This is an ARCHIVED newsletter.
Some of the links might be dead and some of the information may no longer be correct.
Welcome to the October HALLOWEEN 2005 edition of the Grand Trees Newsletter!
Welcome friends to the Halloween 2005 edition of the Grand Trees Newsletter.
Winter will soon be upon us again and our dedicated crew have been working steadily to get everything ready for another safe and
comfortable winter so say hi to the guys the next time you see them working around the apartments. We sure do appreciate their dedication.
We certainly would like to thank everyone for all the cooperation we received while safety checking smoke detectors and radiators and we appreciate your continued cooperation as we continue to make updates and upgrades around the complex.
Rosie Is Leaving:
After 10 years as manager of the Grand Trees Apartments, Rosie has resigned. She will be leaving at the end of this October. She always had an honest smile, an honest words and a clever wit. She will be missed by both tenants and staff alike and we wish her only the best of luck in all her future endeavors.
Please welcome Judy Richards and Chris Coppola who will be taking over the office duties at the
Grand Trees Apartments.
They can be reached either by calling
515-243-0813 or by stopping by the office Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm
HELPFUL HINT:
Did you know that you can have the security door ring your cell phone instead of your line phone? This way, even if you are away from your home, you will never miss your visitors. If interested, visit Judy or Chris in the office to have this set up for you.
Looking for something to do in October in Des Moines?
13th—15th Wells Fargo is hosting a “Food Festival”
Downtown is where you will find the Farmers Market every Saturday until the 29th
On the 21st you can hear “Leap Year” playing at “Java Joes” coffee house
And on the 30th you can go to the Embassy Suites downtown for their FREE haunted hotel!
Find out more about these events and MANY others by going to the Des Moines website and clicking “calendar” at www.downtowndsm.info
3 HOT WEB TIPS:
Have something you would like to give away? Need something that someone else probably has, but doesn’t want?
Try DES MOINES FREECYCLE!
(3300 Des Moines members cant’s be wrong)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Desmoinesmetrofreecycle
Would you like to listen to all your favorite music, and discover similar music all FREE and LEGAL with no downloads, no registration and immediately? www.pandora.com (its like having your own custom radio station that only plays what you like!
Ever wish you could see your pictures and listen to your music, watch your videos or view your documents that are all stored on your pc when you are not at home? www.orb.com will let you do just that, AND from any web enabled device, cell phone, PDA, remote computer, etc. and best of all—its FREE!
Quick tips to stay safe and secure in any situation:
Have a flashlight with a supply of fresh batteries.
Have dry or canned food and a few bottles of water.
Have a charged cell phone on hand.
Put a fire extinguisher in your bedroom and kitchen.
Have a list of important numbers on hand, poison control, fire, police, relatives, friends, school, etc.
I would like to take a moment of your time to talk with you about something very important. There is a common misconception about “free utilities”. In fact, there is no such thing. Even though you, as a tenant are not required to pay utilities here at the Grand Trees, It certainly is not, as some people may think, “free”. In fact, with the extreme rise in gas prices and therefore the rise in heating bills, electric, waste disposal, repairs, etc. many apartments in the Des Moines area (and everywhere else for that matter) are finding that they must raise the rent in order cover these extra costs. This is something that we have not yet had to do here, and hopefully we will be able to avoid that this winter, but we can not do it without your help. We all need to have an understanding of what responsible energy consumption is, this will help keep our rent the lowest that it can be, will help our environment and our economy. Simple things like not letting the water run unnecessarily, keeping lights, televisions and computers off when not in use is another example. Did you know that by using your lights just 5% less will save hundreds of dollars per year. If every individual apartment here did that, that would save the management many thousands of dollars, thereby saving YOU, the tenant from possible increases in rent. Sometimes children will leave lights on, flush toilets for fun, leave televisions on in each room and never think or understand how this affects both the environment and living costs. Please help your children to understand how being conservative now, will help save everyone money. Hopefully we can ride out these higher gas prices together and with any luck, they will be back to a more reasonable price soon.
PLEASE NOTE:
Halloween is a fun time of year, lets keep it safe as well, PLEASE do not use candles in your pumpkins, if you would like to light them up, please use your left-over Christmas lights or purchase inexpensive pumpkin lights, thank you.
COOL TIP:
Did you know that most cell phones will still dial out to 911 even if they are not activated? You could buy a cell for a couple of bucks in any goodwill and keep it charged and you will always have a way to dial 911 even if the regular phone stops working. (Try it first)
DO YOU NEED INSURANCE?
The Grand Trees Apartments is insured, does this mean your personal property is covered?
No: In fact, if you have any valuable property, you should consider getting “renters insurance” to protect your belongings. While your landlord does have insurance, it only protects the building. Your belongings are not covered under this policies. A standard renters policy usually covers all of the following;
Fire & lightning, Windstorm & hail, Explosion, Riot & civil commotion, Aircraft & Vehicles, Smoke, Vandalism & malicious mischief or Theft, Damage by glass or material that is part of your building, Volcanic eruption & Falling objects, Weight of ice, snow, or sleet, Water-related damage from home utilities, Electrical surge damage.
Even though floods and earthquakes aren’t on the list, that probably will not affect us here.
One thing you will want to look at when deciding what policy and where to get it is whether the insurance company will be writing "actual cash value." (ACV) or "replacement cost coverage" for your belongings. As the name implies, ACV coverage will pay only for what your property was worth at the time it was damaged or stolen.
Replacement cost coverage, on the other hand, will pay what it actually costs to replace the items you lost, again minus the deductible.
Another great thing about renters insurance many people do not know is that If your apartment becomes uninhabitable due to a fire, burst pipes, or any other reason covered by your policy, your insurance will pay for your "additional living expenses." Generally, that means paying for you to live somewhere else.
Also you can add "Liability Insurance" to your plan for specific reasons, as an example, if you have a "waterbed liability" you will not be responsible for damages to your property or your downstairs neighbors property if your bed bursts. This is something to consider if you have a dog, large aquarium, water bed, or anything else that may have the ability to cause damages.
remember, the higher your deductible, the lower your annual payments will be. also some companies will lower your rates by simply having fire extinguishers or smoke alarms. Some companies will offer significant discounts to those over the age of 55 and many will offer discounts if you have your auto insurance on the same policy, that’s called a "multi-line policy". Check with your prospective company to see what they offer.
MOVING, NEED SOME CASH?
As much as we hate to see you go, if you are planning a move from the Grand Trees, here are some tips on how to maximize your security deposit return:
Make sure your account is clear from any delinquent rent.
Be caught up with any additional fees such as but not limited to; late fees, Air Conditioning Charges, Carport fees, locksmith charges, etc.
If you have damage in your apartment, please let us know in advance, before you move out, we will be willing to work with you to work out some suitable and fair arrangements.
Please remove ALL your belongings when you move, this includes furniture, plants, lamps, etc.
Put simply: if you clean your apartment and clear your account, you can expect a maximum deposit refund and an A+ reference from us!
Feel free and stop by the office and ask us about what type of cleaning we look for and what we chargeback if we have to do it. Also please log onto www.grandtrees.com and click “MOVING” for a pre-move checklist, moving resources and many other helpful links that may save you time and money in your move.
Have a suggestion or comment for our next newsletter?
Email it to manager@grandtrees.com
We at the Grand Trees
hope you and yours have a Safe & Fun Halloween!
