CAN YOU TOP THIS?
Unbelievable or outrageous true stories about
everyday experiences in real estate management
By Jennifer Baiamonte, cpm® | ILLUSTRATIONS BY PAUL LUkAS
Picture this….a brand new construction of luxury apartment homes with
residents eager to move in. After falling
behind schedule, the development company
was finally ready to turn over the building to
our management firm. We had already experienced a big delay in delivery of the first building and had disappointed many of our new residents. We knew we would face similar angry
residents with any delays on this building.
It was the first snow of winter and we were
getting ready for the next wave of move-ins.
The first residents were scheduled for a
Saturday morning move for a second-
story apartment. The construction staff
had worked overtime and nearly had
everything ready. It seemed we would
finish on time. Then, on Friday after-
noon, construction unexpectedly told us
the concrete landing in front of the door
was cracked so badly they had to re-
pour it. They said the landing would
be ready by the next morning when
the residents arrived, but would still
be too wet for the cleaning contractor
to carry cleaning equipment across it.
It seemed we had no choice but to
call the young couple and tell them they
would have to wait another day to move
in. When we called they were nearly hysteri-
cal. Their old apartment had been re-rented
and they had to be out that day. They had all
their friends ready to help with the move and
couldn’t get everyone together at another time.
“We have nowhere else to go!” they pleaded.
After a team huddle with the construction
superintendant and my staff, we decided we
couldn’t let these folks down. The cleaning
contractor had already left for the weekend, so
we went into action as darkness fell. Due to the
design of the
landing, putting a
plank over the newly
poured concrete wasn’t
feasible. Instead, the
construction superin-
tendant got a ladder
and leaned it up against
the railing around the
landing. Up went my
maintenance man.
He sat on the rail
and unlocked
the apart-
ment door.
Then he
jumped
into the
apart-
ment and
opened the
LAST-MINUTE MISSION
Jennifer
baiaMonte,
cPM, is a
property manaGer with duKe
realty corp., in
columBus, ohio.
>> THINK yOu
CAN TOp THIS
TAlE? SEND
yOuR TRuE
STORIES TO
MARKISAN
NASO AT
mnaSo@irem.
org.
window. We moved the ladder to the window,
secured it, then proceeded to haul all the cleaning equipment up the ladder and through the
window. Our mission also included hauling
floor lamps up the ladder, so we could see in
the dark. We even managed to drag a commercial size sweeper into the apartment!
Once we were done, everything that had
gone up the ladder had to come back down. By
that time, everyone was tired, so some things
actually came flying out the window!
Early the next morning, our new residents
arrived and moved into their new apartment,
happy as could be. Little did they know what a
mad house it had been the night before. n
