Tag Archive for: buying a home

What Would A Rate Increase Cost You?

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The effects of rate increases in the Greater Athens area

Information via Keller Williams)

Securing the right financing is critical when you find the right home. Many buyers put such a heavy focus on low home prices that they miss out on the real opportunity in today’s real estate market – historically low mortgage rates! Now is the time to lock in a mortgage rate to offer you the peace of mind you deserve with your next home purchase.
Submit a request for contact or call us today to discuss how you can take advantage of today’s market. We’re here to help with your every move.
Please share our contact information with anyone you know who may need real estate advice.

Purchasing Real Estate in College Towns

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Thinking of moving near campus in the greater Athens area?

There is excitement in the air, as our Dawgs have advanced to the championship game! Most of us agree that living in the greater Athens area is one of the best decisions that we have made! Living in a college town often includes attractions, special events, unique small businesses and more! But did you know that your real estate values could also benefit from living in or near a college town?

According to U.S. News and World Report, there may be several benefits to living in or around a college town. Some of the benefits they mention include your home being in demand, added security, and being close to everything!

Purchasing or selling a home is many times one of the largest financial decisions that a person will make. When purchasing a home in the greater Athens area, it’s good to know that being in a community with a thriving campus atmosphere could also benefit your quality of life and home values. Interested in learning more about our local real estate market? Submit a request for contact, or simply give us a call today! We’d be happy to create a customized report just for you.

Top 10 New Years Resolutions for 2018

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Here are this year’s most popular resolutions.

(Information and photo via Keller Williams)

It’s that time of year!

If you’ve resolved to ring out the old and start the New Year with clean slate, you’re in good company.

Here are the this year’s most popular resolutions:

10. Find a new / better job
9. Volunteer / contribute more to charity
8. Learn something new
7. Exercise more
6. Spend more time with family / close friends
5. Do more new / exciting things
4. Quit smoking
3. Make smarter financial decisions
2. Lose weight / eat healthier
1. Buy a home or move

Know someone that may need help with #1? At Jennifer Westmoreland & Associates, we’d be glad to help! Submit a request for contact or give us a call to customize a home sale or purchase plan, just for you!

5 Helpful Hints for First Time Homebuyers

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Shopping for your first home in the greater Athens area

Information via Hannah Harris at Jennifer Westmoreland & Associates

 

 

 

 

Thinking of purchasing your first home, or just looking for some helpful hints in the home purchase process? Here are 5 helpful hints from Hannah at Team JWA!

  1. Get pre-qualified with a LOCAL lender. Your REALTOR may have recommendations.
  2. Ask your REALTOR to send you listings once you get your price range from your lender.
  3. Make a list of potential homes and drive by each one to check out the neighborhood. Do research.
  4. Schedule an appointment with your REALTOR to see AT MOST 5 houses. Try to keep your list as short as possible because you’ll have a hard time keeping up with which houses have which features.
  5. Pick the one that best suits your needs and ask your REALTOR to get an offer in.

Ready to learn more about your neighborhood in the greater Athens area, or what might be available to you? Submit a no obligation request for contact, or give us a call today! We’ll create a customized plan just for you.

Team JWA 2018 Dog Calendars

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2018 Dog Calendars to Benefit the Athens Area Humane Society Now Available!

The Jennifer Westmoreland & Associates 2018 dog calendars to benefit the Athens Area Humane Society are now available! The calendar was created from client and community dog submissions, featuring monthly themes! Calendars are $15 each, with proceeds benefiting the AAHS. These make fantastic gifts this holiday season! Take a look at the monthly calendar below to see if anyone you know (or your dog) is featured on the 2018 calendar!

Calendars can be purchased at our JWA office, plus Pet Supplies Plus, the Athens Area Humane Society or Mutty Paws (thank you Mutty Paws for providing your space for dog photos too!). Special thanks to Banksouth, Oconee Painting, Adams Development and Appraisal and Pet Supplies Plus for helping with this year’s calendar production! As always, if you or someone you know is interested in buying or selling a home in the greater Athens area, we would love to answer any questions you may have! Submit a request for contact today, or simply give us a call.

Jennifer Westmoreland & Associates
1361 Jennings Mill Road B-100
Watkinsville GA 30677

Pet Supplies Plus
191 Alps Road
Athens

Athens Area Humane Society
1781 Mars Hill Road
Watkinsville

Mutty Paws
48 Greensboro Hwy
Watkinsville

 

Best Wishes This Holiday Season

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Best Wishes from the team at Jennifer Westmoreland & Associates

Sleepy Puppy Best wishes for a warm and relaxing holiday season. We are so grateful for each of our clients, and appreciate your support in 2017. We look forward to serving you and your family and friends in 2018 and beyond! Do you have special holiday traditions? We love viewing holiday lights! Here’s a blog post from Explore Georgia with 10 top holiday light displays in Georgia. How many have you seen?

We have some exciting events coming up in 2018, but there is still time in 2017 to help those in need in our community. Team JWA 2018 Dog Calendars are available for only $15 each, with all proceeds benefiting the Athens Area Humane Society! These would make fantastic stocking stuffers.

We were also happy to provide gifts to the Santa for a Senior program at the Athens Community Council on Aging, and are currently collecting pet food donations for the Meals on Wheels for Pets “Will’s Pet Pantry”. For each pound of pet food donated in December, Team JWA will match your donation pound for pound! You can drop off donations at our office, or directly at the ACCA. Learn more about how you can help at our JWA blog. Thank you, and we hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

 

Potential Home Improvement Projects for Home Resale

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Which projects might be the best to complete when thinking about home resale?

Information via Brandon McEachern with Jennifer Westmoreland & Associates

As usual, the kitchen is the focal point on interior value.  From there, it’s the bathrooms and wood floors (instead of carpet) which boost your return.  But what folks may be missing is what I call the “big ticket items”.  Buyers are savvy when it comes to research these days.  And when they get the Seller’s Disclosure, they’re looking for these important factors:  The age of the roof, HVAC system and water heater.  So if you have a 30-year roof, and it’s 27 years old, replacing it is a tremendous selling point that may give you the edge over the competition.  The same goes for the other components I mentioned.  The good thing is that you can likely get the value back out of these upgrades.  Let’s face it: buyers will spend their budget on the purchase…and rarely have additional money set aside to replace the roof, HVAC, water heater, etc.  So check up on the ages of these systems.  If they’re near the end of their shelf-life, you may seriously want to consider replacement prior to listing.  If all of them are in great shape, then go ahead and splurge on that big kitchen renovation.

Interested in your specific home or neighborhood? Submit a request for contact today, or simply give us a call! As your local real estate agents, we know the greater Athens area market!

Home Care Tips December 2017

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Home Care Tips in the Greater Athens Area

(information via Keller Williams)

Home Care Tips December
You can keep your home in top shape with simple tasks throughout the year. This month, be sure to:

  1. Check your basement windows for drafts and/or cracked panes.
  2. Check on supplies around the home that could will be helpful if there’s a weather related power outage or other emergency. Batteries, non perishable food items, and blankets should be available.
  3. Replace the filter on your furnace to keep it operating as efficiently as possible.
  4. Clean faucet aerators and shower heads.
  5. Reseal grout on counters, walls, and floors to prevent staining.
  6. Drain approximately 2 gallons from water heater to eliminate sediment.
  7. Make sure any decorative lights you put up for the holidays are working properly before hanging them. Anything with a frayed or damaged cord should be discarded.

As always, we appreciate referrals from friends and past clients. If you know of anyone who is looking to buy or sell real estate, please send them our way! Give us a call or submit a request for contact today!

Team JWA Pet Food Donation Drive for the Athens Community Council on Aging

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Jennifer Westmoreland & Associates “Pound for Pound” December Pet Food Drive

At Jennifer Westmoreland & Associates, one of our passions is in assisting pets in need in the greater Athens area. The Athens Community Council on Aging has begun a Meals on Wheels for pets donation program, and we are happy to help support this effort! As part of the plan, we need your help!

The ACCA Meal on Wheels programs assists with food to over 100 seniors in our community, and many of their clients have pets. Will’s Pet Pantry was created to help support this need, and we’re kicking off an annual “Pound for Pound” pet food donation campaign! Simply drop off pet food to donate to the ACCA at their office (135 Hoyt St in Athens) or at our office (1361 Jennings Mill Road B-100 in Watkinsville/Bogart) during the month of December, and we’ll match your pet food donation pound for pound!

Small bags of pet food are most needed to help with distribution, and our friends at Pet Supplies Plus have generously helped in the initial pet food donation. When you purchase pet food at Pet Supplies Plus, please let them know it’s for the Team JWA/ACCA pet food donation program!

We’re happy to support our community, and appreciate your support as well.

Thank you Buddy for your support of the ACCA!

Team JWA Santa for a Senior

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Be a Santa for a Senior in Athens with Team JWA!

Join Team JWA, along with several other local businesses, as we join forces to provide presents to seniors who otherwise might not receive a gift this holiday season. In partnership with Home Instead Senior Care, Athens Community Council on Aging, a local nonprofit, will identify seniors in the community with this need. The program will run from November 3- December 8.

How can you help?

1. Select a Santa ornament from the tree at Jennifer Westmoreland & Associates or any other participating organizations (listed in the photo below)!

2. Purchase item(s) listed.

3. Put Santa ornament and gift(s) together.

4. Deliver unwrapped gifts along with ornament to our office or any of the participating locations.

 

Then bring your wrapping paper and jolly attitude to the Gift Wrapping Party!

December 11th, 4pm at the Athens Community Council on Aging
135 Hoyt Street, Athens