Carbon Monoxide Detectors – required after 1/1/10

North Carolina map

Because we have rental properties, this applies directly to us and our business.  Because so many of you also have rental properties, I’m posting this information I received from the City of Greensboro.

If you live or own outside of North Carolina, please be sure you keep track of the ordinances in your area.  Real estate related laws are changing at lightening speed!

CITY OF GREENSBORO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New State Law Requires Carbon Monoxide Detectors in Rental Properties, Homes

GREENSBORO, NC (December 18, 2009) – Carbon monoxide is a silent killer. It’s odorless, colorless and tasteless, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 400 people in the US die from carbon monoxide poisoning each year.

Because of the dangers of this toxic gas, beginning January 1, 2010, a new state law will require carbon monoxide detectors to be installed in all existing rental units with fossil fuel appliances or fossil fuel fired heating systems.

Specifically, the law requires that:

  • Owners of existing rental units shall provide at least one carbon monoxide detector on each level of each unit.
  • The detectors can be electrically hardwired or battery-operated.
  • All detectors must be approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.

Also, beginning January 1, 2011, all new homes being constructed must have a carbon monoxide detector installed outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedroom(s).

For more information about this new law, call the City of Greensboro’s Engineering & Inspections Department at 336-373-2155.

North Carolina Ranked #1 for Business

North Carolina

North Carolina’s business climate ranks first in the nation according to Site Selection Magazine.

Our state received the honor for the fifth consecutive year!

“The concentration of brainpower and research and development activity in North Carolina cuts across many disciplines, territories and institutions,” says Adam Bruns, managing editor of Site Selection. “Research parks, schools, companies and communities in the state have developed a real knack for working across boundaries, and it continues to pay off.”

The business-climate ranking is based on the number of new and expanded business facilities in each state as well a poll of corporate site selectors nationwide.

Site Selection’s survey of corporate real estate executives asked which factors are most important when making a location decision.  Here were their top 10 responses:

Read more…

Online Sales Tax – Will it Stop you from Buying Online?

Online Sales Tax

New York, Rhode Island, and North Carolina have enacted laws forcing retailers to collect state sales taxes on internet purchases. These new laws are here just in time for the holidays!

States are trying to boost tax revenues which have been on a steady and often rapid decline. These so called “Amazon Laws” are having interesting, and controversial, effects.

Amazon.com, for example, has pulled out of North Carolina as it ended partnerships with scores of small business entrepreneurs in the state. Amazon maintains that the new sales tax laws are unconstitutional.

Read more…

North Carolina #5 on Forbes list of “Best Places for Business”

North Carolina

I moved my family to North Carolina in 1985 after reading Chamber of Commerce surveys on top areas in the country to live. 24 years later, Raleigh is still a top area in the country to live.

North Carolina ranks number 5 in Forbes magazine’s 11th annual ranking of the Best Places for Business and Careers.

Forbes bases its rankings on costs, labor supply, regulatory environment, economic climate, growth prospects and quality of life.

North Carolina rates high for costs (No. 3), regulatory environment (No. 4) and quality of life (No. 3). It ranks No. 15 for labor, No. 16 for economic climate and No. 33 for growth prospects.

Raleigh grabbed the top spot for a third straight year on the strength of strong job growth (both past and projected), low business costs and a highly educated workforce.

Helping fuel Raleigh’s strong economy is the Research Triangle Park, one of the oldest and largest science parks in North America. RTP is located between Raleigh and Durham and is home to 170 companies employing 42,000 people.

One of the original 13 colonies is still one of the best places to live in the United States.  Congratulations North Carolina!