Saturday 10 November 2012

I've been lazy, but i'm back and so are the All Blacks!

Well it's safe to say that I have neglected my blog to the point that I have had folk asking when I’m gonna get my finger out and write some more stuff. As everyone knows its far too easy to fall out of routines and keep habits going. Its not hard to find something else to do or pretend that you'll get round to doing that thing later. Apologies for the neglect but i’ve been keeping busy.

The long and short of it is that I’ve been grafting.. Things have been busy at ACE Property Management and that creates plenty of stories and topics from the last couple of months that I’m currently streaming from my head through my arms and out of my fingers that I'll get posted soon.

More importantly though there’s a big game at Murrayfield tomorrow. I can’t wait to see Scotland give the All Blacks a run for their money on Sunday.

A massive task for Scotland this weekend but it's 15 against 15 for 80 minutes so lets get a result boys. Look at Celtic last week. Celtic are now the best club team in the world after beating Barca!! HA! Scotland could be world champions if they beat the AB's. I wonder if they have that posted on the changing room wall?

I read an article from a Kiwi reported called Chris Rattue that was printed in the Scotsman last week which was banging on about the All Blacks wasting their time by playing Scotland and generally that the northern hemisphere tours were too easy for New Zealand. It claimed that the team would get more out of playing the pacific island teams like Samoa and Fiji. It goes deep into the facts and figures of previous results and stats create a strong argument that the outcome of the game is guaranteed before the game is started. What I'd like to say to the Kiwi reporter is that Dan Carter tweeted this week that he tried Irn Bru for the first time and liked it!! The players love it over here. Scotland is a cracking place to come and play and when Murrayfield is packed to the rafters it must be a great experience for the All Blacks. The SRU wins in ticket sales and what the All Blacks do for the rugby community is superb. They create a buzz wherever they go and the part time rugby fans get off their sofas and get to the game. Long may the Autumn Internationals continue I say!

 I hope tomorrow proves to be an exciting game and Scotland can give us a performance to be proud of. Good luck to Kelly and the team.

Scotsman article-  http://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugby/top-rugby-stories/kiwi-writer-labels-scottish-players-as-cavemen-of-world-rugby-1-2615990




Monday 9 July 2012

What is the Property Rugby Club?


You may have seen the above logo on Facebook,Twitter in my ACE Property Management office or even on the back of my car. Property Rugby Club (PRC) is a networking group that I formed in April this year. I decided to form the PRC group after attending a corporate day out with Hunters Residential and Gillespie McAndrew, during which we enjoyed a day on the beers and an enthralling Scotland vs England match at Murrayfield stadium.

On the day we met at 12:45pm and the game kicked off at 3:30pm. The few hours in between were spent socialising and networking, it was apparent that everybody generally had the same two things in common- Rugby and Property. Despite the flowing beer, business was at the forefront and business cards were flying round. The next day whilst nursing a hangover I formed the idea of PRC.  I realised that there was a niche for bringing together individuals from the property and rugby world to enable us to share our knowledge, experience, inspire and possibly even create new ideas/concepts for developing business through common ground. My ultimate aim was to build new partnerships and strengthen established relationships, so I called in a few friends to get things going.

Chris Hunter- J+E Shepherd Chartered Surveyors- Watsonians RFC
John Cox-  M.A.S Property – Currie RFC
Craig Buchanan- CBB Electrical and Maintenance - Watsonians RFC

I sent the guys an e-mail inviting them to join PRC. The e-mail also stated that if they did not join there would be no PRC as I would be the only member! Luckily they jumped at the invitations, our first meeting was scheduled. PRC was officially up and running.


I decided to create a networking group as I thought I would gain more from building a network than paying to join an already established group. I personally believe that any new members that wish to join PRC will benefit from being amongst like minded people that are happy to pass referrals and create introductions in the business world. Ultimately, PRC is only going to be as good as its members and the group will only continue to flourish if time and organisation is committed to building it. So far we have had 4 meetings, 3 early mornings and 1 cheeky post work friday meet all at members offices. Catering is provided by one of our members Andrew Fowler of Nikki’s Sandwich Bar and the feedback has always been positive.
Our next 'meeting' is on Saturday 14th July at Meggetland, home of Boroughmuir Rugby Club http://www.rugbyrocks7s.com/edinburgh/   
We have been invited by Rugby Rocks who host the Premier Rugby 7's Tournament in Edinburgh.  The event offers us an excellent opportunity to open the group up to a whole host of new members and anyone else that would like to join us! On the day we will have a private bar (not a free bar!) and free entry will be provided to all PRC members and guests. We are very much looking forward to the event and welcoming new members to PRC. 

As the group grows I hope it will develop into a club that its members can be proud of. In the future, I would like to see PRC hosting events before Edinburgh and International rugby matches. A golf day is on the cards, along with a day at the races. PRC is not a boys only club, any of you ladies out there that enjoy a bit of the old rugger or property banter please let us know, we would be delighted to have you involved.

If you would like to join us on Saturday please contact me directly alan@acepm.co.uk  @acepmedin

Sunday 1 July 2012

Never a dull moment at ACE


No two days are the same at ACE Property Management, this is an aspect of my job that I particularly enjoy. You never know what is going to come through the office door or who may call, the only thing I can guarantee is that things do go wrong and our 24-7 repairs team can be kept busy.  As a landlord myself I regularly come across tenant complaints or repair issues that not only make me laugh but they make me wonder how these people make it through day to day life unscathed. 

It is not my intention to annoy, anger or embarrass anyone but if you can relate to any one of the following scenarios you should probably be wearing a helmet to bed!
 
Light Bulbs

Now, when I was growing up I was taught from an early age how to change a light bulb. I used to love being allowed to get the big ladders out the cupboard and set about replacing a light bulb without trying to electrocute myself, under the watchful eye of dad. This sort of life training was clearly not a right of passage in a lot of family homes.

 In comes the call;

“My bedroom lights not working, can you send somebody to fix it please?!”  

“Ok, have you changed the bulb or checked that none of the fuses have tripped?”

Silence...now don’t get me wrong, the vast majority of tenants are on the ball and wouldn’t bother with such a call. However, there are a few simple creatures out there that don’t have a clue. After a tenant passes the change the bulb and fuses questions we will usually send out an electrician to check the problem. Now Davie the spark knows the score. If the call out was a waste of time, i.e. the tenant could have fixed the issue themselves, Davie will decide whether  to charge the tenant for time wasting or leave with a stern word, lesson learnt. I have had reports of a screw bulb jammed into a bayonet fitting and the tenant showing Davie that the bulb won’t work when they flip the switch. True story!

Mice

“Hi, is that ACE Property? There was a mouse in my flat last night. Can you send someone to remove it?” I have to fight the urge to ask them if the mouse is paying rent and has it signed the lease? 

Tenament living in Edinburgh can sometimes have its downfalls from noisy neighbours to broken entry phone systems. Most tenants understand that some problems may take a while to fix and are happy to hold out. However, when danger mouse turns up (minus the eye patch and red jumper)  it is a different story altogether. Mice unfortunately are quite common in tenement buildings and most landlords are willing to instruct Davie from pest control to rectify the problem so long as the property is clean and tidy and the tenants are not contributing to the problem. Some tenants think that the world is going to end if a pest control man is not in their flat, dressed in full camouflage gear with a flame thrower 5 minutes after their call. You’d be amazed how many properties I inspect with a reported mice problem and the property looks like Slimer from Ghostbusters has had his lunch in every room. Some people don’t understand that they are the reason mice pay them a visit and that leaving food on kitchen counters and floors is basically inviting them in. Believe me, tenants do not like being told they are the cause of the problem!

 I have pulled a dead rat out of a toilet by the tail before. The tenant called to say that the toilet was blocked by a massive rat. I had to see this for myself, so I popped round. Turns out the tenants pet rat had died and she tried to flush it. She, naturally denied this but had stupidly put the old cage out by the wheelie bin where poor Roland was laid to rest. To this day she insists it had crawled up the toilet and drowned, wow. 

Buzzers

A call came in once that a tenant had someone at the door continually pressing the buzzer and they wouldn’t leave. The flat was a short walk from the office so I wandered round to see who was at the door and what was going on. It turns out that someone had hit the buzzer and the button was now stuck. Hardly a nutcase at the door, simply a lazy tenant not willing to walk downstairs and check what was going on. I released the button and returned to the office to find the tenant had called to say the buzzer had stopped and the person had gone away. 

I have many more stories including a Chinese lady running a fast food business from her flat in Western Harbour. That was an interesting inspection!

There was also a late night call out from a tenant with smoke alarms going off. I arrived at the property and the tenant is puffing away on a cigarette in front of me wondering why the alarm is sounding. “I thought it was just for fires!” Unbelieveable!

It's 22:50 on Sunday and I’m calling it a night. Spain have just destroyed Italy in the Euro Final and I’m looking forward to hearing in the news tomorrow about what kind of firework display Balotelli puts on in his hotel room tonight..

Sunday 24 June 2012

How do you wear yours?


Here I am, Sunday afternoon, sitting nursing a few aches and pains after playing (and winning, good job Rodents!) at the Edinburgh 10’s rugby tournament, desperately trying not to think about the 5 shirts that need to be ironed for the week ahead. I know that I am not the only guy going through this dilemma every Sunday night as the Monday fear rapidly encroaches. 


Rodent Rugby competing in the Edinburgh 10s
 Do you iron them all now? Do you iron a couple and the rest mid week? Or, if you are like me, do you just get up that little bit earlier each morning and iron one before you go to work?! I know the answer.
This got me thinking. Why do I even wear a shirt to work? When I do wear a shirt, why does it have to be ironed? Why don’t I just wear my favourite comfy t-shirt or something easy that can be washed and good to go? I’m still the same guy, grafting hard with the same knowledge of property, opening up ACE Property Management every morning whether I am suited and booted or in shorts and t-shirt.

I sometimes wear a tie, I sometimes wear a jumper. I seldom wear a smart pair of jeans and I have not worn a suit in years. ACE has been built on providing a good service. We haven’t always hit the mark but where we have missed we resolve any issues or complaints quickly and to the best of our ability because we want our clients to recommend our service to others. Six years down the line, we have a successful business, getting busier year on year. I don’t think that the clothes I have worn to work have had any effect on the integrity of our business.

At the Edinburgh 10’s tournament there was a team playing called ‘Foul Fashion’ ( www.foulfashion.co.uk   check them out!) I took this from their website:
  
“We take a multitude of leftover materials from the world's best know fabric producers (Chanel, Gucci...the people who make your Auntie's curtains), chuck them in an enormous mixer, and then apply our ingenious Foul Fashion formula to create each foul garment”  

Now if I were to meet a new landlord, through a recommendation from another client, to discuss the management of their property, would they care that I was wearing a suit and tie combo that Krusty the Clown would be proud of? I would like to think that it would lighten the mood, possibly create a bit of a giggle but then it would be down to business. 

A lot of my competitors are shirt and tie companies but others are smart casual, both equally do just as good a job. I have walked into offices before and been treated rudely by the front desk clerk. When I tell them I’m there to meet their boss or MD they pay a little bit more attention. Would they judge me differently if I walked in wearing an expensive suit and shiny shoes? To be honest, I don’t actually care. It’s what I’ve got to say and the knowledge of my industry that counts and earns respect.

Have you ever thought about the clothes you wear to work? Are people judging your appearance before they meet you?  Do you wear what you are told to wear by your boss or what society deems appropriate?

FYI- You’ll be shocked to learn that this blog post has successfully distracted me from the ironing long enough (any excuse!) that I’ve decided to sack it off and feast instead...the alarm has been set 15 minutes earlier, grrrr, and a shirt will get done in the morning! As they say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, Cooper “DOWN....stay, STAY...........good boy!”.

I also don’t have a ‘Foul Fashion’ suit so I’m sticking to the shirts..........for now!

Wednesday 13 June 2012

My dog Cooper vs The Olympic Torch.


You should see him now!

If you are sick of all the Olympic Torch chat. Have a read of this. It might just make you smile. A prime example of how man’s best friend can really mess up your plans!

In 2010 we had the Pope drive past the ACE Property Management office in his wee car. Brunstfield Place was packed and our office was mobbed. Fast forward to today and we were expecting the street and our office to be exactly the same with “that bloody torch” passing through. By all accounts it was as we expected. A great occasion not to be missed. Guess what, I missed it!

I had it all planned. Picture of the torch with the office behind, branded car parked out front and the streets packed with people. I could see the picture framed on the office wall. 

The parade was going past between 18:40 and 19:00. I had a viewing on Falcon Avenue (beside Waitrose in Morningside) at 17:30 and then Cooper, my mischievious 7-month old, blonde Golden Retriever needed a walk. Viewers turned up bang on time. I was out of the viewing by 17:40, with good feedback! I high tailed it to Blackford pond where Coops and I have been a million times before without incident. The plan was a quick walk up to the meadow, with Coop’s taking care of business, back to the car no fuss, as usual, and then straight back to the office where I would be in place, camera at the ready by 18:15. 

Oh no....Cooper had other ideas! We walked up the path, with the pond on our right and the hill on our left and we made it to the meadow where I chatted to a fellow dog walker. Coop’s was having a great time dominating some wee hamster looking dog. We rounded the big tree met a few other dogs and things were going great. “Right Coop’s, lets go!” I headed back down the hill and towards the gap in the wall where you get back onto the path. Coop’s flies past me on a mission and disappears behind some very tall grass. Next, I hear the sound of water splashing.  That is not the sound I wanted hear! I called for him. He darts out into the open caked in mud up to his knees. He comes right to me all pleased with himself then bolts back in. I yell at him and he comes back even dirtier. I grabbed him, got him on the lead and ran with him through the long grass to try and clean him off a little. The clock is really ticking now!  Some arse that watched it happen shouts “haha, at least your dogs not white mate!” I shout back “nice one” and caried on running.  

As you can imagine, when Cooper gets wet he can take a while to dry. When he gets muddy it’s a time consuming mission to get him clean, many an hour has been lost in the bathroom trying to keep Cooper in the bath.  I’m now facing a soaking wet muddy dog in the car, excellent! Worse things have happened so we get going. Little did I know Cooper was about to take things to a whole new level!

We head back down the path towards the car, Coop’s is once again a free spirit and off the lead. We are ok for time, almost 18:00.  Coop’s stops for a pee, he is currently trying to master the 3-legged stance, so I head on.  I turn around to find Cooper is standing on the wall of the pond, he has spied the ducks! The wall is the height of my waist “Get off!” “DOWN!”. Too late he’s in! Cooper has launched himself into the pond and swam to the centre chasing an unsurprisingly uncatchable group of ducks. When he realises it’s a hopeless case he turns back and climbs onto the bank.  I cannot believe it. 

Tick tock tick tock, I now know that the beginning of the procession have reached Bruntsfield, the torch is on its way. I try to get him back but he is far too interested in the ducks. It seems there is no other option, I have got to go in! I jump the wall and land in soft marsh. He proceeds to leg it along the bank just out of my reach. He eventually comes back to me and I get him on the lead. He’s soaking and absolutely stinking. Then two things happen;

1)      I realise that this side of the wall is my shoulder height and the only way out is back over it.
2)      I’m sinking into the mud in my work gear. Brilliant! 

Cooper weighs in at around 40kgs (he’s a big boy #prouddad) and he ain’t no high jumper. I grab him and after three attempts I get him back over the wall. I am now soaking but Cooper, all smiles, has had the time of his life! I scramble back over, run to the car get Coop’s in the boot and assess the damage. Conclusion: drenched, wet feet, and mud everywhere...Coop’s is not in great nick either. Bang Tidy! Oh, and its 18:30.

I motor back to Bruntsfield to find police and people lining the streets in the hundreds. There is no chance I’m getting near the office.  I ditched the car at Gillespie Terrace and met the parade coming down Bruntsfield Place, heading for Tollcross. 

My plan had come tumbling down... there would be no framed photo for the ACE Office wall.

However, the viewers want a second viewing and Cooper learnt that ducks cannot be caught, two out of three is not bad I guess! Bloody dogs!

"You ain't getting me out of here dad!"