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

Baby Step Celebration!

Amanda,

So far, we are doing pretty good. Last night was my sister's birthday and she wanted Ben and I to come celebrate, but of course it was an expensive restaurant in Buckhead.  Even though this would have pretty much emptied our "outing" money out for the rest of the month, I know God wants me spending time with her so we just went. On the way I stopped at my Grandma's house and she gave us money for the dinner without us even asking! LOL! Just thought I'd share! :) These kind of things have been happening so much lately!

Hope training went well this weekend!

Laura~

Dee & Ryan

Awesome! My recent home purchase experience, working with Amanda, was excellent!  I have so many complimentary things to say, I don't know which one to begin with first, so I'll start with excellence in service!  In today's changing market, buying a home or property has the potential of being a time-consuming and stressful process.  Especially, since there have been numerous changes in the industry due to the country's current economic situation and new regulations that have been put in place.

Amanda's years of knowledgeable experience, professionalism and detail management prevented my experience from being so.  I am in i-dotter and t-crosser, and with every conversation regarding some detail, Amanda not only had already thought about it, but had the wheels in motion to either prevent an issue or handle it.

One feels as through they are being represented by a true business partner, one who has their back at all times, and takes the responsibility of real estate matters to heart, with a truly earnest willingness to advise, protect, negotiate and bring to a successful close.

This is my third real estate transaction where Amanda has represented me as my agent and all have been consistently positive and successful!

Thank you so much, Amanda!  You will always be my Agent!