I live in Vermont where we like to say "We were green before green was cool". We use renewable resources. And I know a lot of people won't like our choice, but we burn wood. We have the largest per capita use of woodstoves than any other state. And our air is the cleanest in the northeast. I use a woodstove as my main heat source. The stove is certified by the EPA and burns clean. Our local school district just built a new middle school and it uses a wood fired furnace. Now I'm not talking about someone throwing logs in a pot belly stove, but a modern furnace that uses wood chips left over from the logging operations and sawmills. A number of Vermonters are "off the grid" and have solar panels and woodstoves. But eating toast is a special event. Riding a bicycle to work when it's 20 below isn't an option so we do drive cars too. And unless it's a 4x4 we stay home 5 months a year. So a Prius isn't practical unless you live in a subdivision. A garden is mandatory. So we compost. That's self explanatory. You see, a lot of "greenies" talk the talk, but won't actually do the nasty stuff. Like chopping wood, or composting or even gardening. They talk about insulation, electric cars, etc. We call that window dressing. You want to be "green"? Think about what you would do if the power went out for 2 weeks during winter. And live that lifestyle.

I recommend calling Lew Akin for a negative edge in your area. I am a builder in the Atlanta market and I have taken a few of his classes over the past couple of years. He is on the forefront of edge design.

Sorry about that. I think I dropped a word or two in there. The stagers did a couple of things for us. They came through and give us advice as to what to do that they felt would be worthwhile. We knew we were going to recarpet, repaint and replace some appliances. They suggested a number of things. Replacing cultured marble vanity in master with wood. They suggested wood framing the mirrors. The vanities in the master were painted wood already. They had us paint the vanity and the frames a very dark brown and then paint the built in cabinets white. I never would have thought of that and it looked great. They suggested a great color to paint the house (I like it so much I may use it in the house we build). They also did a lot of running around for us. We were really busy with working at the time and I had no time for it so they went to Home Depot and found faux wood blinds for us and found a new light fixture for the half bath. That was all very helpful and well worth the cost. Then once all that work was done they did all the staging in terms of rearranging furniture as well as telling us what to remove and then loaning us some pieces. In truth, I think that most of that was less helpful. It wasn't that it was bad, just that I had sold houses before and done that part myself so there wasn't much new there for me. I will say that there approach was to be very spare and not have a lot of decorative things. We actually had a couple of comments from agents at the agent open house that the house needed more decor.

Zig Ziglar Quotes American - Author November 6, 1926 - November 28, 2012 What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. Zig Ziglar Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will. Zig Ziglar Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude. Zig Ziglar You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win. Zig Ziglar If people like you, they'll listen to you, but if they trust you, they'll do business with you. Zig Ziglar The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty. Zig Ziglar With integrity, you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide. With integrity, you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt. Zig Ziglar Try to look at your weakness and convert it into your strength. That's success. Zig Ziglar Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for. Zig Ziglar You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure. Zig Ziglar People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily. Zig Ziglar Positive thinking will let you use the ability which you have, and that is awesome. Zig Ziglar You were designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness. Zig Ziglar You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. Zig Ziglar Be grateful for what you have and stop complaining - it bores everybody else, does you no good, and doesn't solve any problems. Zig Ziglar Honesty and integrity are by far the most important assets of an entrepreneur. Zig Ziglar Many people spend more time in planning the wedding than they do in planning the marriage. Zig Ziglar The first step in solving a problem is to recognize that it does exist. Zig Ziglar When you catch a glimpse of your potential, that's when passion is born. Zig Ziglar Take time to be kind and to say 'thank you.' Zig Ziglar There are no traffic jams on the extra mile. Zig Ziglar Outstanding people have one thing in common: An absolute sense of mission. Zig Ziglar It's not the situation, but whether we react negative or respond positive to the situation that is important. Zig Ziglar Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street. Zig Ziglar Yesterday ended last night. Today is a brand-new day. Zig Ziglar You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want. Zig Ziglar When you encourage others, you in the process are encouraged because you're making a commitment and difference in that person's life. Encouragement really does make a difference. Zig Ziglar If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time. Zig Ziglar It is true that integrity alone won't make you a leader, but without integrity you will never be one. Zig Ziglar Honesty and integrity are absolutely essential for success in life - all areas of life. The really good news is that anyone can develop both honesty and integrity. Zig Ziglar Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful. Zig Ziglar Isn't it amazing how much stuff we get done the day before vacation? Zig Ziglar People are basically the same the world over. Everybody wants the same things - to be happy, to be healthy, to be at least reasonably prosperous, and to be secure. They want friends, peace of mind, good family relationships, and hope that tomorrow is going to be even better than today. Zig Ziglar It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through. Zig Ziglar The right quote can inspire people to change their ways. Zig Ziglar Your understanding of what you read and hear is, to a very large degree, determined by your vocabulary, so improve your vocabulary daily. Zig Ziglar Until you are happy with who you are, you will never be happy because of what you have. Zig Ziglar Success is dependent upon the glands - sweat glands. Zig Ziglar Time can be an ally or an enemy. What it becomes depends entirely upon you, your goals, and your determination to use every available minute. Zig Ziglar You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life. Zig Ziglar To be candid, some people have given positive thinking a bad name. I can't stand to hear some gung-ho individual say that with positive thinking you can just do 'anything.' If you think about that one for a moment, you recognize the absurdity of it. Zig Ziglar I seldom read anything that is not of a factual nature because I want to invest my time wisely in the things that will improve my life. Don't misunderstand; there is nothing wrong with reading purely for the joy of it. Novels have their place, but biographies of famous men and women contain information that can change lives. Zig Ziglar If you learn from defeat, you haven't really lost. Zig Ziglar Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes. Zig Ziglar Being productive gives people a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that loafing never can. Zig Ziglar Now's the best time you'll ever have in life to get ahead! Zig Ziglar If you can dream it, then you can achieve it. You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want. Zig Ziglar If you don't see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner. Zig Ziglar The person who dumps garbage into your mind will do you considerably more harm than the person who dumps garbage on your floor, because each load of mind garbage negatively impacts your possibilities and lowers your expectations. Zig Ziglar We need to understand the difference between discipline and punishment. Punishment is what you do to someone; discipline is what you do for someone. Zig Ziglar Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have. Zig Ziglar The top salesperson in the organization probably missed more sales than 90% of the sales people on the team, but they also made more calls than the others made. Zig Ziglar You are who you are and what you are because of what has gone into your mind. You can change who you are and what you are by changing what goes into your mind. Zig Ziglar Profitability comes from loyalty, productivity, and having a character base from which to work. Zig Ziglar Money is not the most important thing, but when you need it, there are few substitutes. So while I like the things money can buy, I love what money won't buy. It bought me a house but it won't buy me a home. It would buy me a companion but it won't buy me a friend. Zig Ziglar Every choice you make has an end result. Zig Ziglar You can make positive deposits in your own economy every day by reading and listening to powerful, positive, life-changing content and by associating with encouraging and hope-building people. Zig Ziglar Earl Nightingale has inspired more people toward success and fortune than any other motivational speaker on the planet. Zig Ziglar Every obnoxious act is a cry for help. Zig Ziglar I'm a constant learner. You need to be a constant student because things change and you have to change and grow. And I emphasize the word 'grow.' Zig Ziglar If you go looking for a friend, you're going to find they're very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you'll find them everywhere. Zig Ziglar New information makes new and fresh ideas possible. Zig Ziglar Confidence is going after Moby Dick in a rowboat and taking tartar sauce with you. Zig Ziglar I have always said that everyone is in sales. Maybe you don't hold the title of salesperson, but if the business you are in requires you to deal with people, you, my friend, are in sales. Zig Ziglar Send out a cheerful, positive greeting, and most of the time you will get back a cheerful, positive greeting. It's also true that if you send out a negative greeting, you will, in most cases, get back a negative greeting. Zig Ziglar Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust. Zig Ziglar Research indicates that employees have three prime needs: Interesting work, recognition for doing a good job, and being let in on things that are going on in the company. Zig Ziglar Be careful not to compromise what you want most for what you want now. Zig Ziglar A goal properly set is halfway reached. Zig Ziglar If God would have wanted us to live in a permissive society He would have given us Ten Suggestions and not Ten Commandments. Zig Ziglar Selling is something we do for our clients - not to our clients. Zig Ziglar Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business. Zig Ziglar The problem with pity parties is very few people come, and those who do don't bring presents. Zig Ziglar Dreams grow if you grow. Zig Ziglar I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can't truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles. Zig Ziglar Selling is essentially a transfer of feelings. Zig Ziglar Whether it's eight o'clock in the morning or eight o'clock at night, I always try to greet others before they have a chance to speak to me. Zig Ziglar If you want to earn more, learn more. Zig Ziglar I read for the 'ah-ha's,' the information that makes a light bulb go off in my mind. I want to put information in my mind that is going to be the most beneficial to me, my family and my fellow man - financially, morally, spiritually, and emotionally. Zig Ziglar Some people do really find fault like there's a reward for it. Zig Ziglar When you are tough on yourself, life is going to be infinitely easier on you. Zig Ziglar The relationships we have with people are extremely important to success on and off the job. Zig Ziglar True success has more components than one sentence or idea can contain. Zig Ziglar Many marriages would be better if the husband and the wife clearly understood that they are on the same side. Zig Ziglar I believe it's important that we use names of endearment that reflect a special feeling for the individual involved. Zig Ziglar Authors by the hundreds can tell you stories by the thousands of those rejection slips before they found a publisher who was willing to 'gamble' on an unknown. Zig Ziglar Money won't make you happy... but everybody wants to find out for themselves. Zig Ziglar I took up an offer for me to lose 30 pounds in 30 days. It worked. I lost 30 days! Zig Ziglar If my life has had a theme, I suppose it has been a typical American theme in that, for most of it, I have been looking for happiness and success. Zig Ziglar Time well spent results in more money to spend, more money to save, and more time to vacation. Zig Ziglar We all prospect, and don't even know we're doing it. When you start the dating process, you are actually prospecting for the person you want to marry. When you're interviewing employees, you are prospecting for someone who will best fit your needs. Zig Ziglar If you want to reach a goal, you must 'see the reaching' in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal. Zig Ziglar You don't drown by falling into water. You only drown if you stay there. Zig Ziglar Problem-solving becomes a very important part of our makeup as we grow into maturity or move up the corporate ladder. Zig Ziglar A productive employee who is kept busy working at his or her job is far more likely to be happy at that job and less likely to look for employment elsewhere. Zig Ziglar You cannot tailor-make the situations in life but you can tailor-make the attitudes to fit those situations. Zig Ziglar U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt has been described as founder of the Bull Moose Party, the man who led his troops up San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War, a big game hunter, family man, civic servant and a host of other things. Zig Ziglar Since belief determines behavior, doesn't it make sense that we should be teaching ethical, moral values in every home and in every school in America? Zig Ziglar Do more than you are being paid to do, and you'll eventually be paid more for what you do. Zig Ziglar Fortunately, problems are an everyday part of our life. Consider this: If there were no problems, most of us would be unemployed. Zig Ziglar If you treat your wife like a thoroughbred, you'll never end up with a nag. Zig Ziglar Just saying you are better than good won't make it so. But, when you understand what it takes to live the better than good life, and you apply yourself, your life will truly be better than good. Zig Ziglar It's not what you've got, it's what you use that makes a difference. Zig Ziglar He climbs highest who helps another up. Zig Ziglar As youngsters, my mother taught her children that while we might not be the smartest people around, we could be courteous, polite and considerate of others. Zig Ziglar Success must never be measured by how much money you have. Zig Ziglar It might interest you to know that the 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary identifies the optimist in complimentary terms, but says nothing about the pessimist. The word 'pessimist' was not in our vocabulary at that time. It's a modern 'invention' which I believe we should 'dis-invent.' Zig Ziglar Husbands and wives, first be faithful to each other. Second, keep the romance going all of your life by courting each other every day. Zig Ziglar Money isn't the most important thing in life, but it's reasonably close to oxygen on the 'gotta have it' scale. Zig Ziglar Personal discipline, when it becomes a way of life in our personal, family, and career lives, will enable us to do some incredible things. Zig Ziglar Remember that failure is an event, not a person. Zig Ziglar New research shows that you will be dead longer than you will be alive. Zig Ziglar People don't buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons. Zig Ziglar I'm so optimistic, I'd go after Moby Dick in a rowboat and take the tartar sauce with me. Zig Ziglar It's absolutely true that unless you can instill discipline upon yourself, you will never be able to lead others. Zig Ziglar Fact: If standard of living is your number one objective, quality of life almost never improves. But if quality of life is your number one objective, standard of living invariably improves. Zig Ziglar People who have good relationships at home are more effective in the marketplace. Zig Ziglar Courage is on display every day, and only the courageous wring the most out of life. Zig Ziglar You cannot perform in a manner inconsistent with the way you see yourself. Zig Ziglar The one thing coaches cannot tolerate... is the individual who grows arrogant because he excelled at a lower level and believes he has nothing else to learn. Zig Ziglar In the game of life, before you get anything out, you must put something in! Zig Ziglar I've always taught that a poor economy is the best opportunity for salespeople because the naysayers and grumblers have already given up, leaving more territory, more opportunities to be successful than in a good economy when virtually all salespeople are out there, giving it their best. Zig Ziglar You've got to be before you can do and do before you can have. Zig Ziglar The young athlete who aspires to greatness, generally speaking, learns a number of things from several different coaches. The first one taught him the fundamentals; the second one instilled discipline in him and taught him more of the techniques that must be mastered to excel. Zig Ziglar