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By Mel Metts

My client hired me to find a tenant for his Lakemoor Duplex. Eric and family were relocating to Ohio and wanted to rent out their Illinois home until the real estate market improves. Then they will sell.

We find acceptable tenants. On June 4, Scott and Carol sign the lease and agree to meet on Saturday, June 26 to pick up the keys and do a final walk-through.

Now it is 4:00 PM on Saturday. Move-in day is tomorrow, and the owner is already in Ohio. My job is to meet the new tenants at the home, give them the keys and help them complete the move-in/move-out inspection.

Right on schedule, Scott and Carol, the new tenants, pull up in their U-Haul rental truck and we go inside.

But there is a problem. The carpet doesn't look good at all. The owner said he would have it professionally cleaned, but you'd never know it.

Moving everything into the house and then cleaning the carpet is not a good option, but what choice is there?

"If only we could find somebody to clean the carpet tonight," says Carol as she looks at me.

She must have caught the gleam in my eye. "What ... do you know somebody?"

"I just might," I say. "Let me make a call."

I have Mitch Rosenbaum on speed dial: 847-502-2024. But the call goes to voicemail. I leave a message for Mitch and explain the dilemma. "Mitch, it's 5:02 PM and I have no idea if you can do this, but call me back if you can work a miracle."

My phone rings at 6:59 PM. It's Mitch. "Mel, I just got your message. What's the problem?"

I explain the situation and give Scott and Carol's cell phone numbers to Mitch. "I'll give them a call," he says.

. . .

"Thanks Mel!" Mitch sends me a text message at 9:39 PM.

"What happened? Did you take care of it this evening?"

"Yes sir," Mitch replies.

"He was wonderful!" Carol tells me when I follow up on Sunday morning. She is delighted.

Mitch Rosenbaum owns North Shore Dry Carpet and Upholstery Cleaners, Inc. He is an LCPIA business member and his ad is prominently displayed on the back cover of every LCPIA newsletter.

More than a year ago I was looking for a good, reasonably-priced carpet cleaner. I posted a message on the LCPIA Forum on www.BigTent.com, our members-only site.

Fellow-member Alan Rosenbaum recommended his cousin, Mitch.

I gave Mitch a call and he came out the same day. He looked the job over, paying special attention to some red stains in the beige carpet. He quoted a price and offered to do the job "right now."

The carpet looked amazing when he was finished. The red stains were barely visible. And the price was competitive.

Since that day I have used Mitch's services several times and have referred him to others.

Which brings me to the cryptic title of this article: "ABCD."

"ABCD" is my acronym for Above and Beyond the Call of Duty. Back when I had a real job and was responsible for hiring employees, I sought out applicants who could demonstrate a history of performing above and beyond. Because I knew that those employees would not disappoint.

Today, I look for this character trait in the contractors and service providers that I work with and recommend to others. Mitch Rosenbaum, attorney Kevin Barry, home inspector Larry Coha. Three LCPIA business members who I highly recommend and who never let me down.

Mel Metts is the LCPIA newsletter editor and real estate agent with Graff Realty, Inc., licensed in Illinois. He can be contacted at 847-949-6045.

Articles in the LCPIA monthly newsletter and on its web site are the opinions of the various authors and do not reflect the opinion of the Lake County Property Investors Association, which does not endorse specific vendors or service providers.