Majestic views of Coosa River and the mountains make a breathtaking back drop for this Colonial Georgian home as it sits on 5+ secluded acres. The home features Formal Living Room with fireplace, Formal Dining and Great Room with exposed beams, built ins cabinets, custom stone fireplace and water views makes this a wonderful area for gatherings. The large kitchen offers lake views, Corian counter tops, Stainless , Double Oven, large breakfast (Keeping room). 3 car garage just off kitchen. Room for entertaining or large families with 4/5 bedrooms & 4.5 baths. Master Suite features, lake views, Fire Place, Sitting Area, Dressing Room with Ample Closets, His & Her Baths. Finished Basement features kitchenette, den, bedroom, bath, boat garage. Boat launch at marina just below home for all your lake needs. Located just off hwy 77 and near Publix Supermarket. Call today to view this spectacular home.

A rare find in Ross Bridge! This stunning James Hill of Ross Bridge home features not one, not two but three bedrooms on the main level. It’s almost equivalent to having a single level home but also the luxury of two additional bedrooms, full bathroom and a bonus room up-stairs. The home has a wonderful flow with an open floor concept between the living room, dining room and kitchen. Sellers ensured easy access and navigation around the main level by having no steps into the home and most doorframes are 36 inches. Relax on the back patio and enjoy the sounds of nature in the woods behind the home. If pools are your thing, stroll down to the nearby James Hill pool. Don’t miss out on this one. Showings have already been scheduled. Come see all that Ross Bridge offers including miles of walking trails, multiple community pools, playgrounds, neighborhood shops and restaurants, clubhouses, Robert Trent Golf Trial & Resort.

View additional photos HERE!

Schedule your tour of this charming 3/3.5 home in the award winning Vestavia Hills School District now. This home features a beautiful updated kitchen with granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances and tile backsplash. Lots of windows provide plenty natural light to the main level. Adjacent to the kitchen is a breakfast area, dining room and back deck. A living room, half bathroom and 2 car garage rounds out the main floor. Upstairs includes a spacious master bedroom, two additional bedrooms and an additional full bathroom. The full daylight basement is ideal for a movie/entertaining room has enough space for an office and additional full bathroom. Mature trees create all day shade over the back deck during the hot summer days. This home is located in the ideal location with being minutes from highway 280, I-459, Acton Rd, Life Time Fitness, Summit, and many shops and restaurants.

View additional photos HERE!

Ross Bridge living at its best! Be prepared to be amazed by this well maintained modern farmhouse style home. This single level home boosts tons of natural light, a spacious dining and living room. The gourmet kitchen has an oversized quartz island with stainless steel appliances including the oven hood. The large master bedroom has an ensuite bathroom with a double vanity, tiled showed and walk-in closet. Two additional bedrooms, another full bathroom and laundry room complete the main level. Did I mention that it’s an exterior corner lot offering privacy with no neighbors behind? Schedule your showing today and see why Ross Bridge was voted the greatest neighborhood in America with miles of walking trails, multiple community pools, playgrounds, neighborhood shops and restaurants, clubhouses, Robert Trent Jones golf course and the Renaissance Spa & Resort.

View additional photos HERE!

Congratulations! You have gone under contract and successfully negotiated any necessary repairs with the buyer. You have cleared one of the biggest hurdles that typically will cause a contract to be broken.

If your buyer is getting a mortgage, most likely the lender will require an appraisal. This is where the lender sends out an appraiser to evaluate the property and tell the lender their opinion of the value of the house. 

If the appraised value is less than the purchase price of the home, there is what’s called an “appraisal gap”. The lender is willing to extend up to the appraisal amount but there is a “gap” or difference between that amount and the purchase price. This leaves a few options.

1) Buyer and seller agree to reduce the purchase price to the appraisal price.

2) Buyer agrees to pay the “gap” or difference between the appraisal and purchase price.

3) Buyer and seller agree to pay some portion of the “gap”. These portions do not have to be equal for both parties.

An additional alternative is that the buyer or seller can dispute the appraised value with the lender. We will tackle that topic in a separate blog.

Do you have an appraisal gap question? Feel free to leave a comment, contact me at 205-600-8682 or via email.

The BIG day is finally here. You have completed all my pre-listing checklist and ready to get your house under contract. Here are some quick tips on what to do and not to do for each showing.

1) Turn All Lights On 

Let there be light. Let’s showcase all that your house has to offer by turning on all the lights including that little light above your stove.

2) Open Blinds

Natural light is very appealing to a lot of buyers. Go ahead and let the sunlight shine into your beautiful home. If a window faces something unsightly like a dumpster consider slightly opening the blinds to let some light into the room.

3) Remove All Bathroom Rugs ­­

Go ahead and roll them up and neatly place them under your kitchen or bathroom sinks. We want to highlight your beautiful floors. Besides, the buyers are going to lift them up anyways to see if there is any damage underneath them. Let’s show them we have nothing to hide.

4) Remove All Dish Towels ­

I’m just as guilty of having a dishtowel hanging from the stove or refrigerator door. I’m not selling my house though. Remove the dish towels to highlight the appliances that the buyers may request to remain.

5) Freshly Cut Lawn

In the pre-listing checklist, we discussed the need to spruce up the yard. Let’s knock them off their feet and do a fresh cut, edge and blowing off a day or two before the first showing date. Be sure to remove any pet poop as well as they may walk around your yard and inadvertently bring it back into the house. Gross!

6) Unlock All Doors

Do you know that closet door that’s locked because it has a gun case or the door in little Johnny’s room that leads to attic storage space that you don’t want little Johnny accessing? The buyers want to see that space. Let’s show them all the storage space that your house has to offer.

7) Lockbox ­

If we didn’t secure the lockbox to the front door then be sure to place the lockbox outside in the designated space that we discussed. I sure would hate a buyer to make an offer on another house just because they couldn’t access your house.

8) Germophobe?

Do you hate the idea of letting strangers into your house when you run a tight and clean house? Feel free to leave booties for shoes, hand sanitizer, etc. by the door. I’ll even be glad to create a flyer that requests buyers to place the booties on and use hand sanitizer upon entering and leaving the house.

9) Valuable Items

Unfortunately, there are some bad people in this world. Be sure to securely store valuable items such as watches, jewelry, money, and electronics or take them with you. Oh, don’t forget prescription medicine. Yes, people may take that too. 1

10) Handouts

Be sure to leave the handouts we previously discussed near the door for buyers to take. These may include important features about your house, surveys, appraisals, etc.

11) Tidy House

We addressed deep cleaning in the Pre-Listing Check but let’s go back through the house to make sure carpets have just been vacuumed, floored swept and mopped, beds are made, dishes are put up, dog/cat bowls are hidden, etc. You get the picture.

12) Check Temperature­

I’ll never forget showing a house in the middle of the Summer and the upstairs AC was turned off. It was 89 degrees and sweat was pouring out of me. This is a drastic example but make sure your thermostat is set between 70-72 degrees. Place the thermostat closer to the lower range during the Summer and on the higher end during the Winter. Buyers will appreciate this kind gesture.

13) Odors

Let’s cover this item one more time. What did you have to eat last night or this morning? Does your home smell of dog? It’s time to remove all those smells and make your home smell neutral like Switzerland.

14) Set The Mood

 Consider playing music through your surround sound and/or TVs for buyers. I wouldn’t recommend very hard music like heavy metal or explicit rap. You can create a playlist or often choose one of from your TV provider. Don’t know which music is best? Try a quick Google search of “best music to play for home showing” and there are multiple recommendations.

15) Don’t Be Trashy

Take out that trash or you won’t get that spending cash. Yes, I stole that line but it rings true. You want your house sold? Let’s remove all those smelly items and get your house sold.

Please consider taking all of these steps and hopefully, your home may sell quickly and for top dollar. For more showing tips, please contact me at 205-600-8682, via email or leave a comment.

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 Pre-Listing Checklist for Home Sellers

Getting Your Home Ready to Sell

First impressions are everything. Whether you're going for a job interview or going on a first date, you want to put your best foot forward to have the best outcome.

The same approach should be taken when listing your home. You want to "WOW" the buyer with how neat, clean and tidy your home is. Let's look at some ways you can prepare to list your home for sale and knock buyers off their feet.

1. Deep Clean

   This isn’t one of those one hour house cleaning that your used to doing. This is a full head to toe cleaning of your home including things we hate to clean like baseboards, ceiling fans, microwave, oven, refrigerator and blinds. I recommend using a professional company, and I can make recommendations, if needed.

2. Handyman

   Go ahead and complete any needed repairs such as replace hard to use locks, squeaky doors, broken appliances, running toilets, leaking faucets, etc. This will help prevent turning off buyers and reduce later repair expenses when contractors know you are in a rush to complete repairs and add a premium to their service. 

3. Lightbulbs

   Make sure every light has a lightbulb. This will help illuminate your home during showings and later demonstrate to the home inspector that all lights are working.

4. Curb Appeal

   One of the first impressions of your home a buyer will get is when they drive up to your home. Make sure your yard has been recently mowed and edged, fresh pine straw or wood chip are in the flower beds, bushes are pruned, windows are cleaned and pressure wash the driveway. Place fresh flowers near the front door (when space allows) and add a new front door mat. This will help keep dirt being tracked into your house while leaving a good impression. I personally like the Welcome Home or This Could Be Yours mats.

5. Paint

   Remember that bright red room that you just had to have? Buyers most likely won’t like it. Go ahead and paint that room with a neutral colors like white, light gray or light beige. While you’re at it, go ahead and touch up the paint where marks appear on the walls or repaint the entire room. Buyers won’t like that either….trust me.

6. 70/30 Rule

   70% of the floor should be shown while the remaining 30% is for furniture. We are selling space and having too much furniture makes rooms feel small. Having no furniture at all leaves buyers questioning if their furniture will fit in the home. If necessary, rent a storage unit for some items or consider donating them to your favorite charity.

7. Organize Pantry

   Buy some organizational containers bins and place smaller items like spices, cereal, fruit, candy, coffee, spaghetti noodles, etc. in them. This gives the buyers an impression that you’re a neat freak and that you take care of everything!

8. Replace Air Filters

   No one likes to look at air intake vents and see dirty filters or dust hanging on for dear life on the vent. Replace the air filters and clean the exterior of all vents. This will also help the efficiency of your HVAC system.

9. Odorless Environment

   ll never forget the time I walked a buyer into a home that had a plug-in candle in nearly every light socket. The smell was so strong that the buyer ran through the house quickly and then outside because she couldn’t breathe well. Your home should smell neutral. Don’t light candles or incents, bake cookies or use other “smell goods”. This can leave buyers with the idea that you’re trying to hide things. On the other hand, do your best to remove smells like pet odor and last night’s dinner or breakfast.

10. Clean Your Washing Machine

    What?!? I know. I know but yes. If your laundry room smells of mildew or your child’s sport, it’s time to buy some washing machine cleaner (very inexpensive) to remove those smells.

11. Depersonalize

    I truly love your adorable family photo of y’all at the beach. However, buyers want to visualize them living in your home which doesn’t include you.

12. Kitchen and Bathroom Countertops

    Go ahead and remove all appliances, toothbrushes, soap, etc. from these surfaces. We want to highlight all the space these have to offer and by placing them there makes the areas feel smaller.

13. Refrigerator

    I highlighted earlier the need to have the refrigerator cleaned but let’s take another step and organize items in there. Place items in rows and have labels facing towards the door. It shows that you’re OCD and keep things orderly. While we are at it, go ahead and remove all those magnets with family photos, calendar and reminders.

14. Go Green

    Studies have shown that having something green in each room appeal to buyers. Consider placing a plant or items that have green in them like a pillow, rug, picture, etc. Don’t go crazy and paint every room green though. Less is more!

15. Clean Windows

    I mentioned previously to clean the exterior of the windows. Now, let’s clean the inside windows to show buyers that gorgeous view that exists outside.

Please consider taking all of these steps and hopefully, your home may sell quickly and for top dollar. For more pre-listing tips and questions, please call/text me at 205-600-8682, via email, or leave a comment.

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Pre-Showing & Open House Checklist for Sellers

I’ve been getting the same two questions from several clients regarding the current and future of the residential housing market. 1) Am I over paying in this current market? 2) What are interest rates projected to be later this year and next? I came across some data provided by the Mortgage Bankers Association and addressed both of these questions in this short video. Feel free to reach out to me to ask any questions!