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Alpharetta and Johns Creek Real EstateAlphaHomes.com was created by resident Alpharetta Georgia real estate agent and RE/MAX Realtor Jeff Aughey, to serve current and future neighbors in Alpharetta and Johns Creek Georgia. Jeff has created eguides for home buyers and sellers to supplement his local home search resources. He also offers snapshots of local life in his photo blog. If you need assistance with real estate, he offers personalized service and over 22 years of local real estate experience. Just call 770-329-4495 for answers to any questions about living in Alpharetta, Johns Creek and North Fulton County, Georgia.
As far as the other things you can do, decluttering and ororganizing always improves home sales. Once that’s complete, you will need to get down to the nitty-gritty of ensuring the best possible first impression. Clean, Clean, Clean… then Clean Some MoreCleaning is one of those things that you don’t notice if it’s done, but you ALWAYS notice if it isn’t done. You want any potential buyer to see your house as a great “move-in-as-is” option. You do NOT want them to walk from room to room making mental lists of all the things they are going to have to do to make it livable. If your house is not spotless, that’s the first thing that will occur to them. Showing a sparkling clean house also indicates a pride in ownership (even if you don’t feel it at the moment) and indicates that other more serious maintenance issues have been handled in a timely fashion. If you have a dirty house, what other (less visible) things have you failed to do to keep the place up? Kitchens and BathsThese are the two areas where cleaning is the most critical. Any dirt or grime here will be blindingly obvious.
Living AreasIf the living areas aren’t inviting, the potential buyer won’t be able to see themselves being happy living here. Removing all the extra furniture and clutter is the first step, but afterwards you need to get down to scrubbing.
Private AreasBedrooms, offices and other “private” areas of the house should be organized and clean. These are the areas that show how the inhabitants of the home “really” live and should reflect a high level of cleanliness, organization and attention to detail.
PetsIf you own pets, the potential buyer should never be able to tell. Animal hair, food bowls and litter pans should be absent during any showing. Placing your animals in an “off-limits” part of the house only tells the potential buyer that there’s some part of the house they are not allowed to see. Kennel the animals during showings or have a family member or friend pet-sit. “Love me, Love My Pets” is a great way to live, but a lousy approach to selling your home. Other IssuesAdd the highest wattage bulbs permitted in each light fixture. A light, bright room will appear cleaner and it will help you to clean easier. Clean all glass incorporated into furniture until it’s streak-free and sparkling. Pay particular attention to doors and light switches – the areas around handles and switches become less than appealing with normal use. Windows should be sparkling to let in as much natural light as possible. Even if they are covered with curtains, be sure they are clean inside and out – potential buyers may peek. Blinds need to be clean and dusted. The trim around windows should be clean and dusted. Get helpOnce you live in a house for awhile, some things become virtually invisible to you. Call in a trusted friend to point out things you may not see. Someone who doesn’t live with you will have a fresh set of eyes and will point out issues that a potential buyer will see immediately. If you don’t have the time (or the desire) to perform a good thorough cleaning job, hire it done. But, make sure the company you hire is bonded, comes highly recommended (ask for references) and knows how to clean in depth – particularly for showing a house to potential buyers.
Exteriors: First ImpressionsMake sure that the first glimpse of your house is a flattering one. From the street to the threshold, everything needs to be properly maintained. While the yards of other “for sale” homes might look o.k., yours should look perfect. If you don’t have the time or energy to do these tasks yourself, hire in a lawn service. Make sure that the sidewalk and walks are edged, the grass is trimmed and clippings are removed. Bushes and flowerbeds should be tended and well-manicured. You don’t want your house to look like another project the new buyer will have to tackle – you want it to be something they don’t even have to consider maintaining – because it already looks perfect! If your trim work or front door needs a fresh coat of paint, do it before you start showing. Ditto for the exterior paint, for power-washing and cleaning out gutters. Anything that isn’t perfect to the first glance needs to be polished until it is. Remember… the longer your house stays on the market, the less attractive it becomes to a buyer. Put it on the market in the best shape possible to move it quickly. InteriorsIf you haven’t already eliminated all the clutter, do so now. Rent a storage unit if you must, but get rid of the excess. A potential buyer will want to buy a house that will fit their own lifestyle, their own things. If your house is bursting at the seams with your belongings, they will assume it is too small for theirs. It’s not a conscious thing, it’s just an impression they get. For this reason, it’s important that you:
This time we talked about the exteriors, organization and depersonalization. This will take some of your time, but very little money. Your efforts in these areas will push your house well ahead of the competition on the market. While you work on these, we will start work on another installment of “do-it-yourself” home selling preparation. Be ready, because next time we will get into the more “nitty-gritty” aspects of preparing a house to sell!
I am frequently asked, “When is our Alpharetta and Johns Creek real estate market going to get better?” There is no concrete answer, but one trend we need to see is an increase in home prices so that the number of underwater mortgages is reduced. Why is this so critical? Many current homeowners would love to take advantage of the great home values available today and move up to a more expensive home while interest rates are still low. But, with the value of their own home down, they can’t make that move. The current high level of underwater mortgages is a key factor that keeps the Atlanta real estate market mired in sluggishness. (An “underwater mortgage” means that the amount of the outstanding loan is greater than the value of the home.) A recent article from CNBC states that the number of underwater mortgages increased from 23% to 27% between the third and fourth quarters of 2010. Georgia has 3 out of the top 30 counties in the United States with the highest rate of underwater mortgages (see chart)… and they are all in the Atlanta Metro area. Paulding County comes in at number 25 with 47.5% underwater, Henry County is number 20 with 48.8%, and Clayton County made it all the way to number 7 with 56.1% of all mortgages underwater. Clark County in Nevada is number 1 with 71.1% of its mortgages currently “upside down” — to give you a little perspective outside of our state. for some perspective. So what factors will help home prices increase? Supply and demand laws will lead us. (They always do.) We need a lower supply of foreclosure and short sale homes on the market and a greater number of qualified buyers looking for homes. What is the single biggest factor that will dramatically help achieve these goals? JOB CREATION! If unemployment rates fall, fewer homes will end up in foreclosure and better employment numbers mean more people will qualify for a new mortgage. Current market conditions do indicate a slow improvement in the job outlook as our economy recovers. Unfortunately, slowly improving employment numbers means a slowly improving real estate market. Bottom line – don’t expect our market to improve rapidly but always keep in mind that great opportunities exist in any market. All the best, Jeff
The Cougars rolled to another impressive victory by beating Star’s Mill 24-0 in the state final. This has been an amazing season with Chattahoochee finishing a perfect 15-0 season. I will post photos of the games soon on this site. Can’t wait until next year!
2009-10 School Year Fulton County Georgia
Second Semester
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If you are preparing to put your house on the market these days, you can’t afford to overlook the details. The market is flooded with options for any qualified buyer — you need to ensure that YOUR house is the most attractive option at the best possible price. Your Real Estate Agent will assist you with pricing. Only he/she knows the pricing criteria for houses similar to yours, in your area, that are receiving bids.
