The Best Way to Sell a Home - the Kitchen!

The kitchen is the heart of a home. You know the old saying that the "stomach is the way to the heart" - it certainly carries a lot of truth. Kitchens are where we spend much of our time and most of that is with our families. It's the room where we nourish our bodies and our spirits.  They are integral to entertaining and daily living in today’s large open floor plans. They are the focal point of the family, thus of the home the family is buying.

This one room is the showpiece of the house. You'll see it every day and your guests will see it during most visits. This means buyers want homes with up-to-date kitchens. These important spaces can be the most expensive part of a house to renovate. New flooring, appliances, granite tops and paint can quickly add up - and today’s “plugged-in” buyer knows this. 

When deciding on the extent of your kitchen renovation, take into consideration the level of kitchen within your current subdivision. The key is to be relevant to the are and price range, without over spending and not being able to get that money back. If the neighbors mostly have granite tops, stainless appliances and recessed lightings, then these are certainly features you should consider adding. Doing all of this and adding professional appliances and travertine floors might push you out of the price range of the buyer for your area. Market relevance is key!

Sometimes a kitchen update can mean doing just a few minor changes. Change the paint color to a warm, neutral tone. Get rid of any clutter. Update your appliances, paint your cabinets, change the cabinet hardware, or get a high-end looking counter for a fraction of the cost. You might even save a bundle by doing much of the work yourself.  

The bottom line is a kitchen can sell a home. Do a little research and find out what your kitchen needs to make it competitive within your area.

For more details about Selling your home in Jackson TN visit:

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10 Great Gift Ideas for First Time Home Buyers:

Below is a list of the Top 10 gift ideas for First Time Home Buyers. Let me know what gifts you wish you had received, when you moved in to your first home. Lawn Mower/Yard Tools It didn’t even dawn on me until after my first week moved in, “I have a beautiful yard and need to maintain it!” I really love working in my yard but securing all of the tools was a big upfront cost. Lawn items like shovels, garden hoses and rakes are a great, useful gift ideas for Christmas. Large Serving Platters/Dishes for Entertaining I was never able to entertain large groups in my old apartment. With our new home we’ve been entertaining much more and having large dishes for party platters has been a real benefit. Grill & Patio Furniture Our house has a great outdoor living spaces for entertaining. When the weather is nice, we enjoy spending the evening outside grilling steaks. Most apartments won’t allow personal grills and this was at the top on my list when we moved. Fire Extinguishers & First Aid Kits Many new homes come with smoke detectors hard wired into the home, but it’s always a good idea to have a fire extinguisher on hand. If you live in a two story home you might consider a safety ladder. Safety gifts like these are often overlooked until it’s too late. Ladder I never thought I’d use my ladder as often as I do. From tree trimming to Christmas Lights I find this is a great item for home owners. I remember putting on hold so many personal projects until I finally got a ladder. Picture Frames & Hardware Kits It’s your home, a place to build memories. Home purchases typically come with other life changing events and picture frames are a great way to capture those moments.  A level, hammer and hardware kits are often great ideas that they’ll use for years. Fireplace Screens & Pokers Nothing makes a home feel cozier than a warm fire during the winter. My old apartment didn’t have a fireplace and I remember waiting for the temperature to drop before I could use the one in my new home. Gift Cards A new home is a blank canvas ready for home owners to add their personal touch. We spent months looking for new accessories and completing new rooms that we had never had before like our home office and guest room. Ceiling Fans These are a great addition to any room and help circulate the air and reduce heating and cooling cost.  With so many styles they add a great personal touch to a home. Welcome Mats I remember when we first moved into our new home. We were so proud and a welcome mat was one of our first purchases. Our home is so much larger than our apartment and we have mats for the front and back patio doors. If the couple you’re shopping for is anything like my wife, we have a welcome mat for each holiday season. For More Details about Homes for sale in Jackson TN  www.workwithalan.com

Realty Times - Time to Move up?

Realty Times - Time to Move up?

Time to Move up?

by Carla Hill

The market if fraught with scary headlines and ominous news reports. Could the economy slip once more into a recession? Will home prices fall even further? It's enough to make even the bravest buyer a little squeamish.

In order to evaluate if now is the time for you to buy, consider these five issues.

The truth of the matter is that now is a fantastic time to buy. Interest rates are wonderfully low and affordabilty rates are at record highs. Not only that, but there is an oversupply of homes on the market. Now is a great time to move up if you play host to the right set of circumstances.

1. Interest Rates: Low rates translate into smaller monthly payments and less money over the long-term. The Federal Reserve has promised to keep interest rates low for the foreseeable future, but in the next few years we could see rates climb back upward. If you have excellent credit, you'll likely qualify for an exceptional rate. Better yet consider doing an all-cash purchase (like the nearly 30 percent of the market) and avoid interest rates altogether!

2. Why are you buying?: This is an important question to spend some time pondering. Don't move on a whim. What is the real need to move? Many move-ups need more space, want to claim a more prestigious address, or are ready to settle down for good and want to be exactly where they've always dreamed. Perhaps your current home is unable to be remodeled to accommodate your wants and needs. Regardless of the reason, be sure to spend ample time thinking about what move is best for your family.

3. Equity: Home values have fallen across much of the country and this could mean that equity you had built over the past few years is gone. Talk to a local real estate agent about the current market value of your home before deciding if now is a time to buy. Most sellers aren't willing to take a loss on their home. The good news? If you've owned your home for many years (at least five) then chances are you do indeed still have equity.

4. Financial Stability: There's a 9.0 percent unemployment rate that doesn't appear to be going anywhere fast. Moving up can mean bigger payments or heftier bills (energy costs, property taxes, etc). Are you ready to take on this new responsibility? Be sure that you have steady employment, adequate retirement savings, an 8+ month emergency fund, as well as savings for downpayment and other closing costs.

5. Family Concerns: There are many different stages to life and at each of these stages one must consider how actions will affect family members. A family with young children will need to consider school districts, sports teams, and friends. A couple nearing retirement may want to consider the needs of children or grandchildren that live nearby. Buying a home is about much more than making a sound financial decision, it's about creating the sort of life you desire.

Moving-up can be part of the fulfillment of a life long dream. Many couples simply can't wait for the day they step inside their perfect home. Now is a great time to make those dreams a reality, just be sure to toss in a little sensibility with your dreaming.

Published: October 6, 2011

Enjoy the History of the Iphone and it's Core Technologies

http://videos.cnet.co.uk/crave-tv/animated-history-of-the-iphone-40001641/

5 Inexpensive Home Updates to Complete before Listing Your Home

RISMEDIA, August 11, 2011—There is no perfect formula for selling your home efficiently, but by following these five tips prior to listing you can increase your chances to close quickly at a higher price.

1.) Update your old garage door(s).Garage doors seem like a non-issue, but many times they make up a significant percentage of the front of a home. Because of this, they are one of the first things that buyers notice when they pull in the drive way. Replacing, or even just painting, these central fixtures will do wonders when it comes to instantly impressing perspective buyers and standing apart from your competition. The market has changed drastically since many of us purchased our homes here in town. I frequently hear buyers say that they have taken a house off their list because of the lack of curb appeal. This issue is especially important to people on busier streets, corner lots, or near a neighborhood eyesore.

2.) Replace old windows. Outdated windows age a home significantly, and you can often upgrade standard windows to vinyl for a reasonable $300 per window. The average home has 8 windows, so this upgrade doesn’t cost nearly as much as you might think and it will make a huge difference to the value perceived by prospective buyers. Key point to remember is that when buyers view a home they love, if they see it has older windows, they consider it a time consuming and costly headache. First time buyers have never replaced windows and often dramatically overestimate the cost to cure this issue. By replacing pre-listing you an actually save money. A well priced, move-in condition home will sell for far more than one with windows in need of repair.

3.) Assess your floors . If you have hardwood flooring, it’s worth the investment to have them refinished considering buyers put an extremely high value on them; you’ll get the most bang for your buck if they are refurbished. Carpets should be shampooed and replaced if they are stained or look worn. You don’t need to spend large amounts of money on the highest grade or most modern name but something inexpensive and neutral will certainly bring you a return on the investment. Even the smell of new carpet will make buyers set your home apart from the comparables.

4.) Paint the trim. If you can’t afford the daunting task of painting your entire house, painting just the trim will still make a big difference when it comes to curb appeal. Painting the whole house can be expensive, time consuming, and delayed by weather conditions; painting just the trim will give your home a fresher look. Interior trim is equally as important.

5.) Update fixtures. Keep an eye out for sales at home improvement stores and replace outdated lighting, plumbing and hardware fixtures. Simple replacing lighting fixtures and knobs in the bathroom or kitchen can update the entire look of the room. You can find many modern brand name fixtures online on contractor supply websites by just searching for terms like sale faucets, sale plumbing fixtures etc.

Lisa Johnson Sevajian is Vice President of Coldwell Banker in Andover, MA.

How Do Property Tax Rates Work?

RISMEDIA, March 28, 2011—It’s that time of year again, and some of you should be expecting your property tax bill for the first half of 2011. If that’s the case, then you’ll probably be wondering just how the government calculates property tax rates and why your bill seems to change every year.

Well, here’s an answer to your questions.

First, there is a difference between property tax rates and a property tax assessment. The rate is an overall percentage at which your property is taxed. The assessment is a valuation of your property’s worth, so that the government can determine how much money it is taxing.

States have different rules for conducting a property tax assessment, but the goal is to get an accurate value for the taxable property. This is usually determined by the replacement cost of structures and property, or the market value of the property calculated via comparison to similar properties.

Keep in mind that reassessment happens every few years, directly impacting property tax rates.

Once a property tax assessment has been conducted for an entire region, the local taxing entity then determines property tax rates.

Tax rates are determined in one of two ways, but are subject to percentage caps imposed by the law.

The taxing authority can choose to divide its yearly projected expenditures by the assessed value of all property in the region, assigning a portion to each property. It may also choose to estimate its budgetary needs based on different tax rates until it finds a reasonable rate. Here are the current 2011 Tax Rates for Madison & Gibson COunty:

County	City	Special School Dist.	RATES
			Co.	City	SSD	Total
MADISON			$2.3100			$2.3100
MADISON	HUMBOLDT		$2.3100	$2.9900		$5.3000
MADISON	JACKSON		$2.3100	$2.1000		$4.4100
MADISON	THREE WAY		$2.3100	$0.6300		$2.9400
GIBSON	HUMBOLDT		$0.7900	$2.9900		$3.7800
GIBSON	BRADFORD	BRADFORD SSD	$0.7900	$1.6200	$1.9500	$4.3600
GIBSON		GIBSON CO SSD	$0.7900		$1.6100	$2.4000
GIBSON	DYER	GIBSON CO SSD	$0.7900	$1.7500	$1.6100	$4.1500
GIBSON	GIBSON	GIBSON CO SSD	$0.7900	$1.0200	$1.6100	$3.4200
GIBSON	MEDINA	GIBSON CO SSD	$0.7900	$1.7800	$1.6100	$4.1800
GIBSON	RUTHERFORD	GIBSON CO SSD	$0.7900	$1.4400	$1.6100	$3.8400
GIBSON	YORKVILLE	GIBSON CO SSD	$0.7900	$0.6500	$1.6100	$3.0500
GIBSON	KENTON	KENTON SSD	$0.7900	$1.2300	$2.0100	$4.0300
GIBSON	MILAN	MILAN SSD	$0.7900	$1.2000	$2.0100	$4.0000
GIBSON	TRENTON	TRENTON SSD	$0.7900	$1.7200	$2.0400	$4.5500

For details on all TN Property Tax Rates

Though no one enjoys fluctuating property tax rates—or taxes in general—they serve an important function. Taxes pay for local services, such as police and the fire department, as well as maintenance of infrastructure. They also pay for schools. So complain all you want, but please pay your property tax bill.

For more Info on the West TN Real Estate Market

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