close up of male hand packing cardboard box

4 Downsizing Tips for Empty-Nesters

Sending your birdies off to fly in the world can make any parent anxious, let alone having to deal with the possible idea of downsizing. You don’t want to lose space or part ways with the memories you’ve made in their childhood home. The good news is you don’t have to. Downsizing has many benefits and doesn’t mean moving into a smaller home. It could be that you want a home that requires less maintenance, an HOA-free neighborhood, or something that’s a better fit for your budget or new empty-nester lifestyle.

Whatever your situation may be, we have 4 tips to help make downsizing as an empty-nester simpler and stress-free:

Get an Idea of What You’re Looking For

Before you make any sudden decisions, it’s best to get an idea of what you want. Do you want a master on the main? Fewer bedrooms? A smaller yard? A home that requires less upkeep? Smaller neighborhood? Solidifying this list early-on will make your transition much smoother, as you will have a sense of direction and structure to find what you want. Ask your realtor to help you narrow down your choices. A realtor provides extensive knowledge about neighborhoods, price points, and can lend an expert perspective to make your vision crystal clear.

Declutter & Organize

Your kids are all grown up and have gone off to college and many of their childhood possessions have been left behind. You’ll want to keep some things, but that old drum set that never quite got used could go, right? Downsizing is a great time to declutter and make your home fit the new season that you’ve begun as an empty-nester. Don’t be afraid to part ways with old items your children have grown out of or things you know you won’t use. A wonderful way to make cutting the cord easier is donating the items to local second-hand shops or charities. Even though you’re parting ways, you know someone else who really needs it will get it. It’s a win-win.

Create a New Lifestyle For Yourself

Finally the fun part! Empty-nesting is a great time to rediscover yourself and create a new, vivacious lifestyle for yourself. Take up that salsa class you can’t stop thinking about. Join a local sports club. Commit to monthly spa days and golfing. This is your time to enjoy YOU. Turn that extra bedroom into your personal den or hobby room. You could even redecorate or renovate parts of your home to fit your style. Whatever lifestyle you want to create for yourself, this is an exciting and invigorating time to do it.

Reduce Your Monthly Expenses

Downsizing is also a prime time to start saving extra cash for retirement. As your adult children begin supporting themselves, your monthly child-care expenses will start disappearing. Use this transition to look for ways to repurpose the extra money. A home that requires less maintenance, lower HOA dues, or infrequent landscaping may eliminate even more expenses and allow you to put your money to better use. The stash you create for yourself today will surely come in handy for retirement later.

While the thought of downsizing may be daunting, it can be done! Use these tips to give yourself a head start on this new journey as an empty-nester. Still need some advice or have questions? We want to help make this transition as smooth as possible for you!

We have helped hundreds of clients downsize and paired them with the right resources to start the process. We can help you find the right place to make your move. Give us a call us at 770-352-9658 send us an email at Info@KarenCannon.com. Check out our current listings here.

5 Extracurricular Activities That Will Improve Your Child’s Cognitive Function

Now that school is back in session, many parents wonder if the school’s curriculum is enough to promote their child’s cognitive development. Fortunately, opportunities for young minds to think, reason, and grow don’t stop when the last bell rings.

Here are five extracurricular activities that will help improve your child’s memory, information processing, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

STEM Clubs

Extracurricular activities that involve critical thinking are an excellent way to boost brain function. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) clubs have become increasingly popular over the last decade at all education levels and are available through many after-school programs. Unlike the typical classroom, these clubs encourage experiential learning. Children involved in STEM activities develop stronger problem-solving skills and are more likely to remain interested in science and mathematics courses through high school and college.

Athletics

Physical activity is a fantastic way to promote a healthy mind and body. Sports and other recreational activities improve cognitive functions through social, psychological, and fine/gross motor skill development. These activities also promote achievement and recognition, which directly affect a child’s self-esteem. Children who have confidence in their self-worth become better problem solvers and decision-makers. If your child isn’t a fan of team sports, there are plenty of individual sports like tennis, swimming, golf, and fencing in your area that are equally beneficial.

Art Classes

A child’s capacity for creativity plays an important role in how they process new information. Time should be made available for both structured and unstructured creative activities. Unstructured creativity also allows a child to more effectively process, reflect upon, and absorb traditional subject areas in their academic curriculum. Structured creative projects combine the freedom of imaginative thinking with the logic and reason required to complete a task or goal. Art classes, clubs, or camps are a wonderful way to engage both halves of the brain and promote cognitive development.

Scouting

Scouts BSA and The Girls Scouts are accessible in almost every community across the country with millions of scouts in thousands of troops across the nation. In addition to survival and citizenship education, scouting organizations teach self-reliance and decision-making skills. Many of their activities provide an outlet for children to apply these skills in real-world scenarios or incorporate aspects of the other activities listed above. Scouting at a young age is intended to be a family activity and a fantastic way to actively engage with your child.

Virtual Teams

In moderation, screen-time doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Schools are investing in the eGaming industry, which may even become part of the Olympics by 2024. Competitive games improve strategic thinking and making decisions under pressure while creative world-building games improve spatial perception, logistics, and cooperation to achieve a common goal. With the appropriate guidance and structure, virtual activities can be so much more than a way to pass the time.

Nearly all of these activities are already available in your area. Offering a healthy and fun outlet for children to learn and grow is essential for their mental development. Cognitive development is all about change. Extracurricular activities like these are the perfect way to start your child on a path for success in an ever-changing world.

At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we are local real estate experts for Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, and North Atlanta. We live, work, and play here, and our agents are handpicked for their connections in the community. Our clients know about homes coming on the market before anyone else. And our highly effective marketing program allows us to shorten the number of days on the market. We’ve even put homes under contract sight unseen!

If you are thinking about selling your home, or are interested in moving into Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or the surrounding areas, call us at (770) 352-9658 or send us an email at Info@KarenCannon.com. Check out our current listings here.

cheerful young black couple holding sold sign and celebrating their house been sold

Tips for First Time Home Sellers

When buying your first home, it’s normal to be a bit scared – but also excited about plans for the future. You’re anxious to fill your home with memories, and selling is the furthest thing from your mind. However, as time passes and your family grows or kids move out, you might start thinking about looking for a home that’s more suitable for your current lifestyle.

Once you’ve made the decision to sell, it’s common to have a lot of questions about the process, pricing and preparations necessary to put it on the market. It can seem daunting at first, but the KCR team is here to answer your questions and walk you through every step. Here are some tips to help you prepare to sell your first home.

Expect Emotions to Run High

It’s normal to be emotional about your home, and it’s okay to shed a few tears when you start the selling process. You’ve celebrated holidays, entertained friends and family, and hopefully made some great memories in this home. However, as soon as you’ve made the decision to sell, your home becomes a financial asset. You have to think of it as your “property.” As hard as it is, try to remove any emotion from the sale of your property.

First Impressions are Everything

Your property’s condition will determine whether you make a quick sale or struggle through the process. Improve your property as much as possible before putting it on the market – within reason. This means taking a good look around and repairing the small problems that potential buyers will notice. Repair leaking faucets, touch up paint, de-clutter common areas, and plant fresh flowers. Try to see your home as a buyer would when they enter for the first time.

Don’t Try to Go It Alone

Selling your home in Atlanta without a Realtor may seem like a good way to avoid paying commission, but you may end up costing yourself more money if the house lingers on the market or you don’t get top dollar. Often, homes that are listed ‘by owner’ are overpriced (due to the homeowners’ emotional ties to the house and inability to see its value clearly) and may sit on the market for months. In many cases, the seller takes a price that’s less than the market value out of sheer frustration.

At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we understand the current market trends and are knowledgeable in home values so that we know how to price your home correctly to help you maximize the value. Once the house is listed, we’ll walk beside you every step of the way – from the initial conversation with a buyer to the contract and paperwork details.

For every house we list, we provide professional photography and videography, home staging, 3D virtual tours and social media promotion. In fact, 10% of our homes sell prior to listing because of our comprehensive marketing efforts and our connections within the community. Selling your first home can be stressful, and it is our job to take the stress of selling off your shoulders.

If you are thinking about selling your home, call us at 770-352-9658 to schedule a conversation.

How to Tackle the 4 Most Common Types of Clutter

Whether you are making room for a new addition to the family or downsizing, de-cluttering is a must. We know how difficult it can be to decide what to keep and what to ditch. First, you have to understand just what kind of clutter is piling up in your home. Here are the 4 most commons types of clutter and how to tackle each:

Clutter Without a Home

Some of your clutter isn’t actually clutter; it just doesn’t have a home. It could be mail you haven’t opened yet or books that are piling up because your bookshelf is overflowing. This type of accumulation is going take a few extra steps because it’s not about a ditch or keep pile.

You have to be a little bit more strategic in creating storage space. It may require buying a few storage bins, but it will be worth it to see everything in their rightful place. Clear and labeled plastic containers work for most items in the home whether it’s a temporary or permanent solution to your clutter. Try to place your containers where they make the most sense. A small container for the mail should go wherever you normally drop your mail off when entering your home. A larger container can be placed next to the shelf for any books that won’t fit.

Aspirational Clutter

This type of clutter is the stuff that you buy in hopes to someday use. It’s just like the coffee table book you keep on display but have never sat down to read. Whether it’s the set of golf clubs collecting dust or the skiing wardrobe for that vacation that never seems to get booked, we are all guilty of making aspirational purchases.

If your purchases have started to pile up and you’re not using them, it could be time to find them a new home. Ask yourself questions like: Am I really interested in golf? Do I really plan to go skiing? Am I actually going to use this or that? If you say maybe or no to any of these questions, you may want to put them in the ditch pile or try to sell them.

Bargain Clutter

You may have guessed from the name, the type of clutter we’re referring to – bargains. If you can’t resist the urge to buy when there is a good sale and often find your purchases stacking high, you may have some bargain clutter. It can seem easy to justify a purchase when it’s on sale, but that doesn’t mean you should bring it into your home.

The best way to tackle this kind of clutter is to go through all of your items and determine what you actually need. If you don’t need it, put it in the ditch pile. Next time you see a sale, think long and hard about whether you are buying just because.

Sentimental Clutter

If you’re afraid to throw out your old baby blanket or your child’s first pair of shoes, you could be holding onto sentimental clutter. This is the hardest clutter to get rid of because there is an emotional attachment to these items. Deciding what to throw out and what to keep may stir up some emotions.

Carefully choose just a few items to hold onto as mementos. Which items bring you the most joy? Always remember that getting rid of things is not getting rid of the memory. Determine what is really meaningful and what’s just stuff. It’s understandable to want to keep old love letters or birthday cards, but they don’t have to take up space. Take a digital scan and create a folder on your computer or a hard drive. You can reclaim your space while having the option to go back through them if you want to take a walk down memory lane.

You should also think about if the size of your house and whether the items that are filling it suits your lifestyle. Some of our clients, for example, are ready to downsize. With kids out of the house, they are typically looking for a home that is just for them. On the other hand, some of our other clients have outgrown their home as their family grows, so decluttering can help in the packing and moving process. Whether you’re interested in something bigger or smaller, Karen Cannon, Realtors can help you find something that is perfect for you.

At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we are local real estate experts for Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, and North Atlanta. We live, work, and play here, and our agents are hand-picked for their connections in the community. Our clients know about homes coming on the market before anyone else. And our highly effective marketing program allows us to shorten the number of days on the market. We’ve even put homes under contract sight unseen!

If you are thinking about selling your home, or are interested in moving into Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or the surrounding areas, call us at 770-352-9658.

Benefits of Using Virtual Tours to Attract Buyers

As technology evolves, so does the selling and buying experience. Now, there are more immersive and interactive techniques being used in real estate. At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we always have our ears to the ground with the latest technology that can enhance and improve our clients’ buying and selling experience. When 3D Virtual Tours became available, we hopped on board to offer this enhancement as a part of our service, and we have seen great success ever since. We offer a truly immersive experience so that buyers can feel like they are in the home. If you’re a skeptic, we’re here to tell you there are some great benefits to using virtual tours to attract buyers.

It captures potential buyers in remote locations

Let’s face it; moving to another part of town can be hard let alone another state! Virtual tours open up the opportunity to capture buyers from all over the world. With our 3D Virtual Tours, we have a specialist that uses a unique 3D camera to capture every single angle of your home for buyers to later explore on our website. It’s a virtual walkthrough that buyers can enjoy no matter where they are and no matter the time of day.

It gets more eyes on your home

One of the goals of having virtual tours available is to find buyers seriously interested in your home quickly. The virtual tour is like an “always open house,” and the client can spend as little or as much time in each room as they want. The longer a client spends looking through sections of your home, the more they can imagine themselves owning it. Studies have shown that virtual tours get 49% more qualified leads and get 40% more clicks than listings without.

There are times when only one partner is available to view a listing in person. The 3D virtual tour allows both parties to get a feel for the home. In addition, if a buyer is interested, but wants others to weigh in on a home, the 3D tour gives them the opportunity. Whether it’s a parent or a spouse, they can view the home at their convenience which can help move these along in their decision making.

It showcases your home in pristine shape 24/7

Showcasing a property is just a part of the home-selling process. Your home has to look great whenever we showcase your home to potential buyers, and some sellers find this to be a hassle. While showing a home in person will most likely still happen, the 3D virtual tour allows buyers to step inside of your home, virtually, whenever they want to and for as long as they want to. It also offers a floor plan and dollhouse view that allows the seller to virtually place furniture to give them a visual idea of what the home would look like furnished. The seller won’t feel as rushed as they normally would for say an open house or a showing because it is on their time. Having that added time allows the buyer to decide if they are serious about buying. If they are, they will reach out to us to either make an offer or see the home in person.

We provide 3D virtual tours for every listing as well as home staging, professional photography, and videography. We also provide unique and targeted social media marketing tactics. As we mentioned before, the goal is to get serious buyers interested in your home. The 3D tour introduces buyers to the home. Whenever they’re ready to view the home in person, we always have an agent available.

If you are thinking about selling your home, or are interested in moving into Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or the surrounding areas, call us at 770-352-9658.

Source: Matterport