Building Relationships

those in the vicinity and will fi ll the building very quickly. Thermal runaway is one of the primary risks related to lithium-ion batt eries and is a phenomenon in which the lithium-ion cell enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state. Thermal runaway is associated with violent batt ery cell venting, explosive ejection of gas, shrapnel and/or particulates, extremely high temperatures, etc. This occurs when the toxic fl ammable fumes escape the batt ery under pressure and ignite like a jet engine fl ame. These escaping toxic fumes feed the fi re which is almost impossible to extinguish. As mentioned, nearly 33 percent of all recorded LEV fi res have been whilst charging. An EV fi re cannot be put out with a fi re hose or standard fi re extinguisher. By way of comparison, a fi re in a standard petrol car achieves temperatures of around 900 degrees Celsius and uses about 4,000 litres of water to extinguish successfully, which is slightly less than one fi re brigade truck supply. A lithium batt ery fi re heats up to over 2,000 degrees Celsius and uses 100,000 litres of water to extinguish. A LEV fi re spreads very rapidly, burns hott er and burns longer - up to three times hott er than a normal fuel fi re. Some LEV fi res include an explosion. There are approximately 100 highly toxic chemicals produced during a batt ery fi re. One LEV batt ery fi re would literally fi ll a carpark basement and possibly the fl oor levels via the fi re escape stairs within seconds, especially if no stairwell pressurisation is in the building.

Monkey business:

© Adobe Stock - stock.adobe.com

Precautionary measures

So, what can a residential strata committ ee do to minimise the fi re risk associated with electric vehicle charging? • Step 1: Ensure lot owners seek permission from the body corporate before installing car charging stations and ensure nobody is charging LEVs off common property power points in the basement carpark.

• Step 2: Engage a project manager to assist with the feasibility study around provisioning for future LEV charging stations. • Step 3: Consult with the body corporate insurer if people are charging LEVs on common property.

• Step 4: Get your project manager to assist with revising the Emergency Evacuation Plan for the common property of the building to ensure it takes into account the LEV charging risk. The current fi re and evacuation plan for the common property of your apartment complex is unlikely to take into consideration LEV fi res. This, and other useful information on this topic can be obtained from qfes.qld.gov.au

An ever-changing market

As a writer (no I don’t actually think of myself as a writer, I am just adding that for dramatic eff ect) you never want to retract something you have written. In an article that was published last year I was quoted saying that “even a monkey could sell Real Estate”.

Now this isn’t a full retraction, more of an edit. In that particular market, a monkey probably could have sold residential real estate but in the market we are seeing at the moment, I don’t think they would have a chance. Although we are still seeing properties go up for sale, they are on the market a lot longer and the demand has certainly quietened down. This means knowing your market and the strategies to put in place to achieve the best results, understanding the art of negotiating and sometimes having the courage to have some tough conversations. If you are a manager that is confi dent in the sales process and feel comfortable listing and selling in any market, I applaud you. If you are new to sales as a manager but feel you are capable, that is great and well done. If you are a manager that thinks about doing sales and wants to run for the hills and hide, I celebrate you for knowing your strengths. In saying that I do suggest that you fi nd yourself a friendly agent, no that isn’t me giving my new company a plug but yes that is what my company is called and yes that is what we provide. You as managers need to ensure that when you open your gates and let an agent into your community that they are working collaboratively with you, that they understand your business and the importance of the relationship they have with you.

Kelley Rigby,

Managing Director, Letts Rebuild

Story time with Kelley…

Find an agent that values you and knows the value of your relationship. We had a sale recently where there was a multiple off er situation. There was an owner occupier and an investor batt ling it out. Unfortunately, at the end of the negotiation the owner occupier was $5,000 above the investor’s off er and the investor had no intentions of increasing his price, believe me I tried. The agents and I had a conversation with the seller and explained the situation. We then off ered the seller a reduction of $5,000 in our commission if they were willing to take the investor’s off er. It was a done deal, the seller was happy, the investor was happy, the tenant was over the moon and the managers, well do I even have to say how pleased they were. If you are a manager that feels nervous about selling or simply do not want to, fi nd yourself an agent that values your relationship more than a single sale. Everybody wins when everybody wins.