We will host our 2nd Annual Free Community Paper Shredding Event on Saturday January 21, 2012 between 9:30 am- noon at the Marshall Berch & Associates office of Drake Realty in the Toco Hills Shopping Center at 2899-A North Druid Hills. Gather up old documents to be shredded & destroyed on-site by Eco Shredding (maximum of 5 boxes per vehicle). We’ve teamed up with professional organizers Linda Lanier and Michelle Cooper of Put-it-There Professional Organizers to host this event for the second year in a row. For more information contact Joan Kaplan, Drake Realty 404/ 281 4106 or [email protected]

For my next charity event I am teaming up with the Athletic Club Northeast for a ‘bike drive’- we are collecting adult and children’s previously used bicycles for distribution to Atlanta area charities and it would be great to provide new helmets as well! Details about the ‘bike drive’ will be posted soon….

If you have coats & blankets you no longer need, consider donating them! We’ll collect them outside our new soon-to-open office and donate them to Eternal Impact who wil bring them to the homeless throughout the streets of Atlanta. Drop by on Saturday 9am-2pm. Marshall Berch & Assoc., Drake Realty 2899A N. Druid Hills (near clock tower) For more info, call Joan Kaplan 404/ 281 4106. We’ll be serving coffee compliments of Atlanta Coffee Roasters!

In response to the profound and continual changes in the real estate industry, I’m adapting how I conduct business as a real estate agent and investor. In the current market, it’s all about value. Buyers are not only looking for a deal, but rather the ‘steal of the century.’ Sellers cling to hope their home has retained value. In today’s market a home must look pristine and be in superb shape or the buyer simply continues searching until the right home in the best condition at the lowest price is found.

Just as the buyers and the sellers are adjusting to the conditions in the market, so are successful agents and brokers. In analyzing the costs of my association with a brokerage firm with high fees and overhead, I realized the value was no longer there. Months of thorough research and consulting with experts in the industry verified what I had already determined – there is a growing trend for agents to move to brokerages with low fees and an emphasis on service. I feel very fortunate to have discovered Drake Realty, a 20 year-old Atlanta-based brokerage with more than 750 agents and 7 offices around town. The support, responsiveness and attention they give agents is unlike anything I’ve experienced. They are expanding into our neighborhood and I’m so excited to be part of their growth! Please let me know if you’d like more details about the move or anything else real estate related.

As always, I look forward to connecting with you soon. Your love and support through the years continues to amaze me. With your help and your referrals, I’ve had more than 100 real estate closings. I am so appreciative and promise to continue to take great care of my clients and the referrals you send my way, so please keep ’em coming!

Joan Kaplan
404/ 281 4106
[email protected]