A Time for Everything - thank you Matt & Sarah

Almost three years ago we contacted Amanda to help us look for a house. It was January and our first appointment was cancelled due to snow and ice. Enough had melted by the next day that we were able to make it out of our apartment complex parking lot and drive to the homes on our list. Over the next few months we looked at dozens of homes on multiple outings trying to find the perfect place. Amanda stuck with us and was patient and helpful. She treated us like friends more than clients and it was so refreshing after previous agents we had worked with. We were looking for a house for ourselves and an ill family member and were trying to find where God would have us be. After many frustrations and dead ends we finally found the home we wanted to buy. We felt a peace and a calling that God didn't actually care about the house itself, just that we took the next steps. It felt strange at the time, but we soon found out why. After living in the house for a short time things started to fall apart. Our good intentions didn't pan out and it seemed that all of the plans we had made, thinking they were God's, were falling through the cracks. We didn't realize at the time all we were being taught. We desired clarity and God was teaching us faith. We put the house on the market and hoped for a speedy sale. We waited. And waited. And waited. Two years passed and after many showings, we didn't have even the slightest nibble. During these two years quite a bit happened. The home we were trying desperately to make a distant memory was weaving itself deep into the fabric of our story. We saw our two children born and pass on to heaven. We saw community come around us and support us in ways that pass understanding. We saw our marriage grow and we saw growth in ways that seemed impossible. Despite the work that was being done there was still a constant frustration that this chapter of our lives that we wanted closed would not finish. We were two weeks from taking the house off the market for the holidays and deciding what would come next when we got a call for a house showing. It was just like any other and we didn't think anything of it, until we got a call back that the folks that came by were very interested. That night we got our first offer. Everything went as smoothly as possible and less than a month later we were sitting at the closing table across from a very nice couple moving to Georgia to be closer to their first grandchild. Amanda told us early on that God had the right people for us and that it was just a matter of time for them to show up. This is exactly what happened. It took some time, but I have no doubt this was exactly how it was meant to be. We are so thankful for Amanda and all her encouragement and support over the past few years. She has become a friend and we truly appreciate her being in our lives. We are excited to move on and start the next chapter. We've learned not to stress over making it perfect, but to trust God that it will be according to His will for our lives. Whatever happens, we know it will be leading us deeper into the story we are writing and closer to the Kingdom story we all are writing every day. Matt and Sarah

Thanks, Deanne

I began the adventure of building our new home and I was not convinced I really needed a real estate agent since I had been in the building industry prior and I thought I could easily handle the decisions to be made. However, I quickly realized that Amanda's experience and services were desperately needed on almost a daily basis. I don't think I could have kept a positive attitude throughout the ordeal without Amanda's great support and friendship. I am so blessed that God has reconnected our lives and it was an amazing jourmey to have gone through this process with Amanda by my side. I am now settled in and the frustration is but a mere memory and we are blessed to have an amazing home for our family and an amazing friend to share in our joy. I wish you the best in all your future endeavors and pray that God blesses you and your family as much as you have blessed our lives.

Two of My Fav Guys Make it Happen!!!! Way to Make that Extra Money, Guys!

Kevin and I got to talking a few months ago about how he had worked on one or two of their cars that they got cheap, fixed them up and then ended up selling them for a good profit. I said I had a business idea to go with his skills – and we talked it out. He has a passion and knowledge when it comes to fixing up cars, and I had some business thinking as well as capital. We agreed to a “one car at a time” partnership – where I put up the funds for purchasing a super cheap car and doing the repair work. We agreed that on any given car we could not exceed $1500 total (between purchase, insurance, title and repair work). Once we sold the car we would repay on the capital investment and then split the profits 50/50. For Kevin, this gave an opportunity to make extra money to help pay down debt by doing something he enjoys. For me, this gave an extremely low risk way to invest a little bit of my money to help generate income to pay off debt. We entered in with 2 main things in mind: 1) We were using money that was sitting in savings at the moment and earning 1%-2% interest. By using this money for this business idea, we would be able to return a much higher rate in short time. Our goal would be to make 30%-70% ROI per car, but even if we made far less, it would still be better earnings that just sitting in the savings account. 2) My car is on it’s last leg – meaning we will need to purchase another car soon. In this scenario, the risk of owning another car we cannot sell is lowered even more because it means that (worst case) I could pay Kevin a couple hundred dollars and just keep the car that he has worked on – now having a more reliable vehicle and knowing the guy who has done the work on it. Our first vehicle we did this with ended up being just over $1100 total between purchase, repairs and all the sales fees. We were able to sell it for around $2300 within a month of purchasing it. This meant we each made about $600 on the car in a month’s time. On top of that, we sold it at a price where the purchaser got a deal – because the car was worth a little more than the selling price (meaning we were able to make great money, provide someone with a great car, and leave some value in it for them to do more repairs). We currently have our second vehicle ready to sell. We have spent $870 on it in total, and currently have it listed for $1900. We expect to be able to sell it for around $1600-$1700, which will mean another $350-$400 for each of us. Cory & Kevin

Lorraine - August 2012

Amanda, How do I even begin to thank you for your kindness? Thank you so much for all you did for me. From the countless emails to the positive encouragement, you helped me take a huge step as an adult: buying a home. Thank you for walking me through every step. Thank you for everything! Once I get married and have children, I will use you again, and I have already given your number to many friends who are first time homebuyers. Sincerely, Lorraine

Kevin and Abigail

My husband, Kevin, and I were married December 17th, 2010 – exactly one month after this, on January 17th,we found out that we had become victims of identity theft and that the person (a family member) who had put almost $40,000 of debt in our name. Needless to say, to a couple of newly-weds who “kind of” knew how to manage their own money this was a huge blow. Not only was there the legal damage and credit score issues to work through, but the emotional fallout was incredibly painful –and still is at times. Thankfully for us, Kevin and I were able to meet up with Amanda, a friend of mine, who is a certified financial coach -- though at the time we weren’t aware of that fact. The story goes that Amanda overheard me crying one day to a friend at church and asked what was wrong – once I explained to her the situation she informed me that she was a financial coach and that she, too, had also gone through a similar circumstance. She offered to meet up with Kevin and I that week so we could try to begin to process the situation and figure out how to deal with it all. At that time Kevin and I had personal debt of $7000 in school loans and $7800 of credit card debt. As soon as we got together with Amanda she gave us council on how to deal with the fraud situation (freezing our credit score, following up with a police report to secure that no new credit cards/charges could be added to our name, etc.) and then helped us begin to tackle our own finances. Helping us see beyond the fraud and helping us deal with our personal financial barriers was extremely encouraging as we tried to deal with everything – keeping in mind that we still had responsibilities and work that could be done in our own time and with our own hands outside of the family chaos and police reports was, oddly enough, extremely comforting. Amanda advised us to make a personal budget to see what kind of expenses we were actually working with as opposed to the vaguely estimated budget we’d created in our mind that we “kind of” stuck to when we made purchases. Kevin and I were both, at the time, extremely stressed and disheartened about this because we felt that we had no money and struggled to make payments at the end of each month. We purchased a financial worksheet tool offered at the Dave Ramsey website and I realized almost immediately that the reason we thought we had no money was because our math skills were atrocious. Thankfully, we were able to create a budget after punching in different combinations of numbers in our cash flow worksheet that, although tight, was actually manageable. It was with a budget with no more than $1.00 of breathing room that we began making baby steps towards paying off our very high-interest credit card. At the time we both felt like paying off the card would take forever – we were discouraged, though determined. After a few months we started to see that the dent we were making was actually substantial. Through various extra jobs I was offered and some ingenious deals consisting of car buying and selling that Kevin came up with we were able to pay off about half of the credit card within our first year of marriage – now THAT was extremely encouraging! All along the way we continued to meet up with Amanda and talk through big financial decisions we needed to make. I figured out how to re-work our budget to where we had more than just a dollar’s worth of room to breathe and we began to try and figure out if we could get rid of our credit card entirely within this past year, rather than in the 2 years our “debt snowball” was telling us it would take. After turning down an expensive (but awesome) vacation with friends, buying used cars and fixing them ourselves, and sticking (mostly!) to our budget, we were able to figure out how to make enough payments using our extra income (refunds from school financial aid, Kevin’s military allowance for his being in school, extra jobs, etc.) to make our final payment on the credit hard by the end July of this year! This means that in about a year and a half the credit card that once haunted us was completely paid off! This was a HUGELY gratifying experience! Our credit card interest was so high at one point that over half – I say over half of our payment was going towards interest, not debt! When we both calculated how much we’d spent on interest in year one it made making difficult sacrifices financially MUCH easier. We are now thrilled to say we are credit card debt free and well on our way to paying off the school debt! We are so grateful for the direction we received from Amanda and the payback that discipline, grace (for when sticking to the budget actually didn’t happen like we’d planned), and teamwork helped us accomplish. Managing our finances as a team and having a third party to go to for conflict resolution has been a huge asset to Kevin and I – we are so thankful to have one another to help when one of us wants to just go blow the budget and do something crazy! – We are also grateful that when we both feel this way, Amanda is there to keep us in check! We feel very strongly that living debt free is the best way to live – I cannot explain how free we both feel now that the weight of “owing” a bank is off of our shoulders. Being enslaved to another is not a way to live – we are one huge step closer to fulfilling our personal dreams of having a house and family one day – and we’re making these steps with faith, friends, and each other. If you’re at a place where you’re starting out with a large load of debt or are in the middle of what feels like an irreconcilable financial situation – take heart! Over the last year and a half much restoration has happened with Kevin and I’s family, we have paid off a credit card, and are stronger in our marriage for it all. Many tears were shed, angry words were definitely spoken, but with grace, discipline, patience, and outside help all of these things were ultimately used for the good of our family and we consider the pain completely worth it. It may not always be easy, but then again, what that is worthwhile ever is?

Congratulations, Marco & Jordan!

My husband and I have known Amanda for about a year now, and we could not have asked for a more awesome person to purchase a home with. She is honest, straightforward, and willing to fight for what we wanted and what we felt God wanted for us, and that is rare in any business dealing. We genuinely appreciate everything she has helped us with in finding our dream home for the next several years. We couldn't have done it without her, nor would we want to! Any time I hear of someone thinking about buying a home, I tell them, "Hey, I have a really great agent..." because I want other people to have the best experience possible, too! Thank you for everything!!! Marco & Jordan Rosa

Thank Roger and Rozy~

Amanda not only knows how to get things done quickly but is excellence in motion.  I recommend her to all our friends and family.  Amanda is a woman of integrity and intelligence and that makes for a wonderful real estate experience.

Congratulations Brie! Here's to an exciting 2012~

          Talk about an incredible woman of God! Amanda Cole is a dedicated, professional, Godly, and considerate realtor. I’m so thankful for the direction she allows God to have in her life. When I first met with her in June 2011, I remember her saying that ‘God is a God of order, and that He intends for us to do things responsibly and in order’. This has stuck with me ever since! In saving money and working through the budget she initially gave me, I truly saw the meaning in what she initially told me. Because she is also a financial advisor, she knows the responsible and correct ways to go about finding an appropriate price point and sticking to it!

         

          Amanda’s expertise in real estate is evident! I’m thankful for her confidence in allowing me to trust her judgment and guidance. She’s furthering her knowledge of real estate by attending classes and seminars to keep her work ethic and knowledge up to date. She made every experience I had with her very comfortable, honest, and reassuring. I truly enjoyed going to look at houses with her because she was always prepared, always informative, always had a great attitude, always observant, and always aware of things to be pointed out. She is quick to respond to emails, calls, and texts! She was very flexible in dealing with my crazy, busy schedule!

          Most importantly, she was by my side, extremely supportive and encouraging of the home-buying process even after closing! I appreciate her dedication and initiative in helping me find the house that ‘makes sense for me’. She lives by God’s direction and it is evident in the way she does business. Amanda loves life and is a joy to be around! My home-buying process was smooth, enjoyable, and happened in perfect timing! I am now in a home that I am so excited about and proud of! By God’s grace, I also was able to get an incredible interest rate and secured an offer that couldn’t be passed up! Thank you Amanda for your love in helping find a home for Daniel and I to start our marriage in! I pray for the Lord’s blessing and favor in your life for years to come! PS. I look forward to having you and Barry over for dinner once we get settled in our new home!!

-Brie