So, you think school kids are the only ones who get a tax holiday around these parts? Think again!
November 5 through 7, the State of North Carolina is offering its annual tax holiday on the purchase of an Energy Star-rated appliance. Typically, applaince retailers roll out some pretty hefty discounts in association with the tax break, so you can score a double discount if you plan correctly.
Items included are washers, freezers, refrigerators, central air conditioners and room air conditioners, air-source heat pumps and geothermal heat pumps, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, and programmable thermostats.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Your Last Available Tax Credit
You still have about 90 days to qualify for one of the last remaining tax credits available from the 2010 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
When the law went into effect it increased the energy tax credit for homeowners who make energy efficient improvements to their existing homes, increased the credit rate to 30 percent of the cost of all qualifying improvements, and raised the maximum credit limit to $1,500 for improvements put in service in 2009 and 2010.
The credit applies to improvements such as adding insulation, energy efficient exterior windows and energy-efficient heating and air conditioning systems.
Since it was implemented, the program has suffered a bit from confusing marketing and regulatory issues. For instance, not every appliance labeled as “Energy Star” is eligible for the tax credit. Some replacement windows and doors qualify for the credit, while others don’t.
The best approach, say the experts, is to work with a vendor you trust and confirm purchases with the government’s official website at www.energystar.gov.
If you'd like a recommendation of a vendor for a particular part of your home (heating and cooling, general contracting, plumbing, etc.) give me a call. I have a list of fine folks with whom I've worked, and who have earned my trust. I'd be delighted to refer you to someone honest and reputable.
Robert Flinn
919-698-2040 (Direct)
919-402-1242 (Office)
rflinn@fmrealty.com
When the law went into effect it increased the energy tax credit for homeowners who make energy efficient improvements to their existing homes, increased the credit rate to 30 percent of the cost of all qualifying improvements, and raised the maximum credit limit to $1,500 for improvements put in service in 2009 and 2010.
The credit applies to improvements such as adding insulation, energy efficient exterior windows and energy-efficient heating and air conditioning systems.
Since it was implemented, the program has suffered a bit from confusing marketing and regulatory issues. For instance, not every appliance labeled as “Energy Star” is eligible for the tax credit. Some replacement windows and doors qualify for the credit, while others don’t.
The best approach, say the experts, is to work with a vendor you trust and confirm purchases with the government’s official website at www.energystar.gov.
If you'd like a recommendation of a vendor for a particular part of your home (heating and cooling, general contracting, plumbing, etc.) give me a call. I have a list of fine folks with whom I've worked, and who have earned my trust. I'd be delighted to refer you to someone honest and reputable.
Robert Flinn
919-698-2040 (Direct)
919-402-1242 (Office)
rflinn@fmrealty.com
Monday, September 20, 2010
Learn To Love Your Crawl
Yes, it’s dank and dusty down there. Yes, it’s icky… what with all the spider webs and other creepy crawly things that like dark, cool spaces. But regular visits to your crawl space can alert you to big problems that might be developing in your home, literally right under your feet.
In my work as a Realtor®, I see a lot of crawl spaces. Many of the problems a home inspector finds in a crawl space are the result of a circumstance or a condition that’s gone on for some time. And the sooner crawl space problems are dealt with, the better. Here are some of the things we all should look for, and take care of while we’re down there:
Look For: As a general rule, the dryer your crawl space, the better. The air down there will always have that “basement” feeling. But use your nose; be aware of unusually musty odors that can indicate excessive moisture. That’s bad news in an enclosed space. It can generate mold, or encourage rotting of wooden floor joists and sub-flooring. It can (and will!) also attract wood-destroying insects. Speaking of termites, they are a fact of life in North Carolina. Be on the lookout for tell-tale signs: earthen tubes about the diameter of your little finger leading upward from the ground along a wall of your crawl. If you see one, don’t disturb it… call a professional pest extermination company right away.
Dos: A clean crawl space is better than a dirty one. Twice a year, put on long pants and a long-sleeved shirt and crawl into your crawl. Knee pads are a big help, as is a hat– or head-mounted flashlight. Take a whisk broom and sweep off EVERY floor joist and piece of wood you can reach. You’re mission is to disturb the spiders and other bugs that are making your space their home. A commercial product by Ortho called Home Defense Maxx is an excellent residual deterrent. It’s available in spray or granular versions. Make sure your crawl space can breathe. Vents to the outside are designed to allow moisture-laden air to filter out of the enclosed space. Don’t close them or block them without the advice of a professional.
Don’ts: Don’t store wood-handled tools in your crawl space (they serve as bait for wood-destroying insects). Likewise, don’t stack material — particularly wood — against the wall of your crawl. That makes for a prime nesting ground for insects. If your inspection finds something unusual, call a professional to help you determine what’s going on.
Is there something unknown lurking in YOUR crawl space? Call me. I’d be happy to take a look and give you a free assessment.
Robert Flinn, Realtor/Broker
Fonville Morisey Realty, Inc.
919-698-2040 (Direct)
919-402-1242 (Office
In my work as a Realtor®, I see a lot of crawl spaces. Many of the problems a home inspector finds in a crawl space are the result of a circumstance or a condition that’s gone on for some time. And the sooner crawl space problems are dealt with, the better. Here are some of the things we all should look for, and take care of while we’re down there:
Look For: As a general rule, the dryer your crawl space, the better. The air down there will always have that “basement” feeling. But use your nose; be aware of unusually musty odors that can indicate excessive moisture. That’s bad news in an enclosed space. It can generate mold, or encourage rotting of wooden floor joists and sub-flooring. It can (and will!) also attract wood-destroying insects. Speaking of termites, they are a fact of life in North Carolina. Be on the lookout for tell-tale signs: earthen tubes about the diameter of your little finger leading upward from the ground along a wall of your crawl. If you see one, don’t disturb it… call a professional pest extermination company right away.
Dos: A clean crawl space is better than a dirty one. Twice a year, put on long pants and a long-sleeved shirt and crawl into your crawl. Knee pads are a big help, as is a hat– or head-mounted flashlight. Take a whisk broom and sweep off EVERY floor joist and piece of wood you can reach. You’re mission is to disturb the spiders and other bugs that are making your space their home. A commercial product by Ortho called Home Defense Maxx is an excellent residual deterrent. It’s available in spray or granular versions. Make sure your crawl space can breathe. Vents to the outside are designed to allow moisture-laden air to filter out of the enclosed space. Don’t close them or block them without the advice of a professional.
Don’ts: Don’t store wood-handled tools in your crawl space (they serve as bait for wood-destroying insects). Likewise, don’t stack material — particularly wood — against the wall of your crawl. That makes for a prime nesting ground for insects. If your inspection finds something unusual, call a professional to help you determine what’s going on.
Is there something unknown lurking in YOUR crawl space? Call me. I’d be happy to take a look and give you a free assessment.
Robert Flinn, Realtor/Broker
Fonville Morisey Realty, Inc.
919-698-2040 (Direct)
919-402-1242 (Office
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Clean Mower, Happy Mower
If there’s one piece of outdoor power gear that really leads a hard life, it’s your mower. Thanks to our friends at Popular Mechanics, here’s how to help it stay in top form:
Scrape under the deck with a putty knife to remove dried clippings.
Wipe Clean the area around the fuel nozzle and the oil fill
Use an old paintbrush or an air nozzle on your compressor and dust off engine fins.
Vacuum-clean the engine shroud.
Give a tune-up to include fresh oil, a clean air filter, fresh gas and a new spark plug.
Clean and sharpen the mower blade. Check it for knicks and dings from rocks and such. If it shows excessive signs of wear, replace it.
Fill the tank with fresh gas that’s rated at 87 octane or higher. Stale gas is prone to a build-up of moisture and a loss of octane, which can lead to gum deposits in the engine’s fuel line and carburetor. If you think you have stale gas in your tank, drain it and use one of the engine re-start additives available at home stores.
Scrape under the deck with a putty knife to remove dried clippings.
Wipe Clean the area around the fuel nozzle and the oil fill
Use an old paintbrush or an air nozzle on your compressor and dust off engine fins.
Vacuum-clean the engine shroud.
Give a tune-up to include fresh oil, a clean air filter, fresh gas and a new spark plug.
Clean and sharpen the mower blade. Check it for knicks and dings from rocks and such. If it shows excessive signs of wear, replace it.
Fill the tank with fresh gas that’s rated at 87 octane or higher. Stale gas is prone to a build-up of moisture and a loss of octane, which can lead to gum deposits in the engine’s fuel line and carburetor. If you think you have stale gas in your tank, drain it and use one of the engine re-start additives available at home stores.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Inherited Property - What To Know When You Sell It
The death of a parent can bring sudden and sometimes unconsidered responsibilities to children and family members left behind. Not the least of these is the settlement and distribution of real property that the parents acquired while they were alive.
Real property (land and the structures that sit on the land) as well as personal property (cars, jewelry, money, etc.) comprise what is known in legal terms as a person’s estate. A will is a legal document that is drafted prior to a person’s death that stipulates how his or her estate is to be distributed after death.
Intestate succession laws, administered through the North Carolina Court System, exist to ensure the smooth and correct transfer of real property from owners to eligible beneficiaries, if a property owner dies without leaving a will. But even with a will, certain procedures must be followed in order for property to be transferred effectively and smoothly from the beneficiaries to another owner.
The process begins with the assignment of an executor or an administrator and the assignment of authority to determine the contents of a person’s estate and how it will be distributed. This authority comes from letters of appointment called “Letters Testamentary” and “Letters of Administration” that are designated either by the decedent prior to death or by the court.
Handling a person’s estate, depending on the value of assets in the estate, your relationship to the decedent, and whether other people are entitled to some of the assets can be as simple as pie or so complicated that estate lawyers and tax professionals are required.
In general, handling someone’s estate means:
● Determining all of the decedent’s assets or property (land, automobiles, boats, money, stocks, jewelry, or other items of value);
● Identifying and notifying the creditors of the estate (the people or businesses to which the decedent owed money before his death (mortgage, car loan, credit cards)) and the persons or businesses who are due money as a result of the decedent’s death (funeral home, hospital bills);
● Identifying and notifying the persons or organizations entitled to a share of the estate (spouse, children, friends, charitable or religious organizations);
● Publishing notice to creditors in the local newspaper;
● Paying the decedent’s debts;
● Filing accountings with the Clerk of Superior Court, showing income and disbursements;
● Distributing the rest of the estate as required by the decedent’s will or by state intestacy law.
Such laws vary by state and even, in some cases, by county or municipality. In North Carolina, for instance, if a person dies without leaving a will and legal beneficiaries cannot be determined by the court, the value of the person’s holdings “escheats” to the state, which then donates the value to the to an authority which provides loans to worthy and needy North Carolina students in State-supported institutions of higher education.
Your first call should be to the Superior Court Clerk’s office in the county in which the decedent owned property.
Real property (land and the structures that sit on the land) as well as personal property (cars, jewelry, money, etc.) comprise what is known in legal terms as a person’s estate. A will is a legal document that is drafted prior to a person’s death that stipulates how his or her estate is to be distributed after death.
Intestate succession laws, administered through the North Carolina Court System, exist to ensure the smooth and correct transfer of real property from owners to eligible beneficiaries, if a property owner dies without leaving a will. But even with a will, certain procedures must be followed in order for property to be transferred effectively and smoothly from the beneficiaries to another owner.
The process begins with the assignment of an executor or an administrator and the assignment of authority to determine the contents of a person’s estate and how it will be distributed. This authority comes from letters of appointment called “Letters Testamentary” and “Letters of Administration” that are designated either by the decedent prior to death or by the court.
Handling a person’s estate, depending on the value of assets in the estate, your relationship to the decedent, and whether other people are entitled to some of the assets can be as simple as pie or so complicated that estate lawyers and tax professionals are required.
In general, handling someone’s estate means:
● Determining all of the decedent’s assets or property (land, automobiles, boats, money, stocks, jewelry, or other items of value);
● Identifying and notifying the creditors of the estate (the people or businesses to which the decedent owed money before his death (mortgage, car loan, credit cards)) and the persons or businesses who are due money as a result of the decedent’s death (funeral home, hospital bills);
● Identifying and notifying the persons or organizations entitled to a share of the estate (spouse, children, friends, charitable or religious organizations);
● Publishing notice to creditors in the local newspaper;
● Paying the decedent’s debts;
● Filing accountings with the Clerk of Superior Court, showing income and disbursements;
● Distributing the rest of the estate as required by the decedent’s will or by state intestacy law.
Such laws vary by state and even, in some cases, by county or municipality. In North Carolina, for instance, if a person dies without leaving a will and legal beneficiaries cannot be determined by the court, the value of the person’s holdings “escheats” to the state, which then donates the value to the to an authority which provides loans to worthy and needy North Carolina students in State-supported institutions of higher education.
Your first call should be to the Superior Court Clerk’s office in the county in which the decedent owned property.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
The Power of Words
A few Christmases ago my wife gave me a book, autographed by the author. He is a famous sports person from around these parts; you’d instantly recognize the name if I told it to you. But if I did that at this point, SOME of you would simply stop reading this article, or decide that everything I write from this point forward was somehow tainted. Silly, yes… but true. At least around these parts.
The writer of this book is a coach. He’s a motivator, a teacher, a counselor. The nature of his job requires him to discern and understand how to get the very best out of each player, in order to reach a common goal for the whole team. He’s pretty good at it. One of the primary tools he uses to accomplish this is language, and this coach is clearly a lover of language. The whole book is about the way that the words we choose to use can either build up or tear down… create or destroy… amplify or obliterate.
When I unwrapped the present that Christmas, it was a nice surprise. It wasn’t a book I would have looked for at the bookstore. In fact, I didn’t even know that the coach had written it; my wife found out about it through a book-signing event at her work. “Look inside the cover,” she said.
What I saw there spoke to me. The coach had written: “Robert, always believe in the power of words.”
Like the coach, my mother was also a lover of language. She was an English major in college, and she taught me the ways that words can work together to create literal works of art. My mother planted the seeds of language in my soul when I was a child. Two other women, both teachers – Mrs. Eubanks in the 4th and 5th grades and Mrs. Tennant in the 8th grade – cultivated those seeds and helped grow them strong. And so now I’m a lover of language, too.
So… why did the coach’s note matter? It’s not because we’re friends. I can count on one hand the number of times we’ve been within 100 yards of each other. It’s not because he’s well known; my career in television taught me that famous people can often be the most plastic and shallow individuals on the planet.
The coach’s words matter simply because they are true. Words ARE powerful.
One of the things most important to my work in Real Estate is clear and effective communication. It’s what brings parties together. It keeps things on track. It’s what keeps transactions moving forward. If you know someone looking for help in buying or selling a house, I hope you’ll ask them to give me a call.
I’ll use the best words I know in order to help them.
Robert Flinn, REALTOR®/Broker
919-402-1242 (Direct) - 919-698-2040 (Cell)
rflinn@fmrealty.com (email)
The writer of this book is a coach. He’s a motivator, a teacher, a counselor. The nature of his job requires him to discern and understand how to get the very best out of each player, in order to reach a common goal for the whole team. He’s pretty good at it. One of the primary tools he uses to accomplish this is language, and this coach is clearly a lover of language. The whole book is about the way that the words we choose to use can either build up or tear down… create or destroy… amplify or obliterate.
When I unwrapped the present that Christmas, it was a nice surprise. It wasn’t a book I would have looked for at the bookstore. In fact, I didn’t even know that the coach had written it; my wife found out about it through a book-signing event at her work. “Look inside the cover,” she said.
What I saw there spoke to me. The coach had written: “Robert, always believe in the power of words.”
Like the coach, my mother was also a lover of language. She was an English major in college, and she taught me the ways that words can work together to create literal works of art. My mother planted the seeds of language in my soul when I was a child. Two other women, both teachers – Mrs. Eubanks in the 4th and 5th grades and Mrs. Tennant in the 8th grade – cultivated those seeds and helped grow them strong. And so now I’m a lover of language, too.
So… why did the coach’s note matter? It’s not because we’re friends. I can count on one hand the number of times we’ve been within 100 yards of each other. It’s not because he’s well known; my career in television taught me that famous people can often be the most plastic and shallow individuals on the planet.
The coach’s words matter simply because they are true. Words ARE powerful.
One of the things most important to my work in Real Estate is clear and effective communication. It’s what brings parties together. It keeps things on track. It’s what keeps transactions moving forward. If you know someone looking for help in buying or selling a house, I hope you’ll ask them to give me a call.
I’ll use the best words I know in order to help them.
Robert Flinn, REALTOR®/Broker
919-402-1242 (Direct) - 919-698-2040 (Cell)
rflinn@fmrealty.com (email)
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Agent of Change
In May of 1975 I graduated from Nathan Hale High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Earlier this summer some folks from my graduating class celebrated the (gulp) 35th anniversary of our graduation. It was a casual reunion and I wasn’t able to join them. But as a run-up to the event — and also thanks to the social networks like FaceBook that make such things possible — I have been able to reconnect with many of my classmates from high school.
It’s amazing to see how almost everyone has changed! Hairlines have receded. Waistlines have expanded. Age and life and experiences have taken the fresh young teenagers that I remember and turned them into people who look a lot like my parents looked when I was in high school. I would recognize only a handful of them today if we ran into each other at the airport.
I wish my memories of that period of my life were more clear. They might be if I had stayed in Oklahoma and had kept in touch with my fellow former Hale Rangers. But, even still, my wife and I often realize that things we knew well when we lived in Tulsa or Oklahoma City or Lincoln or Greenville or Cedar Rapids or Las Vegas are now getting dusty in our memories.
Sometimes I envy folks who manage to stay in one place for most of their lives. My sister and her family have lived in the same place for nearly 25 years. Friends I have here in North Carolina grew up in several places within the community but have never left the area. Some of my friends from high school still call Tulsa home.
I’ve said it before in these pages: Transitions are difficult. Change can often be uncomfortable. But in a world where it sometimes seems that the only constant is change, the measure is not about how or when changes happen, but rather about how we deal with them when they occur. Some changes come suddenly; an accident, a death, or an abrupt shift in our well-laid plans for our lives. Some changes take more time; and our challenge then is to deal with the uncertainty… the NOT knowing… which can be equally as hard, if not even harder.
As a Real Estate broker, I’m in the change business. I regularly help folks uproot everything comfortable in their lives and — for a brief period of time — venture into chaos. And I think it’s hallowed ground. Few things have a stronger hold on our emotions than the places we call home, and the fortunes we’ve invested in them.
Understanding that… honoring that, I think, is an important part of what I do.
Robert Flinn, REALTOR®/Broker
919-698-2040 (Direct) - 919-402-1242 (Office)
rflinn@fmrealty.com (email)
It’s amazing to see how almost everyone has changed! Hairlines have receded. Waistlines have expanded. Age and life and experiences have taken the fresh young teenagers that I remember and turned them into people who look a lot like my parents looked when I was in high school. I would recognize only a handful of them today if we ran into each other at the airport.
I wish my memories of that period of my life were more clear. They might be if I had stayed in Oklahoma and had kept in touch with my fellow former Hale Rangers. But, even still, my wife and I often realize that things we knew well when we lived in Tulsa or Oklahoma City or Lincoln or Greenville or Cedar Rapids or Las Vegas are now getting dusty in our memories.
Sometimes I envy folks who manage to stay in one place for most of their lives. My sister and her family have lived in the same place for nearly 25 years. Friends I have here in North Carolina grew up in several places within the community but have never left the area. Some of my friends from high school still call Tulsa home.
I’ve said it before in these pages: Transitions are difficult. Change can often be uncomfortable. But in a world where it sometimes seems that the only constant is change, the measure is not about how or when changes happen, but rather about how we deal with them when they occur. Some changes come suddenly; an accident, a death, or an abrupt shift in our well-laid plans for our lives. Some changes take more time; and our challenge then is to deal with the uncertainty… the NOT knowing… which can be equally as hard, if not even harder.
As a Real Estate broker, I’m in the change business. I regularly help folks uproot everything comfortable in their lives and — for a brief period of time — venture into chaos. And I think it’s hallowed ground. Few things have a stronger hold on our emotions than the places we call home, and the fortunes we’ve invested in them.
Understanding that… honoring that, I think, is an important part of what I do.
Robert Flinn, REALTOR®/Broker
919-698-2040 (Direct) - 919-402-1242 (Office)
rflinn@fmrealty.com (email)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
What's Your Name Again?
When I’m hosting an Open House, I like to ask my guests if they’re working with a real estate agent. Sometimes they say “no” and that may give me an opportunity to offer my assistance when they need it. If they say “yes,” my next question is to ask them the name of the agent with whom they're working. I think it’s important to follow up with that agent and let them know that one of their clients visited my listing.
Often, though, my question of who they’re working with is met with something of a deer-in-the-headlights look and a prolonged “uuhhhhhh…”. According to the way I run my business, something is definitely wrong with that picture. Allow me to illustrate.
A little over four yeas ago I bought a new car. Just about every day since then, I’ve gotten into that car, turned the key, and driven it somewhere. My car is a vital part of my live… just as your car is probably vital to your life. We couldn’t get along very well without them, could we? And yet, as important as that car is to me and my business, I don’t remember the name of the guy who sold it to me. Why? Because I’ve never heard from him since the day I bought the thing. Our relationship ended the instant I drove away from his dealership.
Would I like to have a continuing relationship with someone in the car-selling business? Absolutely. I Would appreciate having that person as a resource if I had a question about anything related to automobiles. He might not immediately know the answer, but he could point me in the right direction. I would value that relationship.
I very firmly believe that the real estate business is a relationship business. The transaction that initially connects me with a Buyer or a Seller is the catalyst to that relationship. For a relatively brief period of time, I’m collaborating very closely with a client to help them achieve something very important — the buying or selling of a home. But after that — after the transaction is complete — it’s totally up to me to keep that relationship alive… to keep in contact with folks that I’ve helped in the past, with the intent to help them or someone they know in the future. I want to be a resource for folks about ANYthing having to do with real estate, at any time… not just when there’s a home to buy or sell.
That’s what it means to me to be “working” with a real estate agent. And those folks who came to my open house and couldn’t bring their agent’s name to mind? Well… they just don’t know what they’re missing.
Robert Flinn, REALTOR®/Broker
919-698-2040 (Direct)
919-402-1242 (Office)
rflinn@fmrealty.com (email)
Often, though, my question of who they’re working with is met with something of a deer-in-the-headlights look and a prolonged “uuhhhhhh…”. According to the way I run my business, something is definitely wrong with that picture. Allow me to illustrate.
A little over four yeas ago I bought a new car. Just about every day since then, I’ve gotten into that car, turned the key, and driven it somewhere. My car is a vital part of my live… just as your car is probably vital to your life. We couldn’t get along very well without them, could we? And yet, as important as that car is to me and my business, I don’t remember the name of the guy who sold it to me. Why? Because I’ve never heard from him since the day I bought the thing. Our relationship ended the instant I drove away from his dealership.
Would I like to have a continuing relationship with someone in the car-selling business? Absolutely. I Would appreciate having that person as a resource if I had a question about anything related to automobiles. He might not immediately know the answer, but he could point me in the right direction. I would value that relationship.
I very firmly believe that the real estate business is a relationship business. The transaction that initially connects me with a Buyer or a Seller is the catalyst to that relationship. For a relatively brief period of time, I’m collaborating very closely with a client to help them achieve something very important — the buying or selling of a home. But after that — after the transaction is complete — it’s totally up to me to keep that relationship alive… to keep in contact with folks that I’ve helped in the past, with the intent to help them or someone they know in the future. I want to be a resource for folks about ANYthing having to do with real estate, at any time… not just when there’s a home to buy or sell.
That’s what it means to me to be “working” with a real estate agent. And those folks who came to my open house and couldn’t bring their agent’s name to mind? Well… they just don’t know what they’re missing.
Robert Flinn, REALTOR®/Broker
919-698-2040 (Direct)
919-402-1242 (Office)
rflinn@fmrealty.com (email)
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Help That Matters
The Friday before Memorial Day is something of an anniversary date for me. Six years ago on that very day my 20-year career in television marketing came to a screeching halt, without fanfare or ceremony. Maybe it was a fitting end for an inauspicious beginning.
I got into the television business through a side door, as a news producer. I doubt such a thing would ever happen the same way again: a News Director friend of mine hired me — with ZERO experience — to produce weekend newscasts. I liked the technology but hated the news business. For two years I was just this side of miserable. “But hey,” I’d say, “those people upstairs in the Promotion department sure seem to be having a good time.” So I landed a creative services job in an even bigger market, found my niche, and — just like that — my rocket was lit.
Commercial television is a high-octane business. That’s part of what makes it fun. But it’s also incredibly transitional, filled with what has to be a disproportionate number of really bad managers. In order to move up, one usually has to move on. Sometimes that’s by choice and sometimes it’s not. Consequently, my wife and I moved 9 times in 13 years. But well before that fateful Memorial Day weekend I decided that I wasn’t going to “move on” from North Carolina. My family liked it here, we had found a cherished church and we had developed an invaluable circle of friends. I decided it was time to reinvent myself.
And so in the spring of 2004 I earned my real estate license and joined Fonville Morisey. My 6th year anniversary was earlier this summer. But here’s what else happened this summer: I closed on my 100th transaction for someone buying or selling a home in the Triangle. For me, that’s something to celebrate.
One of the things I like about my work in Real Estate is that I get to get involved in the hopes and dreams of my clients. I get to make a difference. In commercial television, despite all of the meters and ratings books and other ways to measure one’s impact, my work just didn’t ever seem to matter. Not so any longer. I know my work has mattered to at least 100 folks since June of 2004. I’m not sure I tallied that same number after 20 years in TV.
And you know what? You’re reading these words today because YOU matter. You’re someone who I’ve helped in the past, or someone who I hope to help in the future. And If you know someone else who can benefit from my assistance, I’d love it if you’d pass my name along.
Robert Flinn, REALTOR®/Broker
919-698-2040 (Direct)
919-402-1242 (Office)
rflinn@fmrealty.com (email)
I got into the television business through a side door, as a news producer. I doubt such a thing would ever happen the same way again: a News Director friend of mine hired me — with ZERO experience — to produce weekend newscasts. I liked the technology but hated the news business. For two years I was just this side of miserable. “But hey,” I’d say, “those people upstairs in the Promotion department sure seem to be having a good time.” So I landed a creative services job in an even bigger market, found my niche, and — just like that — my rocket was lit.
Commercial television is a high-octane business. That’s part of what makes it fun. But it’s also incredibly transitional, filled with what has to be a disproportionate number of really bad managers. In order to move up, one usually has to move on. Sometimes that’s by choice and sometimes it’s not. Consequently, my wife and I moved 9 times in 13 years. But well before that fateful Memorial Day weekend I decided that I wasn’t going to “move on” from North Carolina. My family liked it here, we had found a cherished church and we had developed an invaluable circle of friends. I decided it was time to reinvent myself.
And so in the spring of 2004 I earned my real estate license and joined Fonville Morisey. My 6th year anniversary was earlier this summer. But here’s what else happened this summer: I closed on my 100th transaction for someone buying or selling a home in the Triangle. For me, that’s something to celebrate.
One of the things I like about my work in Real Estate is that I get to get involved in the hopes and dreams of my clients. I get to make a difference. In commercial television, despite all of the meters and ratings books and other ways to measure one’s impact, my work just didn’t ever seem to matter. Not so any longer. I know my work has mattered to at least 100 folks since June of 2004. I’m not sure I tallied that same number after 20 years in TV.
And you know what? You’re reading these words today because YOU matter. You’re someone who I’ve helped in the past, or someone who I hope to help in the future. And If you know someone else who can benefit from my assistance, I’d love it if you’d pass my name along.
Robert Flinn, REALTOR®/Broker
919-698-2040 (Direct)
919-402-1242 (Office)
rflinn@fmrealty.com (email)
Monday, August 30, 2010
DEATH AND TAXES
The headline is from a famous quote first credited to Benjamin Franklin in 1789, and appended ever since by endless pundits, politicians, and comedians. But for me, there was nothing funny about my recent trip to the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles.
The occasion? Earlier this year I decided to purchase a vehicle I had leased from Nissan, and I needed to transfer the title to the bank as collateral on the loan they had issued for the purchase. Now folks, I’ve lived in six different states over the last thirty years or so. And in almost every state where I’ve resided, trips to the DMV can be prefaced by three words: “Pack A Lunch.” And so I was prepared to face disappointment, and probably the need for a second trip to accomplish my mission. What I wasn’t prepared for was something called a “Highway Use Tax.”
In order for me to transfer the title for a car that I’ve driven in this state every day since January of 2006, the state of North Carolina wants to charge me three cents on the dollar of the purchase price, just to fund the coffers over in Raleigh. I was prepared to fork over 50 bucks or so. I wasn’t expecting an ad hoc fee nearly ten times that amount.
I’m not complaining about the figure. Lord knows, our roads and highways need all the pot-hole filling dollars they can get. I’m not complaining about the tax. I think it’s entirely appropriate that the people who use our state’s roads and highways should support the good folks who build and maintain them (if that’s indeed where this money goes). What I don’t like is the fact that this apparently well-established revenue stream was completely unknown to me until the moment I was standing at the window, ready to complete my transaction. As one of my colleagues puts it, I felt hoo-dooed.
Like many states, North Carolina charges a number of assorted and sundry charges and fees to folks who are wishing to transact business here. Every home Seller that I represent pays “revenue stamps” to the state – most easily determined by dividing the purchase price by 500 – just for the privilege of selling their home to a ready, willing, and able Buyer.
The difference is that I make sure, and double-sure, and then triple-sure that my Sellers understand that this fee will be a part of their expected costs once their home is headed for the closing table. No surprises. No “oh, by the way.” And no hoo-doo.
It’s called communication, folks. And if you or someone you know wants to work with someone who believes in the power of that simple little tool, give me a call. Hopefully I’ll be out of the line at the DMV then.
Robert Flinn, REALTOR®
919-402-1242 (Direct Line)
919-698-2040 (Cell)
rflinn@fmrealty.com (email)
The occasion? Earlier this year I decided to purchase a vehicle I had leased from Nissan, and I needed to transfer the title to the bank as collateral on the loan they had issued for the purchase. Now folks, I’ve lived in six different states over the last thirty years or so. And in almost every state where I’ve resided, trips to the DMV can be prefaced by three words: “Pack A Lunch.” And so I was prepared to face disappointment, and probably the need for a second trip to accomplish my mission. What I wasn’t prepared for was something called a “Highway Use Tax.”
In order for me to transfer the title for a car that I’ve driven in this state every day since January of 2006, the state of North Carolina wants to charge me three cents on the dollar of the purchase price, just to fund the coffers over in Raleigh. I was prepared to fork over 50 bucks or so. I wasn’t expecting an ad hoc fee nearly ten times that amount.
I’m not complaining about the figure. Lord knows, our roads and highways need all the pot-hole filling dollars they can get. I’m not complaining about the tax. I think it’s entirely appropriate that the people who use our state’s roads and highways should support the good folks who build and maintain them (if that’s indeed where this money goes). What I don’t like is the fact that this apparently well-established revenue stream was completely unknown to me until the moment I was standing at the window, ready to complete my transaction. As one of my colleagues puts it, I felt hoo-dooed.
Like many states, North Carolina charges a number of assorted and sundry charges and fees to folks who are wishing to transact business here. Every home Seller that I represent pays “revenue stamps” to the state – most easily determined by dividing the purchase price by 500 – just for the privilege of selling their home to a ready, willing, and able Buyer.
The difference is that I make sure, and double-sure, and then triple-sure that my Sellers understand that this fee will be a part of their expected costs once their home is headed for the closing table. No surprises. No “oh, by the way.” And no hoo-doo.
It’s called communication, folks. And if you or someone you know wants to work with someone who believes in the power of that simple little tool, give me a call. Hopefully I’ll be out of the line at the DMV then.
Robert Flinn, REALTOR®
919-402-1242 (Direct Line)
919-698-2040 (Cell)
rflinn@fmrealty.com (email)
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Newton's Cradle
A Christmas gift when I was a kid was sort of an educational toy called “Newton’s Cradle.” It was constructed of five in-line steel balls suspended from a frame. To play with it, you’d lift one or two of the balls and allow them to swing back against the stationary balls in the middle. Lift and drop one ball and the one ball opposite would swing out and back. Lift and drop two balls and — voila — two balls at the other end would swing out and back in tandem. It was advertised to be endlessly fascinating. It wasn’t.
I’ve since learned that the toy was designed to illustrate Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion; that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I think it was also supposed to inspire me to want to learn more about physics and science and stuff like that. That didn’t happen either.
I had a number of such toys growing up. One I remember the most was a box with springs and wires and electrical doo-dads like resistors and switches that let me experiment with low-grade electrical circuits. But that didn’t qualify me to be an electrician. The time I spent watching the steel balls click-clack back and forth didn’t turn me into a physicist or an engineer. And I can’t call myself a chemist because I spent a few afternoons mixing tiny spoonfuls of bizarre elements in a test tube on my parent’s front porch.
That’s why it’s puzzling when people will read a few things on the internet or garner a few facts from a talk-show host and then come to think they’re experts in something as complicated as the buying or selling of real estate. Over and over in the past few years I have seen Buyers – usually Buyers – bring a set of expectations to a transaction that are dramatically off-kilter. Sometimes they insist on wildly underestimating the value of a property. Sometimes they make decisions based on erroneous information. Other times they’ll take a stand on an issue that is so far away from a reasonable compromise with the Seller that the two sides can’t agree on a solution.
All of this usually results from a know-it-all attitude, combined with an unwillingness to listen to experienced counsel or a voice of reason. And sometimes the counsel those folks are receiving isn’t particularly experienced or reasonable.
I spend a great deal of time with my clients helping them understand the process of buying or selling a home. I say quite often that an important part of my job is to provide the information a Buyer or Seller needs to make a smart decision. Who’s the next person you can think of who needs that kind of Real Estate broker? I’d appreciate it if you would give them a call and tell them about me.
Robert Flinn, REALTOR®/ Broker
919-402-1242 (Direct Line)
919-698-2040 (Cell)
rflinn@fmrealty.com (email)
Friday, August 27, 2010
JOINING THE CLUB
One of my managers at the Fonville Morisey office at Hwy 54 says that all of us who provide real estate brokerage services to our clients should move every four or five years… just so we can fully understand what our Sellers and Buyers are going through. But that’s not the reason that my wife and I have put our home on the market.
When our son, Cole, was finishing up his middle school years we looked for an upper school environment that would suit him well. We found it in Orange County at Cedar Ridge high school. We lived in Durham at the time and, after a year of making two 40-minute trips a day to and from Cedar Ridge, we decided to move to Hillsborough. Cole is now nearly half-way through his college career at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. After graduation he won’t be home for quite a while and my wife and I find the home we live in is now a little too big and a little too far away from church and work and such. So we’re moving. Call it downsizing and centralizing.
Not that that makes it any easier. Like many of the Sellers I represent, I’ve gone though my quite comfortable home and intentionally made it w-a-y less comfortable. I’ve given my family the same counsel I give clients concerning “clutter,” and how distracting it is to a Buyer (and I now have a whole new perspective of how that counsel sounds to the Seller’s ear!). I’ve made that list of chores — big and small — that I’ve intended to get to forever but always found a way to put off. And — although it’s only been a few days at this writing — I’m experiencing the anxiety that Sellers feel regarding showings on their home: First, when am I going to have some, and Second, what might they NOT like about the place that I care for so much?
I tell clients all the time that the emotional ties we have to the places we live are strong… stronger than we might realize. Homes, I believe, live and breathe and communicate and knit themselves into the very fiber of our souls. Our homes represent safety and security, protection and love. The intentional rending of ourselves away from that — no matter what the reason — can be painful. So… for the 92 families that I’ve shepherded through this process since 2004…
I’m getting a new appreciation for how you might have felt along the way.
So maybe my manager is right. And I intend for this experience to make me a better representative for my clients in the future.
Robert Flinn, REALTOR®
919-698-2040 (Direct Line)
919-402-1242 (Office)
rflinn@fmrealty.com (email)
Friday, January 1, 2010
Dawn Of A Decade
Maybe I haven’t been paying close enough attention, but I haven’t heard a great deal being made of the coming New Year. (Maybe we’re just sooo ready to be rid of this current one!) Still, when the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, we will all unhesitatingly march into the second decade of the new century.
A new year, marked by the replacement of two digits this year instead of just one. 2010... Two-thousand-ten… Twenty-ten... It’s various iterations seem to roll off the tongue more easily than its older brothers. Maybe that bodes well for a continuing improvement in the overall state of things.
And what a difference a decade makes! I clearly remember the anguish and anxiety that marked the march into the new millennium ten years ago. The “Y2K” programming bug was threatening to undermine everything that was connected to, operated with, or controlled by a computer. I recall countless hours devoted to the “what if” scenarios of the supposed threat. And — of course — just over a year-and-a-half later, the horrific attacks of 9/11 provided a much more realistic and palpable and lasting fear.
What if the amount of time and effort put into preparing for the Y2K bug had gone into awareness and prevention of terrorist activities against our homeland? Would we have been able to blunt the work of the masterminds of that terrible attack, saving thousands of lives? And what if the frenzied work currently underway in Washington is an equivalent effort in an equally wrong direction? What crises might be awaiting us next year… or the year after that… for which we’re not prepared?
Ah, but look what I’ve done. I’ve gone and slipped into “what if” mode. I’ve taken something that happened in the past and tried to put it into reality for the here and now, and for the future. It’s a poisonous exercise, and one that I sometimes have to counsel my Buyers and Sellers through during a real estate transaction. Twice in 2009 I had transactions fall apart because Buyers “what-iffed” themselves into a frenzy over what was really nothing. Like Y2K, the focus on the imagined outcome took away from what was really there. It resulted in weeks of wasted effort on everyone’s part.
So instead of “what if,” let’s focus on “what will be.” Perhaps that’s why imagery of New Year’s often shows the gnarled old man handing off the hourglass of time to the fresh, young baby. Because what we know from our past — what we’ve learned through our experience — is for the benefit… not the detriment… of what’s to come in our future.
Happy New Year!
Robert Flinn, REALTOR®
919-698-2040 (Direct Line)
919-402-1242 (Office)
rflinn@fmrealty.com (email)
A new year, marked by the replacement of two digits this year instead of just one. 2010... Two-thousand-ten… Twenty-ten... It’s various iterations seem to roll off the tongue more easily than its older brothers. Maybe that bodes well for a continuing improvement in the overall state of things.
And what a difference a decade makes! I clearly remember the anguish and anxiety that marked the march into the new millennium ten years ago. The “Y2K” programming bug was threatening to undermine everything that was connected to, operated with, or controlled by a computer. I recall countless hours devoted to the “what if” scenarios of the supposed threat. And — of course — just over a year-and-a-half later, the horrific attacks of 9/11 provided a much more realistic and palpable and lasting fear.
What if the amount of time and effort put into preparing for the Y2K bug had gone into awareness and prevention of terrorist activities against our homeland? Would we have been able to blunt the work of the masterminds of that terrible attack, saving thousands of lives? And what if the frenzied work currently underway in Washington is an equivalent effort in an equally wrong direction? What crises might be awaiting us next year… or the year after that… for which we’re not prepared?
Ah, but look what I’ve done. I’ve gone and slipped into “what if” mode. I’ve taken something that happened in the past and tried to put it into reality for the here and now, and for the future. It’s a poisonous exercise, and one that I sometimes have to counsel my Buyers and Sellers through during a real estate transaction. Twice in 2009 I had transactions fall apart because Buyers “what-iffed” themselves into a frenzy over what was really nothing. Like Y2K, the focus on the imagined outcome took away from what was really there. It resulted in weeks of wasted effort on everyone’s part.
So instead of “what if,” let’s focus on “what will be.” Perhaps that’s why imagery of New Year’s often shows the gnarled old man handing off the hourglass of time to the fresh, young baby. Because what we know from our past — what we’ve learned through our experience — is for the benefit… not the detriment… of what’s to come in our future.
Happy New Year!
Robert Flinn, REALTOR®
919-698-2040 (Direct Line)
919-402-1242 (Office)
rflinn@fmrealty.com (email)
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About Me
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- ROBERT FLINN
- Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Hillsborough, North Carolina
- I am a dedicated, dependable, patient and professional Real Estate Advisor for you and for people you care about.
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