Kathy Webb

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Kathy Webb Article Published

new kathyArticle From The Commercial Appeal

“Girl Scouts Heart of the South has declared this week “Stand Beside Her” Week to encourage everyone to support the girls and women in their lives, their homes, their offices and their community.

Women make up just over half the U.S. population, but men still hold a disproportionate number of leadership roles in business, nonprofits and government. Only 20 percent of U.S. senators and 19 percent of U.S. House members are female.

In Tennessee, the political landscape is even more dismal. Only 17 percent of Tennessee representatives and 15 percent of Tennessee’s 33 state senators are female.

Of the 13 members of the Memphis City Council, only two are women, and there is only one woman on the Shelby County Commission. Ironically, the Memphis metro area has a higher percentage of women to men than many other cities: 52.4 percent of our population is female.

Female registered voters also outnumber male registered voters in Shelby County, and women vote in greater numbers than men. So why are women not more equally represented? At the current rate of progress, women will not attain equal political representation until the year 2085.

Men also still outnumber women in business leadership. According to U.S. Census data, only about 30 percent of Shelby County businesses are owned by women. According to the Tennessee Economic Council on Women, 74 percent of women in Shelby County are employed or looking for work, but only 38.4 percent of Shelby County women hold managerial positions.

And female workers in Shelby County make only 77.49 percent of men’s earnings, adding up to an average shortfall of $9,866 in income each year.

Why do women still trail men in income, business ownership and leadership roles? Studies show that starting in childhood, girls are inundated with negative messages and behaviors that harm their self-image. The competition, negative comparisons and unhealthy self-esteem formed on the playground too often carry over to the workplace and the boardroom.

A Harvard study called “Leaning Out: Teen Girls and Leadership Biases” finds that both teenage boys and girls are biased against girls, and many teens and women believe their peers are biased against women leaders.

When asked who is more effective in specific professions, almost a quarter of teen girls — 23 percent — preferred male political leaders, while only 8 percent of girls preferred female leaders. It appears women themselves sabotage their own opportunities to thrive and assume leadership roles.

Women are also less likely than men to have valuable workplace mentoring relationships. For example, 63 percent of women have never had a formal work mentor. That contributes to the wage and earnings gap because employees who are mentored are promoted six times more often.

As the premier girls’ leadership organization in the Mid-South, Girl Scouts Heart of the South created National Stand Beside Her Week to combat these negative attitudes among women and girls.

Only by changing the attitudes absorbed by girls and teens will women feel free to develop to their full academic, career and leadership potential. Please visit our website, girlscoutshs.org/stand-beside-her to learn more about National Stand Beside Her week and join us for our Stand Beside Her forum Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Hutchison School, 1740 Ridgeway Road. It is open to the public and will offer girls and women an opportunity to network with women business and community leaders.

At Girl Scouts, we believe girls and women can change the world for the better. It is up to us as female business owners, co-workers, mentors and most important, as mothers, to change the biases that continue to hold girls and women back from realizing their full potential.

Kathy Webb is a Memphis lawyer who serves as board chair of Girl Scouts Heart of the South.”

Link To Source Article: http://www.commercialappeal.com/opinion/local/guest-column-men-and-women-both-need-to-stand-beside-her-228d6bc4-368c-1567-e053-0100007f07f4-336966591.html

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News

Realtor.com and Elizabeth Banks

Realtor.com has a new hilarious web series with movie stat Elizabeth Banks. There are five episodes and each chronicles the process of the home buying process. Whether you are buying a home in Memphis, or LA, the process can be much the same. Often serious of course, but also fun and exciting (and lighthearted).

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Memphis Real Estate Trends News

Don’t you want to be a 10? How does your home rank?

Outrageous utility bills, loss of energy and efficiency, and outdated systems have led MLGW to create, test, and implement a unique but innovative energy-efficient utility system geared towardsescore customers and potential future cost savings. Sure, many think that MLGW has somehow conspired against their clients to jack up energy pricing, and charge them excessive yet unnecessary fees; but in reality the opposite is quiet true.

Memphis and the Tennessee Valley Association actually have one of the lowest energy rates in the country, yet we account for the highest usage rates per square foot. Put simply, we use a lot of energy! The goal of MLGW is to use less. Why? Because constant increases in energy usage could potentially present the need to build a new power plant to increase supply. Not only would this be an intensive undertaking, I don’t think many people would want such a massive construction in their backyard. This is why they have come up with a much more innovative and cost-effective solution to help conserve current energy usage, while making such an endeavor appealing to their client base.

This new residential energy efficiency program isn’t just for homeowners either. The aspects of it can potentially cater to the REALTOR base as well, and the more it becomes known, the more it can be used as a leveraging tool for your buyers or sellers. Although individuals are becoming “greener” and making more conscious decisions about the environment, many still do not consider average utility costs or similarly related expenses when purchasing a home. Likewise, many sellers do not market their home or its’ value with energy efficiency in mind. The two most significant factors in energy bills are consumption and weather.

The average E-SCORE for Memphis is a 5, based on the 10 dimensions specified by TVA Certified Experts and MLGW engineers. A higher ranking home like a 6, 7, or 8 could mean more money for your sellers. In contrast, a lower than average score could help your buyers negotiate on inspection related tasks or a reduction in a home’s asking price. We all know that new HVAC’s are one of the priciest updates to make on a home, so why not use this as a marketing tool if your clients have made recent renovations?

The E-SCORE program and evaluation works this way: first, MLGW will bring in evaluators to see how you can modify your home to be more energy efficient. Sign up is easy, you just go online to register and set up a time, and they will see you within that week. You will get a full breakdown of data and picture comparisons of your systems compared to the correct standard systems. This includes items such as attic insulation, duct sealing, HVAC replacement, windows and doors, heat pumps, and water heaters (just to name a few).

The evaluator will give you a list of improvements that can raise your home’s E-score and give you advice on what should be done first, so you get the biggest bang for your buck! They can also show you various impacts of what certain paths will look like (i.e. choosing to seal your ducts, before installing new HVACs or vice versa).

So what are the financial incentives for choosing to make the suggested improvements on your home? Not only do you help lower your monthly energy costs, resulting in long-term utility bill savings, you can also qualify for E-Score rebates. There is no maximum rebate per homestead, which means you can continue to make improvements on your home as your budget allows. No need for you to file paperwork, follow-up about the rebate, or submit anything. The contractor will submit everything needed, and your score will automatically be changed. (*Note that in order to qualify for any rebate listed, a contractor from MLGW’s Quality Contractor Network must be used).

If you have already made improvements to your home, go ahead and have an E-Score done as well. You may already be a 10, and not even know it! Once you have a score, it will automatically be updated for you every time an improvement is made, so no need to re-order.

The ultimate goal for MLGW is to eventually have a home’s ESCORE as a line item within the MLS system. Similar to a home inspection, an E-Score will identify energy related issues that can be used as a negotiating tool during the closing process. Until vast awareness and common knowledge of the program takes hold, the leverage and negotiation potential of E-Score’s will ultimately function on a case to case basis, in terms of what your clients are willing to come to an agreement on. But do not be surprised if the near future of real estate sees an upswing in energy awareness and conservation that will hinge on the use of E-scoring in buying power.

For more information on how to get your E-score, please visit https://www.2escore.com/ .

kathy thumbThe Kathy Webb team, promotes the use of the E-Score system. Get more information at your next closing!

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New Website

We are proud to announce the addition of a our new website as a convenient way for clients to learn more about our practice as well as an easy way to schedule closings.

I’d love to hear your feedback about the site and if something is missing that you would like to see please let me know!

-Kathy