As a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War era, I know that veterans make enormous sacrifices to serve in the defense of this nation. It is true in peacetime and especially true when the nation is at war. I also know that we get busy in our own lives and often forget those who are enduring hardship on our behalf.

Our veterans and their service should be recognized by whatever means are available to us. Calls come from those who have served and are interested in pursuing additional career education. To honor our veterans, AREA will offer the initial 30-hour course necessary to enter the real estate and/or appraisal field at a special price of $29.00 for veterans only. The course provides 30 hours of credit towards earning both a real estate license AND a real estate appraiser license. The $29.00 fee for Real Estate Principles classroom course includes digital files of all the materials necessary to complete the course.

This special veteran's class will run on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and all day on Saturday for two weeks starting on February 17, 2009. Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis. This class will require a minimum enrollment. A maximum of 40 students can be accommodated.

To enroll, you must pay the $29 registration fee and submit proof that you are on active duty, or provide a DD214 if you have been discharged. Don't wait! Space is limited! For additional information call the school at 770-591-5552 or send an email to education@area-ga.com.

Cruise CE is back with an exciting twist! Starting now, you can get FREE CE courses from AREA Academy in one of two ways.

Your first option is to join us for a planned CE cruise by booking through AREA Vacations. When you book through AREA Vacations, you can attend the onboard CE course absolutely FREE! We have two CE cruises planned for 2009 and we will post several more soon - including cruises on the newest ships by Carnival Cruise Lines (Carnival Dream in 2010) and Royal Caribbean International (Oasis of the Seas in 2010).

For your second option - if you want to chose your own cruise and destination - just book ANY cruise through AREA Vacations and you will receive Tuition Credit from AREA Academy equal to 3% of the cruise fee. Tuition Credits can be applied toward the cost of any AREA Academy classroom courses or online courses in Georgia, Florida, and 38 other states. They even apply to the courses to obtain your original license. If your travel mate can't use the Tuition Credits they can be issued in your name at the time of booking.

Real Estate sales agents, brokers, appraisers, and even home inspectors can obtain FREE or discounted courses from AREA Academy just taking a much needed break. Cruising is a great stress-free way to vacation while enjoying family, friends, and associates. Now, AREA provides more incentive to enjoy a relaxing fun-filled vacation at sea with FREE CE or Tuition Credits. Contact staff for more information at 770-591-5552 or travel@area-ga.com.

AREA has added several important and timely new real estate sales and appraisal CE courses to its curriculum this fall. In various formats ranging from 3.5 hours of CE to 20 hours of classification credit, the courses will update you on the newest FHA requirements, review Georgia license law and rules, guide you in listing homes and making appraisals in declining markets, show you the fundamentals of condemnation appraising, and provide instruction on property tax appeals.

Whoa - Tax Appeals! Every Georgia homeowner may want to participate in that course. Appraisers and Salespeople have to advance their understanding of doing business in this economy. You can register for one course or combine them and earn regular CE credit or license advancement credit. Appraisers need elective credit to move to CR or CG? Check out one or all of these courses below and let AREA help your business grow:

FHA Appraisals - New Rules, New Requirements - Nov 16 - 8:00 to 4:00 pm
Learn about new FHA programs and requirements, the 4150.2 handbook, recent mortgagee letters, and how to get on (and stay on) FHA's approved appraiser roster.

Appraisal Law & Regulations - Nov 23 - 8:00 to 4:00 pm
Review GA license law and rules of the GREAB. Know which duties are more and which are less restrictive than USPAP regulations? Explore "specialized services" permitted by the Appraisers Act and understand rules for supervising appraisers.

Declining Markets - Dec 1 - 6:00 to 9:30 pm
Appraising and listing properties in declining markets requires identifying affected sub-markets, trends, supply and demand, absorption rates, and price changes over time. This course covers identifying and selecting relevant market data, abstracting price changes, calculating adjustments, REOs, and more to support your conclusions.

Appealing Property Taxes - Dec 3 - 6:00 to 9:30 pm
Appraiser, Real Estate Salesperson, Homeowner - think property taxes are too high? This course will review property taxes and assessments; tax appeal grounds, timing and choices; the hearing process and how to prepare a convincing argument to support your conclusion and achieve the desired result.

Condemnation Appraising - Introduction - Dec 9 - 6:00 to 9:30 pm
The government's right of eminent domain is exercised through the process of condemnation. News stories have made the public more aware of this issue. This course reviews condemnation law, right of way appraisals, proximity studies, valuing partial and total acquisitions, and valuing the remainder parcel.

For additional information call the school at 770-591-5552 or send an email to education@area-ga.com.

Squidoo is a FREE website designed to allow anyone to create and publish articles on just about anything. Everyone has some area of expertise or exceptional knowledge – or even just an opinion. You can tell the world about it on Squidoo and make money at the same time.

Write an article on anything that you know something about – promote your business, promote a charity, promote a cause – the opportunities are endless – then publish your article on Squidoo. The published article is simply a webpage on the Squidoo website. Squidoo calls each article a "lens" – you can create as many lenses as you want.

The more interesting your lens is, the more people will read it and the higher your lens will be ranked in Squidoo. Search engines "crawl" and catalog Squidoo lenses so people searching on the internet can find your lens using search engines such as Google.

Each lens appears with advertisements – some ads are promoted by Squidoo and some can be products you support through affiliate links or other fee sharing arrangements. Squidoo pays you 50% of the fees they receive from their ads placed on your lens. It is great way to get noticed, provide links to your website, have fun, and make money – and it is all FREE! There is no good reason NOT to start creating lenses. Check out Squidoo now and start promoting your business today.

NO state licensing is required in Georgia for Home Inspectors - not yet anyway. In 2008 potential licensing by the legislature was addressed and passed but Gov Perdue vetoed the bill. Read full history and transcript of HB 1217.

All business has been affected by this economy but for home inspectors opportunities are still out there (think foreclosures). Why not enter the business before licensing to take advantage of potential business. For those already conducting home inspections there are more available resources. Some municipalities now require individuals to prove that they obtained qualified training before acquiring a business license. If you start now, you may be grandfathered when state licensing is enacted. AREA's Home Inspection course can help you launch your business.

Already in the Home Inspection business? Did you know NACHI has started NACHI.tv - you can now watch training videos and seminars from your computer. Remember AREA's course includes one year membership in NACHI so you can take advantage of all resources available.

Send an email to education@area-ga.com for next course schedule.

Who couldn't use a delicious and FREE breakfast during this economy? Well, have we got a treat for you. Mimi's Cafe is a collection of upscale family dining restaurants with 139 locations in 22 states. Mimi's Cafe was founded in Anaheim, CA in 1978 and is known and loved for its full breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus with high-quality, eclectic cuisine, unparalleled service and tastefully appointed decor. The owner, a WWII Veteran, named the restaurant in honor of a woman he met when the Allies liberated Versailles. He wanted Mimi to continue to inspire the French touches in each restaurant today.

To encourage new customers to get acquainted with Mimi's, they offer a FREE breakfast to anyone who enrolls in the Mimi's E-Club. Next time you are online, serf over to Mimi's Cafe and click on the E-Club link on the right-hand side. Just create an account with your name, email address and a password - you're done. In about three weeks you will receive a coupon good for a FREE breakfast worth up to $10.00. Get one for each member of the family and head on down to Mimi's where you will be treated to an excellent breakfast.

If it's your first time dining at Mimi's, tell the waiter and you will take home a package of four incredible muffins for each first-timer to enjoy at home. This is a no-brainer. Get your coupons and get yourself to Mimi's.

FHA appraisal requests have almost doubled this year. Expect to see additional increases in FHA appraisal business as FHA programs are being expanded to boost the faltering economy. A significant change is that the FHA roster will no longer accept applications from State Licensed Appraisers!

As of October 1st of this year, appraisers will have to now be State Certified Residential or Certified General to provide reports on properties insured by FHA. Can you get around that? Sun, Nov 16 a new course is set to update Appraisers on the issues and FHA regulations that affect your business.

This change will be even more incentive for licensed appraisers to upgrade their classification to certified. You can also expect opportunities to raise your fees since there will be fewer roster appraisers at a time when appraisal orders are increasing, and credentials required to perform those appraisals have been intensified. If you have been avoiding FHA appraisals, this may be the time to reacquaint yourself with the HUD 4150.2 handbook its Appendix D and expand your business opportunities. AREA is posting additional FHA online resources for real estate professionals. If you cannot attend the class but want to check out the online material when available or next schedule, send an email to education@area-ga.com.