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This past March the long anticipated Chatham Park YMCA, part of the YMCA of the Triangle, opened its doors in the new NOVI community of Chatham Park. Hear from Forrest Perry, Vice President of Operations with the YMCA of the Triangle, and Caitlin Gleissner, Executive Director of the Chatham Park YMCA. We discuss what this Y means to Chatham County, and Chatham Park, and how it will serve the community in more ways than just a place to swim and gym!Recorded on April 15, 2025. https://www.ymcatriangle.org/locations/chatham-ymcachathampark.com
On March 19: The Georgia legislature OKs minimum wage for those with intellectual disabilities; U.S. Rep. Mike Collins is absent from a town hall in Athens; Savannah's Chatham County OKs a sales tax to fund school improvements.
Welcome to episode 183 of Last Nights Coffee! Glad you guys are tuning in! This week the guys talk about the Twelve Tribes cult in Savannah GA... They give their weekend reviews... Chuck got a new truck! They react to the Super Bowl and go over some of the outrageous spending that DOGE is uncovering.... Thanks for tuning in Nightshifters!
In 1991, 84-year-old Mabel Seymour walked away from a nursing home in Chatham County. A year later, two workers discovered the deceased body of an elderly woman by the side of a road in Petersburg, Virginia. A note found with her body said her name was "Wilma." But as news about the undentified woman in Virginia began to spread across the South, some wondered if the two women were one in the same. Show Notes: Skincare by SkinxErin https://shopxerin.com/collections/fit-rocker-chick-skin Use code MISSINGCAROLINAS10 for 10 percent off your order Renee's Digital Podcasting Course: https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/classroom/ReneeRoberson_Podcasting.php
LISTEN: On the Wednesday, Sept. 18 edition of Georgia Today: A trio of bail fund administrators have the money laundering charges against them dropped; candidates for Chatham County district attorney clash at a forum in Savannah; and the Atlanta Botanical Garden celebrates the blooming of four rare African corpse flowers.
This week we're replaying some of our favorite shows about planets and stars and galaxies and the people who have studied them. In this episode from March 2022, the story of an astronomer who definitely made her mark on the sky: Caroline Herschel, the first woman to discover a comet. Plus: residents of Pooler, Georgia, have a local landmark, a giant mailbox, 16 feet long, 8 feet tall, and painted to look like a black and white cow. Caroline Herschel (NASA) Eight Women Astronomers You Should Know (JSTOR) Who moo-ved the giant mailbox? Chatham County landmark disappears, but don't have a cow (WJCL) Our Patreon backers are pretty stellar too --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support
In the final week of our summer series "Fertile Ground," we explored the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Noble Cedar from Luke 13 and Ezekiel 17. The sermon emphasized the transformative power of Jesus' teachings, which, when planted in fertile hearts, can make individuals and communities extraordinarily fruitful. We discussed how fruitful people and communities can significantly impact their surroundings, changing lives and transforming entire regions. The vision for our church is to become a "Noble Cedar" or "Mustard Tree" community, providing shade, rest, and a home for all, while also being a force for good in Chatham County. We are called to be agents of rising, spreading God's truth, beauty, and love wherever we go, and to engage in both spiritual and practical acts of service. As we move into the fall season, we are committed to investing more resources into our community, praying for disproportionate fruitfulness, and inviting everyone to join us in this mission.
On the Wednesday April 1st edition of Georgia Today: Waffle House workers try to form a workers' union; Democratic candidates face off in the race for Chatham County District Attorney; And Georgia is one big step closer to getting its first national park.
In this episode, we delve into a fascinating topic that many can relate to: the dynamics that shift when a colleague transitions into a supervisory role. During the discussion, we explore the unique challenges and nuances that arise when someone who was once a friend becomes your boss. Our guests, Tahnicia Phillips from Cobb County and Porche Kelley from Chatham County, share their valuable insights and personal experiences on this subject.
Erika Hoffman lives in Chatham County, North Carolina. She is a member of The North Carolina Writers network, The Triangle Area Freelancers, and Carteret Writers. Her stories have been featured over 430 times in anthologies, ezines, magazines, and newspapers. For sale on Amazon are compilations of some of her published pieces. In addition, two small traditional presses published her novels. Her first, Secrets, Lies, and Grace, was produced by Comfort Publishing. A pseudonym was used: Riki Vogel. In 2019, Library Partners Press of Wake Forest University published her mystery, Why Mama.
Who: Nikki Murchison (Principal) Where: Bonlee, NC What: - Principal Uber & other popular rewards! - Balancing accountability (demerits) with a positivity focus - Incorporating testing strategies to a points system - And more! Tune in to learn from Nikki
Vice President Kamala Harris vists Savannah today as part of her multi-stop "Reproductive Freedoms" tour. On today's episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Greg Bluestein, Patricia Murphy and Bill Nigut welcome state Sen. Derek Mallow to talk about Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to Savannah. The hosts ask Mallow how Chatham County voters will respond to the Biden-Harris campaign's focus on a woman's right to choose as a top election issue. Greg and Patricia share sound from their interview this week with Governor Kemp, who blames President Biden for not taking the executive actions he can to solve the crisis at the border. Today you'll hear from Kemp advisor Cody Hall who emphasizes concerns about solving issues at the border. Plus, two more defendants in the Fulton County Trump election conspiracy case file motions to have Fani Willis dismissed from the case. LINKS TO TODAY'S TOPICS Vice President visits Savannah to promote reproductive rights Kemp blames Biden for border crisis Two more election conspiracy defendants file to have Willis removed from case Have a question for the show? Call the 24-hour "Politically Georgia" Podcast Hotline at 404-526-AJCP. That's 404-526-2527. We'll play back your question and answer it during the Listener Mailbag segment on tomorrow's episode. Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the middle of North Carolina on the aptly named "Devil's Tramping Ground Rd" sits a barren spot of land in the woods where supposedly no vegetation grows and no animals cross or stand. Over many decades the site has been rumored to be where the Devil himself angrily walks every night, where an Indigenous battle raged between two warring tribes or where a UFO landed and left in its wake a spot where so much radiation soaked into the soil, it forever remains tainted. Is it evil, alien energy or just a bunch of nosey trespassers? Tonight we discuss the history and folklore behind The Devil's Tramping Ground of Chatham County, NC. 'Salem's Secret' by Peter Gundry Merchandise: https://dfwtopodcast.creator-spring.com/ Sponsored by: Dietsmoke.com - use promo code DFWTO for 50% off your purchase Betterhelp: Visit betterhelp.com/dfwto to get 10% off when you sign up for your first month.
Welcome to Chatter with BNC, Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. Today's episode features an interview withDan Sargent. Dan Sargent has been with Rebuilding Together of the Triangle since 2008. Under his leadership, the budget has grown from $25,000 to $2.8 million. Dan is a licensed general contractor and has an MPA from the School of Government at UNC-CH. He lives in Chatham County with his wife Lyndee and their three daughters.
It has been raining a lot yesterday and today. But in 1884 in Chatham County, NC it rained human blood! YIKES! Check out this podcast episode to hear this story!
On this episode of the Chatham Park Podcast, we are talking with Melissa Beard, Executive Director of the Chatham Outreach Alliance, or CORA. Cora has been helping those in need in Chatham County since 1989 and today you will hear about what they are doing and more. CORA's ultimate goal is to build a community without hunger by collecting and purchasing healthy food for distribution though their food pantry, related programs, and network of local partners. Also joining this conversation is Jordan Cheney. Jordan does incredible work with branding and marketing for Chatham Park and also helped organize this month's food drive. If you happen to be listening to this episode after the food drive is over, fear not. CORA will take your help almost any day of the year. https://www.corafoodpantry.org/www.chathampark.comNon-Perishable Donations can be dropped off through November 20th at the Vineyards Sales and Information Center, 500 Vine Parkway, Pittsboro from 10-5 M-Saturday and 1-5 on Sunday.
Hey There, Sexy! Welcome to Lala's Bedtime Tales: Erotic Stories Podcast! The latest episode of Lala's Bedtime Tales is a Halloween erotica that's the perfect dose of creepy and kinky for this Spook Season. This is the first part of the erotica sex story. So, stay tuned for the second part that will be dropping next week! Or, if you want early access to the next part of this episode, be sure to join the Exclusive Patreon Community. Inina Asuma is a thriving young woman who's recently relocated back to Savannah, Georgia. She is swiping right and left on dating apps to find her perfect man. But there's only one problem. People in Chatham County who have been utilizing dating apps are coming up missing or, worse, dead. Will Inina meet the man of her dreams on the dating apps or a creep who wants to keep her as a plaything?For bonus and exclusive content, be sure to subscribe to Lala's Bedtime Tales Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lalasbedtimetalesJoin Lala's Bedtime Tales Facebook Group to become a part of a fun community of Sexual Liberators:https://www.facebook.com/groups/643493350188949For Erotica Book Recommendations & Reviews, Love & Sex Advice, and Sex Education, Subscribe To My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHM9VgLu0Xd5imR2jON-qnAShop Pleasure Products Here: https://www.lalasbedtimetales.com/storeRead Lala's Bedtime Tales Anthology Volume One on Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Lalas-Bedtime-Tales-Erotic-Stories-ebook/dp/B0BHTR1LKKFor more Erotic Stories, Sex & Love Advice, and Sexual Health & Education, Visit Lala's Website: www.lalasbedtimestales.com Subscribe to Lala's Bedtime Tales Mailing List: https://www.lalasbedtimetales.com/lalasmailinglistFor more sensual and erotic content, follow Lala's Bedtime Tales on Social Media: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lalastalesTwitter: https://twitter.com/LalasTalesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LalasBedtimeTales/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lalasbedtimetales/ Support the show
WTOC's digital anchor and reporter, Simone McKenny sits down with Dr. Bonzo Reddick to learn more about the updated COVID-19 vaccine that recently became available. Key points: One and done. Dr. Reddick says this new COVID vaccine requires just one shot. No need to come back in a few weeks for a booster. It is monovalent and targets the current circulating strains of the virus. You can get your COVID, Flu and RSV vaccine all at the same time. The vaccine first became available in Chatham County but other counties should have the vaccine soon. For more information on the COVID-19 vaccines, click here.
A Vietnamese company planning an electric vehicle plant in central North Carolina that would employ 7,500 workers met a milestone as its top executive joined Gov. Roy Cooper and others for a ground-breaking ceremony. VinFast announced last year that it would build its first manufacturing facility outside Vietnam in Chatham County, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southwest of Raleigh. The planned $4 billion investment also would create North Carolina's first car manufacturing plant and North Carolina's largest-ever, state-backed economic development project as far as job creation, according to news outlets. North Carolina had missed out on car plants over the years to other Southeastern states. (For) “decades we've wanted an automaker in North Carolina, and you know, somebody was looking after us. We were just waiting for that EV market,” Cooper said. VinFast, which makes fully electric SUVs, aims to open in 2025 a manufacturing and assembly plant with an initial production capacity of 150,000 vehicles annually. The company has submitted site plans to Chatham County government and received county and environmental permits to begin work. The state and Chatham County offered VinFast up to $1.25 billion in incentives that can be reached if it meets hiring and investment thresholds. The amount includes $450 million that the General Assembly set aside for infrastructure around the plant. A car company that was only formed in 2017, VinFast pivoted two years ago toward electric SUVs and targeted foreign markets. The company says it's so far delivered 350 of its five-seat model to U.S. customers since shipping its first batch late last year. “Our project represents a significant investment and we're proud to create thousands of jobs here in North Carolina, but we believe the recognition that we receive here goes beyond the figures and reflects the mutual ambition that we all are pursuing,” VinFast CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy said at the ceremony. Earlier this year, the company announced it would delay the production start in Chatham County from 2024 to 2025. A company executive acknowledged that their original timeline had been aggressive but reaffirmed the company's commitment to build. This article was provided by The Associated Press.
Jeff and Scott chat with Jenny Williams, Tax Administrator with Chatham County, North Carolina. We discuss the ins and outs of property tax collection, including garnishing wages, repossessing assets, and foreclosing on real property. We talk about how the county manages to collect over 95% of property taxes owed. We bust a few myths about property taxes in the process.
LISTEN: On the Monday, July 24th edition of Georgia Today: The AC is back on at the Fulton County Jail after last week's storm damage; the Chatham County DA is blasting a new state commission with the authority to replace local DAs; and a pair of former Bulldogs comes up big at the British Open golf tournament.
From the Henssler Financial Studio, this is your news minute on the Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast, presented by Engineered Solutions of Georgia. Today is Thursday June 8th, and I'm Brian Giffin.Gwinnett County is set to eliminate three railroad crossings with the help of federal funding. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded the county approximately $888,000 as part of the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grants program. The crossings at Arcado Road, Oak Road/Gloster Road, and Hosea Road, located on the CSX rail line, will be studied for feasible construction alternatives to address safety, traffic increases, and curved approaches. Gwinnett County will provide a 20% non-Federal match for the project. Chatham County and DeKalb County were also awarded grants for their respective projects to improve multimodal communities and convert at-grade crossings to grade separated crossings. These grants are part of a larger effort by the FRA to enhance safety and address transportation needs in communities nationwide, aiming to reduce train-vehicle collisions and blocked rail crossings.For more on this and other stories around our community, go to gwinnettdailypost.com. For the Daily Post Podcast, I'm Brian Giffinwww.henssler.com www.esogrepair.com www.gwinnettdailypost.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
To kick off our celebration of National Safety Month, in this episode, host Dr. I. David Daniels will speak with Nathan Benson, the Director of Occupational Safety, Risk Management, and Disability Services in Chatham County, Georgia. There are approximately 90,000 governments in the United States, divided into three categories: federal, state, and local. The public sector employs 20.2 million people in the US, approximately 14.5 percent of the workforce. However, when conversations about safety of any kind are had, workers in the public sector or left out. Injury rates tend to be significantly higher than similar work done by the private sector. Seven years ago, Chatham County, Georgia, decided to buck this trend by developing an occupational safety division and bringing in a 2015 National Safety Council Rising Star to lead the effort. Director Benson has been able to build the team and help the county through the global pandemic when less than 50% of the county's workforce could work remotely. He will share the work done to reduce worker injuries and create a culture where workers feel supported and less anxious about the rare occupation that they are injured at work.
Imagine finding out that your new home was so poorly constructed and has so many faults that the only thing you can do is tear it down and start over. This is exactly what happened to a Chatham County family. Come to find out the inspector didn’t do his job and failed to note 30 plus violations. The family sued the builder and the county, but their struggle continues. 5 On Your Side Producer Pritchard Strong shares this cautionary tale with us.
Perry Brannen, Jr. served Chatham County for over four decades as a Superior Court Judge. For roughly three of those decades he was the Chief Judge. He has a testimony to share. Perry's story is one of steady service and cultural Christianity interrupted by divine intervention. It is a story of a renewed and lively faith that shares in with his wife Marcia. It is a testimony well worth hearing.
Attn: 2 Girls 1 Cocktail HostsI must denounce the spurious proliferation of lies about the origin of the Tom Collins. REAL refreshment journalism would have quickly revealed that in 1862, my great-great-grandfather Rupert Haberschmidt invented the Tom Collins' Rejuvenation Tonic in Savannah, GA. Rupert, an itinerant apothecary and part-time soldier, created the concoction attempting to cure his knock knees while on Easter break from the war, and named it after his dear friend and roommate Thomas Collins. It was said to reduce the effects of joint maladies & other ill humors, and many health-conscious Georgians to this day drink 12 oz. every morning as a prophylactic.Sadly, Rupert's cousin and rival, Jebediah Haber, long-prejudiced against Rupert's disability, stole the recipe and, predictably, outran him to the county post office to publish it. Haber, writing under the lewd pseudonym "Harry Johnson", misattributed its invention and downplayed its healing properties in the book you mentioned. So began a vast conspiracy to erase Rupert's legacy and ostracize the knock-kneed Haberschmidts of Chatham County. You might say we have been on our heels ever since.THIS MICROAGGRESSION WILL NOT GO UNNOTICED OR UNPUNISHED. As Acting Secretary of the Chatham County Historical Committee, I demand you:- publish a retraction and tell the truth about Rupert Haberschmidt's invention of the Tom Collins- cease all ableist microaggressions and mockery of Knock-Kneed Americans and clearly affirm on your program: ALL. KNEES. MATTER.- publicly denounce the liar Jebediah Haber and his kinor else my lawyers will begin legal action.Sincerely, Roweena Haberschmidt Secretary (Acting), Chatham County Historical Committee --Love, Auntie Weena Ask me about how YOU can become a LuLaRoe Ambassador and live your best life!Eli - Bombay - May 1, 2017
How are leaders embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion? And how can you create an atmosphere of belonging for everyone in your organization? Brenda Clegg is here to break down the meaning of DEI and share the first steps leaders can take to uphold these values. Brenda is a certified Diversity Executive and Certified Human Resource Professional and is the Equity and Community Engagement Officer for Chatham County. In this episode, she'll share her expertise on all things human resources and DEI.
Erika Hoffman of Chatham County, North Carolina, has been writing with the goal of publication for 12 years. She's been published 430 times in venues such as anthologies, newspapers, magazines, and ezines. Her niche is the non-fiction narrative although she has written novels. Erika received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Duke University where she met her husband. Besides teaching high school, Erika kept busy raising four children. She belongs to a few writing groups: NC Writers Network, Carteret Writers, and TAF.
Pam welcomes her cousin, Ronda Taylor Bullock to the show in honor of women's history month. She is the co-founder and lead curator of we are. Bullock also studies whiteness and white youth's racial identity development. She uses education as a means to provide racial equity training and programs for youth, parents, and educators. Dr. Bullock recently got to visit the White House and meet Vice President, Kamala Harris on behalf of her work with United Way of the greater triangle.
COA's Jimmy Lewis talks about working at the agency, about the value seniors bring to Chatham County, and about the "6 OVER 60" project, which is a collaboration between the COA and the News + Record.Make a nomination!Visit the COA's website
WTOC Digital Anchor Jake Wallace gives you a recap of the week's biggest stories from around the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry. In this episode: - Suspect accused of plowing through Rincon parade denied bond for second time: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/11/15/suspect-accused-plowing-through-rincon-parade-denied-bond/ - GA lawmakers divided on judge's ruling to overturn state's abortion ban: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/11/16/georgia-lawmakers-divided-judges-ruling-overturn-abortion-ban/ - Toddler found dead at bottom of Beaufort hotel pool: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/11/15/2-year-old-found-bottom-hotel-pool-beaufort/ - Chatham County adds Sunday early voting for U.S. Senate runoff: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/11/16/chatham-co-adding-sunday-early-voting-us-senate-runoff-race/
KATIE CHILDS, the executive director of the United Way of Chatham County, talks about her agency's work in supporting partnering nonprofits to meet critical needs of Chatham residents — and in envisioning a community in which all residents have access to the necessary resources to thrive.Chatham businesses: support the United Way by joining the News + Record in the $100 by 100 campaign!HOSTS: Bill Horner III of the Chatham News + Record and Daniel Simmons of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Carolina.Find out more about the United Way.
Two men, with no connection, were both found dead in rural Chatham County, North Carolina more than forty years ago. To complicate matters, one man's head and hands were removed to prevent his identification. Both cases had been cold for years, until the magic of modern-day DNA testing and a forensic genealogist got involved. In this episode, we share the story of a grieving and confused family who takes us on their journey from shock to heartbreak and finally acceptance. We also introduce you to lab in Texas that uses cutting edge technology to extract usable samples from degraded DNA. Full transcript available at https://www.whatremainspodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Two men, with no connection, were both found dead in rural Chatham County, North Carolina more than forty years ago. To complicate matters, one man's head and hands were removed to prevent his identification. Both cases had been cold for years, until the magic of modern-day DNA testing and a forensic genealogist got involved. In this episode, we share the story of a grieving and confused family who takes us on their journey from shock to heartbreak and finally acceptance. We also introduce you to lab in Texas that uses cutting edge technology to extract usable samples from degraded DNA. Full transcript available at https://www.whatremainspodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Join Dr. Street as he interviews Tim Moore from Chatham County, NC. He is a candidate for the Chatham County Board of Education.
Audio from News + Record's candidate forum held Wed., Oct. 26, at CCCC.Follow all the News + Record's elections coverage at www.chathamnewsrecord.com/elections
Audio from News + Record's candidate forum held Wed., Oct. 26, at CCCC.Follow all the News + Record's elections coverage at www.chathamnewsrecord.com/elections
It's the final part of our Samuel Little trilogy, and we're covering the rest of the victim list.*Content Warning: Rape, Murder*FBI Site with Little's DrawingsTexas DPS Site with Little's Drawings / ConfessionsPre-order Jillian Lauren's BookFamily of Tracy Johnson sees justice in knowing who took her lifeSerial killer admits to murdering 2 more coast women on the same dayUpdate: Woman found 39 years ago off i 24 in Dade County identified as Patricia ParkerDecades after her daughter's death, a mother gets answersSerial killer says God made him kill Florida womanAuthorities say Rosie Hill was one of scores of women preyed upon..."It Hurts Still": Macon man remembers sister killed by serial killerFredonia Smith's Mother Speaks About Her Daughter's DeathSamuel Little Linked to Cold Case Murders of Mary Jo Peyton and Francis CampbellSerial killer indicted for Chatham County murder decades laterSerial killer indicted for 1984 Savannah murder and rape"Oh my God. That's her." Daughter Finds Out a Serial Killer Murdered Her MomConfessed Killer of 90 People Could Face Justice in AlabamaAkron mother murdered in 1991 was victim of serial killer Samuel LittleSerial killer Sam Little pleads guilty to two murders receives life sentencesThe Crimes of America's Most Prolific Serial Killer*Due to character limitations, the entire citations list cannot be posted here. For a complete list, send us an email.Support the show
WTOC Digital Anchor Jake Wallace gives you a recap of the week's biggest stories from around the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry. In this episode: - Search for missing Quinton Simon moves to Chatham County landfill: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/10/18/police-searching-landfill-missing-toddler-quinton-simon/ - Quinton Simon case page: https://www.wtoc.com/news/quinton-simon-case/ - Early voting begins in Georgia: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/10/17/ga-early-voting-begins-monday/ - WTOC Elections Center: https://www.wtoc.com/politics/elections/ - Ghost Pirates ready to drop puck on inaugural season: https://www.wtoc.com/sports/savannah-ghost-pirates/
WTOC Digital Anchor Jake Wallace gives you a recap of the week's biggest stories from around the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry. In this episode: - Search continues for missing toddler in Chatham County: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/10/06/search-continues-missing-toddler-last-seen-wednesday-morning/ - Weapon found on student at Windsor Forest High: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/10/05/weapon-found-windsor-forest-high-student-after-fight-cafeteria/ - FBI involved in false shooting report at Beaufort High, other SC schools: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/10/05/fbi-involved-false-shooting-report-investigation-beaufort-high-other-sc-schools/ - Damage from Hurricane Ian minimal in WTOC viewing area: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/10/04/savannah-mayor-van-johnson-says-city-was-prepared-ian-will-help-those-impacted/
On this edition, we're talking SCOUTING…specifically scouting here in Chatham County, on the eve of the 75th anniversary of Boy Scouts of America Troop 93 in Pittsboro. Our guest is Mack Thorpe, the assistant scoutmaster of Troop 93, who's been working hard to plan a huge community-wide event in just a few weeks. On Sat., Oct. 22, a day-long celebration in observance of that anniversary will be held in Siler City, and Mack here is to share with us a little bit about that, about the goings-on at Troop 93, and more about Scouting.
WTOC Digital Anchor Jake Wallace gives you a recap of the week's biggest stories from around the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry. In this episode: - Illegal automatic handgun switches found in Chatham County: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/09/07/illegal-automatic-handgun-switches-found-chatham-co/ - Motion to sever granted in Mallory Beach lawsuit: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/09/08/motion-sever-granted-mallory-beach-lawsuit/ - WTOC Murdaugh Case Page: https://www.wtoc.com/news/lowcountry/murdaugh-case/ - Funeral arrangements set for Savannah Police officer killed in crash: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/09/06/funeral-arrangements-set-spd-officer-killed-crash/ - Lease termination rescinded for hundreds of tenants in Lowcountry neighborhood: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/09/06/lease-termination-rescinded-hundreds-tenants-lowcountry-neighborhood/ - Hunter Army Airfield soldiers run for 9/11 remembrance: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/09/08/patriot-day-run-haaf-remembers-911/
Chatham County has been the epicenter of economic development in North Carolina in 2022. Aside from the explosive growth occurring related to Chatham Park, the 7,000-acre planned community that will add 22,000 homes, Chatham was chosen by Vietnamese EV manufacturer VinFast as the site for its American plant — a $4 billion project that's expected to bring 7,500 jobs here. And that doesn't take into consideration activity brewing at the Chatham Advanced Manufacturing site in Siler City.This week on the Chatcast, we're talking with Michael Smith, president of the Chatham County EDC, about VinFast, about other projects, and about the impact they'll collectively have on central North Carolina.Michael Smith has more than 20 years of experience serving in economic development roles in local organizations and with the N.C. Department of Commerce. He came to Chatham a little over a year ago from Lee County, where he had a hand in project after project announced there over the last few years and of course has been the face of Chatham's ED efforts.
WTOC Digital Anchor Jake Wallace gives you a recap of the week's biggest stories from around the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry. In this episode: - Savannah Police net 26 arrests in crime reduction operation: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/08/02/savannah-police-makes-26-arrests-two-day-operation/ - Interim SPD Chief discusses priorities and plans for department: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/08/02/interim-savannah-police-chief-lenny-gunther-discusses-priorities-plans-his-term/ - School zone speed cameras back in session in Chatham County: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/08/02/slow-it-down-school-zone-speed-cameras-back-session/ - WTOC Back 2 School page: https://www.wtoc.com/back2school/ - Tax helpers unsure on how GA unborn tax exemption will work: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/08/04/tax-helpers-unclear-yet-how-exactly-unborn-child-tax-exemption-will-work/ - SC sales tax holiday starts this weekend: https://www.wtoc.com/2022/08/03/sc-sales-tax-holiday-starts-this-weekend/
This week our focus is on the Early Childhood Action Plan being developed as a resource for Chatham County and its families. Our guests are Genevieve Megginson and Lara Kehle, two of the lead creators of the plan.Megginson is the executive director of Chatham County Partnership for Children, a group of human service providers who are dedicated to improving lives of the Chatham County's young children. And Lara Kehle is the director of KidSCope, a social-emotional health services provider with offices in Pittsboro and Chapel Hill, and the chairperson of the Chatham Health Alliance.
“Just to make people aware: pet insurance is a very helpful tool; veterinary financing is a very helpful tool. When they're combined, it creates a unique situation where they really piggyback and help each other.” This episode is sponsored in part by Humane Network, Doobert, and Maddie's Fund. Edwin Plotts is the Director of Marketing at Pawlicy Advisor. He is also involved with fostering and TNR in Chatham County, Georgia. Prior to moving to Georgia, he was a volunteer and foster with Flatbush Cats in Brooklyn, New York. In his interview with Stacy, Edwin describes the services of Pawlicy Advisor, which he likens to Priceline for pet insurance. This free resource assists pet owners in finding the right insurance so that they can afford veterinary costs. Edwin explains how there is no one-size-fits-all pet insurance and details how Pawlicy Advisor utilizes the Coverage Score and the Lifetime Pricing Score to rank the insurances most appropriate for the pet owner. He also more broadly explains pet insurance, including what it covers and its evolvement over the past five years. You can connect with Edwin through Linkedin. To learn more about Pawlicy Advisor, visit their website. Listener Notes During his interview, Edwin mentioned Flatbush Cats If you enjoyed this episode, check out our interview with Nathan the Cat Lady in episode 388.
George Meyers was born and raised in Savannah. During his years as a business owner, George learned a lot about business and the inner workings of the business. Today he prides himself in helping new and existing entrepreneurs make educated decisions that will help their businesses be more successful. In years past George has owned and sold numerous personal properties that include commercial, residential, and investment. This personal, commercial, investment, and business experience helps him better understand his client's needs. Today George is a full-time professional Realtor and the founder and principal of Mia Madison Properties LLC. He is a member of the National Association of Realtors, Georgia Association of Realtors, Realtors Commercial Alliance of Savannah/Hilton Past president of the Savannah Landlord and Real Estate Investors Association. Savannah, Georgia was the beneficiary of rapid growth in the first part of last year but settled into a more sustainable pace that we have become familiar within today's economy. That said, the city has undergone a considerable amount of growth in the past 18 months. Tourism, port activity, business services, and above all – the housing market –set the stage for above-average employment and economic growth. Today, George talks about investing in Savannah, Georgia: market trends, neighborhoods, price to rent ratio, economic drivers, geographic considerations, and more. Episode Links: https://www.miamadisonrealtygroup.com/george-meyers/ --- Transcript Before we jump into the episode, here's a quick disclaimer about our content. The Remote Real Estate Investor podcast is for informational purposes only, and is not intended as investment advice. The views, opinions and strategies of both the hosts and the guests are their own and should not be considered as guidance from Roofstock. Make sure to always run your own numbers, make your own independent decisions and seek investment advice from licensed professionals. Michael: Hey, everyone, welcome to another episode of the Remote Real Estate Investor. I'm Michael Albaum and today I'm joined by George Meyers, who's our Roofstock certified agent out in the Savannah Georgia market and today George is gonna be talking to us about everything we need to know if we're considering investing out in that market. So let's get into it. Everyone, just a quick shout out to the Rootstock Academy before we get started with the episode. Rootstock Academy is your one stop shop for real estate education, whether you're just starting out, or a seasoned investor, or just looking to learn more about real estate investing as a whole, we've got something for you. Over 50 hours of automated lecture access to one on one coaching private slack forums and more, come check us out a roofstockacademy.com. Look forward to seeing you in there. Happy investing. George, what's going on, man. Thanks so much, take the time to hang out with me. I appreciate you coming on. George: Michael, thanks for having me. I really appreciate you having me on. Michael: Oh, of course. My pleasure, so right out the gates, give me your elevator sales pitch on why should people be investing in Savannah, Georgia? George: Savannah is a man is one of the best markets are the best one. What we have in our areas is a lot of different drivers for investment. One would be military, we have a lot of military that come into the area which make our rental market really, really good. The great thing with that is it's a good economy and bad economy doesn't matter if we have a high economy or low economy we have renter's because of military. We also have a lot of manufacturing plants that produce no matter where there's a high income or low income situations. You know, for rentals, we also have the ports, we were one of the largest ports in the country, and we just deepened our harbors. So we're growing even more and they're saying that will probably be the number one in the next couple of years. Then you got other drivers around us a lot of colleges. So even in a bad economy or a good economy, everybody's going to school. So you got a lot of that going on around us we have some of the biggest colleges in the state here in our area. You know, the other thing that we have is a good amount of influx of people coming in that are transient. So if you want to do short term vacation rental with us, or if you want to do long term, we have a little bit of everything in order Michael: Right on, well I'm so we can just call this episode a wrap and go home and you know, that's awesome, George. So let's definitely unpack a lot of what you just said. But I would first love if you could share with our listeners a little bit about who you are, where you come from, and what is it that you're doing in real estate. George: Okay, so my name is George Meyers. I am the owner and a realtor at Lea Madison properties. Our company opened in 2002. It's named after my daughter's view as my youngest daughter, Madison's my oldest daughter. We're a full service brokerage. So we do a little bit of everything. We have commercial residential, we do property management, association management for commercial properties. And we have a high on investment department. So in our investment department, we do everything from single family to multifamily. You know, we've been doing it for so long that we work with a lot of subcontractors and stuff as well to help us be the industry. So we're here to help you through a little bit of everything that you can. So me personally, I was born and raised here in Savannah, Georgia. I'm 42 years old, a family man of three, an entrepreneur and a full time realtor he just loves it loves investing. Michael: Right on and George, I'm always curious to know with a lot of our partner agents, do you invest yourself? George: I do invest myself. So I'm short term vacation rental, I own commercial rentals, and long term, long term rentals as well. Michael: Right on. Okay, well, here's a question for you. What do you say to the folks that think that having their property manager also own rentals, there's a conflict of interest there. Because if I own property and you own property, and we both got a vacancy, we all kind of know who's is probably going to get filled first. George: Yeah, so we run into that question a lot. You know, in my case, I'm kind of like the Hair Club for Men. I'm not only the President, I'm also a client. So in my case, you know, there is no competition. And the reason there's no competition is because I placed my properties into a property management department, which as I'm the owner, yes, but I have a person who runs my company for me, because I'm a day to day Realtor in a day to day investor myself as well. But in that particular case, there is no priority for my property or another property. The other great thing is in the Savannah market, we are social and housing that industry comes through, I have to worry about my property before their property, because there's probably a waiting list. I mean, and to give you a good example. I mean, we had an announcement yesterday that Hyundai is going to come to you what we call our mega site, which is an industrial park that we have. It was built a number of years ago, and it's been filling up with some great manufacturers and some great warehousing facilities. but Hyundai has announced that they're gonna be coming in there in the coming months and they're saying I think they're gonna bring, like 1100 jobs to the area or something like that it could be a little job number. But the crazy thing is we don't have the housing for it. I mean, when it comes to both purchasing or renting, we were already in the shortage prior to that announcement and that's just one announcement of many that are coming to this area, I mean, Amazon's gonna be opening a facility. They're not calling an Amazon facility, but it is an Amazon facility that's opening in the area that does distribution, and a few other logistic companies are going to be opening that are large providers of employer. So when it comes down to that question, what I can say is, as I said a little while ago, I don't think there's any competition between my property or priority, because we don't have enough properties. I mean, if you were to go to our property management website, and even from the purchase side for investments, our struggle is inventory. I mean, we typically prior to prior to 2019, we average 30 properties on our website for rent, as good as availability. Okay, currently, we have five properties on the site at any given time, because we're renting them before people even walk out the door. Michael: Oh, my gosh, that's wild. We've been hearing the same thing in so many markets throughout the country. George: Yeah, it is. Wow, it is scary. I mean, you know, the funny thing is everybody in this market, and you've probably heard this from other realtors, everybody thinks that we're just getting rich right now we're making all this money. It's just amazing. Well, the fact of the matter is, I mean, I can be honest with you, I didn't want a business in the recession that I did now, because there was inventory. You know, now we're in a place where we're not selling as many properties I mean, yes, we're making a little bit more money, because the cost of homes are more so organically, you can sell a little bit less inventory, and still make just as much money. But the fact of the matter is, we're not we're not shooting over the moon, because we don't have the inventory to sell. I mean, if we did, and we'd be amazing, and we would all be absolutely rich as realtors, but most realtors are still probably about the same place, they are making a little bit more money, except for that one that top one percentile who who's doing, you know, a high volume of stuff. Michael: Yeah, I wonder too, how many realtors decided to get their license during the pandemic, because they saw how frothy the market was and so there's all this new inventory of people fighting for the same number of deals. George: It's absolutely crazy. I mean, I've got a couple of friends who own real estate companies and they also schools, you know, that do pre licensing to become realtors and they said they could probably add four or five more classes, it doesn't matter where they are, it doesn't matter if they're here, if they're in Charleston, if they're in Texas, or if they're in California, when I talk to these friends, they say I can add five more classes a month, and still not have enough to let people come in. You know, and I heard a statistic the other day that there were some there are some real estate markets where the associations and the MLS is are adding approximately 50 agents a month onto the roster. Now, of what I understand, I didn't get into the market until 2008. I started in the business in 2007, and was an investor prior to that, and I owned another business before I got into this and I was told that back then it was the same way that they had where they were adding tons and tons of people and then a recession occurred or they figured out they weren't going to make the money that they thought they were going to make and you just have a bunch of licensed individuals, but they're not good realtors and not to say they couldn't be good realtors, they're just not in it full time. They're doing it part time. They're working a full time job during the day, and then they're doing something else in the evening, which is real estate. It's their side hustle, I guess you would say. Michael: Yeah, yeah. Okay, interesting. Well, George, you touched on it a little bit, as you were kind of gearing up and talking about the Savannah market. But who are some of the biggest employers, if someone is thinking about investing in the market? Who should they be looking to be kind of bolstering and supporting the economy? George: Yeah, so we've got a number of large, large employers in the area. So first of all, we got the military and the government, as we talked about, you know, we have one of the largest air strips in the country. So that's Hunter Army Airfield, within close proximity, about 45 minutes from here in Huntsville, we have forged Stewart, which for Stewart is one of the major bases when most things start to occur for a war or something overseas, typically, everything starts to move first at Fort Stewart and Hunter before it does anywhere else in the country based on my experience over the years. So you got a lot of military there. You've also got a lot of government facilities and government civilian jobs that are supporting both of those bases and all the things going on. So then, if you move on to the private sector, you've got Gulfstream so Gulfstream aerospace, which is owned by General Dynamics, we all know Gulfstream planes, we all wish we could afford one, especially when you live here, and you see him flying over every day in the drought biome, you know, so we got gold stream, their huge employer. The great thing about Gulfstream is over the last few years, they've started to bring a lot of their manufacturing of additional parts from their subcontractors in house. So they're doing a lot of that and a lot of expansion in our area. They've built I think two or three extra facilities at the airport over the last probably five to 10 years. So they've really increased employment, a lot of logistics and warehouse we've had the largest logistics and warehousing boom we've ever seen over the last three to four years, especially in the last few years. I mean, a lot of areas that were desolate country sides, and down two lane highways are now six, four and six lane highways and now on both sides of those roads, where the train tracks on the other side is nothing but logistics warehouses, and I'm talking massive logistics warehouses, hundreds and hundreds of 1000s of square feet of logistics warehousing, laid out in yards in the same way. So a lot of truck drivers, you know, a lot of people working within these within these facilities to do all the different things and as you can imagine, by building those facilities, you've got construction companies that have been popping up everywhere, they're doing all of the infrastructure, and that kind of stuff, then we go to the ports authority. So the ports authority, as I mentioned, at the beginning, were one of the largest ports in the country, I think we're either the second or first largest port on the East Coast. Actually, I think New York is right ahead of us still. But at that particular case, I think they just said they were gonna bring another 500 to 1000 jobs over the next year, just for the ports authority and what you have to realize that we've noticed there our research is over the last couple of years, what we started to see is the majority of people, even if they're going to buy a home, they come and rent for the first one to three years because they want to learn the city, they want to learn the market and the thing about our city is lots of places you have just the inner city itself. So for us, the majority of the stuff is going to be an outlying suburbs that are growing really quickly, like cooler, Port Wentworth, Reagan Gaiden and like, for example, cooler and cooler is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, by both population by economic standard, and by growth rate of pure property, meaning the property they're building for retail for warehousing and those kinds of things. So all of the surrounding cities that surround our city, they're all having growth troubles themselves. So what's happening is they're actually doing research and studies to figure out how they're going to control this growth to make sure that they don't outpace themselves, and they can support the infrastructure and everything that's coming on. All of those things bring us back to what we're here for is which is investing. I mean, it brings us back to where it's a very solid state for investors, because they can guarantee that they're gonna have tenants, even if it's for the short term, meaning one to three years. Michael: That's incredible. George: It is you know, and you have a bunch of other businesses and we could go on and on about a bunch of a bunch of other businesses that are in the area, large companies, large manufacturers, as I mentioned, we've got a mega site. We're, we're going to Tri County area, so not a tourist city here but a Tri County area, so Brian Chatham and Effingham counties are going to be the main focus of where the investors are going to want to look okay, and in this case is there's different types of properties we have depends on what you want to invest in how you want to invest what your rate of return is, or what you want your rate of return to be and those different properties are going to gonna be in those different areas. But each of those areas is growing at the same pace meaning that they're all putting in logistics and all putting in manufacturing but some of the major manufacturing Daniel defenses in our area Daniel offense if you don't know who they are, they're a gun in arms manufacturer. They do a lot of the military stuff they're nationally known. I would say they're probably the Remington of today's world. You know everybody wants one of their guns. You know you've got Kia who is moving in which is Hyundai, like as I mentioned earlier, Hyundai is doing a subsidiary there begin to build a Kia Evie vehicle here is was what I read. Okay, got Kita you got Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi a few years ago and I say a few years ago, time flies probably five or six years ago, they opened a generator plant here. So they build a generator motors here on site at the mega site and then there's a couple of other manufacturers that are right outside of the city like arm, or a foul. If you don't know where a file is oral file makes any of the stickers that you see lots of times if you see a vehicle, it's been wrapped, or if you see stickers on the front of a retail store, that material that they use to make that is produced very largely here at one of our facilities. So those are just a handful of companies. Like I said I could go on and on and on about who else could support the economy. Michael: How great Well George, let's do this. Let's pull up a map of Savannah, Pierre, if you want to give us a hand with that, and I would love if you could kind of take us on a tour around the market as a whole and give folks some insights into some neighborhoods that you're really excited about. George: So if we start your little column, you know, the downtown area is always great. You know, if we look at downtown Savannah, it's going to be broken into a couple of districts so we'll be looking at Savannah itself has resumed in here, you're gonna have the closer you get to the Savannah River, which is where the red dot if you see the red dot on the screen of the map. So right there appears got the browser you're gonna see or got the cursor, you're gonna see that's the Savannah River. So all of that area right there is going to be tourism. If you go a little bit to the left on my screen, you know, you'll see up the river you're gonna see all the ports and everything else. But in the lower section of that from the red dot, you're going to ended up in an area that's an historic district, the historic district runs to about from what we call Bay Street, which is the main road that runs through the city or River Street, which is where all the tourists want to go all the way back to somewhere around, I would say 37/3 victory. 37th is really probably the cut off of where you get into your historic district. But all the way back to victory is probably about what we would call it downtown and that area, what you're going to end up with is properties of all different genres. So you're going to end up with a lot of older properties, meaning that they were built as early as the 1890s and there is new as 2022. But there's a lot of historic property there and a lot of them will be redone. So what you're gonna run into in this area in the downtown area is you're gonna run into a weird situation and the weird situation being that there's not a good side of the street, or excuse me, a good side of the tracks on the bad side of the tracks, like lots of times you hear people say, I don't have an RC, there's a good side of the track and a bad side of track, once you run into in downtown Savannah is a good side of the street and a bad side of the street and the reason for that is because of the previous recession. In the previous recession, investors came in and we started to purchase a lot of streets and we were buying entire blocks at a time with multiple investors, then what occurred is the recession came and when the recession came, it left a lot of properties undone. It left half the blocks done or half the streets done and those kinds of things. Okay, so that's why you end up with good sides of the streets, bad sides of the street, but now we're starting to see a lot of those properties picked up. The other thing you'll run into in downtown Savannah is a big mix of the type of properties, you're gonna run into anything from a single family bungalow, that's probably only several 100 square feet and depending on where it's located, it can be anywhere from, you know, $400,000, all the way down to $30,000. It just really depends on its location and proximity to the historic district or parks or, or areas that have grown and that kind of stuff. But then you'll run into things like quad plexus, or duplexes or large multifamily developments that were built, you know, sometime anywhere from probably the early 70s, maybe even the 60s, all the way into 2022. Okay, I'm the type of let's talk about for a minute, the type of tenant you're going to receive in this type of area, it's going to be a little of everything, it's really, really cool, what you're going to end up with this short term vacation rentals in this area. Now, what I will say is any investor looking for short term vacation rentals in this area, it can be very, very tricky and the tricky part of it is that we have a cap on the number and percentages based on which area they're in. Some of the areas may be called boards, some may be called districts, but depending on where they are in that district or in that ward, they are limited to a certain percentage. So we always want to check and make sure that we have the ability to be able to get them or certificate or transfer them or certificate otherwise they just purchased a property that can't be used for anything short term vacation rental. Okay. So that's one thing you're gonna run into is a lot of tourists, a lot of tourism students, there's a lot of students in this area. So you've probably heard of SCAD Savannah College of Art and Design. SCAD is one of the largest art schools in the country. SCAD is based in Savannah. SCAD has redeveloped and owns a lot of downtown Savannah and without them a lot of downtown Savannah probably wouldn't be what it is today, because they've done a lot of redevelopment and a lot of restoration in that area. So you're gonna end up with a lot of students. The great thing about SCAD students is they come from all over the world. It's not a situation where you know, a lot of schools you run into and you see around the country, as I've talked to people is a lot of these people come from, let's just say Wyoming to go to school here. Now, you're gonna run into people from China, you're gonna run into people from England, you're gonna run to people from Amsterdam, you're gonna run into people from States where I which is right outside Savannah, so it's just a big poll of people into this area and they too, are also a big a big employer in our area, not just an employer directly, but they also employ a lot of subcontractors, who then then create jobs as well. So you're gonna get those people, young professionals, young professionals love to be in downtown Savannah over the past five years, young professionals that flocked from all over the country, especially during COVID to work remotely in our area, because one of the great things, you can walk us anywhere downtown with an open container. As long as you're not driving. We're one of I think three cities in the country that allows you to walk out of a bar, and you can have a beer can in your hand and when you do as long as you put it in a cup, you can walk with an open container. So everybody loves us for that. Some people judge us for that, but some people love us for that. So you're gonna run into young professionals, you're gonna run into families because there are still a lot of families who live in the downtown area, and that kind of stuff and then as far as income levels, you're gonna go for everything from low income all the way to high income. You're gonna get everything from high income mansion homes, all the way down to subsidized housing and low income section eight housing. So downtown Savannah has got a plethora. The city has done very well and is working very well with investors to be able to make all of these areas and festival investor friendly. There's even been some tax incentives depending on where you are and what you're doing and the city has also been really good about keeping a mix and what I mean by that is they even offered some pro grants to where they can keep families and individuals in the downtown area by giving down payment assistance. Okay, Pierre, if you zoom out a little bit more for me, if you come to the south side go further away from the from the downtown. If you come to the south side, what you'll do on the map is you'll kind of cross over victory drive, and you'll come into an area which we'll call Midtown, Midtown is going to be congregated, largely Park, the houses typically run anywhere from the 1930s up until there's some homes that were built in the last couple of years. In the Midtown area, great investment area, you're gonna pay a little bit more money for the homes. Those homes are typically pretty well maintained. These are going to be what I call porch neighborhoods, porch neighborhoods, meaning that they all have front porches, the neighbors still sit on the front porch and talk to you next door. They're very, they're the epitome of the Southern home in my opinion, a lot of these homes are probably three to four bedroom bungalows, maybe even down to two bedroom bungalows, there will be some mix in me there's duplexes and quad plexus that are mixed into this middle midtown area, a lot to do a lot of activities, there's a big park in that area, which is called Delphin Park, you're going to end up with good shopping, you know, you're gonna end up with our ball filters there. I don't know if you've heard of Savannah, bananas, but everybody across the country has been talking about them. Grayson Stadium, which is one of the oldest stadiums in the country, is one of our ball stadiums and that's where they play at and that's in Midtown, all walking distance from a lot of these Midtown locations. There again, really good for investors. The great thing about investing in these Midtown homes is that the draw on the is how cute they are. They've got a really good cute walking and look. So every investor, if they if they buy one of these properties with these front porches and they maintain them, they do a good job with them. Just a drive by they want it no questions asked. You know, there's a lot of there's a lot of character to these homes, as you see. I mean, there's a lot of characters, you look at a lot of these homes going through this area. Michael: And George, before we move on just curious, what would a three, two kind of run of the mill three two in Midtown costs and what would you think of it rent for? George: So it depends on it depends on what part of town you're in. But let's just say you're in, let's just say the Ardsley park or a park side, which are two neighborhoods in that area. If you were in Parkside, right now, a three two is probably going to cost you somewhere in the mid three, rents are going to be somewhere probably anywhere from about 2000 to as high as probably $3,200 a month. Depending on the upgrades you have on the home and everything else. The one issue that we've seen in the Savannah area is because we have so many tenants in place already, and they can't find places to go, they're holding the rents down a little bit. So the one thing that I want to really explain here is using I don't want to pick on anybody particular but we all go to certain, you know websites, we're going to go to a Zillow or HotPads, or something like that and I'm not picking on Zillow, I'm not picking on HotPads, because we understand how they get their data and algorithm they use and it kind of makes sense. But at the same time, when you're in a place like Midtown, the issue runs into that you could have a two bedroom, one bath next to a four bedroom, four bath and so those two don't compare. So when you see one rent for 2001 rent for 4000, the system gets thrown off. So as an investor listening to this podcast, what I want you to do is don't trust what you're finding online, I want you to pick up the phone and call me call my team. You know, and if you if you don't take that route, the call me or my team or the Roofstock team, then call somebody who's a professional who can truly tell you what's going on. Because what I can tell you is that a lot of the rents are staying stagnant to the lower prices. Because the landlord's we don't have like New York, they got price, you know, I don't know what they call it rent protection is what I'll call it, I forgot what it's actually called. But we don't have that here, we're not held to we have to charge a certain amount of rent, we can't raise a certain amount. But a lot of landlords, they bought the homes a lot cheaper, they bought the homes in 2008, nine and 10 when the homes were 50-60-70-80 $150,000. So they can charge a lot less rent and they've got quality tenants who are there. So watching that tenant out to raise the rent at 3000 and get a tenant who may not be there as long as this tenant is going to stay there losing that longevity and guarantee. So what you run into is when you go into some of these websites, they're still showing what I'll call 2018 and 2019 rent numbers. Whereas if you're buying a property that someone's moving out of, and we ended up buying the property as an investor for you as your investment real estate company, and through Roofstock, we are then going to raise those prices anywhere from probably 100 to $1,000, depending on the property. You know, and we have this issue on a call to issue. We had this conversation in this scenario with one of the investors who we started working with last week the rootstock. They call it and said hey, can you give me some information? I don't think your numbers accurate I think that in this particular property, what I'm looking at online, is the rents going to be 1500 to 2000. But you're telling me that on this property, it's going to be 2000 to 3000. So why is the number such a far swing, and the swing was exactly that this particular property that they were looking at was already under contract, unfortunately. But in that particular case, what it was is, there was a person who lived in the house for seven and a half years, that landlord decided that I wasn't going to rent the property again, because I had so much equity from buying it in 2008, or nine, that I'm going to cash out on my equity, and the next investor, whoever purchases that if it's not a family, what are they going to do, they're going to raise the price or market rent, you know. So you're going to want to talk with a good property manager, a good realtor like ourselves and the Roofstock team, so that we can really get you the true numbers in a market. So don't take the face value of what you're seeing online for what the market is truly doing. Let us know, let us help you through it. There's no additional cost for us to do that. That's what we're here for. That's what Roofstock here for and that's what all of our teams are here to kind of do and push you through. Michael: That's such a great tip and something that I'm always encouraging folks to do, that are in our academy is hey, go talk to the people that are actually doing it. Zillow is a machine, it's a computer, they're not the ones actually listing the homes and renting the home, so I love it. George: If you're in a neighborhood where all the homes are exactly the same and I want every investor to keep this in mind and even some realtors I mean even some realtors, you're like we were talking about earlier getting in. I hope that there's some realtors that are listening to this and they're taking the information that you're giving them, and the information that we're giving them and they're growing their business with it. But when you run into a situation where there's a neighborhood that's brand new, or 10 or 15 years old, and every home was built almost the same, there was only three four plans. The square footage only varies by a couple 100 square feet, the beds and baths don't vary at all, then yeah, the Zillow or any other company use using an algorithm or an AI system is going to be absolutely the cry, right. But when you put them into a downtown area or a midtown or an older neighborhood area where they're building new neighborhoods next to old neighborhoods, and new homes next to older homes or apartments, or there's condos right next to residential, single family detached, the problem you run into is the numbers get so skewed. I mean, they're trying to compare a detached condo that's two bedrooms, three baths with no garage and new lands to a house next door in a neighborhood behind it that was just built in 2021. That's got three bedrooms, two baths, a quarter acre lane and two car garage. Their system doesn't know the difference within reason of that because they're in such close proximity because of mileage. You know, it's done by radius. Michael: Right, right. Now, it makes a ton of sense. Well, George, give us a couple more markets that you're interested in and then I want to transition here shortly. George: Yeah, so going outside, or let's stay within the city with a warmer area. So the South side of town, you're going to end up with a little bit older neighborhoods, those neighborhoods were probably built sometime between the 60s and the 90s and those areas are really good places to find, you can typically because everybody's wanting something newer at something fixed up, you can typically find some inventory of properties of these areas that are popping up, that give you the ability to do a little bit of a little bit of repairs into them and still get really good rents with the higher purchase prices that are occurring in today's market. If we want to move outside the market, a few places that I want everybody to really key in on would be Richmond Hill, Port Wentworth and Pooler, as I mentioned earlier, Bryan county is where effing Bryan county is where Richmond Hill is. Richmond Hill is a very fast growing city. They're bringing in a lot of industry, making a lot of changes. There's all kinds of homes you're gonna find single family dwellings that are like condos, townhomes, you're gonna find larger homes and gated communities in that area and you're also going to find family dwellings and more spec type neighborhoods as well that are great for investment and Pooler. Pooler, as I mentioned earlier, is one of the if not the fastest growing city in the country right now, based on what I understand based on economic growth, based on pure size of growth of, of the actual city itself with the neighborhoods and their building with the retail and logistics and all that this area has both old and new and when I say old and new that everything from probably the 50s and 60s, all the way up to 2022 and you can find a little bit of everything from condos to townhomes to multifamily to single family detached. So those will be your hotspots. So again, Southside Savannah is going to be a really get hot spot. Midtown if you can get some but Midtown is so hot and it's very difficult to beat out a family, they're willing to pay more than US investors are willing to pay on stuff like that. Southside of Savannah, pooler, Port Wentworth, Richmond Hill, those are going to be kind of your hotspots and we're really looking at right now. It's a fine property. Michael: That is great, George and super helpful. So let's shift gears here just a little bit and talk about what are some things that out of state investors need to be aware of if they're considering the Savannah market like in California, for instance, termites are pretty common, we see a little bit of termite damage, that's not a red flag, but to someone that's not familiar with it, it's like, whoa, why want nothing to do with that property. So what's unique to Savannah that people need to be aware of. George: So I would say, just like you mentioned termites in our area, it's not if it's when you're gonna get termites. So you want to really make sure when we're doing this process, that we're doing inspections, we're making sure we're getting what we call a WTO letter, which is a wood destroying organism letter, to ensure that there are no termites, no powder post beetles, those kinds of things that are going to cause those types of issues. Moisture is a huge issue, we have high humidity. So for us in the summertime, especially coming into where we are now, you know, it's a situation where you take a shower, you dry off, you get dressed, just like every day, you walk outside, and it feels like you're back in the shower, and you're sweating to death, and it's just humid. Right, if you haven't experienced that felt the humidity, I mean, dry heat is one thing, and you can extend it up to 120 degrees, but 120 degrees with 90% humidity here, you feel like you're in a swimming pool walking down the street. So moisture is a big issue. So anytime you've had a house has been sitting vacant for a little bit of time, we really want to make sure we check to make sure there's no mold or mildew issues, we want to make sure that ventilation is good. HVAC is are huge. So we want to look at ages of HVAC, we want to look at the quality of the HVAC to make sure everything is operational. So home inspections are going to be very, very big in our area. Now the great thing is with Roofstock, scheduling those and everything else, they take really, really good inspectors and those inspectors will work with us on a regular basis. So they know exactly what to look for. They know exactly what an investor is looking for those kinds of things and the last thing is we go through a pretty heavy rain season, you know, we as we come into the screen, which we just came out of, we have a lot of rain, rainy days, when we get into the end of summer, we come into hurricanes and storms, afternoon thunderstorms. So we're going to want to make sure that all these properties have good sealed roofs, you know, good windows, those kinds of things and good drainage around the property and drainage around the property is horribly important. Because any of those rainstorms would we get these afternoon thunderstorms that we get, they're basically heat flashes, what we get, and in those cases, we may get one to three inches of rain in a matter of 45 minutes. So we want to make sure that there is no flooding or anything going on around the properties, even on the streets and everything else, you know. So it's those are some of the big key factors that I would tell the investors to really, really look at, you know, the other thing is, you know, what we try to encourage the investors to do is we try to encourage the investor to do a FaceTime or a video with us, you know, if they can't do a FaceTime with us, because you're, you're an international client or national client, or you're busy at work and, you know, just like with this, I mean, I think on the west coast or east coast, you know, there's a time difference. So it can be very difficult for us and for you at times. But if we can't do a FaceTime video live, like we're doing right here, then we definitely want to do some sort of recorded video and try to send that to you so that you can see everything in the home. Because there's one thing that I can tell you that realtors are really good at if they're good at nothing else and that is perception. They are good at taking pictures, and they are going to have photographers make things look, they make ugly things look absolutely beautiful, we were really, really good at that. Michael: It's a gift really. George: It really is a gift and I don't know if it's us as the realtors, or if it is, if it's the photographers. The other thing we're good at is the creative literature that we use to come up with the descriptions to say that, you know, there's 200 square foot bungalow that is falling down, it has termites is absolutely positively amazing. You know, we just we just have a way of doing that. So if you're 100 miles, 300 miles, 3000 miles away, it can be very difficult. So you definitely want to do video, because that video, you can't have stuff in his videos, you can't hide things, you're gonna see different things and you can stop and pause those pictures are one thing, but videos or another. So I encourage everybody to really no matter what market you're shopping in to really encourage the agent you're working with, to get you some sort of video or something like that. Michael: It's a great tip, George, talk to everybody about property taxes and how those work in the Tri County area. How should they be thinking about them? Is there a good ballpark rule for folks to estimate what their taxes are gonna look like post once they purchase a property? George: So the good thing is most of the sites that we mentioned earlier, most of them produce pretty accurate tax numbers. So really, in my opinion, you shouldn't be estimating taxes number one, and you should be asking both the realtor and the Roofstock team what the taxes actually are typically, number two, you know, if you're looking at those taxes on those sites, they're usually pretty accurate. But there are a couple anomalies that I really like to mention. So in some areas with our for example city of Savannah, city of Savannah sits within Chatham County, okay, if you're in the incorporated sea, okay. You actually have two tax bills. You have the city tax bill, and you have the county tax bill and the other thing that gets thrown off is those tax bills are due twice a year. They build those taxes in the beginning of the year. I think it's around this time of year which is March or April and then what they do is they build them again in November. Okay, now here's the funny thing about it. They say that the first bill is due You, I believe the first bill is due sometime June. But it's actually not the there's no lazy that is that is the municipalities way of producing pre income so that they can run their business. So you're better off to keep that money in your bank account, draw your interest and then pay the full bill in November because there's no penalty to do that. Okay, however, if you're in the city of Savannah, you have two tax bills and what happens sometimes is on the websites, they only show one of the tax bills, not both of the tax bills. So if you ever go on there, and you see some really cheap taxes, and you've got city and county, you're going to need to ask that question, because it's probably a situation where they put the first part of the year's taxes, but not the second year's taxes. So let's just say if the 1500 bucks, you're like, man, that's really cheap. Well, no, it's probably 3500 bucks, because there's two bills that year. You know, if you're in the unincorporated markets, like outside of Chatham County, where you're not in the city limits, there's only there's still two bills, but there's only the bill for the county, you're not paying city and county taxes. So in some cases, you may want to make your make your investment market outside the city because you're paying less taxes. It really depends on what you're doing. The other counties in the same way, Bryan County and Effingham County, which the tri counties are what make up the Tri County areas, they are the same way they typically build twice a year. But there are some cities in those areas that you do not pay city taxes, for example, there's a city called Garden City that is between Savannah and between pooler, it's right against the ports, a lot of ports, workers live in that area, a lot of ports, families work in that area, you can actually see the ports from them as anywhere that you can see the port cranes in that location, they do not have some Texas, their city taxes are wrapped into the county taxes and somehow the county and the city work together to cover those costs throughout the year. So you're only paying taxes on one side, not both sides, even though you're in a municipality, inside of the county. So we'll want to look at those on a case by case basis. But I would say that the majority of websites that I see, they're producing, you know, pretty good numbers. But for us, it's so easy for us to get it. I don't see why anybody should assume they should just make the phone call or send me an email and say, hey, do your job, Mr. George, give me this information and I think that's a big misconception is a is investors feeling like they're overworking the realtor? Well, no, I mean, that's what we do every day. I mean, that's what we're here for and that's what we have teams for and if you're working with a realtor who's not willing to do those things, then you should probably find a different realtor, you know, and so the other part of that is, you know, you also have to be respectful of what they have going on, you have to understand that, yes, I wish you were my only investor, but we do have other people we're working with. So you may have to give me a reasonable amount of time to get you that information on my team and get you that information. But my opinion is, don't assume those numbers, let's really sit down and talk about those numbers and the good thing is, in most of our areas, the numbers are very consistent. So if you're in like we were talking about earlier, Midtown, if you're in a certain square footage, and the average price is, you know, $350,000, the taxes are probably somewhere around $3,000, maybe 2800 bucks, and almost every house in that area is going to be very, very similar. So you can kind of use that as a good, you know, good way to do it. You know, the other thing, when we're, when you're talking about just taxes, you're talking about what they can account for, I mean, there's other things they should be accounting for. I mean, I think every investor should be counted for reserve, I've run into so many investors, even Roofstock investors that we're working with, who they're not accounting for reserves are not putting any reserve money away. So when that day comes to do a repair, they're gonna have to come out of pocket, so why not have it into a reserve account, where it's still money you can use if you need it for something else, but we know that AC is going to break, we know the roof is going to need to be replaced, we know that we may have a termite issue. So why not be prepared by putting a couple of percent into a bank account for that, instead of waiting when it comes down the road and as we all know, the repair always comes in the wrong time it comes with the kids tuition is due, or whatever it may be whenever you have to fix your car. So you know, those are just some tips that I can give and then make sure you're definitely accounting for, you know, your property management fees and those kinds of things as well. Michael: Such great tips, George, we got to get started wrapping up here. Any final tips, tricks, thoughts, advice for folks as they're thinking contemplating and researching the Savannah market? George: I mean, oh, I think like I said, I think they should check out these different markets, I think they should determine what areas they want to be in. I think the other big thing is, you know, really determine what you want your rate of return to be or be realistic about it, what we run into more than anything, and I'm sure there's other realtors who are going to be listening as they're shaking their head like this, you know, come into the city and come into any city in any investment situation, knowing a realistic rate of return. The hardest part we have is rushing out and putting offers on place, places to realize that we wasted your time, my time and Roofstocks time at the very end to realize that you wanted a much higher rate of return that was never realistic in this market at all. So I would say coming into the Savannah market. If you're going to invest in Savannah Want to get let's set up a meeting? Let's have a conversation, let's really delve into things. Let me tell you what our costs are going to be as far as property management fees, you know, annual cost of termite bonds, maintenance plans, preventative maintenance on the HVAC systems, and then also talk about, you know, what are realistic rents are, and then at that point, we can talk about what a realistic rate of return is, or what you believe is realistic and we can tell you if that's actually a realistic number. I think coming into our market is just like anybody else's market. You know, we got to, we're struggling for inventory. So come in patient, understanding that we're trying to find inventory, and I will say we're doing some things. I mean, we're, you know, it's unfortunate that we haven't been able to produce as much inventory personally as we want to do, because we have investors waiting in line. But the situation is we're contacting other property management companies who don't do real estate, we're trying to get them to, to do a referral program to where we pay them a referral fee. If they do, give us a listing or get us properties that one of their investors may want to sell. You know, we're even doing a lot of mailers, we've gone back to a lot of traditional mailers to where we're driving for dollars and what we mean by driving for dollars is, you know, our team is getting the vehicle and driving around and every vacant property we see or every property we see deteriorate, and it doesn't have a for sale sign in it. We're sending letters and we're saying, hey, do you want to sell this property, we noticed that the front doors fallen down, we noticed the shutters are falling off, can you not afford this property, and then we delve in to try to start to find those investments. So that we can stop competing, like we're doing, we're competing, when a property goes on the market, we're all competing for it, you know, along with other investors and other places all over and other realtors. So if we can find these off market properties, and starting to bring them in. But the other part of that goes back to the beginning of this part of the conversation as we're closing out. If we don't know what a realistic return rate of return is for the investor, it's very difficult for us to even start negotiating to say if we shouldn't send in a letter to this property, because we don't know if it's gonna match what they need or not. You know, so I would say coming into any market, but especially our market, let's have the conversation. Let's talk about real returns. Let's talk about what you want and what you want for yourself, your family and your future and then we can help you build that I mean, between us and what Roofstock provides us and here we can build that, this is not a problem. Michael: George, this has been so, so great, man. What's the best way for people to get in touch with you if they have questions want to reach out want to learn more? George: So they can call me or text message me. I mean, they can call me or text message at 9123132424 that is my direct cell phone number. So know that sometimes, like I was saying early, be really earlier, be realistic that sometimes in the evenings and stuff, it may be a little slower with family and all that kind of stuff. You can also reach me by email. My email is: george@miamadisonproperties.com and I'm always happy to help. So let's schedule an appointment. Let's get on the phone, let's get on FaceTime, let's get on a Google meet. Let's figure out what you want your future to be and what your what your investment would be and what you want your rate of return to be. Let's do this. I mean, we're ready for you. Michael: Awesome. Well, George, thank you so much for taking the time. I really appreciate it. This was awesome. George: It was great, Michael, thanks for having me. I really appreciate it. I look forward to next time. Michael: You got it, take care. Thanks, all right, everyone. That was our episode a big thank you to George for hanging out with me and educating all of us about the Savannah market. Super, super interesting stuff he was talking about and sounds like a lot of growth going into the market. As always, if you liked the episode, please feel free to leave us a rating or review. They are really helpful for us, gave a great weekend and we look forward to the next one. Happy investing…
Today we have attorney Emily Gibson on the podcast to discuss some of the immigration consequences of a DWI. After college, Emily worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer at The Hispanic Liaison, a non-profit organization providing services to immigrants in Chatham County. Her experience fighting for immigrants gave Emily the motivation to take the LSAT and go to law school. After graduation Emily, worked for 3 years at the Buncombe County Public Defender's Office before opening her own firm practice. Gibson Law, PLLC primarily focuses on criminal defense. Highlights: Listen to Emily give an overview of the types of immigration status and how they differ in the big picture. Discover why Emily thinks it is so important to be working with a client's immigration attorney directly to make sure that what is happening in the criminal courtroom is in the client's best interest. Learn why paying the civil revocation fee is a must even if a client does not have the ability to get a driver's license. Uncover some of Emily's secrets to delivering WOW experience to her clients with criminal charges that also face immigration issues.
A school in Chatham County, North Carolina held a mock “slave auction” where black students were “sold” by their white classmates. Apparently, incidents like this aren't uncommon at the school. One has to wonder, who thought this was a good or even appropriate idea? Trans swimmer Lia Thomas qualified for the 500-freestyle race at the NCAA Championships today. Footage from the race shows Thomas not only crushing the competition, but also their dreams of a collegiate championship. It's clear to anyone with eyes that these races aren't fair, and it's ridiculous this is being allowed for the sake of inclusion. We're joined in-studio by Amanda Milius, prior Trump admin State Department and White House staffer, founder of AMDC Films, and producer/director of “The Plot Against the President.” Amanda Milius: Twitter - @AmandaMilius Instagram - @Amanda_Milius Producer/Director "The Plot Against The President" Founder - AMDC Films Website - www.patpmovie.com Subscribe to You Are Here YouTube: https://bit.ly/2XNLhQw • Watch MORE You Are Here on BlazeTV: https://bit.ly/38WB2vw • Check out Elijah Schaffer's YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3C0yWH8 • Check out Sydney Watson's YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2YIedK5 • Follow Sydney Watson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SydneyLWatson • Follow Elijah Schaffer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElijahSchaffer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Molly Lieberman is the Founder and Executive Director of Loop It Up Savannah, a community arts and enrichment non-profit which provides art, STEAM, yoga and mindfulness, gardening, cooking, and other enrichment workshops and experiences to children and families throughout Chatham County. Loop it Up programs give young people opportunities to explore and express who they ... more »