for sale: When a kitchen shines, Realtors beam! - 04/02/13 12:27 AM
Keeping control of your kitchen is one of the most basic actions you can take to help your real estate agent sell your home. The execution can be simple when it’s approached systematically. 
Especially during the winter months, kitchen control can seem an all but unmanageable task. Days are shorter; kids or pets may be cooped up inside; and everyone tracks winter through the kitchen all day long. But Spring is here! To help you keep your kitchen looking great (and your Columbus, GA/Phenix City, AL area real estate agent beaming), some simple preparation is needed. That, plus sticking to a … (0 comments)

for sale: Listing Agent, Buyers' Agent, Sellers' Agent: Who is My Agent? - 01/09/13 09:00 AM
Buyers’ agent, sellers’ agent – what does it mean? In every Columbus, GA/Phenix City, AL area real estate transaction, the differences are easy to understand, right? Not quite. A potential linguistic trapdoor can lie right around the corner. 
            For openers, that sellers' agent may also be called the “listing agent” – both mean the same thing. The trapdoor is a further complication that comes into play once a contract is in place -- after which the buyer’s agent may also properly be called the “selling” agent!
            The potential confusion between seller’s agent and selling agent doesn’t usually have much … (2 comments)

for sale: Buying a Columbus, GA Bank Owned Home? - 01/09/13 08:55 AM
In our Columbus, GA/Phenix City, AL area market “Bank-Owned Homes” are usually described as “Foreclosures”. Even though the terms are used interchangeably here and in other places, there is a difference. The difference between a “Foreclosure” and a “Bank-Owned Home” may be technical, but important to understand.  Foreclosures are properties that are auctioned off in a court process. A bank-owned home, on the other hand, is one that has reverted to the mortgage issuer: a bank.
A foreclosure can change hands with the bang of the auctioneer’s gavel: it’s a cash-in-hand situation, carrying all of the excitement (and risk) of any … (0 comments)

for sale: Home Listings Trends for the Future - 01/09/13 08:37 AM
Homeowners who are puzzling over whether to add their property to the Columbus, GA/Phenix City, AL area home listings this winter (rather than hold back until spring) have more than just timing to factor into their decision. How their offering will stack up alongside the other home listings is a prime consideration.
The residential market has made good progress this year – and a strong majority of pundits expect more of the same for 2013. I deal with the home-buying public all the time, and so get an inside look and listen to what features and qualities wind up having the … (0 comments)

for sale: Selling your home? Think like a buyer! - 01/09/13 05:24 AM
One of the effects of the steady national rise in home prices is a shift in attitude by previously cautious consumers. It’s only natural to find more people focused on buying homes in the Columbus, GA/Phenix City, AL area while it is still relatively inexpensive to do so.
Homeowners who are listing their own Columbus, GA area properties this year are well advised to be mindful of those and other considerations bound to be motivating prospective customers. Buying homes – especially homes in a far away locale – gives rise to many concerns. Positioning the way a home is marketed to … (4 comments)

for sale: Selling Decision - Short Sale vs Foreclosure - 01/09/13 05:11 AM
For bargain-hunters looking over 2013’s first listings of foreclosed homes for sale in the Columbus, GA/Phenix City, AL area, the opportunities speak for themselves. Throughout 2012, the size of that selection of Columbus, GA area foreclosure varies. But no matter how large that increase or decrease turns out to be in 2013, in addition to representing a unique opportunity to potential buyers, each one also posed a substantial decision for the departing homeowner.
The question each homeowner faced was whether to attempt to short sell or to allow their property to be foreclosed upon. Choosing the most positive outcome means shedding … (0 comments)

for sale: How Safe is Your Home from Break-Ins? - 07/18/12 01:15 PM
Ahhhh! At the end of a busy day, who doesn't look forward to the surge of well being that comes with closing the door behind you, finally able to relax now that the world is at bay. Whether living in apartments or homes, everyone deserves that feeling of safety and security. Yet, like most everything else, real security has to be earned.
In the area of home security, we've come across both good and bad news. The good: the most recent FBI report shows that the number of burglaries is decreasing across the nation. The bad: burglaries are still responsible for … (2 comments)

for sale: Time to Sell Your Columbus, GA Home? - 07/18/12 01:05 PM
Every homeowner can have all sorts of reasons for selling their Columbus, GA house. Those in the boomer generation can be in one of the traditional phases of retirement (planning, transitioning, initiating) or perhaps in one of the newly-popular phases (postponing, rejecting).
For them and everyone else, the decision about whether to sell the house falls into one of two categories: those triggered by economic pressures - or all the other reasons. In all cases, being in control of the timing of your house sale will put you in control of the process. That pays off.
Even if the money factor … (1 comments)

for sale: REO Investment: Cash Cow or Cash Drain? - 07/18/12 12:59 PM
Novice and professional investors find themselves in competition over Columbus, GA REO and foreclosure opportunities. The goal of building a long-term, profitable investment is the same for both groups, but the professionals have an institutional advantage. They have systems in place and experienced personnel who bring a high degree of confidence to their estimates of the financial tradeoffs for any candidate property. Novices have to rely on their own calculations.
For readers unsure of that  'REO' expression, it's an acronym that is short for 'real estate owned.' Not very illuminating, is it? What most people mean when they describe a local REO is … (3 comments)

for sale: Luxury Home Features that Stand Out - 07/01/12 02:49 AM
Gracious living in a well-appointed home may evoke visions of price tags in the millions of dollars, but not all true luxury homes in the Columbus, GA area fall into the seven-figure bracket.  If you are considering selling your own high-end home, it's important to consider your target buyer and the criteria most of them bring to their Columbus, GA property search. What for them constitutes the definition of "luxury homes"?.
 
Although many features could be considered as must-haves for the majority of luxury home listings, three criteria in particular are usually included: well-planned and well-tended grounds, high-quality materials, and distinctive amenities … (2 comments)

for sale: Virtual Tours Help Sell Your Home! - 06/18/12 11:11 PM
If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words might a video's flood of pictures be worth? The scientists at George Washington University approached the topic a few years ago in connection with real estate virtual tours. To those of us whose profession is helping our clients buy and sell homes in the Columbus, GA area, their findings were - to say the least - interesting:


 
They arrived at this conclusion: “Adding a virtual tour decreases the expected marketing time of selling a home by about 20% and increases the expected sales price by about 2%." … (1 comments)

for sale: Yard Signs still sell Homes! - 06/13/12 03:00 AM
When it comes to Columbus, GA property search resources, one tool house hunters rely on without hesitation is so simple they probably don’t even think about it. Online sites and search engines are incredibly valuable and by far are the leading tools in searching for homes. Classified ads may be tried and true, but often require searchers to make a phone inquiry to learn the address in question. But there is a low-demand, high-yield, unequivocal property search aid that gets buyers interested: the good ol’ frontyard ‘For Sale’ sign. 
It may seem like an awfully old-fashioned marketing method, but that sign … (0 comments)

for sale: Outdoor living features sell homes - Columbus GA - 06/05/12 12:28 PM
Those of us who focus professionally on our Columbus, GA real estate trends can vouch for it: outdoor living sells! And depending on what life phase their family is in,homebuyers’ choices tend to follow similar lines. If you are looking to update and modernize your Columbus, GA area home with an eye on possibly selling it sometime in the future, you should be following some of these trends.
The 2012 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends Surveyconfirms again how important those backyard grills and dining areas are when it comes to what most people have at the top of their minds when they think … (0 comments)

for sale: Sell Your Columbus, GA Home by Adding Luxury - 05/29/12 11:55 AM
When the Columbus, GA real estate market undergoes the kind of wide changes we’ve seen recently, you would expect changes in how prospective buyers approach their choices. No surprise there.
With lending tight and larger deposits often being sought by lenders, many Columbus, GA homebuyers are seeking ‘move-in ready’ properties - homes that require little or no out-of-pocket cash before moving in.  That growing segment of the buying public has grown weary of bargain-hunting, are tired of viewing REO’s/Foreclosures and short sales - and just want to be able to settle into their new Columbus, GA home as-is. They want a bottom line cost that's … (0 comments)

for sale: Remodel your bathroom to sell your Columbus, GA home - 05/23/12 04:23 AM
Though things are looking up in real estate these days, selling a home in Columbus, GA is as demanding as ever. As in any serious business proposition, looking for ways to increase the value of your offering will always pay dividends.
One of the major ways you can make your own Columbus, GA home more marketable is to do a bathroom remodel. It’s always a key focus for prospective buyers…and yes, it does sound like a lot of work (and a lot of money) -- but there are a number of ways you can cut down on both.
Why use a … (1 comments)

for sale: What is my home worth in Columbus, GA? - 05/23/12 03:26 AM

Figuring out home values when the market is in flux is truly a job for experts. We have seen the national real estate market begin to rebound, and Columbus, GA home values reflect the movement as well. Most Columbus, GA area homeowners are in the habit of keeping an eye on area home values. But especially for anyone considering selling a home in the Columbus, GA area the next couple of months, estimating their home’s worth is one of the first items on the agenda.
To get you started, there are a couple of different methods to help establish a ballpark … (0 comments)