Last Thursday I went to take my son Jase for a walk.  About half way through I realized it was time for our dear friend’s 7 ½ month old daughter to be headed into open heart surgery. I stopped the stroller on the side of the road, and right there I kneeled down and prayed with Jase for our sweet Lucy girl. I had faith that everything would turn out perfectly.  That confidence was boosted partially due to a Facebook page I had randomly started following earlier in the week.

Heart Warrior Lucy

Knowing that Lucy was going to be undergoing open heart surgery soon, when heart warrior Finn popped up in my news feed needing prayers, of course I immediately started following his page. It wasn’t until Finn’s Mom, Kelly posted on the Facebook page, enlisting the help of Finn’s supporters organize thank you notes to Finn’s surgeon, cardiologist, and the nurses at UVA for taking such amazing care of Finn that it clicked! I re-read it another time, “the nurses at UVA”… Lucy was at UVA too! How I had missed that up to this point I don’t know, but I immediately typed up a message to the “Prayers for Finn” Facebook page. This is what my message said:

“I have been praying so hard for Finn and I JUST realized you are at UVA. My very good friend’s daughter just had heart surgery today. I know this sounds weird but if you see Brian and Kristi Verna and their sweet baby Lucy please say hello!”

Before I hit the send button, I sat there a moment and thought these people are going to think that I have lost my mind. The thought that followed was, oh well it won’t be the first time someone has thought that! Off the message went.

Kelly immediately responded with “No way!  Guess what? They were in the room right next to us and we didn’t know it!” The next part is just mind blowing, Kelly said she was emailing the social worker and asking them to deliver a “lovey” to Lucy right away, and that once Lucy was moved to the step down floor to please let her know so that she could go give Kristi a huge hug. The enormity of that hit me, what an amazing family this is!  In middle of a child having a major surgery, they are reaching out to help and encourage others!

I figured I better warn Kristi that if a stranger ran up to her and hugged her, that it was Finn’s Mom! Kristi responded “Hugs are my best friend right now!” The families have now met and I actually did not have to let Kelly know when Lucy was moved because for the second time in the massive hospital that UVA is, they ended up being next door again! They realized once they met that they have so much in common that I am sure that they will be heart buddies forever. I am certain that fate intervened and this was a divine meeting.  Every time I think about how many things fell into place for this meeting, I am in pure awe.

#spreadthelovey

When we met for our regular Monday meeting this week I knew I had to tell my team about these awesome families and their heart warriors Lucy and Finn. You see, the “lovey” that was sent to Lucy was received by many other children in the hospital on the day of Finn’s open heart surgery. You can see the full story of Finn and the lovey’s here on Fredericksburg.com.

When asked what we could do to help, Michael and Kelly Blumenthal (Finn’s Parents) asked that we direct people to www.spreadthelovey.com.  From there click on “#spreadthelovey Donation to Heart Warriors”, then in the “Donate to” drop down box select Friends of Finn at UVA Hospital.  , enter the code KIND for free shipping and select the ABC lovey. It will say it’s shipping to them but it will go to the Blumenthal’s and they will be packaged up and given to kids just like Lucy!

Story by: Amy Adams

What can you do to help?

Once we heard that information, we quickly donated a lovey from each of our team members.  We are also praying for Finn and Lucy, and every other sweet little angel that is experiencing the same type of medical difficulties.  And now we have a request for you… won’t you donate a lovey?  It’s only $18 per lovey.

Secondly, won’t you comment on our FB page that you have done so and/or pray with us?  We want to pray specifically over every lovey we can that is sent to a special child!

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Today I was driving south on Route 1 near Thornburg when I look over at the Sheetz at the corner of Route 1 and Massaponax Church Road.  In a quick glimpse in that direction I spotted all the usual things… cars entering and exiting the parking lot, cars and SUVs at gas pumps, patrons going in and out of the store, and a horse tied out front.  Wait!  What?!

You don’t see that every day I thought as I drove on.  But, I just can’t stand knowing there is a story and I don’t know what it is.  So, I turned around and headed back to Sheetz to see if I could learn more.

I pulled my truck to a stop and parked just as the rider returned to the horse.  It was a very interesting sight because it was just so out of place.  He strode confidently to the horse wearing a cowboy hat and chaps, a cell phone was clipped to his belt and a lit cigarette hung from his lips.  He offered a smile as I walked up and introduced myself as the friendly neighborhood superhero Realtor.  Not really, but I did introduce myself as someone who is immensely curious and told him that I was intrigued by he and his horse.  Then I asked about his story.

It turns out his name is Leslie and he is riding to raise awareness and donations for the American Stroke Association. He was currently on his way to the local American Legion, on to Washington D.C. and then westward from there.  Leslie seemed a genuinely nice guy and he made sure that when I asked to take the photo that I knew how to point people to the American Stroke Association.  He needed to press on with his ride, so I didn’t get to ask other questions that were on my mind, like what caused him to have a passion for this particular cause?  So, we can only speculate on that.  But regardless, I appreciate and give honor to people like Leslie who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and do something.

If you want to consider donating to this cause, you can learn more at the American Stroke Association website.  Make sure you indicate that you learned about this cause because of Leslie and his horse near Fredericksburg, Virginia.

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When I ponder who I want to write about in an effort to give honor, I think about who has made a significant impact on the community in which they live.  I would be hard pressed to write about someone whom I personally know, that has made a more significant impact in our community than Pastor Daniel Floyd.

As I have pieced together the story, about ten years ago, a group of 50 people approached a young man who had returned to Virginia to pursue his second masters degree.  They asked him to lead a church they wanted to start.  He told them no. (I chuckle when I think about this story.) Apparently they persisted in their efforts to convince him otherwise, until he laid out his vision of what a church should look like.  He probably thought that this vision would deter them.  It was, after all, a fairly radical concept of a church.

The concept didn’t include the rituals and customs that people have added to “the church.”  It included being laser focused on reaching people who are far from God.  Daniel says, “We will do anything short of sin to reach people who are far from God.”  It didn’t involved the typical “Sunday School” but rather focused on people meeting in homes as a community and for bible study. It included radical generosity, and several other core values.

I ponder this vision, and think that Pastor Daniel’s journey can’t have been an easy one.  I am sure, as he has blazed this trail, he has encountered and endured hardship, ridicule, and more.  When I consider this I give honor to the obedience that this man of God has demonstrated.  I give honor to the leadership he has shown in leading this group of 50 people to what Lifepoint Church has become today.

So how many lives has this man impacted in our community?  I can’t begin to estimate the number.  But, it is staggering.  The beginning of Lifepoint Church that numbered 50 people, today is one church with three campuses.  It live streams and podcasts it’s message around the globe.  More than 8,000 people attended services over this past Easter weekend.  That same weekend nearly 1000 lives were changed by their encounter with God at Lifepoint Church.

In the nearly three years I have been attending Lifepoint Church, I have seen more lives changed, people accept Christ, and be baptized than I have in the other 23 years of attending churches in multiple states.  That is pretty significant.

Before someone takes the time to tell me, I should be giving the honor and glory to God… I understand that and I do.  I also understand that we should honor people who do great things with what God calls or enables them to do.  Pastor Daniel himself would be quick to give the honor to God as well.  But, I also want to honor the man and his obedience.

So, thank you to my Pastor, for his obedience and leadership. Thank you for touching the lives of my family, and those of my dear friends.  Thank you for having a direct impact in changing so many lives in our community.

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Generally speaking, there are two ways to go about home improvements. You’re either going to splurge on your home because it’s your palace and you simply want a beautiful place to live, OR, you’re going to take a more logical, pragmatic approach designed to increase your home’s value.

The problem is, you’ll rarely ever achieve both. In fact, many homeowners expose themselves to the very problems they’re trying to avoid in the process of home fix-ups and home improvements.

Take Carol and Tom Jenkins, who four years ago purchased a home for $190,000. Since buying their home, they’ve spent over $60,000 fixing it up and making it the “perfect” place to live. A few months ago, they put the home on the market at $270,000. The best offer they received was only $235,000.  Their mistake? Spending money on amenities and features that were didn’t necessarily add to the value of the home.

Just because you spend $30,000 on the fix-up of your home doesn’t mean you’re going to get it out when you sell. It doesn’t automatically make your home worth $30,000 more. And that’s exactly why you need to know which fix-ups pay off big, and which ones will cost you potentially thousands of dollars.

Over the next few days we will share some thoughts with you, but let’s get started with painting.

Home improvements Tip # 1 Painting Your Home

Time and again, painting proves to be one of the most basic, yet most profitable of home fix-ups. There’s virtually nothing a coat of paint won’t fix, especially if you plan to sell your home within a few years.

According to the National Association of REALTORS, professionally painting the exterior of a home costs an average of $3,250, and recoups nearly 100% of its cost. But that’s not the profitable part of painting.

Studies also show that painting the exterior has a meaningful effect on reducing the time to sell. And reducing time to sell means you’re saving potentially thousands in interest, taxes, and other overhead costs required to maintain your home and mortgage during the “for sale” period.

Rather than spending money on less visible “infrastructure” issues of your home, you’re frequently better off fixing the cracked front steps and painting the entry and front door.

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Gorgeous home, inside and out in Estates of Chancellorsville. Coming soon to the market!

The post Estates of Chancellorsville – 4 Bedroom Home – Coming Soon appeared first on Fredericksburg Real Estate Blog.

Great information for those considering buying a home during this season. Take a look!

The post Spring Buyers Guide – Spring 2015 appeared first on Fredericksburg Real Estate Blog.

Nice photo shoot that Bud Edmisten did for us on a vacant home. Loved watching how he made dark spaces well lit without flash or any other manufactured other lighting. Real estate photography is all about lighting. The photos aren’t in the best order, but nice pics anyway. http://bedmistenphotography.tumblr.com

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“Isn’t all the work done by computers now anyway?”  Sherry asked the question innocently enough, and actually in many situations she is correct.  What she was referencing was how buyers and agents look for homes today, and how they are bombarded with automated listings from real estate agents.

In the early 2000’s the way in which real estate agents operated took a pretty dramatic shift.  About that time technology really leaped into the real estate industry, making it easy for an agent to send a potential buyer listings from their MLS system automatically as soon as they come on the market.  Simultaneously, third party companies began making easier for consumers to find information on their own as well.  The end result of this technological advance is more savvy buyers, but also less energetic agents.

The common way a real estate agent works today is to sign up a buyer for automated listings, and wait for that buyer to call saying, “I want to see that house you emailed me.”  There are a couple of problems inherit in this approach.  First, most buyers lead busy lives, and they don’t have the time to be sifting through bunches of listings looking for that one that may be close to something they like.  Secondly, because many agents rely almost completely on this consumer automated search, they never truly learn what it is that the buyer is looking to find.  They simply ask the basics, what price range, how many bedrooms and where are you wanting to move?

This leads us back to Sherry’s question, “Isn’t all the work done by computers now anyway?”  No wonder many consumers today struggle to find value in what real estate agents do for them.  Often, the answer is, they do as little as they have to when it comes to finding a home for their client.

An agent who is focused on excellence for their client goes way beyond the automated listings approach.  They ask questions to learn what the client truly wants, and what they truly need.  They listen to the story behind the people to understand why those things are important to them.  This gives them an understanding that many agents will never have with their clients.  Then they spend the time and energy looking for properties that closely resemble that criteria.  They understand that is part of the job they have been hired to do.

The result is that the clients don’t feel like they have done the real estate agents job, and more importantly, when the agent sends them an email that includes a property listing, it is relevant.  The odds of finding that perfect home goes up dramatically with an approach like this.  This is an approach that provides excellence for the buyer.

If you believe that this is a better approach to the real estate profession, then LIKE us on Facebook, stay in touch, and let us know if we can help you.

Happy house hunting.

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A little over a year ago our team took a giant leap forward, to be exact, that happened the day that Amy Adams formally joined us on this journey.  We have a couple of core values that we strive hard to never sway from… authenticity, generosity, and excellence.  Amy exemplifies every one of these values!

In fact, she has been a refreshing counterbalance to the authenticity aspect of our team, always giving a fresh perspective to the ideas we consider implementing in our business.  From a generosity standpoint… she is one of the most generous people I know.  When we began forming the plan to found our Local Heroes Program in which we honor and donate to local heroes and organizations, there wasn’t a moment of hesitation before she launched into the concept wholeheartedly.

Excellence is the core value behind everything we do and consider doing in our business.  Not only does Amy help our team in providing excellence to our clients, but she has brought excellence to the systems inside the team.  Literally, once something is mentioned in Amy’s presence, the rest of us forget about… because Amy is going to make it happen.

So, it comes as no surprise to us that within Coldwell Banker Elite, an organization with more 10 offices/divisions, and more than
200 real estate agents, that Amy Adams was chosen as the rookie real estate agent of the year for 2014.  Especially when we see the phenomenal professionalism she has demonstrated in how she represents our clients.

So, here is to our Rookie of the Year, Amy Adams, and may God bless us with many more years of serving with excellence together.  Thank you Amy for all you do!!

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