Pelumi Oduleye

Safe Homes, Safe Kids

October 19, 2018

Your home, whether it’s a room in a group home, an apartment, or a house, should be comfortable and safe

A home is a place to relax, play and enjoy spending time with family. However, the home is also the most common place for young children to be injured if safety is not taken seriously.

Certainly, accidents will happen from time to time, and there will be minor scrapes and bruises along the way, especially as kids grow and discover new things. And that’s OK. The problem is the more serious injuries that are often completely preventable. Your home, whether it’s a room in a group home, an apartment, or a house, should be a comfortable and safe environment

Identifying common household hazards is part of raising children in a loving, safe environment. Parents can protect children and reduce the odds of unintentional injury by staying aware of major hazards such as:

1. Furniture Tip-Overs

Kids like to climb on your lap, the furniture and anything. Research shows one child dies every three weeks in a TV tip-over incident. Protect little ones by anchoring shelving units and television sets.

2. Button Batteries

More than seven kids are treated every day after swallowing button batteries. When lodged in the oesophagus, these little silver-coloured batteries cause tissue burns that can be fatal. Common items button batteries are found in Wrist Watches, Car remote, Thermometer, Calculator, Remote, Kitchen Scales, Hearing aids, Musical card etc. Look in your home for items that may contain button batteries — electronic devices, key fobs or greeting cards. Whenever possible, select batteries sold in child-resistant safety packaging.

3. Drowning

Almost 30 percent of home-drowning incidents occur when a child falls into a pool or is left alone in the bathtub. To ensure the safety of your kids, never leave kids unattended around water. Drowning can happen in seconds and in just one inch of water. Know what to do in an emergency. By learning first aid or CPR, you could save a life.

4. Driveway Safety

Young children are particularly at risk (especially under six years of age) because:

They can be impossible to see from inside a car, especially if they are immediately behind it.
They can move quickly and are unpredictable.
The rear and side vision from many cars has a large ‘blind spot’ which can easily obscure a child (in some cars this can be more than 15 meters)
Even if a car has parking sensors or a reversing camera fitted, children may not be noticed until it is too late to stop.

During the school holiday period disruptions to the usual family routines (for example, visitors coming to visit your home) can increase children’s exposure and the risk of a driveway run-over occurring. The basic message, especially for parents of children under six, is always make sure you know where your children are before you reverse out of a driveway.

5. Door and stove barriers

Use a door barrier or a safety gate to keep a young child out of the kitchen, particularly at busy times such as when dinner is being prepared. A safety gate or barrier will allow children to play safely in an adjacent room, and enable you to see what’s happening on the other side.

Door barriers are also an important safety feature for both the top and bottom of stairs. You can buy barriers to fit doorways or open spaces of various sizes.

One of the most dangerous parts of the house is the kitchen. Injuries relating to the stove and oven can be very serious. A stove guard fitted around the hot plates can protect children from serious scald or burn injury caused when pots and pans are pulled down on top of them. Stove knob covers can be purchased to make it difficult for a child to turn a stove or oven on. Alternatively, you may be able to remove the knobs altogether.

Others:

Safety tap caps – are designed to prevent children from turning on a hot tap (which results in household hot water burns) and can be easily installed without the assistance of a plumber or handyman.
Keep laundry packets and cleaning supplies up and away
Give young children your full and undivided attention when they are in the bathtub or around water.
Check smoke alarm batteries every six months to make sure they are working.
Keep cribs clear of objects, and make sure babies sleep alone, on their back, and in a crib every time they sleep.
Install window guards or window stops to keep children from falling out of windows.
Keep all medicine up and away, even medicine you take every day. Be alert to medicine stored in other locations, like pills in purses, vitamins on counters, and medicine on nightstands.

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Sources:

Common Hazards that children at risk

Child Safety

Indoor Plants that helps improve the air quality of your home

June 22, 2018

The truth is, your indoor is not entirely safe.

Do you know there are volatile organic compounds in the air of your home due to the presence of furniture, upholstery, and the use of cleaning products on the floor and surfaces? Exposure to these compounds could lead to symptoms such as a headache, vomiting, drowsiness, liver and kidney damage, swelling of the lungs, coma etc This is not to make you panic but to enlighten.

The use of houseplants.

Plants have been known to purify the air. It is one of their many superpowers. They can absorb a lot of these compounds that are present in the air.

Golden Palm: The Golden Palm is the most effective at removing this compound from your indoor air. The Golden Palm features feathery, arching fronds. It removes formaldehyde, xylene and toluene from the air.
Aloe Vera: Most of us know the Aloe Vera as a miracle skin saver. It’s been known to heal minor wounds eight days faster than regular dressing. But did you know it’s also a major air cleaner? In addition to its place in your beauty regimen, Aloe Vera removes benzene and formaldehyde from the air.

3. Dwarf Date Palm
The Date Palm Dwarf is a popular ornamental indoor plant grown for its beautiful feather leaves. They grow well in Nigeria’s tropical climate and make easy gardening for the novice gardener. They are easy to plant and care for. The Date Palm Dwarf removes formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene from the air.4. Bamboo Palm
The bamboo palm is a very popular house plant which has 3 different kinds, is all easy to grow indoors or in containers: The dwarf, the bamboo, and the hardy bamboo. All are members of the Chamaedorea branch of the palm family along with the parlor palm, cat palm, and metallic palm. Its leaf display will vary from a finer feather looking to a broader across leaf depending on where it is native.

5. Areca Palm
The areca palm, also called the yellow butterfly palm, bamboo palm and golden cane palm is one of the easiest palm trees to grow indoors. It’s relatively disease-free and topped a NASA study of the 10 best air purifying plants. This palm tree, with its long, graceful feather-shaped fronds, will add a tropical feel to your home and is especially well suited for screened patios and atriums.

These plants are easy to care for and low maintenance.

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How well do you maintain your electrical appliance?

April 13, 2018

How do you maintain your electrical appliancem and how well is it done?

Do you know that the best way to maintain electrical appliances is to perform regular routine maintenance on them?

This is very important because it extends the working lifecycle, improve the performance of the appliances and promote energy efficiency.

A well-maintained electrical appliance works more efficiently, in turn, reducing your utility bills. Further to the benefits already mentioned, proper care of your electrical appliances keeps you and your family safe from accidents.The following are ways to perform routine maintenance on your appliances.

Portable appliance test (PAT): This applies to all electrical appliances and it involves the use of a simple electrical multimeter to check the earthing (grounding) continuity and resistance of the appliance. The resistance is most efficient at 0.4Ω but must be less than 1Ω. The exercise also involves visual inspection of the cable, plug and installation to ascertain their credibility. It helps reduce power consumption, safety risk to the user and electrical damage to the appliances.

The best way to maintain electrical appliances

Ovens: This could be cooking, microwave, toaster etc., oven usage and operations are characterized by food splatters and spills over time. An oven must be cleaned regularly because charred food and built-up grease accumulate in the oven and convert it into carbon. First, spray your oven fully with water and pour a layer of baking soda paste. Leave it for an hour and then wipe up the paste with a cloth and you will find a shiny and clean oven.

The best way to maintain electrical appliances

Washing machine: decalcify it and change the filter: To ensure your washing machine smell fresh and run optimally, you need to clean it regularly. The inner surface of a machine builds up lime scale caused by hard water. To descale your washing machine, regular cleaning is required. The first step is to run an empty hot water cycle. You can add baking soda to it and then finish the cycle. You can also repeat these steps with white vinegar.

washing machine

Refrigerator: Regular maintenance of the refrigerator is required to ensure that the refrigerator smells good and increase the life cycle of the refrigerator. This process involves defrosting of the refrigerator, avoid the use of electrical appliance to defrost. Once the ice is dissolved, clean the freezer with a towel or sponge to soak up the defrosted water. Make sure that water does not seep into the temperature selector, drain hole and channel while cleaning.

www.fieldcolimited.com

How do I reduce my energy charge?

February 1, 2018

“Why is my energy charge high?”.

As a real estate company providing facility management services, the above question is one we hear a lot. Not only have we answered this, we have also gone ahead to answer how you can reduce your energy charge.

In Nigeria,the lack of constant supply of power is one of the major cause of a high energy charge. In the absence of power supply, the facility managers have to rely on Diesel or Petrol which is a more expensive alternative.

Nonetheless, you can still reduce your energy charge by observing the following:

Using Air Conditioner:

Have your appliances serviced and put into efficient operating condition.
Turn off appliance when not in use.
If you desire a constant cool temperature, you should use a programmable timer and thermostat control. ( Each 1^oC reduction of the thermostat will save about 10% on your energy usage)
Retain heat or cool air inside your home by using fabric window coverings instead of using the more fashionable shades or blinds. Use a liner for extra weather protection in raining season and as a light cover in dry season.

Choose the right equipment – strike the right balance between budget and effectiveness.

When using other equipment/appliance

When acquiring new appliances for the house, it is advisable to buy appliances with a good energy rating (i.e. total wattage output). This has a major impact on energy consumption at home.
Use energy saver bulb, though more expensive than high wattage bulbs, it lasts longer and saves you cost on energy consumption.
Choose energy-efficient refrigerator: Refrigerator is working non-stop and the energy it consumes adds up quickly.
Regulate your Heat Water Usage: A continuous working water heater consumes a lot of energy which is not ideal. When you operate your water heater efficiently by regulating thermostat, it reduces energy usage as soon as the water heater cut-off while you can still continue to enjoying hot water in your bathroom until the water temperature reduces.
Unplug electric appliances and components when they’re not in use, as they draw power and increase your bill even when not operating.

Our property management team at Fieldco Limited can help you effectively by keeping track of maintenance requests and ensure you stay efficient.

#Fieldcolimited #Retailfacilitiesmanagement

www.fieldcolimited.com

5 Basic Tips for Investing In Real Estate

December 7, 2017

If you’re just beginning to invest in real estate, you’ll find that there’s a lot to learn. Investing in Real estate is more complicated than investing in stocks because of the financial, legal, and extensive due diligence requirements involved. That’s why it’s a good idea to give yourself a solid education before you purchase your first investment property.

However, before you get your advanced degree, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the fundamentals. To that end, here are 5 basic tips for investing in real estate.

1. Location Matters

The old adage that “location matters” is most accurate when it comes to investing in real estate . Before you fork over a down payment and put yourself in a significant amount of debt over a property, ensure that it’s in a good location.

Look for the worst house on the best street. That’s a principle you’ll come across quite a bit as you delve into further real estate investing advice.

You want to invest in the worst house on the best street because it gives you an opportunity to build equity. It’s a property in a great neighborhood (“the best street”) that needs some work (“the worst house”). You can invest some money to fix it up and sell it to someone else who wants a ready-to-move-in house in a fabulous location. Professional real estate investors call this “fixing and flipping.”

2. Look for Wholesale Properties

Investing in real estate is just like investing in the stock market in at least one way: you’re looking for the best deal. If you’re a savvy stock market investor, you probably won’t buy too many stocks at their high if you plan on holding them for a long time. Instead, you’ll follow the Warren Buffet principle of getting greedy when everyone else gets fearful. You’ll buy stocks that are beaten down and make a fortune when they turn around.
That’s what you want to do when it comes to real estate investing. Avoid paying “full price” for properties. Instead, look for so-called wholesale properties that are offered at a steep discount. Sure, they’ll probably need some work. Run the numbers and see if the investment in rehab is worth the ultimate selling price.

As noted at ThinkConveyance: “You can easily invest $20,000 in a property and add twice that much to the selling price. That’s why real estate investing is so attractive to investors who want to maximize their return on investment.”

3. Understand the Tax Benefits
The people who run our government want private investors to provide housing for people. That’s because they know that if private investors don’t provide housing, then the government will be responsible for it.

To that end, Uncle Sam offers significant tax benefits to real estate investors. The most significant benefit, arguably, is the depreciation write-off. When you buy an investment property that includes a building, you get to write off the depreciation of that building as a tax deduction. You’ll have to consult your tax advisor for specifics, but basically you can expect to depreciate a residential building over 27 years and a commercial building over 39 and a half years.

Again, it’s a good idea to consult your tax advisor about specifics.

4. Check Your Credit Report

You’re more than likely going to need to borrow money to buy real estate. That’s why you should check your credit report before you begin investing in real estate.

If you have problems on your credit report that are mistakes, get those resolved as quickly as possible. If you have problems that are legitimate, then you’ll need to work to improve your credit.

Simply put, banks aren’t going to loan money to you for a property that’s not your primary residence as readily as they’ll loan it to you for your own home. That’s why your credit has to be spectacular.

5. Use the “1% Rule”

If you’re planning on buying a property that you’ll rent out one or more tenants, use the “1% Rule” when you decide whether or not the property is worth the price you’ll pay for it.

The 1% Rule simply states that an income producing property must produce 1% of the price you pay for it every month. For example, if you’re looking at buying a property for $150,000, then the monthly rental income should be 150,000 x 1% = $1,500.

Wrapping It Up

Real estate investing offers the potential for fabulous returns. However, people have also bankrupted themselves investing in real estate. Be sure that you know what’s involved before you start.

Fieldco Limited

Land Purchase in Nigeria – A Legal Perspective

November 10, 2017

Land purchase on your mind, but you are concerned if you have the right documentation?

In reality, land purchase in Nigeria can be both frustrating and rewarding, but for those who carry out their due diligence and are armed with the right information, it often proves a fruitful venture. To avoid the frustration, this article is for you.

Land Purchase in Nigeria

Generally, title to land, land tenure and the administration of land in Nigeria is governed by the Land Use Act (“LUA”). The LUA was enacted in 1978 and it vests all lands in every state in the state governors who hold such land in trust for the common benefit of Nigerians (except land vested in the Federal Government or any Agency of the Federal Government).

As a potential purchaser looking at land purchase , there are 3 basic steps to take to ensure you purchase a good title:

1 – Investigation of Title to Land:

Generally before you engage in any land purchase, you need proof of ownership from the vendor, to ensure that he is the rightful owner of the said property and that he has can actually assign title to you as a purchaser. Usually, these documents are sufficient to prove title – Certificate of Occupancy, Deed of Assignment or Deed of Conveyance, Registered Title or Court Vesting Order.

After physical siting those documents and/or obtaining copies, as a would be purchaser, you need to be 100% convinced that – the documents are valid, that the vendor is who he says he is, that there are no encumbrances on the property, that the property described is what is being sold and that there are no disputes on the property. Thus, due diligence searches should first and foremost be conducted in the following places:

Search at the Lands Registry
Corporate Affairs Commission
Probate registry,
Look out for traditional evidence, court judgments and conduct a physical inspection

For properties located in highbrow areas or to be purchased from influential individuals, investigate the profile of the vendors to ascertain such persons are not wanted by government agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

However, after all is said and done, there are some property which do not have any documentation. Usually family or communal property in remote areas, who have not perfected their title. Even when a search is conducted, nothing of significance might be revealed. Here, investigation conducted will rely on traditional evidence i.e. – inquiry of traditional leaders, community heads and family heads, etc. This is usually arises and validity is given by the “deemed grant of right of occupancy, where the individual has occupied the land prior to the coming of the Land Use Act of 1978. They could be deemed as customary landowners. So, although the owner might not have a deed of assignment or certificate of occupancy, his ownership of the land cannot be defeated except it is expressly revoked by the state governor.

2 – Transfer of Title:

After your due diligence has been conducted, you are satisfied with the result of your search and ascertained that the vendor has a good title to the land, the next step is the transfer of title from the vendor to the purchaser. One common and vital document in property purchase is the Deed of Assignment which is used in assigning interest in law

The Deed of assignment can be prepared by the purchaser’s solicitor and vetted by the vendor or his solicitor after which the documents would be executed by parties and their witnesses. At this stage any the agreed purchase price would be paid by the Purchaser.

3 – Perfection of Title:

This is a very critical part of land purchase activity. These include application for Governor’s consent, payment of stamp duties and registration of conveyance or assignment at the Lands Registry. This is done in order to ensure compliance with the law and protect the validity of the purchaser’s title to the property.

However, it is important to note that the mere issuance of a Certificates of Occupancy does not and cannot confer title in respect of the land in dispute where no such title either existed or was available to be transferred to anyone.

The purchase of a land is generally a risky business. Buyers need to beware and sceptical about every transaction.

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Fieldco Limited

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5 Crucial Things to Look Out For Before Buying a House

August 4, 2017

Do you know that buying a house is almost like preparing for a wedding?. A Thirty- Minute or One Hour home inspection counts for nothing in a home you’ll spend years or forever living in. It is not enough that you have decided on a house budget, the type of house you want, or the preferred location for your dream home, there are still a few crucial things to look out for before buying a property. Here are a few of them:

1 – Take your eyes off the aesthetics for a minute and focus on the building:

You will definitely not be thinking of the fine coloured painting of your home when your sleep is rudely interrupted by the drops of water coming from your leaking roof. Cleverly placed mirrors, strategic lighting, delicious smells, are all tricks sellers use to make their home more appealing. While the beauty and aesthetics of a house is important, sooner or later, it will become unimportant and irrelevant when compared to the functionality of the house.

Hint: A damp wall or ceiling may be a sign of plumbing or foundational issues. Cracks on the wall which could be either active (progressive) or dormant points and structural issues such as foundation soil settlement / movement, thermal movement, permeability of concrete, creeps, corrosion of the building reinforcement, moisture movement, etc. can all affect the functionality of the building.

2 – Don’t just look at it, check if it works:

Try your hands on everything. Turn on every faucet and every light switch, open every window and door, test the toilet flusher, check the water pressure and taste the water if you have to. Check and feel the walls for damp-rising.

3 – Look Around the building and its environment:

Even though we are focusing on purchasing a property, the environment where the property is, is equally important. If you have young children or love to host parties, check that the space around the property suits your preference. It is advised that you take note of the following when scrutinizing the environment of your potential home:

Parking space
Type/culture of the people living in the area
Any strange structures or construction sites.
How busy the road is
Is it located near a bar? If so, it can become rowdy in the evenings.
Drainage
Proximity to the bus stop, market or mall
The security.

4 – Is the location prone to flood?

Any professional realtor will advise a home seeker to carry out their search for a house during the rainy season. However, there are some tell-tale features to know if an area is prone to flood even during the dry season. These are:

Water marks on the fence and external walls of the building
Algae on the floor of the premises etc.
Damp rising in the internal walls
Flaking of the paint on the internal and external walls
Cracks on the wall
Humid smell in the rooms.

5 – The 5 Senses are not Enough:

A satisfied home inspection is still not enough reason to finally conclude that purchase. Because there’s only so much that you can do with your five senses, it is important that you get professionals to also do a proper check of the house. Also, ensure you request for the Mechanical & Electrical drawings. These drawings show the piping and electrical layout of the facilities in the house in case you have to carry out repairs such as plumbing, electrical, air-conditioning etc.

These are the physical things to look out for when thinking of buying a house. Next time we will throw more light on the process and documentation aspects of buying a house.

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Fieldco Limited