If you are even remotely interested in interior design or optimizing your home’s storage, then the name “Marie Kondo” is probably familiar to you. While her method and her books have been around for quite some time, she became a household name after Netflix produced the series, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, where the queen of organization shares her methods with those who live in chaotic homes.
While we may not have Marie Kondo’s tidying clout, here at Karen Cannon, Realtors we have picked up a few tips about organizing your home when you are preparing to sell and show it off to buyers.
Here are three tips from our team for tidying up before selling:
Half-way Empty Your Closets
This tip may sound strange, but when you’re looking for a home, what is one thing you are subconsciously searching for? Storage! Storage is a huge draw for buyers, and one of the best ways you can prepare your home is removing half of the items from your closet and organizing the other half. This shows potential buyers that there is plenty of room for everything they need to store, plus more. Also, remember buyers may snoop around, so chose what you display – in and out of your closets – carefully.
De-personalize Your Home
Although this process may seem a bit premature, removing your personal items from your home allows those looking to envision their family and lifestyle fitting into your home. A great rule of thumb for this is for every three pictures/ personal keepsakes, keep one out and pack away two. This will allow you to get a head start on packing and will allow prospects to imagine calling your house their “home.”
The First Impression is the Only Impression
In order to sell to a buyer, you need to think like one. What is the first thing a buyer sees when they pull up to your property? It’s not the kitchen or the awesome living room – it’s the exterior of the house! Your curb appeal matters, so take the time to tidy up your porch, garden, and yard by pulling those ugly weeds, sweeping mulch off and pressure washing your sidewalk, trimming those shrubs, and fixing or replacing anything with peeled paint. The front door of your home is an extremely important space as the buyer will be analyzing this area while their agent is opening the lockbox/unlocking the front door. Knock down the cobwebs, clean the sidelight windows/porch lights, plant fresh flowers, and provide touch up the paint where needed as these few simple and easy chores will make all the difference when a potential buyer first sees your home.
Tidying up in these three areas are just one way you can fast track selling your home and finding your next one. If selling your home seems overwhelming, the team at Karen Cannon, Realtors is here to walk with you through each stage of the home selling and buying process.
Click here to contact us by phone, or fill out the form at the bottom of the page and someone from our team will contact you shortly!
When it comes to buying or selling a home, many people believe that they can do it on their own. However, the decision could be costly and cause a lot of headaches. Homebuyers and sellers need a professional agent on their side to be an advocate for them throughout the process and after closing. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that 87% of buyers purchased their home through a real estate agent, and real estate agents represented 89% of sellers. And in a 2017 Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers, only eight percent of recent home sales were For-Sale-By-Owner (FSBO) sales. This is the lowest share recorded since the report started in 1981. FSBOs typically sell for less than the selling price of other homes listed with an agent.
There are many benefits to hiring a Realtor, both mentally and financially. Here are the top three benefits we hear about from buyers and sellers:
Local Market Expertise
Homeowners who decide to list without a real estate agent tend to struggle with setting the price. Often, homeowners put a high price tag on the house because of what they think their home should be worth. The danger here is the emotional attachment and bias a seller has towards their home. Realtors look beyond feelings and think through things objectively. They possess expert knowledge on current market conditions that helps them set a fair and objective price. This experience helps owners get the most for their home without scaring away buyers. An agent will also be able to ensure that buyers have an understanding of a home’s true value. Pricing a home correctly in this market will help you maximize the value vs. setting a price too high and having to lower it later on.
Professional Connections
Real estate agents can act as a resource during every step of the buying or selling process, and often have a list of preferred providers who they have worked with in the past that they can recommend. This can include mortgage brokers, appraisers, inspectors, lawyers, landscapers, contractors and many more. Hire the right agent and you’ll tap into a list of vendors to help you. It’s in the best interest of the agent to make sure that the home buying or selling process goes smoothly so that you are more likely to refer him or her to a friend.
Neighborhood Familiarity
Good agents know the ins and outs of the neighborhoods where they work. For buyers, an agent can guide you in finding the right home in a specific area. They are familiar with factors like the age of the homes, school ratings, traffic/commute details, and accessibility to shopping or public transportation. For sellers, agents will know which areas are selling well and which areas are not. Agents should know the values and have dates to price the home correctly. They will be able to realistically help you evaluate a home’s value. Also, good agents have local connections that can help you find homes before they come on the market, which is especially important in this low inventory market.
At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we are local real estate experts for Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, and North Atlanta. We live, work, and play here, and we hand-pick our agents for their connections in the community. 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 buying or selling your home, call us at 770-352-9658 or email us info@KarenCannon.com
Most sellers mistakenly think that a home’s value is mainly determined by similar homes that have sold in the neighborhood. While that is certainly part of it, what really determines your home’s value is simply what a potential buyer is willing to pay for it. Home buying can be an emotional decision, and if you can get a buyer to fall in love with your property, they may be willing to make a higher offer.
Start on the Outside
First Impressions are crucial in the home buying process. Your home’s exterior is the first thing potential buyers see, allowing them to form opinions about what they might expect inside when they tour your home. In order to get the highest offers from buyers, you will need to up your ‘curb appeal.’ Make sure your house will wow any visitors from the moment they drive by.
Paint the Exterior
A fresh coat of paint is an easy way to give your home a newer appearance. Pick a color that’s considered classic and elegant, something that will appear both modern and timeless. Don’t pick anything bright or trendy, as you must appeal to a variety of buyers’ tastes and preferences.
Maintain the Siding
The elements can cause your home’s siding to appear dull and dirty over time. The average life expectancy of siding on a home is 60 to 100 years, but if you live in a harsh climate, extreme weather conditions can decrease the life of the siding. Pressure wash to clean your siding, removing stains, spider webs and dirt that have accumulated.
Refresh Garage Doors
New garage doors can give the home an instant update. If yours are in relatively good condition, a new coat of paint is all that they may need to look new. However, if your garage doors are aging and showing some wear and tear, consider replacing them. New garage doors are more energy efficient and better insulated than older models and this will add value for buyers.
Don’t Forget the Details
It pays to update the small details of your home’s exterior and help it to stand out in the neighborhood. Especially if there are several homes in the area on the market at the same time, attention to the details will help your home appear to be better maintained. Buyers may think it’s a better value for the money.
New Door Fixtures
Find new door fixtures that complement your home’s style. Updated fixtures can modernize an older house and make a slightly outdated house look more on-trend. When buyers walk through the front door, a new knob and kick plate will be noticed right away.
House Numbers
Adding house numbers to the exterior of your home, or driveway, will help potential buyers easily find your home. Not only does this look nice, but it also makes the process of visiting your home more pleasant and less stressful. Anything you can do to make the experience more enjoyable will help increase the offer a buyer will make. If you don’t want to add numbers to the house itself, make sure that your mailbox is in good condition and easily seen.
Paint Trim and Shutters
When you paint the exterior of your home, don’t forget the trim. Pick a complimentary color that creates an elegant look. If you have trouble choosing, ask the staff at your local design center for help. While you’re at it, consider adding shutters or other embellishments. They can help add charm and personality to the home.
Take Care of the Lawn
Well-landscaped homes sell for an average of 5.5% to12.7% more than other similar homes. Studies show that taking care of the yard may add as much as 28% to your home’s overall value. Researchers at Virginia Tech have found that landscape design can increase your home’s value by 42%, choosing the right plant size can increase it by 32% and a diversity of plants can increase it by 22%. These stats make an argument for hiring a landscape architect to advise you if you want to earn top dollar.
Driveway Details
Adding a nice border along your driveway or walkway with brick, stone or another hardscape element adds charm to an otherwise plain driveway. Paved driveways and walkways with grass growing between them is a popular look and may give the impression of a more intentional design, rather than a plain yard.
Ideal Green Space
Create a picturesque landscape by adding drought-tolerant vegetation that thrives in warm, dry climates like lavender, sage and wisteria. Landscaping incorporated with water-saving drip irrigation and mulch will cut down on cost, time and water usage. This can be a major selling point for buyers!
Trees and Shrubs
The most visually appealing lawns feature a variety of textures. Achieve this by planting a few different types of trees and shrubs that vary in height and flowering seasons. This will help boost your home’s curb appeal year-round.
Create an Inviting Feeling
Home staging doesn’t only apply to the interior. Appeal to the emotions of potential buyers by staging the outside of your home to look warm and inviting. You want visitors to feel comfortable from the time they step out of the car. If they can picture themselves in your home, your chances of a sale increase dramatically.
Dress the Porch
The porch should be considered an outdoor extension of your home. If you have a front porch, make it welcoming by including colorful potted plants, and adding seating and design touches like a loveseat, rug and a small table.
Keep Blooms Coming
Make your lawn appealing year round by planting flowers that bloom at different times of the year. Perennials, for example, flower for most of the year. A variety of types and sizes of plants will keep things interesting, no matter what the season. The last thing you want buyers to see is a yard that needs attention.
Boost Online Curb Appeal
The first step in getting a buyer to tour your home is to hook them during an online search. The better the impression your home gives online, the more likely it is that buyers will want to come visit. Once you’ve made improvements to the exterior of your home, get it ready for its close-up and put some thought into your online listing.
Staging
Whether you opt to work with a professional or do it yourself, staging should attempt to show your home in its best light and allow buyers to picture themselves living there. Remove any overly personal items and photographs from your home and declutter as much as possible. Give buyers breathing room to picture themselves and their possessions in the space. The most important part of staging is lighting, so give some thought to how you can maximize the feeling of warmth and sunlight throughout your home.
Professional Photos
Do not skimp in this area, or you may have a great home that no one comes to look at. Hire a professional photographer to take great photos of your home, and be sure to work with someone who has real estate experience and knows how to make your home look its best.
Video Tours
Videos are becoming a popular way to allow buyers a sneak peek into your home before they tour it. This can be a major factor in getting more potential buyers to come look at your listing, and volume is the surest way to get the highest offer. Demand is an important factor in determining the price you will get in an offer. At Karen Cannon, Realtors, we offer 3D Virtual Tours with all of our listings because we think it’s a crucial part of making sure our sellers get the most exposure.
Often, sellers don’t realize how much work goes into properly prepping a house for sale. But putting in the work now will ensure the outcome you want later. Once a house hits the market and starts being shown, it’s very hard to correct a negative first impression for buyers. If your house doesn’t show well, you won’t get a second chance at those buyers and your pool of potential buyers dwindles. Commitment and preparation up front can ensure a smooth transaction every step of the way.
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 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, call us at 770-352-9658.
Known for award-winning restaurants and world-class shopping, Dunwoody is also rich in culture and a hotspot for business. It’s known as one of Atlanta’s most desirable suburbs due to the variety of activities available.
Superior Shopping Perimeter Mall is located in the heart of Dunwoody and contains more than 1.5 million square feet of the hottest stores, including Von Maur, Dillard’s, Macy’s and Nordstrom. It offers some of the best shopping around Atlanta.
You’ll find locally owned boutiques mixed with well-known favorites at Dunwoody Village Shopping Center. It’s home to more than 40 stores, including Marlow’s Tavern, Village Burger, Starbucks, Brusters’ Ice Cream, Pure Bare, Carbonara Trattoria and Karen Cannon, Realtors.
Orchard Park Shopping Center is a large, service-oriented center anchored by one of the top 10 Kroger stores in the Atlanta area. You’ll also find Lauderhill’s Jewelry, Los Rancheros Restaurant and Jett Ferry Dental Group.
A well-positioned strip center with a strong daytime population, Williamsburg at Dunwoody Shopping Center is home to Verizon, Jersey Mike’s, Atlantis Natural Foods, East 48th Street Deli, Orange Theory Fitness and Jett Ferry Cleaners.
Mt. Vernon Shopping Center is an attractive center located behind the historic Dunwoody Farmhouse. Here you’ll find Sprouts Farmers Market, Chase Bank and CVS.
Accessible Outdoor Space Dunwoody is home to 7 public parks and more than 170 miles of green space. The city’s signature park is Brook Run, a 103-acre park containing walking trails, a children’s play area and a Veterans Memorial.
Brook Run is home to the Dunwoody Farmer’s Market every Saturday from May to October. Here you can find organic olive oils, jams, crepes, baked goods and desserts, alongside fresh, seasonal produce, free-range meats and cheeses. The market also hosts kids’ activities, wellness seminars and composting and gardening instruction.
Brook Run Dog Park is two wooded acres available for off-leash play. The dog park is entirely fenced and is maintained by volunteers on regularly scheduled clean up days.
Dunwoody Community Garden at Brook Run Park grows organic food and fosters community. Twenty-percent of the produce grown there is donated to charity.
The largest skate park in the metro Atlanta area, Brook Run Skate Park covers 27,000 square feet and has a variety of skate terrain for various skill levels. It was designed to accommodate entry-level skaters, as well as more advanced “street skaters.”
Located inside Brook Run Park, Treetop Quest is an obstacle and zip-lining course with 52 obstacles and 12 zip-lines in 4 courses. There is also a low ropes course for kids, and a Net Trampoline, the first of it’s kind in Georgia.
Murphy Candler Park spans 135 acres, and offers walking tails, a lake, a swimming pool, sports fields and a picnic area.
The Dunwoody Nature Center is a can’t-miss interactive playground in the open woods, featuring hammocks, tree swings and bubbling brook. Every summer the Center hosts the Annual Butterfly Festival. Three huge tents are set up and filled with hundreds of free-roaming butterflies for visitors to observe.
Dunwoody is also home to Big Trees Forest Preserve, a 30-acre scenic preserve with trails and streams winding through it.
The Arts Abound
Established in 1975, The Spruill Center for the Arts is a private, non-profit organization that offers classes, exhibits and outreach programs for seniors, youth and those with special needs. For more than 40 years, the Center has been providing arts enrichment to the greater Atlanta community.
The Spruill Education Center (inside the Center for the Arts) provides more than 800 visual arts classes annually to more than 5,000 students of all ages and ability levels. Disciplines taught include ceramics, decorative arts, drawing, fiber arts, glass, jewelry, mixed media, mosaics, painting, photography and sculpture.
The Spruill Gallery (inside the Center for the Arts) hosts several exhibitions each year in a variety of mediums, including the Holiday Artists Market. The gallery is also home to one of Dunwoody’s landmarks, the popular EVERYTHING WILL BE OK mural.
Dunwoody’s favorite non-profit theatrical group, The Stage Door Players, puts on quirky shows that allow audience members to participate in the production. The group puts on a full season of six shows, and is currently in its 36th season.
Family Friendly Fun 4th of July Parade
The annual parade, sponsored by the Dunwoody Homeowners Association and the Dunwoody Crier Newspaper, is one of the biggest events in town. Thousands of Dunwoody residents turn out to watch the marching bands, floats, clowns, animal units and local celebrities. Local organizations, businesses, churches, schools and individuals build floats, decorate cars, dress in costumes, ride bikes, pull kids in wagons, play music and wave flags as they march through town. The Dunwoody July Fourth parade is the largest in the state of Georgia. In years past, the parade has attracted more than 2,500 participants and 32,000 spectators!
Lemonade Days
The Lemonade Days Festival takes place in Brook Run Park in April. It’s the largest annual fundraising event for the Dunwoody Preservation Trust and all proceeds from the festival are used within the community for historic preservation and education. The event features more than 30 full-scale carnival rides, inflatables, a petting zoo and more than 20 food and beverage vendors. There’s also a 5K run, and three days of center stage performances, including the popular Dunwoody Idol contest. This is a signature Dunwoody event that is not to be missed.
Dunwoody Art Festival
This Mother’s Day Arts Festival is the largest festival in Dunwoody and takes place at the Dunwoody Village. The festival attracts top artists from across the country to showcase their works for purchase. Each year, more than 60,000 people attend to check out the amazing handmade jewelry, sculpture, painting, homemade soaps, baked goods and home décor. The event was named “Best New Event of 2010” by the Southeast Festivals and Events Association.
Tap Into Georgia Beer Festival
This rain or shine event features beers from across the state of Georgia. More than 25 local breweries are included – some well known and others smaller craft brewers. The festival is held at Brook Run Park and residents bring lawn chairs to take advantage of this outdoor party!
Dunwoody has a strong sense of community and lots of activities for residents and visitors alike. The big city of Atlanta is just 10 miles away, but many find they never need to make the trip. Dunwoody has all the amenities, in a true neighborhood setting.
Dunwoody is known as home to some of the best public schools in Dekalb County. Many families choose this desirable address due to the school districts. Many of the area schools are STEM schools, and offer Discovery programs for high achievers. No matter what age your children are, there’s bound to be a good fit at one of the outstanding area schools.
Elementary Schools
Austin Elementary School
At Austin, instructional programs are designed so that each student is challenged, but experiences success and develops a good self-image. The faculty employs innovative teaching strategies and cooperative learning, and children are exposed to the total curriculum. Austin received the 2017 Student Achievement Platinum Award for the highest performing schools from the Governor’s office. This is the third consecutive year that the school has received a SSAS (Single Statewide Accountability System) Award. Austin is building a new school facility, which will be completed in August of 2019.
Programs offered at Austin include:
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
Chess Club
Student Council
Media Squad
Odyssey of the Mind (develops creative thinking and problem solving)
I-BAT (provides students with academic, physical and social support)
Aftercare Program (homework help, fitness activities, and enrichment clubs)
Vanderlyn Elementary School
At Vanderlyn, they stress a positive and challenging educational environment, designed to inspire life-long learning, international thinking, and productive citizenship.
Programs offered at Vanderlyn include:
STEM
Media Center
Math Team
Reading Bowl
After School Activities (Chess Club, Dance Club, Track Team)
Social Media Policy for Students
After School Extended Day Program
Dunwoody Elementary School
Dunwoody is a safe and supportive environment designed to develop a desire to learn, an appreciation for diversity, and an understanding of the world in which we live. Students are encouraged to think creatively.
Programs offered at Dunwoody include:
STEM
Media Center
Clubs and Activities (Chess, Dance, Singing)
Reading Bowl
Hebrew Enrichment Classes
Extended Day Program
Social Media Policy for Students
Spanish and French Afterschool Classes
Chestnut Charter Elementary School
At Chestnut, educators believe in collaborating between home and school to educate the whole child. The goal is to develop young people who are enthusiastic, knowledgeable, well rounded, physically active and thoughtful.
Programs offered at Chestnut include:
STEM
Chess Club
Library Club
Garden Club
Media Center
Social Media Policy for Students
After School Extended Day Program
Kingsley Elementary School
The mission of Kingsley is to establish and strengthen relationships between home and school in order to promote high expectations of students, staff and parents. Educators aim to provide a nurturing and creative environment for the students.
Programs offered at Kingsley include:
Student Council
Media Center
Social Media Policy for Students
After School Extended Day Program
Middle and High Schools
Peachtree Charter Middle School
Peachtree follows the state curriculum, but as a charter school, they have been given County and State approval to move beyond the syllabus and further enhance education based on student’s needs. They foster teamwork with students to help them reach their personal and academic goals.
Dunwoody High School
Dunwoody’s vision is symbolized by the acronym Wildcat PRIDE: Personal Responsibility In Developing Excellence. Educators strive to help students learn to be productive members of an increasingly diverse society.
Dunwoody’s innovative public schools are one of the top reasons families choose to call this area home. Many of Atlanta’s best private schools are also in close proximity. The diversity of the area is reflected in the curriculums and teaching styles offered here, as is the sense of community that binds Dunwoody residents.
