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News from The Landings

Here you will find items of interest to The Landings community.

Pat & Paul Ewaldsen Named 2011 Top Sales Agents at The Landings

Pat & Paul Ewaldsen represented the most buyers AND sellers in 2011

SAVANNAH, GA, February 6, 2012    According to Savannah Board of Realtors statistics, Pat and Paul Ewaldsen of The Landings Company sold the most Landings listings (27 homes + 1 lot) AND represented the most Landings buyers (14 homes + 2 lots) of any agent doing business in The Landings onSkidawayIsland in 2011.

“Pat and Paul have done an exceptional job,” notes Bill Houghton, president of The Landings’ homeowner association-owned marketing and sales firm, The Landings Company.  “In addition to their work in the community, they have represented The Landings at real estate shows in the northeast, and last year alone they hosted over 60 real estate prospects here for tours.  They provide great service to buyers and to their listing clients, and that hard work has paid dividends for them and for the community.”

The Ewaldsens led the way for a strong showing by the agents at The Landings Company. Of the top 11 agents by transaction side volume in The Landings community for 2011, NINE are from The Landings Company.  In addition to the Ewaldsens, they are: Gary Boyd, Carolyn McInerney, George Jorgenson, Judy Green, David Helmreich, Peggy Utley, Patty Giorgio and Stephanie Giorgio.  Four other Landings Company agents were a transaction or 2 away from making that list.  22 agents had 5 or more house or lot transaction “sides” in The Landings in 2012 – and 17 of the 22 are from The Landings Company.   (all data from the Savannah Board of Realtors)

Those efforts have help drive strong sales at The Landings, a 4,000 acre community onSavannah’sSkidawayIsland(a few minutes off theTruman Parkway).  In fact, the past two years of sales in the community have significantly outpaced national and regional real estate levels and trends.  Transactions (closings) in The Landings were up over 40% in 2011 vs. 2010, and a whopping 91% over just 2 years ago (199 closed homes and lots in 2011 vs. 104 in 2009).

February 21st, 2012

NATIONAL EXECUTIVE OF AMERICAN RED CROSS HONORS THE LANDINGS COMMUNITY

 Sherri L Brown, Senior Vice President of Service to the Armed Forces, American Red Cross on Feb. 6th joined the Board of Directors of the Landings Military Family Relief Fund (LMFRF), and key members of the Savannah Red Cross who administer the Fund, at a special meeting at the Landings Plantation Club. The purpose of her visit was to recognize the Landings Community for their magnificent contribution of support to our military. She presented the Chairman of the LMFRF, Lou Molella, with her “Service to the Armed Forces Challenge Coin” and thanked the community, “For making a difference”.

Ms. Brown is herself a veteran, and her comments focused on a concern, that the nation is “becoming fatigued with the notion of continuous deployment”. “I have learned much from this visit in regard to appreciating the professionalism of your effort, the synergy you have built with the local Red Cross, and the respect you earned from your military beneficiaries. You are truly a great example of what we are all about!”

The Landings Fund recently received the distinction of being one of 20 finalist from a field of more than 400 submissions to the White House “Joining Forces Community Challenge”. This has brought attention to Savannah, and our coastal military in an on line contest, to win a trip to the White House. Everyone can help in this prestigious effort. You can cast your vote for the Fund on http://joiningforces.challenge.gov. Once registered you can vote every 24 hours until February 23rd.

February 13th, 2012

THE LANDINGS COMMUNITY: FOCUSED ON THE ENVIRONMENT

The Landings on Skidaway Island is one of the nation’s finest communities. Not only because of the many amenities and activities it offers its residents, or because of its close proximity to the glorious city of Savannah. The Landings is also focused on protecting the environment. In fact, all six golf courses have been certified as Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries and The Landings is home to more than 230 species of birds.

Another initiative Landings residents have taken on is saving the diamondback terrapin turtles. It started back in 2003 when resident Carolyn McInerney spotted a female terrapin sashaying across the green on the Plantation golf course. After safely traversing the green, the terrapin gracefully dropped over the edge of the first cut and went head first into the greenside bunker. Twenty minutes later, after excavating a 10” deep hole and depositing her eggs, she reversed her route and disappeared into the spartina grass.

Within 24 hours, her nest was decimated by foraging raccoons.

Carolyn did some research on the web and contacted a few marine scientists including John ‘Crawfish’ Crawford, Naturalist, at the University of Georgia Marine Extension Service. With support from ‘Crawfish’, she started retrieving terrapin nests from the bunkers before they could be destroyed by predators or golfers. In any given year she had about 40 -70 nests on her front deck where the nests were protected from the raccoons, crows, moles, golfers and maintenance machinery.

Since her first sighting in 2003, and up through 2010, she had relocated, hatched and released well over 2000 baby terrapins into the western marsh.

 The diamondback terrapin is considered “a species of concern” under the Endangered Species Act and is officially protected by several states. Until the 1930’s these turtles were hunted almost to extinction.

 In 2010, The Landings Audubon group adopted Carolyn’s turtle project and with the help of Mike Perham (Director of golf course & grounds maintenance) and Chris Steigelman (Plantation course superintendent), nesting boxes were designed, built and placed on the third and eighth holes of the Plantation golf course. The eggs would be transferred to the nesting boxes where Mother Nature would take care of the hatching and release process.

“I am very proud to be associated with the very successful conservation efforts of the volunteers of the Skidaway terrapin hatchery” said Crawfish Crawford. “The staff and management of The Landings golf course and grounds are also to be commended. I look forward to being a part of their continued work in the conservation of this important species.”

With the help of volunteers in 2011, 687 Diamondback Terrapin eggs were recovered and relocated. The group is anxiously looking forward to the beginning of another nesting season in May of 2012.

October 10th, 2011