http://case.vetsuite.com/Templates/grouped.aspx

(SAVANNAH, GA) Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson has proclaimed April 25 as Case Veterinary Hospital Centennial Day as the hospital celebrates 100th year in business. The hospital will host a birthday party Saturday, April 25 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Savannah Alderman Mr. Larry Stuber will present the Mayor’s proclamation at 2 p.m. followed by 100 candles blown out by family’s 3rd, 4th, and 5th generations.

The major milestone will not only serve as a celebration but also a thank-you to Savannah for allowing Case to care for their pets over the past century. This fun and educational event will take place at the hospital’s location, 111 Eisenhower Drive.

Party-goers are invited to take part in the free face painting, moon bounce, police dog demonstration, behind-the-scenes hospital tour, children’s games and booths, demonstrations of endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery, door prizes and give-aways, sodas, hotdogs, and snowcones.

The hospital will be closed during the event but a “Stuffed Animal Surgery Unit” will be available for children to bring their favorite stuffed animals in need of repair and actually assist in the “surgery”.

Parking is available in the lot behind the Toys R Us and Bed Bath and Beyond buildings, and the hospital will provide a golf-cart ferry to and from the parking lot throughout the event.

Case Veterinary Hospital is a full service animal hospital that has been serving Savannah’s animals for more than 100 years. Located on Eisenhower Drive, they are vastly experienced in providing services to sick or injured dogs and cats. Case Veterinary Hospital is also the place to take your pet for preventative care, to be spayed or neutered or to receive vaccinations.

To learn more about Case Veterinary Hospital, log into Case Veterinary Hospital or call 912-352-3081.

www.usgbc.org/LEED

www.Melaver.com
www.MelaverConstruction.com
www.MelaverConsulting.com

www.SustainableFellwood.com

(AUGUSTA, GA / SAVANNAH, GA) Granite Mill, part of the Enterprise Mill commercial and residential complex, has achieved LEED Gold status for the historic interior and exterior renovation and build-out of residential and commercial space which features a rooftop solar panel, adaptive reuse of granite, and on site recycling.

Enterprise Mill has two hydro turbines located next to the Augusta Canal, currently providing electrical power to the entire complex – including residential apartments and local businesses – generating enough electricity to sell back to the grid.  The entire hydroelectric station is capable of producing over six million kwh of electricity per year and Enterprise Mill uses around four million kwh annually.

Construction of the 15,000 square foot Granite Mill was completed in 2008, while the remainder of the mill was renovated in 1999.  Melaver Construction and Development provided the LEED construction management and Melaver Sustainability Consulting set the goals to achieve, and provided the LEED guidance and documentation.  Capers & Associates of Augusta was the general contractor for the project.

Granite Mill is different from typical construction, as over 100,000 gallons of water will be saved per year now that new low flow fixtures have been installed.  Indoor air quality has been improved for future tenants by using low VOC (non toxic) paints and sealants. Other sustainable features which added to LEED certification include the use of salvaged and local recycled materials, Energy Star appliances, ceiling fans, and lighting fixtures, and no ozone chlorine based chemicals were used in cooling and refrigeration units.

The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a standard for Melaver, Inc., a Savannah based sustainable developer who developed the first LEED retail shopping center in the nation, Abercorn Common.

“Buildings are a prime example of how human systems integrate with natural systems,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “The Granite Mill project efficiently uses our natural resources and makes an immediate, positive impact on our planet, which will tremendously benefit future generations to come.”

Sustainable Fellwood in Savannah is part of the USGBC LEED for Neighborhood Development pilot program.  Melaver Inc. is the master developer for Sustainable Fellwood, which is a mixed-use, mixed-income redevelopment project on 27 acres, just west of the historic district. Phase one, which includes 110 residential apartment units,  is nearing completion and will be ready for occupancy in May.  www.SustainableFellwood.com

About Melaver Inc.

Melaver, Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned business based in Savannah, Georgia. The sustainable real estate developer currently has nine LEED certified projects in their portfolio and developed one of the first LEED certified buildings in the U.S. which is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Melaver Inc. also developed the first all-retail LEED shopping center in the country, Abercorn Common, including the first LEED McDonald’s worldwide.  Contact: (912) 236-0781
www.Melaver.com
www.MelaverConstruction.com
www.MelaverConsulting.com

About LEED®

The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The six major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of LEED green building certification are awarded based on the total number of points earned within each LEED category. LEED can be applied to all building types including new construction, commercial interiors, core & shell developments, existing buildings, homes, neighborhood developments, schools and retail facilities.  Incentives for LEED are available at the state and local level and LEED has also been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/LEED

www.chmsavannah.org

(SAVANNAH, GA) The public is invited to attend The Fun and Fitness Outdoor Expo on Saturday, April 25, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Lake Mayer in Savannah. The event, which will include a ribbon cutting ceremony by Mayor Otis Johnson, will feature fitness challenges including a 5K walk/run, live music, food and children’s entertainment. The Expo will help raise funds for Community Health Mission, a local nonprofit organization that offers free medical services for 8,000 uninsured Chatham County residents who do not qualify for Medicare and Medicaid.

Participation in the 5K walk/run, which begins at 9 a.m., is $30 per person, $75 for a family of four and $195 for team for a team of 10. In addition to the 5K run/walk, other fitness challenges will include the 5th Savannah Strength and Endurance Challenge by Fitness By Reese at 10 a.m., as well as basketball tournaments pitting the Savannah College of Art and Design against the staff of Fitness By Reese, the Sawbones (doctors) against the Jawbones (lawyers) and the Savannah Fire Department against the Savannah-Chatham County Metropolitan Police Department. The basketball tournaments will be held at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively. Mayor Johnson and Councilwoman Priscilla Thomas will mark the opening of the basketball tournaments with a ribbon cutting at noon and will attend the awards ceremony.

The Expo will feature live entertainment by Zan, 1 Sound, the Old Folkers and Roll On Rodney, along with storytelling with J’Miah Nabawi, who will unveil his new program Aerobic-Tales™, a Family Fun and Fitness initiative that uses the art of storytelling and “the universal language of children of all ages, play!”. A children’s program featuring a puppet show and Nabawi’s storytelling will begin at 11 a.m., and there will be more storytelling later in the day. The live music will begin at 12:30 p.m. There will also be inflatable bouncers for children for $5 per child for all-day use and an array of food and beverages available.

The Fun and Fitness Outdoor Expo is sponsored by WSAV, N’Spire Marketing Group, Kindas Amusement Resource, Classic Party Rentals, Fitness by Reese, Dadd’s Productions, CONNECT and Sunbelt. For more information, please visit www.Savfun.com. For more information on Community Health Mission, please visit www.chmsavannah.org

www.melaver.com

(SAVANNAH, GA)  A book launch party and signing of Martin Melaver’s newly released book will be held in Savannah on Earth Day, April 22, from 6-8 p.m. The event is open to the public.

Martin Melaver, CEO of Melaver, Inc., will discuss and sign brand-new copies of “Living Above the Store: Building a Business That Creates Value, Inspires Change, and Restores Land and Community” April 22, from 6-8 p.m. at Papillote restaurant, 218 W Broughton St.

The book, just released by Chelsea Green, has been called “visionary” and “truly superb work.” Paul Hawken, the author of “The Ecology of Commerce,” says Melaver “breaks the mold on business writing.” Ray Anderson of Interface wrote the foreword.

“‘Living Above the Store’ is the right book for these difficult times, when business needs to regain trust,” writes Marc Gunther, contributing editor of Fortune. “Melaver starts with specific stories of running a family business, sharing successes and failures, frustrations and joys, and then broadens out to illuminate general principles for running a sustainable business. These stories still stick in my mind, long after I have put the book away.”

The economic crash of late 2008 is just the latest evidence of the truth that many have known for so long: that too much of our modern economy is based on a house of cards. We need businesses that not only factor their impact on people and places into their equations for success but also strive to restore the communities and environments in which they operate. How can this be done?
In “Living Above the Store,” Martin Melaver provides a roadmap for creating such a business. It’s not only a “how to” but a “why to” that challenges business as usual to change.

“Living Above the Store” brings us into the story of Savannah-based Melaver, Inc., a third-generation, 70-year-old family real estate business, as it evolves toward becoming a thought and product leader in sustainable business practices. It is part business management theory and part case study, where sustainable principles meet sustainable practices, always grounded in day-to-day practice.
Melaver’s grandmother started a corner grocery store in Savannah that became a regional grocery chain, M&M Supermarkets. When the grocery business was sold in 1985, the newly formed Melaver, Inc. turned its attention to real estate holdings. Martin Melaver took over in 1992. The company has a national reputation as a leader in sustainable development, having developed the first all-retail LEED shopping center in the country, Abercorn Common, including the first LEED McDonald’s worldwide. It also developed one of the first LEED certified buildings in the U.S. which is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Living Above the Store” demonstrates how to:
· Adopt a business model that provides for economic success while contributing to society and the environment
· Shape a business culture that is restorative to a workforce by helping employees realize their highest potential
· Leverage an ethos within a business that “ripples outward” to foster restoration of both land and community
· Embrace a notion of limits to growth
· Reframe ideas about competition, proprietary knowledge, and business success

“Living Above the Store” is for readers who care about issues of community and sustainability as well as for those who want to learn more about how a socially responsible business can first redefine, and then find, success.
Melaver grew up in Savannah and received his BA from Amherst College. He holds a Masters and PhD from Harvard University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. He is a past Fulbright scholar to Tel Aviv University, a recipient of a Mellon fellowship to Jesus College, Cambridge University, and a Lady Davis Fellowship to Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is the author of numerous articles on sustainable building practices, is the co-author of “The Green Bottom Line,” published by McGraw-Hill. He has been a featured/keynote speaker at various conferences and guest lecturer at Harvard, Dartmouth, and other academic institutions.

Melaver currently serves as the Board Chair of the Georgia Conservancy, is a board member of Urban Land Institute’s Sustainability Council, the Ossabaw Island Foundation, the Savannah Country Day School, the Chatham Environmental Forum and serves as an advisory board member for various other companies and organizations.

Reviews of the book:
“Living Above the Store” is the right book for these difficult times, when business needs to regain trust. Melaver starts with specific stories of running a family business, sharing successes and failures, frustrations and joys, and then broadens out to illuminate general principles for running a sustainable business. These stories still stick in my mind, long after I have put the book away.”

-Marc Gunther, contributing editor, Fortune
“Living Above the Store” breaks the mold on business writing. It is a book about the greening of business to be sure, but it is literature first, brilliant disquisitions and narratives that place commerce within the broader context of history, culture, and the cherished human values that bind us together. Martin Melaver has enlarged the vocabulary of commerce and restored it to a place of honor, a timely gift in an era of disillusionment.”

- Paul Hawken, author, “The Ecology of Commerce”
“Martin describes the evolution of his ideas and practices with refreshing candor and humility. He is a role model for me, my students, and anyone interested in building a values-based, sustainable business.”

- John Vogel, Adjunct Professor
Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
“The most sustainably growing family business leaders, I find, are philosophers of management. ‘Living Above the Store’ is a compelling example. Further, it is a wonderful story built on wonderful stories. All business leaders will be inspired by the power of connecting driving values with convincing stories.”

- John L. Ward, Clinical Professor
Kellogg School of Management and Principal
The Family Business Consulting Group
“At long last, a visionary work that reminds us what businesses once were, and can once again be. Martin Melaver has shared with us the story of his remarkable real estate company, eloquently teaching us how to run a business that is not solely about making a buck, but about building a sustainable society. Mandatory reading for leaders from all sectors – business, NGOs and government – who believe that our work should make the world a healthier, kinder and more prosperous place.”

- Eilon Schwartz, Director
Heschel Center for Environmental Learning and Leadership, Tel Aviv
“Martin Melaver’s beautiful retelling of his family and business experience provides valuable professional management directions for realizing ethically based business practices that are crucial to our society’s health. General readers will also be inspired by the author’s advice, personal journey, and approaches to the challenges he’s taken on.”

- Michael Singer, artist/designer
“There is a third century teaching that says, ‘Do not separate yourself from the community.’ Commentators since have interpreted this to mean that even if one can accomplish more alone, distancing oneself weakens the entire community. The unique contributions of every individual are critical to the dialogue and discussion which nourish the community. Martin Melaver offers his own commentary on the building and sustaining of community. Each chapter is multi-layered and engaging. Not only does Melaver aspire to connect his actions to a vision of ‘Building a Business That Creates Value, Inspires Change, and Restores Land and Community,’ but he inspires others to do so as well.”

- Rabbi Nina J. Mizrahi, Director Pritzker Center for Jewish Education
Jewish Community Centers of Chicago
“Martin Melaver’s ‘Living Above the Store’ about the transformation of his third-generation family business is engaging and informative. It is a story of remarkable change through a thoughtful, collaborative dialogue of discovery with his family, colleagues and community. He challenges conventional tenets and offers a business plan utilizing diversity, shared values, common purpose and a land-community ethic that is restorative for human and nature. ‘Living Above the Store’ is for readers interested in realizing a business’ highest potential and regaining a more authentic sense of themselves or for anyone wanting to develop a life plan for the 21st Century.”

- Bob Berkebile, BNIM Architects
“A truly superb work, ‘Living Above the Store’ has challenged my thinking about management, and Southface will be a better organization as a result. Martin Melaver is smart and articulate, and has the courage to be honest. Creating a sustainable economy requires a transformational shift in the thinking of business. Melaver embraces this challenge and his book is a compass not only for businesses, large and small, but also for government, non-profits, and even individuals.”

- Dennis Creech, Executive Director, SOUTHFACE
Responsible Solutions for Environmental Living
For more information on “Living Above the Store”, visit http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/living_above_the_store
www.LivingAboveTheStore.com

Melaver, Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned business based in Savannah, Georgia. The sustainable real estate developer currently has eight LEED certified projects in their portfolio and developed one of the first LEED certified buildings in the U.S. which is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Melaver Inc. also developed the first all-retail LEED shopping center in the country, Abercorn Common, including the first LEED McDonald’s worldwide. Melaver, Inc. also has LEED consulting and construction divisions.
Contact: (912) 236-0781
www.melaver.com

www.awwininc2.org

(SAVANNAH, GA) Lifetime TV is proud to partner with AWWIN, Inc, Comcast and Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty as sponsors of the AWWIN Top Ten Working Women of the Year Awards Gala & Silent Auction to be held Friday, May 15 at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum. Lifetime Networks is a diverse, multi-media company committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Lifetime Television is the leader in women’s television
and is one of the top-rated basic cable television networks.

From a single cable channel, Lifetime Networks has now grown to Lifetime Television and Lifetime Movie Network, far and away the two most popular women’s network; Lifetime Real Women; a thriving digital business including myLifetime.com; new channels such as Lifetime HD, Lifetime Movie Network HD, Lifetime On Demand, Lifetime Movie Network On Demand and Lifetime Movie Network Español On Demand, along with numerous award-winning public advocacy campaigns.

Sarahlyn U. Argrow, Founder & Executive Director of AWWIN, Inc., said “Having Lifetime as a sponsor and presenter is certainly an honor”

“I have watched Lifetime since I can remember there being a Lifetime TV and still do” she said. “Lifetime is a channel you just tune into. For many years it helped me make it through the next week with hope that one day I would be free from the hand of my ex-husband, and it gave me something to look forward to and an escape. It gave me hope when there was no hope at all in my life or so I thought” Argrow went on to say. “I am elated, excited and most of all honored that Lifetime is one of the Top Ten sponsors and presenting the Media Award.”

AWWIN, Inc. honors outstanding women leaders with a record of exemplary service who have advanced the status of women in our community. AWWIN is a non-profit 501C-3organization designed to assist single working women and their children displaced due to various reasons such as divorce, illness, domestic violence, and temporary loss of employment.

Lauren Walker, Regional Manager, Affiliate Sales & Distribution in New York City of Lifetime Networks quoted “As a single working woman, I understand how fortunate we are to have an organization like AWWIN”.  “Not only am I honored to be presenting the AWWIN Media Award on behalf of Lifetime Networks, but I look forward to being surrounded by a group of such inspiring women”.  “What better way for the number one network for women to show their support than to partner with an organization that thrives on helping them”
AWWIN is “Changing Lives, One Woman At A Time” as they provide training to women in need but giving them the help they need to complete the training, including financial assistance and volunteers on call after the training.

Music provided by RJ Temple and Daysha Nabors.

Visit www.awwininc2.org for ticket and sponsorship information or to find out more about AWWIN please call 912-659-0241.

www.magnoliamanor.com

(Richmond Hill, GA) Greg Jacobs, Buildings Curator for the Telfair Museum of Art’s Jepson Center, will be the guest speaker for the April 9th installment of the Renaissance Lecture Series, hosted by Magnolia Manor on the Coast.  The event, titled “10 Interesting facts about the New Jepson Buidling” will feature some in depth background and facts about the structures.  Those interested should RSVP by calling (912) 756-4300. Magnolia Manor on the Coast, located in Richmond Hill, is a non-profit, active, rental retirement community for seniors age 62 and older.

“Most people aren’t aware that the Telfair museum of Art is the only museum in the country to have two historic landmark buildings,” explains Jacobs.

“Another interesting fact is that the annual utility cost of the average home in the US is $2,000 and the utilities in the Jepson Center for the arts is approximately $240,000 annually.”

Jacobs says he hopes to enlighten the guests on how the Jepson has evolved over the past several years and what it offers the community and tourists.  The Jepson Center for the Arts was built in 2006 and is the most recent addition to the Telfair Museum of Art. The Telfair is the largest cultural organization in Savannah and includes the Telfair Academy, the Owens-Thomas House and the Jepson Center for the Arts.

Designed by internationally acclaimed architect Moshe Safdie, the 64,000-sq. ft. Jepson Center for the Arts is a state-of-the-art museum facility. It features expanded gallery spaces, expanded educational resources, much-needed art storage facilities, sculpture gardens, an auditorium, café and museum store.

Over the years the Telfair has become an invaluable confluence of arts, culture and history that reaches out to its audience through a diverse schedule of exhibitions and programs. It is among the city’s most-visited attractions.

Each month, Magnolia Manor hosts the Renaissance Lecture Series at its Richmond Hill campus. The event begins at 5:30 and includes a light supper. After the guest concludes his/her speech, a question and answer session follows. The event is free and open to the public, but guests are asked to RSVP by calling Jennifer Franks at (912) 756-4300.

Magnolia Manor on the Coast, located in Richmond Hill, is a non-profit, active, rental retirement community for seniors age 62 and older. It offers 120 one and two-bedroom apartment homes with full kitchens and patios. Located on 40 wooded acres, Magnolia Manor offers stimulating social and cultural activities and has amenities such as a wellness center with indoor exercise pool, barber and beauty salon, library and media center, game and activity rooms, three full-service dining rooms, as well as a formal parlor and chapel.

For more information or to request a brochure, please call (912) 756-4300 or log on to www.magnoliamanor.com

http://www.melaver.com/

(SAVANNAH, GA) Martin Melaver, CEO of sustainable consulting, construction and real estate firm Melaver, Inc., will speak to the Society for Marketing Professional Services April 7. The meeting is open to the public.

Melaver’s topic is “Dogs, Kangaroos and Ringtail Monkeys: Knowing Who You are Before Marketing Green for Clients.”

“When it comes to marketing sustainability, there needs to be close alignment in terms of values and practices between a marketing firm and its client,” Melaver said. “Otherwise, you are asking for all sorts of problems.”

“In the world of sustainability, what speaks more loudly than anything is one’s actual behaviors,” Melaver said. “Done well and you have the potential for leveraging a business to be an agent for positive social change. Done poorly, where one’s talk exceeds one’s walk, and you practice a form of hypocrisy that confirms the market’s suspicions that you’re just out to make a buck even at the cost of selling your soul.”
The meeting will be held Tuesday, April 7, with networking at 11:30 followed by lunch at First City Club, 32 Bull St. With an RSVP, the cost is $20 for SMPS Members and $25 for Non-Members. The cost is $5 more with no RSVP. Price includes buffet and beverage, and free Valet Parking is available. RSVP to arango.c@thomas-hutton.com by April 3.
Melaver grew up in Savannah and received his BA from Amherst College.  He holds a Masters and PhD from Harvard University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.  He is a past Fulbright scholar to Tel Aviv University, a recipient of a Mellon fellowship to Jesus College, Cambridge University, and a Lady Davis Fellowship to Hebrew University in Jerusalem.  He is the author of numerous articles on sustainable building practices, is the co-author of the upcoming book The Green Building Bottom Line, to be published the fall of 2008 by McGraw-Hill and author of Restoring Who We Are, to be published in the spring of 2009 by Chelsea Green. He has been a featured/keynote speaker at various conferences and guest lecturer at Harvard, Dartmouth, and other academic institutions.

Melaver currently serves as the Board Chair of the Georgia Conservancy, is a board member of Urban Land Institute’s Sustainability Council, the Ossabaw Island Foundation, the Savannah Country Day School, the Chatham Environmental Forum and serves as an advisory board member for various other companies and organizations.

Melaver, Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned business based in Savannah, Georgia. The sustainable real estate developer currently has eight LEED certified projects in their portfolio and developed one of the first LEED certified buildings in the U.S. which is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Melaver Inc. also developed the first all-retail LEED shopping center in the country, Abercorn Common, including the first LEED McDonald’s worldwide. Melaver, Inc. also has LEED consulting and construction divisions.
Contact: (912) 236-0781
www.melaver.com

http://case.vetsuite.com/Templates/grouped.aspx

(SAVANNAH, GA) Case Veterinary Hospital will celebrate its 100th year in business by hosting a birthday party Saturday, April 25 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The party is free and open to the public.

The major milestone will not only serve as a celebration but also a thank-you to Savannah for allowing Case to care for their pets over the past century. This fun and educational event will take place at the hospital’s location, 111 Eisenhower Drive.

Party-goers are invited to take part in the free face painting, moon bounce, police dog demonstration, behind-the-scenes hospital tour, children’s games and booths, demonstrations of endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery, door prizes and give-aways, sodas, hotdogs, and snowcones.

The hospital will be closed during the event but a “Stuffed Animal Surgery Unit” will be available for children to bring their favorite stuffed animals in need of repair and actually assist in the “surgery”.

Parking is available in the lot behind the Toys R Us and Bed Bath and Beyond buildings, and the hospital will provide a golf-cart ferry to and from the parking lot throughout the event.

Case Veterinary Hospital is a full service animal hospital that has been serving Savannah’s animals for more than 100 years. Located on Eisenhower Drive, they are vastly experienced in providing services to sick or injured dogs and cats. Case Veterinary Hospital is also the place to take your pet for preventative care, to be spayed or neutered or to receive vaccinations.

To learn more about Case Veterinary Hospital, log into Case Veterinary Hospital or call 912-352-3081.

http://www.celiadunnsir.com

(SAVANNAH, GA) – Mortgage rates are under 5 percent now, the lowest they’ve been in 60 years. The current mortgage loans may well be a chance-of-a-lifetime to get a rock-bottom interest rate.

“Mortgage rates can make a huge difference in the affordability of a house,” said Annie Rockwell of Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty. “Given the current interest rates, now is an excellent time to purchase a home.”

Denise Denison, senior mortgage loan officer with Darby Bank & Trust, agrees the rates are wonderful.

“People need to realize the opportunity that’s there,” Denison said. “Home prices have come down, and coupled with low interest rates, it’s the perfect time to buy.”

“It’s like the icing on the cake,” Denison said of the low mortgage rates. For perspective, people in the 1980s saw interest rates well north of 12 percent.

Jeff Grossman, loan officer with SunTrust, is also thrilled with the mortgage rates, which have hit as low as 4.5 percent this month.

“I’ve been doing (mortgage loans) 23 years and I’ve only seen these rates for a two-week period several years ago,” Grossman said. “It’s tremendous. Figuring on a $200,000 house, that client has $40,000 more in buying power, or $200 less a month in payments.”

Grossman said many people don’t realize mortgage loans are readily available for people with good credit.

“I’d say one out of three people feel it’s unattainable or impossible for them to qualify for what they want right now,” Grossman said. “But people with good credit can get mortgages.”

Denison works with experienced and first-time buyers. She’s found that many think money for mortgages isn’t available.

“We absolutely have money to lend,” Denison said. Many first-time buyers especially are nervous after reading the credit crunch news. “They almost don’t want to fill out an application, they’re afraid you’re going to say no. Then they’re surprised, they’re relieved” when they get approved, she said.

Denison is a fan of the federal government’s FHA loan program, which allows buyers to put down only 3.5 percent on a 30-year fixed mortgage. There are no income restrictions, but the mortgage can’t exceed $271,050. And the rate for mortgage insurance (required if you don’t put down 20 percent of the cost of the home) is less than for conventional mortgages.

For a $100,000 mortgage, a 7 percent interest rate will mean a monthly principal and interest payment of $676.95. A 5 percent interest rate will make the monthly payment $546.22, a difference of $132.73 every month. For a family who stays in their home for seven years (an average length), that adds up to almost $11,000 less.

Even a one percent difference in mortgage rates can make a real difference over time. For that $100,000 mortgage, you would pay $62.73 a month less than you would for a loan at 6 percent. That payment is for mortgage principal and interest only and doesn’t include taxes and insurance.

For a $150,000 30-year-fixed mortgage at 5 percent, the monthly principal and interest payment is $819.32. That’s $94.10 lower a month than for a loan of the same amount at 6 percent.

So you can save a lot of money each month on a lower interest rate, or you can afford a larger mortgage. With a $1000 a month principal and interest payment, that would be a $120,000 mortgage at 7 percent. But that same monthly payment would allow you to have a $143,000 mortgage at 5 percent.

Grossman has started to see the effect of the low interest rates and lower home prices, starting in December or January. He’s seen more second-home purchases here by out-of-towners and more people buying in the upper tier prices above $400,000. The second-home purchases have been a mixture of locations, with many downtown and some in vacation-like settings, such as on or near the water.

The current lower interest rates are driven by the federal government’s decision to buy mortgage-backed securities in November.

“In November, the rates fell off a cliff,” Denison said.

Lin Walsh of Accu-Mortgage Walsh & Associates suggests that people should pay close attention to the mortgage, and make sure they understand the terms, the rate, closing costs and other items. And she says it is important to choose your mortgage professional wisely.

“Find the right mortgage professional that has been in the business and is seasoned with the knowledge to genuinely help you not just make you a loan,” Walsh advises.

Known for its tradition of integrity, Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty specializes in residential and commercial properties in Savannah and the Low Country of Georgia and South Carolina. Founded in 1981, Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty is noted for outstanding service to its clients, thorough knowledge of Savannah and the South Carolina Low Country, and excellent staff, in addition to having one of the region’s top property management departments. The owners are natives of Savannah who have more than 60 years’ combined experience in real estate. The offices are located at 9, 13, and 17 West Charlton Street on Madison Square in Savannah and 6 Bruin Street in Bluffton, S.C.

For more information, call Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty at (912) 234-3323 or visit www.celiadunnsir.com. To contact the Bluffton office, call (843) 836-3900.

http://case.vetsuite.com/Templates/grouped.aspx

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (SAVANNAH, GA) Case Veterinary Hospital will celebrate its 100th year in business by hosting a birthday party Saturday, April 25 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The party is free and open to the public. The major milestone will not only serve as a celebration but also a thank-you to Savannah for allowing Case to care for their pets over the past century.

This fun and educational event will take place at the hospital’s location, 111 Eisenhower Drive. Party-goers are invited to take part in the free face painting, moon bounce, police dog demonstration, behind-the-scenes hospital tour, children’s games and booths, demonstrations of endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery, door prizes and give-aways, sodas, hotdogs, and snowcones.

The hospital will be closed during the event but a “Stuffed Animal Surgery Unit” will be available for children to bring their favorite stuffed animals in need of repair and actually assist in the “surgery”. Parking is available in the lot behind the Toys R Us and Bed Bath and Beyond buildings, and the hospital will provide a golf-cart ferry to and from the parking lot throughout the event. Case Veterinary Hospital is a full service animal hospital that has been serving Savannah’s animals for more than 100 years. Located on Eisenhower Drive, they are vastly experienced in providing services to sick or injured dogs and cats. Case Veterinary Hospital is also the place to take your pet for preventative care, to be spayed or neutered or to receive vaccinations. To learn more about Case Veterinary Hospital, log into Case Veterinary Hospital or call 912-352-3081.