6 Home Staging Dos and Don’ts

Properly staging your home can make a huge difference in the time it takes to sell. In a 2019 National Association of Realtors report, a quarter of buyers’ agents said that staging a home increased the buyer’s offer by 1-5% compared to similar homes that weren’t staged. It’s safe to say that going the extra mile is worth the time and money.

DO Enhance Your Curb Appeal

The outside of your home is a potential buyer’s first impression, so you have to make it count. Spruce up your landscaping and your home’s exterior appearance. Plant flowers, mow your lawn, trim the hedges, repaint the shutters and front door, and add a charming welcome mat.

DO Declutter

Clutter is your kryptonite when staging. The goal of home staging is for the buyer to imagine themselves living in your home. That’s difficult when rooms are overcrowded with too much furniture and personal belongings. Keep it simple and declutter each room. This will not only help keep the buyer focused on the home’s amenities, but also make your rooms look bigger.

Do Remove Personal Items

You are more likely to make a sale if the buyer can visualize themselves in the home. This can be difficult if your listed property feels like your home instead of their home. While you cannot predict the tastes of each individual, you can create a tasteful but neutral aesthetic that is appealing to most buyers. Remove any personal items, artwork, photos, or other decorations that reflect your unique personality and interests.

DON’T Overstage

While staging is important, don’t overdo it. You don’t need to buy a bunch of new furniture and cover every inch of space on the wall. Remember, the goal is to appeal to the most buyers by keeping it simple and spacious. Today’s buyers often prefer neutral paint and uncluttered furniture spaces. This will leave more opportunity for them to easily imagine themselves living in your house. Staging can be as simple as rearranging furniture and displaying tasteful items you already own to present your home favorably online and in-person.

DO Focus On The Rooms That Count

Don’t feel the need to perfect every room. The 2019 NARs report also found that staging the living room was found to be most important for buyers, followed by staging the master bedroom, and the kitchen. Focus your energy on making sure these rooms capture buyers’ attention the most.

DON’T Do Major Renovations

We understand the pressure is on when selling your home. But most likely, there’s no need to turn your home into an HGTV project. Best practices are to make improvements where they have the most impact like re-painting, replacing old flooring, and updating fixtures.

At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we offer professional home staging for listings as a value-added service to help our clients sell faster at top dollar. If you’re looking to sell a home in Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, or the North Atlanta area, give us a call us at 770-352-9658 or send us an email at info@KarenCannon.com. Check out our current listings here.

Chamblee: A Vibrant Community With A Vintage Touch

The City of Chamblee, located in northern Dekalb, is a vibrant, diverse community just 14 miles from downtown Atlanta. Chamblee offers international flair while maintaining its vintage buildings and architecture with plenty of entertaining locations for residents of all ages to explore.

Chamblee is known as a city embodying three entities: dairy, railroads, and the military. Originally known for its dairy farms, this city has become one of the most thriving urban cities with a diverse community. In the late 19th century, two intersecting railroads were constructed, one being used to transport residents between Atlanta and Charlotte, NC. Chamblee was also home to Camp Gordon, a military operation and training facility that was home to 40,000 servicemen during World War I and World War II. The site caused a building boom as a result of the city’s sudden growth in population. After Camp Gordon was closed following the war, it reopened as the Navy Flight Training Center.

Most homes in Chamblee embody a traditional style. Much of its residential development took place during the 1947 blue-collar industry surge after the General Motors plant opened in Doraville. The city’s resident occupancy skyrocketed due to its affordable housing and close proximity to the plant.

Peachtree Park, also known as City Hall Park, is located in the center of downtown Chamblee next to City Hall. Constructed in 1995, this downtown park serves as a modified town square with its elaborate arbor. The park is a favorite spring and summer lunch spot for surrounding office workers with its numerous benches and covered gazebo.

During the early 2000s, Chamblee began growing and become more refined. A new city hall was constructed in 2002. In 2010, Chamblee attached an area that includes Huntley Hills and the population was estimated at 5,000 residents. Peachtree Industrial Boulevard went on to be renamed as Peachtree Boulevard and the city began taking steps to revitalize its downtown area.

Atlanta’s Chinatown Mall is located in the heart of Downtown Chamblee. Opening in 1988, it has been the cultural center for the growing population of Chinese Americans in and around DeKalb County, GA. The I.D.E.A. Gallery has unique energy as a platform for artists to showcase their work in a non-traditional style that creates beautiful harmony between different pieces.

Plaza Fiesta, a 350,000 square-foot retail center that draws 4.4 million visitors a year from all over the Southeast, was first opened in 1968 as the Buford-Clairmont Mall. In 1996 the strip was remodeled as a busy Hong Kong street and renamed the Oriental Mall. Just four years later, new owners spent $11 million to transform the mall into Plaza Fiesta. With over 280 retail and specialty stores, a dozen restaurants, healthcare services, a fitness center and the largest indoor playground in Georgia, Plaza Fiesta is a hub of activity seven days a week.

Over the span of 100+ years, Chamblee doubled in size and continues to expand its thriving city. It now holds a population of almost 30,000 residents. In addition to being a hub of cultural diversity, Chamblee is known for some of the best-in-class festivals and events. The popular Taste of Chamblee Festival is the city’s largest event with cuisine from many of the incredible international restaurants along Atlanta’s International Corridor, Buford Highway.

This up and coming community still has plenty of resources and room to grow. Chamblee residences are in high demand among empty-nesters and other homeowners looking to downsize while remaining close to Atlanta. Chamblee’s revitalization of the historic district is expected to draw even more business infrastructure, robust restaurant selections, residential developments, and plenty of green space for years to come. As new developments continue to emerge throughout the city, there will be a constant aim to make transit easily accessible while also fostering a pedestrian-friendly community.

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 Chamblee, 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.

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.

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.