When you want to sell your house, you want it to bring in top dollar. That means you want to find a Realtor® in the Columbus GA area who has the characteristics of a top performer. He or she may or may not have last month's highest sales volume, may or may not have page after page of onscreen MLS listings. However, there are characteristics you can look for that are bound to point to the best candidate to represent your home in your neighborhood. 1) Understanding You: the Client I agree with Realtor Magazine: "One of the strongest ways to increase likability and foster a connection is to demonstrate that [the Realtor] understands someone else's needs, and is happy to help fulfill them.” A great Realtor is inherently a great salesperson, and as such, automatically adapts his or her selli... 11/08/2012

At last! To the joy of every child (and most adults) you know, your Columbus, GA area home has a swimming pool! Whether you just bought the property or have recently installed a pool yourself, this is a feature that's not only a pleasure to look at, but also a true centerpiece -- a magnet for socializing and relaxing throughout the hot summer months.   Also true: that pool carries a few drawbacks, as well. You should consider both when it comes to writing an offer or selling a home with a pool Pro 1: Boost Your Property's Value In today's super-competitive housing market, it's good to stand out from the crowd. Whether you add your property to the Columbus, GA home listings next week or plan to do so in the future, a pool will boost its overall value. My summer buyers' ears always perk u... 08/03/2012

Selling your home in boom times can seem like quite a different proposition from what we have today. But Columbus, GA area real estate veterans know that there are many factors that aren't subject to change. One of them is the basic arithmetic of residential space: bigger sells for more. That's where you -- if you're an Columbus, GA homeowner thinking about selling your home down the road -- can have make a real impact. Especially if you think 'deck'! A backyard deck can add aesthetic value to any home while providing functional outdoor space - truly adding to the usable living area throughout the seasons when weather allows. The square footage on the listing may not reflect it (usually only heated square footage is counted), but when it comes to showings and open houses, prospective bu... 08/03/2012

Designers of today's Columbus, GA new homes and remodeled homes are continuing to regard the kitchen as the functioning central gathering place - the family's social hub, where a great deal more than meal preparation takes place. The trend toward bigger kitchens is on track: many feature kitchens designed with open space for family gatherings as well as multi-generational cooking. Many new homes deck out their kitchens in the hottest new colors (it's become a widespread international fashion trend). When you are making decisions about your own kitchen, if you decide to keep future home values in mind, your color choices may differ from what they might have been a decade ago. According to HGTV, "People are viewing kitchens that have too much of any one color as flat, so more color is def... 08/03/2012

Many potential Columbus, GA area homebuyers rate fireplaces near the top of their 'nice to have' list. Not a 'gotta have,' but definitely a solid plus. For them, fireplaces are romantic additions to any property.  Sometimes a backyard fire pit or open-hearth barbecue can fill the bill. Especially during brisk fall or winter evenings, the allure of the dancing flames, crackling sound and woodsy aroma are all that are needed to bring back fond family memories and build new ones... However - whether indoors or out, there are some practical advantages and drawbacks to both wood burners and gas fireplaces.  The main advantage to a wood burning fireplace or an outdoor fire pit is the ambiance it creates. Since wood is the original renewable fuel, all the positives that go with a green/conserv... 08/03/2012

For most of us, a swimming pool would be a truly valuable addition to any home. It isn't just the fun pools bring to the backyard recreational space -- they add value to Columbus, GA property listings when it comes time to sell. For many years, homeowners could choose their pool's size and shape, but that was about all. The water was going to be fresh, and the maintenance method, chlorination.  But that was before the saltwater pool began to come into its own as a popular choice. One of the reasons is that most people have misconceptions about the plusses and minuses of the saltwater variety: it's not, as you might think, an attempt to create ocean water in the backyard. 'Saltwater' is not 'seawater.' The water in a salt pool does not look, smell or taste different from that in a tradit... 07/18/2012

Ahhhh! At the end of a busy day, who doesn't look forward to the surge of well being that comes with closing the door behind you, finally able to relax now that the world is at bay. Whether living in apartments or homes, everyone deserves that feeling of safety and security. Yet, like most everything else, real security has to be earned. In the area of home security, we've come across both good and bad news. The good: the most recent FBI report shows that the number of burglaries is decreasing across the nation. The bad: burglaries are still responsible for 23% of property crimes, and total losses for those were estimated at more than $15,000,000,000. That's billion.  Fortunately, a few very simple actions can reduce the chances that any of our Columbus, GA homes will become one of thos... 07/18/2012

Every homeowner can have all sorts of reasons for selling their Columbus, GA house. Those in the boomer generation can be in one of the traditional phases of retirement (planning, transitioning, initiating) or perhaps in one of the newly-popular phases (postponing, rejecting). For them and everyone else, the decision about whether to sell the house falls into one of two categories: those triggered by economic pressures - or all the other reasons. In all cases, being in control of the timing of your house sale will put you in control of the process. That pays off. Even if the money factor doesn't rule, it's vital to first do some hard-nosed dollars-and-cents calculations before putting your house on the market. Find out what a realistic listing price range will be. I or another experienc... 07/18/2012

Novice and professional investors find themselves in competition over Columbus, GA REO and foreclosure opportunities. The goal of building a long-term, profitable investment is the same for both groups, but the professionals have an institutional advantage. They have systems in place and experienced personnel who bring a high degree of confidence to their estimates of the financial tradeoffs for any candidate property. Novices have to rely on their own calculations. For readers unsure of that  'REO' expression, it's an acronym that is short for 'real estate owned.' Not very illuminating, is it? What most people mean when they describe a local REO is a property whose ownership has reverted back to a lender. By most accounts it's referred to as a "foreclosure". Whether buying with cash on... 07/18/2012

When the time nears to sell your Columbus, GA home, one extra bit of due diligence can pay off in the most meaningful way: helping you to get the best return on your investment. It's not a requirement that every listing agent may suggest, but particularly if yours is an older home or if you don't like surprises, it is one you should consider: ordering an advance inspection. Ordering your own advance inspection, like the proverbial 'stitch in time,' can alert you to deferred maintenance items that might derail a closing. Things do have a remarkable tendency to cause trouble at the most inconvenient time. Even more likely, maintenance items that you have long accepted but which might sour a buyer will be spotlighted early. Curing them before your buyer insists upon it prevents receiving d... 07/15/2012

Gracious living in a well-appointed home may evoke visions of price tags in the millions of dollars, but not all true luxury homes in the Columbus, GA area fall into the seven-figure bracket.  If you are considering selling your own high-end home, it's important to consider your target buyer and the criteria most of them bring to their Columbus, GA property search. What for them constitutes the definition of "luxury homes"?.   Although many features could be considered as must-haves for the majority of luxury home listings, three criteria in particular are usually included: well-planned and well-tended grounds, high-quality materials, and distinctive amenities - custom features not duplicated elsewhere.   To attract and suit a high-end buyer, the grounds and landscaping of luxury homes ... 07/01/2012

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words might a video's flood of pictures be worth? The scientists at George Washington University approached the topic a few years ago in connection with real estate virtual tours. To those of us whose profession is helping our clients buy and sell homes in the Columbus, GA area, their findings were - to say the least - interesting:   They arrived at this conclusion: “Adding a virtual tour decreases the expected marketing time of selling a home by about 20% and increases the expected sales price by about 2%." I've added the italics, but you get the idea: those are some serious stats. Since today's fast-paced world rewards being able to get information quickly, it's small wonder that video tours are so powerful in selling homes. But to be u... 06/18/2012

When it comes to Columbus, GA property search resources, one tool house hunters rely on without hesitation is so simple they probably don’t even think about it. Online sites and search engines are incredibly valuable and by far are the leading tools in searching for homes. Classified ads may be tried and true, but often require searchers to make a phone inquiry to learn the address in question. But there is a low-demand, high-yield, unequivocal property search aid that gets buyers interested: the good ol’ frontyard ‘For Sale’ sign.  It may seem like an awfully old-fashioned marketing method, but that sign remains one of the most effective tools we recommend to attract buyers and to raise interest in buyers that didn’t know they wanted to buy! With the prices of single-family homes on th... 06/13/2012

Those of us who focus professionally on our Columbus, GA real estate trends can vouch for it: outdoor living sells! And depending on what life phase their family is in,homebuyers’ choices tend to follow similar lines. If you are looking to update and modernize your Columbus, GA area home with an eye on possibly selling it sometime in the future, you should be following some of these trends. The 2012 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends Surveyconfirms again how important those backyard grills and dining areas are when it comes to what most people have at the top of their minds when they think about buying homes. When potential homebuyers come to me, some of the features highest on their “must have” list virtually always have something to do with outdoor space.   Young families buyin... 06/05/2012

When the Columbus, GA real estate market undergoes the kind of wide changes we’ve seen recently, you would expect changes in how prospective buyers approach their choices. No surprise there. With lending tight and larger deposits often being sought by lenders, many Columbus, GA homebuyers are seeking ‘move-in ready’ properties - homes that require little or no out-of-pocket cash before moving in.  That growing segment of the buying public has grown weary of bargain-hunting, are tired of viewing REO’s/Foreclosures and short sales - and just want to be able to settle into their new Columbus, GA home as-is. They want a bottom line cost that's nailed down.  Automatically qualified to interest such homebuyers are today’s local luxury homes: homes with features that bring a higher-end “feel” ... 05/29/2012

Though things are looking up in real estate these days, selling a home in Columbus, GA is as demanding as ever. As in any serious business proposition, looking for ways to increase the value of your offering will always pay dividends. One of the major ways you can make your own Columbus, GA home more marketable is to do a bathroom remodel. It’s always a key focus for prospective buyers…and yes, it does sound like a lot of work (and a lot of money) -- but there are a number of ways you can cut down on both. Why use a Realtor like Carey Scott to sell your home? Click here on Why use a Realtor? First, step back and give a hardheaded look at the conditions a remodel would correct. In a surprising number of cases, all a bathroom really needs in order to look more glamorous and inviting is to... 05/23/2012

Figuring out home values when the market is in flux is truly a job for experts. We have seen the national real estate market begin to rebound, and Columbus, GA home values reflect the movement as well. Most Columbus, GA area homeowners are in the habit of keeping an eye on area home values. But especially for anyone considering selling a home in the Columbus, GA area the next couple of months, estimating their home’s worth is one of the first items on the agenda. To get you started, there are a couple of different methods to help establish a ballpark estimate of what your home may currently be worth. Certainly the quickest and easiest tool is the calculator on Bank of America’s website, at http://realestatecenter.bankofamerica.com/tools/marketvalue.aspx.  This free online calculator us... 05/23/2012

These days the words “bank owned homes” or “foreclosure property” has become practically synonymous with a single word: “opportunity.”  With prices and mortgage rates this low, first time home buyers, investors and seasoned property owners alike are looking at a raft of buying options unlike any Columbus, GA has seen in a very long time.  That option of buying a bank owned home has certainly opened a viable route for those looking to own a home at the fraction of what it cost just a few years ago. But not without a price:  the best Columbus, GA foreclosure bargains are almost certain to fall into the ‘fixer-upper’ category. A word of caution and advice: sometimes what is a perceived “deal” is not in reality a “deal” at all but just extra money, extra work, and extra time. If the amount ... 05/15/2012

Both hardwood and carpeted flooring can look great in any Columbus, GA property. However, when that property is purchased by an investor whose intention is to make it a lucrative long-term rental, hardwood floors can have a real advantage over carpeting -- for both durability and enhanced aesthetic appeal. Yes, the initial investment is definitely more expensive. But hardwood floors are extremely durable: they withstand years of the toughest use (by even the roughest of boots!). By comparison, carpets tend to rip and stain easily. With replacement costs not as cheap as one would like, that means their actual property management expense will usually be higher. The resulting value to present (or future) landlords can be considerable. Hardwood flooring also gives any property a higher-end ... 05/15/2012

Surprises can be a lot of fun. Being blindsided when friends throw you a surprise birthday party is a fine example. Getting an unexpectedly large tax return is another. But when you're about to close escrow on a new Columbus, GA home, surprises are the last thing you need. One of the most important services I provide as your experienced Columbus, GA real estate agent is to be there to help you sail through the process of a surprise-less closing. Even so, it's important for you to review some basics of the steps we need to accomplish in advance. I consider it ‘surprise insurance’ for a successful closing. For additional information on why you should use a Realtor like Carey Scott of ERA Elite Ventures Realty click Why Should I use a Realtor? Financing Proper financing is the first step i... 05/14/2012