condominium safety Archives

Mingle in Midtown and Shining Light Walk – Tuesday, March 20 7-10PM

March 17, 2012 by Thom Abbott

Living in an urban area always requires you to be aware of your surroundings. It’s just a simple fact. Heck, I do it even in the burbs! I’m always watching if someone is walking behind me, close to me,standing around, etc. And it’s great to see when a neighborhood comes together for safety. Well, and an adult beverage can’t hurt, right? Welcome Midtown Neighbors’ Association’s (MNA) Mingle in Midtown and Shining Light Walk! This edition will take place THIS Tuesday, March 20 from 7-10pm at Cypress Pint and Plate, located at 6th and Cypress streets, just behind Cornerstone Village and Spire Midtown!

My friend and owner, Billy from Cypress Pint and Plate will do his usual finest with munchies and drink specials. Then, at 7:30pm the 2nd Shining Light Walk will commence. Beginning at 7:30 (not much time for an adult beverage…I’d arrive at 6:30pm myself) the walk will head to Myrtle Street, 4th Street and then back to Cypress Pint and Plate.

This type of event is designed for a couple of reasons. One, to bring the neighbors out of their condos and cottages of Midtown Atlanta to meet and two, to show anyone thinking about commiting a crime in Midtown Atlanta that you’re being watched!

I’ll be there and look forward to seeing you all there as well. Be sure to say Hello!

Use Flour and Peroxide to Clean Stains in Stone Countertops, Tile, and Concrete Floors

February 4, 2012 by Thom Abbott

Via Scoop.it – Midtown Atlanta Condos
Most Midtown Atlanta Condos come with granite counters.

But most homeowners never even think about sealing the granite. And then you get stains.

Stains in stone countertops can be a pain to get out. Now you’ve got an option! Shape up those kitchen and bath counters of your Midtown Atlanta Condo before you decide to sell!
Via lifehacker.com

Security Access Codes. Is Your Safety Being “Tweeted?”

November 30, 2011 by Thom Abbott

You learn about news and things happening in the strangest of ways nowdays! I even get news from myself. What, you say?

I’ve created a Twitter “newspaper” if you will, called The Midtown Atlanta Monitor. It is created from various people I follow on Twitter, so the content is determined by what is tweeted out by the people I’ve choosen as contributors. Needless to say, I have a disclaimer as sometimes….well….most of the time it’s all good stuff.

There is another great source for Midtown Atlanta info that I follow closely, called Midtown Patch. Amy Wenk, Editor, does a great job on getting the scoop of what is happening in Midtown. In fact, I think I need to start ~~stalking~~ following her around. So, a Letter to The Editor prompted this post. Here is a portion of that letter:

“I was dismayed this afternoon to see a local catering company tweet four access codes, saying they worked at most gated communities in Atlanta. The tweet also noted he had mentioned it a year ago so this is clearly a continuing “share.”

Holy crap, pardon my French!!! Did I just read what I think I just read? Here is a link to the rest of the letter.

Atlanta condominium communities have varied levels and types of security systems. More modern highrise buildings have security systems and 24-hour Concierge such that access to the building is pretty secure. Even if you lost a key fob or access card, it can be quickly de-activated to keep anyone from using it. Elevators have controlled access, so either a code is needed to ride the elevator or again, a fob or card. Other communities may just have a gate to the parking lot. And some of these gates can have one access code that can easily be passed along….and along….and along.

Such might be the case from this Tweet that passed such access codes along. So, who knows YOUR access codes?

One of the many reasons people choose to live in a gated community or controlled access building is for the added security. But, if residents give out codes to outside service people (like this catering company) you’ve just created a breach in your security. How do you know where all that code is being passed to and to whom?

For your security and safety, you should NOT give out codes to vendors or service people. If you have a cleaning service, pay for, and get them their own access card that will let them in the building, but only to your floor. Or arrange to have a key release with the Concierge for them to have access to your home, and the Concierge will be responsible for letting them into the building.

You pay a monthly home owners association fee of which part goes to pay for the security. Don’t let your safety get “tweeted.”

Personal Safety Should Always Be First In Your Mind

October 23, 2011 by Thom Abbott

Midtown Blue Midtown Atlanta is home to many people. I know. I’ve sold a few of them their homes.

It’s also home to many “day-time dwellers” we call the office workers. They flood into the city in the morning and then escape (if you want to call it that) to the tree-lined burbs and cookie cutter homes of the outlying counties around Atlanta.

But, whether you call Midtown Atlanta home, or work here, day or night, it is always worth reminding you…It IS a big city. And as such, you should pay attention to the surroundings around you. Of particular importance is what you leave in your car. When in ANY metropolitian area, not just Atlanta, you should “Clean Your Car” and not leave anything in plain sight. You are just asking for a window to be broken by a passing-by thief looking for a few quick bucks.

Both Midtown Alliance and the Midtown Neighbors’ Association created “Safety Tickets” as a reminder to residents AND visitors to the area to make sure you clean your car.

Never hurts to have a little reminder.

MNA Safety Ticket

Plumbing Systems — Something To Think About

October 21, 2011 by Thom Abbott

Water is a very important part of our every day lives. Without it, we simply could not, would not exist. Period. And as much as we need water to survive, water can also cause some pretty extensive damage. Be it outside from a flood or rain storm or inside in the form of a leaking or even worse, broken pipe.

I find that many residents who live in a condominium kinda don’t think about the systems in their home. They seem to think because they pay this monthly HOA fee, that all is well. Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth. As a condominium owner (and really as a tenant as well) you are responsible from the exterior walls in. So, if your tub leaks, or your toilet leaks or your sink leaks, you are not only going to have to fix YOUR home, but you might be fixing your neighbors’ home as well. Next to a fire, water is the worst enemy for damage in a condominium building.

Drain piles can clog and valves and fittings develop leaks. Small leaks usually grow and can cause major water damage in your home. Fixing leaks right away and keeping an eye and ear out for them is critical.

Clean Your Drains
You can clean your drains in your sinks and tub by simply running hot water and then pouring a handful or so of baking soda down each of them. Let the hot water run for a few minutes and then repeat the procedure. This helps remove grease and sediments that buildup over time in your pipes. You may want to do this a couple of times a year.

Visual Inspections
Visually inspecting for leaks regularly is important. You can do this by checking under sinks and around toilets. Look for signs of moisture and leaks, rust or lime deposits (white) which are early signs of trouble coming.

Inspect around your toilet carefully looking for cracks in the toilet where it is bolted to the floor. Even a hairline crack can mean a leak is happening or developing. Look around the inlet pipes and on the tank bottom as well.

Drippy faucets and shower heads and toilet flush valves that operate poorly should be changed or fixed.

You’ve heard the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Spend a few moments in your Midtown Atlanta condominium or home and look for these signs before you have a bigger problem.

Condominium Living. Know thy Neighbor…or Not?

October 12, 2011 by Thom Abbott

One of the things I love most about my blogging is that I don’t want to (or I guess HAVE to) always write about real estate. I know the general public is usually looking for two things when they visit my site, or any real estate site. Access to listings of homes For Sale or For Rent and market information like what’s selling, what’s not, etc. But there are all sorts of other things to consider when you purchase a home or condo.

Take Condominium Living. Do you Know thy Neighbor….or Not? Living in a condominium gives one quite a sense of individuality and privacy. It’s pretty easy to come and go, un-noticed by your neighbors. Heck, we all have different types of jobs, work hours, etc. Unless your TV or stereo are cranked a bit to loud, you never really know if your neighbor is home or not, right? If you live in a single family neighborhood, the same can also be true (if you hunker down in your house and close the blinds) but it is pretty easy to see a car come and go out of the driveway or see lights on at night. Such is not the case in a condo building.

In my time living in my condo, I only met 4 of the 18 residents on my floor (there were 18 homes per floor) and one of those was a client and I sold them the condo. And I’m a pretty outgoing kinda person! So, is this a good thing or a bad thing, Know thy neighbor?

This post is inspired by a story that appeared this week about an arrest made in a developer-owned vacant condo last week. First off, let me just say it was NOT in Midtown or Buckhead, two of the primary areas I serve and cover on this site. But, it raises the question of knowing who your neighbors are. In this case, if you live in a community that is not yet sold out, do you know which homes ARE still vacant? In a condominium building, with security and a 24-hour concierge, the chances of this are rather remote. I’m not familar with the community where this happened, but I do know it was gated and had security.

By knowing who your neighbors are, you can report suspicous activity, or if there is a problem, like noise for example, it’s much easier to knock on a door knowing who lives there and having a conversation with them. I recall another condo I lived in. It was a brand new building and we had not moved in yet. We visited one day and our neighbor had the music SO loud you could hardly even be INSIDE of our own home. We had yet to meet, but we quickly did, which lead to a big apology (he knew that no one else had moved in on that end of the hallway) but we never heard his music again, ever).

Maybe your neighbors are just private people, and don’t want to intract with their neighbors. Social events in my building are ALWAYS attended by the same people…it often makes we wonder where all the other people are. But at least if you know who is coming and going, you have a better sense of what is going on around you.

Condominium Progressive Drink Party And for those that DO live in a single family neighborhood, perhaps your neighbors are private people. Maybe you offered up that welcoming plate of cookies and that was all you’ve ever heard from them since. But you can still recognize the car they drive so if you suddenly see totally different cars, you might take notice. Of course, they could of bought a new car but you know what I mean.

In Condominium Living, knowing thy neighbor is not always possible, but it can certainly help break the ice, make your floor an even more enjoyable place to live (think progressive dinner or drink party!) and also give you piece of mind.

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