FurKids Need Dwellings, Too!: February 2008

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Helping the Animals

I've been turned on to a web site which I visit daily to help feed animals in shelters waiting for their forever homes. The motley crew here were all relegated to shelter life, for reasons not of their own making. People fall in love with puppies, but too often when the puppy gets to that "teenager" stage there is not enough patience in the household to help the dog through this awkward stage. Zoe was too small for a breeder to use, I guess, so she was sent to the Atlanta Humane Society. Better than being dropped out on a highway, at least. Winnie may have come from Louisiana as a result of Katrina (she was deathly ill with the canine flu which was going around in Florida and Louisiana) and her family may not have been able to keep her while trying to rebuild their lives. Talley had given birth to 5 litters for a breeder and had probably pushed her limit so was cast out into a shelter. All are wonderful souls I am blessed to share my life with. Other animals in shelters deserve the same chance to find the comfort of a loving home. Please help. Go to http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/tpc/ERA_021208_ARS and
click on the purple button at The Animal Rescue Site and give food to an animal living in a shelter or sanctuary
-- at no cost to you.

While you are there, check out the shopping options!! You can continue to support the shelters and get some cool stuff for you, your pets, and your friends. Additional charities also can be located from this site if you are more passionate about kids, trees, women to name a few.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Other People's Junk

This week there has been been a lot of change going on here in my world (again!) The most dramatic has been the re-painting of the four story townhouse I live in. Gone is the four color mural on the living room/dining room/kitchen wall. Gone are the 17 different colors used throughout the space (this time I limited it to 6 total.) Great work by Jim and his crew at Capital City Contracting (678.794.1966 to reach Jim for a quote.) They have done work for my clients in the past, so I knew what I would be getting--quality work for a reasonable price. Not the cheapest, not the most expensive, but top notch work.

The other thing which is in the process of changing is the furniture in the house. I was missing several key pieces, and was on the hunt for inexpensive replacements. My friend Eileen is in the organization business (that's just the tip of the iceberg as far as what she can do for you) and I'll share more of that later when she gets her new business identity up and running. Eileen shared with me her favorite consignment furniture stores and took me shopping! I am so pleased with what we've found. Not everything is "antique" but everything has more personality than if I had gone to IKEA or Pottery Barn, etc. to locate functional pieces. And easier than running around to a bunch of yard sales. And the prices were not budget busters. This house is going to look so stunning I won't want to sell it! But, the good thing about the pieces of furniture we found, I'll be able to take them anywhere with me, and because I like them for what they ARE not just for what they can do for me, they will work in the future!

What my Clients say about me

We were Laura's first clients, but you would never have known it. Prior to listing our house, she identified several small, easy changes we could make to stage it attractively. She also analyzed the market and found the perfect price point: attractive to buyers and to us as sellers. While our house was on the market, Laura would frequently travel the 20 miles from her in-town home to our suburban house so she could show it. As a result of her efforts, the house was only on the market 13 days before we had a contract. Laura was also an indispensable help after the buyers' inspection turned up several needed repairs, including exterior siding/window trim replacement, gutter repair and cleaning, and replacing the water heater. Laura found us an honest, qualified contractor who was able to perform the entire job. What a relief! At the same time, we were looking to buy an in-town home. Laura took us to the homes we requested to see, and as she grew to understand our likes and dislikes, showed us a new townhome complex that we would not have considered on our own. The result: she found us the perfect new home! We have lived in it for over 2 years now and still love it. Most importantly, Laura takes her relationship with her clients seriously. It's not just a business to her. She makes an effort to know and understand her clients so she can discern what is important to them, both as buyers and as sellers.

Buyers and Seller, Paul and Sarah
--------------------------------------------------------------- Beth and I were very fortunate to have Laura guide us through our first home buying process. From our first house visits to our signing Laura was honest, professional, and amusing, which is a nice bonus in a real estate agent. After her honesty we most appreciated her ability to adapt to our changing search requests. She also worked well scheduling around our needs, including a very mobile toddler. Since this blog is dedicated to fur kids we thought you might want to hear what our lab collie mix Blue had to say about the process:

One day I was in a small home on a busy street and the next thing I am in a slightly larger home with a nice yard on a quiet street. Can’t say I had anything to do with it. As a dog I am just happy to be inside, except for those times when I have to go outside and chase the squirrels and chipmunks. I am not an eavesdropper. I am only involved in conversations enough to listen for my name, Blue, or for the sound of kibble dropping into my stainless bowl. Other than that I try not to get involved. Luckily for him and her there was another her to help them find the new house. On Saturdays and Sundays in January and February 2007, him and her and the little guy would leave me, and I would take a nap. Eventually they would come home and take me out for a walk. On the walk they would talk about the houses they had seen. At least twice they saw houses they liked in the afternoon and by the time they were on the walk with me a call came from the other her telling them that an offer was in the works. I guess one of these offers was accepted and before long I was in a new house where I set about finding new spots to take my naps. Now I feel at home in my new neighborhood. The other day I took a private tour of some area backyards as him and her chased after me. What fun!

Happy in Decatur, Beth, Tim, Paul and Blue

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"My wife and I met Laura during an Open House, and we selected her to be our real estate agent based on her integrity and honesty. She did not pressure us into buying a house and even advised us to postpone our search until after we both completed a job transition. Since then, she has become a personal friend. We will definitely use Laura's services again when we are back in the market."

Future Buyers, Ryan and Dena

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We met Laura and her husband at a dinner group and liked them immediately. We spoke to her briefly about needing to sell our Midtown condo, as we had just had our first son and knew space was going to soon be an issue.

However, after watching the Midtown condo market become more and more saturated, we became concerned about being able to at least break even on the sale. Due to this, we opted for a discount brokerage. Our condo sat unsold for a year.

Finally, with the pregnancy of our second son, we knew we had to get serious about the sale of the condo, even if that meant taking a loss. Laura was the perfect person for the job. She was honest about the price point, brilliant in her restaging ideas and extremely creative in her marketing. She sold our condo within a few months.

During the time our condo was on the market, she worked hard to find us a new home. She listened and observed us in each of the houses to fully understand what we were looking for. She was thorough in her searches and in her assessments of each of the houses we reviewed. She was also very available to answer questions (of which we had plenty!) We felt like we were in such good hands throughout the entire process.

After the first night in our new home, I called her to tell her that I felt like I had just woken up from my first night on vacation. It is the perfect home for us!

Happy to be in a house! Erin, Travis, Jackson, Gavin and Sam

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I have been a client of Laura’s for about a year now, and I envision being a client of hers for many years to come. She is a Realtor with whom I would work no matter which company she represented (Dwellings, Century 21, etc…), as I believe her to be honest and in possession of a fantastic work ethic. I agree with a couple of other people’s comments on this blog – she is relatively new to the business, but is as thorough as it gets and (maybe even more importantly) is learning a certain patience with those of us mortals who do not find buying and selling houses amongst the easiest things to do.

I had thought I was ready to buy a small house a couple of times over the past year, and both times proved to be the wrong times. However, Laura and I spent quality time together looking at places and discussing the usual ‘must haves’ and ‘cannot stands’. As it happens, I am renting a house in the exact neighborhood I want (after having fallen in love with and wanting at least 3 other neighborhoods before it) – and I have the option to buy should the house and I turn out to be an exact match. It gives me time to try out the local dog park and market and make sure that this is where I want to live, and the best part is I wouldn’t have found the place if it weren’t for Laura. She’s the agent who will do everything you expect when shopping for a home, and then help you break down boxes once you get there (I use the boxes as an example, and cannot promise on her behalf that she does this with every client).

Whether you are ready to buy, or whether you need help learning about the city (and your needs as regards living in it), I can highly recommend Laura as ‘agent extraordinaire’…

Current Happy Renter and Future Buyer, Eileen

What's with the slogan?

I LOVE furry animals. Mainly dogs, but I've been friends with many cats, and have had a passing acquaintance with a hamster or gerbil in my days. After moving to Atlanta, I started to volunteer at the Atlanta Humane Society. Working with the dogs and cats who through no fault of their own had ended up institutionalized was a real life-changing time.

I knew there was a practical limit to how many animals I could adopt and bring into the family environment most of these animals craved. So I investigated animal rescue groups and dreamed of maybe starting a group of my own "some day."

Then I investigated the possibility of going to work as a Vet Tech, earning some money and at least helping the precious dogs and cats who were lucky enough to have homes.

Here comes the "a-ha" moment--after three different people said to me "have you ever thought about going into Real Estate?" I began to formulate a plan. Why not do something I could be really good at (I'm organized, process-driven, personable, crave a flexible schedule, need challenging work, and as my Clients would describe my most valuable asset--I tell it like it is!) and hopefully make enough money to send to animal welfare groups?

Over three years into the business and I've got very happy human Clients, many with very happy animal family members, and I've been able to make a significant contribution towards helping improve the lives of homeless animals while they are waiting for their forever homes. The first brokerage I joined was called dwellings real estate. They are gone now, but I'm still a dwellings agent at heart.

Get it yet? Fur kids need dwellings, too! See below for the list of links to organizations which have received support from me. I try to tailor my donations based on my Clients' interests, and I have my own favorites. If you know of an organization which is well run and needs some support, please pass along their info to me and I'll see what I can do!

FurKids Need Dwellings, Too!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Helping the Animals

Friday, February 1, 2008

Other People's Junk

Animal Welfare Groups I've Supported

Featured Properties

What my Clients say about me

What's with the slogan?

Blog Archive

About Me