First Choice Property Management Group, Inc. “Make Us Your First Choice” July Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 1 P r o p e r ty M a n a g e m e n t Hurricane Season Has Arrived: How to be Prepared Inside this issue: Hurricane Kits Bill HB 7119 2 How to do a Walkthrough 2 5 Tips to be Environ- 2 mentally Friendly Employee or Independent Contractor 3 Kids with Down syndrome 3 Hurricane season has arrived 3 First Choice Homewatch Services 4 Our Services: The State of Florida’s website recommends preparing a hurricane kit in the event of an evacuation or power outage. It is best to prepare it early, because most people scramble to get their kits together at the very last minute, and supplies will sell out quickly. Some recommended items to include are:  Non-perishable food (enough to last at least 3 days)  Water (enough to last at least 3 days)  First-aid kit (include any prescription medication you may need)  Personal hygiene items and sanitation items  Flashlights (have extra batteries on hand)  Battery operated radio (again, have extra batteries)  Waterproof container with cash and important documents  Manual can opener  Lighter or matches  Books, magazines, games for recreation  Special needs items: pet supplies and baby supplies if applicable  Cooler and ice packs  A plan for evacuation and for if family members are separated  Cover all of your windows, either with hurricane shutters or wood.  Although tape can prevent glass from shattering everywhere, be warned that tape does not prevent the window from breaking.  If possible, secure straps or clips to securely fasten your roof to the structure of your home.  Make sure all trees and shrubs are trimmed and clear rain gutters.  Reinforce your garage doors.  Bring in all outdoor furniture, garbage cans, decorations, and anything else that is not tied down.  If winds become strong, stay away from windows and doors and Securing Your Home close, secure and brace internal doors. Know how to secure your home in the event of damaging winds, storm surge and flooding.  Management  Accounting  Administrative  Collection Service Index shows South Florida home prices jump nearly 11%  Banking  Maintenance  Janitorial  Landscaping South Florida home prices continue to boost ahead, with a nearly 11 percent jump in February from the previous year, the 14th consecutive month of increases, according to a leading index.  Home Watch  Board Member Certification Story continued on page 3 Ho we ve r , t he mo nt hly increase in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties slowed to 0.3 percent in February; it had been at 0.8 percent in January, according to Standard & Poor's/CaseShiller index. However, the index claims that South Florida was among half the 20 metro areas that showed double-digit increases in home prices over the last year with a 10.8 percent jump. "Home prices continue to show solid increases across all 20 cities," said David M. Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices in a statement. "Despite some recent mixed economic reports for March, housing continues to be one of the brighter spots in the economy." First Choice Property Management Group, Inc. Page 2 Legislative Consortium Urges Gov. Scott to Veto HB 7119 A Legislative Consortium composed of the Alliance of Delray Residential Associations, the Broward Coalition, the Coalition of Boynton West Residential Associations, the Lake Worth Road Coalition and the West Boca Community Council urged Governor Scott to veto HB 7119. It was, however, passed on Monday, June 17, 2013 and will be effective on July 1, 2013. The bill requires every CAM (or the board in self managed communities) to report the following information to the Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR):      name of the association, FEIN number, mailing and physical address, number of parcels, and total amount of revenues and expenses from the annual budget of the association. Registration should be available through an Internet website. The DBPR must provide all the data collected to the Governor, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on an annual basis. According to their press release, many community leaders are afraid that registration is the first step toward further regulation of HOAs, either by DBPR, or another governmental agency that has not been created yet. Many community leaders are strongly opposed to having their HOA budget and annual expenditures public, fearing that it will cause an onslaught of additional solicitations, advertisements, cold calls and more. It is understandable to be concerned; however HOA leaders shouldn’t fear oversight by the DBPR. Even if mistakes are made, the DBPR does not set out to punish honest community volunteers. The goal is to educate and then effectuate compliance with state laws and regulations. How To Do A Final Walkthrough Before Closing On A House 1. 2. 3. 4. A final walkthrough should take approximately 30 minutes to complete, which should be enough time to search the house for any new problems that may have arisen since the last time you saw it. This is especially true if a severe storm occurred in that time. Also schedule a lengthy walkthrough 24 hours before closing, to address any potential problems. Check to ensure that all appliances, such as the dishwasher, laundry machine, outlets and light switches, are working efficiently. You may also want to request warranties and owners’ manuals for the appliances. Make sure that all previously agreed-upon repairs have been made. Many industry professionals recommend that buyers bring a home inspector with them to search for any problems. They also confirm that repairs were made as requested and to their satisfaction. 5 Tips to be Environmentally Friendly  Buy energy efficient light bulbs. They last 5-10 years and save a lot of money on your electric bill, so they are actually very cost effective. GE is a recommended brand for CFL bulbs. Just changing one light bulb in your home is the equivalent to saving the carbon emissions from 800,000 cars!  Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Please recycle all aluminum cans and foil, glass, paper, and plastic. Use a refillable water bottle instead of a plastic one that is thrown away after it is finished. Please clean all bottles before recycling.  Plug your small appliances, TV’s and clocks into smart power strips. When not in use, turn them off from the strip. This will save you a lot of money on your electric bill and is very beneficial to the environment. Also, unplug your cell phone charger from the wall when not in use. Even when a phone is not plugged in, it is still wasting what is called “phantom power.” When you get your electric bill at the end of the month, you will be glad that you took the time to unplug the charger from the wall. According to a report in the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, up to 10% of most electric bills each month is phantom power.  On average, people use six paper napkins per day. That is a lot of waste going into our landfills. Make the switch to cloth napkins and then wash them in environmentally friendly laundry product and reuse them. The soft feel of a cloth napkin will add a nice touch to every meal.  When shopping, buy recycled toilet paper and paper towels. It may be a little less convenient, but a little extra effort goes a long way. “Make Us Your First Choice” Page 3 Hurricane Season Has Arrived: How to be Prepared (con’t) Power Outages Be prepared this hurricane season. FIRST CHOICE HOME WATCH SERVICES WILL PROTECT YOUR HOME THIS HURRICANE SEASON In the event a storm should leave you without power, there are a few things to consider and help you be ready and stay safe outside of your normal hurricane preparedness.  Gas: Make sure your tank is full far in advance of an approaching storm. Most people wait until the last minute, and subsequently gas stations can run out early.  ATMS: Have extra cash on hand in the event no ATMS in your area are accessible or working.  Cell Phones: Charge your cell phone and limit use after power is out.  A/C: This can be the most uncomfortable side effect of losing power during a storm. Try to prevent as much light from entering and warming the house by covering up your windows on the inside. If you have back-up or battery operated fans, don't run them unless you are in the room. Fans create a difference in perceived temperature but do not cool the room; instead they create a cooling effect by dispersing the heat off your skin. It is said they can actually add heat to a room just by running.  Water: Fill bathtub and large containers with water for washing and flushing only.  Food: Turn your fridge temperature down and/or freeze any food or drinking water that can be frozen if you expect a power outage. Here is a guide on freezing food: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ FactSheets/Focus_On_Freezing/index.asp. Have a cooler with ice packs prepared to cool your drinks and snacks after power has been out for more than 4 hours. And importantly, check out this food safety guide for when to discard your perishable food:http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/ charts/refridg_food.html  Health/Safety: The CDC has a great guide on how to stay safe in the event of a power outage:http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/poweroutage/ Employee or Independent Contractor-Why It Matters An association cannot make a worker into an independent contractor simply by placing such language in a contract. According to Lisa Magill, Esq., the courts will be searching for the answers to these questions when determining whether the relationship is one of employer/ employee or independent contractor, should there be a liability issue: 1. Does the worker maintain a separate business with his or her own work facility and equipment? 2. Does the worker have a federal employer identification number? 3. Is payment for services made directly to a business? 4. Does the worker maintain one or more bank accounts in the name of a business? 5. Does the worker perform work for any other business or entity? 6. Was the worker hired as the result of a competitive bid? 7. Does the worker incur principal expenses related to the work? 8. Is the worker compensated on a “per job basis”? 9. Will the worker make a profit or loss depending upon how he or she manages the job? 10. Does the worker set his or her own hours? 11. Does the worker hire and pay his or her assistants? “The risks to an association in wrongly classifying a worker as an independent contractor can result in severe financial penalties.” Kids with Down Syndrome is our Charity of Choice In March of 2012, Founder/CEO of First Choice Property Management Group, Steve Lippman, discovered that his newborn daughter, Nikki, was diagnosed with Down syndrome. While raising a infant with an extra chromosome may have seemed terrifying at first, when asked about Nikki, Steve replied, “Having a baby with Down syndrome has somehow made me feel happier and more fulfilled than I felt before I had Nikki”. He immediately felt the need to find a way to benefit Nikki and all of the beautiful children like her. Nikki Lippman It all started with the creation of a Facebook page, meant to provide advice and support to the parents of children with Down syndrome. 11 million followers later, this Facebook page turned into a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, benefiting the National Down Syndrome Society, the Miami Children’s Hospital, local families affected by Down syndrome, and more. For more information about this worthy cause, please visit www.facebook.com/kidswithdownsyndrome or www.kidswithdownsyndrome.org. To those interested in donating to our cause, there is a PayPal donation button on the footer of our website, www.fcpmginc.com. We hope you join us in our fight for acceptance and awareness for all people with Down syndrome, and realize that they are “Just Like You.” F i r s t C h o i c e P r o p e r t y M a n a g e m e n t G r o u p, I n c . 1075 NW Broken Sound Parkway Suite 103 Boca Raton, FL 33487 Phone: 561-999-4349 Website: http://www.fcpmginc.com/ Email: wfernandez@fcpmginc.com “BIG ENOUGH TO DO IT ALL... SMALL ENOUGH TO DO IT RIGHT!” First Choice Property Management is a full service management company. Our emphasis on exceptional quality and service combined with our philosophy of "customer first" sets us apart from other property management companies. All of our work is focused on fulfilling client objectives, providing pro-active management, constant improvement of the property, increasing the quality of our homeowner's lives, and providing all of this in a transparent fashion. In addition to focusing on our client's needs, First Choice Property Management is a highly motivated service company. We never forget why we are here, and we constantly ask ourselves driving questions. Is the client happy? Are we being as responsive as we can? How can WE ARE MOVING OUR OFFICES TO BETTER SERVE YOU! we do it better? Can we reduce our clients costs? What new services can we provide to make our clients lives better? To us, service means being proactive, always helpful, committed, efficient and effective. SPOTLIGHT: First Choice Home Watch Services Phone: 561-999-4349 Email: wfernandez@fcpmginc.com Website: www.fcpmginc.com and select “Home Watch Services” tab under the “Our Services” dropdown. Monthly Home Watch Price List: •Condos / Townhomes: $60 Monthly •Standard Single Family Homes: $75 Monthly •Large Single Family Homes (4000 sqft and up): $100 Monthly • Additional services charged at the rate of $35.00 per hour with a one hour minimum. First Choice now offers home watch services at a flat rate per month. You will pay a once a month flat fee and your home will be inspect by our fully licensed, bonded and insured specialists each week. In addition to the standard weekly services, if a problem is noticed, we will take digital photos of the problem and email them to you. You will be able to see the problem and feel confident that First Choice is taking great care of your residence. In addition, our home watch specialists will ensure that your home is prepared for hurricane seasons by taken any preventive measures required. Basic Home Watch Package: •Check that security systems are operational •All windows and doors are operational •Visible signs of water leaks around doors, windows, walls and ceilings •Signs of leaks in bathroom plumbing and hot water heater •Flush toilets and run water in sinks, tubs, and showers •Visible signs of leaks in kitchen and utility room plumbing •Refrigerator and freezer are cooling properly •Curtains and blinds are closed •A/C is cooling properly and thermostats and humidstats are set, per request •Circuit breaker is set, per instructions •Obvious signs of mold or mildew build-up •Appearance of insects or rodents •House cleaning service is being performed •Garage inspection •Exterior doors, windows, shutters, furniture, cabinets, structures, and coverings are secure •Signs of insect or rodent incursion in trash can area •Leaflets, newspapers, or junk mail collected •Lawn and landscaping and irrigation services are performing satisfactorily •Damage to house or grounds •Check phones for dial tones and messages •Send inspection / verification reports and digital photographs when appropriate via e-mail