Income Property

Don’t be fooled by the title, this show is all about clever ways to “find” money-making space in homes for owners who are “house poor”. Hmmm, sounds vaguely familiar. Unfortunately, many Metro Atlanta homes purchased in the last 3 years are struggling because they too are “house poor”. Tune in to Income Property each Wednesday at 9:30PM EST.

The Unsellables

Again, this title could have been taken directly from our Atlanta Metro real estate market. Unfortunately, many homes currently for sale in the Metro Atlanta real estate market have and will continue to sit on the market. Why? Many are overpriced. Plus, some Atlanta Metro homes are not in pristine condition which will result in these homes sitting on the market until such time as the condition is either improved or the price is reduced to match the condition of the home. The premise of this made for “realty” TV show is an ongoing demonstration of “tough love” doled out by show host Sofie Allsop. The Unsellables debuts on HGTV this Friday at 10:30PM EST.

The Property Shop

While this scenario could play out in any market including the Metro Atlanta real estate market, documentation of the life of an agent turned wanna-be-broker Tatiana Londono of Montreal is sure to be worth dialing in for. The day in the life of an agent seeking the broker status should be raw and compelling. Be prepared for the good, the bad and the ugly when The Property Shop begins airing Thursday evenings at 10:30PM EST.

Wishing Our Metro Atlanta Market Were Similar to This HGTV Show

In fact, any real estate market would love to be patterned after the title of this new HGTV show called Desparate to Buy. Each episode features frantic home buyers who face a deadline to purchase a home. Talk about a change of pace from our current market conditions. Desparate to Buy airs each each Wednesday at 10:30PM EST.

Which New HGTV Show Do You Prefer?

Be sure to check back here and let us know which HGTV show you like and which one misses the mark. We’d love to hear your feedback!

Until my next post,

Margaret

Your Metro Atlanta Real Estate Agent Experts

How Much Can I Decorate My Atlanta Metro Home?

Yes, that’s the next question that follows. And I reply by saying “it depends”. I suggest a minimalistic holiday decorating strategy for a couple of reasons.

1. Decorating a home for the holidays requires work and time. It’s difficult enough to have your Atlanta Metro property show-ready for that next Atlanta Metro home buyer. More decorations means more cleaning.
2. The last thing you want to do is to distract a buyer who is interested in a Atlanta Metro home or condo with all your tinsel, bows, yard blow-up characters, garland, 5,000 C-9 lights that outline your home, multiple decorated Christmas trees and cherished family holiday season “knick knacks”.
3. Buyers who are searching for a Metro Atlanta home during the holidays are serious buyers as well, so make sure your property makes the absolute best first impression.

Are You Ready to List Your Atlanta Metro Home For Sale?

If so, add the Safford Sells Group to your holiday short list of Atlanta Metro real estate agents to interview for the job of effectively marketing and selling your home. Contact us today!

Until my next post,

Margaret

Your Metro Atlanta Real Estate Agent Experts

So Why Include Atlanta in this Best of List?

Atlanta is first and foremost affordable and a desirable place for retired Boomers to spend their golden years. Other positive characteristics sought out by seniors include:

1. Accessible, outstanding health care facilities. Emery Healthcare is a recognized leader in health care.
2. Affordable Metro Atlanta home buying options. Because low-maintenance living is key for seniors, Metro Atlanta offers a wealth of home buying choices including high-rise condos, town homes, singe-family homes, age-restricted communities and villas. There is something for every taste and every budget.
3. A wealth of Metro Atlanta recreational opportunities for active senior lifestyles including golf, tennis, bowling, walking, hiking and biking.
4. Convenient, affordable Metro Atlanta mass transit system. Baby boomers who prefer to take advantage of our mass transit will love life in Metro Atlanta. The combination of the MARTA and the associated bus system makes getting around the Metro Atlanta area a breeze.

Here is a list of Metro Atlanta communities for your consideration:

• Gwinnett County Area Information
• Fulton County Area Information
• Forsyth County Area Information
• DeKalb County area Information
• Walton County Area Information

Speak Out Metro Atlanta

What other qualities about Metro Atlanta make our area appealing to Boomers?

Until my next post,

Margaret  – Your Metro Atlanta Real Estate Agent Experts

1. Kick the latte addiction. Latte’s cost at least $4 a cup. Calculate what that figure represents if you’re buying a Latte every day or every other day.
2. Park the car. Car pooling is a great way to save $$
3. Unless your owner’s manual recommends it, stop buying premium gas for your car
4. Pay your bills on-time and do it online! You can avoid late fees and doing it online is easy. Being on time with your bills is really important in light of the new guidelines for credit scores and seeking a home loan
5. Ditch the hardwired phone and only use your cell phone. This is pretty “hardcore” but for some people this is a smart $$ saving strategy

More Money Saving Tips to Help You Save for Your Metro Atlanta Home

I know my last Metro Atlanta Real Estate Blog post stated I would offer 5 tips but I have more ideas I believe will help you save if you are thinking about buying a home.

• Host a yard sale and get rid of unwanted household goods, idle exercise equipment and gently-worn clothing in exchange for quick cash
• Maintain the air pressure in your tires for better gas mileage
• Avoid eating out. Many times the convenience factor comes into play with our eating habits but it’s terribly expensive to eat out often
• Grocery shop with coupons. If you do it right, you can reduce your grocery bill significantly. I suggest the “Grocery Game“. Check it out!

All of these money-saving tips will help you curb your spending and help put cash in your pocket for that anticipated down payment and closing cost .

Speak Out Metro Atlanta

What other money-saving strategies do you use to help you save money?

Until my next post,

Margaret  – Your Metro Atlanta Real Estate Agent Experts

1. Wash your laundry in cold water
2. Reduce the temperature on your hot water heater to 120 degrees
3. At night lower your thermostat and add blankets for comfort
4. If you bake or cook, open the door to your oven and take advantage of the extra heat (be mindful of your children if you do this!)
5. Also open the door to your dishwasher when it times to the “dry cycle”
6. Reverse your ceiling fans to blow in the upward direction. Hot air rises so circulate that warm air in the ceiling
7. Replace your standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs
8. If practical, line dry your laundry
9. Replace your HVAC filters often for peak efficiency
10. Be sure you unplug electronic devices not in use

Not only will these reminders help you save money, implementation of these thrifty tips will go a long way in reducing our carbon footprint.

5 Creative Ways to Save to Buy Your Next Metro Atlanta Home

In an upcoming post I’ll share with you 5 creative ways to help you save to buy your next Metro Atlanta home.

Until next time,

Margaret

Your Metro Atlanta Real Estate Agent Experts

Do the Little Things Right When You Move To Gwinnett County

• As a parent, don’t forget to nurture your children during the move. A little extra attention just might be the right medicine to help make the experience less painful.
• Be organized! Accumulate all of their school and medical/dental records for your new home.
• Keep all important documents in a safe and accessible location. Important documents could include birth certificate, social security card, school records, medical/dental records, and important keepsakes should all be maintained is a convenient place.

Now Get Creative with Your Move!

There are several ways to get creative to help your children deal with their move. Give these a try and don’t forget to come back to the Gwinnett County Real Estate Blog to comment and tell me how they turned out for you. One things for sure, your kids are going to love these ideas!

1. Host a moving to Gwinnett County party for your kids and invite their school friends and neighborhood friends. Take plenty of photos of this memoriable event!
2. Create an “autograph” T-shirt with their friends and relatives signatures. Take pictures of children as they sign the tee-shirt.
3. When helping your children go through their old toys and out-grown clothes to see what can be donated or sold, be sure to take photos of more cherished items. Do you see a common “theme” building here ?

What to do With All Those Photos?

Without fail one of the best ways to cope with the emotions of moving is to create a “memory book” of your last home. Now you know what to do with all those photos I was telling you to take. In your memory book add all those memorable keepsake photos of their last days at their home before moving to their new home in Gwinnett County. Be sure to have their friends sign this keepsake book and don’t forget to include their addresses for correspondence later. One last tip about photos, I recommend you create a photo file storage account at Flickr.com. That way all your children’s friends can view the photos too.

The Next Great Adventure – Moving to Your New Gwinnett County Home!

In closing, don’t forget to emphasize to your child that moving to their new Gwinnett County home will be a big adventure. Should your child express any sadness about their upcoming move, reassure them and let them know you understand. Tell them expressing sadness is OK and a part of growing up. One last important note, if your child participated in a sports team, play group or other social gatherings at their former home be sure to locate a similar group in your new Gwinnett County community. Seek out these settings at your child’s new school, the Gwinnett County parks and recreation office or your house of worship. It really is best for their stability.

Until my next post,

Margaret

P.S. Are you moving to (or from) Gwinnet County? We are a click or phone call away (770) 979-3228.

The Steps to Less Clutter in Your Gwinnett County Home!

Here are a few simple tips to helping you de-cluttered plus we will help you navigate the emotionally charged event of deciding how or what to do with your children’s keepsakes. You know you can’t just toss those saved “report cards” from elementary school or that “beautiful smocked dress” when your little girl was 5 years old. So what are you to do to make sure your Gwinnett County home is free of the clutter that can often stall a sale?

1. Consider securing outside help for the job. As strange as it sounds, having a neutral third party examine what should go and what can stay will help make the job easier. Listen to their advice and remember that they have no vested interest in the items you may be struggling with.
2. Save some the “most cherished” keepsakes and turn them into art! Consider making a collage of photos when the kids were younger and add that report card or that special memento and add it to the collage. Create a shadow box for small keepsakes to display in your next Gwinnett County home.
3. Have your grown children decide what they want to keep and what can be donated to a worthy cause. Often they can help relieve your home of the clutter.
4. Speaking of worthy causes, why not donate those “superfluous”items to Goodwill or other well-deserving nonprofits. Here is where having that non-bias voice telling you it’s ok to give away that toy or garment will help you through the process.
5. And the last option is to organize those dear keepsakes and place them in a vault. Placing them in an out of the way location to help free your home will allow that prospective Gwinnett County home buyer to see beyond your personalized home to the real value it conveys!

A Caring Neutral Voice for Change

As Gwinnett County home selling experts, we have helped countless home sellers through the difficult task of deciding what to remove as clutter and what to keep. The good news is we will do the very same for you. Making sure your Gwinnett County home sets the proper stage for your success is our goal. If your are thinking about selling your Gwinnett County and need to know just how much your home is worth, we can assist with offering you our expert opinion. This market-savvy opinion will be based on recent Gwinnett County market data to ensure we are accurately setting the right price for your Gwinnett County home. Click or call us today at (770) 979-3228 for your complimentary Gwinnett County home evaluation.

Until my next post,

Margaret

Yes – it’s true! A Gwinnett County real estate agent who blogs really is a different type of Realtor! How you ask? Did you know according to the National Association of Realtors less than 10% of Realtors blog. I dare say that number is actually high judging from my observations. So how are blogging real estate agents different from your typical real estate agents and why should it matter to you?

1. Gwinnett County real estate agents who blog typically have a higher “technology quotient.” Meaning their business utilizes technology to help them be more productive. Shouldn’t your agent be the most productive agent allowing you to succeed in your transaction?
2. Successful Gwinnett County agents who blog are typically well read and stay abreast of all the latest news from the Internet on real estate marketing. Wouldn’t you prefer your agent be more knowledgeable maintaining a keen awareness on the latest tips and trends in the local real estate industry?
3. Agents who blog traditionally understand how to maximize the power of the Internet to help their clients succeed. For buyers, that means your Gwinnett County real estate agent offers you more Internet-based resources. If you’re selling your Gwinnett County home, you can expect your blogging real estate agent to utilize every possible high-traffic website to expose your home to the widest pool of qualified buyers possible. In today’s challenging Atlanta real estate market, that’s critical to you selling your home quicker and for the most money!
4. Real estate bloggers are able to tap into a large network of other blogging real estate agents. If you are a Gwinnett home buyer, this network of like-mided agents opens your property search to more resources. If you’re marketing your Gwinnett County property, blogging agents can maximize your home marketing plan for a wider audience of potential home buyers.
5. Blogging agents are different from your typical real estate agent because they understand Gwinnett County home buyers and sellers depend on the World Wide Web for a Web 2.0 experience. That means “free access” to Atlanta area information and MLS property search tools. This allows you to fact-find and search without fear of being spammed with meaningless emails.

When You’re Ready to Select Your Next Gwinnett County Agent

We recommend you interview your next real estate agent partner. During the interview process ask them if they blog and then ask them why maintaining a blog is so important.

Stay tuned for more Gwinnett County real estate post,

Margaret

If you have been thinking about jumping into the Gwinnett County real estate market, right now might be your best opportunity. Interest rates are still very attractive and the inventory of homes for sale in Gwinnett County is very good offering you many choices. Plus, if you happen to be “cash poor”, there might be some solutions provided by FHA to help you get in a home with a limited amount of cash. Not that 100% financing is available. If you’re evaluating the current market, there are some aspects to buying your first home you need to consider:

• After you select the right person for a Gwinnett County real estate agent, we can work together to help you select the best fit for a mortgage partner.
• Because of the recent “mortgage mess”, current guidelines require you have a good credit score. Most mortgage experts consider scores in the 700 range as a “good score.”
• Know your credit history and be sure you take action to correct any mistakes on your credit history. You mortgage resource can assist you with this part of your home buying process.
• Consider the total cost of buying AND owning a home in Gwinnett County. That means you need to consider not only the principal, interest, taxes and homeowner insurance cost (PITI) but the cost to maintain your home. Think about your utility bills (electricity, phone, water, sewer), the cost of trash removal, any homeowner association dues, rainy day repair funds and many other cost to home ownership.
• Secure a loan pre-approval letter before you begin your Gwinnett County home search! That way you know how much home you can afford to buy and narrow your search criteria to match what you can afford to buy. This will save you time and heartache from disappointment looking at homes you can never afford.
• Once you know your credit history and credit score, ask your mortgage consultant about loan products provided by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
• Partner with a knowledgeable Gwinnett County real estate agent team to help you through the process!
• Know your needs by sitting down and making a list of what you want and what you need in your first home.
• Use the power of the Internet to help you search for homes for sale in Gwinnett County that fit your needs.
• Also list your priorities. Does your Gwinnett County home need to be near your office, your school, a church, near a family member, or some other special location?
• Typically, first-time home buyers and fixer-uppers don’t mix. You might be biting off more than you can chew!

Your Gwinnett County First-time Home Buyer Specialist!

Because we specialize in assisting first-time buyers with their Gwinnett County home purchase, be sure to ask any questions you might have about buying your first home.

Stay tuned for more Gwinnett County real estate post,

Margaret

The Obvious Advantages of Buying and Owning a Gwinnett County Home

Here are few smart reasons to consider buying your first home. They include:

1. With a fixed mortgage, your monthly house payments are “fixed”. Rents can escalate at the whim of your landlord.
2. The tax implications of home ownership. It is recommended you double check with your tax attorney to confirm your ability to “write off” your mortgage interest on your income taxes.
3. If you’re looking for more security, it’s hard to beat the emotional feeling of home ownership.
4. You are a part of a larger community. Remember, you’re not just buying a piece of property, you are also buying a neighborhood too. Buy with the idea that you will need to resell, often sooner than you think.
5. A home is where memories take place!

Need More Reasons to Buy?

If you’re questioning whether or not it’s the right time for YOU to buy your first Gwinnett County home, condo or townhome, just drop us an email or use the contact form on our Gwinnet County real estate website. We promise we will never sell, rent or share your email address with any third party. Better yet, just leave a comment here at our Gwinnett County Real Estate Blog!

Stay tuned for more Gwinnett County real estate post,

Margaret