The two clinics will not be administering the H1N1 vaccine.
Though the seasonal flu has not spread yet, a high demand has been seen for the vaccine. Throughout the United States, 91 million doses have been distributed and about 20 million more doses coming in.
Articles above have been provided by the listed author immediately following the article. For additional resources and information to the authors, please visit the following sites.
Re: GMAC Real Estate to be Re-branded ‘Real Living’
I am very pleased to let you know that Brookfield Residential Property Services has acquired Real Living Network Services, and as a result will now rebrand GMAC Real Estate as Real Living.
Real Living is a national, award winning company known for its innovation, customer service and track record of attracting results-driven brokers and sales professionals, along with a culture of partnership and collaboration.It brings a suite of innovative marketing tools, relevant training and a technology platform that when brought together with key GMAC Real Estate services like Premier Service, will position us for success for many years to come.
I am also excited to let you know that as a result of this acquisition, we are welcoming an additional 2,000 Real Living brokers and sales associates into our North American real estate network of almost 30,000 real estate professionals.By merging GMAC Real Estate and Real Living, under the Real Living brand, we are creating a very solid real estate brand that will become the foundation for future growth opportunities across the U.S. and into new markets internationally.
The Real Living acquisition is the culmination of several months work and satisfies all that we were looking for through the rebranding process.We considered many options including developing a brand from scratch and the Brand and Transition Councils were instrumental in guiding our thinking and reflecting the broad interests of our entire company.As well, our research pointed us toward creating a company that has great services to help you be more successful and a differentiated culture and brand promise that positions us to stand out from, and above, the competition. With this acquisition, we can take the best from what we have in our existing business, such as Premier Service, and combine it with the best that Real Living has to offer; allowing us to take advantage of the opportunity identified in our research and deliver a brand that meets your needs.
I am also pleased to announce the appointment of Real Living’s Harley Rouda, Jr., a long-time real estate industry broker, owner, operator and franchisor, as President of the newly combined operations.We believe that under Harley’s leadership, and with our solid, combined management team, the guidance of our Advisory Board which is chaired by Dick Schlott, and strong, successful brokers and sales professionals on the frontlines delivering exceptional customer service, we have a winning team with a proven track record for success.
We realize that you may have a number of questions about the new brand and transition, and we want to make it easy for you to get the answers you need.Accordingly, we are making available in the News > Transition News section of gmacmembers.com, a number of informational pieces including the Press Release, Sales AssociateQ&A, Talking Points, Real Living Fact Sheet and a biography onHarley Rouda. Also included will bematerials, such as a new video, and client and vendor letter templates, that will help you to communicate this great news to your clients, prospects and vendors.If this information does not provide answers to all of your questions, please speak to your broker or manager, or alternatively, contact the Real Living Help Desk at 866-208-6050.And, as always, we will continue to communicate with you on a regular basis.
Kindly direct all media enquiries to Hugh Siler, Siler & Company PR at 949-646-6966 or hugh@silerpr.com.
On a final note, it has been my pleasure to serve you as Interim President of GMAC Real Estate over the last few months, and to get to know many of you personally.I will return to my role as CEO of Brookfield Residential Property Services (the parent company to our real estate and relocation operations) and will remain closely involved throughout the transition and integration of Real Living.Thank you all for your commitment to GMAC Real Estate and your untiring service to our industry and clients.I hope you join in my excitement about our future, as we begin this great, new chapter for our company.
Graham Badun,
Managing Partner & CEO
Brookfield Residential Property Services
Articles above have been provided by the listed author immediately following the article. For additional resources and information to the authors, please visit the following sites.
Below you will read from one of our valued partners, Cindy Holland of Costello and Sons Insurance Brokers. We are so Proud. Thanks Cindy!!
From: Cindy Holland [mailto:cholland@costelloandsons.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 8:33 AM To: T. Sami Siddiqui Subject: The difference between you and other brokers I have come to know or encountered
Is very simple;
Character, integrity, kindness, genuine concern for others....
I have a theory or personal conviction; We are all accountable for our own reputation.
With that said I for one hold you in the highest esteem, and just wanted you to know that!
And - you surround yourself with those that mirror those same qualities!!!
I am honored to serve your offices, but more important value the relationships I have had the privilege of developing!
With respect & gratitude - your friend & colleague,
Cindy
***Proudly serving the Real Estate Community as the:
"California Association of Realtors" endorsed Insurance Broker...
Voted one of the 25 Most Innovative Agents in the United States. The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research and The Rough Notes Magazine
This message originates from Costello & Sons Insurance Brokers license #0754591 and is intended for the use of the individual entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by calling 415-257-2100, and return the original message to us. Please note, email does not constitute authorization to bind coverage. Thank you.
Articles above have been provided by the listed author immediately following the article. For additional resources and information to the authors, please visit the following sites.
Are you afraid of asserting yourself, making decisions, intimacy, being alone, losing a loved one, ending a relationship, or changing something about yourself or business?
Is it some of the above? All of the above? Perhaps you could add a few more to the list. Never mind...join the crowd! Fear seems to be epidemic in our society. We fear beginnings, we fear endings. We fear change, we fear staying the same. We fear success, we feel failure. We fear living, we fear dying.
You may be surprised and encouraged to learn that while the inability to deal with fear may look and feel like a psycholological problem, in most cases it isn't. Actually it's primarily an educational problem, and by reeducating the mind you can accept fear as simply a fact of life rather than a barrier to success.
Think about entering a new situation. To meet that new situation, imagine you received an extra burst of energy, your senses are heightened, and there is a tingling, an excitement in your body, and you become more sensitive and aware.
Doesn't that sound great? Receiving the very thing we would need to do our best in a new situation! Well, that's precisely what does happen each time we enter a new, unfamiliar situation. Most of the time, however, we call it "fear" and we don't like it.
Contrary to popular belief, your parents didn't teach you to feel fear. Our parents did teach us to use fear as a reason not to do something dangerous. But by eighteen or so, we should know the difference between that which is truly dangerous and what is merely new and uncomfortable. No one draws us aside and says, "That fear you've been using as a reason not to do things-it's actually part of the energy you need to get things done!"
Once you know something is not physically dangerous, push yourself to go ahead and tackle that thing. It may feel uncomfortable (count on that), but you must keep moving one step after another in the direction of your objective. As you move in the right direction the energy will transform itself from barrier to blessing. You'll have energy, not limitation.
Remember the five truths about fear:
1. The fear will never go away as long as you are growing as a person.
2. The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it.
3. The only way to get the confidence I need to feel better about myself is to do it.
4. Not only am I going to experience fear, but so is everyone else.
5. Pushing through the fear is less frightening than living with it and feeling helpless.
This process of feeling the fear but doing it anyway reprograms our attitude from, "Fear means don't" to "Fear means, all systems go!"
Thought for today: The only thing you have to fear is fear itself!
Have a productive day and an incredible weekend.
BF
President Bill Fields Learning Systems www.billfields.com 727-341-1962 727-341-1962
Articles above have been provided by the listed author immediately following the article. For additional resources and information to the authors, please visit the following sites.
Let’s all hope this bill passes. It will continue to spur the economic and real estate recovery.
WASHINGTON — Buying a home is about to get cheaper for a whole new crop of homebuyers — $6,500 cheaper.
First-time homebuyers have been getting tax credits of up to $8,000 since January as part of the economic stimulus package. But with that program scheduled to expire at the end of November, the Senate voted 98-0 Wednesday to extend and expand the tax credit to include buyers who already own homes. The House is expected to vote on the bill Thursday. Buyers who have owned their current homes at least five years would be eligible for tax credits of up to $6,500. First-time homebuyers — or anyone who hasn't owned a home in the last three years — would still get up to $8,000. To qualify, buyers in both groups have to sign a purchase agreement by April 30, 2010, and close by June 30. The credit is available for the purchase of principal homes costing $800,000 or less, meaning vacation homes are ineligible. The credit would be phased out for individuals with annual incomes above $125,000 and for joint filers with incomes above $225,000. The credit would be extended an additional year, until June 30, 2011, for members of the military serving outside the United States for at least 90 days.
The bill is H.R. 3548.
HOW THE HOMEBUYER TAX CREDIT WOULD WORK
Tax credit: 10% of the purchase price of a primary residence, up to a maximum of $8,000 for first-time homebuyers and $6,500 for repeat buyers. First-time homebuyers are defined as people who have not owned a home in the previous three years. Repeat buyers must have owned their current home at least five years. The credit cannot be used for houses costing more than $800,000.
Deadline for qualifying: Purchase agreements must be signed by April 30, 2010, and closings must be final by June 30.
Military deadline: The deadline is extended by a year for members of the military who have served outside the U.S. for at least 90 days from Jan. 1, 2009, to May 1, 2010.
Income limits: Individuals with annual incomes up to $125,000 and joint filers with incomes up to $225,000 qualify for the full credit. Individuals with incomes up to $145,000 and joint filers with incomes up to $245,000 qualify for reduced credits.
How to apply: Taxpayers can claim the credit on their federal income tax returns. If the credit exceeds their tax bill, the government will issue a payment. Taxpayers who want immediate refunds can amend their tax returns for 2008 to claim the credit.
Cost: $10.8 billion.
Source: Joint Committee on Taxation.
Articles above have been provided by the listed author immediately following the article. For additional resources and information to the authors, please visit the following sites.
Resource Links:
Bill Fields All Star Coaching Program: http://www.AllStarCoaching.net
GreatWest GMAC Search all MLS Listings: http://www.LocalHomeLink.com
GreatWest GMAC Consumer Buyer/Seller Blog: http://www.GreatWestBlog.com
T. Sami Siddiqui (Broker/ Owner) Buzz About Sacramento Blog: http://www.samisiddiquiblog.com
Brodie Stephens (Executive Vice President) One Stop Blog: http://www.brodiestephensblog.com
GreatWest Podcasts- Weekly Updates on new REO, Short Sale, Bank Owned Foreclosure Listings: http://www.HouseTalkOnline.com
GreatWest Videos: http://www.youtube.com/brodiestephens
Facebook Brodie Stephens Profile Page: http://www.facebook.com/brodiestephens
Facebook GreatWest Profile Page: http://www.facebook.com/searchmlshomesforsale
MySpace Brodie Stephens Blog: http://www.myspace.com/brodiestephens
MySpace GreatWest Blog: http://www.myspace.com/greatwest
Picasa Web Album: http://picasaweb.google.com/brodiestephens
GreatWest Real Estate Careers- GMAC is looking for Professional Realtors to Join Us: http://www.CareersWithUs.com
Global Employee Relocation: http://www.employeerelocation.blogspot.com
Apply for a Loan: http://www.choice1funding.com
Published: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 3D Last Modified: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009 - 9:16 am
Source:Soup can soothe the soul, they say, but wine is fine as well.
Dahlynn and Ken McKowen of Orangevale have spent a good chunk of their literary lives writing inspirational vignettes for the 100 million-selling "Chicken Soup" book series, contributing to such titles as "Chicken Soup for the Fisherman's Soul: Fish Tales to Hook Your Spirit and Snag Your Funny Bone" - and even "Chicken Soup for the Soul in Menopause: Living and Laughing Through Hot Flashes and Hormones."
Now they're toiling in new vineyards - specifically, in the burgeoning foothills wine country.
The McKowens last month released a brimming book about the region: "The Wine-OH! Guide to California'sSierra Foothills" (Wilderness Press, $17.95). Logging in at more than 300 pages, the guide reads like a travelogue as it winds through 83 regional wineries.
Sure, bookstore shelves tend to be pretty well stocked with wine guides. But this "Wine-OH!" book reads a little differently, not only because of the especially bright spotlight it shines on our regional wine scene but also because of its "Chicken Soup"-style sensibility and focus on human interest stories.
Readers are introduced to the foothills' wine personalities and properties, and the guide offers day-trip ideas and contact information for those planning their own tasting adventures.
The McKowens have between them 50 years of writing experience. They specialize in travel writing and co-wrote a guide to California's missions, mansions and museums.
"Wine Buzz" caught up recently with Dahlynn
McKowen to chat about her new wine guide.
How did you two get from chicken soup to wine? What prompted you to write this book?
We love to go wine tastings at Dobra Zemlja (in Amador County). One time we were picking up some wine - we're in their wine club - and started talking to the owner. We travel so much and thought, "Maybe we can write this off somehow." Then we thought, "Hey, let's do a book!" We threw the idea out to the publisher and they loved it.
I have a background in rural tourism. At first, we were torn, like we didn't want to tell anyone about (the Sierra foothills wine country). It's like Napa was 25 years ago, when it wasn't so over the top and pretentious. The people here love what they do. They're not corporations.
There's plenty of wine in them thar hills. How did you decide which wineries to feature?
When we got the book contract, we sent surveys to all the wineries that had posted hours on their Web site. We asked some fun questions about any history they might have in the place, along with some general questions. We got the surveys back and thought about who was worthy of being included. Some places sounded big, but you'd show up, and it would be in someone's garage. Some places were also closing.
The book's full of stories and history, but not many notes about the wines themselves. Why?
We're not experts. We're wine lovers. The original subtitle was going to be, "A book for wine lovers, not wine snobs."
This isn't a best-of series. We don't say, "Go to this winery and try this cab franc" because it's the best in the region. We want to talk more about the wineries and what they're known for. We have mom-and-pop places, some bigger ones and others that are out of the way. It's not about how many medals you've won.
How long did you sip your way through the Sierra foothills to put this book together?
We spent about three or four months in wine country. All of our neighbors wanted to come with us. People ask if we tasted everywhere we went, but the book would still be in the galleys if we did.
It was very fun. It wasn't like running through a museum for an hour. We could just visit and get to know these people. Meeting and learning the people was the joy of doing the book.
Your wine guide has a pretty thorough Web site (www.wineohguide.com). It's almost like a book in itself.
It's so much fun as you go through the pages. You can see more interviews, and we've also got a monthly newsletter for our Wine-OH! club.
"The Wine-OH!" guide says it's the first in a series. What wine country are you off to next?
Our publisher was looking at a San Luis Obispo/ Santa Barbara County book, but there are too many wineries. We're leaning toward Monterey County next.
I would also love to do Lodi. That's an amazing grape-growing and wine region. It's just busting out of the seams and producing great wines.
Articles above have been provided by the listed author immediately following the article. For additional resources and information to the authors, please visit the following sites.
It contained a bill from the UC Davis Medical Center for $29,186.50 along with a form letter addressed "Dear Patient" that implied they were indigent and stated that the hospital no longer could provide them services.
"UC Davis can no longer provide follow-up care or any other non-emergency care to you," it read. "Please go to a County clinic for all non-emergency care or to get a referral to another doctor."
"It was just devastating and insulting," Gerald Hawkins said Monday. "It's just hard to grasp for words. My wife and I were near collapse."
The couple said the mailing tore at the wounds opened by the loss of their 23-year-old son.
"We were just very upset on Saturday, it just all spiraled downward," Elizabeth Hawkins said. "We called a crisis counselor and he came over and spent several hours over here."
As a means of coping, the family made a copy of the letter, took it into the backyard of their Santa Clara home and burned it.
Monday morning, they picked up the phone to straighten things out.
Gerald Hawkins said he first called the UC Davis billing department, but was so distraught he lost his voice and handed the phone to his wife.
"It was just one more unpleasant process," she said. "I was crying through the whole thing."
The parents also sent a note to the billing department noting that their son was not indigent and that he carried full medical coverage through a Kaiser Permanente plan.
Contacted by The Bee on Monday, Carole Gan, a hospital spokeswoman, called the mailing "a mistake."
She said she was limited in what information she could provide about the medical care provided to Scott Hawkins, but said he arrived at the emergency room at 3:11 p.m. and was pronounced dead five minutes later.
"The trauma team did everything they could," Gan said.
She said the bill accurately reflects the services provided but that the hospital regrets that the bill and letter were mailed to the family. She said the matter would be resolved through Hawkins' insurance company.
The suspect in Hawkins' beating death, 19-year-old Quran Jones, remained hospitalized at UC Davis on Monday in fair condition.
Officers responding to reports of a disturbance in a CSUS dormitory on the afternoon of Oct. 21 shot Jones after he allegedly lunged at them with a knife.
Jones is expected to be booked on charges of murder and attempted murder when he recovers.
Authorities have not said what they believe might have sparked the attack. Hawkins and Jones shared a suite in the dorm, and a detailed timeline compiled by campus authorities indicates Hawkins may have walked in on Jones several minutes into his rampage. Police say Jones beat Hawkins to death using the baseball bat of another suite mate.
Hawkins, who had Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism, had been attending CSUS since August, when his parents drove up to Sacramento with him and helped him move into his dorm. His parents describe him as a gentle, quiet son with a love of learning and fascination for history.
Gerald Hawkins said he was shaken by the description of services that, according to the billing, the hospital provided his son.
He said he was told by CSUS President Alexander Gonzales that his son died inside the dormitory suite.
But the billing indicates that his son lived longer than initially thought, Hawkins said. In addition to the emergency room services, the bill seeks payment for a "patient monitor," trauma rescue services, intubation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Gloria Moraga, a spokeswoman for CSUS, said she could not comment on the case because it is under investigation.
"The conversation the president and the family had was a private conversation and we cannot share it with you," she added.
The hospital bill is dated Thursday. Gerald Hawkins said he was confident his insurance company would handle the matter.
But that did nothing to allay how disturbing he finds it that the hospital sent the mailing at all.
"I can't believe this can happen in a civilized country," Hawkins said.
Articles above have been provided by the listed author immediately following the article. For additional resources and information to the authors, please visit the following sites.
Below is more from my friend Bill Fields of All Star Coaching. GreatWest GMAC believes so much in this coaching program that we put our agents through the program at no cost. For more information, please feel free to contact me. If you are a member of All Star Coaching, I would like to hear about your successes to share with GreatWest GMAC Agents. Thanks for reading.
Good Monday Morning All Stars,
5:45AM EST. Early start on a new month full of opportunities.
It's time to buckle your seat belt and get ready for a thrill ride as the real estate market takes off for a wild end of the year run. The momentum has already started. What is your plan to take advantage of this opportunity? Do you have your November plan in place? Here are a few suggestions.
1. Focus on building your listing inventory. If you have good listings it's like money in the bank. The buyers will come looking for you. The other agents will work to get your listings sold. What are you going to do in November to develop and maintain an inventory of good salable listings? Do you have a source of listing leads? Are you working expireds? FSBO's? Properties for rent unfurnished? Remember the rule of time allocation: One third of every day MUST be spend developing new business.
2. Get all of your listings positioned to sell. Price them right and keep adjusting them until they sell. You do not help your clients or yourself by denying the market reality of today. Buyers are all looking for the best value in their price range and they want a good buy on that! What about staging? Do your listings show as well as they possibly can? Let's get our inventory right and ready to sell.
3. Be a market detective. Spend a minimum of two hours each week looking for the hottest buys in the market. Search out deals. Look at foreclosures. Talk to other agents. Find the bargains that all buyers are looking for and get your buyers there first.
4. Work with prospects not suspects. You cannot service a buyer or seller into a sale. Either people are motivated to act TODAY or they are not. If you are working with a buyer who does not want to buy today, they are not a buyer! If you have a seller who doesn't care if they sell or not, they are not a seller! Your time is much too valuable to spend wasted trying to help someone who is not ready to act. Spend that time looking for and helping people who want your help to act TODAY!
5. Get your head in the game! Get both feet planted firmly in the right direction and take steps every day to move you in the direction of your goals and objectives. Don't play the blame game. Making excuses and blaming others for your lack of progress is the quickest route to failure. Do you have goals that motivate you or frustrate you? (Or no goals at all??)
Now is the time. TODAY is the day. Seize the day and make it happen. Your future is in your hands!
What are you going to do with it?
Have you completed your November goal worksheet and inputted October's productivity points? The system can't help you unless you use it!
Thought for today: Change is not a question of ability...Change is a question of motivation!
Go out and make today a productive start on a productive month.
BF
President Bill Fields Learning Systems www.billfields.com 727-341-1962 727-341-1962
Articles above have been provided by the listed author immediately following the article. For additional resources and information to the authors, please visit the following sites.
LINDA HESS of GREATWEST GMAC REAL ESTATE, 2235 Douglas Blvd.#520, Roseville, Ca. has earned the prestigious Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) designation, having completed extensive training in foreclosure avoidance and short sales. This is invaluable expertise to offer at a time when the area is ravaged by “distressed” homes in the foreclosure process.
Short sales allow the cash-strapped seller to repay the mortgage at the price that the home sells for, even though it is lower than what is owed on the property. With plummeting property values, this can save many people from foreclosure and even bankruptcy. More and more lenders are willing to consider short sales because they are much less costly than foreclosures.
In the Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado Counties, more homes are in danger of foreclosing. It is happening in all price ranges. Local experts say that even high-priced homes are not immune.
“This CDPE designation has been invaluable as I work with sellers and lenders on complicated short sales,” said REALTOR HESS. “It is so rewarding to be able to help sellers save their homes from foreclosure.”
Alex Charfen, founder of the Distressed Property Institute in Boca Raton, Fla., said that Realtors® such as LINDA HESS with the CDPE designation have valuable training in short sales that can offer the homeowner much better alternatives to foreclosure, which virtually destroys the credit rating. These experts also may better understand market conditions and can help sellers through the emotional experience, he said.
The Distressed Property Institute opened in January 2008 and provides training on-site and online. The CDPE is the premier designation for Realtors helping homeowners in distress and handling short sales.
“Our goal is to educate as many people as possible so we can help as many homeowners as possible,” Charfen said.
Linda can be reached at (916)709-1419 or visit www. ShortSellersHelpers.net
For more information about CDPE designation or to find a certified distressed Realtor in your area, please call 1-800-482-0335.Articles above have been provided by the listed author immediately following the article. For additional resources and information to the authors, please visit the following sites.
C.A.R. Green Tip of the Week: Shower power To maximize showering efficiency, make sure you have installed a low-flow showerhead in all of your bathrooms. All showerheads manufactured in the U.S. must restrict flow to 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm) or less. Some models are designed to use even less water.
Articles above have been provided by the listed author immediately following the article. For additional resources and information to the authors, please visit the following sites.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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