According to a press release sent out by the City of Johns Creek, Georgia, Fulton County was officially added to the list of counties declared federal disaster areas, following the flooding and torrential rains two weeks ago in Georgia. This means both residents and business owners are eligible for aid.
It's that time of year - time for The Gebhardt Group's 4th Annual Trick or Treat for the Troops! Once again, we are collecting donations for our holiday care packages to be sent to brave men and women of our Armed Services who will be deployed during the holiday season.
How can you help? There are a number of ways!
Donate items from our list - our donation drop-off day is Saturday, October 24 from 1:30-5:30 PM at our office, located at 10220 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, GA.
Donate $$ toward postage fees, which are completely subsidized by The Gebhardt Group.
Send us the names and addresses of your family members, friends and neighbors who are serving overseas, so that we can send them care packages for themselves and their units.
Pass this email along to your friends and family, so that they can be involved, too!
Here's what we are collecting:
To read two stories of soldiers who received our care packages, click here:
October 4 - 10 is National Fire Prevention Week. It's a good time to check your smoke and fire alarms, and you might as well check your carbon monoxide detectors while you're at it!
While we usually remind people to check their smoke alarms twice a year -- usually when we change our clocks, springing forward and falling back -- Fire Prevetion Week is a great time to check them, too.
Make sure that you text your smoke alarms weekly and be sure you test and replace batteries at least twice a year.
October 4 - 10 is National Fire Prevention Week and the City of Johns Creek, Georgia, is using it as an opportunity to educate its citizens about fire prevention and fire safety tips.
All this week between 4 PM - 6 PM, the public is invited to stop in to its local Johns Creek fire station for a tour and children's fire safety materials, badges and hats.
The final installment of this year's "Movies in the Park" in Johns Creek, Georgia, is Ice Age 3 - scheduled for Saturday, October 3 at Johns Creek's Newtown Park.
And there's a 100% chance of snow that evening, at least according to the City of Johns Creek!
In celebration of the last film of the year and the fact that the showing is Ice Age 3, the city will have a snow machine on hand! The event is FREE and starts at 6 PM with pre-show events, with the movie starting at 7:30 PM. Food vendors will be there selling snacks and beverages, but you can also feel free to bring picnic baskets - no alcohol is permitted.
Here's a map to Newtown Park, which is located in Johns Creek, near the intersection of Old Alabama Road and Haynes Bridge Road:
The City of Johns Creek is seeing its tax dollars go toward another worthy investment - its own 911 Emergency Communcations Center.
Developed with the City of Sandy Springs and servicing both of the new cities in north Fulton County, Georgia, the promise is that the new 911 center will provide more efficient service that the current Fulton County system, under which both cities previously fell.
I took the Johns Creek 101 class back in the spring and it was refreshing to hear the Mayor and the City Manager talk about the new 911 system with so much enthusiasm and pride. Only time will tell if it truly improves the efficiency and response time from when we were under the Fulton County system, but on paper, at least, it looks great now!
It's not every day you get to see your mentor, teammate and boss in print!
Congratulations to Pam Gebhardt - who is all three of those things to me - on being featured in the CRS (Certified Residential Specialist) magazine, The Residential Specialist, in the September/October 2009 issue with a referral story.
I wanted to share it here because it's a great story - and if it doesn't convince you to begin working on (or finish) your CRS designation...I don't know what will!
I became a CRS because Pam is one - I saw the amazing impact it can have on your business and just one month after receiving my designation, I got my first referral, too.
We just received an Emergency Advisory email from the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce with road closures for Alpharetta. Please drive with caution - lights and wipers on - do not attempt to drive through large pools of standing water - be more careful than you think you need to be!
Respondents on the 11 Alive website/blog are reporting being trapped in their neighborhoods and homes, with entrances and driveways flooded and surrounded by rushing water. There are videos of kids clinging to trees to avoid being swept away. Not to mention countless homes and basements flooding. This morning's news reported water levels in Cobb County being 2 1/2 feet over flood stage.
Is there an end in sight? According to weather.com, we don't have sunny skies in the forecast until Monday, September 28. Let's hope that, as often is the case, the weather forecasters aren't completely accurate!
Interested in taking action and urging your U.S. Congressional Representatives to extend the homebuyer tax credit?
Good! So am I!
I sent this letter to both my state senators and my state representative in Congress: Senator Saxby Chambliss, Senator Johnny Isakson and Representative Tom Price - if you would like to do the same, it's simple. Just copy and paste my letter (below) and send it to your representatives.
Follow the simple instructions and then let the emails fly! And while you're at it, bookmark the site, so that you can contact your representatives for any issue that you are passionate about. Let your voice be heard!
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Dear Representative,
As a Realtor and a constituent, I can assure you that the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit has definitely been a success. Homebuyer interest and housing sales increased almost as soon as the ink was dry on the tax credit legislation. Today's lower prices and interest rates appeal to consumers, but it's been the tax credit that has attracted people to open houses and to homeownership.
That progress could grind to a halt sooner than you think. Congress must act NOW to extend the credit through 2010. Otherwise, uncertainty will return and the market might again be frozen -- possibly as soon as October.
A homebuyer is eligible for the tax credit only if the home is "purchased" before December 1, 2009. That means that buyers have to find a house, complete a contract, satisfy any contingencies, secure financing and go to closing by November 30. Accomplishing those tasks by November 30 will become more difficult with every passing day. In today's market, it generally takes between 45 and 60 days to go from contract to closing.
The market has improved, but it has not yet fully corrected itself. The credit needs to be extended for an additional period of time and expanded in order to build upon the progress that's been made. Uncertainty about the future of the credit will dampen consumer demand. The best way to assure continued housing activity is to extend and expand the credit and to do that NOW.
We can't wait until late in the year to see what happens. Consumers will drop out soon if they can't predict what's in their future. Please act NOW to extend and expand the credit through 2010.
DISCLAIMER: The Gebhardt Group and all of its members disclaim liability for any damages or losses, direct or indirect that may result from use of or reliance on, information contained in their blogs or for accuracy of comments or opinions of visitors to her blogs.
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.
October 4 - 10 is National Fire Prevention Week and the City of Johns Creek, Georgia, is using it as an opportunity to educate its citizens about fire prevention and fire safety tips.
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