Empathy For Home Sellers
Often I read other real estate blogs, to keep abreast about what is going in our industry and to see if other agents are doing something creative. Charles Turner’s Portland Real Estate blog is one that I read. I found his recent article on empathizing with home sellers to be insightful and amusing. A fellow Realtor friend says that part of every Realtors license renewal should be that they move every five years so that they don’t forget the feeling of having their home on the market (it’s been six years for us so it is time). Just for the record, I moved two years ago and...
Read MoreThe Value of Home Staging
As an experienced realtor, working in Buckhead and North Atlanta, I’ve seen it time and time again: furnished homes sell better than vacant ones. Keep in mind, when using your own furniture, less is more. In a down market here in Atlanta, I sold my home in three months. One of the first things I did was rent a storage shed and move out 1/3rd of my furniture, decorations and clothes. It seems the catchall phrase for preparing a home to make its best first impression is “home staging”, which can actually mean 4 different things: Utilizing existing furnishings for a home sale Paying an...
Read MoreEnergy efficiency becoming a priority
There has been a lot of interest in energy efficient homes, which caused me to take a training course and receive my EcoBroker designation. Here is an exert by the NAR regarding buyer interest in energy efficiency. There has been a shift in the country to a more energy efficient, “greener”, way of life. The affect of one’s carbon footprint has been largely discussed in the media and in the political sector. From light bulbs, to grocery bags, to transportation and where one works, and what and where one eats, the greening of America has had a profound affect on society. The...
Read MoreA rise in internet home searches
While the rise in internet usage by home buyers is to be expected, I think the following article emphasizes the need for an internet savvy REALTOR. My guess is that those searching for homes in Buckhead Atlanta are utilizing the internet for their home searches at an even higher rate. Here is the exert from the article I found most interesting: “Eighty-seven percent of home buyers used the Internet to search for homes, up from 71 percent five years ago. Not only has the trend in overall usage risen, but the percent of buyers who reported using the Internet frequently increased from 42...
Read MoreGeorgia Home Buyer’s Closing Cost Calculator
Here is a very rudimentary spreadsheet I developed for calculating the buyer’s closing costs. I cannot stress enough that you need to speak with a mortgage professional for a more accurate estimate of closing costs. When using the spreadsheet, feel free to make any changes, although the green numbers are the ones you’ll most likely change. If you make a mistake, just hit “refresh” on your browser and the spreadsheet will reset. Again, the costs in the spreadsheet can vary widely. The 1% loan origination fee is a general estimate. Your mortgage company might have...
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