Sunday, March 2, 2014 / by Ira Miskin
HOUSING NEWSWATCH - MARCH 2014
MARCH – In Like A Lion and Out Like A Lamb
Is there any truth to this saying??? Weather sayings are as colorful as our imaginations. But with March being such a changeable month, you can understand how this saying might hold true. Sitting here, thinking of you, and how grateful we are for the value you bring to our real estate business, looking out our office window at a cold spring rain with the forecast for sunny and warm by this afternoon, and with the first tender spring flowers beginning to sprout, it looks like “Spring has sprung!”
We understand that across the country it is still blustery and snowy and cold. It could be that way right here in Metro Atlanta – especially this year with all the snow and ice we’ve had, but one this is sure… winter’s at an end and will “go out like a lamb.”
So what does this have to do with you or your home?
Spring is a time of action. People getting busy doing things they couldn’t accomplish in the winter months. It is a renewing of mind and spirit, of things that are good. Hopefully this awesome season with bring good things your way. Wouldn’t it be great to grab your favorite book along with our favorite lounge chair, set it down in your favorite spot outside or next to a window and relax – enjoying a beautiful spring day? Our hope is you will get something like that more than once this spring. Really enjoy the place you call home.
Unfortunately there are some who will have a springtime they would much rather forget. With all the beauty this time brings, there is also the ugly. Children’s Health Care of Atlanta has a house full of kids fighting for their lives. For them and their families spring flowers are the furthest things from their minds. Yes, these families do long for their kids to be out playing or riding bikes – but for now they are praying spring season will go out like a lamb and be a season of healing. Children’s Health Care of Atlanta is front and center in the fight against nasty diseases that destroy or cut short the lives of children. We are thankful to have such a wonderful facility close by doing such great work to help save and heal young people.
So even though we are eager to enjoy spring, others are simply hoping to be here to see it. This is why our Team at TMT Realty Group and Optimus Real Estate Brokers has resolved to do what we can to help.
For every house we sell this year we are donating a portion of our income to Children’s Health Care of Atlanta. Our goal is to raise $25,000 to help them in their quest to heal, save, cure and comfort children under their care.
This is where you can help…
Life moves fast for some and we are eager to make their home selling or home buying experience a smooth and rewarding one. Over the last ten years we have helped hundreds of families sell or buy their homes and have met many wonderful, caring people like you!
It’s easy to refer your friends, neighbors, associates or family members considering making a move and we hope you will take a few minutes to consider who you know who will benefit from the Exclusive Guarantee we are offering: Your home sold or we’ll buy it*.
Simply go to www.Friends-And-Family-Referrals.com to pass along your referral. Or of course you can always call us direct as well at 770-672-7832.
As we move forward in a brand new year, please know that we and our Team love thanking you for being a special part of our business.
With much appreciation,
Stephanie and Ira Miskin
This month donations to CHOA were made thanks to Team members Joshua Guallett, Amy Johnson and Stephanie Boldon and their Clients Keneisha Williams, Kevin Lassiter, Patricia Jakob & Diana Mohalley, and Derrick Jackson. …….The Kids thank you all!
P.S. We love honoring past clients like you. Read all about that at www.Friends-And-Family-Referrals.com. You can read more about Children’s at www.CHOA.org.
P.P.S. We have enclosed an article that discusses the issues many area home owners are facing in today’s market. As you read it, you will see that our unique offer to guarantee the sale of a home or we’ll buy their home for cash gives home sellers great peace of mind when selling in today’s market.
NEWS YOU CAN USE
NAR: Pending Home Sale Flat In January 2014
by Peter Ricci February 28, 2014 See more at: http://atlantaagentmagazine.com/pending-home-sales-drop-8-7-december-housing-trouble/#sthash.s59LhvwR.dpuf
Pending home Sales were flat in January according to the latest analysis by the National Association of Realtors. Per NAR’s home sales index, which is based on contract signings, pending home sales edged up 0.1 percent from December to January though they were down 9 percent from January 2013. Pending sales are now at their lowest level since January 2011.
Limited Inventory and Weather Impact Pending Sales
Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist said weather and low inventory were the prime culprits for January’s sluggish numbers. “Ongoing disruptive weather patterns in much of the US (and especially in Atlanta) inhibited home shopping,” he said. “Limited inventory is also playing a role in Atlanta and across the nation, while credit remains tight and affordability isn’t as favorable as it was a year ago.”
There were regional differences: Pending sales in the North East were up 2.3 percent monthly, but down 5.3 percent yearly. In the Mid-West they were down 2.5 percent monthly and down 9.3 percent yearly. In the South they were up 3.5percent monthly but down 5.5 percent yearly. And in the West they were down 4.8% monthly and 17.5 percent yearly.
The Lingering Effect of High Mortgage Rates
NAR anticipate the pace of sale to increase in the coming months, but one thing remains clear when looking at the data: home sales have not quite recovered from the interest rate shock of 2013 and with rates expected to increase throughout the year, one has to wonder how home sales will respond
NEWS LIKE THIS SHOWS HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HAVE GUIARANTEES LIKE OURS IN THIS DIFFICULT AND CHANGING MARKET
CALL US AT 770-672-7832
AND WE'LL TAKE EXTRA-SPECIAL CARE OF YOU AND YOUR REFERRALS
CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE OF ATLANTA NEWS
Athlete Overcomes Disability to Reach Great Heights
A few years ago, Declan Farmer did not know much about hockey. He knew even less about sled hockey. Declan, age 15, has a congenital limb deficiency in both legs that required amputation. One amputation is above the knee and one is below. Despite his disability, Declan has always remained interested in sports. “I watch a lot of sports on TV and I’ve always liked being active,” he said. “I just wanted to find a sport to compete in.”
Once he found his sport, he took his passion for it to a global level.
Long Way to Go
When Declan first came to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Limb Deficiency Program as a 3-year-old, the orthopaedic specialists, prosthetist and therapists were concerned that he was still unable to walk. “That is why his story is so inspirational,” said Brian Giavedoni, Senior Prosthetist with Children’s. “He was having difficulty even walking. He went from that to what he is doing now.”
Declan was also born with proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD), a birth defect that affected both his hips and bones in the lower legs. He needed six surgeries so he would be able to use prosthetic legs and several more, performed more recently by Michael Schmitz, M.D., to rebuild his hip. “Even the best prosthesis can’t replace the function of the hip,” said Colleen Coulter, Physical Therapist and Team Leader of the Limb Deficiency Program. “The hip is where you see most of his challenges and weaknesses.”
For the last 12 years, Declan and his family have traveled to Children’s from their home in Tampa, Fla., for regular adjustments and fittings. During his early visits at Children’s, Declan was inspired to pursue athletics. “I liked it,” he said. “I saw a bunch of pictures of adaptive athletes on the wall. That encouraged me to be active. They would always tell me about adaptive sports I could try.”
Sticking With It
For years, Declan sought out a sport that he could enjoy and in which he could be competitive. He tried track and field, wrestling, soccer and even sailing. When he saw a sled hockey team from New York put on a clinic in 2006, he was intrigued. “It was the first sport I played that was for adaptive athletes only,” Declan said “So naturally, I would be more competitive in it. I just stuck with it.”
Sled hockey is a form of ice hockey designed for people with physical disabilities. Instead of skates, players use specially designed sleds to move around on the ice. Declan began playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning sled hockey team two years later. “He has always been like that. He was always go, go, go,” Giavedoni said. “He finally found sled hockey. It clicked with him.”
Giavedoni helps him adjust his sled, which is custom fit for each player, as he grows. Much like his sled, Declan's talent for sled hockey grew quickly. After just a few years playing the sport, he was named to the U.S. National Team, which took second in the World Championships in Korea in 2013. Afterward, he made it through a difficult tryout to land a spot on the 2014 Paralympics team. He will travel to Sochi in Russia at the end of February to compete against the best players in the world.
“I think it was the most competitive tryout ever this year,” Declan said. “There were a ton of players, like 70, for 17 spots. I was pretty excited. It's great.”