Where is the board shepherd when you need him?

Here is another lonely lost board. Keeping very poor company too.

This one is lost near Rivy Field on the path that runs from the crossing by the junction of Audlett Drive and Thames View all the way to the Nature Reserve. If you are a driver and not a walker you wouldn't even know that this path exists. It is a mostly leafy and green alternative to walking along Audlett Drive or Radley Road which is much more pleasant than breathing in traffic fumes.

Most towns have their paths which can make getting about on foot easier than driving and Abingdon is no exception. It took me years to understand how Peachcroft was connected to Radley Road or Appleford Drive and I still can't quite believe that it can be so much quicker to walk from A to B than drive despite Mrs Simpson's assurances.

On a different note, this week's tenant Problem of the Week is mildew. Not Toxic Mold as found on US websites but just ordinary mouldy mildew caused by having the heating on too high, taking long hot showers, drying clothes indoors and not opening the windows enough. We have dehumidifiers out in 3 flats at the moment and have been giving tenants information on ventilation and wiping off mildew with a solution of white vinegar on a cloth.

Modern folk like to be hot and expect to be able to wear t-shirts and shorts indoors even in winter. To do that comfortably you need to have your heating on at about 25 degrees which will play havoc with the cold spots in your house and moisture levels in the air.

I'm not that old as you know but I am an avid wearer of lambswool jumpers in winter and very happy to keep one on indoors and keep the heating low. My dear wife is also a fan of wool and our younger two are big fans of layering but our older kids are hard as nails and only wear a coat when its snowing. I feel cold just looking at them.

My tips to prevent mildew are: keep a window open a crack during the day to keep air circulating, think about how to keep your body warm and not the air around you, fit curtains over your doors and windows to keep heat in, open the bathroom window after having a shower to let the moisture escape and lastly, turn the heating down and invest in some jumpers!

Flat fees - a disincentive for what?

This week two customers who I spoke to at the start of January have come back to me to say they don't want to instruct anyone else so can I come and take some pictures of their properties and get them advertised.

Great news as I was beginning to think they had forgotten about me! When I worked for a corporate company we had to chase up new landlord leads on a daily basis if a couple of days had gone by and we hadn't heard from them. I hated doing that and tried to avoid it if I could. Now, as you can imagine I don't do it at all. If they want bluedoor they will come to bluedoor, it is as simple as that.

It seems that the other agents who these two landlords invited into their homes proceeded to hound them on a daily basis offering them all kinds of inducements to instruct them which as you can imagine is pretty annoying - and off-putting. Our deal is our deal and everything I say when meeting a landlord for the first time is the same as what I say a week later. No deals, no discounts and no guilt trips!

Anyhow obviously our honesty, transparency, integrity and consistency have won out yet again and several folks are now sitting in their offices disappointed. Take note of the above my friends.

This latest landlord asked me a strange thing when he called me to instruct me though. He was wondering what incentive we have for increasing the rent on his property if we stand to gain nothing from any increase as we don't charge a percentage. Good question!

I hope that over time he will see that the honesty that I show upfront is also the honesty which drives our business. Our first adverts had the text 'Helping Landlords get more of their rent' You might have seen on in the Post Office in Abingdon or in the Property Weekly. That is what we still do. We do the best for our landlords and charge a flat fee for doing it. Simple and unusual but still true.