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What exactly is a “military coin?”  While they have no monetary value, our military friends tell us they can be more valuable than money for many members of our armed services.  Military units offer mint collector coins to commemorate everything from unit history and accomplishments to slogans, logos and unit mascots.  Possible themes are only limited by the imagination and creativity of the soldiers who create them.  Coins have been struck to commemorate unique military jobs, schools, services, missions, battles, campaigns, and even wars.

The most common use is by unit commanders who award them in order to immediately recognize individual achievements that might not merit an official commendation.  Commanders carry coins at all times to reward superior performance or achievements by individuals and small elements within their command.   Presenting coins on the spot gives individuals immediate recognition for their accomplishments, builds pride and camaraderie, enhances unit morale and allows commanders and leaders to publicly recognize those accomplishments and say thanks for your commitment and selfless service.  

Soldiers can also trade coins with soldiers from other units.  This can result in a large collection by the end of a military career.  Coins can also be awarded to family or friends of a unit or unit members to recognize their support of their service member or contributions to the unit or family support group.  This is especially noteworthy today with so many units and service member currently deployed overseas.

Units also make their own coins and give them to every member of the unit.  This builds camaraderie and gives each member of the unit something a special symbol to show they are part of a unique unit or part of an organization.  There could also be a unit coin given to every member of the unit and then a Commander may give out a unique coin for significant accomplishments.  Thus while everyone takes pride in carrying the unit coin, only a select few also carry the Commander’s coin. 

Along with the unit coin goes another tradition known as a “Challenge Coin”.  A member of a unit, usually in an unofficial location, challenges other members of a unit to produce their coin or they must buy a round of drinks for the challenger.  If the person challenged produces their coin, then the challenger buys the round.      

At Liz Moore and Associates, we pride ourselves on our commitment to all who proudly serve our nation at war.  So much so, that we created our own coin to say thanks for serving the nation.  We put the seals of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and the Coast Guard to reflect each services unique structure, mission and contributions to the defense of the nation.  The local market that we serve is heavily populated with both active duty and retired service members from all branches.  We have a special Military Team who is dedicated to helping military members with their real estate needs.

We recently launched a campaign to help our VA eligible clients purchase a home for $1; you can learn more about it at www.OneDollarVAMoveIn.com. 

From Norfolk Naval Base and Naval Air Station Oceana to Langley Air Force Base to Ft. Eustis and Yorktown Naval Weapons Station, we’re here to say thanks to all the Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, Marines and Coast Guard for your service.  Bring in your unit coin and Challenge us to meet your real estate needs and in exchange we will trade our coin for your coin and feature it (and you!) on our www.hamptonroadspcs.com web site!

A special thank you to Alan Johnson, formerly an Army Ranger, and currently a REALTOR with Liz Moore & Associates, for the information in this post.

At Liz Moore and Associates, we are passionate about fundraising for CHKD.  Currently, Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters is in the running  for a $250,000 grant from Pepsi as part of the Pepsi Refresh Program.  In order to receive the money, they need to finish in first or second place with the most votes in their category.  Voting is easy and can be done EVERY DAY in the month of December.  You can vote by:

• Using your cell phone – text 104850 to Pepsi (73774) – please note standard text messaging rates apply.
• Going online through the Pepsi Refresh Project (www.chkd.org/vote)
• Using Facebook – once logged in, search “Pepsi Refresh Voting” (not Pepsi).  Select “go to application” (blue box on the left) and then you’re ready to search/vote for CHKD.  After you vote, you can “share this idea” to get others on Facebook involved.

Let’s get the word out and help CHKD win $250,000!

There is a big difference between a house and a home, and understanding that difference – and, more importantly, being able to communicate it to prospective buyers – is what separates outstanding agents from average agents.  Using Dynamic ad copy on your marketing materials is a great way to differentiate one home from another.  We understand that you often get “writer’s block”, so we have just the solution!  Marketing has put together a book of ad copy ideas titled “Every Home Has a Story”.  Refer back  to this next time you are writing copy for your listings and you’ll never be at a loss for words again!

Our latest marketing strategy is simple. Listen to our clients. Understand their specific needs. Organize targeted teams who are trained and experienced to deliver an extraordinary real estate experience.  The many virtual offices at Liz Moore and Associates is just another way we are reinventing real estate, and we now have a brochure highlighting each of these.  Check out the online version or pick up a hard copy from Marketing!

The Lytle Law 5k and Harbor Cafe will be hosting a pancake breakfast fundraiser tomorrow, November 17th,  from 7am – noon to benefit CHKD.   The breakfast is donation only!  Harbor Cafe is located at 11801 Canon Blvd. in Newport News (inside the Liz Moore and Associates building).  If you aren’t in the mood for a delicious breakfast, you can still swing by and make a donation – large or small!

Do you have sellers with small children?  The Childrens’ Listing Agreement is a great way to include them in the process.  Pick one up from the work room and take it with you on your appointment.  You’ll be sure to make the kids feel special, while “wowing” the parents at the same time!

Liz Moore & Associates is excited to launch the VA $1 Move-In Program.  Participating Liz Moore sellers have partnered with 5 of our preferred lenders and Lytle Title to pay all of the buyers closing costs and prepaid items, including a survey and owners’ title insurance.  What does that mean for VA eligible buyers?  That you can put one dollar down as an earnest money deposit, and move in after closing with no more money out of pocket!

For example, you can buy a $300,000 home with 0 down will have a monthly house payment of $1530 (principal and interest only), for a 30 year loan with a fixed interest rate of 4.375% (APR 4.567%).  Hurry – rates may change!  In this example, the seller will pay $6,700 of costs on your behalf, enabling you to move in for a dollar.

How do you learn more about the program, see if you qualify, and check out which listings are participating in the campaign?  Just visit www.OneDollarVAMoveIn.com  or call a Liz Moore office at 757.873.2707 (Peninsula) or 757.645.4106 (Williamsburg) for details!

For many years, Liz envisioned the perfect real estate company….a brokerage where all the greatest agents want to work, and where the business is solidly and predictably built on word of mouth referrals from loyal past clients. In 2003, she decided to make that vision a reality. Realizing that it would be near impossible to totally transform her existing traditional real estate office into her ideal model, Liz set to work writing a business plan that started totally from scratch. She traveled extensively for several years, researching what were heralded as the best and the brightest brokerages across the country.

She was disappointed. She was disappointed that from the West Coast to the North East, most real estate companies looked alike. Wherever she went, she found business as usual…very little vision…hardly any passion for customer service or innovative ideas. Marketing was at best ho-hum…in fact, there was so little distinction between companies that one could easily erase one firm’s logo in an ad and substitute another and no one would notice.

Convinced that there was a better way to practice real estate, and that timing was right for an enlightened boutique brokerage, Liz enlisted the guidance of one of the nation’s leading business development consultants. Under her guidance, 10,000 local families were surveyed about their real estate experiences over the past five years. One message was loud and clear: too many families had one unfortunate experience in common…frustrating and costly last minute surprises and expenses which made the overall real estate experience highly stressful.

The mission became clear: to develop a real estate company that truly reinvented the process, empowering consumers and agents alike with up front information and more control. So, with the help of long time friend and colleague, local attorney Brian D. Lytle, Liz set to work to create a business plan for the perfect real estate company.

The firm would partner with several local appraisers to provide a full mortgage appraisal to sellers at time of listing, as well as independent home inspectors to conduct thorough property inspections before the home is put on the market. These services would be provided free to the consumer. With peace of mind for clients as the goal, these up front services would enable sellers to rest easy that once they negotiate price and terms with a potential buyer, they no longer need to fear the unknown: low appraisals, or costly unexpected repairs. Fewer surprises, less stress.

Next, it was time to build the internal strategy ~ to design the perfect brokerage from the inside out, setting in motion the systems and resources that would allow agents to deliver exceptional customer service. Liz hired an architect and interior designer who were charged with creating state of the art office environments that would “wow” customers and optimize efficiencies for agents.

Freed from the issues associated with transforming an existing brokerage, Liz was able to focus solely on designing the perfect real estate company. Onerous tasks such as direct mail and creation of marketing brochures would be taken over by the company, freeing up the agent’s time to focus on dealing directly with customers.

Finally, in December of 2003, it was time to execute. Liz began a series of interviews to select the inaugural sales and administrative team. Recognizing that change is difficult for even the most confident salespeople, Liz was uncompromising in her vision. Agents were selected based on their willingness to put self interests secondary to those of the consumer, to commit to lofty goals for learning and professional development, and to set new standards in the industry for professionalism and customer service.

By the end of their second full year, in one of the most competitive markets ever experienced on the Peninsula, Liz Moore & Associates was ranked as the #1 office in overall sold volume. They have maintained that market leader position on the Peninsula ever since.

In the Fall of 2005, the company opened its New Town location in Williamsburg. Two years later, a new 12,000 square foot building was completed to house the rapidly growing Williamsburg office. Today, in the summer of 2010, the Liz Moore & Associates’ Williamsburg office has doubled its market share over the past 12 months to take a seat among the top 3 brokerages in town.

Recognizing that clients were hungry for the Liz Moore commitment to client service in other real estate pursuits, Liz also launched Property Management and Commercial Services in 2005, and 2006 respectively. In 2006, Liz was recognized by the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce as Entrepreneur of the Year, and in 2009, she was recognized by Inside Business with a Women in Business Achievement award.

What does the future hold for the real estate industry? Who knows? One thing is clear, however; Liz Moore & Associates will be leading the market to the next level.

The Military Team at Liz Moore and Associates, with help from other agents and clients, recently collected 150 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to send to troops overseas.

Postcards were sent to clients and they responded generously with donations and boxes of cookies.  The cookies were divided and shipped to six different service members in Afghanistan and Iraq so they could be shared.  One of the recipients, a Chaplain, asked for Ziploc bags in his box so that he could distribute the cookies to the wounded.    

 This is not the first time that the Military Team has acted to support our Troops.  For the past five years, boxes of Christmas cards were collected and sent to the troops in December.  Those shipments were welcomed by the service members as well, providing cards for them to send home to loved ones; something that is hard to find in the war zones. 

This year, the 37^th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron flew the US flag in combat over Afghanistan onboard a B-1B Bomber in honor of the Military Team’s support.  The flag and certificate will be displayed in the Newport News office ~ come check it out!

Liz Moore & Associates, sponsored by the Liz Moore & Associates Military Team, is collecting Girl Scout Cookies to send to our military stationed overseas.  (We are also accepting donations to buy and ship the cookies).

You may drop off boxed cookies or your donations to our Newport News office prior to March 10th.  Your thoughtfulness will be a sweet memory and just another reminder of how much we appreciate their service!

For more information, email the Liz Moore Military Team at pcs@lizmoore.com .