COLDWELL BANKER® PLATINUM PARTNERS RECOGNIZES COLDWELL BANKER’S 2014 TOP AGENTS!

Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners would like to congratulate its Top Coldwell Banker Agents for  2014.   These prestigious memberships have been awarded to the respective top percent of all sales associates / representatives worldwide in the Coldwell Banker system.

“It is an honor to recognize our Partners who rank extremely high  with the Top Coldwell Banker Agents Globally,” said Connie Farmer Ray, CEO of Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners.  “Our team’s continuous hard work and determination exceeds expectations as they help many achieve their dreams of home ownership.  I would like to congratulate our outstanding sales agents, staff and managers for exemplifying the standards of excellence for which Coldwell Banker is known.  The success of our Company truly reflects the mission, core values, and dedication to the clients and customers we serve who make our Company successful.”

We would like to congratulate the following associates:

International Presidential Elite (Earning Top 2% of all Coldwell Banker Agents Globally) – Jane Beare, Annette Bryant and Jeff Shaufelberger.

International President’s Circle (Earning Top 6% of all Coldwell Banker Agents Globally) – Michael Mark, Lyn McCuen, Sonny Wright, John DuBose, Angie Schroeder and James Vivenzio.

International Diamond Society (Earning Top 11% of all Coldwell Banker Agents Globally) – Marion Leith, Jenny Hearn, Karen Thomas, Dana Hill, Beale Cummings, Terrance Green, Marie Houben, Alicia Ackman, Aaron Hoffman, Elaine Culler-Marlatt, Michael Cherry, Missy Buskirk and Ray Smith.

International Sterling Society (Earning Top 17% of all Coldwell Banker Agents Globally) – Stephen Clementi, Mike Ray and Charles Gilyard.

^Coldwell Banker Sales Associates/Representatives are independent contractors.  Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners, established in 1995, is a full-service real estate firm with more than 100 sales agents strategically dispersed among its office locations stretching from Beaufort, South Carolina, through the greater Savannah area to St. Simons Island, Georgia. The company was founded by Connie Farmer Ray, president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners. In addition to listing and selling residential real estate, Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners’ other divisions include commercial real estate, property management, relocation services and a publishing/media division. The company’s corporate offices are located at 6349 Abercorn St., Savannah, Georgia. For more information visit their Web site at www.MyCbpp.com or call 800.505.8111.

5 Tips to Avoid Home-Design Arguments::Feature Agent Michael Mark

Michael Mark is a REALTOR
with our South Carolina Office
Mobile Phone: (843) 812-6023

5 Tips to Avoid Home-Design Arguments

(TNS)—Sharing your life with someone is a beautiful thing, but that doesn’t always mean you share the same design and style preferences when it comes to your home. Whether you’ve lived together for one year or 20, use this advice from highly rated interior designers to stop the fights that have kept you from painting the walls or tiling the floors.

1. Start with a design plan
Jodi Schavone, owner of Décor Coach in Apex, N.C., says to make a list of how the room has to function for each person before embarking on a design project. This will help couples and families prioritize and understand why one idea might be better than another.

Think realistically about how you’ll use the space, along with whether you have a big family or like to entertain. Look through pictures online or in magazines, and talk openly about your likes and dislikes.

2. Listen to each other
Communicate openly, and don’t forget to listen. Interior designers say the majority of their job comes down to listening to clients. Sometimes your spouse or partner might just want his or her ideas heard. Discussing concerns helps to avoid conflict, and will help you determine what he or she likes about a particular color, pattern or piece of furniture.

3. Blend your design styles
“A home is like a marriage,” Schavone says. “It won’t work if it’s one-sided.” Not everything has to match. There are ways to mix style preferences, according to Schavone. This could be as easy as using one person’s color choices with the other person’s fabric selection. You want your new space to reflect both of you.

4. Give and take to keep the peace
There are usually places in the home where each person can have it their way, says Kathy Tufts, owner of Beyond Design in Clifton, Va., For example, choose neutral themes and colors for your common area, but allow some creativity in personal offices, bedrooms or hobby rooms. You’ll have to compromise many times throughout your life. This is good practice.

5. Hire an interior designer
Bringing in reinforcements often helps you see eye to eye, but could cost you between $100 and $200 for an initial one-hour consultation. “A big part of my job is being a marriage counselor or peace mediator,” Tufts says.

Schavone agrees. “In listening to my clients, I detail what’s most important,” she says. “If I address the important parts of their ideas, they can usually give a little.”

©2015 Angie's List
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2015. All rights reserved.

Stain Removal Tricks That Work

Stain Removal Tricks That Work
By Barbara Pronin

Few things are more alarming for young professionals on a budget than spilling ketchup on a new silk tie or finding ink marks on a good leather handbag.

Self-proclaimed ‘stain ninja’ Ashley Marcin, who spent three years concocting home remedies that work as well or better than expensive commercial products, recently shared her stain removal wizardry with readers of consumer living blog Wisebread.com:
For cottons – Quick action is required for stains on cotton. Blot oil stains with a clean cloth, then cover with baking soda for 30 minutes before brushing off. Wine gives way to salt and cold water, while coffee and other stains flush away with a generous amount of white vinegar.
Silks – Most oily stains will clean up easily if you cover them with baby powder for 30 minutes before heading for the dry cleaner. In a pinch, use artificial sweetener instead of powder – and for red wine stains, soak the item for eight hours in OxiClean and water.
Leather – Whether on a couch or a purse, leather is susceptible to stains. The good news is, most will clean up easily with a mixture of soapy water and leather cleaner. Spritz on the water, squeeze on the cleaner, then buff with the scrubbing side of a kitchen sponge.
Wool – Wool fabric stains also require quick action. Mix vinegar and wool cleaner in a 1:1 ratio. Soak the area and blot inward to prevent the stain from spreading. The wash or dry clean as recommended.
Microfiber – Check the tag to see what it’s made of, because some require water while others can take solvents. If you’re not sure, spritz rubbing alcohol on the stain, then rub it in and let air dry.
Carpet – Most carpet stains respond to a good soaking. Start by dunking a cloth into a solution of ¼ teaspoon dish detergent and one cup lukewarm water. Blot the stain and let rest for 15 minutes. Then repeat this process, but with a mix of one cup vinegar and two cups water. Let sit again before finishing off with plain water and repeat again if needed.
Car interiors – Try a 1:1 mix of water and vinegar and scrub the stained area with a toothbrush.

Protecting Your Nest Egg as You Age::Guest Agent - Rayea Pieschel, SSI

Rayea Pieschel
REALTOR - St Simons Island, GA
Mobile Phone: (912) 222-4402

People pondering their retirement years often conjure images of spending more time on a favorite pastime or traveling around the country or the world.

Health concerns can intrude on those idyllic scenes, though, not only affecting enjoyment of life but also punching a heavy dent in retirement savings.

“As we age, usually our medical or long-term care expenses increase, sometimes depleting our assets to a level of crisis,” says financial advisor Jake Lowrey, president of Lowrey Financial Group.

“It’s important for retirees, and anyone planning for retirement, to become educated about what the pitfalls are and what they need to do to avoid losing their life savings.”

Long-term care especially can burn a hole in savings accounts. In 2012, for example, nursing home care averaged $74,800 a year, according to a report by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

Meanwhile, assisted living facilities averaged $39,500 per year, and home-health services averaged $21 per hour.

More than 10 million Americans need some sort of long-term care, the Kaiser report says. That number covers all ages, even children, but about half are people 65 and older.

“Those older Americans had looked forward to enjoying their golden years,” Lowrey says. “They should be able to have actual golden years instead of what can end up being scary years, both personally and financially.”

Certainly, being able to maintain good health is a key factor in protecting savings and making retirement enjoyable and satisfying, he says.

But life doesn’t always work out that way. Fortunately, there are strategies seniors can use to lessen the impact of expenses brought on by long-term care needs. Lowrey says some of those include:

• VA benefits. Military veterans may be able to offset nursing home or assisted-living expenses through benefits provided by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. A veteran’s eligibility for long-term care services would be determined based on his or her need for ongoing treatment, personal care and assistance, as well as the availability of the service in the area where the person lives, according to the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Other factors, such as financial eligibility, a service-connected disability, insurance coverage, and/or ability to pay may also come into play.

• Medicaid compliant SPIAs. A SPIA is a single-premium immediate annuity. Typically, a SPIA is a contract with an insurance company where you pay the company a sum of money up front (the premium), and the company promises to pay you a certain amount of money periodically for the rest of your life.

A Medicaid compliant SPIA is a specially designed annuity that pays out over the person’s “life expectancy” and has other specific characteristics. A couple who put money in a Medicaid annuity are able to avoid having the income from that annuity count against the financial assistance a spouse receives for nursing home care.

• Setting up a trust. Trusts can help shelter wealth from the look-back periods in Medicaid requirements and assist in qualifying for VA programs, among other advantages, Lowrey says.

Source: www.lowreyfinancial.com

Dealing with Spring Allergies

Dealing with Spring Allergies

After a long and hard winter, most of us are looking forward to spring. Spring is the season when birds chirp, grass grows and cool and nice breezes welcome you outside. While the season has its joys and moments, there are some of us who suffer from seasonal allergies in the spring. This often makes outdoor activities extremely challenging for them.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America suggest that pollen from trees, weeds and grass can start as early as February. That is when symptoms like congestion, runny nose, sneezing and watery eyes kick in.

Allergies are caused by our body's overreaction to certain substances. They can range from sneezing to breaking out in hives. People are allergic to different things including pollen, molds, animal dander and harmless proteins in the environment. According to Dr. Marina Gafanovich, MD, “Seasonal allergies are triggered by substances that are more common at particular times of the year, like pollen. Your body reacts with some kind of inflammation, which produces a lot of annoying symptoms.”

In the early part of spring, yellow pollen is everywhere—on our cars, our driveways, and our grass. In addition, there are pollen particles that are not visible to the naked eye. Pollen can be extremely bothersome for people with allergies and often triggers classic symptoms of allergic rhinitis including sneezing, runny nose, nasal stuffiness, itchy eyes, nose, ears or throat, sinus pressure and postnasal drainage. In some people, seasonal allergic rhinitis also results in itchy or inflamed skin.

The most effective strategy for dealing with pollen is to avoid exposure to it. However, that is difficult to achieve since pollen is everywhere. Those suffering from such allergies can use antihistamines or nasal steroids/nasal antihistamines. It's best to use the medicines as per the guidelines of your physician. However, allergic rhinitis is treatable and there is no reason why you should suffer from it and not be able to enjoy spring. 

If you suffer from allergies, it is recommended that you keep the windows in your house closed. Always take off your shoes before entering the house and wipe down pets if they've been outside. For those of you who suffer from serious allergies, try to avoid going outside early in the morning since pollen count is very high at that time. If you have to work in the yard, wear a paper mask.

You can check the pollen count in your area by reviewing reports from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). You can sign up for daily updates to be aware of how the day will be.

Always keep your place is dust-free. Vacuum thoroughly and make sure you clean crevices where dust particles can set in. Clean carpets, pillows, curtains, furniture and under the bed. There are ways you can boost your immune system. Some immune-friendly foods and supplements include onions, apples, coconut oil, honey and olive leaf complex. Honey is soothing for the throat; green tea also has many healing compounds. Quercetin and stinging nettle can also help combat sneezing, itchy eyes and runny nose.

Spring is the season of bloom and joy. People with seasonal allergies can also enjoy the season as long as they take some precautionary measures to protect them from harmful substances.

Sources: http://www.mynycdoctor.com, http://www.aafa.org/

Arnetta Gibert Joins Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners’ Sales Team in Savannah

Arnetta Gibert Joins Coldwell Banker
Platinum Partners’ Sales Team in Savannah

Arnetta Gibert has joined Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners 6349 Abercorn Street Office as a REALTOR.  Arnetta believes that Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners represents the “Brand” for all real estate needs.  She says, “Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners offers training and all the newest trends and technologies to help both buyers and sellers.  Our teams are committed to being available to best help you!” Arnetta focuses on new homes and first time buyers in and around the Savannah Areas.  Arnetta, who attended Northeastern University in Boston, MASS, recently retired from her role as a Performance Leader for Airport Customer Service at Delta Air Lines after 20 years.  She also volunteers for Relay for Life and Safe Shelter.  “I am a hardworking individual and dedicated to helping my clients find their ideal home!” 

Arnetta Gibert may be reached at Arnetta.Gibert@Coldwellbanker.com or at 912-675-2351.