About Gwinnett County, GA

It is pretty common knowledge that kitchens and master bathrooms make or break the appeal for a home on the market. Get those two areas right can land a buyer that might otherwise pick another home.

Image by lane.bailey via Flickr

But doing those rooms right isn't cheap. Back around Christmas I wrote a post about how the front door was the most bang for the buck in the improvement arena. In the same post, I mentioned that a "Minor Kitchen Remodel" averaged over $20k in cost (while only delivering about $15k in value). That isn't cheap...

So, what are some improvements that can make a big impact on the appeal of the home, without making that big of an impact on your bank balance?

• Add appropriate crown mouldings. If you are handy, this can be a great improvement. Depending on the profile you select, you might be able to do a room for $100-$300... or possibly less. If you have a home priced over $150k, buyers like to see crown mouldings.
• Paint is the ULTIMATE low-cost upgrade. Face it, for a couple hundred dollars you can paint the inside of your whole home. You can knock it out in a weekend. Select neutral colors that are currently popular and enhance the space and you can "Wow!" buyers touring your home.
• Scrape the ceiling... This one isn't easy. I'd find someone to hire to do it... But, smooth ceilings are WAY more popular than popcorn painted ceilings. Scraping the ceiling and repainting will make your home more desirable than other comparable homes with popcorn ceilings.

Image by mattbatt0 via Flickr

Of course, hiring a stager to talk with about how to make your home show better is a great idea. The stager can help with color selection and ideas to easily improve the "showability" of your home. Many times those ideas are inexpensive.. and even free.

And if you aren't looking to sell, focus on improvements that make you happy. Add wainscotting to the garage (I like the polished aluminum diamond plate...) or more light in the garage. Upgrade flooring.

When we moved into our home we changed to Decora style rocker switches for all of the lights. It cost us less than $50 for the whole house and updated the look. We got rid of the old ivory switches and plates and went with much cleaner pure white.

Have fun...

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from LaneBailey.com

This was emailed to me by an agent friernd and came to us courtesy of thinkbigworksmall.com

The Indymac Slap in our Face. 02.08.10

Watch Video

You won't believe the sweetheart deal that the Indymac boys were given by the FDIC.

Please visit my website at www.mysouthhomes.com and search the entire Georgia MLS

Image via Wikipedia

I'm here for you. I have been getting these emails for years from builders promoting their inventory of homes. In some cases, they are offering incentives to agents to bring buyers to their communities. In other cases they are offing incentives to buyers. Sometimes, there are both...

I finally figured out how to help people find those deals, or know why their agent might be "hot" on a particular community.

I have sold some new construction in the area, and know how to help a buyer get the best deals, so I thought this might be a good outgrowth of that.

Let me also state... The cost of the buyer's agent is built into the cost of the home. It is very rare that builders cut a better price for unrepresented buyers. There are a variety of reasons. One of the biggest is that builders are reluctant to cut the price of their homes. If they do, those lower prices show up in the comps that will be pulled for an appraisal. That lowers the value of the community...

So, if you are interested in a new home in or around Gwinnett County, GA, give me a call. Also, feel free to subscribe to Builders.LaneBailey.com. That is my new site to track builder deals. These are basically the unfiltered flyers that the builders and their agents send out.

The agents on site are very nice people. I have worked with a lot of them. But remember, they are contractually obligated to represent the best interest of THEIR client. And their client is the builder. They aren't going to tell you that the community is in trouble, or what dangers that might bring. They aren't going to tell you if there is another community with a better deal. They aren't going to tell you if there are factors in the community that might affect resale value. You need an agent on YOUR side.

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from LaneBailey.com

No, not Barack Hussein Obama II who was born August 4, 1961. I am talking about the greatest President of our time Ronald Wilson Reagan February 6, 1911.

The 6th would have been Ronald Reagan's 99th birthday. It has been 21 years since the end of our 40th President's second term.

Ronald Reagan revitalized the US economy during one of the most serious financial crises since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

I enlisted in the US Army in August of 1980 and saw first hand what he did to bring the military back from its lowest point of readiness after its neglect in the late 70's under Jimmy Carter.

The more I read about him, the greater an appreciation I have for this Great American. During the last campiagn season (2008 - 2009) Reagan was the President whose name was most mentioned in debates by both parties, as the example of an effective leader. Poll after poll the American people pick Ronald Reagan has the President they must admire.

He believed in lower taxes, less government, and a strong military. International, his leadership rebuilt and restored the position of the United States and took the courageous actions that ultimately led to the end of the Cold War, with freedom winning the fight.

He inspired and encouraged the American people through simple speeches and a strong leadership style.

In February we celebrate the birthdays of two other Great American Presidents: Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809) and George Washington (February 22, 1732).

Remembering these three men can only give us hope.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
Ronald Reagan

Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
Ronald Reagan