Thom Abbott

Rental Insurance For My Condo

September 10, 2010 by Thom Abbott

Rental Insurance For My Condo

As a REALTOR, I am often asked the question if you need insurance for your condominium. And the answer is a big, YES!

Rental Insurance for your condo protects your personal property (clothing, books, computers, etc.) in the event of a fire or flood in your building. Remember, the problem may not occur in YOUR home, but in one above, next to or below you. In the case of water, it fill find any crack or crevice and run down. If your personal items in your condo or damaged, you need to have insurance to replace them.

Also, when you rent, you should always confirm your LANDLORD also has insurance. If there was significant damage, his insurance may or may not cover you, but certainly the items that belong in the condo. Take the water issue again. If it came from the unit next door,and damage the flooring, you want to know it’s going to be repaired, and you are not living in a mess because your landlord can’t repair it.

Rental insurance is very, very inexpensive. It may cost you less than $150 per year, depending on the personal items you have. But, it’s something everyone should have.

I have a great contact with State Farm Insurance I would be happy to refer you to for your Midtown Atlanta Condo insurance needs. Just click on the “Ask Us A Question” above, and we will get right back to you!

Midtown Atlanta Makeover Continues

September 7, 2010 by Thom Abbott

Midtown Atlanta Makeover Continues

Improvements to Midtown Atlanta just keep on coming! As you’ll recall, I posted a couple weeks back that some Midtown Atlanta Streets were getting a makeover. Crescent Street certainly was in need of some sprucing! But it seems that is not all that has been happening in Midtown.

Most of these streetscape improvments are designed to enhance the pedestrian experience in Midtown Atlanta while giving Midtown its own idenity. I can say from personal experience that some of the improvements below are certainly a welcome addition to Midtown.

Installation of new LED countdown ped-heads and traffic signals are nearing completion: New, safer, more energy efficient signals have been installed throughout Midtown. The Midtown Alliance received a grant from GDOT to begin this project and most recently, was awarded a second grant from the US Department of Energy to complete it. These new signals are 80-90% more energy efficient. The new countdown crossings are great….it really helps you know how much time you have to cross the street. From a drivers perspective, it’s also like having a warning that the signal is about to change, so you can be a bit more prepared to stop. (Or some some people do, speed through the intersection on the yellow light!)

Streetscape projects begin on Peachtree Street from Peachtree Circle to the I-75/85 Bridge: This long-awaited phase of the Peachtree Streetscape furthers progress made between 3rd Street and West Peachtree Street. The project was designed to extend pedestrian improvements to the north end of Peachtree Street, improve public safety and create a better balance between large volumes of vehicular traffic and a more walkable urban environment. The project is expected to be completed in early 2011.

Five new traffic signals installed to create safer mobility for Midtown pedestrians and drivers: Midtown Alliance is in the process of completing construction. Now at these intersections, traffic will move more smoothly and pedestrian crossings will be significantly safer:

- 6th and Peachtree
- 6th and Juniper
- 8th and Piedmont
- 12th and West Peachtree
- 12th and Spring
I can certainly tell you, that the 6th Street and 8th Street installations are going to be a welcome addition. There is a crosswalk at 6th and Peachtree, but just try to get a car to stop for you!

In mid-August, Midtown Alliance will assume the maintenance of the medians and planted materials on the 14th Street Bridge. A few months ago, we celebrated the re-opening of the 14th Street Bridge with our government and community partners. We can all take pride in this gateway into Midtown, representing the power of partnerships. This too will be welcomed! I’m not sure who was suppose to be maintaining them up until now, but there are already plants that have died! And there are a few unsightly weeds starting to show….not the Welcome To Midtown we want to see!

You’ll be sure to notice these improvements underway on your next visit to Midtown Atlanta. If you live in Midtown, watch out for the construction!

Castle Building Midtown Atlanta GA Sells At Auction

September 6, 2010 by Thom Abbott

Castle Building Midtown Atlanta GA Sells At Auction

A unique, historic part of Midtown has gone across the auction block. What will now happen to this special Midtown Atlanta landmark, is anyone’s guess.

The winning bidder for The Castle Midtown Atlanta, or 87 15th St., in Midtown was Bryan Latham, a private investor from New York. He agreed to pay $951,500 for the 11,000-square-foot mixed–use property next to Promenade II office tower, according to Bull Realty partner Daniel Latshaw.

The Castle was built by its owner, Ferdinand McMillan, a wealthy Agricultural Supplier originally from Florida. He built it with no formal training and no architectural background, simply deciding to do what he thought felt right.

I pulled from a blog the following comments posted by “Phreakmoney” (just to give credit where credit is due)

“The most striking interior feature is the collection of large southern medallions gracing the corner of each of the large rooms. There are only two tiny bathrooms, one on each level. There is no obvious kitchen, nor is there infrastructure to support one, although there is a standalone sink and range in the attic. There are two sets of inadequate electrical wiring in the place: the original two-conductor cloth-covered wiring inside the ceilings and walls, still connected to the ancient bulb-fuse boxes on the top two stories; and newer 1970s+ era wiring run through unsightly (and unpainted) galvanized conduit in the hallways.”

So, she will certainly need some updating to become anything other than the Castle Building in Midtown. Suggestions have ranged from a bed and breakfast to a small museum. Knowing a bit about zoning code in Midtown, most options will be a challenge due to the lack of parking. Hopefully Mr. Latham will be able to secure that missing link from a neighboring office building.

I’m not sure it the building has already made the National Register of Historic places….let’s hope so. To give you a glimpse of the building, I recently took some pictures of the Castle Building in Midtown Atlanta.

[tomatoframe width=”600″ height=”500″]https://www.picnik.com/show/id/9610193565_B8MvB/t/the-castle-midtown-atlanta-ga[/tomatoframe]

Condominium Home Owners Associations – The HOA

September 5, 2010 by Thom Abbott

Condominium Home Owners Associations – The HOA

Guy Pointing Finger Yes, we’ve heard of them. Sometimes they are a pain in the butt. But most of the time, we hope they are doing the job the owners elected them to do, which is manage our building along with a good Property Manager.

I can certainly imagine all the details of maintaining the common areas, from gates and doors, to cameras and couches, to the pool and the fitness center. And there is cleaning carpets, elevators and all!

And when the bills come, you also hope someone is paying attention. You know, that water bill or gas bill if your building uses natural gas.

Well it appears that Collier Green Condo President Angela Davis did just that. When the water bill for her condominium complex came, it was quickly clear to her that it was about $700o more that it should be. She met with the city, and after some persistence, they discovered a broken water meter.

But all was not well there. The City was dragging their feet to resolve the problem, and after the local CBSAtlanta station started poking around.

Nice to know this community had a Board President that is paying attention to her residents money!

You can read the story here at CBSAtlanta.com

Continental-United Merger Is About to Land!

August 31, 2010 by Thom Abbott

Continental-United Merger Is About to Land!

The Justice Department said on Friday that it has no more antitrust concerns about the merger of Continental Airlines with United Airlines. This combination, when complete, will trump Atlanta based Delta Air Lines which had gained that title when they merged with Northwest Airlines in 2008.

Shareholders at Continental Airlines Inc. and United parent UAL Corp. are set to vote on the deal on Sept. 17, and the Transportation Department has to approve it. The airlines now expect the deal to close by Oct. 1.

We probably will not see much change here in ATL, since neither airline is a big player in the Atlanta Market. However, I would suspect (I don’t travel like I use to so don’t quote me on this…) that as the number of airlines reduce, we may see fares increase.A little less competition in the friendly skies???

Here is a picture of a new United plane, incorporating the United name and the Continental logo.

ContinentalUnited Merger

Coca Cola To Renovate Atlanta Headquarters

August 27, 2010 by Thom Abbott

Coca Cola to Renovate Atlanta Headquarters

Coca-Cola World Headquarters Atlanta GA The folks at Coke are going to spruce things up a bit. It’s going to take them 4 to 5 years to complete a major overhaul of their Atlanta “campus,” but never fear. You won’t even know its going on.

Currently, some 4,000 people (who knew?) work at the building located on North Avenue, to the North and East of Downtown Atlanta. While not a building of note, it does stand out with it’s logo across the top. The mostly visible 29 story building was built in 1979.

The renovation plans will take place entirely inside the building as hopes to design spaces that will lead to greater collaboration and productivity, with improved technology design consistency. (Hmm, a Coke dispenser NEXT to my cube, not across the hall?) The plan is still being developed, but Coca-Cola predicts changes to common areas will be visible early next year. Mind you, that is visible to employees. Have you ever BEEN INSIDE the Coca-Cola building? I liken it to a visit to the White House, and I was privy once to go inside the building when Coke was my account in my hotel sales days. It was cool then, especially the cafeteria are with its own Coke store….and yes, I have a nice Coke Truck to show for my visit there.

Coca-Cola is buying the North American operations of bottler Coca-Cola Enterprises in the fourth quarter. CCE has around 2,300 employees in the Atlanta area. It is unclear how many of them will move to Coca-Cola’s North Avenue complex after the $12 billion-plus deal closes. Coca-Cola says it is too early to speculate on staff movements.

Rental Insurance For My Condo

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