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.

Millennials on the Move: Dunwoody in Position to Flourish Post-Covid

Dunwoody in Position to Flourish Post-COVID

The perfect combination of suburban and urban, Dunwoody is attracting Millennials

COVID-19 has already stunned our world and markets, it is also encouraging new ideas for our millennial movers and shakers. While millennials are fleeing the highly populated cities where COVID-19 is the most prevalent; suburban areas such as Dunwoody, are benefiting from their migration both residentially, commercially, & professionally.

Michael Starling, the city’s Economic Development Director, reported to FOX Business, “Dunwoody is a place where people come to work and raise a family, we are transitioning from having primarily retail and offices to more residential development. Now we are becoming more of a mixed-use place.”

Corporate companies are also growing and offering jobs in the area, this hybrid type of development area is appealing for the millennials and Gen Z groups. In fact, they make up 50% of the Dunwoody population with a median resident age of 36. This only further proves the movement and attractiveness of this area with the growing market and it can only go up from here. “The office and housing market are a value compared to living in Atlanta, Dunwoody is an affordable alternative people are looking for, whether it’s by choice or necessity. For a lot of these edge cities like Dunwoody, as growth has occurred, new jobs and employment follow,” Starling said.

Dunwoody has so many incredible attributes already and it just seems to be getting better. COVID-19 has caused a lot of people to reconsider their current residence and Dunwoody seems like the place to live! With a family-friendly environment, an increase in jobs, a more affordable cost of living, access to public transit, and a quick commute to the city – it should be no surprise that the population of residential buyers and more companies are coming to check out what Dunwoody real estate has to offer.

How COVID-19 is Changing Buyer Needs

With people spending more time in their homes than ever before, the “must-haves” of a home today are very different from the “must-haves” of a year ago. Whether it be more room for a home office, a renovated kitchen for more home-cooked meals, or a relaxing backyard escape, potential homebuyers need their homes to match their new lifestyle.

How COVID-19 is Impacting Schools

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 3% of students in the United States were home-schooled during the 2011-12 school year. But a poll taken in May of more than 2,100 parents found that 40% said they were more likely to home-school or virtual school even after certain restrictions were lifted.

As a result, when looking for their next home, one of the top priorities for many families is a designated space for their children to work in. With multiple states requiring different school re-opening strategies, many families will need to accommodate the sudden need for space for students to work in.

Designate a Home Office

Due to COVID-19, working from home has become a viable option for many. As a result, one of the top features that home buyers are looking for today is a designated home office.

Having a proper office space can help remote workers acclimate to their work style and be more productive. Like students, without a designated place to work, it is very easy to become unorganized, distracted, or even stressed. A home office gives homeowners a mini workspace to emulate any on-location position they held in the past.

Aside from the convenience of working from home, a designated home office could potentially increase your home’s estimated value by approximately $10,562 according to the Top Agent Insights Q2 2020 Report by HomeLight.

Find the Perfect Chef’s Kitchen

Although finding a home with a designated workspace is one of the top priorities for potential homebuyers, finding a home with an updated kitchen comes in at a close second.

Sick of buying delivery or ordering take-out, many people have turned to cooking and baking for themselves. New data from Influence Central shows that 88% of consumers are cooking more meals at home in the midst of the pandemic with 49% making meals from scratch. With the new wave of amateur bakers and chefs, having a space to hone their new craft is an addition to homebuyer wish lists.

Finding the Perfect Outdoor Oasis

Until a vaccine is created, many homebuyers are looking for their own outdoor oasis. Instead of outings to crowded cities or trips to the park, many are preferring the comfort of their backyard. The backyard is a journey to relaxation and play and during the midst of this pandemic, it’s the one place that many homebuyers want to escape.

In addition, while landscaping and curb appeal projects have traditionally been the most-recommended for marketability, any home seller who can boast a backyard private oasis will likely catch the attention of a stir-crazy nation.

Contact Us

Even though COVID-19 continues to sweep the nation, life continues to flourish inside of our homes. Families are now spending more time than ever inside in the comfort of their homes. With more time at home, you may be rethinking how your wish list has changed for your dream home. Will you need more space for home learning or an updated kitchen for new, delicious recipes?

Contact us at KarenCannon.com to learn more about how we can help you find the perfect home to fit your changing needs. Explore Dunwoody homes for sale and Sandy Springs home for sale.

Common Home Buying Mistakes to Avoid

When it comes to buying a home, many people lead with their heart. However, getting wrapped up in the emotion of the experience can cause you to overlook some important details. If you aren’t careful, you might make some major mistakes that can delay – or even prevent – closing on the home you’ve chosen. Here are some common home buying mistakes to avoid:

Failing to Get Pre-Approved

In today’s market, heading to the bank or mortgage company to be pre-qualified should be one of your first steps when you start thinking about buying a home. The process is relatively painless and can help you get a realistic picture of what sort of home you can really afford. Pre-qualification also signals to sellers and agents that you’re ready to buy and that you have no interest in wasting their time.

When taking out a home loan, make sure to understand the basic process, how your credit score will be taken into consideration, the avenues where you can get a loan, and the types of loans that are available to you.

Misunderstanding The Total Price Tag

Even if you have an idea of your budget, many homebuyers fail to set a specific price ceiling for the home they can afford. When hunting for homes, ask your lender to discuss closing costs with you – beyond a simple down-payment, there are often other fees associated with getting a loan and can add up quickly.

Inspections, title insurance, and legal fees should all be a part of your budget planning process from the beginning. There’s nothing more upsetting than having an offer accepted and finding out that you can’t pull the cash together to seal the deal.

Skipping the Pre-Purchase Home Inspection

Skimping on your home inspection could seem like a money-saver, but could end up costing you a bundle in future home repairs. You may feel that the money for the inspection would better serve you as part of the down payment, but don’t be tempted to skip it. No matter how nice the house looks, or what the sellers tell you about its condition, always get a house inspected before you buy it. There are so many little details (and potentially major problems) that only a trained professional can spot.

Even if you’re willing to overlook some problems, it’s better to know exactly what you are buying, including any possible issues. A thorough inspection usually costs a few hundred dollars and is worth every penny.

Opting Against A Home Protection Plan

In the event that your home inspector misses a repair or issue with the home prior to your purchase, you can be left with huge repair bills for an unanticipated issue. A home protection plan, which you can arrange through your real estate agent or mortgage company, is a short-term insurance plan to hedge against just this sort of unforeseen issue – usually for a period of one year from the closing date. While they don’t cover every issue of a home, it offers peace of mind and costs are low. The benefits, should you need them, can help.

Failing to Hire a Real Estate Agent

With so many resources for finding homes for sale online, it can be tempting to go it alone. But without a qualified Realtor by your side, you are making yourself vulnerable to being taken advantage of, or not understanding everything in the contract. No one knows the housing marketing or what factors go into a home’s value like a professional real estate agent. When they specialize in the area in which you are looking, a Realtor is familiar with factors like the age of the homes in certain communities, market value, school ratings, traffic and commute details, and accessibility to shopping or public transportation.

All buyers have access to the same real estate websites that you do. As a result, in many markets, homes that show up through these mediums can be snatched up before you can schedule a visit. But with a good agent on your side, you may be shown homes that haven’t even hit the market yet. Armed with your specific requirements, the right agent can have you open the front door for a walk-through before other buyers even know about the property.

At Karen Cannon, Realtors, every agent on our team has been carefully chosen for his or her professionalism, industry knowledge, and connection to the community. We connect buyers and sellers better than anyone because we often know about homes for sale prior to listing. Let us be your advocate throughout the home buying process and help you avoid these common mistakes. We’ll save you time and money, and help you find the home that is perfect for you.

Get started today by exploring Dunwoody real estate, Sandy Springs real estate, and Chamblee real estate.

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.