Rick Mendenhall's (rickmendenhall) Blog

Hutchinson Island, Florida

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:28:45 -0700

Had another wonderful day walking the beach on Hutchinson Island, Florida. I usually like to vacation on the Gulf Coast, so sad about the oil issue.

Have a will

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 12:46:00 -0800

Most Americans die without creating a will. From a stewardship perspective, not completing an estate plan is irresponsible. The following documents are often recommended: A will A durable power-of-attorney for finances A durable power-of-attorney for health care Your will is actually a lover letter to your family and friends. It shows that you cared enough to organize your estate for their benefit. "thus says the lord, set your house in order, for you shall die..." (2 Kings 20:1) "a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children..." (Proverbs 13:22)

Keeping a Talented Work Force

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:30:55 -0800

In addition to being a realtor, I also own and Lawn Maintenance & Landscaping business. During peak seasons, I have several employees who work for my business. I have found that employees are always searching for ways to better themselves and their careers. Employees are not only interested in a good salary, but they are also looking for benefits and recognition. Negative job attitudes, low job satisfaction, and the ability to secure a job elsewhere are the main reasons employees leave. A company can be successful and also improve retention by knowing what employees want and need. Employees need to be happy and comfortable in their jobs they are the ones who take care of the customers and keep them returning. Through having a positive minded workforce and good employee-morale, a company is building the foundation for a successful business. Thus, Mangers should: Help employees perceive career growth and advancement opportunities Make employees feel valued and appreciated Confront nonperformance Give the employee manageable, sustainable workload Allow and encourage a fun environment Treat employees with respect Change is a fact of life in the workplace. Many traditional standards of security are disappearing. The best insurance one can have is trust in oneself, knowledge of one's talents and the ability to tackle new situations with a positive attitude. http://downtoearthlawncare.org

Aircraft Maintenance Brief

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:06:40 -0800

All aircraft must undergo a certain amount of maintenance. What exactly does it take to keep an aircraft flying safely and efficiently? Depending upon whom you ask, you will get many answers such as, strict scheduling of preventive maintenance, meticulous documentation, preventive and predictive measures, and stringent adherence to the Federal Aviation Regulations. Furthermore, the skill, training and dedication of maintenance personnel also play a critical role in keeping an aircraft flying safely and efficiently. When an aircraft is built, the manufacturer creates a maintenance program for the operator. There are representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, the manufacturer, subcontractors, and personnel from the airline that purchased the aircraft, all of whom form a review board that develops a maintenance program. An aircraft has a useful operational life of generally 15 years, and at periodic times throughout those 15 years the aircraft comes in for heavy maintenance where the aircraft is essentially stripped down and rebuilt. In-between the heavy maintenance schedules, the aircraft are scheduled for a variety of maintenance checks. Each maintenance check will involve a specific part of the aircraft. These preventive maintenance activities are designed to keep an aircraft safe and reliable. There are schedules, standards and routine repairs that are clearly spelled out in aircraft maintenance manuals. Each specific aircraft is looked at on a particular schedule. Furthermore, there are a sequence of daily inspections of certain items, i.e. tires, brakes and fluid levels. The aircrew will also perform similar group of tests, every day that the aircraft flies. During every landing of the aircraft there is a walk around inspection made to make sure that no tires have torn and no fluid lines are leaking. An aircraft will go through a series of checks based on flying time. There are A, B, and C checks made on an aircraft. An aircraft will come in for an "A" check after a specific number of flight hours that the aircraft is in service. An "A" check is a more intensive inspection. Next, an aircraft will come in for a "B" check. Usually a "B" check is a detailed inspection plus a lube job, and can be performed overnight. After a specific number of days, an aircraft will come in for a "C" check, which is usually a two or three day detailed inspection. Basically, everything that moves are checked during this inspection, plus the carpet and seat covers are replaced as necessary to make the interior new looking. After a specific number of days, an aircraft is brought into the maintenance for a complete overhaul. A complete overhaul of the aircraft is where the aircraft is essentially stripped down and rebuilt. When an airline has an aircraft that costs anywhere from 50 - 150 million dollars each, an airline can't afford to take that aircraft out of service for maintenance for extended periods of time. So the next logical step is to break the maintenance schedule down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Many aircraft components have a specific age limit, which means that after a specific time cycle, the components are replaced with a rebuilt one. The replaced component is sent to a component shop to be inspected, rebuilt and tested. The idea is to replace specific components prior to their failure in order to prevent escalated maintenance costs on a totally rebuilt component. An aircraft mechanic, who is licensed through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), generally performs the maintenance required on the aircraft. The aircraft mechanic's license is good for life. However, the FAA can revoke the license. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires aircraft maintenance technical training schools and universities who teach an aviation maintenance program to meet a minimum of 1900 hours of training for an individual to be considered eligible for an Airframe and Powerplant mechanic license. The current 14 CFR Part 147 requires 400 hours of general knowledge training, with 750 hours training for airframe and 750 hours for powerplant knowledge training. Thus, this is a total of 1900 hours of training that the FAA has required schools to meet in order for an individual to obtain an airframe and powerplant license. An individual may also meet the requirements if the individual has 30 months of combined work experience on airframes and powerplants (such experience is usually gained through military service). If an individual meets the requirements stated above, they may make an application for the mechanic certificate. In addition to being a realtor, I also have an Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic License issued from the Federal Aviation Administration. In addition, I have an Associate Degree in Aviation Maintenance Technology, A Bachelor Degree in Aviation Management, and a Graduate Degree in Aeronautical Science. I flew 2,500 hours in the Air Force on the Medical Aero evacuation Aircraft, and served on our local Airport Authority Board.

Peachtree City, Georgia Homes Sales Week One of 2010 vs. Week One 2009

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 07:25:52 -0800

There are presently 286 homes listed at an average listing price of $321,313. One home listing has expired so far this year. Three homes have sold at an average list price of $319,333 and average sold price of $307,833. The difference of the list vs. sold price is -3.9%. Last year during the same time period there was three homes sold at an average list price of $413,633 and an average sold price of $398,300. The difference of the list vs. sold price was -3.71%.

Curb Appeal for Your Listing

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:57:58 -0800

Beautiful, healthy lawns really set off everything about your listings. Achieving that quality lawn does require a little extra effort and expense, but the results are well worth those efforts. Down to Earth Lawn Care & Landscaping provides a complete line of quality lawn services that will keep your listings in the best shape possible. Whether you're looking for a complete lawn care service or just need some immediate help with a specific problem, let Down to Earth give you an honest opinion of what is required and how much it will cost. Aerating the lawn is a great way to reduce thatch, loosen up compacted soils and make it easier for water and nutrients to reach the roots of turf. This is especially true for the common clay soils found here in Georgia. Even with the best care available, lawns can thin out and lose color due to excessive thatch buildup, hard or compacted soils, or periods of high temperature, high humidity, or drought. Aerifying and overseeding is recognized by turf experts such as golf course superintendents as the best treatment to control thatch, reduce compaction, and help fill-in bare spots and revitalize growth. An aeration treatment removes small cores of soil and thatch to allow air, moisture and fertilizer to penetrate down to the root zone. The cores brought to the surface contain microorganisms, which help breakdown the woody thatch tissue. This allows the roots of existing grass plants to spread out and grow deeper, creating a healthier, thicker lawn Down to Earth Lawn Care & Landscaping provides a number of important landscape services that will keep your listing property looking its best. Having neatly trimmed lawn and shrubs make the entire landscape look better, and better frames the house. Down to Earth provides quality landscaping services including pruning, mulching and mowing services, plus spring clean-up services. I am also a realtor with Keller Williams, and I fully understand the importance of having good curb appeal. The few extra dollars you spend having the lawn look good is also a business expense write-off. Http://DownToEarthLawnCare.org

Peachtree City, Georgia Homes Sold by Month

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:23:07 -0800

In Peachtree City, Georgia, the most ideal time to have a home close is in June followed by July. February had the fewest homes close in a one month period according to an average of four years worth of data.

	For 06	For 07	For 08	For 09	Total
January	36	37	22	20	115
February	31	28	34	16	109
March	47	41	36	27	151
April	44	55	28	25	152
May	74	49	49	32	204
June	85	70	51	42	248
July	75	60	56	50	241
August	66	56	33	32	187
September	54	29	24	24	131
October	47	41	26	31	145
November	39	36	12	30	117
December	40	37	22	17	116
	638	539	393	346	1916

Peachtree City, Georgia Historical

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:15:15 -0800

Peachtree City, Georgia Historical for the past four years Expired Qty Sold Avg. List Price Avg. Sold Price % Difference of Sold vs. List 2006 192 638 $317,746 $310,610 -2.3% 2007 228 529 $313,939 $305,026 -2.92% 2008 198 393 $322,941 $310,744 -3.92% 2009 284 346 $311,163 $298,048 -4.4%

Peachtree City Georgia Activity Report

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:27:45 -0800

Peachtree City Georgia homes sold....4 year activity report.

	Expired	# Sold	Sold Avg List Price	Avg Sold Price	% Difference List vs. Sold
2006	192	638	$317,746	$310,610	2.25%
2007	228	539	$313,939	$305,026	2.84%
2008	198	393	$322,941	$310,744	3.78%
2009	284	346	$311,163	$298,048	4.21%

Peachtree City, Georgia Homes Sold by Month & Year

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:23:28 -0800

The information provided is a snapshot of homes sold in Peachtree City by month and year.

	For 06	For 07	For 08	For 09
January	36	37	22	20
February	31	28	34	16
March	47	41	36	27
April	44	55	28	25
May	74	49	49	32
June	85	70	51	42
July	75	60	56	50
August	66	56	33	32
September	54	29	24	24
October	47	41	26	31
November	39	36	12	30
December	40	37	22	17
	638	539	393	346

Peachtree City Georgia ranked # 8 in best places to live for 2009

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 04:15:23 -0700

According to Money Magazine, Peachtree City is ranked number 8 for one of the best places to live. I have lived in Peachtree City since 1991, and if you have to do business in ATL, this is a great place to live and raise kids. The location of Peachtree City is a plus as well, five hours to the Gulf Coast, 5 hours to Hilton Head, 4 hours to the Great Smoky Mountains. In addition, Peachtree City has 70 miles of paved golf cart trails. Nearly 33% of all residents have golf carts as a second vehicle. Kids can drive golf carts to school when they turn 15, seniors can drive golf cart without a license. The golf cart trails go under or over all major roads and connect to all shopping, churches, and schools. Contact me to view homes in Peachtree City Http://RickMendnehall.com

Realtors are not Appraisers

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:52:46 -0700

I put out a monthly CMA of several subdivisions. Yesterday I received an e-mail from a person that receives this monthly mailing. This person wanted me to write a letter stating that their home would be worth $300,000 if it sold today for cash. I didn't consider doing this, but I wanted some historical information from their subdivision that I could use in my reply e-mail. I went back in historical data to January 1, 2005. I found that the cheapest home that sold on their street was $420,000. Last month the home that was next door to their home went under contract for $519,000. I used these examples, and other examples found from my research in my reply to this person. I first told this person that my information put out monthly are just my opinions based off of research from the MLS. In addition, I told this person that they needed to consult with an appraiser who could provide real value of their home. Come to find out, they had a child in an out-of-state college and they are seeking financial aid. Obviously trying to not fully be truthful on your home value, and valuing your home at considerably less of a price than what the actual worth is would be favorable to her on a financial aid form. Bottom line, realtors are not appraisers. I provide data to help make recommendations of value, but I always state to new clients that these numbers represent my opinion based off of market data, but if they want true worth of their home, then a licensed appraiser needs to be consulted. Rick

Peachtree City Georgia Activity since January 1, 09 - July 31

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:45:59 -0700

Peachtree City -334 Homes are listed at an average list price of $399,735. -the range of homes is between $59,900. - $2,150,000. -133 Home listings have expired -48 Homes are under contract at an average list price of $298,618 -203 Homes have sold -an average list price of $313,585. -an average sold price of $301,326.

Would you be ready if you had a fire in your home?

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:58:29 -0700

Saturday I was doing some work on an old corvette project. My corvette had been sitting in the garage for several months, and Saturday I started it up and pulled it out of the garage. I let it run for about 10 minutes and then pulled it back into the garage. While pulling into the garage I noticed smoke inside the car, and then I realized that there was a fire under my console. Fortunately I had a fire extinguisher mounted on the wall in the garage. I put the fire under the console out with the extinguisher. In addition, I realized that the fire was coming from under the car, and the heat and flames caused the fire in the console. This car was in my garage and was on fire. Without a fire extinguisher readily available in my garage, the situation could have gotten bad. Fire extinguishers are divided into four categories, based on different types of fires. Each extinguisher has a numerical rating that serves as a guide for the type of fire. The types of fires include: Class A - This extinguisher is for ordinary combustible materials such as paper, wood, etc. This extinguisher is a water type extinguisher, and this extinguisher should never be used for grease fires. The other three extinguishers consist of some sort of dry chemical; also they could be filled with foam, powder, and are pressurized with nitrogen. Class B - This extinguisher is for flammable or combustible liquids such as gas, grease, etc. Class C - This extinguisher is for electrical equipment, such as wiring, circuit breakers, appliances, etc. The extinguisher has a non-conductive agent. Class D - This extinguisher is for chemical fires such as metals, magnesium, etc. The extinguisher I used was an ABC extinguisher, and this is a typical extinguisher you can buy at your local Wal-Mart, Kmart, etc.

An Open House with Surprises

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:06:36 -0700

I did an open house for one of my vacant home listings in a nice subdivision. In addition, I invested in advertising through the local newspapers, as well; I put signs and balloons pointing the way to my wonderful listing. I was so excited about driving traffic through this home, and for the opportunity to potentially sell the home. Once I arrived I found that the power was turned off and the home was nearly 90 degrees inside. To top it off, I went down through the basement to open up the garage to get a breeze through the home and when I came back upstairs the bottom half of my pants were black and I found myself covered in flees. Needless to say, this was not one of my better moments. I closed the house back up and left. When I am having a bad day, I just remind myself of that specific day.

Working as a Six Sigma Blcak Belt

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 02:14:36 -0700

I spent 18 months as a full-time certified Six Sigma Black Belt at Delta Air Lines Technical Operations. As a Black Belt I had many projects in work. Our focus was on Systems, how things work together and how to eliminate waste in our process. We also focused on our schedule and budget as well as measurements for our business. My biggest project as a Black Belt was Withdrawal Kan Ban, or material replenishment. The project involved working through 21 unique aircraft component engine repair shops and assembly/disassembly lines. By implementing Withdrawal Kan Ban in Engine Maintenance the business unit had a better understanding of the materials processes that support the engine repair and assembly processes. This project created more efficient processes to reduce point of use stock outs that cause engine assembly delays that ultimately affect our bottom line and customers. This efficiency also reduced our overall materials costs by eliminating as many mid point stocking locations as possible. This project was aligned with the Tech Ops Lean Enterprise initiative. Engine Maintenance was faced with the issue of Job Stops in the assembly and repair shops. Job Stops were being driven by stock outs of parts that fit the withdrawal Kan Ban definition (parts that come from stores or a vendor warehouse). We created a replenishment process and right sized the current shop stock bins using the Engine Order Quantity (EOQ) system. In addition, we established baseline for project value and metrics collection. We added parts that fit the Withdrawal Kan Ban definition and are not currently stocked as such. As well, we converted EOQ to Kan Ban and created a metrics plan. Finally, we implemented a Withdrawal Kan Ban metric reporting process and an adjustment process for resizing Kan Bans (broadcast) on a monthly basis.

Curb Appeal

Rick Mendenhall (Keller Williams) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 02:11:20 -0700

I am amazed on how many vacant homes I see day to day with lawns that are out of control. When I drive by a home for sale that has a lawn that hasn't been cut for two months, I wonder what else has not been done maintenance wise in the home. In addition, I am surprised by how some realtors see lawn maintenance of their listings as an expense, when they should really be looking at lawn maintenance as an investment. A nicely cut lawn is more inviting to potential clients, than having to walk through weeds to get to the front door. In addition, if the realtor has to take care of the lawn in order for the home to sell, this is a simple legal business write-off. The photos below are a lawn of a vacant home I recently mowed. The difference was incredible. Prior to mowing After Mowing