Say I saw it in The Shopper
September 23, 2020
Real Estate Specialists
Real Estate Questions & Answers CATHY & JIM HIGGINS Question: I recently purchased a property that was sold as a two-bedroom home. Later I discovered that it’s actually a one-bedroom, as the largest room is just that -- a “room” and not a “bedroom” because it does not have a closet. Can we go after the seller, the seller’s agent, or the appraiser for misrepresentation? If we decide to sell, we’d probably have to market it as a one-bedroom because a savvy buyer and/or his agent may realize that this is actually a one-bedroom. Should we add a closet? We’d have to eat the costs, which is not fair since we paid the asking price based on the fact that it was a two-bedroom property? Answer: Have you ever been in an historic home? Often they have bedrooms with no closets. Instead, each room has a tall piece of furniture called an armoire where residents can hang their clothes. Today, we often use armoires as combination dressers and TV centers. A room does need a closet to be a bedroom. Instead, what’s generally required is a minimum square footage, a minimum height and a working window to provide escape, natural light and ventilation. Typically the window sill for a bedroom in a new structure must be no more than 44
inches above the floor so that residents have an emergency exit. For specifics, contact your local building inspector. Why is it that you think you have a claim against the seller, broker or appraiser? Did they put a fake door in the room to create the illusion of a closet? Were you prohibited from seeing the room? Prohibited from getting an independent home inspector of your choice? Do you not have any responsibility as a buyer? Although some within the legal/ industrial complex may disagree, the experience here is that most buyers and sellers, landlords and tenants act fairly and want to be treated fairly. When you have a situation which seems so outsized that it seemingly requires an instant trip to the Supreme Court, your first step should be to get more information, to better understand the problem. Most likely you’ll save a lot of legal fees. And personal anguish. E-mail us your Real Estate questions at Cathyah@aol.com. Thinking of selling your home? Call Cathy & Jim Higgins, Licensed Broker/Realtors in Indiana & Illinois. IN: 219-865-4361 IL: 708-828-3304. McColly Real Estate. Website: www.Cathyhiggins. com. Personal Real Estate Journal: www. Higginshousechat.blogspot.com
Disrupt the Disruption: Meet COVID-Forced Changes Head On Businesses continue to navigate the changes that COVID-19 has wrought on the economy, rethinking how they serve customers, searching desperately for ways to cut spending, and trying to make long-term plans while ensuring short-term survival. But it’s worth remembering that change that disrupts the economy is nothing new – with or without a pandemic, says Juan Riboldi an international business advisor, author, and president of Ascent Advisor, a management consulting firm. “The real issue businesses leaders must deal with is not change,” Riboldi says. “Instead the issue is what can we do so that we and our businesses can benefit from the change that COVID has brought.” Anyone wondering where to begin should first look inward, he says. “Since all change starts with individuals,” Riboldi says, “we must learn to recognize and correct negative tendencies in ourselves that keep us from successfully addressing change. A better understanding of these bad habits or tendencies will help us know how to effectively resolve them.” To meet the changes caused by COVID-19 head on, Riboldi says business leaders should: Keep the trust level in your company high. When a manager goes back on decisions, hides uncomfortable news, or plays office politics for personal convenience, others in the organization will begin to distrust that manager. “If you make promises, be sure to keep them,” Riboldi says. “Otherwise you will lose the trust of others as well as their respect, both of which are desperately needed as you manage change.” Stay focused. “Lack of focus is a main cause for why smart people do dumb things,” Riboldi says. “Being busy does not mean accomplishing more. When we work at a frantic pace, we often make more mistakes.” For businesses, this problem is magnified by the kind of economic uncertainty the country is going through right now, he says. “Companies experiencing tough times often respond to unpredictable situations by panicking,” Riboldi says. “They try to do more with less, rather than simplifying and becoming more focused.” Keep employee training on track. Businesses already worry that entry-level employees are deficient in many of the skills needed to do the job, Riboldi says. Many
companies respond to economic downturns by cutting training and development budgets. “Doing away with training may provide temporary financial relief, but at a long-term cost on the capability of your workforce,” Riboldi says. Inspire commitment in employees. The role of the immediate supervisor is essential for fostering commitment in workers, Riboldi says. When a supervisor fails to lead employees in a way that inspires teamwork and collaboration, commitment falters. “The most common problem affecting morale is when supervisors don’t provide employees with sincere recognition for their work,” he says. “Too often, supervisors fail to give heartfelt praise for a job well done. This simple action costs nothing and takes little time to do, and yet it is a crucial component in engaging a workforce.” Understand the importance of shortterm results. Riboldi says most major organizational change efforts fail to deliver the expected results. One of the main reasons for that is a lack of success early on. “Many promising change initiatives become prematurely aborted due to failure to show short-term gains,” he says. “Insufficient attention to short-term results kills even the best strategies and plans.” To be successful, Riboldi says, an organization must balance the short and the long term. “Achieving early wins builds support for pursuing longer term goals,” he says. “Fortunately, the problems we encounter as we deal with change are both avoidable and curable,” Riboldi says. “We can identify their root causes and replace them with something better.” Juan Riboldi (www.ascent-advisor.com) is an international business advisor and principal and president of Ascent Advisor, a management consulting firm. He is the author of the upcoming book, Strategic Transformation: How to Deliver What Matters Most. For over 20 years, Riboldi has been advising leaders at the highest levels of business, education and government on strategy, organization, and execution. His clients include Fortune 50 corporations as well as fast-growing private enterprises. He successfully launched and led three consulting firms, and completed postgraduate studies at Harvard Business School and Wharton School of Business.
Be a friend: check on elderly neighbors.
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Humane Indiana Preps for Paws In the Park Kick-Off It’s that time of year, when dozens of paws hit the park with their owners for Humane Indiana’s Annual Paws in the Park; BUT that’s not quite what it will look like this year. Paws in the Park organizers are gearing up for its event VIRTUAL SPIRIT WEEK FOR THE ANIMALS. While the celebration of pets continues, the format has turned to a virtual format and will take place September 19-26. “We are continuing to celebrate this year’s event but we’re pivoting to a virtual event for the safety of our supporters during the pandemic,” explained Brian Fitzpatrick, Humane Indiana CEO. “Participants can still walk with their pets in the safety of their neighborhoods and communities in a way that they are protected, and feel safe and comfortable,” he added. “This is a different take on an event that’s been extremely successful over the years in supporting our homeless pets, and we encourage families, companies, and groups
to participate in this all-inclusive event this year,” said Lisa Carpenter, Humane Indiana Chief Development Officer. “We’re grateful for the continued support from our animal-loving community and especially to our sponsors; through their generosity, we are ecstatic and humbled that we have raised $40,000 so far,” she said. The all-inclusive Spirit Week offers flexibility for participants to not only walk/ run at their convenience, but also encourages pet owners and non pet owners to simply enjoy time in their own way in honor of pets. Participants are asked to sign-up online and create a fundraising page for our homeless shelter pets. Participants raising/donating $50 or more receive an official Paws in the Park t-shirt. Spirit Week-goers are also encouraged to capture their participation in photos or video and tag the event in social media #PIP2020. Spirit Week offers fun activities for families and their pets, including pet enrichment tips, a petthemed music playlist, a downloadable run/walk bib, and more. For more information or to register for Paws in the Park visit humaneindiana.org/calendar/pip2020. Have more questions? Email info@ humaneindiana.org.
Heart Smart JOSH BOOTSMA Today’s word of the day is omniscience. When we describe God as omniscient, we are saying literally that he is all (omni) knowledgeable (science). God is fully aware of all things, and understands all that he has created. Last time we considered God’s omnipotence—his all-powerfulness. It takes an all-powerful God to be an all-knowing God. How could he know everything if he does not exercise control over all things? And how could he control everything if he does not fully understand all things? God’s omnipotence and his omniscience are interdependent! When we think we are so knowledgeable about one topic or another, God always knows more. When we feel like there’s no way God could possibly understand what is happening in our lives, He does. When we feel lonely or misunderstood in our families or social circles, God understands. It’s important, however, to say that although God’s knowledge is on a much
higher level that ours, it isn’t a radically different kind of knowledge. If God’s knowledge was different in substance than ours, we’d be unable to read the Bible and understand it the way God intends— how would we know that evil is bad and righteousness is good? God’s knowledge is not a different kind than ours—He simply has an infinitely greater understanding of his own creation than we do. As a judge we know God can be perfectly just because He knows all. As king of creation, we know that He will govern it rightly because he understands it fully. And as our Redeemer, we know that God fully comprehends the deep darkness in our hearts and lives. And still, He delivered us from our sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you are a child of the omniscient God, you are fully known—and fully saved! Josh Bootsma Member, Covenant Fellowship Church cfcsh.org
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