Robert C. White & Company - April 2022

Robert C. White & Company - April 2022

R E N T A L READER YOUR

APRIL 2022

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April Showers Bring May Flowers THE DANGER OF MAKING MENTAL LEAPS

At the dinner table the other day, William, my kindergartner, explained to all of us that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. His class had been talking about the weather and how it changes over different seasons. It naturally led to the adage “April showers bring May flowers” from one of my other kids. The interesting thing is when I heard them say it, something triggered in my gut that I had a false belief about that phrase. I’m not sure why, but I could actually feel it. You see, growing up in Connecticut, I know that April showers bring May flowers. You hear the phrase and you see it in action year after year after year. And in April, it does rain … and it feels like a lot. So, I always assumed April is Connecticut’s wettest month. Clearly that must be right. Well, the truth is that April is only the seventh-wettest month in Connecticut measured by precipitation. May takes the title of the wettest month. March, May, August, September, October, and November are all “wetter.” And January and June are nearly tied with April’s level of precipitation (within two-hundredths of an inch). Okay, so I made an assumption about the weather and it ended up being wrong. Why is that a big problem? The thing is, these little mental leaps happen more often than we would expect. When we add up all of the things we think we know, but are actually wrong, it is a lot.

And all of that bad “knowledge” leads to bad decisions and bad actions. For example, I completed a continuing education course recently, and the conversation came around to leasing and using credit scores for screening purposes. Recently, there has been guidance that “credit worthiness” should be considered for an applicant and not a hard and fast credit score as an eliminator. During the class, the teacher, supported by several of the students, made the statement that credit scores can’t be used to evaluate a tenant. That is not true. Those agents made an incorrect mental leap. They assumed that because the guidance recommended considering “credit worthiness,” you could not evaluate on credit score. Because of that incorrect knowledge, they were potentially giving their clients bad advice. Side note: We do agree that “credit worthiness” should be considered and that is why we have never looked at the score alone, but review all of the tradelines on the credit report, looking for red flags and other considerations. Sometimes, we will recommend an applicant who has a lower credit score, but credit score is an important input to consider. We can also be harmed by the mental leaps and bad knowledge of others and should be on guard for it. I got a call from an agent who needed advice. He had an investment property he wanted to sell, but the tenant would not move out. He wanted to know

Luke and kids ready for the rain

how much he should pay to get them to leave the property. I asked why he didn’t just evict the tenant. He explained that his lawyer said he couldn’t. While eviction restrictions did occur during the COVID-19 pandemic and some still remained at the time of the conversation, he could absolutely start an eviction. He got bad information from a lawyer who probably made a mental leap and was giving his clients bad advice because of it. The takeaway from all this is that for us to make good decisions, we have to regularly test our assumptions and stress test what we “know to be true.” At RCW, we work hard to make sure we are guiding you with solid facts and information, and when we get advice from other professionals, we follow a “trust but verify” policy. A little bit of due diligence goes a long way and helps us guide you to the best of our ability.

Yours in making the “right” mental leaps,

P.S. Question from the kids for you: If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Answer: Pilgrims!

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Wallpaper Is Back … But Why?

PREPARING YOUR A/C

UNIT FOR SUMMER

For many people around the country, April is the first month when they might turn on their air conditioning unit. Even if it’s still chilly where you are, summer is right around the corner, so you need to make sure your A/C unit is ready to tackle the summer heat. A central air conditioner has an indoor air handler and an outdoor compressor. The compressor is where you want to spend your time cleaning and maintaining. More than likely, you didn’t use your air conditioner during the cooler winter months, so you’ll need to do a few things to ensure your unit is in peak condition before turning it on. Before doing any work on your unit, make sure you turn off the circuit breaker. You’ll need to turn off the power to the condenser at the service panel, but most condensers also have a weatherproof disconnect box that you need to power down. Once your unit is powered down, you can begin cleaning and replacing your furnace or air-handler filters. Ideally, you should do this twice a year. If you fail to change or clean these filters, restricted air flow will reduce the efficiency of your unit. In addition to cleaning your filter, you also need to clean the condenser coils. If your unit was uncovered during the winter, leaves and other debris likely found their way inside the coils. Make sure the fan is clear before moving inside the box to check if the coils are clogged. If they are, clean them with a soft brush and use a vacuum to clean the coils from the inside. Once you’ve cleared away all the debris and excess water, check the coolant lines. These lines are usually covered with foam insulation that can fray and crack. If they’re damaged, replace them with new foam insulation sleeves. Your unit should now be ready for a test, and if everything runs well, your air conditioner should be ready to take on the summer heat. Anyone can clean and complete simple maintenance, but if the system still doesn’t work properly, call in a professional to investigate and handle further repairs.

Wallpaper is one style of home decor that you either love or hate. It was extremely popular in the 1930s and grew in popularity throughout the 1950s and ’60s. While wallpaper was still being put in homes during the ’70s, its popularity had peaked, and people began turning toward more minimalistic means to decorate their walls. The 1980s saw paint and paneling become more popular, and paint became the dominating force in wall design during the ’90s. Not only did wallpaper fall out of style due to new ideas in interior design, but it was also a pain to install and remove. For years, it seemed rare to walk into someone’s home and see wallpaper. But over the last few years, it’s become much more common. This has led many people to wonder why wallpaper has returned and if it is here to stay. Over the last decade, DIY and home improvement shows have taken the world by storm. Some of the shows would use minimalistic wallpaper when designing a room, but as time progressed, more and more home improvement shows had their hosts applying wallpaper. The designs they chose were more modern, making viewers envision similar designs in their own homes. Additionally, traditional wallpaper manufacturers heard the feedback regarding the difficulty of installing and removing wallpaper. They addressed the issues by creating wallpapers that were easier to apply and didn’t need excessive amounts of glue. Producers also explained the environmental advantages of wallpaper, which piqued the interest of environmentally conscious individuals. Wallpaper sales have been rising over the past few years and don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. One study estimates that the global market for digitally printed wallpaper will reach $7.5 billion by 2026. It sat at $2 billion in 2017 with most sales taking place in Europe and Asia. Only time will tell if Americans continue to get back behind the wallpaper trend.

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SHE SAVED HER HUMAN! Meet Tinsley, a Car Crash Survivor On Jan. 3, 2022, New Hampshire State Police responded to a call about a lone dog wandering around on the interstate near Veterans Memorial Bridge. When they got there, the pup — a Shiloh shepherd named Tinsley — led the officers on what seemed to be a wild goose chase. “When Trooper Sandberg and the Lebanon police officers attempted to get close to the canine, it continued to run northbound on Interstate 89, crossing into Vermont,” the police department wrote in a Facebook post. “A short time later, Trooper Sandberg and the Lebanon police officers located a damaged section of guardrail near the Interstate 91 and Interstate 89 junction.”

owner, Cam, made a full recovery. He also knows just how special his pup is.

It turns out Tinsley had a destination in mind: an upside-down pickup truck that had crashed through that very guardrail.

“She gets spoiled all the time,” he told the WPTZ news station. “She’ll get some venison, probably [a] burger tonight, and probably some back scratches with it.” Tinsley is not the only dog who has saved a human from the cold. In the winter of 2017, a rescue pooch named Peanut saved the life of a 3-year-old girl in Michigan who had wandered away from home, and a golden retriever named Kelsey saved her owner after he slipped in the snow and broke his neck. She kept him warm for 19 hours and barked until help came. To read the full story of Tinsley’s roadside rescue, visit CNN.com and search “real-life Lassie.”

The truck had rolled off the highway, and the people who were inside — including Tinsley’s owner, Cam Laundry — were on the ground, badly hurt and hypothermic! Thanks to Tinsley’s bravery, the cops called an ambulance that rushed them to the hospital. “This was almost like a real-life Lassie situation,” one lieutenant told CNN. “It’s really quite remarkable. This dog definitely saved their lives. I don’t think they would have survived the night given the temperatures.”

Tinsley is a real hero on four legs, just like Lassie, a fictional pup who saved two little boys from dying of hypothermia in the snow. Fortunately, Tinsley’s grateful

ONE-PAN CHICKEN TACOS

TAKE A BREAK

Inspired by TasteOfHome.com

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken breasts, sliced into 1-inch pieces • 2 tbsp garlic powder • 2 tbsp cumin • 2 tbsp chipotle powder

• Canola oil (for frying) • Corn tortillas • Grated cheddar cheese • Pico de gallo and guacamole salsa (to taste)

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken pieces, garlic powder, cumin, and chipotle powder. Mix until the chicken is coated. 2. In a frying pan, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken mixture. Cook on medium heat for 5–8 minutes. 3. Remove the chicken from the pan, and add the corn tortillas (avoid overlapping) so they soak up the juices. Flip the tortillas and repeat. Then, add chicken and grated cheddar to each tortilla and fold it over the filling — in the pan. 4. Cook the tacos for 3 minutes per side until the tortillas are crispy and the cheese is melted. 5. Top with pico and guacamole salsa, and serve!

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INSIDE

1

April Showers Bring May Flowers

2

Wallpaper Is Back … But Why? Get Your A/C Unit Ready for Summer

3

A Heroic Dog Saves Her Owner One-Pan Chicken Tacos

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Where to Place Plants in Your Small Space

GREEN PLACES FOR SMALL SPACES

Spring has officially arrived! As the weather warms up around the country, people are heading outside to refresh their gardens. But what if you live in a small space, like an apartment, or simply don’t have any backyard space to accommodate growing your own plants? If you’re in that situation, use these three areas to help your plants thrive!

A Balcony or Patio Most pots can sit on

balcony and patio floors while still getting enough sunlight to properly grow. Just remember to water them appropriately and bring them inside if the weather turns bad! In Windows Windows can provide the perfect space for plants

to absorb sunlight without the need to manage their location. Bay windows are ideal, but you can also place plants on the windowsill.

The Entryway Plants don’t just have to grow on the ground or in pots! An entryway can let you go vertical with your greenery while staying out of the way of visitors.

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