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to Help Fire Victims As fire officials warned more than half a million San Diego County residents to evacuate their homes in the onslaught of menacing, wind-driven wildfires, at least one die-hard San Diego resident stayed behind to see how she could help her neighbors. Amongst thousands of San Diego Real Estate Agents, Marie Jo Atkins stands atop a short list of the most elite agents in the county, but recently it was heart and generosity that impressed her clients and not just her real estate success. When the fires hit Marie Jo's own neighborhood of Poway particularly hard, her and her team immediately sprung into action to find rental properties for displaced homeowners, and made special accommodations for sellers who currently had their homes on the market for sale. The Mangum family is just one of the many beneficiaries of the efforts of the Atkins team. "The October 2007 Southern California wildfires left us homeless when the Witch Creek fire ravaged our Poway neighborhood" said Jeff Mangum, "A family friend contacted Marie Jo whom we had never met and asked her to help us find a rental. Even though Marie Jo typically does not deal with the rental market, she generously agreed. Our needs were unusual because we have a family of eight people, ranging in age from 10 to 80, and the demand for rentals was very high. Almost all available homes had been rented before we reached Marie Jo's office. Marie Jo immediately began searching her extensive network for rental opportunities for us. Within two hours, Marie Jo had persuaded one of her clients to rent a beautiful home to us, temporarily pulling her own listing and the potential sales commission off the market so we would have someplace to live." Chris Mangum added, "Marie Jo and her staff were knowledgeable, efficient and effective. But more than that, they were kind and compassionate as they provided tremendous community service to our family and many others at what must have been a financial loss to them. Marie Jo isn't just a capable professional – she is a good person." |
Dr. June Scopinich and Dr. Nan Haugen had a similar experience. "Marie Jo Atkins is the best
real estate agent we have ever worked with! She listed and then advertised our home in Rancho
Bernardo for 3 months. However, after the recent wild fires in San Diego, we met a family that
lost their home and Marie Jo was kind enough to cancel our listing, after spending considerable
dollars to advertise, so that we could rent it to this family." Said Dr. Scopinich. "She didn't
want any compensation for this! We will definitely re-list with her after the rental period
is over, not only because of her kindness but for her unmatched professionalism. We've sold
many homes over the years and have never worked with an agent as wonderful as Marie Jo Atkins.
She is the best!" added Dr. Haugen.
"We knew it was going to be chaotic," said Marie Jo. "We didn't really know what to expect." Marie Jo and her team utilized their office and Marie Jo's own personal residence to help provide evacuees with home-related support, as well as food, water, phones and computers. "I wish we could help all 3,400 households that suffered losses in California's fires." The wildfires, which raged north to Los Angeles County and south to San Diego County, consumed 800,000 acres of land, destroyed 3,400 homes and killed at least 20 people. About Marie Jo Atkins Marie Jo Atkins is the #1 agent for Prudential California Realty. Marie Jo has sold over $685 million in her 13 years of service and concentrates on the 1-15 corridor, her Prudential office in Rancho Bernardo serves the North County inland communities of Poway and Rancho Bernardo, along with the coastal enclaves of Rancho Santa Fe, Sante Fe Valley, Del Mar and La Jolla. Contact Marie Jo Atkins Phone: 858.487.6467 Website: www.mariejoatkins.com Email: mariejotps@aol.com |
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