All Forum Posts by: Abby Weinstock

You might be interested in giving Hootsuite a try. It is a single platform through which you can post content to various social media channels. The basic access to Hootsuite is free. You can create a single social media post and send it out on several platforms. You can also schedule posts to go out in the future. I have found it to have a few technical issues, but generally speaking, it makes it easier and less time consuming than having to go to each social media channel and post in each one.

One more thing to add to my post above. What I have been asking of web developers who do freelance work for us is that they provide me with brief video tutorials so that I can make changes myself down the road. For example, if they have put added my blog post for me but I know I will continue to blog down the road, then I will ask for a video tutorial to show me how to do add the next blog post to the site myself. It is very easy for them to record what they are doing on their screen and then share that recording, and makes it less likely that you are forever dependent on someone else to make edits/updates to the site.

We have been using Upwork for web design, web development, graphic design, and software customization. It has mostly been very successful. You can post the job you have and invite people to apply who you have vetted already (you can choose to focus on freelancers with a very high success rate, who have earned many dollars on Upwork, who have worked many hours on Upwork, who have a very short turnaround time, who have current availability, etc.). Our website was built already, but we wanted to undertake a re-design. We are currently working with multiple freelancers from Upwork and the success depends on (1) being clear about your expectations, (2) being prompt with feedback, (3) being clear about deadlines and priorities, and (4) not making unrealistic demands (they may be working for other people too, so not fair to drop something on them at the last minute and demand immediate turn-around). 

You can choose to structure the project on a flat rate basis or on a per hour basis. If the project is on a flat rate basis, you can (and should) develop milestones with progress payments tied to those milestones. The money for the project is essentially escrowed and you control the release of the progress payments from escrow when you approve the completion of milestones.

If you structure the project to pay by the hour, it can be structured so that the freelancer can only charge time to the project if he/she is logged in to Upwork (I believe you can even access screen shots?). You can choose (or not) to allow "manual work" to be added--meaning that time can be charged to your project without them being logged into Upwork.

Overall, I have been very happy and will continue to work with freelancers from Upwork. If you have any follow up questions, you are welcome to PM me.  

When evaluating a prospective lender, you should also ask for references (current ones). Reputable lenders should never resist providing this information. The borrower should also search the public domain for any reviews of the prospective lender. And if the lender holds himself out to be BBB accredited, then the borrower should also check the lender's BBB rating.

Find out if the lender holds the loans or sells them to a third party.

Find out how long the lender has been in business--you want to make sure the lender has established a track record.

Find out how long it takes to issue a term sheet.

Find out how quickly the lender can close.

Find out who performs draw inspections. If a third party performs those, the likelihood increases of it taking longer from the time the draw is requested to the time the draw is funded.

Find out how long it takes to receive funds from a draw.

I think 10:30 a.m. might be too early in the day to check the unit. I would suggest trying to go in there in the early afternoon, unless the outdoor temperature was already over 90 when you checked. Maybe check the HVAC filter if it hasn't been changed recently? Also, is there anything covering the windows--blinds, etc.? That can help control the heat if the HVAC system is determined to be working effectively. 

They are available in Baltimore as well.

I am not affiliated with this company in any way...but I happened to come across a report on the "Baltimore Metro Area Economy and Multifamily Market" from the first quarter of 2020 that can be accessed here: 

https://www.ngkf.com/insights/market-report/baltimore-market-reports

It has information about the rent that different parts of Baltimore command.

Just wondering if carpet tiles might be worth considering? Since the sunroom will presumably get a lot of foot traffic from the outdoors, it might be helpful to have carpet tiles so that a section can easily be replaced if it gets dirty.