Karen Luke - Henry County Real Estate

If you haven't heard this story yet, you've got to watch below. It's crazy. And it's gutsy. This family gave the bank a taste of it's own medicine--so to speak.

It's also a classic example of why there is a moratorium on foreclosures with some banks. You know-- robosigning. The last thing banks want to add to their expense sheet is another lawyer. There will be lawsuits galore. I think we may see something very new-- foreclosure reversals. Not many, but there will be some worth telling about.

Keep in mind these kinds of stories may make banks or lenders more inclined to sell properties before foreclosure through a short sale process.

Sooooo, if you know someone in the Henry County area facing foreclosure, let me know. I'll try to help. Short sale may be the best way to avoid these kinds of nightmares.

Watch below. It is very interesting. They've already coined a new word--fraudclosure.

If you live in the Union Grove School District and you are just wondering about the real estate market, this report is for you. Keep in mind that these numbers change constantly, like a moving target. This report is simply a snapshot of what is going on January 22, 2010.

As you can see, there is a lot of activity in the $100K and under price range and then the two price ranges between $125K and $175. It's what many buyers are willing to pay.

If you think homes aren't selling. Look below.

This where your competition is.

Got questions? Call me at 404-803-7199.

The beautiful thing about living in  Henry County is that you always know somebody who can find out just about anything you can dream of.

The other morning, I heard Taylor from a 104.7 FM (The Fish) says that she and her husband were wanting to find a prosthetics-centered charity to donate to for the Haiti Relief effort. I thought that's it. That's how I want our family to help in the Haiti Relief Effort--donate to a prosthetics-centered charity.

That afternoon, while sitting in the carpool line I saw the mother, (Paige Spratlin) of a double ampute girl, Adanech, walk by. I asked her how I could find that out, and, ....well she got right on it. She called her provider of prosthetics, Hanger Orthopedic Group, and they had just released this press release.

Apparently, we  were not the only ones with this idea.

So, if you were waiting  to find a Haiti relief effort that you can be sure will make a difference, consider this posting of Hanger's Press Release.

For Immediate Release

January 21, 2010                                                   Press Contact: Jennifer Bittner, 904-249-4210

jbittner@hanger.com

 

Hanger Orthopedic Group to Donate $250,000 in Funding and Orthopedic Devices to Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts

Bethesda, MD — Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. (Hanger) and its philanthropic organization The Hanger Ivan R. Sabel Foundation announced today that it will provide $250,000 in funding and orthopedic devices to assist with the medical needs of those affected by the earthquake in Haiti. 

A direct cash donation of $25,000 and a contribution of $225,000 in orthopedic devices, including neck and back braces, limb immobilizers, fracture boots, wrist splints, and cervical collars, will be donated to two charitable organizations currently providing care in Haiti – Physicians for Peace and Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere). 

“We feel deeply for the people affected by this profound tragedy and we hope our contribution will help ease some of the suffering,” Hanger President and CEO Tom Kirk said.  “As the largest provider of orthotic and prosthetic patient care, we see firsthand everyday the hope that can be instilled by restoring mobility and functionality to those with severe orthopedic injuries.  We will continue to work 

with Physicians for Peace and Project HOPE, as well as other non-profits, to define the clinical need and the logistics to provide care and services in Haiti.”

In addition to the funding and device donations, many of Hanger’s 1,100+ prosthetists and orthotists have expressed interest in providing care and clinical expertise in Haiti.

To learn more about the aforementioned non-profit organizations receiving donations from Hanger for the people of Haiti, please visit Physicians for Peace www.physiciansforpeace.org and Project HOPE www.projecthope.org.  

About Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc.:

Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc., headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is the world's premier provider of orthotic and prosthetic patient care services. Hanger is the market leader in the United States, owning and operating 669 patient care centers in 45 states and the District of Columbia, with over 3,700 employees including 1,095 practitioners (as of September 30, 2009). Hanger is organized into four units. The two key operating units are patient care, which consists of nationwide orthotic and prosthetic practice centers, and distribution, which consists of distribution centers managing the supply chain of orthotic and prosthetic componentry to Hanger and third party patient care centers. The third is Linkia, which is the first and only provider network management company for the orthotics 

and prosthetics industry. The fourth unit, Innovative Neurotronics, introduces emerging neuromuscular technologies developed through independent research in a collaborative effort with industry suppliers worldwide. For more information on Innovative Neurotronics, Inc. or the WalkAide®, visit www.ininc.us. For more information on Hanger, visit www.hanger.com.

This document may contain forward-looking statements relating to the Company's revenues, contracts and operations. The United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for certain forward-looking statements. Statements relating to future revenues, contracts and operations in this document reflect the current views of management. However, various risks, uncertainties and contingencies could cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements, including the Company's ability to enter into and derive benefits from managed care contracts, the demand for the Company's orthotic and prosthetic services and products and the other factors identified in the Company's periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Here comes the sun, yadadaadaaa, here comes the sun. Last week I wrote about how why we close when snow comes to the Atlanta area--because we southerners have no business driving on icy roads and we don't have the equipment to get sand and salt on all the roads that need it.

Now we are fixing busted water pipes and sorting through auto accidents. While we were bundled up in our homes (with our milk and breead, of course) we watched the local TV stations for schools closings. I got to thinking. What if we only allowed certain drivers to drive while roads were icy. Say, your insurance rated you on your ablility to drive on icy roads.

Class 1--you have lived and drived in North Dakota for 10 years

Class 2--you have lived and drived occassionally on icy roads in Tennessee for 5 years

Class3--nobody in your family has ever lived north of Atlanta and you think snow means "vacation."

Instead of school closings on the TV station crawler, you would see what class of people get to drive. Class 1 can drive as they wish. Class 2 can drive only on major roads that have been treated with sand and salt. And Class 3, well, you have to wait until everythng has thawed.

Insurance companies could require you to sign up for the twitter feed to tell you when you could drive if you didn't have TV.

This is all tongue-in-cheek. I would be in class 3. Watch the video. What do you think?

The figures below are simple. In the Woodland School District of Henry County, GA, single-family home sales of $100K and below make up just over 40% of the total sales for the last 6 months. That's 49 out of 120 sales total.

Now, look at the pending or under contracts report below. There's a glimmer of hope for homes priced in the $350K to $400K. I'll be looking that up to get the scoop on that. For now, it looks like a particular neighborhood may have had a great sale.

Okay. Now, look at the inventory below. Again the $100K price range is where there is sales activity, but also where there is some competition. You can compare these figures for the Woodland School District to an earlier post that has the same figures for all of Henry County, GA.

Now, if you live in the Woodland School District and you are thinking about selling in the next six months, please remember that the last six months aren't necessarily an indicator of what the market will do the next upcoming six months. Remember, there is a tax credit for move-up buyers, not just first-time home buyers.

If you are even thinking of selling your home in 2010, you can contact me for a no-obligation, no pressures, no hassles, free consultation of what you need to do now to get ready to sell. My contact info is to your right.