outside environment."
Association member Buck Lawrimore, owner of a communications firm who is acting as the group's spokesman, declines to comment on the issue.
In the written statement, the association says it's working with Grubb and Rodgers Builders to find a solution. So far, the focus is on installing fans that would funnel the gas out of the building. The cost: $5,000 per unit, or $1.3 million.
Grubb pledges that tenants won't bear any of the expense, but it's not clear who will.
Grubb believes a faulty ventilation system designed by FMK is the cause of the radon problems.
Not so fast, says Allan McGuire, managing principal at the architectural firm. He says his company designed Latta Pavilion to meet the Charlotte-Mecklenburg building codes, and it was constructed accordingly. "Nothing is unique about the Latta Pavilion system that would allow it to contain radon over other systems we have done."
Fong says he's unaware of any similar problem in a building in Charlotte. He's seen a few cases of high readings in buildings in Gastonia and Cherryville where soil conditions are more conducive to creating radon emissions.
McGuire says Grubb is ultimately responsible for delivering a safe building.
Rodgers Builders executives did not return calls.
"It's a weird, perfect storm of strange occurrences that are causing this," says Sandy Kindbom, who heads the uptown office of Allen Tate Realtors. Tate is the primary sales representative for Latta Pavilion and 1315 East Blvd., which was converted to condos from apartments in 2005.
Caught up in that storm are condo owners such as Brian Cowman, who moved into his $370,000 Latta Pavilion unit a couple of months ago, before the radon issue came to light.
Cowman says he's not concerned about the short-term health impact. He is worried about the potential damage to the value of his unit. "If you have place one and place two and there is an issue at one, you are going to choose place two."
There are currently 22 units in Latta Pavilion and the adjacent 1315 East Blvd. building listed for sale on the Multiple Listing Service, with prices ranging from $194,000 for a one-bedroom unit to $610,000 for a two-bedroom penthouse.
While residents do have a justifiable concern about resale values, North Carolina is a "buyer beware" state, says Thomas Miller, general counsel for the N.C. Real Estate Commission in Raleigh.
The state's real estate license law imposes upon real estate agents the duty to disclose material facts about the properties they list. But those rules do not apply to the seller.
Next: Still selling
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady and CondoCanDo, Charlotte, NC
Chapter Two. Now you See It, Now You Don’t…
This may require several parts but I feel compelled to talk about what I have read and ultimately who I will talk to about this and what links I can provide you the reader, the listener, the real estate consumer. This is serious. It is Radon. I think I will simply publish the whole story as it appeared in the Business Journal. I have been waiting for a follow up from someone…a newspaper, a radio report, a television, but nothing as of this date.I am going to put this on my blog as well. And will do my best to follow this through. This addresses my core concern…public health, public safety, consumer awareness.I will present the whole article as it appeared on February 22, 2008. Counting this, here will be five parts:
1.Latta Pavilion Is Sick
2.Taking Measure
3.Solving The Problem
4.Still Selling
5.Getting a Read on Radon
Here goes:
Solving the problem
Grubb is involved in a mediation process with Rodgers Builders, the executive board of the Latta Pavilion Condominium Owners Association Inc. and the project's designer, Charlotte-based FMK Architects.
"We have consulted with numerous experts and coordinated professional tests of many units as well as overall airflow in the building," the homeowners association said in a statement sent to the Charlotte Business Journal this week. "Based on what the experts tell us, we believe the primary problem is insufficient airflow between the units and the outside environment."
Association member Buck Lawrimore, owner of a communications firm who is acting as the group's spokesman, declines to comment on the issue.
In the written statement, the association says it's working with Grubb and Rodgers Builders to find a solution. So far, the focus is on installing fans that would funnel the gas out of the building. The cost: $5,000 per unit, or $1.3 million.
Grubb pledges that tenants won't bear any of the expense, but it's not clear who will.
Grubb believes a faulty ventilation system designed by FMK is the cause of the radon problems.
Not so fast, says Allan McGuire, managing principal at the architectural firm. He says his company designed Latta Pavilion to meet the Charlotte-Mecklenburg building codes, and it was constructed accordingly. "Nothing is unique about the Latta Pavilion system that would allow it to contain radon over other systems we have done."
Fong says he's unaware of any similar problem in a building in Charlotte. He's seen a few cases of high readings in buildings in Gastonia and Cherryville where soil conditions are more conducive to creating radon emissions.
McGuire says Grubb is ultimately responsible for delivering a safe building.
Rodgers Builders executives did not return calls.
"It's a weird, perfect storm of strange occurrences that are causing this," says Sandy Kindbom, who heads the uptown office of Allen Tate Realtors. Tate is the primary sales representative for Latta Pavilion and 1315 East Blvd., which was converted to condos from apartments in 2005.
Caught up in that storm are condo owners such as Brian Cowman, who moved into his $370,000 Latta Pavilion unit a couple of months ago, before the radon issue came to light.
Cowman says he's not concerned about the short-term health impact. He is worried about the potential damage to the value of his unit. "If you have place one and place two and there is an issue at one, you are going to choose place two."
There are currently 22 units in Latta Pavilion and the adjacent 1315 East Blvd. building listed for sale on the Multiple Listing Service, with prices ranging from $194,000 for a one-bedroom unit to $610,000 for a two-bedroom penthouse.
While residents do have a justifiable concern about resale values, North Carolina is a "buyer beware" state, says Thomas Miller, general counsel for the N.C. Real Estate Commission in Raleigh.
The state's real estate license law imposes upon real estate agents the duty to disclose material facts about the properties they list. But those rules do not apply to the seller.
Next: Still selling
Latta Pavilion Is Sick. Taking Measure
March 20, 2008
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady and CondoCanDo, Charlotte, NC
Chapter Two. Now you See It, Now You Don’t…This may require several parts but I feel compelled to talk about what I have read and ultimately who I will talk to about this and what links I can provide you the reader, the listener, the real estate consumer. This is serious. It is Radon. I think I will simply publish the whole story as it appeared in the Business Journal. I have been waiting for a follow up from someone…a newspaper, a radio report, a television, but nothing as of this date.I am going to put this on my blog as well. And will do my best to follow this through. This addresses my core concern…public health, public safety, consumer awareness.I will present the whole article as it appeared in the Business Journal on February 22, 2008. Counting this, here will be five parts:
1.Latta Pavilion Is Sick
2.Taking Measure
3.Solving The Problem
4.Still Selling
5.Getting a Read on Radon
Here goes:Taking measure
Grubb forwarded the results to contractor Rodgers Builders Inc., the original Latta Pavilion contractor.
Bill Brodhead, president of Riegelsville, Pa.-based radon-mitigation service WPB Enterprises, was brought in by Rodgers to analyze the severity of the problem and to help find a cure. "We know there is a situation there. I can't answer who, where or when."
Because of local soil conditions, Charlotte is not a typical candidate for high levels of radon, a radioactive gas and carcinogen formed in the rock and soil from the breakdown of uranium. It occurs naturally and can be found in low levels almost everywhere.
The gas can also come from building materials such as concrete or stone fireplaces.
Brodhead found radon readings in Latta Pavilion units ranging from 5 to 10 picocuries per liter, the unit of measurement that quantifies radioactive particles. The EPA says radon is dangerous in the home at 4 picocuries per liter.
He sent the results to Felix Fong, radon program manager for the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources' division of radiation protection in Raleigh, because the readings seemed to defy explanation. Radon typically pools in the lower level of a building because it seeps up from the ground. At Latta Pavilion, some of the highest readings were on the top floors.
Fong's explanation: The radon could be generated from the building materials inside the units. Radon is typically concentrated in areas with lots of granite, shale and phosphate in the soil. So building materials such as concrete or stone that originated from an area where radon occurs naturally at high levels would be a possible source.
If the radon in Latta Pavilion is coming primarily from building materials, Fong says the fix will not be easy. "Radon is a mysterious thing. It can slip in any crack or hole of a house."
Not so mysterious is the need to find a fix -- and someone to pay for it.
In a unit where the level of radon measures 8 picocuries, the chance for that resident to develop lung cancer is 14 out of 1,000, Fong estimates. By comparison, a pack-a-day smoker faces a 50 in 1,000 chance of developing lung cancer. Next: Solving The Problem
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady and CondoCanDo, Charlotte, NC
Chapter Two. Now you See It, Now You Don’t…This may require several parts but I feel compelled to talk about what I have read and ultimately who I will talk to about this and what links I can provide you the reader, the listener, the real estate consumer. This is serious. It is Radon. I think I will simply publish the whole story as it appeared in the Business Journal. I have been waiting for a follow up from someone…a newspaper, a radio report, a television, but nothing as of this date.I am going to put this on my blog as well. And will do my best to follow this through. This addresses my core concern…public health, public safety, consumer awareness.I will present the whole article as it appeared in the Business Journal on February 22, 2008. Counting this, here will be five parts:
1.Latta Pavilion Is Sick
2.Taking Measure
3.Solving The Problem
4.Still Selling
5.Getting a Read on Radon
Here goes:Taking measure
Grubb forwarded the results to contractor Rodgers Builders Inc., the original Latta Pavilion contractor.
Bill Brodhead, president of Riegelsville, Pa.-based radon-mitigation service WPB Enterprises, was brought in by Rodgers to analyze the severity of the problem and to help find a cure. "We know there is a situation there. I can't answer who, where or when."
Because of local soil conditions, Charlotte is not a typical candidate for high levels of radon, a radioactive gas and carcinogen formed in the rock and soil from the breakdown of uranium. It occurs naturally and can be found in low levels almost everywhere.
The gas can also come from building materials such as concrete or stone fireplaces.
Brodhead found radon readings in Latta Pavilion units ranging from 5 to 10 picocuries per liter, the unit of measurement that quantifies radioactive particles. The EPA says radon is dangerous in the home at 4 picocuries per liter.
He sent the results to Felix Fong, radon program manager for the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources' division of radiation protection in Raleigh, because the readings seemed to defy explanation. Radon typically pools in the lower level of a building because it seeps up from the ground. At Latta Pavilion, some of the highest readings were on the top floors.
Fong's explanation: The radon could be generated from the building materials inside the units. Radon is typically concentrated in areas with lots of granite, shale and phosphate in the soil. So building materials such as concrete or stone that originated from an area where radon occurs naturally at high levels would be a possible source.
If the radon in Latta Pavilion is coming primarily from building materials, Fong says the fix will not be easy. "Radon is a mysterious thing. It can slip in any crack or hole of a house."
Not so mysterious is the need to find a fix -- and someone to pay for it.
In a unit where the level of radon measures 8 picocuries, the chance for that resident to develop lung cancer is 14 out of 1,000, Fong estimates. By comparison, a pack-a-day smoker faces a 50 in 1,000 chance of developing lung cancer. Next: Solving The Problem
Latta Pavilion Is Sick
March 19, 2008
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady and CondoCanDo, Charlotte, NC
Chapter Two. Now you See It, Now You Don’t…This may require several parts but I feel compelled to talk about what I have read and ultimately who I will talk to about this and what links I can provide you the reader, the listener, the real estate consumer. This is serious. It is Radon. I think I will simply publish the whole story as it appeared in the Business Journal. I have been waiting for a follow up from someone…a newspaper, a radio report, a television, but nothing as of this date.I am going to put this on my blog as well. And will do my best to follow this through. This addresses my core concern…public health, public safety, consumer awareness.I will present the whole article as it appeared on February 22, 2008. Counting this, there will be five parts:
1.Latta Pavilion Is Sick
2.Taking Measure
3.Solving The Problem
4.Still Selling
5.Getting a Read on Radon
And as there is follow up, it will be posted here.
Here goes:Latta Pavilion is sick.
A colorless, odorless and potentially lethal gas has invaded the high-profile Dilworth complex, which is populated by condo owners, office workers, shoppers and two medical practices.
And while Latta Pavilion developer Grubb Properties Inc. promises to clean up the radon that is coursing through the building at levels at least twice what is considered safe, there's still a question about what exactly is causing the problem.
Getting rid of the gas is not going to be easy. Neither will be deciding who is ultimately responsible. And for owners of condos in the six-year-old building, the question isn't just how their property values are going to be affected. There's also concern about how long they've been exposed to the gas, which the Environmental Protection Agency says is the second-leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking.
The level of radon found at Latta Pavilion is anything but typical for Charlotte, which was precisely why it had gone undetected. No one was looking.
Charlotte developer Clay Grubb, president of Grubb Properties, says he got the call regarding high radon readings at Latta Pavilion, which includes the 1315 East Blvd. condo building, just before the holidays.
"At first, we didn't believe it," he says.
The company had sold more than 250 condos in the complex since it opened in 2002. None of the buyers had tested for radon. Neither had any of the office or retail tenants that occupy the first two floors of the building at East Boulevard and Scott Avenue.
It wasn't until a potential corporate client inquired about a condo that radon was on anyone's checklist. The company is based in the Northeast, where radon testing is part of the normal real estate purchase process.
The company's testing found radon. Lots of it.
Coming Up: Taking Measure.
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady and CondoCanDo, Charlotte, NC
Chapter Two. Now you See It, Now You Don’t…This may require several parts but I feel compelled to talk about what I have read and ultimately who I will talk to about this and what links I can provide you the reader, the listener, the real estate consumer. This is serious. It is Radon. I think I will simply publish the whole story as it appeared in the Business Journal. I have been waiting for a follow up from someone…a newspaper, a radio report, a television, but nothing as of this date.I am going to put this on my blog as well. And will do my best to follow this through. This addresses my core concern…public health, public safety, consumer awareness.I will present the whole article as it appeared on February 22, 2008. Counting this, there will be five parts:
1.Latta Pavilion Is Sick
2.Taking Measure
3.Solving The Problem
4.Still Selling
5.Getting a Read on Radon
And as there is follow up, it will be posted here.
Here goes:Latta Pavilion is sick.
A colorless, odorless and potentially lethal gas has invaded the high-profile Dilworth complex, which is populated by condo owners, office workers, shoppers and two medical practices.
And while Latta Pavilion developer Grubb Properties Inc. promises to clean up the radon that is coursing through the building at levels at least twice what is considered safe, there's still a question about what exactly is causing the problem.
Getting rid of the gas is not going to be easy. Neither will be deciding who is ultimately responsible. And for owners of condos in the six-year-old building, the question isn't just how their property values are going to be affected. There's also concern about how long they've been exposed to the gas, which the Environmental Protection Agency says is the second-leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking.
The level of radon found at Latta Pavilion is anything but typical for Charlotte, which was precisely why it had gone undetected. No one was looking.
Charlotte developer Clay Grubb, president of Grubb Properties, says he got the call regarding high radon readings at Latta Pavilion, which includes the 1315 East Blvd. condo building, just before the holidays.
"At first, we didn't believe it," he says.
The company had sold more than 250 condos in the complex since it opened in 2002. None of the buyers had tested for radon. Neither had any of the office or retail tenants that occupy the first two floors of the building at East Boulevard and Scott Avenue.
It wasn't until a potential corporate client inquired about a condo that radon was on anyone's checklist. The company is based in the Northeast, where radon testing is part of the normal real estate purchase process.
The company's testing found radon. Lots of it.
Coming Up: Taking Measure.
Now You See It, Now You Don't...
March 18, 2008
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady® and Condo CanDo®, Charlotte, NC
Now you see it, now you don’t…
People ask me if I specialize in condominiums and I usually answer that I specialize in my clients. Years ago, when condos seemed to have a less than desirable reputation, when other real estate brokers didn’t care for that niche in the market, I decided that if no one else wanted it, I did. Funny thing, those condo buyers of sometimes small one bedroom condos or the room mate condos (two bedrooms, two baths) went on to buy their first homes, their second homes, their lake houses and well, you get my drift.So I learned to look at condominiums and town homes with a different set of eyes, a special measure to where there might be a problem. Or problems.For instance: Windows. Windows with broken seals. Windows that leak. Broken windows. Windows that need replacing and the association will accrue funds to do that and spend a lot of time talking about it. Windows. Whose responsibility are they in a condominium? It is written in the documents. Except for the part where the replacement is being discussed, the project is forthcoming, the details have yet to be hammered out, but the new buyer was never told and now there is an assessment for the windows. And only a short time after closing. Hmmm?
Water. Did you know that one of the most recurring problems with condos especially while under construction is water? If the pipes leak between the walls, in the ceiling, in the basement, in the attic, or after the last closing in the garage and in the footings? How do you know there was/is a problem? Whose responsibility is it? Remember in a condo, you own the air space. Documents? Read carefully.
This is another good one. If a town home community has four units attached to each other and three of the units have termite bonds…well, how effective is that? Is there anything in the governing documents that says a termite bond is a requirement?
This is a recent one. A high-rise with 40 units with average prices of 500,000 up and five stories is approaching 14 years old and maintenance problems are becoming larger…40 people are maintaining a mid-rise…How about a four story, ten units condo in Uptown Charlotte. Even with big bucks, long term, grab your calculator. Factor in maintenance.
The biggest and most fascinating mystery to me is Radon on the upper floors of a relatively new condominium in Dilworth. Catch it on the next installment.
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady® and CondoCanDo®, Charlotte, NC
Registered Servicemarks 1989
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady® and Condo CanDo®, Charlotte, NC
Now you see it, now you don’t…
People ask me if I specialize in condominiums and I usually answer that I specialize in my clients. Years ago, when condos seemed to have a less than desirable reputation, when other real estate brokers didn’t care for that niche in the market, I decided that if no one else wanted it, I did. Funny thing, those condo buyers of sometimes small one bedroom condos or the room mate condos (two bedrooms, two baths) went on to buy their first homes, their second homes, their lake houses and well, you get my drift.So I learned to look at condominiums and town homes with a different set of eyes, a special measure to where there might be a problem. Or problems.For instance: Windows. Windows with broken seals. Windows that leak. Broken windows. Windows that need replacing and the association will accrue funds to do that and spend a lot of time talking about it. Windows. Whose responsibility are they in a condominium? It is written in the documents. Except for the part where the replacement is being discussed, the project is forthcoming, the details have yet to be hammered out, but the new buyer was never told and now there is an assessment for the windows. And only a short time after closing. Hmmm?
Water. Did you know that one of the most recurring problems with condos especially while under construction is water? If the pipes leak between the walls, in the ceiling, in the basement, in the attic, or after the last closing in the garage and in the footings? How do you know there was/is a problem? Whose responsibility is it? Remember in a condo, you own the air space. Documents? Read carefully.
This is another good one. If a town home community has four units attached to each other and three of the units have termite bonds…well, how effective is that? Is there anything in the governing documents that says a termite bond is a requirement?
This is a recent one. A high-rise with 40 units with average prices of 500,000 up and five stories is approaching 14 years old and maintenance problems are becoming larger…40 people are maintaining a mid-rise…How about a four story, ten units condo in Uptown Charlotte. Even with big bucks, long term, grab your calculator. Factor in maintenance.
The biggest and most fascinating mystery to me is Radon on the upper floors of a relatively new condominium in Dilworth. Catch it on the next installment.
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady® and CondoCanDo®, Charlotte, NC
Registered Servicemarks 1989
March. In Like A Lion, Out Like A Lamb?
March 17, 2008
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady® and Condo CanDo®, Charlotte, NC
March. In like a Lion out like a lamb. ..
Sometimes, I feel compelled to speak out about what I see and hear. Sometimes,
I think being quiet and patient is more peaceful, but more and more I am learning
that faster is not necessarily better, skipping up the steps is not always prudent and
being as thorough as one can be is probably old fashioned. But as I approach my
70th year, I feel an obligation if only to myself to have conversations with myself
about this real estate business. Because while I never said when I was a little girl
that I wanted to be a real estate broker, it has been the perfect vocation for me in
this city I love so well and have for so long.
What are we thinking? For decades it was a requirement to have a termite
inspection. Once I helped a buyer with a two bedroom condominium downtown in The Poplar on the fifth floor. Their mortgage company required a termite letter.
Today, many of the lenders do not require a termite inspection for condominium, town home or single family home. Nothing. ln this city of trees with our usually high water table, termites must gather monthly to laugh and buzz over this latest non-requirement
as they munch away on walls of homes built on slabs, the crawl spaces in older and newer homes, the garages, the thresholds and on. I think having a termite inspector at the home with the structural inspector was one of the best protocols we used to follow. And many of us still do. Regardless.
Cheaper. Better. Faster. I have lived in my home for over four decades and
maintenance is like rearing twins. It is a full time job. Painting and cleaning, and
caulking and repairing wooden siding and wooden deck and wooden ramp. I
know sometimes I wished I would have taken the leap and paid $15 a month
more for all brick. ..but as a woman, I was lucky to get a mortgage at all. I might
have looked twice at vinyl, but even then, only twice. Now I see instances where
wind damage is greater, fire damage is more prevalent because of smaller, closer homesites. The latest wrinkle I learned from a super on a construction site: a home is wrapped thoroughly, the vinyl is installed and the pocket between the wrap and the vinyl can retain moisture. Sound healthy? Insert wheezing and coughing here.
And while crawling around in crawl spaces with the mold guys, I learned that the
up and coming thing might be to have a sealed crawl space without vents, no air, no
light, and a sump-pump...this new theory is probably based on the dollar. It is not
based on a simple theory of fresh air. That is my septuagenarian belief.
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady® and Condo CanDo®, Charlotte, NC
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady® and Condo CanDo®, Charlotte, NC
March. In like a Lion out like a lamb. ..
Sometimes, I feel compelled to speak out about what I see and hear. Sometimes,
I think being quiet and patient is more peaceful, but more and more I am learning
that faster is not necessarily better, skipping up the steps is not always prudent and
being as thorough as one can be is probably old fashioned. But as I approach my
70th year, I feel an obligation if only to myself to have conversations with myself
about this real estate business. Because while I never said when I was a little girl
that I wanted to be a real estate broker, it has been the perfect vocation for me in
this city I love so well and have for so long.
What are we thinking? For decades it was a requirement to have a termite
inspection. Once I helped a buyer with a two bedroom condominium downtown in The Poplar on the fifth floor. Their mortgage company required a termite letter.
Today, many of the lenders do not require a termite inspection for condominium, town home or single family home. Nothing. ln this city of trees with our usually high water table, termites must gather monthly to laugh and buzz over this latest non-requirement
as they munch away on walls of homes built on slabs, the crawl spaces in older and newer homes, the garages, the thresholds and on. I think having a termite inspector at the home with the structural inspector was one of the best protocols we used to follow. And many of us still do. Regardless.
Cheaper. Better. Faster. I have lived in my home for over four decades and
maintenance is like rearing twins. It is a full time job. Painting and cleaning, and
caulking and repairing wooden siding and wooden deck and wooden ramp. I
know sometimes I wished I would have taken the leap and paid $15 a month
more for all brick. ..but as a woman, I was lucky to get a mortgage at all. I might
have looked twice at vinyl, but even then, only twice. Now I see instances where
wind damage is greater, fire damage is more prevalent because of smaller, closer homesites. The latest wrinkle I learned from a super on a construction site: a home is wrapped thoroughly, the vinyl is installed and the pocket between the wrap and the vinyl can retain moisture. Sound healthy? Insert wheezing and coughing here.
And while crawling around in crawl spaces with the mold guys, I learned that the
up and coming thing might be to have a sealed crawl space without vents, no air, no
light, and a sump-pump...this new theory is probably based on the dollar. It is not
based on a simple theory of fresh air. That is my septuagenarian belief.
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady® and Condo CanDo®, Charlotte, NC
In The Driver's Seat? Are You?
March 16, 2008
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady® and Condo CanDo® in Charlotte, N.C.
In The Driver’s Seat…
The truth is, I could write a book about condominiums if I just kept a daily journal of what people tell me on the phone, what they write in emails and what I see and hear with my own ears and eyes. I have started a book on the basics, but mercy me, there is so much going on in Charlotte, N.C.
Maybe you can help me understand something. What will it take for buyers to comprehend that they drive the market? If buyers keep romancing granite and stainless, that is what the builders will deliver. And not necessarily the best or even better grade of granite and not necessarily a good quality on the stainless appliances. Then there are the cherry cabinets and the hardwood floors or bamboo or laminate. The descriptive words seem to sell the product. I have seen cabinets in half a million dollar condos that on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest quality, are about a 1.5. And this is by the manufacturer’s standard. I have been told by project managers that the crappy construction I see where flashing does not meet, trim is a course grade, interior doors are little more than sandwiched cardboard are all “urban design”. And I wonder why the consumers bite. In uptown condos admittedly we have a love affair going on with our “Disney-esque” view of the city. The Charlotte downtown/uptown area is small enough to be cute, compact enough (six blocks to the North, South, East and West) and that’s pushing it…
So you can take it all in. Charlotte city is new. The towers rise in the air promising another profile on the horizon, lights sparkling off the other towers. It goes on and on. The excitement is real. We like going uptown. Some of us, a lot of us, want to live there…whether it is a 350 square foot condo or a 2500 or larger square foot penthouse.And I think that is great. What I think is lacking is the consumers knowledge of what they are buying or trading. I truly believe most people spend more time buying a car than a home. And my goodness, a condominium is different from a single family home. I know you know that. Not unless you think it is a town home.Here is my point. If you are buying a condominium anywhere, have your own agent representing you. Ask questions about the quality of construction and the quality of the building products. Look or know about other projects these builders have built, this architect has designed. My prayer is that building as it takes on “green” may also take on more integrity. That builders and developers might honestly come to appreciate the genuine charm and history of Charlotte, its historic districts, its neighborhoods. I used to be hopeful but after all the sub-prime mess, I doubt it. I think that the money entrenched part of this business, real estate, builders, architects, developers, contractors and the like will keep on doing business as usual…until the consumers realize that they, the buyers are in the drivers seat.
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady® and Condo CanDo®, Charlotte, NC
The Real Estate Lady and Condo CanDo are Registered Servicemarks 1989
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady® and Condo CanDo® in Charlotte, N.C.
In The Driver’s Seat…
The truth is, I could write a book about condominiums if I just kept a daily journal of what people tell me on the phone, what they write in emails and what I see and hear with my own ears and eyes. I have started a book on the basics, but mercy me, there is so much going on in Charlotte, N.C.
Maybe you can help me understand something. What will it take for buyers to comprehend that they drive the market? If buyers keep romancing granite and stainless, that is what the builders will deliver. And not necessarily the best or even better grade of granite and not necessarily a good quality on the stainless appliances. Then there are the cherry cabinets and the hardwood floors or bamboo or laminate. The descriptive words seem to sell the product. I have seen cabinets in half a million dollar condos that on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest quality, are about a 1.5. And this is by the manufacturer’s standard. I have been told by project managers that the crappy construction I see where flashing does not meet, trim is a course grade, interior doors are little more than sandwiched cardboard are all “urban design”. And I wonder why the consumers bite. In uptown condos admittedly we have a love affair going on with our “Disney-esque” view of the city. The Charlotte downtown/uptown area is small enough to be cute, compact enough (six blocks to the North, South, East and West) and that’s pushing it…
So you can take it all in. Charlotte city is new. The towers rise in the air promising another profile on the horizon, lights sparkling off the other towers. It goes on and on. The excitement is real. We like going uptown. Some of us, a lot of us, want to live there…whether it is a 350 square foot condo or a 2500 or larger square foot penthouse.And I think that is great. What I think is lacking is the consumers knowledge of what they are buying or trading. I truly believe most people spend more time buying a car than a home. And my goodness, a condominium is different from a single family home. I know you know that. Not unless you think it is a town home.Here is my point. If you are buying a condominium anywhere, have your own agent representing you. Ask questions about the quality of construction and the quality of the building products. Look or know about other projects these builders have built, this architect has designed. My prayer is that building as it takes on “green” may also take on more integrity. That builders and developers might honestly come to appreciate the genuine charm and history of Charlotte, its historic districts, its neighborhoods. I used to be hopeful but after all the sub-prime mess, I doubt it. I think that the money entrenched part of this business, real estate, builders, architects, developers, contractors and the like will keep on doing business as usual…until the consumers realize that they, the buyers are in the drivers seat.
Lynnsy Logue, The Real Estate Lady® and Condo CanDo®, Charlotte, NC
The Real Estate Lady and Condo CanDo are Registered Servicemarks 1989
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