Thom Abbott

5 Tips for First Time Home Buyers

January 19, 2017 by Thom Abbott

No matter how much time you spend on researching and educating yourself about your home purchase, it’s hard to cover every detail. Here are a few tips for avoiding rookie mistakes with your first home purchase.

5 Tips for First Time Home Buyers

Save as early as you can: Even if you think you’re years away from buying your first home, try to start saving for your down payment. It makes a huge difference in your monthly payments, and helps avoid paying Private Mortgage Insurance.
Be thorough with mortgage shopping: There are countless resources out there that can help you get the best terms for your mortgage. It may seem like a lot of work to shave less than a point off your mortgage rate, but it’ll save you thousands in the long run. If you are looking for a good lender, check out MyMidtownMojo’s Team Lenders HERE!
Consult a skeptic: You’re likely to fall in love with a home, and that can make it difficult to take problems seriously. Bring along a skeptical friend or family member who can give you an honest opinion. A word of caution here….don’t bring the ENTIRE family or you will never find your new home!
Be patient with getting settled: You’ll be anxious to make your new home your own, but take some time to see how your budget truly shakes out. In other words, hold off on big furniture purchases and remodeling projects. I always tell my buyers to “get the feel” for the house or condo, then look at things you might want to change to make the home function better for your life style!
Make sure you’re happy with the neighborhood: The house may be perfect, but don’t discount the surroundings. You don’t want to end up in the suburbs if you’re going to miss walking to your favorite coffee shop, and you don’t want to settle for the city if you’re looking forward to some peace and quiet. If you are planning on a family soon, schools will be important, and will factor into where you want to live. If you are single, or no children…that elevator ride to the street might be the living concept for you!

We LOVE working with first time home buyers. We have some other great resources and tips at our Intown Atlanta Real Estate Buyers Guide. But we are happy to sit down and talk about any part of the home buying process, and in fact, that a big part of our initial consultation with new buyers! We are here to help!

Call us now at 770.713.1505 or complete our Buyer Questionnaire to help us understand what you are looking for in your new home!

Let these Tips for First Time Home Buyers help you get started!

Just give us a call and we can schedule a time to meet!

10 Ways to Make Your House More Salable

January 13, 2017 by Thom Abbott

Selling a single family home and a condominium do have differences. And when it comes to preparing your home to put it on the market, a home owner will have a few other areas to pay attention to that a condo owner will not have. Let’s look at 10 Ways to Make Your House More Salable.

Get Rid of Clutter. Throw out or file stacks of newspapers and magazines. Pack away most of your small decorative items. Store out-of-season clothing to make your closets look larger (if they are smaller) Clean out the garage! You know how much stuff you can hide in here!
Wash your Windows! Inside and out! And if you have a two-story home, this maybe better left to a professional company if you have to get on a ladder! Also, clean the screens at the same time.
Keep everything extra clean. If you haven’t, a deep, deep clean of your home before you put it on the market is a great idea. Just look at walls around a light switch, or a spot on a cabinet where you may grab instead of using the handle….all of these things you may overlook, but a potential Buyer standing in your kitchen for 10-15 minutes may quickly notice. Clean the stove (oven too!!) and the refrigerator…and KEEP them clean. Buyer’s WILL open and look at these things! Mop and wax floors. A clean house makes a better first impression and convinces buyers that the home has been well cared for.
Get Rid of Smells! Clean drapes and carpeting. If drape cleaning may be expensive, consider removing them. Open windows when cooking to eliminate odors, smoke or pet smells. You can use fresheners, but be careful as to how much. Some buyers can be sensitive to those smells too.
Higher wattage bulbs. If a room has a tendency to be a bit dark, use higher wattage bulbs to help the room seem brighter. This is especially true of basements and other dark rooms. Of course, replace any and all burnt out bulbs!
Make repairs or Pre-Inspect. Consider having a home inspection done on your home, just like you would if you were buying it. You can identify minor (or even major) things you may not have been aware of. And fix them. This will again make the home look well cared for, and avoid any of those inspection “land mines” you may have heard about. Or, if you discover something you are not in a position to repair or replace, at least you are prepared when the Buyer asks for a price concession because of the item.
Curb Appeal. Yes, it matters…big time! I’m not saying install a whole new yard, but keep it tidy. If you have a lawn that leans more towards weeds than actual grass, keeping it mowed, and mowed short will make it look much better! Trim shrubs and edge walkways and the curb. Potential buyers will be standing at your front door for a few moments while the agent is getting the keys from the lockbox…consider some potted plants or flowers to brighten up the entrance way. If you have a busy schedule, or if you move and leave your home vacant, hire a lawn maintenance company for the duration until your home is sold. An unkept yard has kept many a buyer from ever even getting out of the car and looking on the inside.
Clean your Driveway. Pressure wash your driveway and sidewalks. You will be amazed at the difference…and so will a potential buyer. If you have holes or cracks, try to repair and patch them.
Clean your gutters. That’s all I have to say about that!
Paint your front door. You want the entire home to look good, and a full paint job may be needed before you list your home. But certainly pay attention to the front door. Again, that buyer may be standing there for a few minutes, and we want what they see to shine.

As part of our marketing strategy to sell your home, when we meet with you, we walk through your entire home and discuss changes and things you can do to make your home look better and sell quicker.

Let’s sit down, look at the market, and put your plan together to sell your home!!

We’ve written some other articles with tips about Selling Your Home HERE.

CODA Building Breaks Ground in Midtown Atlanta

January 9, 2017 by Thom Abbott

Georgia Tech and Portman have broken ground on an exciting new addition to the GATech campus, particularly Tech Square and Midtown Atlanta. A forgotten corner at 4th and Spring Streets will eventually be home to the new high performance computing center.

The building will be 21-stories, and is incorporating the historic Crum & Forester Building that stands on the corner of Armstead Place and Spring Street. The name was shortened from the High Performance Computing Center to Coda. The developer hopes to finish the building in 2019.

Plans call for the building to be home to some 2,400 workers, including Tech researchers as well as staff and employees from private sector firms. The project is estimated to cost $375 million.

This section of Spring Street is finally seeing some changes after having been in the shadows of the rest of Midtown Atlanta. Across the street from Coda, is a new student housing building going up that is being built by developer Selig Enterprises. The GATech Hotel and Conference Center is just across Spring Street.

The entire complex will total about 1 million square feet. About 750,000 square feet will be office, retail and data center space. Georgia Tech will occupy and lease from Portman, who will own the tower, about half of the office floor space, while the rest will be leased to major companies and startups.

Here is a short video from the Ground Breaking event in December, 2016.

There are certainly many living options nearby Coda for people looking to live in Midtown Atlanta that will be working in this building. Obviously it’s a couple years from delivery, but we will we watching and waiting to help new employees find place to live in Midtown Atlanta near Coda.

If There is a Vacant Lot Out Your Window, Buyer Beware!

January 7, 2017 by Thom Abbott

I love working with Buyers for condos in Midtown, Buckhead and other areas of the city! I think my knowledge is very helpful when they are trying to make a decision on where to live, and more specifically, which condo to buy.

As we are standing on a balcony, or looking out a window, I’m often asked, “What is going to happen with that vacant lot?” Ahhhh…..

If There is a Vacant Lot Out Your Window, Buyer Beware!

Anytime there is either a vacant lot, or even a low rise building (say 6 stories or less) I caution a buyer that the view could most definitely change. In fact I always say, “You can NEVER guarantee the view.” (Now you know, you are never supposed to say never…but in this case……)

Unless a brand new building is there, or a high rise is already in place, there is always the potential that the view can change. Take this photo to the right…..it is taken off of a balcony at Viewpoint Midtown. That lot is at the corner of 7th and Juniper and runs up to Peachtree Street. It actually does not look like that anymore, as a 36-story apartment building is now under construction on that site! See what I mean!

Another case in point is in West Midtown at White Provision Condominiums. This building is not that tall, so certainly has the potential to have something rise in front of it. I’ve known that the area in front of the building on the corner of 14th and Howell Mill Road is owned by GATech. Well, it seems they may be ready to do something with it!

Georgia Tech is now looking for a developer for the 11 1/2 acre site where everything from a hotel, to apartments, office and retail space could rise! They have indicated they would like to include housing that is aimed at being affordable for junior faculty, grad students and others that might want to live near campus.

On the map above, the YELLOW star is the White Provision Condominium building. So, those facing Howell Mill with a nice skyline vista of Midtown proper…..well…..enjoy it while you can.

If There is a Vacant Lot Out Your Window, Buyer Beware!

Callanwolde Arts Festival January 21-22, 2017

January 5, 2017 by Thom Abbott

You know Atlanta loves its festivals! Spring and Fall…you can hardly catch them all! (Like that?) But who says you HAVE to wait till April for the Dogwood Festival? (Which BTW is April 7-9, 2017!)

The Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces is proud to announce the 4th Annual Callanwolde Arts Festival coming to the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center January 20^th thru 22^nd in Atlanta, Georgia.

What is the Callanwolde Arts Festival?

The Callanwolde Arts Festival is a two-day indoor festival located in one of the most distinctive historic properties in Atlanta. This event will feature approximately 80 painters, photographers, sculptors, metalwork, glass artists, jewelers and more! The Festival will also offer artist demonstrations, live acoustic music, plus gourmet food trucks with healthy alternatives.

The festival will also feature a VIP Reception January 20^th from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. in which visitors can tour the mansion and shop before the festival opens to the public. Guests will be treated to adult beverages, live music, VIP access to the festival, and hors d’oeuvres. The 27,000 square foot mansion is centered around a large enclosed courtyard nestled in historic Druid Hills, part of metro Atlanta just minutes from major interstates and central Midtown Atlanta.

Times:

Sat., January 21, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Sun., January 22, 2017 from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Music: Acoustic Music only

Attendance: $5 admission – benefits CFAC

Parking: Free

For more information about the festival, please visit www.callanwoldeartsfestival.com.

Where is the Callanwolde Mansion?

Location:

Callanwolde Fine Arts Center

980 Briarcliff Rd., NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

WHAT is Callanwolde?

The following is from the Callanwolde website:

Callanwolde, the magnificent Tudor Revival style home of the Charles Howard Candler family, was completed in 1920. Howard Candler, the oldest son of Asa Griggs Candler (founder of The Coca-Cola Company), was the President of The Coca-Cola Company from 1916 to 1923. Callanwolde was the home of the family of Charles Howard Candler (1878-1957) from 1920 until 1959.

The estate is located in the Druid Hills neighborhood of Atlanta, which was planned by the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Central Park in New York City and the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. Of the estate’s original 27 acres, approximately 12 remain intact. The grounds, which consist of sculptured lawns, formal gardens, nature trails and a rock garden, have been partially restored by the DeKalb County Federation of Garden Clubs and The Callanwolde Foundation, and are maintained by DeKalb County.

Designed by Henry Hornbostel, who also designed Emory University, Callanwolde’s plan is one of openness. Most rooms adjoin the great halls located on each floor, and the entire 27,000 square foot mansion is centered around a large, courtyard that has recently been enclosed. The attention to fine detail is evident in the excellent craftsmanship of the walnut panelling, stained glass, bronze balustrades, the artistry of the delicate ceiling and fireplace reliefs, and the pierced tracery concealing the Aeolian organ chambers.

Callanwolde remained the Candlers’ home for 39 years. In 1959, two years after Mr. Candler’s death, and nine years prior to her own death, Mrs. Candler donated the estate (including many of the original furnishings) to Emory University.

How Will You Market My Home For Sale?

January 4, 2017 by Thom Abbott

Maybe the better question is how we will NOT market your home for sale!!!

As a real estate broker, I’m constantly looking at listings. Multiple times a day. So I see how YOUR home or condominium is being marketed. Because first, and foremost, is the marketing that we place in the Multiple Listing Service. Because from this ONE location….your listing goes almost everywhere….like this…

And very most likely…the FIRST place anyone is going to see your home IS on a real estate website from the list above. Calls to mind the saying, “First Impressions…..” So, just imagine you have listed your home or condominium For Sale. You’ve most likely hired your real estate professional based on a referral from a friend or family member, or you have have searched online and found them. Hopefully you saw their marketing as part of a listing presentation. And you were given some examples of how they would be marketing your home. Right?

What Does the Description in the MLS have to do with Marketing my home?

Well…kinda, sort of….everything! What we as agents enter into the Public remarks field is what will show up to not only other real estate agents but to anyone and everyone searching online. When they find your listing, be it here at MyMidtownMojo, or on any other brokerage site, or even Zillow or Trulia…what they see will be a result of what the real estate agent put in the Public Remarks field.

So imagine this is YOUR home or condominium and this is what I (or anyone else) sees about your home:

Yep. See those public remarks. Or lack thereof? That is how this particular home is being marketed…and it has BEEN on the MLS like this for almost THREE WEEKS!!!

How Would You Like YOUR Home Marketing to Look?

Imagine the same part of the MLS description above looking like this?

Notice here there is a complete description of the condo! The location, features, amenities what’s unique about it. A special mention about what the HOA fee includes. And further, there is “private” remarks that only agents can see in the MLS that may can have further details or showing instructions. (NOTE: we are limited on how much we can put in the Public Remarks, and may pass on other details in Private remarks to help “sell” an agent on showing your home.

Which description do you think will better help sell this condo?

Marketing and The Internet

I tell my clients that your home may be shown multiple times during the listing period, but it will be SEEN thousands of times on hundreds, or thousands of websites. And on those websites, will appear those Public Remarks.

In fact, we consider this part of marketing your home SO important, that we have the description ready, along with the photos so that all of these parts of your listing are completed at the same time….and when your listing goes “live” in the MLS, there are photos, and a description and all the necessary information that should be there. Not this, “oh we’ll get it in the MLS and upload the photos on Monday when we get them.” No way!

Your marketing should be First Class…and it will start that way with a complete listing appearing in the MLS.

After all, how would you want YOUR home marketing to look?

5 Tips for First Time Home Buyers

If There is a Vacant Lot Out Your Window, Buyer Beware!

If There is a Vacant Lot Out Your Window, Buyer Beware!

What is the Callanwolde Arts Festival?

Where is the Callanwolde Mansion?

WHAT is Callanwolde?

What Does the Description in the MLS have to do with Marketing my home?

How Would You Like YOUR Home Marketing to Look?

Marketing and The Internet

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