Real Estate Report, March 2016 by Appen Media Group

Appen Media Group

Real Estate Report March Special Section

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Is your house priced “right” to sell? By Melinda McBrayer McBrayer Milton Real Estate www.themiltonteam.com

cludes a comparative market analysis of homes recently sold in your neighborhood, homes currently on the market, and those that have been taken off the market because they didn’t sell. DON’T choose your real estate agent based on who suggests the highest listing price. Without research to support a higher price, your house may sit on the market longer than you’d like. DO choose a “local” real estate agent who is actively selling homes in your community, and has the inside track on local market conditions, upcoming city plans, developments, etc. All of these things will impact your home value and how fast it will actually sell. DON’T ignore the advice given by the listing agent you choose. If they point out items that need to be addressed to sell your house quicker, consider making some improvements or concessions. Your real estate agent is an industry expert with a single goal: to help you successfully sell your home. By considering these do’s and don’ts, you’ll be more successful in determining your homes “right” listing price.

As home prices continue to increase, and bidding wars in Milton and surrounding areas are on the rise, many sellers want to list their homes for the highest price possible. But, listing your home at the “wrong” price can often leave it on the market longer than you’d like. And, it may force you to keep dropping the price making potential buyers suspicious something is wrong with the property. If you want to sell your house quickly – you need to price it right! Here’s a few things to consider before you decide on your home’s listing price. DON’T set a listing price based on how much you paid for your home, the remaining balance on your mortgage, or the profit you need to buy something new. The right listing price should always be inline with a professional home valuation based on specific market statistics and analysis that guide what your home is actually worth. DO get a home valuation that in-

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Promotions in this ad are available only for homes in the Atlanta Division being marketed by Ryland Homes.* Promotion is available to Buyers of To-Be-Built New homes for purchase agreements written between March 1, 2016 and March 31, 2016. “$15,000” can be used towards Design Center Options, lot premiums, finished basement, and other structural options. **Buyers of both To-Be Built homes and Quick Move-In homes that are written between March 1, 2016 and March 31, 2016 are also eligible to receive “Up to $5,000 towards closing costs”. Promotion is available only to buyers financing through CalAtlantic Mortgage® Corporation and closing through a Ryland Homes preferred closing attorney. Incentives available may vary by community, product and home. Prices, plans, and terms are effective on the date of publication and subject to change without notice. CalAtlantic Homes and CalAtlantic Mortgage® Corporation reserve the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time without notice. See a CalAtlantic Mortgage® Corporation loan office for more details. CalAtlantic Mortgage® Corporation, NMLS ID #203897, holds a Georgia Residential Mortgage License #24225, 8660 E Hartford Drive Suite 200a, Scottsdale, AZ 85255 and branch location 1000 Mansell Exchange West, Suite 210, Alpharetta, GA 30022 License #68278. Homes under contract prior to these offers are not eligible. Promotions may not be combined with other offers. Photographs are for illustration only. For complete details on restrictions and limitations, please contact a Ryland Homes Sales Counselor. © 2016 CalAtlantic Group, Inc. RA2064

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Spring is in the air! Brought to you by Karen Pate, Broker, SVP Harry Norman, REALTORS® 1664 Market Place Blvd, Cumming, GA 770-497-2000 Trees & shrubberies are beginning to flower and all those wonderful early perennial items are starting to peak their little heads out of the ground. As glorious as all this is it’s a sign that you had better get your landscaping maintenance in order. Here are some great tips from Stacey Freed: 1. Clean Up – Remove all branches, leaves and debris. This allows you to really inspect and see what is going on with your soil, lawn, trees, shrubs and garden structures. Is your grass coming back or not? Are your shrubs damaged from an unusual hard winter? Is there any disease? Really take a look at your trees to see if any are dying or have broken limbs. You may need a specialist such as an arborist to come take a look. 2. Your grass – Rake it! “Vigorously rake that grass to wake it up and begin to get it to grow,” says Walt Nelson, horticulture program leader for the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Monroe County, N.Y.

Rake out areas of thatch — dried, dead grass that can be thick and deep. If you don’t, thatch will keep oxygen and sunlight from other plants and grass. Check for fungus and mold growth. Gently rake it out and it will dry. There are two types of grasses. “Cool season grasses green up in early spring. Warm season grasses green up really slowly in spring,” says Tony Koski, extension turf specialist at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins. 3. Weeds Finding a lot of crabgrass out there? It’s decision time. If your crabgrass is out of control or you’re just hell-bent on getting rid of it, here’s what you need to know: Preventing crabgrass is all about timing. You want to nix the nasties before they start germinating. You need to use a preemergent crabgrass control before the soil temperature hits about 55 degrees and the crabgrass begins growing. “But most people aren’t walking around with thermometers to measure their soil’s temperature,” Koski says. “Blooming forsythia is a good indicator you should put out your crabgrass preventer. That will be a different time in Georgia than in Michigan”

You can choose a toxic or an organic preemergent such as corn gluten meal, but understand that with the organic, Nelson says, it will take two to three years of applications to be effective. Oh, and if you’re eager to get seeding, note that you can’t put out grass seed until at least eight weeks have passed since you applied crabgrass control. 4. Trees & Shrubs It’s time to think about trimming your trees & shrubs. The important thing about trimming is to “be careful about trimming growth,” says Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the National Association of Landscape Professionals. “You want new growth to get healthy enough to sustain itself in case of a second cold snap.” For flowering shrubs, wait until flowers bloom so you don’t cut off limbs that will be produc-

ing flowers or fruit. 5. It’s not all about the grass! Winter is hard on other garden elements. Henriksen recommends making sure your irrigation system works properly, and checking to see if there’s damage to any garden lighting. Fix broken or damaged patio furniture and any wooden structures. Even clean off and refresh your deck once it’s warm enough that power-washing won’t create a deck ice rink. Don’t forget to tune up the lawn mower and string trimmer. Clean, sharpen, and oil your pruning shears so they’ll be ready when the temperatures start to rise. Prepping the yard won’t be just a single weekend event, but if you get the heavy lifting out of the way early, it won’t be long before you’re leaving your socks and boots behind, and feeling the warm, soft grass between your toes.

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New comfort for older homes (NAPSI)—The charm of an older home is an attractive selling feature. Less appealing are the inefficiencies of an older heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system or the absence of a cooling system. Updating to an HVAC system improves comfort and often makes good economic sense, but it requires careful planning. Asking the right questions and enlisting the help of a qualified HVAC contractor can make it possible to create a comfortable, efficient environment without spoiling the character of these classic structures. Step 1: Determine how much equipment you need Ask your HVAC contractor to conduct a “Manual J” load calculation to determine your home’s unique heating and cooling needs. This calculation analyzes everything that affects air temperature in your home—things like windows, orientation to the sun, and duct leakage. Using this calculation, your contractor can recommend the right-size equipment for your home. Step 2: Determine the location of the unit and inspect ductwork Ask your contractor where the new equipment will be located and whether your ductwork is properly sealed, insulated and sized for the equipment.

Dust and debris in the ductwork can reduce the HVAC system’s efficiency and damage its components, so have the ductwork inspected before shopping for a new system. Your contractor should also inspect the home’s electrical system to be sure it provides enough power to handle a new, upgraded HVAC system. Step 3: Discuss your efficiency and “stage” options Whether shopping for a furnace, air conditioner or heat pump, always check the efficiency of the unit you are considering. The efficiency of a fuel-burning furnace is expressed as the annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). Air-conditioning systems are rated according to their seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) and heat pump efficiency is expressed as the unit’s heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF). Generally speaking, a higher AFUE, SEER or HSPF means increased efficiency and reduced operating expenses. If you’re in the market for a new furnace, choose from a single-stage, two-stage or modulating furnace. Single-stage furnaces operate at full ca-

See COMFORT, Page 9

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Harry Norman Welcome’s Kris Harrison to the North Fulton Office Whether you are purchasing a new home-or selling your current home, I’ll help you navigate through the real estate transaction. My marketing skills will be an advantage for you in today’s market, making your home so that it’s the one that stands out above the others. My years of experience have given me the ability to foresee and resolve issues before they become a problem. Over the years I’ve developed a team of vendors that I trust, lenders, attorneys and inspectors, who are available to assist in your transaction if needed. When buying a home, I believe in listening, hearing, what you want and searching for that perfect fit. I understand each family situation is different, my goal is to carefully listen and address your needs and concerns throughout your move experience, Walking you through negotiations, the inspection process and making sure all dates in the contract at met, getting the property closed. Making your move as smooth as possible. Knowing the process of a corporate relocation, I'll work with your relocation consultant and company, to make sure

that your benefits are protected and all aspects of your home purchase or sale are monitored closely to avoid any unnecessary delays or problems. Bottom line; my focus is on you, assisting you with integrity, dependability and knowledge ~ give me a call to start receiving excellent service. Kris Harrison Harry Norman Realtors 770330-2450

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Crye-Leike, Realtors Since 1977, Harold Crye and Dick Leike have known great resources make great associates. Crye-Leike, REALTORS® offers several customs programs, in-house and online, to help our associates learn quickly and stay up-to-date with the newest technology and best practices in the real estate industry. Crye-Leike’s website, www.cryeleike.com, annually wins awards from Leading Real Estate Companies in the world for its innovation with property listings and search engine optimization. Unlike other national real estate websites, Crye-Leike.com offers all area home listings including all home photos from the multiple listing service. Over 400,000 listings are updated every 12 minutes on Crye-Leike’s website to ensure the most accurate information. In comparison, studies revealed it can take 7-9 days for new home listings to appear on national sites such as Zillow and Trulia. With over 12,000 visitors per day and 30 million hits per month, no local company comes close to Crye-Like.com on internet activity.

Crye-Leike makes substantial investments to provide agents with the latest and most advanced technological tools in order to give them a viable advantage over the competition. Crye-Leike is the only real estate company in the region with a large team of in-house information technology specialists who are readily available to provide technical support and personal training to all sales associates. In 2015, Crye-Leike totaled 192,000 scheduled appointments for showings. Many calls for showings come after business hours and on weekends when many real estate companies are not open. Crye-Leike’s in-house appointment call center is available to schedule appointments on listings seven days a week until 8pm. Crye-Leike’s new appointment software enables home owners and agents to get an interactive view of showings for homes during the selling process. With the combination of in-house call center and custom mobile apps for agents, Crye-Leike offers a superior and more flexible service to give agents and home owners a greater level of collaboration when selling a home.

December 2016

Comfort: Continued from Page 7 pacity all the time. Two-stage furnaces have two separate heating settings—a lower setting that is used when the furnace turns on and runs during milder winter days and a higher stage for colder conditions. Modulating furnaces, such as the York® Affinity™ Series gas furnaces, can run at any speed within a set range, allowing them to choose the precise speed that’s most efficient for the given heating demand and offering the most energy-efficient heating solution. Also, consider installing a programmable thermostat to control your new HVAC system. These thermostats offer accurate, reliable, energy-saving performance, and in some cases they include Wi-Fi® support to work with mobile devices to easily program a system remotely. Step 4: Understand your warranty Finally, be sure to check the warranty coverage offered by the equipment manufacturer. Your contractor should be very clear about what’s covered. Also, ask whether an extended warranty is available and what advantages it offers. To learn more about energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) products, visit www.york. com, www.youtube.com/yorkhomecomfort and @YorkHVAC on Twitter or call (877) 874-7378.lower setting that is used when the furnace turns on and runs during milder winter days and a higher stage for colder conditions. Modulating furnaces, such as the York® Affinity™ Series gas furnaces, can run at any speed within a set range, allowing them to choose the precise speed that’s most efficient for the given heating demand and offering the most energyefficient heating solution. Also, consider installing a programmable thermostat to control your new HVAC system. These thermostats offer accurate, reliable, energy-saving performance, and in some cases they include Wi-Fi® support to work with mobile devices to easily program a system remotely. Step 4: Understand your warranty Finally, be sure to check the warranty coverage offered by the equipment manufacturer. Your contractor should be very clear about what’s covered. Also, ask whether an extended warranty is available and what advantages it offers. To learn more about energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) products, visit www.york. com, www.youtube.com/yorkhomecomfort and @YorkHVAC on Twitter or call (877) 874-7378.

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Atlanta’s real estate market on the rise: time to sell Brought to you by: Robin Blass #1 Individual Agent Coldwell Banker Atlanta 2015

Harry Norman, REALTORS Proudly Recognizes this Year’s Prestigious Harry Norman, REALTORS

Proudly Recognizes this Year’s Prestigious President’s Award Recipient President’s Award Recipient Nancy Murphy The President’s Award recognizes and honors Nancy Murphy Murphy Nancy the Harry Norman, REALTOR sales associates who has distinguished themselves in the industry, in the community, and in their professional, civic, or religious organizations. This award represents the giving of time, personal talents and abilities, and the sharing of resources for the betterment of the metropolitan Atlanta community.

Nancy has been with Harry Norman, REALTORS® since 2007 and has maintained a 5 Star Rating from her clients. For the last seven she Award has volunteered andhonors led thethe Harry Norman, REALTOR sales associates who The years, President’s recognizes and has distinguished industry, Shamrockin’ for a themselves Cure eventintotheraise fundsin the community, and in their professional, civic, or religious organizations. This award represents for Cystic Fibrosis. For her tireless work in the giving of time, personal talents and abilities, and the sharing of resources for the betterment of the metropolitan Atlanta community. these endeavors she has received the “Most Office: 678.461.8700 • Cell: 678.641.9962 Nancy hasaward been with Norman, REALTORS® since 2007 and has maintained a 5 Star Rating Inspiring” andHarry the “Lifetime Nancy.Murphy@HarryNorman.com from her clients. She has mentored many new agents, she has fostered an idea sharing group of Achievement Award”. seasoned agents for several years. Her volunteer work is also quite remarkable! For the last seven years, she has volunteered and led the Shamrockin’ for a Cure event to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis. In her tenure, they have raised over $1.1 million dollars. For her tireless work in these endeavors she has received the “Most Inspiring” award and the “Lifetime Achievement Award” but more importantly she has also helped improve the lives of children and families impacted by CF.

Atlanta’s real estate market is rising up. Compared to January of last year, our average sales price has increased by 6.6% and the average time it takes to sell a home decreased by 6.2%. High demand and fewer homes to choose from make for the perfect recipe for a seller’s market in our city. Due to a tight supply and low mortgage rates, home prices have been steadily rising nationally for the past several months. In 2015, Atlanta certainly lived up to those statistics. With low interest rates and sustained job growth in our city,

demand for homes has increased, boosting home value as a result. We’re seeing eager buyers, ready to put their best prices forward to ward off a slew of competition. Perhaps you’re wondering whether now blass truly is the best time to sell your home. The housing market doesn’t hibernate in the winter. Due to the quality of buyers, this can actually be the best time of year to make your move. Make sure you have a knowledgeable agent by your side to guide you through the process. Call me today at 404-403-6561.

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Weatherford Place – smart, healthy, living in the best of both worlds Brought to you by: Suzanne Close and Robin Ives, Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty New technology hooks up with historic charm and delivers unparalleled beauty, brawn and brilliance for high performance, easy living. Located in Historic Roswell and yet light-years away from the rest, Weatherford Place is a small enclave of distinctive homes designed and built for a healthy, environmentally responsible, energy and economically efficient lifestyle. These custom homes offer free electric power, free hot water and passive solar design with fully integrated solar photovoltaic and solar thermal systems. Natural light harvesting and healthy indoor air quality blend to breathe life and inspiration to interior spaces while superior materials, products and construction methodologies ensure energy conservation, high performance and low maintenance. Indoor air and water quality is assured by eliminating VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and radon with structured mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems within a sealed building envelope. Certified materials, finishes and mitigation systems for filtered fresh air intake address asthma, allergies and other respiratory health issues. Water conservation measures include low flow and gal/flush plumbing fixtures and tap ready hot water

along with rain harvesting and reuse systems. A total underground capacity of 20,000 gal supplies automated drip irrigation to individual homes and common areas. Feel secure whether it’s a walk around the block to Canton Street for dinner and drinks or a trip around the world for time away, as you view, monitor and manage your home from your web-enabled phone with turnkey ease. Enjoy this quiet community overlooking your private nature preserve and Certified Wildlife Habitat with drinks around the fire at the gazebo or stroll the meandering trails to sparkling Crossville Creek and the fire pit at waters’ edge. Third party inspectors have certified Weatherford Place with the lowest HERS ratings and largest collection of LEED for Homes at the Platinum Level. This USGBC* program represents the highest standards for built environments, worldwide. From terrace levels to lofts, work directly with award winning architect, Simone du Boise, AIA to customize plans and create your own individual environment. With new construction underway and only 3 lots left, call for a tour of Weatherford Place today. Lifetime Warranties on specific systems and 10 Year Professional Home Warranty backed by Zurich.$20,000 Federal Tax Credit and State Utility based Incentives through 2016 *United States Green Building Council – usgbc.org

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