Archive for January, 2011

8 Low-Cost Decorating Tips to Make a Small Room in Your Thomasville Home Seem Bigger

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Rehabbing HomeDo you have a small room in your Thomasville home that’d you’d like to make larger, but you don’t have the money in your budget to tear down a wall or add on to the room?  By using a bit of creativity, you can make that tiny room look larger without breaking the bank.

Here are 8 low-cost decorating tips to make any room in your Thomasville home look bigger:

1.    Leave open space.  Place taller pieces of furniture along a wall rather than out in the open space.  To prevent blocking the view into a room, use shorter pieces of furniture like an ottoman or a low table.   The more open space you can see, the larger the room will look.

2.    Brighten the room.  A well-lit room looks larger, whether it’s brightened with natural or artificial light.  Remove heavy, dark draperies to let the natural light into the room.  Install track lighting or recessed spot lighting, which is perfect for a small space.

3.    Lighten up the floor and ceiling.  Open up the room by using a white or very light color on the ceiling.  Use light-colored flooring such as light oak or a light-colored carpet to make the room appear bigger.

4.   Reduce the amount of furniture.   This goes back to leaving open space.  Keep only those pieces of furniture that you really love or really need in the room.  Get rid of everything else.

5.    Switch to glass.  Using a glass-topped dining table, end table or coffee table gives the appearance of an open space, even though there isn’t.

6.    De-clutter.  Too much stuff makes even a large room seem small.  Organize anything you must keep.

7.    Choose light colors.  Light, cool colors like pale blue and light green can make the smallest space feel open and airy.

8.    Use a monochromatic scheme. Take those light colors one step further by using colors all in the same family. When you look around a room that has the same color scheme for the furniture, flooring and walls, you believe there’s more space than there really is.  Contrasting colors break up a space. Furniture is less interrupting and blends with the space if its color matches the wall. 

Want a Thomasville home with large rooms?  We can help.  Give First Thomasville Realty a call today at 229-226-6515 or email us at info@FTRealty.com .

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When Your Thomasville Home for Sale Won’t Sell–Rent It!

Friday, January 28th, 2011

Rent_HomeYour home simply isn’t selling for your desired price.  If you don’t have to sell in order to buy a new home, make your Thomasville home for sale work for you by renting it out.  But, first, consider the pros and cons of renting to be sure it’s the right choice for you.

Here are four potential pros to renting your Thomasville home for sale.

1.    You continue building equity.   Your property will continue to appreciate and the principal on your mortgage will continue to decrease.

2.    Landlord tax advantages could offset income tax on rent.

3.    Rental income could cover part or all of your mortgage, tax and insurance payments.  Depending on how much you can charge for rent, you may even make a profit.

4.    You can wait to sell until the market for your home improves.

Here are four potential cons to renting your Thomasville home for sale:

1.    Renters could damage your property.

2.    Depending on when you sell, you could be taxed on the whole profit.

3.    Your equity remains tied up in the house.

4.    Being a landlord is challenging.  You face potential legal or financial problems with tenants.  You also have to spend time and money on maintenance.

In addition to considering these pros and cons of renting, you may want to do a capitalization rate calculation to help you determine if renting or selling is a better financial decision for you.

Whether you decide you’d like to get your home sold now or you have questions about renting, we can help. Contact First Thomasville Realty at 229-226-6515 or email us at info@FTRealty.com .

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10 Most Important Things to Do When Staging Your Thomasville Home for Sale

Monday, January 24th, 2011

Staging_Your_HomeSelling your home takes more effort than simply listing your Thomasville home for sale in an MLS and placing a For Sale sign in the front yard. You have to showcase your home in a way that makes potential buyers desire it.

One of the best ways to create this desire is to stage your home so that buyers can see themselves living in it.  Here are the 10 most important things to do when staging your Thomasville home for sale.

1.    Remove personal touches. Buyers want to picture themselves in your home, not you and your family. Remove family photos, memorabilia and collections.

2.    De-clutter. Clear the bathroom and kitchen counters. Take knickknacks off the shelves. Pack away half of the kids’ toys.

3.    Organize your cabinets and closets. Take the time to neatly stack dishes and fold towels. Arrange your spices and canned goods. Interested buyers will look in all your cabinets and closets.

4.    Make minor repairs. Go through your home and take care of issues like stuck drawers, missing cabinet hardware, and leaky faucets.  This shows potential buyers that you meticulously care for your home.

5.    Clean. Scrub every inch of your home. Remove cobwebs and the dust collected on your ceiling fans. Scour the grout on the bathroom floor. Replace worn rugs. Hang fresh towels. Clean out your refrigerator.

6.    Freshen your yard. Remove and replace dead or dying plants. Trim hedges. Rake leaves.  Clean the windows.

7.    Get rid of odors. Take out the trash daily and avoid cooking with strong foods or spices. Place potpourri or wall air fresheners strategically throughout your home.

8.    Think neutral. Neutral colors sell homes. Go ahead and repaint your rooms with a neutral color, especially if your home is decorated with very personal colors or wallpaper designs.

9.    Make your rooms look bigger. Take extra leaves out of your dining room table. Remove the extra chairs and bookcases in your living room.

10.    Rent a storage unit. Don’t stuff your garage with all those items you packed away or removed from your rooms to make them look bigger.  Keep your garage looking great by moving the boxes and furniture to a storage unit.

Let us help you stage your Thomasville home for a fast sale. Call First Thomasville Realty today at 229-226-6515 or email us at info@FTRealty.com  to schedule an appointment.

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5 Ways to Improve the Odor of Thomasville Homes

Friday, January 21st, 2011

noseHere’s a test for you. Walk outside of your home and take several deep breaths, blowing the air out of your nose. After about five minutes, blow out all the air, hold your breath and walk into your house. In one of the rooms closest to the center of the house, inhale deeply through your nose. What do you smell? 

Even the most diligent clean freaks may smell something in their Thomasville homes other than “clean.” For instance, if you’ve run your air conditioner for several months, you may have problems with mold, insect particles, dust, microscopic carpet particles and other air pollutants. 

Once you’re done shuddering, follow these few tips to improve the scent of your inside air: 

1.    Replace your Thomasville home’s air filters on schedule. Pay attention to the manufacturer’s guidelines on the filters you use for your heating and cooling unit and replace them when instructed. 

2.    Look for heavy deposits of dust or mold in your air ducts at least twice a year. If you aren’t sure whether your ducts need to be cleaned, ask your heating/cooling provider for advice. Also, the EPA website has a comprehensive informational resource on whether or not you should clean your air ducts. At the very least, vacuum the gratings when dust and dirt collect on them. 

3.    Clean your window treatments regularly. They can collect dust, dirt, spores and other pollutants. Cleaning them three or four times a year will keep down the amount that collects.  

4.    Keep toothbrushes and other hygiene products in your medicine cabinet. Although this has nothing to do with air quality, it has everything to do with health. As well, make sure you close the lid before flushing the toilet after use. 

5.    Regularly check for mold throughout your house, signified by a wet, musty smell. If you find mold and it’s a small amount, you can clean up the mold yourself. If you can’t find it but can still smell it, you may want to have a professional inspect your home and then clean up anything they find. 

There are many ways to improve the air quality of Thomasville homes. These are just a few. If you’re serious about improving the air you breathe, We strongly recommend using the EPA website’s Indoor Air Quality section for more ways to rid your home of pollutants. 

If you’re looking for a home that smells great and meets the EPA Indoor airPLUS Program and guidelines, First Thomasville Realty can help. Call us today at 229-226-6515 or email us at info@FTRealty.com .

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Projects that Don’t Add Value to Your Thomasville Home for Sale

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

las_vegas_poolThere is no simple way to discover which home-improvement projects will yield the highest return when you’re ready to sell your home. There are many variables that come into play such as the state of the real estate market when you put your Thomasville home up for sale, how old your home is, and the style of your home. 

Here are several costly projects to pass up if you want to get the biggest bang for your bucks:

Extravagant Landscaping

Buyers expect a well-maintained yard; they don’t expect the home’s value to increase because of it. Beautiful landscaping may encourage potential buyers to take a closer look at your Thomasville home for sale, but it most likely will not add to the selling price. If a buyer is unable or unwilling to put in the effort to maintain an elaborate garden, it becomes a negative feature rather than a positive one.

Swimming Pool

A swimming pool seems like fun to have, but can actually be more of a hassle than a pleasure. Many potential buyers consider swimming pools expensive and time consuming to maintain. Buyers may say no to an otherwise perfect house if it has a pool. Or, they may include in the contract a stipulation that the seller has to take down an above-ground pool or fill in an in-ground pool, at their own expense, before closing.

High-End Upgrades

Buyers don’t want to see the absolute cheapest renovations in a Thomasville home for sale, but they also don’t want to pay more for the highest-priced upgrades that they don’t need.   Marble countertops in a kitchen and a built-in sauna in a bathroom are nice, but unless you have a high-end home in a high-end neighborhood, don’t expect to get your money back from these upgrades.

Don’t spend thousands of dollars on a home-improvement project that will not increase your home’s value when it comes time to sell.  Do spend money on projects that will make your home a wonderful place to live in now and that may increase the selling price when you’re ready to sell.

Are you ready to sell your home?  First Thomasville Realty can help.  Give us a call today at 229-226-6515 or email info@FTRealty.com .

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Buying Thomasville Real Estate – You Did WHAT?

Monday, January 17th, 2011

shockedBuying a home used to be celebrated. It was a sign of growing up and “getting somewhere.” Yet, tell someone you bought Thomasville real estate now days and you might just get wide eyes and a gasped, “You did WHAT?” 

If you’re still trying to decide if buying Thomasville real estate is for you, consider all the reasons why people are still buying homes. 

Well, first, you have the reasons that have stood the test of time:

♦    Once you buy a house, it’s yours until you decide to sell it.

♦    You experience pride of ownership.

♦    There’s also a sense of security in owning your own home, which is something missing in renting.  

While those traditional reasons are tried, tested and true, there are others:

♦    Mortgage rates hit an all-time low, which became a big incentive for some buyers.  Potential buyers looked at the interest rates and figured they could never get a better deal on a mortgage.

♦    Home prices are lower too. Yes, the media says home prices may decline more, but the key word is “may.” The experts can predict all they want, but you don’t know for sure until it happens. Some first-time buyers looked at the prices, weighed their decision on “what if the prices start rising again” and signed the deal. 

What about you? If you’re looking at the possibility of buying Thomasville real estate, what would get you to sign on the dotted line? Put your requirements and goals in writing, and make them realistic. When all the cards are right, there’s nothing left to do but play your hand. 

If you’re looking for a great property to own, First Thomasville Realty can help. Call us at 229-226-6515 or email us at info@FTRealty.com .

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Pros and Cons of Popular Gutter Types for Thomasville Homes

Friday, January 14th, 2011

GutterRain gutters are essential because they direct rain water away from your home to protect it from water damage. Any home repair professional can tell you about the damage sustained when Thomasville homes don’t have gutters or the gutters haven’t been properly maintained. 

Types of House Gutters

♦    Wood gutters are still in use, especially on older Thomasville homes, but they are perhaps the most difficult to maintain properly. These gutters are prone to rotting, wood and mold. Additionally, they’re an attractant for wood-eating insects. The weight of these gutters requires very strong mounting to compensate in the case of backed-up water. If your home has wood gutters, you may want to update your gutters to one of the more modern options. 

♦    One of the most popular materials for gutters is aluminum. These gutters are lightweight, cost-effective and durable. If improperly maintained, standing water can rust the metal and cause leaks. Depending on where the leak is, this can create rust streaks down your Thomasville home’s siding. 

♦    Vinyl gutters don’t have the rusting problems of aluminum or the weight problems of wood. Vinyl doesn’t rot; it’s very heavy-duty and lightweight. Vinyl gutters are easy to maintain.  But, leaks can be an issue with vinyl.  Because vinyl gutters are often sold in shorter lengths than aluminum gutters, there are more seams which can lead to more leaks.  Vinyl gutters are also more susceptible to cracking or buckling in extreme temperatures and are extremely expensive to repair properly.  

♦    Copper gutters don’t leak as they’re often installed in a solid piece. Copper won’t rust, and over time will turn an attractive shade of green. This type of gutter may never need to be replaced. The only real downside is the cost. You can expect to pay about double for copper gutters as compared to gutters made out of other materials.  And, you’ll need to pay for installation also because copper gutters are definitely not recommended as a do-it-yourself project. 

Want to buy a well-maintained home?  Let us help.  Give First Thomasville Realty a call today at 229-226-6515 or email us at info@FTRealty.com .

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How to Find the Perfect Tenant for Your Thomasville Real Estate

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

Of the many joys of property management, good tenants top the list.  The top of the headaches list? Bad tenants. Problems from failing to pay the rent in a timely manner to inadequate cleanliness to inconsiderate community habits plague the rental world of Thomasville real estate. 

You can find the best tenant for your vacancy by following these few steps. 

1.      Advertise

Having plenty of applicants to select from means that you can find a good match for the vacancy. So advertise to collect a crowd of prospective tenants.  It’s worth the extra time spent showing the property to more people to find a reliable tenant. 

♦    Spread the word among your friends and family that you have a space available. Through personal connections, you are most likely to find a good match for your space.

♦    Put a sign up outside the unit. People living in the neighborhood, or visiting family or friends in the area, are the most likely to want to rent there. 

♦    Put listings for your Thomasville real estate in your local newspaper and online sources (such as craigslist). 

2.    Review Rental Applications with Care

While there are no guarantees, a few practices can help you screen applicants for your Thomasville real estate vacancy.

♦    Check Rental History: If your prospective renter has moved every three months, it’s worth asking why.  When you call to verify rental history, check with former landlords to find out if there were any issues. 

♦    Check Credit Reports: Your prospective tenant might proclaim that he is independently wealthy, but even if he is, that doesn’t mean he pays his bills on time. That said, remember that credit reporting agencies aren’t always accurate, so do allow for issues to be explained.

♦    Verify Income: Your tenant should have a steady means of meeting his rental obligation. Request copies of recent pay stubs or other income to ensure that the tenant can reasonably afford the rent you are charging. 

♦    Check Job References:  Ideally, you want a tenant who has a stable job history.

Of course, as a landlord you already know that the Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), or disability. 

If you are investigating new rental property purchases or looking to sell some of your current assets, we can help. Give First Thomasville Realty a call today at 229-226-6515 or email us at info@FTRealty.com .

 

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Five Renovation Projects that Increase Your Thomasville Home’s Value

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Home RenovationWhether you’re planning on selling soon or just want a comfortable home to live in now, here are five projects that increase your Thomasville home’s comfort and value:

1.    Uncover hardwood floors.  Is there a hardwood floor lurking under your Thomasville home’s carpet?  If you’re not sure, pull up the carpet in an unnoticeable corner and investigate. If you find wood floors, you’ll probably need to refinish them, but that’s a lot less expensive than installing new hardwood flooring.

2.    Add ceiling fans.  Everyone likes to save money, and adding ceiling fans can reduce your electric bill considerably.  Central air conditioning costs about 70 times more to run than a ceiling fan.  In the summer, fans can make you feel 3 to 8 degrees cooler, allowing you to reduce the use of your A/C and still feel just as cool.   Use your ceiling fan in the winter too.  Just reverse the direction the blades rotate so the air flows up toward the ceiling, and keep the fan on low.  This circulates the warm air around the room without creating a chilly draft.

3.    Install a new bathroom floor.  Installation is typically the most expensive part of this home improvement, so if you can do it yourself, you’ll save quite a bit of money.  Choosing a neutral-colored tile adds the most value.

4.    Update bathroom and kitchen fixtures.  Replacing outdated or unattractive fixtures is a low-cost, high-impact renovation project.  In bathrooms, put in new spa-style showerheads and towel bars.  In both rooms, put in new light fixtures, sink faucets, switch plates, outlet covers, cabinet knobs and drawer handles.  Choose items in colors and finishes that appeal to a wide audience.

5.    Power wash your Thomasville home’s exterior.  Make your home look almost as good as new by power washing away the grime.  Clean the siding, driveway, walkways and patio.

Want more home-improvement ideas like these?  Subscribe to the First Thomasville Realty blog.  It’s free and easy.

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How to Interview Thomasville Real Estate Agents

Friday, January 7th, 2011

Agent InterviewChoosing a professional real estate agent can be a very imposing task.  This person is responsible for finding your new home or selling your home, guiding you through the home inspection process and negotiating a good price and terms.  These are important tasks that should be taken seriously.  That’s why finding a skilled real estate agent is key to a successful real estate transaction. 

Here are several tips for interviewing Thomasville real estate agents:

♦    Interview at least three agents.  Even if you love the first or second agent you interview, promise yourself you’ll interview all three.  You learn more from each interview, and you never know when that third agent is going to be the perfect match for you. 

♦    Ask all three agents the same questions so you can compare their answers and ability to communicate.  Write out your questions so you don’t forget any, and take notes during the interviews.  You think you’ll remember what they say, but the specifics will begin to blur as you interview the second and third agent. 

♦    Ask the Thomasville real estate agents how long they’ve been in business and how many homes they’ve helped people buy and sell during the last year.  An agent with experience is a very valuable asset, but with the current fluctuations in real estate, an agent with recent experience is even more valuable.   Also ask how long they’ve been helping people buy and sell homes in the area in which you want to live.  You want a real estate agent who is an expert on that neighborhood. 

♦    Get at least three references of past clients from each of the Thomasville real estate agents.  Then follow up with those references.  Ask a variety of questions such as: 

1.    What was it like to work with the agent?

2.    Would you work with him or her again? 

3.    What was your least favorite thing about working with the agent?

4.    What was the best thing about working with the agent?

If you’re looking for a professional real estate agent, we’d be honored to be interviewed for the job.  Call First Thomasville Realty at 229-226-6515 or email us at info@FTRealty.com  to schedule an interview.

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How Is the Indoor Air Quality In Your Thomasville Home?

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

Now that winter is here, we’re spending more time indoors and keeping our homes closed up against the cold. These two factors mean we should pay more attention to the air quality in our homes. Here are some things to consider at your Thomasville home:

Ban the use of pesticides in your home. Insecticides are toxic to all life forms, not just insects. Many are carcinogenic. If you have a serious pest problem like roaches, try using boric acid against them. Otherwise, the occasional spider or beetle is not a real threat to you. 

Simplify cleaning. Most commercially available cleaners are a stew of chemicals. You don’t need to be breathing their fumes. Instead, you can use baking soda and/or white vinegar for most jobs. 

Ventilate the bathroom. In order to prevent mold and mildew in the steamy bathroom, it pays to use the exhaust fan when showering. 

Use the range hood. If you cook with gas, those fumes are adding carbon monoxide and other pollutants to the air in your Thomasville home. Make sure your hood exhausts the fumes to the outdoors. 

Get some houseplants. They not only add beauty and a bit of nature to your home, they also clean the air! Some of those known to be best include spider plants and philodendrons, both very easy to grow. 

Don’t burn scented candles. Sorry, but the fact is, scented candles are a serious source of indoor air pollution. See the next tip for an alternative. 

Use essential oils. You can use a diffuser to disperse essential oils that smell good and also kill germs and mold. Some of these include clove oil, cinnamon and lemon. If it’s the flame that you love, invest in pure beeswax candles, but never leave a lit candle unattended.

If you’d like to find a Thomasville home with great indoor air quality (as well as other great qualities), First Thomasville Realty can help. Give us a call today at 229-226-6515 or email us at info@FTRealty.com .

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First Thomasville Realty December 2010 Agents of the Month

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

Agents of the Month December 2010

First Thomasville Realty would like to congratulate our Agents of the Month for December 2010!

Our Listing Agent of the Month was Kathy Palmer and our Selling Agent of the Month was Jeffrey Jones.

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3 Reasons You Should Consider Vacant Land in Thomasville

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

Residential_LotsWhen you buy a home, you want one that will meet your needs. You may have an at-home business that requires a lot of space or large pets that need room to run. If this is the case, a home located in a close-knit planned community may not be right for you.

Here are three reasons why buying and building on vacant land in Thomasville might be right for you:

1.    You want to build a home designed to meet your needs. Perhaps the greatest benefit of owning vacant land in Thomasville is the freedom you have to build whatever home you want. You won’t have to use a particular home builder or build a home just like everyone else’s.

2.    You want more space. Building a home in a planned community comes with certain restrictions. One of those is usually a smaller lot size. Many homes are now being built on 1/3 acre lots and smaller. You may not be comfortable living in a home that close to your neighbor’s house. Purchasing and building on vacant land in Thomasville puts as much space between you and your neighbors as you want.

3.    You want to take advantage of current land prices. Even if you aren’t ready to build right now, it still makes sense to purchase vacant land. Land typically goes up in value over time, and as the saying goes, they’re not making any more of it. You can buy your land at today’s rate and then build your home whenever you are ready. The land will be waiting for you.  This could save you thousands of dollars.

If you think buying vacant land is right for you, let First Thomasville Realty help you find the property that meets your needs. Call us today at 229-226-6515 or email us at info@FTRealty.com .

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Understanding the Thomasville Real Estate Market for FSBOs

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

FSBO (2)On first thought, selling your home by yourself seems to make perfect sense. It doesn’t look all that hard, right? So you decide to sell your home the FSBO way (For Sale By Owner). You figure that you can put up a sign. Let people come to look at your house. Review all the offers you are sure to get and pick the best one and you’re done. That’s all there is to understanding the Thomasville real estate market—right?

Well, not quite. One of the most difficult things for a person trying to sell their own home to do is understand the Thomasville real estate market in order to price their home correctly. All of the above steps will stall without setting a price that will make you happy and get a buyer to sign on the dotted line.

The Price is Right

In some ways selling your home as a FSBO will seem a little like the television game show “The Price Is Right.” Some buyers will walk around your home and have no idea what local values are, but they will still do their best to talk down your price.

Others that come to view your FSBO will have a very firm grasp on local real estate values and how your home stacks up against the competition.

In either case, you must know what comparable homes in your area are selling for so that you can argue your own case and know when you are being under bid.

Overpricing is Costly

The temptation to want more than true market value for your home is common but counterproductive to selling your home.  It’ll set on the market so long that people will begin to wonder what’s wrong with your home.  Then, when you drop your price, you’ll appear desperate.  Potential buyers will devalue your house in their own minds, which decreases the chance of you getting a fair market price for your home.

If you have questions about the current Thomasville real estate market, give us a call today at 229-226-6515 or email First Thomasville Realty at info@FTRealty.com .

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