Looking Out From the Garage: June 2010

If you haven't already, please feel free to read Ade For Al.  A simple Lemonade Stand at the local Farmer's Market in Lilburn, GA raised over $2500 for Al Real's family in just one evening.  It makes me VERY proud to be part of this community. 

As if the actual injuries little Al suffered weren't enough, now the family is having to fight for his treatment. 

To catch you up, Al Real is an 8 year old boy here in the Lilburn area.  He and another little friend were playing a few weeks ago.  While they were playing, they apparently decided to stage a toy plane crash.  They put some gasoline on a toy plane and lit it on fire.  Al suffered 3rd degree burns over 80% of his body.  He was rushed to Grady Hospital in Atlanta, which has one of the best trauma centers in the country.  After a day, he was airlifted to the Shriner's Hospital in Cincinnati, OH... they have one of the best pediatric burn units in the world. 

The treatment that the doctors want to use involves growing replacement skin for Al.  This is more than just skin grafts, it is new skin.  In effect, the hospital can grow Al's own skin in a lab, and then apply it to him.  The FDA classifies it as an experimental treatment, even though it has been around for a over a decade. 

But it isn't an insurance company denying coverage for the treatment.  It is the FDA.  They 'award' clearance for the treatment on a case by case basis.  In Al's case, they denied treatment... because they didn't feel the paperwork was in order. 

In order to get the treatment that the doctors recommend will require intervention by elected officials.  This is from the journal being kept on Al's behalf by his family. 

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 10:33 PM, EDT

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP!  I am going to work on contacting our senators about the FDAs denial of the procedure to grow Al's own skin.  I would like to have as many letters from their constituent

It is shameful that it has come to this.  This is a clear cut example of the government stepping between a boy and the treatment his doctors... the best doctors in the world... feel is appropriate. 

The good news is that since this was posted, the family has been contacted by both Senators from GA, as well as one of our Congressman and the Governor's Office.  They are pressuring the FDA to reconsider their decision.  Unlike insurance companies, the government gets to decide if they can be subject to a lawsuit.

We have to keep pressure on the government to do the right thing. 

*Just to disclose, Al's mother was one of my older son's Pre-K teachers.  I consider her a friend.

I'm in the market...  My family is 'thinking' of buying a new home.  And while I spend a lot of time with other buyers, it is a different beast when putting MY money on the line.  It shouldn't be... but it is.  I think it is a fantastic learning opportunity for me.  So, this is a series of posts about the things I am 'unlearning' as a real estate professional, and learning from the buyer's seat. 

Dear Seller,

As a buyer, I would love to see your house.  But... I don't really want to meet you there.  Actually, I don't want to meet your agent their, either.  We want to be free to discuss the house and how it fits (or doesn't fit) our needs and desires.  Honestly, we ARE going to make some biting remarks about the decor, paint choices, wallpaper and anything else we don't like. 

I certainly don't want to have to bend my schedule to wait until you are off work (it happens to be EXACTLY when my 2 year old is down for his nap...).  It might be different if your house wasn't actually vacant and without furniture. 

Having more than one picture on the listing might have helped, too.  But, while the description talked about how amazing the house was, it only showed an average exterior... one shot.  There is room for 20 on the MLS.  The competition... the 10 other homes in the price range in the same subdivision ALL had multiple pictures.  The 18 homes that are districted for the same Elementary School had multiple pictures... except that fully trashed foreclosure.  But it didn't require an appointment during my son's nap time to visit. 

I understand that you don't think anyone can show your house as well as you can.  You know EVERYTHING about the property, and if you show the property, you are right there to answer any concerns or point out any subtle advantages your home has over the competition.  But buyers... us included... want to be free to discuss what we like and don't like about the property.  And with a seller trailing along... or in the next room... or the driveway... we just don't feel comfortable doing that.  So, rather than 'basking' in your home and giving it time to grow on us, we end up hurrying out. 

Through the use of tools like the Supra Lockbox, your agent will know exactly who has accessed the home, and when.  Agents can't just give them their key... unless they are looking to find a different profession.  There is no lockbox code to allow them free access to the house. 

I hate to be blunt, and we might have not chosen your house even if we DID see it... but it didn't have a chance. 

Keep in mind, I don't think it is your fault.  I blame your real estate agent.  It isn't a limited service, MLS only brokerage... it is a full service broker.  But the agent should not have accepted the listing with the restrictions you wanted to place on viewing the property.  And if the restriction came from the agent, you shouldn't have listed with that agent... the restrictions are seriously inhibiting your ability to sell your property. 

Maybe next time.

Many of you might have heard about Al Real.  He is 8 years old, and a student at Arcado Elementary School here in Lilburn.  On June 7th, while playing with a friend, Al received 3rd degree burns over 80% of his body.  He was rushed to Grady's Burn Unit, and from there sent to the Shriner's Hospital's Burn Unit in Cincinnati, OH.  That is supposed to be one of the best burn specialists for children in the world. At best, he faces a long and arduous journey back to health...  And that journey has begun with skin grafts and surgeries.

As a parent, I can't begin to understand the pain that Al's parents are going through.  Knowing that there isn't anything that we can do to make the hurt go away HAS to be difficult.  The thought of my child being in that situation scares me to death.

Al's mom, Angela, was my older child's Pre-K teacher.  She was also his teacher for summer camp a couple of years ago, and I saw her regularly through this school year as my younger child was at the pre-school in which she taught.  So, this isn't about some stranger to me... this is about a friend.

Ade For Al

On Friday, June 18th, the Arcado Elementary PTA will have a Lemonade Stand at the Lilburn Farmer's Market at Lilburn City Park.  The Farmer's Market runs from 4-8pm.  This is to help the family defray some of the costs they are experiencing as they care for Al in Ohio.  Al's father still has to remain in Lilburn most of the time to work, while  Angela and their 8 month old are in Ohio with a few other family members.

We'd love for you to come out and enjoy a glass of lemonade while helping out the Reals.

from LilburnDwellings

and a FaceBook Page... and a Twitter Hashtag...

That's right, yesterday on the FaceBook Page for rebcAtlanta, we announced the date and location for the first ever rebarcamp Atlanta. 

Friday, October 1st, 2010

CoolRay Field, Home of the Gwinnett Braves

#rebcatl

At the moment, we are putting together the team that will put on the event.  The search for sponsors is underway.  In the next few days we will roll out registration.  It is a busy and exciting time for those of us that have learned so much from rebarcamps and want to extend the reach of the experience. 

So, you don't know WHAT rebarcamp is...

Well, to sum it up quickly, it is the unconference.  Chaotic, diverse and flexible.  It is kind of like the balancing force to all of the seminars and workshops we normally attend.  The agenda is literally put together the morning of the event and is largely driven by the attendees. 

Rather than having a bunch of one-way presentations from mostly vendors or experts, rebarcamp seeks to have a more interactive experience for the participants.  Learning by discussion rather than PowerPoint. 

But I'm not a 'Tech Genius'...

That is perfectly ok.  There WILL be some bona-fide uber-geeks there.  There will also be a lot of folks that don't know Foursquare from Fortran.  And it doesn't have to ALL be about technology.  The participants will be the ones that will drive the agenda, so whether it is short sales or property marketing, mobile apps or personal branding, Tweet-ups or buyer seminars, it is on the table. 

In fact, we are pushing the envelope on the breadth of sessions we will be trying to set up...  More on that later. 

I saw on the FaceBook Page that you said you were going "Old Skool"...

I was at the original rebarcamp in San Francisco in 2008 (lo, these many years ago).  One of the amazing things at that camp was the way it went down.  There were no PowerPoint presentations on overhead screens.  There were no real 'Presenters'.  Rather, it was an amazing peer-to-peer learning experience.  It was largely group discussions and a few panel discussions. 

Lately, some of the rebarcamps have seemed to adopt the presentation format.  There isn't anything wrong with that... in fact, Atlanta's own REtechSouth is an amazing event in its own right, and is very much in the presentation model.  But, we are trying to offer something a little different... something more personal. 

What is the venue like?

It is a baseball field...  We'll be holding break-outs in the batting cages... 

Actually, we will be holding up to 10 break-out sessions at a time in the VIP Suites overlooking the ballpark.  We will also have the Suite Lounge and Bar as well as a couple of Patios... and if the weather cooperates, we'll be holding the Welcome and Closing sessions out in the stands... 

We have the capacity for about 250 people, and the break-outs are designed to be small (only about 20 people).  There will be a LOT going on. 

What about "Other Stuff"?

I haven't been to a rebarcamp event yet that didn't have a lot of 'social' wrapped up around it.  Pre-event mixers, post-event mixers...  We'll be working on that, too. 

And if you are coming in from out of town, CoolRay Field is only a few minutes from the Mall of Georgia, Lake Lanier and a lot of other entertainment facilities in Gwinnett County... and not that far from downtown Atlanta attractions like the World of Coke, Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center and the Atlanta Zoo... 

There are lots of nearby hotels, and we'll be checking into putting together deals for those that might be interested in those accomodations, too.  There is even camping ;^)

Stay tuned, there will be a LOT more info coming on #rebcatl.  We hope to see you there.  Feel free to re-blog this to spread the word!

Image via Wikipedia

I am proud to say that I attended the very first REbarcamp, which was a real estate industry specific technology “unconference”.  Basically, the idea behind barcamp is that the conferees get together and create an agenda and then host the sessions.  It is an amazing peer-to-peer discussion.

Ken Cook, of Social Media Edge on BlogTalkRadio, had the vision to build a barcamp experience optimized for small business owners.  Many small businesses have found that ‘New Media’ has presented a very cool opportunity to promote… without spending loads of money.  In fact, many smaller businesses have found that they can not just compete, but defeat larger rivals by effectively leveraging ‘New Media’ like FaceBook, Twitter and YouTube.

Friday, September 17th, The first Small Biz BarCamp Atlanta will take flight.  There are limited tickets available for only $10, and the event is being held at the Five Star World Conference Center – Towers at Wildwood in Marietta, near Windy Hill and Power’s Ferry.  Follow the link for tickets…

As I was contemplating this series, I had visions of street rods and customs dancing in my head… and I keep having these thoughts about big diesel powered trucks…  RVs, tractor-trailers and delivery trucks…

I know why.  I keep thinking about them because they could benefit dramatically from hybrid power… and operators would be VERY unlikely to dive on the options.  There might be a few companies (UPS is dabbling with compressed air drive and some other things on their delivery ‘Package Cars’) that would give them a try, but the markets are largely made up of smaller firms and owner-operators.

At the same time, adding even $20k or $30k to a $200k vehicle… and adding a couple thousand pounds to a rig that already tips the scale at 20,000 pounds… empty… isn’t tragic either.  But, on the other side of the scale, getting an extra 3 mpg out of something that is south of 10mpg would be HUGE.

So…

Here is my thought.  Ever see those 4wd utility trucks?  Many of the power companies use them to reach more remote sections of power-line or other infrastructure.  I love them… they are big, noisy and built with a purpose.  Here is my thought…

• Powered by a diesel engine (or bio-diesel) running a generator
• High powered electric ‘wheel-motor’ at each wheel
• Regenerative braking as well as advanced computer controls to maximize efficiency
• Solar cells on the roof… recharging the batteries and heating or cooling the cab while the engine is off

For off-road applications, electric wheel motors would rock.  They have MASSIVE torque from an almost dead stop.  Since each wheel would have one, the power could be moved to ANY individual or group of wheels.  The computer could provide traction control and anti-lock braking without additional equipment…  and the electric motors would be a more efficient way to transmit the power from the engine to the wheels.

Another little benefit is that it would be reasonably easy to add a powered trailer…  Equip trailers with similar wheel motors and then just plug them in…

I must say that for recreational 4wheeling, I prefer gas power and the traditional axle arrangement… having the flexibility to send a specific amount of power to a specific wheel would reduce the challenge and skill involved.  But, people trying to get a job done need to make the transportation portion as easy as possible in order to get to the real business…

Two years ago I wrote a blog post called “Incrementalism“…  It is actually a favorite term among a small group of my friends.  We coined the term in regards to Jeep modifications.  Instead of doing the work over and over, but just a little at a time, causing a tremendous amount of laber of spending WAY more money, just go full in the first time.

Of course, there are a few reasons to build a Jeep (or a sports car or a tow rig or anything else) a little at a time… especially as one is learning the ropes.

But, in many cases having a plan can save a LOT of time and money.  And not cutting important corners can save even more.  In fact, I have sometimes sold my modifications for pretty good money as I upgraded.  Going with a cheap alternative might have actually cost more money…

But the post is actually about real estate and building…

Check it out..

Last year I wrote about pricing strategies.  And most people (including real estate agents) assume that pricing is about getting a certain price… but it isn’t so much about the price as it is about marketing to the right people.

Image via Wikipedia

Of course, it is a little more complicated than that…  But there is a logical connection between price and marketing.  It isn’t the connection everyone expects.

Take a look and let me know what you think.

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Right now there are several areas of North Georgia, including Gwinnett County, that are issuing rebates for 'water saver' toilets.

While this might not be terribly exciting, it is pretty cool... especially when combined with a deal at Costco on one of the listed toilets...

Image via Wikipedia

The Duluth Costco has a dual flush (4L/6L) model available for $99.65, including tax.  It is eligible for a $100 rebate.  It isn't listed as being available on Coscto.com, but the store had 25+ toilets a couple of days ago.  I do not know if they will be restocked, or when.

There are some specific limitations, so check that out on the linked website PRIOR to buying the toilet if you are counting on the rebate.  The goal is to reduce water consumption, so it is aimed at older homes with older toilets.  There is also a limit of two rebates per household... but honestly, the toilet is a pretty good deal BEFORE the rebate.

And since it comes with a seat and wax ring, there is no need to buy anything else to install as a replacement.

The only thing missing is a porcelain recycling program.  I haven't been able to find an active recycling program for the porcelain.  There are some organizations that may accept the old toilet, but it is for re-use... kind of defeating the purpose of replacing it to lower water consumption.  In fact, it is a requirement of the rebate that the toilet not be re-used.

Just as an aside, our old toilets used 5 gallons per flush... the new one only uses about 1.1 gallons for most flushes.

Good luck!

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Image by alandberning via Flickr

Sleepers...  Sleepers are cool... and I'm not talking about the big cabs on 'over the road' trucks, I'm talking about cars that don't have an outward appearance of 'speed' but when the pedal hits the metal, they have the juice.

I've owned a couple of sleepers, and I'm wanting a car at the moment that is a 'quasi-sleeper'.  Among the sleepers I've owned was a '65 Mustang.  It wasn't exceptional to look at, with faded paint, missing emblems and wheels that weren't perfect.  But, it also had an extra couple hundred horsepower under the hood and a few suspension tricks to make it really hook up.  Another that I had was a 1970 Plymouth Satellite Station Wagon.  It had a 440ci engine, and with the 'Cheetah Slicks' on the rear (snow tires that were 9" wide and made from the same tread compound as drag slicks), it could romp... and it was seriously ugly!

The one I am looking out for is a Dodge Magnum R/T or SRT8.  They do have a pretty menacing look, so they are really a sleeper, but they still have a more potent punch than most people are expecting from a lowly station wagon.

Another factory sleeper is the Cadillac CTS-V... it CREAMS BMWs and Audis on the Nurburgring.  It has the 556hp engine from the Corvette ZR1... and it makes me happy.

For this week, I am thinking of a truck... maybe a diesel truck.  They are all over the place, and have meaty tires...  AND, it is REALLY easy to drag some serious power from late model turbo-diesel engines.  I have seen Dodge, Ford and GMs pull almost 1,000hp and 1500 pd-ft of torque.  My choice would be a Ford F250 Crew Cab short bed.  It would have the King Ranch package on it (luxurious!)... and the 6.8L twin turbo diesel.  It would likely need the transmission to be beefed up a touch, and with the 5" exhaust and bigger injectors, along with a remapped engine management system and cold air intake, it should produce power that would make it do things when the light changed that would drop some jaws...