From The Hawk’s Cry – November 2002
The Holiday meal is usually enjoyed by family and friends. Don’t get caught without enough firewood. Preventive maintenance is important. Call the HVAC personnel now and schedule that appointment. If you wait to long, the cold weather may be here and you’ll be in a long line of late appointment setters. Repair visits and costs have a tendency to go up during cold spells.

From The Hawk’s Cry – March 2001
Maintenance can be viewed from various standpoints. Webster’s definition of maintenance includes, ‘the work of keeping a building in a state of good repair’.
In owning real estate, maintenance is a very important aspect of home-ownership. Although it can be the market that determines the value of your house, it is to your benefit to maintain the interior & exterior integrity of your home. In other words, make the repairs now before it gets too serious. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…if it’s broken, fix that sucker NOW.
Maintaining your house’s exterior structure, gutters, windows, yard, shrubbery, (even the vehicle) is integral to your present enjoyment and future re-sale value. The interior to include walls, floors, ceilings, plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, window coverings, screens, cabinets, appliances, air conditioner(s), all contribute to enjoying your home in a safe, enjoyable, maintained environment that you (and your family) reside in.
If you don’t know what to do with your residence, there are many resources to assist you. The Fix-it yourself series of books, magazines, on-line resources, and other publications are available to you. Use them. Use the resources, if for nothing else than to get ideas of what you want done and then call a pro to get it done. For some of us, that’s the most economical route. Take advantage of resources and use them. You will be glad you did and so will your family and neighbors. If you still have the Home Inspection from when you moved in, review it and call me if necessary to consult on issues.
For those who are thinking of selling soon, the maintenance work done sooner rather than later, will be rewarded.
Speaking of maintenance, you may have noticed that the HAWK’S CRY has been tardy the last few issues. I have moved my business platform technologically, from Apple/Mac to PC based. I’ve moved offices from Cary to North Raleigh. It’s not been easy and has involved some time and readjusting. Lori, my wife, is my IT officer, which accounts for the ease of some the transition. Without her it would have been more difficult. However, the maintenance, the keeping and transitioning of records had to be orderly, and getting use to a new office environment has taken time. I am still here for you and maintain copies of your records. I trust you are enjoying your real & personal property. The better we nurture our real & personal property, the greater the investment will be returned to us. God Bless.