Not all home improvements are created equal. Especially if you’re looking for “resale value” back from your work.

An article from the Wall Street Journal lays it out cleanly. Function beats flash these days so be wary of where you spend.

Environmental upgrades such as home insulation and energy-efficient steel entry doors are recovering a much greater percentage of their cost these days than major remodels including kitchens or bathrooms.  This is especially true for homes that are already “over-improved” relative to the neighborhood.

Upgrading the biggest and best homes on the block can be a losing proposition.

The article’s findings include data from groups such as the National Association of Home Builders, Remodeling Magazine, and Consumer Reports.  It lists the following home improvements among its top “paybacks”:

• Steel entry door replacement : 129% cost recovery
• Wood deck addition : 81% cost recovery
• Vinyl-replacement window : 77% cost recovery

Energy-efficiency projects also recoup costs monthly in the form of lower heating and cooling bills.

Remodeling Magazine says a larger number of homeowners will remodel their homes in 2010 with less emphasis on upgrading kitchens and bathrooms, and more emphasis on adding new rooms.  From an appraisal perspective, this is a terrific way to increase your home’s value — especially if your home’s bed/bath count lags your neighbors.

Before starting a home improvement project, regardless of whether your goal is increase resale value, talk with a real estate agent about other homes in the area and how they’re built. At worst, you’ll gather some ideas you can work into your plan. At best, you’ll keep yourself from over-improving.

Today we had the pleasure of having Lisa Turner, a North Georgia Mountain Home Inspector with Your Inspection Expert. Lisa helped in providing me some thoughts on new approaches for my Home Sellers to have a “Leg Up” on the competition by having them perform a Home Inspection even before we List The Home and place it on the MLS. I will let Lisa explain, and again I want to thank her for her time she shared with all of us at Blairsville Realty today.

As an informed Home Seller in Blairsville, Blue Ridge, Ellijay or Hiawassee Georgia, you already know that the Buyer is usually responsible for getting a Home Inspection on your North Georgia Mountain Home before closing. What we’re about to reveal to you is an important secret that can deliver a higher price to you, faster, and with much less stress, than if you go the traditional route of waiting for a buyer to perform your home inspection! Got your attention…..it sure did catch mine. Keep on reading.

Reasons YOU, the SELLER, Should Get A Pre-Listing Home Inspection:

1. Legal: Fulfills your obligation to disclose known defects in your home before the sales avoid future liability from Surprises.
2. Financial: Waiting for the Home Inspection to occur during contract time creates stressful, last minute negotiations from Surprises and complications over repairs, usually lowering your own cash reserves and potentially killing the sale.
3. Marketing and Good Faith: Having already obtained your own Home Inspection, you can now price your home fairly knowing you have eliminated the Surprises, and attract Buyers who appreciate your own good faith effort and care in your home. (This also provides you the opportunity to repair or replace any items needed before a potential Buyer even has to worry with it themselves.)
4. Emotional: The most important factor for both Sellers and Buyers: having a pre-listing inspection prevents Buyer Surprise and the resulting disappointment and potential deal failure. And the knowledge YOU gain from the inspection helps you manage your own emotions BEFORE you reach negotiations.

There are many more reasons why a Selle’s Home Inspection eliminates the Surprise Ingredient and adds the Profit Ingredient to a Home Sale, and the price of an Inspection is a small fraction of that profit. Please call Lisa Turner at 800.738.8781, or visit her website for more information.

Thanks so much again Lisa, and look forward to doing some business with you soon. Also, if you would like to speak with a Real Estate Professional about Listing Your North Georgia Mountain Home, please call me at 706.994.8686, or Contact Me today.

Related Article:

10 Reasons To List Your Mountain Home With Me

Springtime brings lots of sunshine, warmer weather, May showers and plenty of opportunities for home staging. Make the most of this season and prepare you home for sale. Use these fresh updates that are sure to attract potential buyers to your home.

Create Curb Appeal

You have an open window when you’re selling in the spring; you need to get your yard in shape as quickly as possible to take advantage of the fresh and sunny spring days. Clear winter yard debris, and get frost-resistant plants that won’t be affected if a late cold spells and make sure they work in your planting zone. Harmonize with your home’s surroundings such as your landscape and other homes in your neighborhood. Coordinate your exterior paint colors with your home’s existing features-roof shingles, stone or brick. Remember your home’s appeal starts at the curb! Create an unforgettable first impression.

Bring The Outdoors In

Spring is a beautiful and colorful season but it is also a fragrant one too. Bring the amazing aroma indoors and add them to your rooms. Scents have a profound effect on mood, so infusing scent into your decor with diffusers, candles, fresh cut plants/flowers, or incense can change the overall feeling of a space and not to mention the natural beauty you have added to your space. Plus, most of the time it doesn’t cost you a thing, unless you make a trip to your nursery or local Farmer’s Market.

Bring On The Spring Season

It’s the time to store away those heavy and dark winter flannel comforter and pull out crisp linens with coverlets for color. Bring in the spring with colorful prints or solids in your bedding. Don’t forget to add accent pillows for style and comfort.

De-Clutter Those Closets

OK, stand back and look at your closets….Does your bulky winter clothes take up lots of space and do you have shoes all over the floor? De-clutter your closets and create a roomy place a buyer can envision their personal belongings fitting in. You’ll impress buyers with all that space and we all can appreciate lots of closet space.

Spruce Up The Entryway

Buy some planters with beautiful seasonal plants and anchor to each side of the door. Consider a new welcome mat if your mat didn’t make it through the winter months. Does your entryway have cob webs and does your door need a new coat of paint? Set the stage for your potential buyers, your entryway is the center of attention when buyers first step into your home. Create the right and first impression!

No Better Time For Spring Cleaning

Open those windows and let the fresh air in, spruce up your rooms this spring, so clean, clean, clean! A sparkling home will impress buyers and make your home seem even more appealing, not to mention it will make you feel great too.

When preparing your home for the Real Estate Market, think about this…

What season will my home be most desirable? If you’re selling a beach, mountain or lake home, homes will be most in-demand in the early spring and summer months but a ski chalet at a beautiful ski resort would make more buyers bite during wintertime.

Many buyers prefer to move in the spring or summer, the market starts to heat up as early as February. Families with children are eager to buy so they can move during summer vacation, before the new school year begins.

It’s a Buyers Market; Create that unforgettable First Impression for your home this Spring.

Redesign + More can transform your home this Spring by “Setting The Stage” in Northeast Georgia, North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee and South Carolina.

Tonia Mosteller

704.651.8878

Photography courtesy of Nada Bunnell

This is a “BIG DEAL!” Most Buyer’s and Seller’s are absolutely scared to death right now of a Short Sale agreement. Rightfully so in my opinion. These Banks and Servicing Institutions have got to get it together. I have been fortunate enough to have been apart of many Short Sale transactions that were closed in a relatively acceptable amount of time.  However on the other hand, I have had the misfortune of being party to several that have not only been an embarrassment to all parties involved, but nothing more than total aggravation and frustration. Let me give you just one example and you decide for yourself.

I currently have a Short Sale contract where I am representing the Buyer for a Cabin for Sale in Blue Ridge, GA. The contract was entered into on July 24, 2009.  The list price of the Cabin For Sale was $340,000. An agreement was reached by both parties of $300,000. After many months of sitting and waiting to hear something, anything from the Bank, we finally received a notice that they would not accept the Short Sale on the contracted price, but counter offered to use in the amount of $350,000. They highly encouraged a counter offer, of any kind from my client. So, after speaking with my client, we decided that we would counter offer $305,000 to show the Bank our good faith in the transaction. Another couple of months passed and we again finally received word from the Bank that they had yet another counter offer at a price of $389,000. I was in disbelief. Not only was this last counter offer higher than their first counter, but it was more than what was owed on the home to begin with. As a result of the ridiculous manner in which this Bank had handled this transaction, the Seller to my understanding is now filing for Bankruptcy, and will eventually lose the home through Foreclosure. I am currently searching for another property for my client.

Am I to feel sorry for these Banks? Do you?

Not sure what a Short Sale is? Click Here for a simple explanation.

I certainly hope that I haven’t ruined your day…..go out and Make it an AWESOME day!

Well-made beds aren’t just for comfort — they’re for presentation, too. Especially when you’re selling your home.  A pristine bed conveys an image of cleanliness and order to potential home buyers and that can help you get more of your asking price at the point of negotiation.

When homeowners don’t take the time to make a bed, buyers wonder what else around the home is getting neglected.

And there’s a proper way to make a bed, too.

In this 15-step video from Howcast, you’ll learn how to start with a stripped down mattress, add bedding, pillows and a blanket, and end with the hotel-quality look that today’s home buyers expect.  The alternative is to leave a bed sloppy, reducing your home’s overall appeal.

To make a bed the right way takes less than 2 minutes. When your home is listed for sale, make making the bed a part of your daily routine.

NBC’s The Today Show lays it out cleanly in this 5-minute video:

1. How to respond to an “insulting offer”

2. How to handle the first purchase offer you receive

3. What do when you can’t leave your home for its Open House

4. What room in the home should be kept the neatest

But, be aware.  At the video’s end, there’s a piece of advice that may sound extremely self-serving coming from a real estate professional.  Don’t let it turn you off.  The video’s overall message is spot-on and the advice is real-world tested.

I have to say that there is some really good advice within this video. The funny thing is this is the advice that is usually the hardest to offer to a client as a Realtor. However as a Seller, this is invaluable information to remember.

If you or someone you know is looking to sell your North Georgia Mountain Home or Cabin, please give me a call at 706-994-8686, or you can Contact Me through this website.

Selling a home is a process. Make sure to do it properly.

What Is Radon Gas And Where Does It Come From?

You can’t see Radon, nor can you smell or taste it. Radon is a radioactive gas. It comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils. It typically moves up from the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Your home traps radon inside, where it can then build up. Any home may have a problem with Radon. This means new homes as well as older homes, well sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements. To the right is an illustration showing the State of Georgia and the levels of Radon that have been detected through tests results taken by the EPA. Red indicates Higher potential results of indoor Radon screening. Orange, which the North Georgia Mountain Region falls under, indicates a Moderate potential screening level of 2 and 4 pCi/L. The test results of the recent transaction taking by Ron Gill with Pillar To Post home Inspections that I mentioned earlier, was higher than 6 pCi/L. Anything over a 4 pCi/L is an unacceptable level. Yellow indicates the Lowest potential indoor Radon screening.

If you would like to have your home tested for Radon, here is my recommendation. Ron Gill with Pillar To Post Home Inspections can conduct a Test for you using the lastest technology. The Radon Test will cost $200 without a Home Inspection, and $175 while performing a Home Inpection.

A must read is the The United States Environmental Protection Agency “Home Buyer’s and Sellers Guide to Radon.” This guide gives great tips on Why you should test, How to test, and What To Do if you get higher than average results of Radon Gas in your home.

The EPA recommends that you take action to reduce your homes indoor Radon levels if your result is 4 pCi/L or higher. It is better to correct a Radon problem before placing your home on the market because then you may have time to address a Radon problem. This is the best way to avoid problems once your home goes under contract as in the case with my Client’s and the current transaction that I am dealing with now. If elevated levels of Radon are found during a Real Estate transaction, the buyer and seller should discuss the timing and costs of Radon Reduction. The cost of making repairs to reduce Radon levels depends on how the home was built and other determining factors. Most homes can be fixed for about the same cost as other common repairs, like painting or having a new hot water heater installed. The average cost for a contractor to lower Radon levels in a home can range from $800 to about $2,500.

How Do You Lower The Radon Level In Your Home?

There are a variety of methods that can be used to reduce Radon in your Home. Sealing cracks and other openings in the foundation is a basic part of most approaches to Radon Reduction. EPA does NOT recommend the use of sealing alone to limit Radon entry. Sealing alone has not been shown to lower Radon levels significantly or consistently.

In most cases, a system with a vent pipe(s) and fan(s) is used to reduce Radon. These “sub-slab depressurization” systems do not require major changes to your home. Similar systems can also be installed in homes with a crawl space. These systems prevent Radon Gas from entering the home from below the concrete floor and from outside the foundation. Radon mitigation contractors may use other methods that also work in your home. The right system depends on the design of your home and other determining factors.

These and other techniques for reducing radon are discussed in EPA’s “Consumer’s Guide To Radon Reduction.”  As with any other household appliance, there are costs associated with the operation of the Radon-Reduction System.

One thing to keep in mind as well, if you have purchased a North Georgia Mountain Home or Cabin with an unfinished basement and have plans to convert some or all of that into living space, it is especially important to test the area for Radon before you begin. Should you have test results that indicate an elevated Radon level, Radon-Resistant Techniques can be inexpensively included as a part of the renovation. One important note as well, after Major Renovations Radon levels can change in any home. Test again after the work is completed.

Most all of the information in this Article came from the United States Enviromental Protection Agency’s webiste for Radon. There is so much information available to you on that site that I highly recommend you visiting it.

I hope that this article has made you aware of the dangers of Radon Gas not only in the North Georgia Real Estate Market, but right there at your home as well where ever that may be. I do want to Thank You for taking the time to read this article and hopefully it has given you something to think about when it comes to the importance of your families health. This is a very important issue that needs to be taken very seriously. Unfortunately I am having to deal with it through a current transaction, but you can rest assured that I will do everything that I can to ensure that my Seller’s will not have to go through the frustration of re-negotiating a contract in the future.

If you or someone you know is Buying or selling North Georgia Mountian Property, please either give me a call or give that contact my information. I can’t tell you how appreciative I would be. You can Contact Me, or simply call me at 706.633.8186. As always, Thanks for coming up on “The Porch” and visiting. Come back as often as you like, you are always welcome.

Tags: Radon, EPA, Real+Estate, North+Georgia, Home, Cabin

1. Price It Right!

In this market you have to be priced at the lower end of your realistic price range. In addition to be one of the lowest price homes in your immediate market, you must offer more than the competition for less. You may ask, “what do you mean more for less?” Maybe you leave the refrigerator instead of taking it, or better yet, in new construction you buy one! Basically you want to be able to have the best home on the market in your price range.

2. Prepare For Showings

Begin preparing for client showings a minimum of 2 weeks before you list the property. Having your North Georgia Mountain Cabin ready for a viewing is crucial for an offer to come in. In a market where less than 10% of the homes are even receiving an offer, you do not want to give them any reason not to want to do so.

If you are marketing a newly constructed home or cabin, make sure that the cabin is completed and that all the construction debris has been cleaned up inside as well as outside, especially outside because curb appeal really goes a long way. I have recently had some clients that finished the outside of their cabin 100% before they began finishing the inside.

3. Be Flexible About Showings

If you are living in the home or cabin you are marketing, make it as convenient as possible for the clients and customers of the North Georgia Mountain Real Estate Agent to show your property. I can say from experience that in an area where we have so many Cabin Rentals, it can sometimes be challenging to show property due to occupancy,especially if your customer or client gives little or no warning that they would like to go and view properties. Bottom line, sacrifice if necessary to make sure that each and every opportunity to view your property is awarded.

4. Anticipate An Offer

Make sure that you and your Realtor have a game plan together for the offer when it does come. I have recently even prepared Reverse Contracts for my clients. A reverse contract is simply just that, a contract in reverse where the Seller makes an offer to a potential Buyer. Sometimes this is what is needed in order to encourage the customer or client into an agreement. You can also just know what your bottom dollar will be, but always be prepared to even negotiate that price in a Buyer’s Market.

5. Don’t Refuse To Drop The Price

Pricing your North Georgia Mountain Cabin or Home from the start is so very important, otherwise you will be chasing and staying outside the market instead of being in the market. Pricing a property high “just to see what it might bring,” is something you may do in a Seller’s Market and NOT something you do in a Buyer’s Market.

Occasionally I miss the mark and may price a property too high, or I simply decide to take an overpriced listing, usually against my better judgment. When either of these two scenario’s occur, I try to follow a simple plan that I learned through extensive training with Keller Williams Realty. That is, if a property sits for over 30 days with less than 10 showings, then you are simply priced to high. On the other hand, if you have more than 10 showings, but you have not received an offer, you again are priced too high. Remember…Don’t refuse to lower your price!

If I can help you in buying or selling a North Georgia Mountain Cabin, Home or Acreage, please give me a call (706.633.8186) or send me an email at ChadL@KW.com. I would absolutely be grateful just for the opportunity to talk with you about all of your needs.

Other articles that you may find to be interesting from The Front Porch View.

Warning! Better Make Hay While The Sun Is Still Shining!

If You Are Pricing Them Right, You Can Get Them Sold!

Tags: Buyer’s+Market, North+Georgia, Real+Estate, Cabin, Offer

I suppose that every agent has their own way of working with customers.

 I myself like to build a good rapport with my customers, and build a relationship in which I have instilled enough trust in both my knowledge and my abilities to perform the fiduciary duties that are expected of me.

 Once I have built that relationship, I then explain the types of agency relationships and make sure that they fully understand all of them. At this point, I am comfortable enough to ask for the customer to now become my client. Once a customer agrees to become a client, the proper paper work is filled and signed, and an agency is then created between the principal (client) and the brokerage. Below are great explanations of the types of relationships you can expect to exist in a real estate transaction and the expectations of those agency relationships.

Seller’s Representative (Seller’s Agent)

A seller’s agent is hired by and represents the seller. All fiduciary duties are owed to the seller. The agency relationship usually is created by a listing contract. In the state of Georgia, ALL agents represent the Seller as either the Agent or Sub-Agent unless they have a Buyer’s Agency with a client.

We as Agents are still obligated to be Honest and Truthful to all parties involved in a transaction.

Agents do however act faithfully and efficiently to their clients. Agents must put the principals best interests above all others including the agent’s own; and agents must NOT reveal confidential information to anyone. Confidential information could be a divorce situation, financial constraints, and other information that is confidential to the client and would NOT be to be disclosed. We do however have a duty to disclose to the principal (client) ALL relevant and material information, unless obtained through a previous fiduciary relationship, that the agent knows and that pertains to the scope of the agency. Duties of disclosure include: true property value, all offers to purchase, identity of the prospective buyer, buyer’s financial condition, and any relationship between the buyer and the broker, and any commission splitting arrangements with other brokers. An agent’s fiduciary duties can be remembered by the acronym ACCOLD. Accountability – Care – Confidentiality – Obedience – Loyalty – Disclosure.

Buyer’s Representative (Buyer’s Agent)

A buyer’s agent is hired by prospective buyers to represent them in a real estate transaction. The buyer’s representative works in the buyer’s best interest throughout the transaction and owes fiduciary duties to the buyer. In this case, the same fiduciary duties of the agent would be applied as in the case of the sellers representative relationship above using ACCOLD. There is however a situation where fiduciary duties would be required of an agent to both parties involved in a real estate transaction, and that is a dual agency. However these duties would be limited. You will find an explanation of this relationship a little later in this article.The buyer can pay the licensee directly through a negotiated fee, or the buyer’s representative may be paid by the seller or through a commission split with the sellers agent.

I ALWAYS make every attempt to my compensation of commissions through the seller, and avoid at all costs being compensated through my buyers.

Subagent

A subagent owes the same fiduciary duties to the agent’s customer as the agent does. Subagency usually arises when a cooperating sales associate from another brokerage, who is not the buyer’s agent, shows property to a buyer. In such a case, the subagent works with the buyer as a customer but owes fiduciary duties to the listing broker and the seller. Although a subagent cannot assist the buyer in any way that would be detrimental to the seller, a buyer-customer can expect to be treated honestly by the subagent. It is important that subagents fully explain their duties to buyers.

Disclosed Dual Agent

Dual agency is a relationship in which the brokerage firm represents both the buyer and the seller in the same real estate transaction. Dual agency relationships do not carry with them all of the traditional fiduciary duties to clients. Instead, dual agents owe limited fiduciary duties.

Because of the potential for conflicts of interest in a dual-agency relationship, it’s vital that all parties give their informed consent.

 In many states, this consent must be in writing. Disclosed dual agency, in which both the buyer and the seller are told that the agent is representing both of them, is legal in most states. Dual agency is legal in the state of Georgia. There are however many brokerage firms that have a policy stating that agents cannot enter into a dual agency relationship. I myself have never entered into a dual agency relationship. I cannot say if I would or not, it would be solely dependent upon to the parties involved and the relationship with them. I would almost assuredly not enter into such a relationship, especially working with such a great team of agents within Keller Williams Realty Mountain Properties that I could designate to represent one of the parties involved in the transaction. This would be a designated agency and I will explain this relationship next.

Designated agent (also called Appointed Agent)

This is a brokerage practice that allows the managing broker to designate which licensees in the brokerage will act as an agent of the seller and which will act as an agent of the buyer. Designated agency avoids the problem of creating a dual-agency relationship for licensees at the brokerage. The designated agents give their clients full representation, with all of the attendant fiduciary duties. The broker still has the responsibility of supervising both groups of licensees.

Nonagency Relationship (also called Transactional Broker or Facilitator)

Some states permit a real estate licensee to have a type of nonagency relationship with a consumer. These relationships vary considerably from state to state, both as to the duties owed to the consumer and the name used to describe them. Very generally, the duties owed to the consumer in a nonagency relationship are less than the complete, traditional fiduciary duties of an agency relationship.

I hope that this will help you as you enter into the right relationships with agents in your future real estate purchases. If I have not answered the questions or concerns that you may have about agency relationships, please feel free to contact me. You can call me at 706.633.8186 or send me an email at ChadL@KW.com. If you are looking to purchase property in the North Georgia Mountains in the near or even distant future, I would be grateful for the opportunity to be your Real Estate Agent. If you yourself are not in the market for mountain property, maybe you know someone who is. If so, please forward this web site to them if you feel that it will be of a good service to them. I appreciate so much you reading my posts, and as always….Make it a GREAT day!

Here are a couple other articles that you might be interested in:

10 Reasons To Skin A Realtor While Buying!

Personal Touches To Better Customer Service

Tags: Agency, Real+Estate, Agent, Buyer, Seller, Realtor