162 Keller Williams volunteers picked up litter and debris, collecting 233 bags of litter and 25 bags of recycling, and landscaped two homes owned by the hospital. We’re very proud of Edie and all the Keller Williams volunteers who made this area of Columbus so much cleaner and more beautiful. Thanks to everyone who participated!

How about if your home is leaking precious heat and air conditioning?

Utilities cost money… and now there is a way to save your money twice over. Ohio Home Energy Advisors is a company that utilizes sophisticated diagnostic energy tools to determine where your home energy leaks are occurring, and then offers practical solutions. The Energy Inspection takes 1-2 hours. You then receive a full color report with comprehensive repair options. You can choose to do the repairs yourself, or Ohio Home Energy Advisors can do the work for you.

Now through June 30, Ohio Home Energy Advisors is offering half off special pricing on their Energy Inspection for all homeowners of only $285.00. For complete details on this great offer, visit their website at www.findenergyleaks.com, or call 1-888-678-OHEA (6432). Homeowners must use the promotional code of FF50 on the website or when calling.

Increase your comfort, lower your bills, and save money!

At minimum, I pledge this is the year that I will have a rain barrel to capture rain water to feed my garden! The Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed have excellent resources and classes available to educate willing participants on the process to build a rain barrel at home, and if the program survives the recent city budget shortfall, there may even be a cost sharing program to encourage citizens to get smart and get a rain barrel at home! However, if you want to hire a great local company, the Rain Brothers are at your beck and call. They are a dedicated microenterprise committed to sustainable living, environmentally friendly improvements and general goodwill.  

Did you know the City of Columbus has a great website for our citizens to stay abreast of conservation, water usage and even money saving green updates that benefit both the individual and the city? These green tips are relatively easy to acheive and are cost saving as well. Reduce, reuse and recycle…. and save some money while your at it!! I welcome your tips, suggestions or questions about environmentally friendly ways to live in Columbus. Best of luck in all your Green-Living Updates ~ Jeanne

With grace and humility President Obama also reminds us that we, the citizens, hold most of the power to effect change and change we must! We hold the key to our own success. Almost immediately after the Oath of Office, the official website of the White House posted the 1st official Proclamation of the Obama Presidency:
President Obama believes that we, as Americans, have a responsibility to help our communities and fellow citizens. In summoning a new spirit of service, he is calling on us to make an enduring commitment to our neighborhoods. Sign up today and let’s renew America together.
I encourage you to Log in and sign up to see what service projects are available in your area. If you prefer to go under the wire, consider other ways to support our community. Be a kind and good neighbor, smile at your mail carrier, return your shopping cart to the store corral or just pick up the litter when you’re walking the dog.  In short, I’m reminded of the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. A timeless message and forever apropos!

My Mom used to say “waste not want not” routinely in our household when I was growing up and so when I saw an organization called The Waste Not Center (The WNC), my curiosity was peaked.  Apparently Central Ohio is home to this great non-profit organization dedicated to helping our teachers, artists and other non-profit organizations re-use items that would otherwise make hearty filler for eternity in our land fills. The center is aptly named the Waste Not Center, as they proficiently explain on their website, because “they accomplish the dual objectives of enabling teachers to obtain materials for their work that would otherwise be unaffordable or unobtainable and reduce the burden on local solid waste disposal systems.” All donations are tax deductible and members simply pay a small annual fee in order to utilize the services of the WNC with no per item fees. This is a win win for both the recipients of the ‘goods’ and also for those of us who may have loads of stuff to re-home!

Typical items include but are not limited to the following: paper, paint, brushes, fabric, vases, books, videos, containers, office material of all sorts and the list goes on and on. This is not a flash in the pan small non-profit organization either. They report an average of 30-40 clients daily who select approximately 1500 pounds of materials from the center. *Wow* The estimated commercial cost of the items dolled out to members weekly is about $4500…..that’s about $250,000 annually of donated materials to our teachers and other worthy members of the WNC. I’m impressed!

The WNC facility is located at 2830 B Fisher Rd. on the West side of Columbus. Call direct to join the WNC, ask questions or make donation arrangements should you be taking advantage of this season of organization and you find items worthy of donation: 614-278-9445.

I’m off to clean my house now. I’m sure I have plenty of stuff the WNC could find a good use for in lieu of a forgotten box in a dark corner of my basement. Do you have anything to donate?

 

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” - Theodore Roosevelt

As we all live through the ever changing world of business, economics and politics, it is easy to succumb to the purposeful distractions of the media and the immensity of the problems we face as a nation and globally. Even our friends and family can deplete our resources and cause distraction regardless of the intent. However, the sky is not falling and ‘we’ can’t control everything in the big picture. Now is the time to get back to the basics and here are a few good ideas to get the ball rolling:

1.  Focus on What Matters

2.  Be Direct for everything you need

3.  Get comfortable with the things you are not comfortable with already.

4.  Success comes to the resilient. Be Resilient!

These are some of the central messages our company president, Gary Keller, is touting in support of his new book, SHIFT.  While the book is specifically written with the Real Estate industry in mind, the message transcends our industry and just makes really good sense if one is to succeed in a dynamic world. Every day, I write “Focus on What Matters” on the top of my to-do list…yes, I still keep a yellow legal pad on my desk to help me stay on track with my goals! If I start to stray, I real it back to what must be accomplished. Time is of the essence and I have to be efficient or I won’t reach my goals. Be direct for everything you need! It makes sense, but most people just don’t get it. I keep this in mind when I write ads for our listings, when I confer with a colleague and even when I communicate with my family. Never assume your intentions are clear and always be direct if you need help. Save lots of time and energy and avoid miscommunications on every level of your life by being direct! Get comfortable with things you are not comfortable with already is a key component in business success according to Gary Keller and really encompasses both of his previous points. By this he means, it’s not enough to let business drop in your lap, you have to go and get it. If you are a Realtor, this means you have to pick up the phone and call your database, call your leads and work your sphere of influence. Let everyone you meet know what services you provide, your area of expertise and your business mission. Ask for their business!

Success comes to the resilient-> Be Resilient!

“One of the greatest myths ever perpetrated is the belief that you succeed your way to success. This isn’t true. In fact, just the opposite is true. You fail your way to success. Everyone fails. The ones who succeed are the ones who keep going. The ones who fail are the ones who don’t.”  G. Keller

As I write this on election day 2008, I’m quickly reminded that regardless of the outcomes on election night, we all will get up tomorrow and go to work and continue on with our lives as our nation’s leadership continues to “Shift” at the will of the people.

We are all in this together!

Best,

Jeanne