Thinking of Selling? Here’s What You Need to Know

Home Selling in the Spring

Spring can be the most popular time of the year to sell a home. In the midst of spring cleaning and a fresh start, it’s common for people to begin thinking about buying a new home. For sellers, this means an influx of excited buyers, but it also means there are more homes hitting the market. The Dunwoody and Sandy Springs neighborhoods are very competitive markets for finding a home so it can be advantageous to list sooner rather than later.

If you’re considering selling a home this spring, here is some advice to prepare yourself for a success.

What to Do When Preparing to Sell Your Home

One of the most important factors of any home listing is the way it looks online. Great homes are showcased through excellent marketing, high-definition photography, and 3D virtual tours. You can also help prepare your home for re-sale by choosing a top-rated Realtor who specializes in your area.

Here are few recommended items to help your home stand out from the competition:

Taking care of minor repairs
Neutralize paint colors
Replace old carpet
Clean and declutter your home
Pressure wash the driveway
Add fresh mulch or pine straw to your landscaping

It’s amazing what fresh paint and repairing nicks, scratches, and all the “little” things can do before a house hits the market. Sellers who put in the effort to make these small repairs and pay attention to the details that buyers are sure to notice, are apt to be rewarded more with offers, a higher sales price, and a quicker home sale.

Staging a Home for Better Showings

Ideally, a home should be staged for potential buyers, so they can see everything the property has to offer. Staging should be thought out so that the result matches the style of the home and the needs of the local market. A top local Realtor should be able to offer staging assistance;

For instance, if you have a spacious four-bedroom home and most buyers in the area tend to be empty nesters, staging the bedrooms as a great master suite, a guest room, and a functional home office would make more sense than staging kids’ rooms or a nursery.

Sellers should understand the comparable homes in the neighborhood and be certain that the home staging showcases its best features — especially those that nearby homes don’t have. For instance, natural light should be emphasized, as well as a large yard, extra storage, and so on.

Using Market Conditions to Your Favor

Spring is a great time of year to sell your home but hire a trusted and experience Realtor to have you navigate the market.

At Karen Cannon Realtors, we specialize in home selling in Sandy Springs, Dunwoody and North Atlanta and offer a team approach to help our clients reach their goals. We know that when it comes to selling a home, you need a professional, experienced team by your side. In 2020, we sold 124 homes. Over 10% of our sales were sold prior to listing because of the deep connections in the communities we provide.

Our homes sell on average in 25 days and at 99% of list price, that means our homes sell in half the time of other sales! Get in touch with a reliable, professional Realtor like Karen Cannon for tips, advice, and help with the next step of your home ownership journey.

Five Fun Atlanta Events For the Family This Fall

It’s one of the best times of the year: fall! And you know what means, endless festivals, county fairs, pumpkin patches, and Halloween! There’s plenty of activities for everyone to enjoy this season throughout Atlanta and surrounding areas. Here are 5 popular family-friendly fall outings that will make your autumn even more memorable.

Truck-or-Treat

Join the City of Dunwoody as they host this year’s final Food Truck Thursday with a festive Truck-or-Treat day, October 24th from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. at Brook Run Park! This day will include the usual tasty delights and great music with a Halloween twist. Bring out your best costumes for an all-ages costume contest. There will also be Dunwoody Police vehicle exhibits. Find out more information here.

North Atlanta Fall Festival

The North Atlanta Fall Festival will take place on October 27th from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. at 5185 Peachtree Dunwoody Road. Have a few little ones that want to tag along? No worries! Babysitting will be provided during the festival. Enjoy trunk-or-treat, games, delicious food, fun booths, and costume contests! You can learn more about the NA Fall Festival here.

Spooky Springs

Get spooky at the City of Sandy Springs’ Spooky Springs festival on October 26th, from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. in Abernathy Greenway Park. Every October, this safe, family-friendly event brings out young trick-or-treaters ready to indulge in games, costume attractions, and plenty of candy! If you’re looking for a safe environment for your children to enjoy Trick-or-Treating, you’ve found the place! Learn more here.

Art in the Park

Art in the Park puts a creative spin on Halloween festivities. Spend the evening painting a “cat in a pumpkin” at this artsy event happening October 26th from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. in the Hammond Community Building. Bring your own non-alcoholic beverage and snacks while socializing and creating art with your family and friends! Click here to learn more about Art in the Park.

Fall-o-ween Fest

The Fall-o-ween Fest is a free annual event featuring lawn games, trunk-or-treating, and their very own hay maze! It will take place on October 27th from 5 p.m.-9 p.m in the Home Depot Backyard. You’ll also be able to showcase your best costume and enjoy a movie night under the stars. Families and friends are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the outdoor showing of Coco. Popcorn and drinks will be available for purchase along with food from local vendors! Find out more about this fun fest here.

Like what you see? Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Roswell, and the surrounding area offers year-round activities for the entire family. 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.

Homebuying Tips Millennial Homebuyers Should Know

According to the National Association of Realtors 2019 report, millennials make up the largest percentage of homebuyers. Millennials looking to buy a home also face something many buyers before them didn’t: student loan debt. Based on the stats, this factor doesn’t stop them from finding their dream home. With proper planning, saving, and expert Realtor guidance, everyone can eventually find the right place to call home.

Save For the Down Payment

Due to the age group, the mortgage loan route is most popular among millennials. Saving a good chunk towards your down payment can considerably lower your interest rates, avoid mandatory private mortgage insurance, and lower your monthly mortgage rate. Mortgage brokers, banks, and Realtors recommend putting down 10%-20%. Saving a lump sum is easier said than done, so carve out a solid plan and don’t deviate from it. When you find yourself getting discouraged and dipping into your fund, remember what you’re saving for and stick to it!

Count the Costs

There are a lot of quiet costs during the homebuying process. Besides the down payment, there’s the home inspection fee, earnest money, possible repairs, appraisal fee, insurance, lender fees, and moving costs. Do your research to get a general idea of typical expenses and work with your Lender to estimate how much your fees will be. Use a spreadsheet to track your expenses and homebuying fees to build a budget that covers these costs without pulling from your savings.

Eliminate as Much Debt as Possible

One issue that stops or slows some millennial buyers from pursuing homeownership is the assumption that you can’t afford it. However, you can definitely afford it! Pay off credit card debt, make student loan payments, and eliminate any other debts you may have while saving to buy a home. Hiring a finance coach can also help point you in the right direction if it fits in your budget. There’s a reason why millennials are dominating the homebuyer statistics; you’ve taken steps like these to coordinate your finances!

Understand the Buyer Process

Overall, knowledge of the buying process will make your journey smoother. As a first-time homebuyer, you may not know where to begin in the buying process. Do you know which questions to ask? Do you know how much earnest money you will need or which lender to use to secure your financing? Do you know what is a fair offer price? The benefit of an experienced Realtor is they can not only guide you through the process, but they can ensure your best interests are being looked after as well. Finding a Realtor who will take the time to listen to your questions and answer them thoroughly will alleviate several mistakes and missed steps that could potentially arise without their guidance.

If you’re looking for an expert real estate team to assist you in buying your first home in Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, and the surrounding areas, Karen Cannon Realtors is here to help you. We can help find the right place to call your home. Give us a call us at 770-352-9658 send us an email at Info@KarenCannon.com. Check out our current listings here.

Brookhaven: A Perfect Balance of City & Suburban Life

Brookhaven has always been known for its unique proximity to Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood and the international corridor that runs through it along Buford Highway. Brookhaven is charming and quaint, and while it only covers 12 miles, it offers neighborhoods to suit all types of families.

Historic Brookhaven

Historic Brookhaven was the home of the most prominent Atlantans when it was first built in the early 1900s. With homes designed by a number of well-known Atlanta architects of the pre-war period, this neighborhood was built around the Capital City Country Club’s 18-hole golf course. Architects like A.F.N. Everett and Preston Stevens, Sr. built these homes as summer retreats, taking into account sun patterns and when light hits certain areas of the homes. The porch, study and living areas are on the east side of the homes to take in the morning sun. The dining room and kitchen are on the south side to bring in the afternoon sun. This still known for being one of metro Atlanta’s wealthiest neighborhoods.

North Brookhaven

This suburban community is home to two large parks, Blackburn Park and Murphy Candler Park, the Nancy Creek PATH trail, historic Peachtree Golf Club and top-rated public and private schools. Surrounded by various residential subdivisions, North Brookhaven also contains a restaurant and retail district, located at Ashford Dunwoody and Johnson Ferry Roads, where you can grab a bite to eat, shop or take a walk.

Brookhaven Village

Brookhaven Village is the name given to the town center that emerged at Village Place Brookhaven on Dresden Drive, east of the Brookhaven MARTA station. It’s a small neighborhood with gorgeous townhomes that feature architectural details and accents. A number of restaurants and shops have been added to form a mixed-use development where residents and visitors can live, work and play.

Town Brookhaven

Town Brookhaven is one of the city’s newest mixed-use developments, located on Peachtree Road next to Oglethorpe University. This pedestrian-friendly village is 460,000 square feet of shops, services, and restaurants. Residents can spend an entire day here, checking out local boutiques, enjoying one of the many restaurants, or catching a movie at the Cinebistro. There are events scheduled year-round at Town Brookhaven like the Best of Town in the spring that highlights the best food and drinks at the restaurants in the developments.

Brookhaven is quickly becoming a popular destination to eat, work, and play in the metro Atlanta area. It’s a thriving suburban community with a small town feel and all of the perks of the big city. The area attracts visitors of all ages, from Oglethorpe University students to empty nesters.

At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we are local real estate experts for Brookhaven, 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 Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or the surrounding areas, call us at 770-352-9658 send us an email at Info@KarenCannon.com. Check out our current listings here.

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.