Industry/Laudan News

By Jon Grim

WHY THE END OF GRASS CUT SEASON DOES NOT MEAN

THE END OF PROFITS

It’s that time of the year where everyone starts to talk about how things are slowing down and it is true that there is a decrease in the total number of orders that we receive from our clients. Fortunately, there are still numerous opportunities to increase your revenue through thorough bidding when visiting properties. Recently, there has been an uptick in the amount of bid approvals clients are granting in order to get properties in better condition. Clients understand that communities are fighting back against blight and they do not want to be included in negative press. Therefore we can benefit by making suggestions to clean up properties and give them a better product.

What are some of the things that you can do to increase the image of these properties and increase profits? Below is a list of some of the items that should be bid at properties:

  1. Landscaping – By providing bids to clean up the property we help our clients prepare for next grass cut season. Shrub/tree trimming, yard cleanup, and trimming fence lines are just a few of the things that can be bid even if we are not in grass cut season.
  2. Gutter and roof cleaning – During this time of year the leaves are falling and filling up the gutters. The more we clean these up now the better it will be when we complete them in the spring.
  3. Tree trimming – Anytime there is a tree limb or dead tree that is hovering over roofs or power lines, our clients run the risk of having insurance issues at some point in time during the life of the property. Our clients will approve bids to remove or trim trees.
  4. Mold – Mold is a problem that if not dealt with will increase the deterioration of the property. By mitigating these issues, we can help the client protect their asset.
  5. Fences – Falling fences are a security issue and also can be a code or HOA violation.
  6. Roof issues – Soffits, fascia, gutters, and downspouts are all issues that clients will approve bids to repair.

The list above is just a sample of different items that clients will approve it they are reported and bid. Even if you are not capable of handling all of these items, please let us know so that we can help get the bids put together for our clients. We can help connect you with 3rd party companies or we can manage the 3rd party companies to complete the work. We look forward to helping you stay busy and profitable by working with you on all bids that are submitted. Remember, we need quality photos to support all bids.

Thanks for all of your hard work!

Contractor Spotlight

By Ashley Sawchik

VENDOR NAME: Renee and Scott

COMPANY NAME:Ball & Chain Property Services LLC

SERVICING AREA: Northern Virginia

HOME ROOTS: Fauquier

FAMILY (Include your pets): 3 Boys, 2 Dogs, Fish, and a Parrot

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE INDUSTRY/A PARTNER OF LAUDAN PROPERTIES? 5 Years

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE INDUSTRY? Was told there was money in it so we went out in an old conversion van, trailer, riding mower, and a push mower and starting servicing properties.

HAVE ANY FUNNY/INTERESTING STORIES TO SHARE WHILE IN THE FIELD?Walked into a vacant property that was totally empty, as I am taking my pictures I went to open the master bedroom closet and it pushed back on me, I pushed harder and some guy says who are you?... Who am I, Who the hell are you?

SHARE ONE BEST PRACTICE YOU HAVE APPLIED THAT OUR OTHER PARTNERS COULD BENEFIT FROM? Understand your work order instructions and do it right the first time

WHEN YOU CAN BREAK AWAY FROM PROPERTY PRESERVATION, WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING? Family First then Flea Markets, Yard Sales, Fishing, Hunting, eBay

WHO’S THE BEST CRA AT LAUDAN PROPERTIES (LOL)? Is there anyone other than Ashley up there??? She is a true friend both on a business and personal level.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS/INFO YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE? We have been with Laudan for a few years now and couldn't be happier, our business has grownenormouslyand we have Laudan and their team to thank.

Best Practices in Prez

By Deandre Dickerson

Conveyance issues (HUD Specifications)-Things to watch for while at the property!

  • All locks must be changed to correct key code
  • All doors, including garage overhead doors & outbuildings, must be rekeyed to same key code or secured with a padlock
  • If deadbolt present, deadbolt must also be changed
  • Slider doors should be double locked with slider locks on top & bottom
  • All interior and exterior debris/personals/hazards must be removed
  • Interior of property must be in broom swept condition
  • All openings must be secured
  • Any broken windows must be either boarded or reglazed (must be reglazed if property is not in a high vandal area)
  • If pool/spa present, pool/spa must be covered and any fences around pool secured
  • Exterior graffiti must be removed
  • Interior graffiti that is vulgar must be removed, but interior graffiti that is not vulgar is not a conveyance issue
  • Fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, and boiler explosion damages must be repaired
  • Damaged siding, skirting, gutters, downspouts, and fascia must be repaired if the damage is causing/may cause additional damage to property
  • Trip hazards must be repaired
  • Handrails must be installed if they were previously existing
  • Roof leaks must be repaired (property cannot convey with a tarped roof)
  • Grass cut performed, if in season
  • Shrubs trimmed so they are not touching property and are not blocking access or windows, if in season
  • Winterization performed, if in season
  • Toilets must be cleaned
  • Open water lines must be capped
  • Wires must be capped and outlet/switch covers installed if electric is on
  • Sump pump must be operational, if present
  • Electric must be restored if sump pump present
  • If mold present, cause of mold must be addressed

Client/Employee Spotlight

By Chaz O’Neill

Employee Spotlight – Business Development

By Chaz O’Neill

Laudan Properties has been increasing our focus on Business Development over the past year. These efforts are not only to diversify our offerings and footprint, but also to gain additional volume within our current territories. Many of you have seen new client orders appearing in your PPW queues. Some of these clients include: Carrington, MB, NPS, HavenBrook Homes, Cyprexx, United Field Services, and others. As we grow these new relationships, we want to point out some important people who are helping to make this a success.

Laudan’s Business Development Management Team: Many of you are familiar with Todd Heroux. Todd has worn many hats in his 4+ years at Laudan, which gives him an excessive insider knowledge of our operations. His current assignment as Business Development Manager tasks him with tracking down the next great opportunity for Laudan and our network. We have also added a new member to our team - Clint Welser, Vice President, Business Development. Clint might be a new name to our network, but he is a familiar face among Laudan employees. Clint has been a long standing partner of Laudan and joins our company with years of banking industry experience and a wealth of industry contacts. We are confident the addition of Client will continue to strengthen and grow our business development efforts at Laudan.

Jon Grim & the Green Team: Jon’s Green Team is the incubator for new clients at Laudan Properties. They have the difficult job of setting up our system with new work types, PCR forms, order instructions and pricing. They are also given the daunting task of trying to figure out the most efficient way to get results from PPW over to our client systems.

Our Contractors: We cannot succeed without our contractor network. We appreciate the extra attention given to these new client requirements, as well as the sense of urgency placed on getting the orders completed on time.

Together, we are all contributing to making our businesses more successful!

What’s wrong with this picture?

Last months answer?

The Zip Tie is laying next to the shut off and it does not secure the valve.

Our thanks to MFS for providing a gift card to our spotlight contractor each month.