You are currently browsing the Thomasville Georgia Real Estate Blog blog archives for November, 2009.
The Thomasville Georgia Holiday Season kicks off tonight when we welcome Santa Claus during the annual Downtown Christmas Parade at 6:30 pm. Downtown Thomasville will be lit up with the Christmas lights, parade floats, bands and other holiday units.
Thomasville Georgia is a wonderful place to live, shop and work… so why not live here! For more information on Thomasville and homes for sale in the Thomasville area, visit First Thomasville Realty on the web or call us at 229-226-6515.
Tags: Christmas Parade, Thomasville Georgia
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More festive candles are used in your Thomasville Georgia condo during the holidays than at any other time of year, so it’s important to review the safety rules. Here are few tips to keep your condo safe:
Candle Placement Preparation
It may sound silly, but you need to prepare before you light that candle. First figure out where you want to place the candle in your Thomasville Georgia condo.
Getting Ready to Light the Candle
Tags: Christmas Candles, First Thomasville Realty, Holiday Safety, Thomasville Georgia Condo
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You’ve reached that time in your life where you’re ready to buy real estate in Thomasville. Even though the mortgage approval process can be intimidating, you can get yourself ready to apply for a loan. These are the first steps to buying your home:
Make a List
First, make a list of your finances. Include all your income, and factor in your normal monthly debts. Miscellaneous bills, like your daily coffee or weekly magazine, should be listed too. Write down everything that you spend each month.
Calculate what 28% of your income is. Most loan officers recommend not spending more than 28% on your housing costs. You may not want to take on a mortgage loan for the maximum amount offered without consulting your list to see what money is actually available for you to spend.
Once you’ve have detailed your finances, it’s time to make a budget. A good budget can help you eliminate wasteful spending which will allow you to pay off more of your debts. When planning your budget, don’t forget to include some personal money.
Start with the small debts first. Pick the credit card with the highest interest rate and smallest balance and work from there. After one debt is paid off, use the extra money that you’re saving from the first card, and pay off the next. This way, you should be able to pay your balances down quickly.
It only takes a couple of months of good payment practices to begin to see your credit score go up. With a good credit score, you can get a better interest rate. This will save you thousands of dollars in mortgage payments over the life of the loan.
Save For the Down Payment
You’re ready to start saving for the down payment on your Thomasville real estate purchase. It has to be paid up-front at the loan closing, but sometimes the seller will pay the closing costs.
If you’d like more tips on how to buy real estate in Thomasville, subscribe to the First Thomasville Realty blog. It’s free and easy. Just enter your email address in the subscription section, and you’ll automatically receive tips like this in your email inbox a couple of times a week.
Tags: First Steps in Getting A Mortgage, Home Buyers Tips, Real Estate in Thomasville
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Last night, we came across a news broadcast about a family of five living in a one-room apartment after losing their house and I remembered a little girl I’d seen in the story. The little girl had holes in her coat, a ragged hat, torn up shoes and a teddy bear missing an eye that she clutched as she smiled up at her worried mother
Tags: Thanksgiving, Thomasville Georgia
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Thomasville Georgia real estate agents get a chance to see more of the city and surrounding areas than most of the people who live here. It’s a beautiful place to live, and we’re glad to be a part of it. As Thanksgiving nears, and the leaves change color and fall, we get to see a whole other side of this place
Tags: First Thomasville Realty, Homeowners Tips, Redecorating, Sellers Tips, Thomasville Georgia real estate agent
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Owning a Thomasville GA home can be a sign of independence and success. It allows you to build up equity and the mortgage interest and property taxes are tax-deductible. Can you afford it, though?
Reputable lenders look at a list of criteria to decide how much they’ll loan you. This list includes:
If you’d like to get an idea of what you can afford before talking to a lender, here are a few tools you can use to decide whether a Thomasville GA home is within your budget:
Tags: Home Buyers Tips, Thomasville GA home
Posted in Home Buyers Tips | 3 Comments »
Winter is almost here and few things are as comforting as the smell of wood burning in the fireplace of you Thomasville GA home. Before you light the first fire of the year, there are a few things you need to do. Here is the short list for fireplace safety:
Clean Out the Chimney
Everyone wants to get out of the cold weather, including birds and squirrels. Have a chimney cap installed at the top of the chimney to keep out small animals looking for shelter. The cap will also keep debris from clogging the chimney.
Have a professional clean out any creosote residue. Creosote is the build up of carbon from burning wood. It is flammable and needs to be removed every year.
Creosote is hazardous to your health. It can cause respiratory problems, so don’t try to clean it out on your own. Some home improvement stores sell a creosote removal log that you burn in your fireplace, it may clean your fireplace incompletely, so it’s best to go with a professional chimney cleaning company.
Prepare the Surrounding Area
Before you light the fireplace in your Thomasville GA home, make sure that the area around it is clear of clutter. You’ll want to make sure there is at least two to three feet of cleared space around the fireplace.
Invest in a fireplace screen so that nothing is accidentally knocked into the fireplace. It will also help to prevent burning embers from flying out.
Each time you get ready use the fireplace, clean out the ashes from the previous fire.
Light the Fire
First, open the fireplace damper so the proper airflow can occur. Then, start with paper or kindling placed on top of the fireplace grate. Use seasoned firewood cut to the right length for your fireplace. A couple of logs will be enough; you don’t want to add too many or the fire will suffocate.
Following these fireplace safety instructions can help you enjoy this winter season without worry. So, feel free to light that fireplace and soon the aroma of burning wood will fill your Thomasville GA home.
Tags: Homeowners Tips, Thomasville GA home
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Come to Thomasville Georgia this weekend and enjoy the 14th Annual Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival at the Thomasville Cultural Center.
On November 21st and 22nd, 2009 more than 60 of the nation’s best wildlife and sporting artists will gather to display their work for show and sale. Among those displaying will be sculptors, painters, carvers, photographers and master crafters who have made a name in wildlife and sporting art, as well as a few undiscovered talents. Art enthusiasts will enjoy the chance to meet and view the works of David Lanier, Amy Poor, Maureen S. Riley, Stephen Koury, Sandy Proctor, Walt Matia and many more. Close to one half million dollars worth of art will be sold during the Festival weekend. Monies raised during the weekend go directly to the art and education programs of the Thomasville Cultural Center.
We welcome Sharlene Celaya Cannon as our new Festival Director. Sharlene has served on the PWAF committee since its inception. She has volunteered for a myriad of duties encompassing almost every facet of the Festival, from decorating for the Preview Party to helping errect the scaffolding for the diving pool for the dock dogs. What a sight that was! She has 20 years of experience, beginning first first in Quincy, Florida, and from 1991 to 2005, in Thomasville. Under Sharlene’s guidance, Thomasville was named a Great American Main Street City in 1998, one of only 5 selected in the nation! She spearheaded the Nationally known festival, Victorian Christmas, growing it from a few hundred people the first year, to throngs numbering in the thousands for the two-night event. She is an extraordinarily positive and innovative force. Sharlene brings a fresh perspective, years of experience, and a “truck-load of enthusiasm” to the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival. We are very fortunate to have her join us! I know you will look forward to meeting her! Sharlene is also a REALTOR with First Thomasville Realty.
For more information on the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival visit their website at http://www.pwaf.org
Tags: Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival, Sharlene Celaya
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Even those with a steady job and sufficient income are cautious about signing their mortgages for Thomasville Georgia homes for sale. They realize that signing mortgages set them up with payments for a significant amount of their lifetimes. Others worry, especially now, about losing their jobs in an unstable economy. The
Tags: First Thomasville Realty, Homebuyers Tips, Homeowners Tips, Job Loss Mortgage Insurance, Thomasville Georgia Homes for Sale
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The last vestiges of summer have faded away, the leaves are turning into a brilliant array of color and the temperatures are dropping. All this glorious change means the holidays are coming, but it also means it’s time, once again, to look over your Thomasville home.
With temperatures dropping and leaves falling, there are plenty of things to add to your
Tags: First Thomasville Realty, Homeowners Tips, Maintenance Projects, Thomasville GA home
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Everybody wants to know how the housing market is doing, especially if they own Thomasville real estate. we try to keep the newsy pieces to a minimum and spend most of our Internet space on helpful pointers, but a lot of readers have asked about the market. In response to high demand, here’s a peak at the current national foreclosure trends:
Foreclosure Trends
It’s a wonderful thing to own any kind of real estate (although we’re partial to Thomasville real estate, of course). Unfortunately, many people have lost their homes due to foreclosure since the housing crisis started; there have been over 7.8 million since 2007. California, Florida, Arizona, Nevada, Illinois and Michigan have been topping the count for foreclosures, adding up to 62% of the nation’s foreclosures.
California’s numbers reached 349,435 foreclosures last month, and it was feared that those numbers might escalate. However, there’s some good news there. Even though homeowners are still teetering, lending institutions are caving in under government pressure to work with those homeowners. For that matter, they may even be working with the government to stem the deluge of foreclosures.
HousingPredictor.com conducted a survey of homeowners that shows we may have as many as 25 million foreclosures before everything is said and done, mainly due to homeowners who are tired of watching housing prices fall. Such a glut of the market could cause some serious repercussions for the economy. However, again, there are some positive points.
For instance, current mortgage interest rates are ranging from as low as 4% to 5.5%, cut almost in half from the
Tags: First Thomasville Realty, Foreclosure Trends, Thomasville Real Estate
Posted in Community Info, Home Buyers Tips, Home Sellers Tips | 1 Comment »
People have asked us about FSBO (For Sale By Owner). They want to know whether it’s a good idea to use an agent and the answers to many other questions on this topic. We admit it; we’re biased. we are, after all, Thomasville real estate agents.
We’ll even go a bit farther and admit that we’re biased about our hometown. As far as we’re concerned, if you’re going to buy a house, you should use First Thomasville Realty and their agents and buy a house in Thomasville. But then, that’s what most real estate companies will tell you.
Without the bias, however, there are some real issues with not using a Thomasville real estate agent (or any agent, anywhere, for that matter). And, there’s one BIG issue…
The Contract!
Okay, here’s the deal. A real estate contract, like any contract, is a sealed deal once the papers are signed. It’s legally binding and will be upheld in any court of law in the country, with few (and rare) exceptions.
If you don’t understand the contract you’ve signed, that’s too bad. Lack of understanding does not constitute a dismissal of said contract. While some do manage to back out of a contract once it’s signed, to do so is expensive and stressful.
A wide variety of contracts can be borrowed from anywhere and have been. FSBO sites, as well as many other online sites and offline brick and mortar businesses, have
Tags: First Thomasville Realty, For Sale By Owner, Thomasville Real Estate Agents
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Tags: Del Oglesby
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Do you have a competitive nature? Do you always have to have the last say? Do you always feel you have to win? If you have a home for sale in Thomasville Georgia, you may have
Tags: First Thomaville Realty, Home for Sale in Thomasville Georgia, Sellers Tips
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Here are some Friday the 13th, and the #13, superstitions and facts. Amaze and impress your friends with your vast knowledge sometime today!
It has been suggested that if 13 people all sit down at a table together at once, that they will all will die within a year.
If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil’s luck . Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names.
There are 13 witches in a coven.
We have had 3 Friday the 13ths in 2009, February, March and again in November!
The British Navy is notoriously afraid of Friday the 13th. Nonetheless, it built a ship named Friday the 13th. On its maiden voyage, the vessel left dock on a Friday the 13th and was never heard from again.
If you were born on a Friday the 13ththen today is your LUCKY day!
Many tall buildings do not have a 13th Floor, because if they did, no one would want to stay on them. Most hospitals do not have a room 13.
Many airports skip the 13th gate.
Airplanes have no 13th aisle.
A baker’s dozen is described by a dozen loaves of bread with the 13th being an offering to the devil so he would not spoil the other 12.
More than 60 million people do not go to work, drive or leave their house on this unlucky day.
Never sit down at a function or table where there are 13 seats whoever gets up from the table first will die within a year
The seals on the back of a dollar bill include 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 stars above the eagle’s head, 13 war arrows in the eagle’s claw and 13 leaves on the olive branch.
On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal.
The ill-fated Apollo 13 launched at 13:13 CST on 4/11/70. The sum of the date’s digits is 13. The explosion that crippled the spacecraft occurred on April 13th.
The first person to die in a car accident was killed in New York City on Sept. 13, 1899.
Enjoy your day and drive especially careful on your way home…
Tags: Friday the 13th
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Some people who are supposedly
Tags: Buy or Rent, Buyers Tips, First Thomasville Realty, Thomasville Georgia Homes
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Tags: First Thomasville Realty, First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit, Fran Milberg
Posted in First Thomasville News, Home Buyers Tips | 1 Comment »
If your Thomasville Georgia home for sale isn’t selling, you’re probably wondering if you’re missing something. Well, here’s a list of things you might not know that could make all the difference:
1. If the location of your Thomasville Georgia home for sale isn’t great, the price and terms are the only thing that will sell it. Make them outstanding!
2. Attractive, competitive terms may help you get a higher price. For instance, if you’re allowing the option of owner financing, and also allow a smaller down payment (say, $20,000 – $30,000), you may be able to sell your house for a higher overall amount.
3. Because of the current high competition, your home has to be in the best condition at a competitive price. Check out the competition, accept that yours might need work, and get to it.
4. You can’t set a limit for home improvement. If your home needs something done to beat the competition and you can do it, do it! You aren’t just spending money; you’re investing in the sale of your home. Although you may not get all your money back, you just might get a quick sale at full value.
5. Staging
Tags: First Thomasville Realty, Home Sellers Tips, Thomasville Georgia Home For Sale
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Freedom is not Free
by Ashley Persyn
There is a price we pay for freedom
For it is not truly free
But rather paid for by the contributions of veterans
To buy our liberty
As their blood drains from their body and runs like a river through the grass
Over the years it’s forgotten, war is placed in our past
I don’t think we all realize the importance veterans play
as they voluntarily serve America each and every day
We should honor the veterans for they act like a shield
Protecting us from danger, keeping America healed.
So if you would take a second to commemorate
You will instantly see
We owe veterans our gratitude
For they are the reason we are free
Tags: Veterans Day
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If you’re looking at homes for sale in Thomasville, want to buy a home and are waiting around for better prices, you might want to rethink your strategy.
If you’re a market watcher, soaking up the information overload across news media and Internet websites, you’re probably overwhelmed with confusion by now. Is the housing market getting better? Is it getting worse? Was there really, when it gets down to it, a housing bubble collapse? And, if so, who popped it?
First, the quick answers. Yes, the housing bubble collapsed, and everybody had a hand in popping it: the government, the lenders, the investors and the general public. Now the hard answers: it’s getting better
Tags: Buyers Market, First Thomasville Realty, Homes for Sale in Thomasville
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