What is Home Staging?

 Home Staging Goes Beyond Decorating and Cleaning...

It is about adding the small details and dressing the house for sale. Staging makes the house look bigger, brighter and warmer; making home buyers WANT to buy it.

 Professional Stagers are highly skilled artisans. They possess skills of a top level designer without breaking the bank. Stagers create dramatic visuals that appeal to all five senses.

 The idea behind staging is to allow the rooms of a house to show potential and what they truly have to offer a buyer. A vacant, un-staged, home is a home without a soul and buyers sense this. You will also need to make sure the outside of your home and especially the front entrance is warm and inviting.  Make the buyer want to walk inside your home!

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A House for a Daughter in a Wheelchair

I would like to tell you my story as a Realtor trying to help a family find a new home.  As a Realtor, you normally will find a happy family excited about finding their new home.  Now lets add one defining fact....one daughter is in a wheelchair.  I have been a real estate agent for almost 17 years.  This situation has come up from time to time, but never with a child. 

I had never realized until this past month just how difficult it is to  maneuver around in many homes.  You would think that the newer homes might have some considerations such as a bathroom door wide enough to accommodate a child's wheelchair!  Not so!  So many floorplans have spacious kitchens, open floor plans, and all the most modern conveniences.....except access to the…

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Purchasing a Home With a Septic System

Not Familiar With How a Septic System Works?

 Wondering what you should do when you purchase a home that is not connected to public sewer?

If you are working with REALTOR, he/she should be aware of the laws regarding septic tank disclosures and make sure your offer/contract addresses the septic system.  Some real estate agents are not familiar with them because they sell properties mostly on public sewer, so be sure to ask about their knowledge of septic systems.

In the Tennessee area, septic systems are based on number of bedrooms, not bathrooms.  The tank holds the solid waste and the liquids drain from the tank out into the field lines(filled with gravel and also underground) The number of field lines determines the number of bedrooms that…

18164 Views, 14 Comments

How Rumba Down Became my Very Special Horse and My Real Estate Mascot

 Rumba's Story

My husband and I have owned horses for over 25 years.  They live with us on our farm in Tennessee.  Most of our horse years, we traveled all over the country riding trails and seeing scenery that you can only begin to imagine.  We have been to some beautiful places in this great Country of ours.

In 2014 my husband and I decided to stop taking such long trips with horses and concentrate on events and places more local.  We actually have two horses that have traveled over 300,000 miles, in the trailer.  It was that year that we decided to go to some local horse shows just to be spectators.  It wasn’t long that we got the show bug and decided to start showing. The event that my husband was most interested in was the Working Cow Horse…

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Equine Grazing Management Tips

Tips to Keep Your Pastures Healthy

Whether you just purchased your first horse or you've owned horses your entire life, it is always great to continue learning new information about your furry friends.  When buying a farm or equestrian property, it is very important to make sure your pasture does not become overgrazed. 

This is especially important on small acreage.  In Tennessee, it is typical to need at least 2 acres per horse to keep your pastures healthy.  This changes dramatically depending on how you take care of your grass.  It will need seeding, fertilizing and weed control at least once per year, but better if you do it spring and fall.  Another aspect is if your horses will be on pasture 24/7 or if you plan to bring them into a smaller…

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House Rental Scams - Don't Be a Victim

Don't Become a Rental Scam Victim

Since I as a REALTOR, have had this happen to several of my home for sale listings, I have decided to write this blog post in hopes of helping those families wishing to rent a home, not fall victim to this very popular rental scam.  Did you see a beautiful home listed on Craigslist or other Classified Online Services that claimed to be for rent?  Be careful, it could very likely be a scam!  And   remember,  if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is....

 The scammer searches current online real estate ads for houses for sale, and  especially those that appear to be empty.  They copy the photos and the description  and then make their own online "for rent" advertisement.  The monthly  rent advertised…

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Occupancy After Closing Agreement

Seller Occupancy After Closing 

  I want to tell everyone a little story about Occupancy After Closing and why it is so important from a buyer's position to have a written document.  Not to long ago, I represented a buyer who purchased a home in Hendersonville, Tennessee located in a popular lakeside community.  

 Because the seller was building a new home, part of their negotiations to my buyer was that they would like to occupy the home for 3 days after closing in hopes that their nearly finished new home would be ready to move in.

Get it In Writing!

My buyers agreed and we prepared an Occupancy After Closing document that we presented to the sellers and they agreed to sign.  Many times agents and buyers/sellers do not write up a…

10069 Views, 2 Comments