Now that might seem like a silly question to you, but just stop and think for a moment. When have you been to the doctor or dentist and they tell you to do something…and you do…for the first few days or weeks, and then you start to slack off. I can relate to this after a recent dentist appointment and a new dental hygiene “process” I was given. I’m still trying to adjust.
There is a lot involved in the sale of a home. But, there are things you need to do even before that listing agreement is signed, and the sign goes in the yard (or on social media in the case of a condo!)
When I meet with a potential seller, I’m there to help you sell your home. And I’m going to be pretty direct about what you need to do (on your side) to make it happen. And, you can’t take it personal. Yes, I know it’s your HOME…but you need to remember, it is now a house that we need to sell. You can pack up your memories and take them to the NEW home. But we have to sell this one first.
“But I love my red accent wall.” “The colors match my furniture. It will make the place show much better.” Ah, no, and no. Neutral paint will make your place show much better. Painting can be a tricky thing with a Buyer. Think like a buyer for a moment. You have red walls and now you know the first thing you have to do is paint before you move in. Or hire someone. Oh, well, I need money for that, so I need to ask for more Seller paid closing costs, or get some more off the list price so I’ve got the money to paint.
See what you just did to YOUR bottom line sales price by not wanting to paint?
I’m going to give you professional advice to help you maximize your profit. Listen to my suggestions, and let’s work together to show your house/condo in the best possible light for the best possible price.
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.
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.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!
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.
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. 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.
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.
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…..
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.
