Tag Archive for: Jennifer Westmoreland

This Month in Real Estate October 2017

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Interested in our local Greater Athens area? Contact us today! Information via Keller Williams.

THIS MONTH IN REAL ESTATE
October 2017
HOME SALES
Home sales increased year-over-year.
5.35 MILLION
Seasonally adjusted annual rate of U.S. home sales
+0.2%since one year ago
-1.7%since last month
HOME PRICE
Home prices have continued to increase year-over-year.
$253,500
Average
U.S. home price.
+5.6%since one year ago
-1.8%since last month
MORTGAGE RATES
Mortage rates remain well below the historic average.
30 year fixed: 3.83%
15 year fixed: 3.13%
5/1-year arm: 3.17%
Historical Average: 8.90%
Source: Freddie Mac
THERE’S OPPORTUNITY IN EVERY MARKET!
Call today or submit a request for contact to find out what’s happening in our greater Athens area and how we can help!

Copyright 2017 Keller Williams® Realty, Inc. If you have a brokerage relationship with another agency, this is not intended as a solicitation. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Equal Opportunity Housing Provider. Each office is independently owned and operated. 

Team JWA and Banksouth Dawg Watch Party

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Customer Appreciation Dawg Watch Party!

Saturday, November 11th starting at 130pm

Banksouth Mortgage

525 South Milledge Ave Athens

 

It might be an away game, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun in Athens. If you’re staying in Athens on November 11th, join us for a Jennifer Westmoreland & Associates tailgate and watch party with our friends at BankSouth Mortgage. Enjoy pre-game tailgate games, food & drinks plus stay and watch the game with us! More details to come so please invite friends and we will see you there! RSVP and invite your friends at our event page.

Halloween Safety Tips in the Greater Athens Area

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Information and photo via Keller Williams

We all want to keep our little ghosts and ghouls safe this Halloween. Here are some simple reminders on how to protect your trick or treaters so everyone has a great time.

Costume Choices

  • When choosing or constructing your costumes make sure masks fit securely and provide adequate vision and ventilation. Children should also wear shoes that are well-fitting and sturdy.
  • Costumes should be made of flame resistant materials.
  • Accessories can be a real hazard. The best swords and knives are short, soft, and flexible.

Be Seen

  • Add reflective tape to the costume or bag your child is using to carry candy. Walk with a flashlight so everyone can see where they are going and in turn, others will see you.
  • Walk from house to house as a group, and make sure children are accompanied by an adult.
  • Stick to trick-or-treating in well-lit homes in familiar neighborhoods.
  • Look both ways when crossing the street. If there is a cross walk available, use it.
Home Safety

  • Keep candles and jack-o-lanterns away from landings and doorsteps at your home where costumes could brush against the flames.
  • Be sure the walkway to your house is clear and free of any tripping hazards.

Have a great Halloween and don’t eat too much candy!

5 DIY Improvements to Make Your Home Classier

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Updating your home to be more chic – without looking cheap – is completely doable on a budget.

If you’re looking to add more class to your home, taking on a DIY project can give your house that extra sense of style while saving you money. No need to cringe at those three little words: “do it yourself.” There really are fast, easy and affordable projects you can do on your own. Here are five relatively easy ways to enhance your home.

1. Replace Your Light Fixtures
Switching out an old or basic light fixture for a more elegant one is an easy way to shift the ambiance of a room. By adding a sophisticated light fixture, you can control the intensity of the light and character of your room. And you don’t need to pay a pretty penny for expensive new fixtures – you can buy used fixtures online.

2. Add Floating Shelves
Installing floating shelves in your home combines the functionality of extra storage space with a bit of style and personal flair. Floating shelves can be mounted on walls in many different patterns, and they come in various materials to give your rooms a unique touch. For a small room choose shallow shelves to display framed photos; for a larger room you can afford to use deeper shelves to hold vases, books and unique trinkets.

3. Paint an Accent Wall
Painting an accent wall can add a pop of color and showcase your personality. Usually a low-risk project, a homeowner of any skill level can tackle this project in a day. You just need some painter’s tape, a brush and the color that suits you! Just make sure the color you choose is complementary with the other colors in the room. Stay consistent between warm and cool tones.

4. Install Decorative Molding
Adding decorative molding around your home can add an extra touch of elegance. Install molding to the ceiling by capping walls, columns and cabinets, or add chair molding lower to the ground. With detailed molding you can add character to your rooms while also making them feel taller and more finished.

5. Build a Stone Fire Pit

Take your sophisticated style outside by building a stone fire pit in your backyard. Completed in only a few hours, take uniquely shaped rocks or large stones and put them together to create a functional and stylish fire pit. Before starting the project, be sure to check your local fire codes or homeowners association to ensure you are safe and allowed to start building.

Adding a touch of class to your home doesn’t have to break the bank! Just be sure to start with one project at a time, allowing yourself to complete one before starting the next. Otherwise, you’ll fall victim to chronic project incompleteness syndrome – not a good look!

Now that you know about these five inexpensive DIY projects, which will you try? Or let us know what your favorite home improvement project is on our Team JWA page!

6 Ways to Stage Your Home in the Greater Athens Area

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Expertly staging your house could be the difference between whether or not a buyer is captivated by your house.

Here are six ways to make sure that your house makes an outstanding impression and is staged for success (information and photo via Keller Williams):

1. Store Personal Items: As your real estate team, our goal is to make sure your house appeals to the largest segment of likely buyers in order to secure the best possible price. In order to do this, it’s important to make sure the buyer can picture themselves in your house, so that means safely storing any personal items.
2. Minimize Furniture: Rearranging and even storing furniture will allow your house to appear more spacious as well as show off its charm and unique details.
3. Go Easy on Scents: One buyer might love the smell of a candle or freshly baked cookies, another might not. It’s best to keep scents neutral and minimal in order to boost appeal.
4. Show off Storage: Clearing out closets and other storage areas will show off their size and capacity.
5. Create a Hotel-like Space: Some of the best hotels invite guests to feel at home – and that is precisely what a buyer should feel when viewing your house.
6. Curb Appeal: The first impression is often the most important. We will help you identify landscaping that complements your house’s distinctive style.

 

Interested in learning more about what Team JWA can do to help market and sell your home? Submit a request for contact today, or give us a call for more information!

September Gardening in the Greater Athens Area

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Reminders to help get your garden cleaned up

Information and photo via Keller Williams

September may be the end of the outdoor gardening season for most, but it’s also the time to prepare everything for next spring. Here are a few reminders on what you need to do to get your garden cleaned up and ready for next year!

Harvest and Transplant:

  • Pick your tomatoes, even the ones that are still green, and ripen these indoors.
  • Transplant your outdoor herbs into pots and bring these indoors for winter growth.
  • Tender bulbs should be dug up and moved indoors to a cool and dark area.

Plant for Spring:

  • When the weather cools down, you can start to plant spring flowering bulbs and peony roots.
  • Divide and replant perennials that have overgrown their current space.

Clean and Compost:

  • Remove and compost your annual plants that are spent.
  • Rake and remove leaves.

We wish you and your family a happy Fall. Please keep us in mind if you or someone you know is looking to buy or sell real estate soon.

 

Copyright 2017 Keller Williams® Realty, Inc. If you have a brokerage relationship with another agency, this is not intended as a solicitation. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Equal Opportunity Housing Provider. Each office is independently owned and operated. 

Tired of the Online Home Search in Athens?

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Tired of the Online Home Search in Athens?

Learn How Team Jennifer Westmoreland & Associates Can Help!

(Article and information via Hannah Harris with Team JWA)

Tired of seeing houses when performing your own online searches at various websites that are already UNDER CONTRACT but say FOR SALE?

We can help!

From the time a new listing is listed on our local Multiple Listing Service (that real estate agents use), it can sometimes take anywhere from 24-48 hours to show up on general real estate websites. More times than not, once you see a popular new listing pop up in the neighborhood you’ve been looking for, it will have multiple offers or even be under contract already! How frustrating!?

But there is hope! Contact Hannah at hannah@thejwa.com, submit a request for contact, or simply give us a call and we can set you up to receive listings that meet your criteria directly from our Multiple Listing Service within the HOUR of it being listed! We have access to the newest homes, often before they are even available online! Looking for something specific like houses under $250,000, a house with a basement or  minimum number of bathrooms, or in a certain neighborhood? We can provide a custom list, plus provide you with each new listing that fits your customized needs as they come on the market. This is just one of the ways that Team JWA’s clients can stay ahead of the game to be one of the first to make an offer when the perfect home is available.

We have a dedicated buyer’s team focused on you, including our lead buyer’s agent Brandon McEachern. Interested in being one of the first to learn of the new listing that fits your needs in a home? Contact us today and we’ll create your custom home purchase plan.

Winterize Your Home in the Greater Athens Area

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Help Winterize Your Home in the Greater Athens Area

9 Hints To Help Protect Your Home as Temperatures Drop

Information and photo via Keller Williams

…Start Saving!

  1. Inspect your roof and replace any damaged or missing roof shingles.
  2. Make sure gutters and downspouts are free of leaves and debris.
  3. Consider a fresh coat of paint or sealer on your deck.
  4. On a windy day, close your windows and feel for air leaks.
  5. Seal any leaks with rope caulk.
  6. Install weather stripping on the sides or bottoms of any leaky doors.
  7. Insulate exposed plumbing.
  8. Remove leaves or debris from your air conditioner’s condensing unit, cover for winter.
  9. If you haven’t had your fireplace chimney cleaned in a few years, hire a professional chimney sweep.
If you need a recommendation for local professionals who can perform this or any other work around your home, I can help! Contact us today, or visit our home resources page!

And as always, if you or anyone you know is looking to buy or sell a home, you can count on me for the utmost professionalism, expertise and results! Submit a request for contact, or give us a call today for your custom plan.

This Month in Real Estate September

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This Month in Real Estate – September 2017

Information and photos via Keller Williams

 

THIS MONTH IN REAL ESTATE
September 2017
HOME SALES
Home sales increased year-over-year.
5.44 MILLION
Seasonally adjusted annual rate of U.S. home sales
+2.1% since one year ago
-1.3% since last month
HOME PRICE
Home prices have continued to increase year-over-year.
$258,300
Average
U.S. home price.
+6.2% since one year ago
-1.9% since last month
MORTGAGE RATES
Mortage rates remain well below the historic average.
30 year fixed: 3.86%
15 year fixed: 3.16%
5/1-year arm: 3.17%
Historical Average: 8.90%
Source: Freddie Mac
 

THERE’S OPPORTUNITY IN EVERY MARKET!
Call today or submit a request for contact to find out what’s happening in our Greater Athens area and how we can help!

Copyright 2017 Keller Williams® Realty, Inc. If you have a brokerage relationship with another agency, this is not intended as a solicitation. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Equal Opportunity Housing Provider. Each office is independently owned and operated.

6 Steps To Fall In Love With Your Home

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6 Steps To Fall In Love With Your Home

Have you fallen out of love with your home? Here are six ways to rekindle the romance:

(Information and photo via Keller Williams)
1. Play musical chairs 
Rearrange the furniture.
2. Let it grow 
Potted plants add appeal with little maintenance.
3. Less is more 
Ditching clutter relieves stress.
4. Do a deep clean 
Scrub those baseboards, and clean those windows.
5. Make a list 
Decide what needs improving and prioritize your projects.
6. Give a room a mini-makeover 
Add new hardware to your cabinets, or pick up new organizing bins for your office.
Still not feeling the love? It may be time to start exploring available homes on the market. Submit a request for contact today, or give us a call to learn more about what’s available in market, customized just for you!
When you’re ready to buy, sell or invest in real estate, you need a trusted local expert. Call me today to arrange a personalized consultation.

Copyright 2017 Keller Williams® Realty, Inc. If you have a brokerage relationship with another agency, this is not intended as a solicitation. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Equal Opportunity Housing Provider. Each office is independently owned and operated.