Maxim Enterprises

Conflict resolution in property preservation

I was recently asked to participate in a weekly talk show hosted by Cubicyard.us. The week’s topic was conflict resolution.  It was great to see someone taking the bull by the horns on this subject like Terry Platt from Cubicyard.us.  We discussed several options for trying to handle conflict resolution in property preservation, and the common theme that kept coming up was "communication."  I could not agree more that communication is key, and with my experience in our business of dealing with contractors I knew I was a prime target for discussion.  

When we spoke about communication in the property preservation industry, most of the time it is assumed that people are communicating verbally. Verbal communication is a key component to having a successful business. However, what was not mentioned was communicating by documentation and by the use of technology. The reason I mention this is because most contractors that we have dealt with and are dealing with now are normally not your office types that will handle paperwork, read memos and organize that paperwork into a system. This does not mean that they can't do it, but most of the time they would rather be working out in the field and solving problems with their hands. What usually happens is that when it comes time for documentation on payments, contractors are challenged by this and hence become frustrated and make assumptions. This is exactly what happened with our company and a few contractors. The lack of being able to organize paperwork from a contractor point of view and the lack of paperwork from the client can cause a huge headache. This situation is exactly where we sat 2-3 year ago. Yes we did have software to try and handle the organization of payments for both the clients and contractors. However, the software was lacking in many areas of reporting and thus causing confusion and frustration on both the contractors and clients. We have always told our contractors that if we get paid from the client, you will get paid from us. That statement is right in the contract that each and every one of our contractors signs.    
As a result of this experience, I made it my mission to improve our communication both verbally and by (non-verbal) technological documentation. Over the last two years we have made significant strides, especially on the technology side. Maxim Enterprises has created a web-based system that shows strategic reports for both the clients and the contractors. The result of developing this software has been better communication with our contractors because it keeps them informed about each and every job with notes and information that everyone is able to view the same way. No more are the days of he said this, no I billed this, and what am I owed each month. Contractors and clients are now able to view their Accounts Receivables and Accounts Payable through a simple login. Moreover, everyone can add their notes to the job to keep the information up-to-date. The result has been less wasted phone calls of guessing about jobs and more proactive phone calls with our contractors asking how we can make them more productive and efficient in the field.  
Maxim has now approached our clients with the philosophy of "Here is why you should be doing business with Maxim.”
1. We have excellent communication both verbally and technologically - questions and situations get resolved immediately.
2. We have streamlined our system with our software - We have created a system that will show the Contractors Accounts Payables in real time. We have created a scorecard by which our contractors are measured.  We are currently maintaining a 95% or higher ratio on our Contractor scorecard .  Our system is transparent in that everyone is looking at the same information and not seconding guessing if informationhas sent.  We created a Client Connect process that allows the client to log into our system and review our scorecard of performance and the Accounts Receivables in real time.
3. Our years of experience that we have on staff and with our contractors - We have well over 50 years of combined experience in the Maxim office and well over 75 years of combined experience in the field.  We try to limit any liabilities of the clients so that the asset is maintained.
4. We have consistently been innovative in the property preservation industry.  We have collaborated with clients and contractor several times in testing out new pilot systems for software.
5. We are fully committed to deliver 100% results to the client for on-time performance.

Is the Housing market going in the right direction? More Foreclosures?

The Fed bought $175 billion in debt sold by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It also bought $300 billion in U.S. Treasuries, and $1.25 TRILLION in mortgage backed securities — bonds made up of bundles of home loans. The stated goal was to juice the housing market and spur a massive bout of mortgage refinancing, which would theoretically unleash a gargantuan new wave of consumer spending. Were the Fed's efforts successful? Let's look at the evidence ... The Fed rolled out the first stage of its mortgage manipulation scheme in November 2008, then added to it in the months afterward. Here's what has happened to key housing indicators since then: In November 2008, housing starts were running at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 652,000 units. In August of this year, the comparable figure was 598,000. Net change? Down 8.3 percent. In November 2008, builders were selling homes at an annualized rate of 389,000. In July 2010, they sold 276,000 homes. Net change? Down 29 percent. In November 2008, 4.53 million existing homes changed hands (again, this is an annualized rate). That compared to 4.13 million in August. Net change? Down 8.8 percent. In November 2008, the S&P Case-Shiller 20-city home price index came in at 154.50. The most recent reading — for June 2010 — was 147.97. Net change? Down 4.2 percent. So there you have it folks. Four key housing market indicators are ALL WORSE than they were before the Fed conjured up and spent almost $2 TRILLION to drive mortgage rates lower.

Top 11 errors by a contractor when doing a Winterizaton

The list below was created in order to identify frequent winterization errors, in an effort to reduce mistakes made by vendors out in the field as well as in the office. Next to the identified error you will be directed to a portion of this manual for further clarification.

1. Incorrect/Toxic anti-freeze used

2. Winterized previously- duplicate work

3. Winterization completed out of season

4. Photos dated incorrectly

5. No photo documentation demonstrating that the lines were blown

6. Inadequate photos to support work completed

7. Winterized dirty toilet or bidding for dirty toilet

8. Not reporting that utilities are off at a property and required to keep sump pump operational

9. Excessive bidding

10. Vendor invoicing error- including invoicing duplicate times for transferring utilities

11. No explanation as to why service could not be done per allowable