Author Archives : reallaunch

Ahhhhh … The Holidays.

Don’t you just love ‘em? Everything about a holiday celebration just makes you feel good.

Before you know it, the towns in and around Atlanta will be decked to the hilt with lights, garlands, bows, bells, and every other sort of holiday decor you could shake a stick at.

We love the sights, but also the smells! The scent of cinnamon from hot cider lingers all around, the sweet aroma of cookies, and OH!, the smell of those fresh, fragrant Christmas trees.

If you like to have a fresh-cut tree in your home and you’re looking for a place to get one, there are a bunch of great tree farms in our area. You can march off into the forest primeval and cut your very own (whether you envision something from Norman Rockwell or more Clark Griswold is up to you).

Some places to check out are:

• Hunter’s Christmas Tree Farm
• Berry Patch Farms
• Deerwoods Christmas Trees
• Coker Tree Farm
• Scottsdale Farms

Did you know, too, that the holiday season is a great time to sell your home? It’s true! In fact, we sold two homes this past week that had multiple offers!

Why is it a great time to sell your home at the holidays?

#1: There isn’t much traveling going on in November and December. People are staying with their families, shopping, or heading out with friends. And buyers that are out looking at houses in December are serious! It’s a perfect time to put your house up for sale.

#2: Your house looks gorgeous! What time does your home look prettier than during the holidays? The holiday feel in the neighborhood & surrounding community will even enhance the look and feel of your house, too. Buyers buy on emotion, they want to “feel” how their family will live in your home; nothing inspires that like warm holiday lights.

#3: Right now, inventory is low! That means less competition, which means your home will sell for more money and faster. With interest rates still low and serious buyers out there and ready, the good homes will go under contract, and FAST.

#4: In general, people are in a buying spirit and Buyers are more emotional during the holidays.  You can use this to your advantage when you selling your home.

#5: December is the second most popular time for employees to relocate.  Many people begin new jobs in January and company transfers surge in December.  It’s also a great time to make a transition with school age children to start the new year in a new school.

#6: Buyers who are looking for homes now are SERIOUS.

#7:  Some people need to buy and close before the end of the year for tax reasons.

#8. You can sell now and position yourself to be a non-contingent Buyer in the Spring.  There are plenty of short-term rental options in our area or we can negotiate an extended rent back so you can stay in your home into next year.

If you don’t like the idea of showing your home during the holidays because you plan to entertain and have visitors, consider these options.

Alternative 1: Wait to January yet let us start spreading the word by engaging our team now.  We are on the phone daily with prospective Buyers and can share with them your home now.  Also we can get a jump start on our marketing and preparing to sell your home so that we could hit the ground full force in January.

Alternative 2: List your home for sale now and designate one day a week only for showings.  This will allow you to plan your day around prospective Buyers while enjoying your home with friends and family the other 6 days a week.  And you won’t miss out on the holiday home shoppers.

And if you’re champing at the bit to sell your home, let us know! Go here to get your home value now. Happy Holidays!

The holidays are quickly approaching and so are the deals on everything from smart home accessories to TVs to appliances to video game consoles. If you’re a serious shopper like me and looking for a great bargain, now is the time to start planning your purchases. Since virtually every store has some kind of Black Friday promotion, it can be pretty overwhelming to search through all of them to find the best ones.

Luckily, I did the hard work for you!

For Your Home

Buying new smarthome technology and appliances can really put a dent in your wallet. If you’re lucky enough to time your purchase perfectly with BlackFriday, then these deals are for you. Sears, hhgregg and JC Penney are all offering great savings on washer/dryer combos, refrigerators, and other small appliances, while Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Kohl’s, and Amazon have some great discounts on smarthome tech.

• Walmart: The Nest Learning Thermostat will be on sale for $199 ($50 savings on its regular retail price)
• Best Buy: The Amazon Echo will be on sale for $140, a $40 discount
• Target: The Nest Cam for $149 ($50 discount on its regular retail price)
• Multiple stores: Several lines of iRobot Roomba vacuums are on sale at Kohl’s, Target, Best Buy, and Amazon
• Sears: Kenmore french door refrigerator and bottom-freezer for $999.99
• Sears: Kenmore washer and dryers priced at $274.99 each (which were regularly $539.99 each)
• hhgregg: Amana Washer and Dryer $549.99 for the pair
• hhgregg: Frigidaire Stainless Steel 4-piece Kitchen Package for $1499.99 (savings of $910)

• Best Buy: 39-inch Insignia 1080p smart Roku TV, $180 (in stores only)
• Best Buy: 49-inch Toshiba 4K with Chromecast, $200 (in stores only)
• Best Buy: 70-inch Vizio 4K smart UHD TV, $1,000 (in stores or online)
• Walmart: 50-inch Samsung 4K TV for $398 (a $230 discount on its sticker price)
• Walmart: 15.6-inch Acer laptop for $299, a $150 savings off its regular price
• Sears: 55-inch Samsung LED UHD TV – savings of $300 as it will be available for $599.99

• Target: HP Windows 10-based laptop for $260, a discount off its $400 regular retail price
• Best Buy: base 13-inch MacBook Air with Core i5, 8GB of memory, and 128GB of solid-state storage $799.99
• Best Buy: base 21.5-inch iMac (Core i5/8GB/1TB), $899.99

• Walmart: Battlefield 1 Xbox One S 500 GB Bundle and the Uncharted 4 PlayStation 4 500 GB Slim Bundle for $249 ($50 off from the original price of $299)
• Walmart: New Nintendo 3DS black and white special-edition systems for $100 (from the original price of $179)
• Walmart: Apple’s 32GB iPad Mini 2 will be available for $199. The tablet usually retails for $269
• Walmart: Canon D-SLR for $449 ($150 savings)
• Target:  $151 discount on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, a $126 discount on the iPad Air 2, and a $70 discount on the iPad Mini 2
• Target: $100 Samsung Galaxy Tab A (typically retails for $150)
• Target: Fitbit Charge HR will be on sale for $90, a $40 discount on its regular price
• Target: Apple Watch Series 1 will start at $198 ($72 savings)

• Target: Powerbeats wireless headphones for $90. They typically retail for $200
• Target: GoPro Hero Session bundle for $180. The bundle typically costs $250
• Best Buy, Target and Walmart all have varying deals on the iPhone: $250 gift card with qualifying iPhone purchase on installment plan through Verizon, AT&T or Sprint

Amazon.com has one additional resource you should know about: their mobile app lets you mark upcoming sale items and be notified the moment the discounts hit.

As you can see, if you’re in the market for electronics or appliances, these BlackFridaydeals are just too good to miss! Many of these stores have identical (or very similar) deals on all of these big ticket items. Hopefully this list will save you some time and help you have a plan in place to score these awesome bargains.

Thanks to everyone who attended our 13th Annual Fall Festival Client Appreciation Party this past Saturday.  What a beautiful day!

Fall Festival photos are here! Go to: http://bit.ly/2fhNE7e If you joined us a couple weeks ago at our Fall Festival, follow the link to download your professional photos. You all look great!

Thanks again for coming, we appreciate your support and will do it again next year!

-Joanne & Team

It’s March, so of course it’s time to start thinking about Spring Cleaning…

But what if it wasn’t so tedious?

I found a list of 36 House Cleaning Tricks for People Who Hate Cleaning the House and wanted to share a few of my favorites with you.

1. Got a dirty microwave? Cut a lemon in half and drop it in a bowl of water. Microwave it til the water starts to boil, let the lemon water steam for a minute, then wipe away the mess with ease
2. A clever re-use for dryer sheets: you can use a dryer sheet to clean almost anything. Dust your TV, laptop screen, baseboards and then see how the anti-static chemicals actually continue to repel dust
3. Ceiling fan dust: Put away your mask and feather duster, just grab an old pillow case. Pull it all the way over the fan blade, then slowly wipe backward. The case will trap all the dust inside!
4. Save the money you spend on Drano: pour 4 Alka Seltzer tablets then a cup of distilled vinegar down your clogged drains. Wait ten minutes before rinsing with boiled water.
5. Grease stains: Whether they’re on your furniture or your clothes, did you know covering grease stains with white chalk makes it easy to get out? Let the chalk sit a minute before wiping away the stain with a damp cloth.

The list has a bunch of other great ideas, too.

Hope you found these tips useful. Please keep me in mind if you plan to clean then sell your home this Spring.

The Curtin Team started 2016 with a BANG! with the receipt of Family Life Publications’ Best of Life 2016 Best Realtor Award.  The Best Realtor Award came after the publication solicited a vote for which Realtor it was that the community thought went above and beyond.  As stated on FamilyLifePublications.com, the voters were asked “who they think are the best businesses and professionals in the area”.  This award could have gone to an entire brokerage, so it is even more impressive that our team of ten full-time realtors could attain this much customer acclaim.  The Curtin Team would like to thank all of the community that helped them to achieve this accolade.