| Cooke Named Top Realtor for 2006
* Article reproduced from Tennessean article by By RANDY MCCLAIN
Kendra Cooke of Crye-Leike, Inc., Realtors has been named 2006 Realtor of the Year by the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors.
The award was to be presented to Cooke at the association's annual banquet last night.
"Kendra truly deserves this honor, and I am very excited that she is being recognized for her tremendous efforts in the real estate industry," said GNAR President Christie Wilson. "Not only has Kendra shown extraordinary dedication to her business and clients, she is very involved in the Realtor association and in the community."
|
|
Cooke serves on the group's board and was co-chairwoman of the 2005 Middle Tennessee Realtors Convention. She is also a board member for the Tennessee Association of Realtors.
Cooke was selected the No. 1 agent with Crye-Leike in Middle Tennessee for the past two years, serving more than 100 families annually out of her Smyrna office. She is also involved in Leadership Rutherford, American Red Cross, American Cancer Society and the Rutherford Chamber of Commerce.
Last night, GNAR also selected Shirley McLeod, of Fridrich & Clark Realty, as winner of the Community Service Award. She was recognized for her work with the Patrick family of Huntsville, Ala., which went through the ordeal of having twin daughters receive heart transplants. The transplants were done successfully.
McLeod helped arrange for a home to be donated to the family and for care and support for them. GNAR has donated $1,000 in McLeod's name to the Children's Organ Transplant Association.
"Shirley's outstanding work in this situation deserves recognition far beyond this award," said Wilson. "She has demonstrated what it means to let her actions speak what is in her heart."
Other awards included: Top Listing Agent, Terry DeSelms, RE/MAX Elite; Top Selling Agent, Terry DeSelms, RE/MAX Elite; and Rookie of the Year, Jeremy Flax, Real Estate Supercenter.
To read the announcement in the Tennessean - Click Here
|
|
| Kendra's Do It Yourself Tips!
Take The Mold Quiz:
When it comes to battling mold, the best thing for homeowners to do is prevention. And the message of this story is that if you can prevent problems from occurring in the first place, you'll save loads of money in the long run.
Bob Thompson, an engineer for the Environmental Protection Agency, first encountered mold during a study of schools in the early 1990s. "We went randomly to various parts of the country and observed what was going on relative to radon in schools," he says, "but we noticed that over and over again we were seeing mold in the schools. And quite large amounts of it." But even with the worst-case scenario, simple maintenance could eliminate major problems. Controlling moisture is the key!
Doing a Moisture Assessment of Your Home:
There are essentially two types of moisture:
1. Vaporous (humidity) or
2. Bulk water from sources such as rain and leaking pipes.
Note: Moisture from either source can cause a mold problem
- The first place to check for moisture is the ground near your home. The ground slope is easy to see, but to be sure the moisture is going away and not toward your home, take a bucket of water and pour it near the foundation of your home. Does the moisture stay where it is, move toward your home and away from it? If the answer is that it moves toward the home, you could have a problem.
Solution: One of the ways to prevent moisture from getting into your house from this point and others like it is to do some landscaping. Bring a little extra top soil right into this area, build up the earth a little bit to create a more positive slope "away" from the house foundation.
- If you have a deck behind your house, it could be hiding a low slope. Be sure to check underneath the deck to see if rain has come through and built up in the area. One of the things you'd want to do is to perform the same test with a bucket of water to make sure the flow is going away from the house and not toward it.
- The next area to check is your gutter system. Properly maintained gutters carry water away from the house. Be sure to check the gutters and downspouts every fall and spring (twice a year) to make sure they are moving water away properly. If the end of the downspout can't carry the water at least a couple of feet from the foundation, add an attachment, which can be found at any hardware store.
- The basement can be one of the major sources of mold problems. Make sure any drainage system is working properly. For example, if you have an air-conditioning unit in the basement, make sure it's tilted toward the direction of the drain. Same goes with a humidifier or dehumidifier. If the units aren't tilted properly, puddles can form, which in turn can create a mold problem.
- Drains aren't the only problem with basements, water can leak in from the outside. It's extremely important to make sure there are no open cracks. Also, note that concrete, since it's porous enough, can let water move through into the basement. The surface can become damp enough to allow mold to grow.
Solution: It's hard to keep moisture from entering basement walls and slabs, so experts warn against placing mold-friendly products such as drywall and wood in direct contact with the foundation. Because basements can get humid, it's best to use a dehumidifier during warmer months.
- Bathrooms are another major source of humidity in any house. The primary source is vapor: moisture getting into the air. This is where a bath vent is vital and handy because it exhausts outside.
Liquid moisture in the bathroom is a problem as well. This is where the shower and tub come into play. Often it's easy for seals to go ad or for things not to drain as properly as they should. The problem can become so bad that the whole floor has to be removed and replaced because the structure of the floor is actually eaten up by mold.
Solution: Make sure you tub and shower are sealed properly. Replace warn caulk around the edge of the tub or shower.
- The attic is next. This potential moisture-and-mold trouble spot has the added pressure of usually housing a heating or air-conditioning unit that service the house. Both can generate moisture off the cooling or heating coils. That moisture needs to drain properly. Safety pans are usually installed to catch any excess moisture. Make sure your unit(s) have one.
For additional information on "Do It Yourself Tips" check out http://www.diy.com
|
|
| Now You Can Use Our Moving Truck
If you buy or sell with Kendra you can use this moving truck for free...
Specifications and Details on the truck and process....
-
'06 16ft. Ford Truck
-
Equipped with packing blankets and a set of hand trucks
-
You may use this truck FREE for 36 hours to move
-
You must have a valid driver's license & full coverage insurance
Other Services Provided By The Cooke Team . . .
-
A Professional Group of Vendors at your service to use during various stages of the buying process (i.e. lenders, inspectors, title companies, cleaners, etc.)
-
Full representation throughout the buying process
-
A Highly trained TEAM behind you from start to finish
|
|
