Your Up 400 Welcome Mat

The world is full of skillful leaders, but they often have hearts full of compromise and mixed motives.  It is the rare leader who has a pure heart, uncompromised by self interest or divided loyalties.

We must work diligently to develop our skills and guard our hearts in order to maintain integrity.  Beware of those who would have us violate our people’s trust.  Watch out for the crouching lions or division and strife that would disrupt the unity of our teams.  We need to shepherd our teams with skillful hands and integrity of heart.

As we prepare to compete, let’s ask God to sharpen our leadership skills and fill our hearts with integrity.  Let’s ask Him to do the same for others who also lead our teams into competition.

1.  Think about your team’s leadership, the coaches, brokers, agents, and the players with leadership responsibilities.  How complete is their leadership?

2.  On a one-to-ten scale, how would you assess your leadership skills?

3.  On that same scale, how would you rate your other team leaders?

4.  Would you say that they lead with integrity of heart or something less than that?

Father, shape my heart so I may lead with skill and integrity.  Teach me to lead my fellow coaches, leaders, agents and athletes in a way that helps them to be their best in a way that honors You

From FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) The Coach’s Bible, Oct 2. Roger D. Lipe

Personal growth leads to power.   To do great deeds, great power is essential.  Most people want just enough power to get by.  There are a few of us who have latched on to this crazy idea that we can change the world.

The words we use are powerful.  Words carry energy.  To me more powerful, replace the following words in your vocabulary:

BUT  with AND

TRY with CHOOSE

It’s hard with It’s a challenge I haven’t mastered yet

I can’t    with I CAN

I need    with I choose

Have to   with I intend to or I get to

I want    with I request  or I choose

What’s wrong   with What’s troubling you? or What’s keeping you up at night?

I hate   with I prefer

Ultimately, it’s your choice.  Choose wisely and be powerful!

Home Values in Forsyth County will bloom and this is why.  Our school system is one of the best!  Forsyth County is located just north of Fulton County and Alpharetta up the GA 400 corridor and on the western shore of Lake Lanier. It’s a great place to live, work and play! The Best Atlanta has to offer with a very good quality of life. Excellent schools, Parks & Rec, Lake Lanier, low crime, and much more…    Forsyth County will pull out of this economic slump before our neighboring counties because of the schools.  People want to move to the areas where the schools are magnets.

 7th fastest growing county in the nation….on the “top 10″ list since 1995.

Population is now 167,775

Unemployment rate is 7.3% and is the 2nd lowest of any other metro area county

Median househole income is $95,141

2,378 Active Homes for Sale
308 Pending Sale
430 Sold year to date

There are 287 homes on Lake Lanier for Sale. 11 homes are Pending Sale. 12 homes have SOLD so far on Lake Lanier in 2009.

The current lake level is 1063.83 ft above sea level. That’s 7.17′ below full pool.

 Can you see the flowers blooming  now?

Finally, we are within 10′ of Full Pool on Lake Lanier.  Docks are starting to float again and spirits are up.  Spring is here (although as I write this there are snow flurries out my window).  Last summer’s drought combined with the Army Corp of Engineers releasing so much water, Lake Lanier got to a record low of nearly 20′ below full pool.   Most boat ramps were closed.  Old roads were revealed.  People thought the lake had dried up.

Welcome 2009!  No more complaining about the rain.  With all of the recent rainfall, the lake has risen over 6′ since the beginning of the year.  Let’s go get the boat. 

For more history of Lake Lanier, visit http://lanier.sam.usace.army.mil/history.htm

Selling homes up the Ga 400 corridor in Forsyth County, Cherokee County, Dawson county, North Fulton County & Lake Lanier… 

The latest Market Update report from the FMLS was released this past week and here are the highlights (or lowlights)

The average price for a home in Metro Atlanta has just plunged.  Unemployment hit an all-time high for Georgia last month, climbing to 9.3% therefore the demand for homes is softer and the ability to buy is more difficult.

The good news is the Spring market should be here by now with Buyers starting to get serious about taking advantage of Federal Income Tax Credits for 1st time Home Buyers, Historically LOW interest rates that could even get better and a large amount of inventory to choose from including lots of foreclosures and bank owned property.  The reality of this for you, as a Seller, is that you are competing with a lot of people who absolutely must sell their home, Bank-owned properties and distressed sales that bring down the prices across metro Atlanta.  

For every 100 closings right now,

Foreclosures and Short Sales    40%

Relocations are    22%

New construction is     22%

All other Resales    16%

As the market continues to SHIFT, one of the obstacles to getting homes closed has been the appraisals.  As prices plunge across Atlanta it is crucial that we are priced in front of the market.   I am working with a local appraiser to offer a discounted rate to anyone interested in having an appraisal done.   Then we can use it to show Buyers that we are priced at or below the current market and prove to them that they are getting a good deal.  If you are interested in an appraisal for your home, please call me now.

Our focus continues to be a DAILY search for Buyers.  If you are a BUYER that has the ability to BUY, NOW IS THE TIME!  Let us HELP YOU!  http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Taxes/CutYourTaxes/ACrazyComplexCreditForHomebuyers.aspx?page=1   more good news is that a buyer can get the money this year by filing an amended return for 2008 (if they’ve already filed the 2008 return).

Please call us today if you have any questions about this information, your market area, the way you are competing or the deals that are out there.  We’d love the opportunity to work with you.

My football coach use to tell us to keep our head up when we tackled someone so we wouldn’t get hurt.  He use to tell us that when someone tried to tackle us we should keep our legs moving and we wouldn’t go down.  Every day we hear the bad news about what the economy is doing or the market is horrible.   What are our options?  Give up or Move on!  “Keep your head up and your legs moving!”  I can still hear Coach yelling that to all of us.  Thanks Coach!

As I get ready to go to Park City, Utah for a family vacation to close out 2008 and ring in 2009, I am reminded of the many ways God has truly blessed me.  My family, my parents, my brothers, In-laws, Team, KW Staff, KW Region, KW International, many friends, and the list of people goes on and on…   Born in the U.S.A. to a God fearing Christian family in the Bible Belt.   Wow, what a great head start in life!  A place to live, sleep, eat without worry.  Technology to make the world closer and to capture more opportunities of course.  We are a nation blessed by God!  We live in the most powerful country ever in the history of the world.  Let’s not take it for granted and remember to thank the One above who put you here.

There has never been a better time to BUY!  There is a lot to choose from and interest rates are low.  Stocks are down and investments have taken a HIT.  Real estate is one of the rocks of building long term wealth in the U.S.  You make your money on the Buy side.  Buy it right and hold it or improve it and your return will be worth it.   Then let’s do it again.  We can help you!  Ask about our Top 10 list of lake properties on Lake Lanier and our Top 10 Best Buys in Forsyth County.

Welcome to Mickey Hyams’s Blog! This blog will provide you with valuable information, tips, and general insight into the real estate market in Cumming.