We knew reports of the death of American home ownership were greatly exaggerated (nod to Mark Twain), and now we’ve got the numbers to prove it.

A just-released survey by the Meredith Corp., which publishes Better Homes and Gardens magazine, says the vast majority of people polled believe owning a home is a smart financial move and a source of pride.

Here are some results of the 2,500 people surveyed online:

• 86% of home owners still feel owning a home is a good investment.

• 85% feel “owning a home is one of their proudest accomplishments.”

• 69% of Americans who don’t currently own a home agree with the statement, “No matter what happens in the U.S. housing market, owning a home is still an important goal in my life.”

• 68% of Americans plan to spend money on their homes in the next six months, with roughly half (49%) expecting to pay up to $1,000.

A thousand bucks may not seem like a lot, but it goes long way toward improving the value and comfort of your home. Here are some projects we recommend:

1. Add a new entry door. Spruce up your curb appeal and save energy by upgrading your exterior door. Steel doors, which can mimic many types of wood, typically run for $400 at big-box stores and offer the strongest barrier against intruders.

2. Get organized. Decluttering and maximizing storage space are inexpensive ways to transform a home. Add space to kids’ rooms by installing platform or bunk beds ($400-$600); neaten piles of shoes with shoe organizers ($20), which can do double duty as catch-all organizers in family room closets and kitchen pantries; extend bookshelves to the ceiling, creating storage in otherwise dead space.

3. Save with a programmable thermostat. Switching from a manual to a programmable thermostat (less than $500) can save you up to $180 a year in energy costs. The latest models offer remote programming via the Internet.

4. Replace cabinet hardware. If you’ve got traditional knobs and pulls, try contemporary; change from staid to whimsical. Big-box retailers often have huge selections for budget prices. (10-pack for $20).

5. Update bathroom flooring. Give bathrooms a quick facelift by replacing old tile with vinyl flooring or ceramic tile, which can cost as little as $3 per square foot for material and installation.

6. Create luxury with a shower panel. Turn you bathroom into a spa with a  programmable shower panel with adjustable spray jets, fog-free mirror, and multifunctional shower head. Most systems easily attach to existing plumbing. Panels typically sell for $360.

7. Turn a mudroom into a garden room. Bring nature inside by recasting your drab mudroom into a flower-filled garden room. (If you already have a utility sink, you’re halfway there. If not, it will cost you $200 to $350 to tap into existing, nearby plumbing, and $80 for a plastic tub.) Repurpose an old wood table into a potting bench. And hang your basket collection from J-hooks attached to a forged iron curtain rod ($100).

What improvements have you made recently under $1,000? What are you planning to do in the next six months?

Extreme caution is required.

To clean an Oriental rug, first vacuum the rug on both sides, then follow these cleaning instructions:

1. Prepare a solution of cool water and gentle shampoo (i.e. shampoo without ammonia)
2. Test the solution on tiny corner of the rug to make sure that the rug’s colors won’t bleed
3. Using a soft brush or dense sponge, brush the rug with the shampoo solution
4. Use only light pressure and follow the “grain” of the rug
5. Shampoo the rug’s fringe, then comb it gently with a large comb or brush
6. Rinse the entire rug and press out as much water as possible
7. Lay the rug flat and leave it to dry

After several hours, test the front of the rug for moisture. When it feels dry, flip the rug over to dry its back.

Note : Do not dry an oriental rug in the sun because the sun’s rays may cause it to fade.

Once both sides of the rug are totally dry, feel the top surface. If it feels stiff, crunchy or hard, take a dry brush and make gentle strokes. A light vacuuming will also do the job.

Oriental rugs that receive proper care can become family heirlooms, passed down from one generation to the next. Make sure you clean yours properly.

There’s a lot of real estate on the market.

And in a lot of cases, for any number of reasons, some sellers are very “motivated” to sell.

What does this mean for you?

Well, if your offer to buy comes in at the right time, you might find a seller who’s willing to let a property go for well under market value… which could set you up with some instant equity and a solid chance at making a profit when you eventually sell.

How Can You Find Such Properties

They’re out there. One technique we like to use is to scan the local multiple listing service for certain “keywords” that signal motivation.

Another thing to watch is the list of properties with price reductions on a day to day basis.

Setting up a “motivated seller” search alert like this isn’t too hard — we’d be happy to set you up if you like. Just click here to let us know if you’re interested…

If you’ve been thinking about selling a property, or if you’ve been trying to sell a property without success, then you’ll probably want to start taking a more innovative approach to your marketing.

After all, it’s not as easy to sell real estate today as it was a few years ago before the markets crashed.

Here below are some ideas that should help you.

The first thing you’ll want to do is use a service like Realbird.Com to build a nice “Single Property” website for your property.

This will accomplish 2 main things. First, you’ll have an “online base” for your property marketing efforts… a site you can link to in order to drive visitors to get more info about your property; a url you can place on the other traffic source you’re about to read about below.

Second, you’ll be able to take advantage of the “syndication” that a service like this offers. Once you post your property to realbird, it’ll also be sent to syndication portals such as Zillow, Trulia, Yahoo, and more than 20 others.

Almost instantly, your property will have the chance to be seen by millions of home buyers searching online.

Excellent! (it’s really funny how many real estate professionals, still… to this day don’t bother to take this quick and easy step of creating a single property page that syndicates itself all over the place online!)

Of course you know about Craigslist as a way to advertise your property. But here are some tips you can use to make sure your property stands out from the crowd of all the others that you’ll be competing with on craigslist.

Make sure your headline sticks out.

Take a feature of your property and turn it into an interesting phrase. example — “PARTY TIME front Porch” or “Bling Bling Bling Blanger — Finished Basement!” you know, have fun. Otherwise your property will get lost in a sea of others.

Use pictures!

Lots of people browsing craigslist will just ignore your posting if you don’t include at least 1 picture.

If you have a video of the property be sure to include a picture of your video in the Craigslist ad.

You can’t embed the video, but you can certainly link to the picture and take folks back to your single property page, where you’ll have a more captive audience….

Similar to craigslist, Backpage is an online classified listing site.

Even though it gets less traffic than Craigslist, Backpage still has a good number of people searching the real estate section, and there’s a major upside to using backpage.

You can post your ad once, and pay just a few bucks for automatic reposting! (A very convenient timesaver that Craigslist just doesn’t offer!)

Do you ever see those ads on the right side of your Facebook profile?

Well, they’re very powerful, and anybody can set one up in just a few minutes.

Here are the major upsides to using a Facebook ad to get eyeballs on your property.

• Instant gratification — because Facebook is so universal and so many people use it, your ads will be seen by 1000’s of potential buyers almost instantly!
• Targeting — you can choose to show your ads to demographics most likely to purchase your property. For example, if your property is in an over 55 community, you can show your ad only to seniors. Or, if it’s near a college. You could show the property only to college age students with an ad like “tell mom and dad to buy this and save money on dorms.”

You get the point – Facebook ads are a quick, powerful way to help you with your homesale. (and one that for some strange reason, most real estate pros haven’t committed to yet!)

Have you ever searched for anything online using Google, Bing, or Yahoo?

Well bazillions do every day, including perhaps the next buyer for your house.

Go ahead.

Go to Google.Com now and search for “homes for sale” in your area.

Do you notice how the top 2 or 3 spots and all the spots on the right side are all offering property searches. These are paid ads, and your property can quickly and easily be featured here, so people searching google for a property in your area can find yours!

TIP –> advertising your specific property address, instead of just some generic list of properties will certainly stick out from among all those other ads that are offering a very general property search!)

And again, this one’s a lot like Facebook. Super powerful, but for some weird reason so called “real estate professionals” by and large haven’t committed to featuring their properties in paid search engine results yet.

Extra Extra! — Lets Talk About The Newspaper!

Ok, so maybe it’s a little obvious to you that the newspaper would be a way to get eyeballs on your property.

But do you know that if you’re thinking about running an ad for your property in the newspaper, you are probably going to waste a lot of money doing it!

Yep, while most real estate professionals are still just posting a picture and a short description of the property in the newspaper, even very few pros are aware of this next “enhanced response” technique for getting eyeballs on your property.

Instead of just posting the property address and a picture in the newspaper try this: Post the property address, the picture, and a TEXT BASED CALL TO ACTION that allows the visitor to see more pictures and/or a video of the property.

This technique will allow you to get much more “bang for your buck” when it comes to your newspaper advertising.

First, your ad will stick out, because it’ll offer just a little more than the other ads do.

2nd, you’ll be able to showcase a lot more about your property as visitors access what’s on the other side of the text code.

3rd… You’ll get real live contact info (a phone number) for someone who’s interested in buying your house!

(Don’t worry — if you’re not sure about the “techy stuff” behind this last idea, we can help. We actually provide all our clients with such a service.)

There are loads of other ways to get eyeballs on your property, but really what you will need is to create a unique marketing plan that will utilize strategies that are best for your property and your marketplace.

We can help!

Feel FREE To Get In Touch If You’d Like to Talk More about the steps we might take to help you get your property sold…

In todays economy, every litte  bit of savings helps.  Time is running out to boost to your 2011 federal tax refund. Here is how you can do it.  All you have to do is make your January 2012 mortgage payment while it’s still December, that means you have one week!

It’s a simple tax strategy that works because of how mortgage interest is paid, and of how the U.S. tax code is written.

Different from rent which is paid for the month ahead (i.e. “you’re paying January’s rent”), mortgage payments are made only after mortgage interest has accrued (i.e. “you’re paying for money you’ve already borrowed from the bank”).

This is called “paying interest in arrears” and U.S. tax code states that the mortgage interest is tax-deductible in its year paid, subject to limitations.

By making the January 2012 mortgage payment in December 2011, therefore, homeowners who itemize their on their tax returns can apply their January mortgage payment’s interest portion to their 2011′s tax returns.

The alternative is to pay the mortgage on schedule, and wait for April 15, 2013 to claim the credit.

If you choose to pre-pay your mortgage and typically send your payment via USPS, give your check ample time to be delivered to your lender, and processed. Mail your check no later than Saturday, December 24.

For Atlanta homeowners that pay electronically, the process is simpler. Edit your online bill pay program to have your mortgage payment post no later than Thursday, December 29.

Make note, however. Not all mortgage interest is eligible for tax-deductibility, and not all homeowners throughout the state of Georgia who pay mortgage interest should itemize said interest on their tax returns.

Before prepaying on your mortgage, ask your local tax professional for advice.

For more information about Atlanta Real Estate visit my Atlanta Real Estate hub website.  Search for Atlanta Foreclosures, Atlanta homes for sale.  I look forward to helping you with all your Atlanta Real Estate needs.

According to the National Association of REALTORS®, November’s Existing Home Sales rose to a seasonally-adjusted, annualized 4.42 million units nationwide —  a 4 percent climb from October 2011.

An “existing home” is a home that has been previously occupied and cannot be categorized as new construction.

Home buyers and sellers throughout Atlanta should take note of November’s numbers because — behind the headlines — there’s a series of statistics that foretell higher home prices ahead.  Right now is a great time to buy, especially with the low intrest rates and great deals.  The Atlanta foreclosures are going quick, make sure you take a look at our Atlanta foreclosure list.

First, the total number of homes for sale nationwide dipped to 2.58 million, an 18% reduction from November 2010 and represents the fewest number of homes for sale since February 2007. 

At the current sales pace, the complete home resale inventory would be sold in 7.0 months.

And, second, the real estate trade group reports that 33% of all homes under contract “failed” for some reason last month.

Contract failures can occur because of mortgage denials in underwriting; home inspection issues; and homes appraising for less than their respective purchase prices.

In other words, despite a reduction in the number of homes for sale, and a rash of failed contracts, Existing Home Sales volume is still on the rise.

Broken-down by buyer-type, here’s to whom home sellers were selling in November :

• First-time buyers : 35% of home resales, up from 34% in October 2011
• Repeat buyers : 46% of home resales, down from 48% in October 2011
• Investor buyers : 19% of home resales, up from 18% in October 2011

Given high demand for home resales and shrinking home supplies, we should expect that Bradshaw Farms home prices will rise through December 2011 and into early-2012, at least. Recent Housing Starts data supports this notion. 

Thankfully, mortgage rates remain low. Low mortgage rates help keep homes affordable. 

For more information about Atlanta Real Estate visit my Atlanta Real Estate hub website.  Search for Atlanta Foreclosures, Atlanta homes for sale.  I look forward to helping you with all your Atlanta Real Estate needs.

As an Atlanta Real Estate professional I was happy to hear the following news rom the U.S. Census Bureau.  Most folks laugh when I say the following ” I think I heard the sounds of hammers the other day… But here’s the latest news – The new construction housing market continues to show strength across the country.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Single-Family Housing Starts rose to 447,000 units on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis in November — a 2 percent increase from October.

A “Housing Start” is defined as breaking ground on new home construction.

November’s figures mark the third straight month of Single-Family Housing Starts gains. The new construction metric is now 15 percent above its all-time low, set in February of this year.

None of this should be a surprise to new home buyers in Atlanta.

Housing data has been trending better since September with sales volumes rising and home inventories falling. Basic economics tells us that home prices should soon rise.

The good news is that low mortgage rates should keep homes affordable.

Since mid-November, the average, conventional 30-year fixed rate mortgage has hovered near 4.000% nationwide with an accompanying 0.7 discount points plus closing costs. 1 discount point equals one percent of your loan size. This is down from near 4.500% six months ago, and the drop has made a big impact on home affordability. 

• June 2011 : $200,000 mortgage costs $1,013.37 per month
• December 2011 : $200,000 mortgage costs $954.83 per month

This represents $700 in savings per year. It’s no wonder home builders report the highest buyer foot traffic in 3 years. 

Meanwhile, the market shows little signs of slowing down. Building Permits are on the rise, too.

Permits for single-family homes rose to their highest levels of year in November and 89 percent of those homes will start construction within 60 days. This means that Single-Family Housing Starts should stay strong through the early part of 2012, and into the spring.

If you’re planning to buy new construction in Atlanta, GA , therefore, talk to your Atlanta real estate agent soon and consider moving up your time frame. With mortgage rates low and next year’s buying season approaching, you may find that the best “deals” will come within the next few weeks only. 

 Simply contact me today and I can sign you up to receive instant notifications when homes meeting your search criteria hit the market. Would you like more information on how you can put the power of this system to work for you?

Contact me, your Atlanta, GA Home Buying Expert today at 404-788-2580!

Here’s another good sign for the housing market, today’s home builders (even in Atlanta Georgia) believe that the housing market has turned a corner.

For the third straight month, the Housing Market Index — a home builder confidence survey from the National Association of Homebuilders — reported strong monthly gains.

December’s Housing Market Index climbed 2 points to 21 in December after a downward revision to last month’s results. The index is now up seven points since September 2011, and sits at a 19-month high.

When home builder confidence reads 50 or better, it reflects favorable conditions in the single-family new home market. Readings below 50 reflect unfavorable conditions.

The Housing Market Index has not crossed 50 since April 2006.

The HMI itself is actually a composite reading; the result of three related home builder surveys. The National Association of Homebuilders asks its members about their current single-family home sales volume; their projected single-family home sales volume for the next 6 months; and their current buyer “foot traffic”.

The results are compiled into the single Housing Market Index tally.

In December, builder survey responses showed strength across all 3 questions :

• Current Single-Family Sales : 22 (+2 from November)
• Projected Single-Family Sales : 26 (+1 from November)
• Buyer Foot Traffic : 18 (+3 from November)

These results support the recent New Home Sales and Housing Starts data, both of which show an increase in single-family sales, and a decrease in new home housing supply.

When demand rises and supplies fall, home prices climb.

It’s also noteworthy that the Housing Market Index put buyer foot traffic at newly-built homes at its highest level since May 2008. With even more buyers expected to enter the market, new home prices are expected to rise across Atlanta in 2012 — especially in the face of shrinking home supplies. 

For now, though, with home prices stable and mortgage rates low, buyers can grab “a deal”. 60 days forward, though, may be too late.

The Spring Buying Season unofficially starts February 6, 2012.

Simply contact me today and I can sign you up to receive instant notifications when homes meeting your search criteria hit the market. Would you like more information on how you can put the power of this system to work for you?

Contact me, your Atlanta, GA Home Buying Expert today at 404-788-2580!

Your dishwasher is a breeding ground for mold and mildew. It’s warm, it’s dark, and there is a bevy of decaying, organic material in the form of both food particles and soap.

Therefore, you’ll want to periodically scrub and disinfect your dishwasher so that it remains it clean and healthy, and so that your dishes stay that way, too.

Here’s how to clean your dishwasher :

1. Remove all racks from the dishwasher. Wash with dish-washing detergent and set aside to dry. 
2. Mix 1 part vinegar with 4 parts very hot water into a spray bottle.
3. Spray the mixture on the dishwasher seal and anywhere else you see discoloration, mold or mildew.
4. Scrub the affected areas with a non-abrasive scrub brush.
5. Replace racks in the dishwasher.
6. Fill a small, dishwasher-safe bowl with white vinegar and place on the top rack.
7. Without soap, run the dishwasher at the highest temperature setting available.

Then, after performing these steps, you find that your dishwasher still has an “odor”, or if mold or mildew remnants remain, immediately pour 1 cup of baking soda on the floor of your dishwasher, and run the cycle a second time at the highest temperature setting available.

If your mold/mildew problem persists, you should check the dishwasher’s drain line. If it’s kinked, water may be unable to drain and will pool at the bottom of your dishwasher — a mold-breeding situation.

You should also check the food trap at the base of the dishwasher for too-large-to-drain pieces of food.

A good dishwasher will last years with proper care and maintenance. Keep yours mold- and mildew-free.

For more great information like this visit our partner Atlanta home inspection website.

Simply contact me today and I can sign you up to receive instant notifications when homes meeting your search criteria hit the market. Would you like more information on how you can put the power of this system to work for you? Contact me, your Atlanta, GA Home Buying Expert today at 404-788-2580!

When you find your dream home, make sure that you get a thorough Atlanta home inspection from one of the best home inspectors Atlanta GA.  Call IHI Home Inspections today at 404-788-2581 for a thorough home inspection in Atlanta. They won’t let you buy the money pit.  You can also schedule your Atlanta home inspection today online.  They create Peace of Mind One Atlanta home inspection at a time.  Be sure to check out all the reasons other customers chose IHI Home Inspections at our original website.