Farmington Hills, Michigan (April 25, 2014) – Friedman Integrated Real Estate Solutions, one of the nation’s leading providers of commercial real estate services, is committed to providing tenants with refreshed interior and exterior spaces after a long, hard winter.
It’s officially spring and after the severe winter we endured, it is certainly a welcome change. With the new season upon us, many turn to the ritual of spring cleaning in an effort to spiff up their homes. Commercial property managers also take part in this annual tradition, sprucing up the properties of the buildings they manage.
Yearly spring maintenance by Friedman’s Commercial Property Management Division typically includes: initial parking lot sweeping, general property cleanup, pressure cleaning at entrances, and landscape maintenance. While this winter’s brutally cold temperatures and prolonged record-breaking snow put a strain on parking lots, sidewalks, roofs, and even landscaped areas, Friedman’s team is facing the challenges head on. This year, special attention will also be given to lobbies and common areas, which were harshly affected by salt that was tracked into buildings. In addition, Friedman is tending to parking lot asphalt and curb damage from snowplows, and roofs affected by ice buildup in drains and gutters. According to USA Today, weather related damage across the country is estimated at $5 billion so far.
A major focus for Friedman’s Commercial Property Management Division this time of year is refreshing landscaped areas and green spaces. Turf Tenders, a family owned and operated complete grounds maintenance company servicing the Metro Detroit area, and one of Friedman’s longtime vendors, plays an important role in this process. After the last snowfall, Turf Tenders performs a winter cleanup which includes returning parking blocks that were inadvertently moved by snowplows back to their rightful spots, blowing ice melt off areas that do not get rained on, such as window sills, and raking up gravel from parking lots that ended up on the grass. Eric Costello, co-owner, explains the challenges posed by this year’s winter. “Salt damage to lawns was especially difficult this spring. We applied twice as much salt to parking lots and sidewalks as we normally use over the course of an average winter. The salt raises the Ph levels in the grass, so we needed to add certain minerals, such as gypsum to prevent burned roots that cause that dry, damaged look at sidewalk edges.” Gravel removal was also more tedious with heavy snowfalls and repeated snowplowing. A few weeks later, crews are deployed to complete a spring cleanup: removing debris, edging beds, cutting back shrubs, and trimming the grass. Installing mulch, fertilizing the grass and planting spring flowers are the final steps in Turf Tender’s spring maintenance for Friedman. Costello added, “We have worked with Friedman for more than fifteen years and have a great working relationship. It is very evident they are committed to service because their expectations of us are so high.”
With a proactive management approach, the Commercial Property Management Division has one goal in mind with respect to these seasonal tasks: create a superior working environment for tenants. “Tenant relations drive our approach to management,” explains Karin Meier, Director of Commercial Property Management. “We manage over 140 facilities across the country and our focus in each and every building is to provide tenants with an exceptional level of service.”
ABOUT FRIEDMAN INTEGRATED REAL ESTATE SOLUTIONS
Recognized as one of the largest privately-held commercial real estate organizations in the nation, Friedman Integrated Real Estate Solutions provides clients with a single point of contact for the full range of services it offers.
Friedman manages over 140 facilities encompassing more than 16M SF of commercial and 7,000 multi-family units across the country. Friedman’s brokerage team has over 800 current listings with $10 billion in closed transactions. As owners and managers of commercial property for 25 years, Friedman understands what it takes to achieve results that maximize the client’s objectives.
For more information, please visit: www.friedmanrealestate.com.
