Atlanta Apartments

The population of Atlanta’s metro area is almost 4.2 million people, with nearly 420,000 living in the city of Atlanta. You find a variety of lifestyles in its 28 distinct counties and their smaller neighborhoods. Atlanta’s thriving housing market offers something for everyone. You spell out your needs and Atlanta is ready to fulfill them. Mixed-use developments, high-rise condominiums and loft spaces are the current trends.

Before finding an accommodation in Atlanta, first choose the setting that would suit you the most. The factors to be considered are likely to be your children’s school, the amount of travel to reach your workplace, and a friendly and comfortable neighborhood. You will find many realtors and apartment search firms ready to help you in that process.

The options Metropolitan Atlanta offers in respect to housing are quite large in number. From multi-storied luxury apartments to well-appointed subdivisions or older tree-lined streets to warehouse lofts, Atlanta offers you a wide variety.

You can find many affordable apartment homes spread across Metropolitan Atlanta. You will have to spend depending on your location, work or recreation requirements. Average monthly rent is less than the national average but the apartments still offer consumers more amenities.

A number of apartment homes are located near office parks, making commuting easier. More historic-style apartments dominate the in-town area, but the picture is different in the downtown area, which is ruled by modern luxury apartments.

For a first-timer, purchasing a home can turn out to be a complicated and often confusing process. Mind you, the task of obtaining finance is no easier even for an experienced buyer. While choosing the home that caters to your needs, you must also consider which lender to seek help from. Different lenders will offer you different loan products, types, services and personal attention. Try to find someone well trained in the mortgage business with profound knowledge in the type of mortgage you want to use.

Finding a Great Job

Many businesses have high turnover rates due to unhappy, unsatisfied, and/or unappreciated employees. There are several ways a company can create loyalty, happiness, and more positive attitudes towards employee’s jobs. One such approach is through increased company functions and gatherings that help develop office friendships throughout the company. Also, the creation of management teams and developing a teamwork mentality will help employees gain the feeling of ownership in their company. Instead of an us versus them attitude between departments, friendships throughout the company will also help build a complete team attitude. Many prominent companies create outlets for their employees to volunteer, fundraising, and help their community. The following suggestions will also increase employee pride, happiness, and ownership of their responsibilities at work.

• Family Atmosphere – This type of environment creates a climate of fairness, equality, respect, and makes it safe to express dissent. This atmosphere is welcoming and creates a friendly environment to introduce new ideas. Employees teams may encourage a challenging but supportive environment and strengthen loyalty and teamwork throughout the organization.

• Recognition Programs – Company programs that recognize hard work, commitment, effort, and contributions breed organizational success and loyalty. The recognition program should include monthly awards and gift cards or a free lunch. Recognition from a supervisor at least two ranks above an employee makes a meaningful, engaging difference in employee morale.

• Organizational Pride and Belonging – Promote activities that development and establish pride and loyalty which is the backbone of any businesses long-term success. Employee turnover is extremely expensive and productivity and product or service development suffers. An engaged employee is a person who is enthusiastic about their work. Improving employee engagement directly impacts measurable business outcomes. Employees who are committed to success, emotionally attached, and socially involved with a company demonstrate qualities that business managers thirst to have. Engaged employees are more productive at work, take less sick days and exhibit other favorable behavior, promote the business to others and show their happiness to customers.

• Mentor Programs – Thinking long-term for future company success. A mentor is an experienced and trusted adviser that assists in developing competent employees and future leaders. Mentoring program train and encourage seasoned employees to be mentors. A mentoring program can facilitate dynamic skill growth throughout an organization. Informal learning can be as important as formal learning programs.

• Volunteering Options – Look for opportunities for your company employees to get involved in the community. Allow your employees to volunteer their time or fundraising for a good cause. It is good public relations for companies to show their communities they care about their customers. These activities will create good-will among the local community and your employees. Create a team to decide what cause your company will offer financial support for a charity or cause.

Employee engagement can be improved by aligning the goals of individual with the goals of the business. Employee motivation should be associated with traditional rewards, such as pay and compensation, but also with emotional rewards such as personal growth, working for a common cause, being part of a high-performance team, and being recognized for achievements.

How Do Strong Social and Community Ties Impact Your Health?

I called my friend, also named Lisa, who lives in Houston, Texas. Hurricane Harvey’s devastation had not only hit Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, but many communities in the Gulf Coast region. According to my friend, who lives on the north side of Houston where they got no flooding except for those who were near a river or large body of water, the worst of the rain is over. People are leaving shelters scattered thought-out Harris County, where Houston is located.

Out of the 6.5 million people in the greater Houston area only about 1.5 million lost power and most all the water is drinkable. No need for ice, a valuable commodity, for many of us here in Charleston who experienced the wrath of Hurricane Hugo. Unlike Houston, Hurricane Hugo, also a category 4 storm, was a direct hit and as a result we not only got the flooding but also high winds. But no one can deny that the Houston area experienced the worst flooding in its history, with some areas getting as much as 50 inches of rain. And because Hurricane Harvey’s devastation was so widespread, it will take years for the region to recover from this natural disaster.

My friend, Lisa, who is originally from Charleston, knows about hurricanes and the emotional roller coaster they bring; the anxiety before the storm of not knowing exactly what is going to happen, the storm itself, the flooding and aftermath once the storm has passed. No doubt, you too, no matter where you call home, are aware of the horrific situation the residents of the Gulf Coast region, north of Brownsville, Texas, are now experiencing. Lives have been lost, people displaced and the uncertainty of what’s ahead. It is one thing to watch the news again and again and be reminded of the destruction and the anguish. But to just absorb the information without acting when we can help can be paralyzing and emotionally harmful.

Animals as well need help and assistance. Donate to the Houston Humane Society, which is helping animals affected by the storm. The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation, is another charity. You may also want to check out Charity Navigator to further ensure your donations are helping those in need.

By helping those in need, you too can benefit. Studies have shown that people with strong social and community ties tend to live longer, are less likely to report being depressed, and have a stronger a sense of belonging, purpose and self worth.

Need A Little Help Finding A Lawyer?

We all know what a lawyer is but most of us hope that we will never need one. Unfortunately, there are many
circumstances in life that may call for you to need a lawyer. For this reason, you should know how to find a lawyer to suit your needs. You may even want to look for a lawyer before the actual need arises since if something happens to make you need a lawyer, you will likely be very stressed out at that point in time.

The chances are that sooner or later, each one of us will need to find a lawyer. Whether it is engaging a divorce
lawyer, a malpractice attorney or any other kind of legal specialist, the need for a lawyer will one day arise for you or someone you know. And when you do need a lawyer, the question you will ask yourself is – what is the best way to find a lawyer?

Of course there are many ways to locate a reliable and reputable lawyer. You might like to ask a friend or family member for a recommendation. They will only suggest someone who they can put their own trust and faith in, so you know you’re getting a quality lawyer with the right kind of experience. But what if you don’t know anyone who can make that kind of recommendation to you? Who do you turn to find a lawyer in that case?

Have you considered using the Internet as a solution to this problem? Over the internet, you will be able to find a wide variety of lawyers, who offer a complete variety of services. And while you’re looking, you can complete some research and discover about the law firm before you even consider hiring them. This means you can, in reality, compare law firm against law firm without even spending a retainer fee.

While you can find all types of lawyers online, it is vital that you pick the right lawyer for your specific needs. After all, even the top personal injury attorney won’t do you any good if you need a divorce lawyer. Choose your lawyer carefully. Ask them to advise you of their experience in their field and to outline in major cases they have successfully tried and won.

You can then make a good, informed decision about who you think will be a good one for your situation. Remember it is important that you are able to trust your lawyer because you will likely have a lot riding on it.

Creating Clients for Life – Thank You

As a parent of four daughters, my wife and I have focused our children on the art of sending thank you notes. We started them at a young age that included a cute piece of paper with crayons through their teens with a formal card and well thought out hand written message. It included birthdays, graduations, recent wedding, and the unusual when a nice gesture was done for them.

As we move into our business careers, many of us forget about that lost art and the powerful impact it still has vs. an electronic email. It is definitely a strategy that can set you apart. As real estate professionals there are many opportunities to drop a thank you card. I have even seen some studies that indicate a person who receives a thank you card will share it with 3 other people.

Make it part of your daily routine to send out at least 5 thank you cards per day and increase it as your business increases. Types of Thank You notes include:

  • Purchased a Home – This is the most obvious and the start of the process to create that long term referral. Don’t forget to offer your availability to help them if they have needs for recommendation for local services etc
  • Home Showing – Working with buyers requires time and patience. Why not send that thank you for the opportunity to show them a home and reinforcing your skills and enthusiasm to continue to find the client their dream home
  • Listing – Thanking that home owner for selecting you and remind them on why they did select you along with some of the marketing already in place.
  • Referrals – We all work for referral, so thanking that customer for a referral, whether or not that referral selected you will continue to bear future fruits
  • Listing Appointments – Meeting with homeowners that are looking to make that decision to sell their home requires the thank you be sent immediately. Timing becomes critical. Pick that one moment from the meeting that you felt you connected with the home owners and include that in your note
  • Cold Calling/Prospecting – When meeting someone for the first time, and follow-up with a thank you for their time and offer them a personal contact method.
  • Rejection – There will be times that you do not get the home listing or do not find the buyer that home. A thank you and keeping in touch for future developments may lead to future business.

Make sure each thank you note is hand written, has a stamp (not metered), is signed, and includes your business card

Healthy Heart Wisdom

Finally, the heart health experts agree with grandma’s adage. Her wisdom no longer goes against the medical code. Well known for her common sense wisdom, grandma would often say that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Anyone who has experienced an avoidable life altering event such as hospitalization due to a drinking binge, a severed toe from a whizzing lawn mower blade or a car crash while reading a text message will quickly tell you that “grandma” was right.

After much observation, investigation, and thousands of case studies the researchers believe that grandma’s philosophy holds the key to many of our current health care woes. They have proven that it is easier to prevent certain diseases than it is to cure them. Prevention has also proven to be the most effective way to reduce rising health care costs. It has become the preferred option for clinicians and patients alike. The new paradigm of preventative medicine has virtually replaced the old paradigm of disease state medicine as a first choice approach. The older approach focused primarily on the disease state,its management, and treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now claim that more than 75% of our diseases are preventable or reversible. Although many of us are seeking ways to take charge of our health profiles and improve our health status, the majority still fail miserably when it comes to reducing our risk for certain cancers, heart disease, and diabetes. In our quest for a preventative lifestyle change we often find ourselves imprisoned by the shackles of habit and ignorance.

In the Ancient text, Proverbs tells us that desire without knowledge is not good. Behavioral science has demonstrated that inspiration without information leads to frustration, and ultimately failure. Because most of us don’t understand why, we often choose behaviors that are counter- preventative, and become victims who can only react to a health crisis.

To achieve a lasting preventative life style change requires a clear understanding of the urgency for change. This is means more than “knowing your numbers”. It means knowing what your uncontrollable and controllable risk factors for heart disease are. Ask your health care professional what your numbers are and what they mean. Then follow your health care professional’s advice.Let this insight into your health status(risks vs outcomes) become the motivation to make for change that is necessary and lasting.

Low Cost Dental Health Insurance

Dental plans are not included in basic health insurance plans as most of the dental treatments are elective and to a degree, cosmetic. Some medical plans take account of dental coverage as an added feature. Dental disease is often preventable; with the exclusion of injury or damage due to an accident. Only the initial diagnostic procedures such as exams and x-rays in dental treatment are relatively low-cost. Otherwise the treatments are considered to be expensive.

Low cost dental insurance is necessary for anyone who cares about their teeth and also doesn’t like paying the full price for dental work. You will have peace of mind with a low cost dental health insurance as you can be safe in the knowledge that you and your family are covered for any eventuality and will obtain the best dental care, whenever you need it for a relatively small monthly or annual payment. Low cost dental health insurance is available from top rated companies like Blue Cross and Blue Shield, PacifiCare, MetLife Dental, HealthNet and Kaiser. You should identify how your plan is designed, since this can considerably affect the plan’s coverage and your out-of-pocket expenses.

A low cost dental health insurance has many different levels of cover. You can opt for basic dental health maintenance which will cover a portion or in certain cases the whole cost incurred of dental procedures such as fillings, root canal work and general maintenance. Other affordable extensive policies that cover periodontics, orthodontics, all sorts of filling, tooth and bridge work, as well as check-ups and cleaning are also available. Each low cost dental plan is different. Accordingly it is advisable to check the terms, conditions and coverage of each prospective insurer before taking a decision. With several options available, you can choose a low cost dental health insurance that is right for you and your family.

Evaluating Physician’s Services

Have you ever wondered if you were receiving the best health care you could be? Doctors aren’t infallible and their diagnoses aren’t always the final word. It’s important know as much as you can about your health and what options are available to you depending your situation.

Not all doctors are equally qualified. Some have more experience that others. Following are some tips on how to ensure you are receiving the best treatment to stay your healthiest.

Do some research before selecting a physician. Ask about his education and areas of expertise. If you have a specific illness, look for a specialist in that field. It’s OK to ask for a second opinion and seek out the best care. Your good health is worth making the effort.

Don’t worry about hurting your physician’s feelings if you go ahead and get a second opinion. It may help set your mind at ease and know that you’ve done all you can for your health and your future.

You should also feel free to ask to see any test results that you may have received. Ask the doctor questions about the tests and/or his diagnosis until you feel satisfied. You may want to inquire if additional tests would be useful.

It’s important to understand your particular health concerns as well as you can. If you’re not an MD you may not know that much about your diagnosis. So, take the time to learn what you can about it. Think of you and your doctor as partners in your health care journey.

Find a doctor that you are comfortable with and rely on them to help you maintain your good health.

Strive to develop a relationship with them so that you feel comfortable asking questions and exploring your options as they pertain to your health.

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions About Your Health

If we fail to ask questions when we have an appointment with a medical professional, we may not be getting the full value from the visit. Asking direct, relevant questions of a doctor is not an imposition. It is our right and is also in the best interests of the doctor to provide all of the information we need.

Forgetting to ask questions during an office visit is a common occurrence. This can be a stressful and hectic time and being distracted is normal, especially if we are not feeling well. It is helpful to write down any questions that you may have before your appointment so that you do not forget to ask. You may also want to discuss these questions with a friend or family member. Another person may be able to add insight by seeing things more clearly than we can at the time.

Don’t assume that you are causing a problem by asking questions. Most doctors appreciate patients who ask good questions. Feelings of fear, embarrassment or inadequacy are not good reasons for failing to ask the about things you really want to know. If you don’t ask, your doctor may assume that you understand, or that you do not care to know more. He or she cannot guess what your concerns are.

As you know, television and magazines are saturated with advertising for various medications. Such conditions as high blood pressure, depression, arthritis, high cholesterol and even erectile dysfunction are being targeted by pharmaceutical companies with new medications. The information supporting these products encourages viewers and readers to “ask your doctor about (name of product).”

Essentially, these companies are putting pressure on doctors to prescribe their medications. But, in a way, the pharmaceutical companies have made it much easier to initiate a dialogue with your doctor. It is no longer unusual for patients to ask doctors about something they have read or heard about. Consequently, the dynamic between patient and doctor is changing. Doctors are becoming conditioned to hearing questions from patients and they are obliged to respond.

Finally, if you forget to ask a question or think of one later, call back and ask! Your doctor should prefer, if you do have health questions, that you get the proper answer rather that guess. Guessing could be hazardous to your health.

Tips For Selecting a Liability Attorney

Every day, consumers spend millions of dollars in retail and grocery stores all across the country. We believe that our purchases will bring happiness, fulfill our needs and bridge the gap. We take solace in the fact that the companies who manufacture the products we use will always do the right thing. Unfortunately, no one is right all the time. If you live in the greater Houston area and have been injured by the negligence of a product manufacturer, you need a Houston liability attorney.

If you have been harmed and try to seek compensation on your own, without the help of a Houston lawyer, the chances are high that the manufacturer may try to settle with you out of court with a fraction of the money which you could be entitled to. A lawyer will make sure that you are compensated for medical bills, wages lost due to your injury, and even lawyer’s fees. In fact, may lawyers offer a deal that if they don’t win the case for you, then their services are free; if you win, they will receive a percentage of the compensation awarded to you.

Have you ever sustained an injury at a shopping center or hotel? Houston premise liability law protects individuals from neglectful property managers and owners. If you have suffered a fall or accident on private or public property, the owner owes you restitution. Broken equipment, unclear sign postings and faulty buildings can cause serious bodily injury and even death. Hold thoughtless companies and individuals responsible for your safety on their premises. If you are on site as a guest or consumer, the owner is liable for any harm that comes to you on the premises.

When you are looking for a Houston liability attorney, verify qualifications and certification. Don’t allow yourself further injury by going to court with the wrong lawyer at your side. A good liability attorney will help you through the tough times and see you through the storm.