Pitfalls of renting apartment sight unseen | Real Estate | South Philly ...

Once lease is signed, resolving unsatisfactory living conditions can be a challenge

Robert Griswold
Inman News?

Q: I recently moved into an apartment complex and signed a lease for 12 months. Unfortunately, I found out very quickly that neither the terms of the lease nor the community rules and regulations were enforced.

My particular concern is the lack of cleanliness of garbage areas, as well as the ongoing failure of the on-site manager and maintenance person to keep the common areas clean and attractive. Also, there are several tenants who seem to feel it is appropriate to use the common areas as extra storage for personal items.

If I decide to stay, what are my options to try to encourage management to keep the property clean and neat and enforce the terms of the leases with my fellow tenants? If I decide to leave, will the manager's lack of ability/effort to have other tenants comply with lease and rules be sufficient cause to get me out of the lease?

A: My first concern is how you have gotten yourself into this situation. The property's curb appeal would be clearly noticeable prior to signing the lease if you had done any sort of reasonable due diligence or inspection of the property.

Unless you rented the property without visiting it prior to signing your lease, it would be rather unusual for you to not realize the significant and readily apparent problems in the common areas with the storage of personal items and the lack of cleanliness.

I could see how you might not have checked out the trash disposal areas in detail, but the dirty common areas and the cluttered individual unit porches or balconies would be difficult to miss. As is so true with most customer service businesses that rely on aesthetics, the first impression will tell you a lot.

But, let's assume that you did sign the lease without seeing the property, as that is happening more often these days with the Internet being so prevalent. Of course, many rental properties look great online because the pictures are carefully selected (and maybe even cropped) to show only the best views or highlights of the property.

I have heard some tenants even accuse the landlords or their property managers of "touching up" or enhancing the photos; if the grass looks too good it might because it is artificial turf or the photo is digitally manipulated to the point that the grass is too green to be real!

Remember that a lease is a binding legal contract and there are only a few specific reasons that the lease can be broken. Examples would include the landlord's failure to provide the leased premises in a habitable state or a landlord that fails to allow you as the tenant the right to quiet enjoyment or use of the rented premises.

However, a word of caution is in order here. It is my experience that the inability or lack of effort by the on-site manager to enforce the rules about storing personal property in common areas would most likely be a long shot to use as a basis for breaking the lease.

Unless the items create a serious health and safety hazard, it is likely the court will find that it is just poor housekeeping by the property manager.

The court will most likely agree with you that it is aesthetically unappealing but not sufficient in most cases to be grounds for breaking a lease.

However, I would suggest that you contact your local code enforcement department and file a complaint and have them inspect the property and cite the owner if there are any unsanitary conditions involving the property, especially the trash collection area. This may be what it takes for the on-site manager to get the message.

But even before you contact your local municipality to complain about your on-site manager, you should contact the property management company and the actual owner of the property.

They may not be aware of the conditions if the property has severely declined in the past month or so. You can casually ask some of your fellow tenants if these unsightly conditions are something new or the way the property has always been maintained.

Another thought is to contact other like-minded tenants who are also frustrated with the deplorable conditions. The manager might not be worried if you try to break your lease, but if there are five to 10 additional tenants who all express the same concerns then you will definitely get the attention of your on-site manager.

Even a manager who is "leisure-oriented" and does just the bare minimum will soon realize that a slew of vacant units will create a lot more work than just cleaning up the property and enforcing the rules.

Higher-than-normal turnover of tenants or above-average vacancy would also be a catalyst for the property owner to visit the property and make changes, up to and including, a new manager.

I think your best strategy is to make your concerns known and see what positive changes can be made over the next several months.

If there are insufficient improvements, then you should give notice and not renew your lease. Chalk this up to a lesson learned, as you will be certain to carefully scrutinize all aspects of your next place of residence before signing a long-term lease!

This column on issues confronting tenants and landlords is written by property manager Robert Griswold, author of "Property Management for Dummies" and "Property Management Kit for Dummies" and co-author of "Real Estate Investing for Dummies."

Email your questions to Rental Q&A at rgriswold.inman@retodayradio.com. Questions should be brief and cannot be answered individually.

Copyright 2012 Robert Griswold

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'; commentSection.appendChild(commentDiv); } } } function validateCommentForm(form){ var fieldEmail = document.getElementById("field.email"); var fieldName = document.getElementById("field.name"); var nameValue = fieldName.value; var emailValue = fieldEmail.value; var filter = /^([a-zA-Z0-9_\.\-])+\@(([a-zA-Z0-9\-])+\.)+([a-zA-Z0-9]{2,4})+$/; if (filter.test(emailValue)) { var fieldBody = document.getElementById("field.body") var bodyValue = fieldBody.value; bodyValue = bodyValue.replace(/&/g,"&"); bodyValue = bodyValue.replace(/,"/g,">"); bodyValue = bodyValue.replace(/\r\n/g,"

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Source: http://www.southphillyreview.com/real-estate/pitfalls_of_renting_apartment_sight_unseen-139101129.html

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Network Marketing Solutions to Build Your Online Home Based ...

Network marketing has become one of the most successful business designs that makes it possible for ordinary, regular men and women to perform some aboslutely extraordinary things. Most start off on the journey in their new home based business with the target of firing their boss and leaving their J.O. B ( just over broke) behind.

Being a new network marketer, you might have already been taught by your upline to generate a list of pals and loved ones, purchase leads for cold calling, exercise the 3 foot rule, attend hotel meetings and putting out flyers just to name a couple of.

Now, don?t get me incorrect, these approaches can and do nevertheless function but in my viewpoint there is certainly a better way Internet Marketing and Attraction Marketing Solutions. The Truth About Internet Marketing & Succeeding Online

How many times have you heard the statistics that 97% of home business owners fail while only 3% of them actually succeed and earn a living in the network marketing industry? I?m pretty sure that you?ve heard this many time, but you nonetheless could wonder how to position yourself as part of the 3% who are able to build a productive home based business, while leveraging the internet.

When you take inventory of those network marketers that are successful, who tend to have a presence online, and give you the impression that they are everywhere, you will notice a couple of common factors that may reveal how to become part of the 3%.

I?ll share a few of them with you today so you can begin modify what you do and how you do it, and eliminate your chances of being in the failing 97%!

1. They are Consistent in their marketing efforts.

One of the most important aspects of marketing period, is being consistent. It?s very hard to get folks to take you seriously when they can?t predict when you?ll show up or not.

Just like a child that expects a parent to be there to pick them up every day after school, so to does your audience expect you to be there daily with the information and pick up me up content and resources that keep them coming back for more.

In order to sell folks on your services or products, you must prove to them that you are someone that they can rely on and can trust.

Major marketers have mastered this skill. It?s very likely that they have a list of daily and weekly activities that they partake in to keep their marketing efforts alive.

If you want to begin performing like the 3%?ers, then you?ll want to begin establishing a calendar of activities that you?ll commit to, and be sure to put them in place!

2. They understand and know their audience, whom they?re marketing to and what they want.

A disturbing known fact about the 97%?ers is that they have no clue who they?re actually marketing to. They could take time to write articles, shoot videos and write blog posts, but 9.9 times out of 10, if you were to ask them who their target market is, they?ll probably decline to answer the question because they simply really don?t know!

Knowing your audience, knowing what their challenges are and how to address them is critical if you truly plan on succeeding.

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Before doing more marketing, take into consideration the following questions:

Who is my target market?

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I will say that you don?t want to do them all, but as you will learn in this attraction marketing system, you will pick 2-3 to start, while creating a consistent plan of action on how you?ll implement them weekly, then begin adding one more as you?ve mastered the others, to gain additional exposure from a new audience!

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Outsourcing and delegating is soooo important to your home based business that I can?t emphasize it enough. With so much to maintain in the Internet Marketing world, an individual can grow weary and get burned out pretty quickly if they really don?t have the right systems and seek help with those areas that are extremely time consuming and often very challenging.

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 10th, 2012 at 9:11 am by Michelle Mattison and is filed under Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Source: http://business-centired.co.za/2012/02/network-marketing-solutions-to-build-your-online-home-based-business/

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Your Guide to Scuba Diving Organizations - Best Photography Ideas ...

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Source: http://bestphotographyideas.com/photography-equipment/your-guide-to-scuba-diving-organizations.html

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Socialbakers Brings Its Leading European Social Analytics Platform To The U.S.

With more companies vying for the attention of customers on social media channels, content producers, marketers and more are always looking for ways to better track the engagement and reach of their social media footprints -- across the globe. Socialbakers, a young startup founded in 2009 has emerged as one of the leading social analytics platforms in Europe. Since raising $2 million in September from Earlybird Capital Ventures and breaking into the black, the startup has turned its sights to the U.S., becoming the exclusive analytics partner with Facebook and others to provide social media analytics throughout the presidential campaign.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/csWc-8Ie5ts/

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The Resolution of the iPad 3's Retina Display Compared to the iPhone and iPad [Ipad]

Chris Koerner was curious about what the oft rumored resolution of the iPad 3's Retina Display would look like compared to previous iOS devices, so he whipped up a little image that compared each devices' resolution against each other. The 2048x1536 screen would dwarf everything. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/abhpM9xbxLw/what-the-ipad-3s-retina-display-would-look-like

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IELTS test in India and Saudi Arabia

February 8th, 2012 ? No Comments ? IELTS Questions

The following questions were asked on IELTS Writing and speaking tests held in India and Saudi Arabia in January 2012. The two exams weren?t exactly identical, but it looks like they were very similar. Source: www.ielts-blog.com

Writing task 1 (a report)

A bar chart showing the growth of population in four countries (India, China, Japan and the US) were given. The chart showed data for the years 1969 and 2002. Suggested figures for the year 2050 also were given. Test takers were asked to write a report consisting of at least 150 words based on the information given in the chart.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Do you think that artists like writers, musicians and painters are valuable to society? Discuss.

IELTS Speaking test

Interview

Tell me something about the house you live in.

What is it that you like or dislike most about it?

Are there any electrical appliances that you would like to buy?

What kind of products sell well in your country?

Is it important for your country to export products to other countries?

How should a company train its staff?

Cue Card

Speak about an old building you visited recently. Please say:

What the building is.

Where it is located.

Why you visited it.

Related posts:

1. IELTS test in Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia ? January 2012
2. IELTS test in India in November 2011 (Academic module)
3. IELTS Speaking Test Questions
4. IELTS test in Pakistan ? October 2011 (Academic module)
5. IELTS speaking test in India ? January 2012

Tags: ielts test in india?ielts test in january 2012?ielts test in saudi arabia?ielts writing and speaking test in india and saudi arabia

Source: http://www.ielts-practice.org/ielts-test-in-india-and-saudi-arabia/

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Insight: In Sudan, glimpses of an Arab spring (Reuters)

KHARTOUM (Reuters) ? A few weeks ago, a leading opposition activist sat down in a downtown Khartoum office to talk to a journalist. The young man immediately removed the battery from his cellphone.

"It's so they can't trace you," he said, placing the battery and the phone on the table. "Any one of the security agencies spread throughout the country can arrest you."

Despite that danger, the activist, from an underground group called "Change Now", said he was convinced Sudan is on the brink of its own Arab Spring uprising.

Hard times and growing frustration with the two-decades-old government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir have sparked small protests in Khartoum and other university cities in the Arab-African state.

The demonstrations are still tiny compared with those that shook Egypt and Libya. Sometimes about 30 people show up, hold banners denouncing the government for a couple of minutes, and then melt away before security agents arrive. But the demonstrations have become more frequent in the past few months and the question is, could they lead to something bigger?

The main economic challenge is plain. When South Sudan seceded from the north last year, Khartoum lost about three-quarters of its oil, the main source of state revenues and hard currency. The Sudanese pound has slumped by as much as 70 percent below the official rate. Annual inflation is at 18 percent as the cost of food imports has shot up. Wars against insurgencies in different parts of the still-vast country have also soaked up government funds.

In 1985, protests against food inflation toppled President Jaafar Nimeiri in some 10 days. But the government in Khartoum today says the economy is not nearly as bad as it was in the 1980s, when people had to queue for days to get rationed petrol or food. Sudan, it says, will not follow Egypt or Tunisia.

Rabie Abdelati, a senior official in the information ministry and Bashir's National Congress Party (NCP), said that the economy was much better than in 1989 when Bashir came to power.

"The situation at that time was very terrible," he said. "The government has the ability to overcome all obstacles."

A relaxed-looking Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, spoke on state television for almost two hours last week to assure the population that the economic situation was under control.

"We have a 3-year economic program (but) this year will be the most difficult," the president said.

"IT WAS LIKE ANGER ERUPTED"

On the surface, life in the capital looks normal. Construction cranes loom on the banks of the Nile, working on new buildings and roads. The city bustles with foreign workers, maids and hotel staff.

But there are sporadic signs that public anger is rising.

In the last week of December, authorities temporarily closed the University of Khartoum after villagers displaced by a huge hydro-electric dam staged a protest, inspiring a week of some of the biggest student demonstrations in years. Weeks later, the spray-painted graffiti calling for "revolution" still covered a few walls near the university.

"Most people didn't care about the first demonstration as we were all in exams mode," said a female computer technology student who took part.

But when police came to the dormitories one night to detain some students, "it turned into a protest not just against the dam but against poverty, inflation and the bad situation for students," said the woman, playing with her blue head scarf.

"It was like anger erupted," she added. "Now they want to punish us by closing the university, but it will make things worse. We don't get jobs after graduation. Life is so expensive, people are very angry."

Abdelati, the information ministry official, said the protests were small and the university would reopen shortly.

OIL AND CONFLICTS

Sitting in front of a small metal workshop in downtown Khartoum, Sudanese construction worker Fateh Totu takes his time to recall when he last worked for longer than a week. At the moment he gets jobs for a couple of days, with sometimes a week in between.

"Three, four years ago life was much better. The country was in good shape. Construction work was good," Totu said, drawing nods from fellow workers sitting on small plastic chairs along a dusty road.

South Sudan's independence deprived Sudan - a country of 32 million people - of around 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) of the roughly 500,000 it pumped. Since then, oil exports, which made up 90 percent of Sudan's total exports, have fallen to zero.

The remaining output in the north of around 115,000 bpd serves only domestic consumption.

Industry insiders doubt significant new reserves will be found. But Azhari Abdallah, a senior oil official, said production would rise this year to 180,000 bpd, helped by more efficient technology and recovery rates.

Other officials are less optimistic. Central bank governor Mohamed Kheir al-Zubeir has asked fellow Arab countries to deposit $4 billion with the central bank and commercial lenders to stabilize the economy. Finance Minister Ali Mahmoud said in September Sudan might need $1.5 billion in foreign aid annually.

"The state spends a vast proportion of available resources on the security services. With three conflicts ongoing, the military's claim on the national treasury is only growing," said Aly Verjee, an analyst at the Rift Valley Institute. "While some austerity measures have been implemented, there is a general unwillingness in the government to take any step that might lead to popular discontent."

Landlocked South Sudan must pump its oil through Sudan to the Red Sea. Northern officials hope the transit fees they charges will help. But a deal has been elusive - oil analysts say Khartoum has demanded a transit fee more than 10 times the international standard - and the breakaway state has so far refused to pay.

Khartoum has seized oil awaiting shipment to compensate for what it argues are unpaid fees. Industry sources say the north has sold at least one shipment of southern oil. In protest, South Sudan has shut down production.

OUTLOOK: "STABLE"

How to find new revenues? Khartoum expects to have exported $3 billion of gold in 2011 plus another $1 billion of other minerals. Mining workers say the real figures are less than a third of that.

"Only 7 of the 70 projected tonnes of gold output for 2011 come from regular mines," said a foreign mining executive who declined to be named. "The rest is produced by gold seekers whose output is very hard to verify, and often ends up being smuggled abroad."

The government predicts 2 percent growth in 2012 but the International Monetary Fund (IMF) thinks the economy will contract. A senior Sudanese analyst with ties to the government says food inflation is much higher than the official figure. Prices for meat, sugar, vegetable oil and other staples are doubling every year, according to the analyst, who asked not to be named.

Customs officials at Khartoum airport now search almost every piece of luggage brought into the country, hoping to find a laptop or other electric device on which they can charge duties.

Khartoum had long known the South would secede, but did little to diversify its economy away from oil, bankers say. Just days after South Sudan became independent last July, Sudan's parliament, which is controlled by Bashir's National Congress Party (NCP), passed a budget predicting stable oil revenues.

"They just thought it would continue like that," said a senior banker in Khartoum who declined to be named. "That's why I doubt they now have a plan to turn the economy around."

Harry Verhoeven, a researcher at the University of Oxford who has studied Sudan extensively, said Khartoum had used its oil revenues for large, expensive projects such as the Merowe dam that sparked December's protest.

ISOLATED

Since the united States imposed a trade embargo on Sudan in 1997, most Western firms have shunned the country. The ongoing domestic insurgencies and the International Criminal Court's indictment of Bashir mean that's unlikely to end any time soon.

That leaves Khartoum reliant on China, its biggest trading partner, and Gulf Arab states. But no substantial aid or loans have been announced yet apart from small development programs.

At an Arab investment conference in December, prominent Saudi businessman Sheikh Saleh Kamal slammed Sudan's taxation, investment, land and work laws.

"I said it already in the '90s but I repeat it again since nothing has changed," said Kamal, head of Islamic lender Al-Baraka Banking Group and the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "The investment climate in Sudan does not help to attract any investments."

MIXED MESSAGES

Despite the growing problems, organizing protests isn't easy. Power cuts, unreliable cell phone networks and low internet usage make it hard to mobilize people through Facebook or Twitter as happened in Egypt.

Activists are trying to link up with groups such as the people displaced by the Merowe dam, or poor farmers.

Many are frustrated with the inconsistent and ineffectual opposition parties, most of which are run by former rulers in their 70s. Activists say the main opposition party, the Umma Party, is unwilling to call for mass protests. The party's veteran chairman Sadeq al-Mahdi recently said he wanted the president to go. But his son just became a presidential assistant in Bashir's office. The leaders of another big opposition party have decided to join the government.

For the female computer technology student, the only way is out.

"I'm just tired of Sudanese politics. I think there will be a revolution, but nothing will change. We will have the same people," she said.

"I just want to leave Sudan. I don't see any job prospects here. I think 90 percent of students want to leave Sudan."

(Writing by Ulf Laessing; additional reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Editing by Simon Robinson and Sara Ledwith)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120208/wl_nm/us_sudan

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