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| Setai Resort and Residences 101 - 20th Street, Unit Penthouse-A Miami Beach, Florida 33139 http://www.zilbert.com/.... No Copyright or Individual Privacy Infringement Intended |
I live in an apartment, similar in several respects to the one pictured at right, which is to say that I have a floor, ceiling, windows, and furniture. Other than that, there are a few differences.
Regardless of where one lives, there are relationships within the community that come with two-way expectations, such as those with utilities, neighbors, public works, law enforcement, et cetera. If everybody behaves within the defined boundaries, the water runs, the neighbors are friendly, the streets are maintained, and everyone is safe. Life if good. Sometimes though, life can be much better.
I have lived in Casa de Mateo for over four years now, and for three-and-a-half of those, we had a property manager whom I shall call Angelina (not her real name). For most of her tenure, we got along really well, I think primarily because of the fact that we would discuss in general terms some of my experiences from the faith-based non-profit housing organization where I worked, and then apply those situations broadly to the apartment community that we both called home.
Every once in a while, I would be in the rental office and be present during discussions with other residents about possible community activities - grilling on the patio, karaoke nights, trips to local attractions, and the like. We even set up a community council and talked about having one of the resident's son's school choir come in and perform. Very little of this ever came to fruition. I would follow up with Angelina, and she would say that the idea was "on her list," but that she was working on something else. The position of her computer screen betrayed her though, as it was often the case when I went into the rental office that she was looking at coupons or recipes.
Still, I liked her as a person, and we continued to get along reasonably well.
At some point though, and I can't even tell you why or when, that changed. It got to the point where the ideas stopped flowing, because nothing ever took place anyway. Phone calls and e-mails went unanswered, and I am always extremely specific about wanting a reply - if not details, then at least acknowledgment. One time, the schedule in the monthly newsletter (which rarely came out before the second week of the month) indicated that there would be a community council meeting, but when I asked Angelina about it, she admitted to having no intention of holding it, placing it on the schedule only as a ruse to appease her superiors at the corporate office.
In spite of all of this, I never called the corporate offices to complain, because I did not want to take on the behavior of the mentally ill, chemically dependent individuals whom I had served at the non-profit organization. They would file a grievance with my supervisor at the drop of a hat, so I extended Angelina a tremendous amount of latitude. If something was really important, I would just ask her about it again. If it was something I could finally live without, then... I did.
A detail of note is that my Mom lives at a property managed by the same corporation, and the contrasts were as night and day. There are a multitude of differences between the two locations, of course, but the fact became glaringly apparent that one was a community, while the other was simply a place to live... but I was not living. I was avoiding.
I no longer looked at my apartment as a home, but merely as a place to sleep, and I sought out every manner of diversion to take myself off the premises. It was never my intention to move, but... it just became somewhat depressing to live here. As a result, things started to slip. Maybe making the bed or washing the dishes could wait a day. One of my light diffuser panels fell out of the ceiling and broke. Why bother getting another one? That one would fall down too, right? It became a scene straight out of 1981's Excalibur, with me as none other than King Arthur himself. I was in exile, waiting for Sir Perceval to come to me and say "You and the land are one. Drink from the chalice. You will be reborn and the land with you."
My life was good, but my living arrangements allowed something to be desired. Angelina was - and is - a good person, but she stopped being a community leader. Instead, she was the nice lady that worked in the office, and while that was good, it was no longer good enough.
It came time for me to renew my lease while Angelina was on a two-week "vacation," so I kept putting that off until such time as she was scheduled to return. On the way home one day, I received a call from Charlize (not her real name), asking me to come into the office to sign the paperwork. With no fanfare, Angelina was no longer the property manager. With even less, Charlize was soon not either, and the gentleman who operates the community where my Mom lives did double-duty for about a month.
Then one day, Marjorie (not her real name) came to work. My hypothesis was that the company could not afford to have a revolving door of managers, so her selection for the position was a decision that simply must have been made with great care.
Things started to change right away. Marjorie scheduled a meeting with me (stating that it was her intention to do the same with all of the residents, one by one) and asked my opinions about things, and she took notes. We talked about having events for the community, and how she wanted to be a "concierge manager." For the first time, at least since I have lived here, we will have a "National Night Out" next summer. Every Friday morning, including Black Friday, we have had complimentary breakfast in the community clubhouse. She has hired a masseuse to come in and give head and neck massages in the clubhouse every other Monday evening. We finally got recycling bins big enough to handle the needs of all of our residents, so now people are not putting their recyclables into the trash or on the ground beside overflowing barrels - that is something that our community council had discussed TWO YEARS AGO! And... our newsletters come out in the first few days of the month, not in the second week. Additional events are in discussion.... For example, we are having a chili cook-off this month, and I have encouraged Marjorie to invite the mayor, our city council ward member, firefighters from our local fire department, et cetera. I am re-invigorated and want to help in any way that I can to put my home back on the map.
For a homeowner, this might all seem like a bunch of nonsense, and if that is how you feel, that's okay. I know that, if you want to have breakfast on Friday morning, you have to make it yourself. If you see the mayor at a chili cook-off, chances are that it is not in your clubhouse, because you probably don't have a clubhouse. That is the life that I had at one point, and it is a life that I want again, but for now, my home is in an apartment community, and both the site and the corporate management are enthusiastic about retaining residents. If that means throwing a few dollars at pancakes once a week, it's all part of a bigger picture, just as with any customer retention program.
In the final analysis, it is not as though I want to say anything bad about Angelina, because, really... what good would that do? We got along fine, for the most part, and she kept the place running. Life was "good." But life can be so much better, and sometimes, we don't even understand that. With Marjorie, we realize it.
In closing, there is just one thing that concerns me about the potential for ongoing success. I recently saw a corporate van, and it advertised "Senior Housing," so I called the number on the side of the van and asked the woman who answered if the management company has any multi-family housing. The person with whom I spoke mentioned several locations, but not the one where I live, and I am not a senior citizen, thank you very much... not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. I even specifically mentioned the names of two immediately adjacent cities, hoping that the general geographic area would spur the answer I sought, but it did not. I did not press the matter further and thanked the individual for her time. This was not the first time that I have tested that, received the same response, and ended the conversation without further questions. My concern is that the people at the corporate office can not in one breath insist on 100% occupancy and in another not acknowledge that the location even exists. If I have occasion to make another such call, however, you can be assured that I will discuss the location that I now call my home.
If you are looking for an apartment in the Twin Cities area, please let me know. I would like to recommend the company that manages the property where I live.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where things were tolerable, but certainly not fantastic, yet you didn't know how to make positive changes? Did you ever like someone (professionally, not romantically) so much so as to overlook their shortcomings and accept their flawed performance, knowing that if you said something, things might change, but the person could also get into trouble? Have you ever thought that things were good, then something changed, and the climate turned out to be better than you could ever have imagined? Please feel free to share your comments below.
I have lived in Casa de Mateo for over four years now, and for three-and-a-half of those, we had a property manager whom I shall call Angelina (not her real name). For most of her tenure, we got along really well, I think primarily because of the fact that we would discuss in general terms some of my experiences from the faith-based non-profit housing organization where I worked, and then apply those situations broadly to the apartment community that we both called home.
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| New York Brownstone http://www.lincolnapts.com/.... No Copyright Infringement Intended |
Still, I liked her as a person, and we continued to get along reasonably well.
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| A Typical "Deluxe Apartment in the Sky" The Jeffersons (CBS, 1975 - 1985) http://www.suprmchaos.com/.... No Copyright Infringement Intended |
In spite of all of this, I never called the corporate offices to complain, because I did not want to take on the behavior of the mentally ill, chemically dependent individuals whom I had served at the non-profit organization. They would file a grievance with my supervisor at the drop of a hat, so I extended Angelina a tremendous amount of latitude. If something was really important, I would just ask her about it again. If it was something I could finally live without, then... I did.
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| People who are being neither hassled nor hustled Good Times (CBS, 1974 - 1979) http://tvone.tv/..... No Copyright Infringement Intended |
A detail of note is that my Mom lives at a property managed by the same corporation, and the contrasts were as night and day. There are a multitude of differences between the two locations, of course, but the fact became glaringly apparent that one was a community, while the other was simply a place to live... but I was not living. I was avoiding.
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| Excalibur (1981) http://popdose.com/.... No Copyright Infringement Intended |
My life was good, but my living arrangements allowed something to be desired. Angelina was - and is - a good person, but she stopped being a community leader. Instead, she was the nice lady that worked in the office, and while that was good, it was no longer good enough.
It came time for me to renew my lease while Angelina was on a two-week "vacation," so I kept putting that off until such time as she was scheduled to return. On the way home one day, I received a call from Charlize (not her real name), asking me to come into the office to sign the paperwork. With no fanfare, Angelina was no longer the property manager. With even less, Charlize was soon not either, and the gentleman who operates the community where my Mom lives did double-duty for about a month.
Then one day, Marjorie (not her real name) came to work. My hypothesis was that the company could not afford to have a revolving door of managers, so her selection for the position was a decision that simply must have been made with great care.
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| Sunbeams http://www.amilya.com/.... No Copyright Infringement Intended Not Responsible for Content of Source Material |
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| Camelot - My Once and Future Home http://merlin.wikia.com/wiki/Camelot No Copyright Infringement Intended |
In the final analysis, it is not as though I want to say anything bad about Angelina, because, really... what good would that do? We got along fine, for the most part, and she kept the place running. Life was "good." But life can be so much better, and sometimes, we don't even understand that. With Marjorie, we realize it.
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| NOT Where I Live Springfield Retirement Castle, from The Simpsons http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Springfield_Retirement_Castle No Copyright Infringement Intended |
If you are looking for an apartment in the Twin Cities area, please let me know. I would like to recommend the company that manages the property where I live.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where things were tolerable, but certainly not fantastic, yet you didn't know how to make positive changes? Did you ever like someone (professionally, not romantically) so much so as to overlook their shortcomings and accept their flawed performance, knowing that if you said something, things might change, but the person could also get into trouble? Have you ever thought that things were good, then something changed, and the climate turned out to be better than you could ever have imagined? Please feel free to share your comments below.
I really enjoyed reading your article. I have experienced the same with condominium purchased seven years ago. The phase has buildings 1 through 8, and named Condo A. B. C. & D. Well strange as it sounds. building D is a replica for dirty and slum lifestyles here. I recall having seen the condo association decades ago which lit up in the night like a Christmas tree. I purchased at a great price in 2006 ($99k) 2br 2ba, pool, clubhouse, and all of the amenities. However, many elders here are always fighting at board meetings and new board directors is a myth. The cost is tremendous for more than 50 homeowners abandoned units when high unemployment in Florida hit the ceiling, as well as unemployment reached over 10.0 percentile. The new board president smokes and toss cigarettes downstairs, he is angry looking and mean and is not repairing or restoring the building. Roof leaking everywhere, I had a leak of hot water heater upstairs did $5500 damage, thank God the responsible party is paying for damage. Neighbors sweeping trash and debris downstairs, finding cigarettes in my garden near front entrance..its a nightmare. I wonder why folks lack self value and integrity these days. Most especially to pay $300 monthly maintenance fee and then next day dirty the ground with litter. I have also had altercations with seniors live in children, adults though, but careless and discern for others. Just a nightmare to lose value of property that is only worth $30K and no way out. It is probably reason 50 left before lost total value of property, by the guidance of realtors maybe. My quest is to do a short sale and apply for a rent to own single family cost the same as this condo but in a cleaner and well kept neighborhood. All the best. Keep up the good work..Matt. Sincerely. VmBW
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