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5 Mistakes Homeowners Make Which Affect Value

January 19, 2021 by Thom Abbott

Whether you have lived in your home for 3 years, or even 30 years, there are choices you can make during that time that will affect the future value of your home. Let’s take a look at 5 Mistakes Homeowners Make Which Affect Value.

Curb Appeal

Homeowner Values What’s that phrase…”you only get one chance to make a first impression?” Nothing could be more true when it comes to selling your home. (This is not quite as important when selling a condo, but I’ll give you some suggestions there too!) 

When a potential buyer drives by, or comes with their real estate agent, the first thing they are going to see is how your home looks from the street. And this is what they will see online if they saw your home there first. If your landscape lacks some luster, then spruce it up. Seasonal plantings for Spring, Summer or Fall/Winter make a great impression. If you have any landscape beds, a fresh layer of mulch or pinestraw is a night and day difference in how things look. If your lawn is older, it may have some weeds…or lots of weeds. Starting a weed control program now, could actually make your lawn look worse. A tip here is to keep it mowed really sort. Face it, weeds grow way faster than any grass, but if kept mowed short, don’t show as much. 

Any shrubbery you have should be trimmed, and trimmed away from the house, if necessary. Think how you look and feel after a haircut or a visit to the beauty salon! Well, your landscape will look and feel the same way. 

Curb appeal extends up to the exterior of the home as well. If you have peeling paint, it lends to an air of “this home has been neglected.” Fresh paint (both inside and out) go a long way to making your home look better. 

Condominium Curb Appeal

In a condominium, first impressions are usually found in the lobby area where the buyers will first arrive. This is pretty much out of your control, but one thing you can do is make sure you visit personally with any Concierge staff that may be working when your condo can be shown. They appreciate your conversation, and they DO make a difference on how a buyer can feel about a building. The only other thing you may be able to focus on is the hallway in front of your condo and your front door. If you have any damage to your door, work with your HOA and property management to get it repaired/replaced. If your hallway is not very clean due to lack of a housekeeping staff…you might be wise to grab your own vacuum and hit the carpet! Does this sound like crazy? Maybe, but remember that Buyer is going to be walking from the elevator to your door and what they see…well….

Deferred Maintenance

How to Improve your Home ValueThe curb appeal we just talked about falls into the category as well. If you have not maintained the landscape around your home, a potential buyer will be looking at the costs (and work if they do it themselves) to make the home look better. 

If you’ve had a water leak in the past, but did not have the damage repaired, this needs to be a priority. You still need to disclose this information on your Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement, but you don’t want it to be obvious. You want a repair that makes it look like it never happened. 

A dripping faucet…a cracked switch plate cover, severely scratched hardwood floors, broken window blinds, burned out lights or inoperable lights or ceiling fans…all these things will go a long way towards a better looking home. 

If you driveway is severely cracked from tree roots, you might want to consider a new driveway. This is no small expense, but will help you with the value of your home as well as the aforementioned curb appeal. (don’t forget to pressure wash it too!)

There are two sides to having a pre-listing inspection done on your home. First, it will help you identify things you can fix to keep a future report cleaner. It can also identify things you now need to disclose to a potential buyer because you now know about them. (Think mold or dampness in a basement or crawl space) But this inspection can really give you a detailed “to-do” list to have your home in the best shape possible. It also can help you with future negotiations as you know what a buyer may find when they have their home inspection done.

Over Improved Or Trendy

We’ve put two of our 5 Mistakes Homeowners Make Which Affect Value together here, because they can be one in the same. 

Valuable Renovations for HomeownersAs you make improvements or renovations to your home, you should take personal taste and a future sale into consideration. Personal example…in my last condo, we had black subway tile backsplash in the kitchen. I knew it could look so cool with a blue or even a red tile. A personal taste that a future Buyer would not like at all. And they would look at that as an immediate expense they would incur to make that change. We are not saying don’t make your home or condominium a place you can’t enjoy, but keep design ideas in mind that will help in the future. Of course, if you remodeled a kitchen 15 or 20 years ago, it’s probably going to show it’s age both in wear and design styles by now.

If you go “over the top” on a kitchen or bathroom renovation, because it is what you want, just bear in mind that it may be more than your neighborhood or building can justify in value, and you may not get all of your money back out of the over-improvement. 

Painting can be the same. ( I recently saw a listing where almost every room had some kind of mural painted on the walls. They were amazing in detail…but certainly not for everyone.) So if you are selling your home and you have not painted the interior in a long time, and have some bright, or “off” colors in rooms, now is the time to make it neutral. A buyer can live with that builder gray for a lot longer than they can that bright yellow room your kids loved. 

Make your home….your home…but think long term how the changes you are making could make the sale of your home more challenging. 

As-Is

5 Mistakes in Homeowner valueThis marketing choice can send various messages. “We know our house has issues and we are not going to deal with them.” We have seen the phrase on listings, “As-is, with right to inspect.” What this means is you can have an inspection done on the home as part of your due diligence period, but we are not going to make any repairs or concessions. Sometimes this can be the best way if you are selling an estate property you inherited. You don’t want to take time to address deferred maintenance or other issues. 

But if you choose this route, you may want to consider your listing price. Using round numbers, if you know homes in your neighborhood are selling for $300,000 that have been updated and well cared for, you may want to price your home $10-30,000 less than that price point. Again, this is all determined by what needs to be done and the condition of the home. (Kitchen and baths are original, old carpet, wallpaper, etc.)

It goes back to your goal with the sale of the home. If you just want to get it sold, or if you want to maximize the return on the sale, this will determine if “as-is” is the way to sell your home. 

And hiring the right Realtor is an important consideration. Just because you have a friend that is a real estate agent, they may not be familiar with your neighborhood or type of home (think condominium vs. single family home). 

Closing Thoughts!

When a Buyer is looking at your home, they will take many things into consideration, and many of them will be very personal in nature. After all, buying and selling a home is not only a big financial decision, but an emotional one as well. 

A garage, or lack thereof, could be a deal breaker. But a buyer will look at a kitchen and bath remodel and think, “I love this kitchen (or bathroom)” or they can think “Oh these kitchen cabinets and flooring have to go!” 

Filed Under: Atlanta Real Estate For Sale Or Rent, Blog, Buyers, Real Estate Tips, Sellers Tagged With: Buyers, Intown Atlanta Real Estate Buyers Guide, real estate FAQ, Seller Tips, Sellers

25 Quick Ideas for Decluttering

January 13, 2020 by Thom Abbott

How to Declutter Your Home25 Quick Ideas for Decluttering

You know you got stuff. It’s everywhere!! Whether you live in a single family home, or a 1-bedroom condo…you just start piling up stuff!

Got a spare hour or so? It’s time to start tossing. Grab a trash bag, a recycling bin and a few donation boxes and get down to business. Working room by room, here are the things you can get rid of right this second.

Kitchen
1. Expired food in your fridge and pantry. (Don’t forget to check all those condiments—they don’t last as long as you think).

2. Recipe books, cards and print-outs you don’t use.

3. Old or one-time use cleaning supplies under the sink.

4. Bottles of alcohol collecting dust.

5. Old, stained and tattered sponges, dishrags and hand towels.

Living Room
6. Magazines you’ve already read.

7. DVDs no one watches.

8. Knickknacks that no longer speak to you.

9. Extra throw pillows and blankets.

10. Toys and electronics that aren’t played with or used.

Bathroom
11. Expired medications.

12. Old makeup, nail polishes and skin care products.

13. Any half-empty bottles or soap remnants in the shower.

14. Sample packets and hotel soaps, shampoos and lotions.

15. Any hair accessories, curlers or hot tools that don’t get used.

Bedrooms
16. Extra sets of sheets—you only need two!

17. Clothes that don’t fit or you no longer wear.

18. Shoes that are worn out or never worn.

19. Jewelry that’s broken or never worn.

20. Extra buttons, clothing tags, safety pins and bobby pins.

Office 
21. Old instruction manuals.

22. Print-outs you don’t have use for.

23. Books you’ve already read, don’t like or won’t realistically get to.

24. Old tax documents, bills and pay stubs. (Shred these!)

25. Extraneous pens, pencils and other office supplies. 

Filed Under: Blog, Interesting Stories, Random Topics, Real Estate Tips, Sellers Tagged With: atlanta relocation, odds and ends, Seller Tips, Sellers

3 Must-Do’s Before Listing Your House for Sale

October 26, 2019 by Thom Abbott

AWESOME! You’ve decided that it’s time to find that new home or condo you have been looking for! Ahhhhh….but first we have to SELL the one you have now!What are 3 Must-Do’s Before Listing Your Home For Sale? 

Tips For Listing Your Home For Sale3 Must-Do’s Before Listing Your House for Sale

Before you list your home or condominium for sale, it’s time to do a little work around the house – to prepare and make sure your home is seen in the best possible light. These “must-do” items are about showing your home to buyers as one which is cared for and ready for them to add their own brand of home to the space. Taking a little time up front can mean thousands of dollars as buyers start writing their offers.

3 Must-Do’s Before Listing Your House for Sale

1. Declutter, Depersonalize and Clean – This is the time to take spring cleaning seriously, in any season. Clear out all unnecessary items from the home; closets, drawers, extra clothes, old unwanted furniture. If you have added extra furniture to your condo, now would be a good time to move it to a temporary storage unit, or even sell it if you don’t think you will use/need it in your next home.  Donate to charity, hire a dumpster or rent a storage space; buyers will look in every space and open all drawers and cabinets, make sure your home seems spacious. Closet and storage space, no matter a condominium, single family home or a condominium is always a premium. If you have limited storage, then try to have it as open as possible…it gives the look of there being a lot of space. Spend some time to depersonalize by removing excessive pictures and hide heirlooms. Finally, deep clean every space top to bottom.

2. Address Deferred Maintenance – Make small repairs or hire a handyman to take care of problems which could appear during the home inspection. I simply cannot stress this enough!!!  I even recommend you have a pre-inspection done on your home. FIND all these things and then you can address most of them, or at least be prepared with our pricing to allow for a concession for something. It will make the Due Diligence/Inspection period on your home a lot less stressful! Replace caulking, fix broken windows and screens, replace light bulbs and freshen up and clean grout; buyers want to see a home that is cared for with “good bones.” 

Listing Your Home For Sale3. Go for Curb Appeal – Spend some time in the yard. Trim bushes and trees, clean and repair hardscape and make sure there is adequate lighting. Welcome your buyers with seasonal flowers or décor and place a fresh mat by the front door. Before you put that sign in the front yard, spend a little time and elbow grease to make sure you welcome your potential buyers with the best version of your home. If you live in a condominium, there is not much you can do with the curb appeal. If you are not in a high rise, listing when the trees are in full bloom vs. when the leaves are all over the ground could be a good consideration! As for a high rise, your curb appeal starts in the lobby with your Concierge. Take time to visit with them and let then know your home is going on the market. They often talk with other residents in the building who may be looking to make a change, or could be renting and now want to purchase in the same building. Also make sure your REALTOR is familiar with the listing policies and procedures in your building. Some of this information can be added to the listing to help buyers agents as they show your home. 

3 Must-Do’s Before Listing Your House for Sale 

These are great tips to help you and your REALTOR quickly sell your home or condominium so you can head to your next new home! 

Filed Under: Real Estate Tips, Sellers Tagged With: Seller Tips, Sellers

Where Are The Photos On My Listing?

May 30, 2019 by Thom Abbott

Why Are there no Photos on my ListingThe main reason you hired me (or any real estate agent if you happened to find this article) is to Sell. Your. Home. Right? So you look on a major website and your first question is ….. Where Are The Photos On My Listing?

In marketing your home, it is my job, is to get as many people as I can to “see” your home, certainly by an actual showing on your home with a Buyers’ Agent  to see your home in person. But, there is another critical part of marketing your home…..know what that is?

It’s the photos! 

When we enter your listing into the  Multiple Listing Service (MLS) within 15 minutes, (sometimes less, and sometimes longer), your listing will be seen virtually around the world! Technology….absolutely fabulous, right?  Imagine that a home buyer in Seattle, Washington, looking to relocate to Atlanta, can be on any number of websites, and ..BAM! There is your listing. 

 

Where Are My Listing PhotosAnd before they even begin to read the description, they see ……THIS!

And THAT is the only photo on your listing for not ONE, not TWO, not THREE but FOUR days! Imagine your home is being marketed…..sort of? How is that Seattle buyer going to know if your home is “the one” when they can see nothing!!!!

FOUR DAYS of critical marketing time, that is sort of lost! Sure, a Buyer might remember to come back and look at this…. Or they may find “the one” on the next listing. And with homes going Under Contract in many parts of the Atlanta area in 24-48 HOURS, you are not going to be one of those. 

Even as an AGENT, I rely on the photos to determine if a particular home may meet my Buyers wants and needs. And I try to preview much of the homes and condos that I show. But if there are no listing photos for ME to look at, should  I spend  extra time going to see this home/condo, since I really don’t know what it looks like? Or, did you, Mr/Mrs. Seller just lose a potential showing on your home? 

Where are the photos on my listingOne of my key marketing strategies I review with all my Sellers is that, “You don’t get 50% marketing with me!” We advise our clients, that until we have your photography back from our photographer, your listing will not be entered. When your listing goes live, the photos are immediately entered after that. We want those photos on your listing before that 15 minutes mentioned above ever even passes. Now, it can take us longer as we do all the descriptions  to each photo. And if there are 25-40 photos, that can take some extra time. And you want us to spend that extra time to get that description right. Again, that’s what that buyer in Seattle will be looking at, and reading! 

Once you have completed preparing your home/condo for sale by decluttering, or if vacant, staging the home, we then have the photography done. Depending on scheduling, we hire a photographer or if  there are scheduling issues, we do it ourselves. (Hey, I’m a marketing professional…I’m good at what I do!) When I have those photos available, your listing is entered into the MLS. And not a moment before. Maybe another real estate professional says you need to be on the MLS immediately….I’ll agree to disagree strongly with that! 

So when you are talking with any real estate professional, you should ask/know how they do critical parts of their business (managing your listing) that will have a direct impact on your sale! 

For More Information about marketing your Atlanta home or Condo, please contact us! We’d be happy to discuss our Marketing Plans and how we will do the best for you! 

Filed Under: Atlanta Real Estate For Sale Or Rent, Atlanta Relocation, Blog, Real Estate Tips, Sellers Tagged With: Sellers, sellers tips

5 Organizing Mistakes You Could be Making

April 5, 2019 by Thom Abbott

Organizing tipsMost of us wish to keep our homes organized. That’s a piece of cake. Yet many individuals have a hard time to maintain their home this way. This is due to the fact that there are some typical actions that can be making it tough for you to remain organized. Here are 5 Organizing Mistakes You Could be Making! 

Not Arranging by Feature

Lots of individuals like to sort by shade or group things by their physical similarities. Nevertheless, this could really be making areas such as your closets even a bigger mess. If every one of your shirts are organized by color yet you use specific t-shirts during the week and also other ones on the weekend, this will create you to have to sift with every t shirt you have to find one that is work-appropriate or laid-back enough for the weekend break.

Rather, group things by feature. Maintain all your shoes and also garments organized in a way that makes good sense for your lifestyle and also you will have a better chance of staying arranged.

Organizing Things You Do Not Need

Before you organize your kitchen area or bathroom, sort out what you have and ask yourself if each thing is still essential. For instance, if you are reorganizing cabinets in the kitchen, take every item out of the cabinet and also lay it out before you. Examine each thing and also choose if you must keep it, toss it or give it away!

Now, you only need to organize the products you have left. Organizing items you do not use is a waste of time and will just add to the clutter you are trying to get rid of.

Purchasing Too Many Storage Space Containers

Do you acquire boxes and also baskets with every purpose of getting organized by using them, but they wind up sitting in the garage or your storage unit with a wide variety of unassociated things? Before you invest in storage containers, eliminate anything you don’t really need or use anymore. After that, decide how many and what kind of containers you need, on a list. This way, you buy the right containers for the things you are keeping.

Using Bookshelves as a Storage Unit

It’s easy to transform your shelves into a disposing ground for knick-knacks and also various items you do not have a place for. Actually, the bookshelf should have a really thoughtful design of carefully curated products. Bookshelves are open and also become an eyesore when they’re jammed.

Also the books you display on your bookshelf ought to be the best of the best! Those paperbacks you need to keep…they go in one of those containers.

Furniture Overload

If you stay in a condo or a smaller house, make sure you have the right furnishings for the space you have to work with. For example, just because houses commonly have a formal dining room doesn’t mean you HAVE to have a dining room table. This could make a great home office or theater room! imply you have to. If you condo has a breakfast bar, and you don’t entertain much, consider not having ANY dining table. It just depends on your space and your lifestyle. Save room for that special piece that came from family or as some other meaning to you!

Looking for even more methods to maintain your residence clutter-free… especially if you are thinking about selling … Give us a call today! We are happy to help you with this process, or give you some resources!

Filed Under: Blog, Buyers, Random Topics, Real Estate Tips, Sellers Tagged With: News, odds and ends, Seller Tips

Midtown Atlanta 2018 Year End Real Estate Market Report

March 23, 2019 by Thom Abbott

Midtown Atlanta Real Estate Year End 2018 Market ReportMidtown Atlanta is most often referred to as the most walkable neighborhood in all of the Metro Atlanta area. And that certainly is true. Step out the door of your home or condominium, and lots and lots of restaurants, some shopping, two MARTA transit stations, theater and art museums are all within walking distance. Not to mention the numerous festivals that happen each year in Midtown Atlanta’s “backyard” ….  Piedmont Park. 

A majority of the living options in Midtown Atlanta consist of condominiums and apartments. The area known as Historic Midtown is the only area with single family homes. 

For the purpose of this report, we tried to outline what is considered Midtown in the MLS, as indicate in the photo on the right. 

Midtown Atlanta 2018 Year End Real Estate Market Report

Disclaimer: As we do this “15,000 ft overview” of the Midtown Atlanta market, we attempted to keep the search as indicate in the map above. So places like Ansley Park or Atlantic Station are NOT represented in this report. 

Single Family Homes

Single family homes in Midtown Atlanta, are found in what is referred to as Historic Midtown, and area primarily defined by 10th Street, Monroe Drive, North Avenue and Piedmont Avenue. 

There were 25 homes that sold in 2018, ranging in price from $500,000 to $1,680,000.  CLICK HERE to see the report.

Condominiums/Townhomes

2018 Midtown Atlanta Real Estate Market ReportMidtown Atlanta is best known for condominium living. And the choices range for converted homes with only 4 units to major high-rise buildings with 400 homes! And as you can see in this 2018 Year End Report, there is a range of prices! There were a total of 667 sales in the area for 2018!

86 condominiums sold between $500,000 and above.  This accounted for about 13 percent of the market

78 homes sold between $400,000 and $500,000 or about 12 percent of the market. 

160 homes sold between $300,000 and $400,000, about 24 percent of the market.

343 homes, or 51% of the Midtown Atlanta condo market sold for less than $300,000. 

82 condos sold for less than $200,000 or about 12 percent of the total sales.

CLICK HERE to see the Complete 2018 Market Report — $500,000 Plus

CLICK HERE to see the Complete 2018 Market Report — $400,000 — $500,000

$300,000 — $400,000  CLICK HERE

$300,000 or less  CLICK HERE

What’s The Real Estate Market Like In Midtown Atlanta?

Midtown Atlanta’s real estate market is still moving strong in 2019. However, we are starting to see some homes remain on the market longer and not the past frenzy of offers (and sometimes multiple offers) within a day of going on the market. 2019 will also see the values moderate. This is a GOOD THING, AND NOT A SIGN OF ANY TROUBLE! A real estate market cannot continue at 6% or more appreciation each year. If that were to happen, Midtown Atlanta, or ANY area of Atlanta could quickly become unaffordable to many people. So we look forward to continued price and value appreciation, but just not as dramatic as we have seen in the past few years. 

If you are looking to Buy or Sell a home in Midtown Atlanta, MyMidtownMojo.com can help! 

Selling? Do you want to sell your Midtown Atlanta single family home or condominium? Call us today at 770.713.1505 to schedule a free market analysis of your home. Or, complete our Seller Information Form and we will be in touch with you! 

Buying? Are you looking to buy a Midtown Atlanta home, condo or townhome? We can set up specific searches for you based on price, community or other specifics you may be looking for. In a competitive Seller’s Market, we can alert you of new listings within minutes of them hitting the market! Just complete out Buyer Information Form, or let’s schedule a time to talk about what you are looking for!

Contact MyMidtownMojo and Thomas Ramon Realty@Palmer House Properties at 770.713.1505 or Info@MyMidtownMojo.com for all your Midtown Atlanta real estate needs!

Filed Under: Atlanta Real Estate For Sale Or Rent, Atlanta Relocation, Blog, Buyers, Condominiums of Midtown, Market Reports, Midtown Atlanta, Sellers Tagged With: Buyers, Midtown Atlanta Buyers Guide, Midtown Atlanta Market Reports, midtown atlanta real estate, Sellers

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Thom Abbott

Associate Broker, REALTOR(R)
905 Juniper Street, NE Suite 110
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
770.713.1505 Direct
404.876.4901 Office

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

PalmerHouse Properties

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