May Calendar of Events
May 1-3 International Dogwood Festival
May 10 Mothers Day
May 25 Memorial Day
SAVE THE
DATE - July 18
2nd Annual
Sam Hatfield Realty Poker Run
Tims Ford
Lake and Marina
Details to
follow in June newsletter!!!!
Top 15 Ways
to Sell Your Home in the Spring
Spring is the
optimum time to sell a home. Regardless of whether it's
a buyer's market or a seller's market, inventory almost
always rises in the spring. Why? Because the largest
number of buyers are actively searching for a new home
during the months of April, May and June. Tip: If your
home has been languishing on the market since the
holidays, take it off the market. Give it a chance to
"cool down" for a few weeks before putting it back on
the market. Nobody is going to look at your home in the
spring if the Days On the Market show it's been on the
market for several months. Buyers gravitate toward
fresh, new listings! Here are 15 things you can do to
improve the odds that your home will stand out among the
sea of new listings flooding the spring-time real estate
market:
1) Wash
windows inside and out / polish all mirrors Sparkle is
free, and sparkle sells homes. A potential buyer may not
realize why your home seems so inviting but will feel
drawn to it if the windows are spotless and your mirrors
reflect sunlight. Cleaning is the first step to
preparing your home for sale.
2) Rake the
yard / trim back bushes Clean out dead leaves and debris
in your lawn. Don't let overgrown vegetation block the
windows or path to the entrance. Cutting bushes and tree
limbs will let the sun inside and showcase the exterior
of your home.
3) Mow
diagonally and edge lawn along driveway / sidewalks
Artfully manicured lawns are edged and tell buyers you
pay attention to small details. Diagonally mowed lawns
make your yard appear larger.
4) Transplant
tulips and daffodils or buy flowers in containers Yellow
flowers stimulate buying urges. After a long winter,
everybody is anxious to see the first signs of spring.
Yellow tulips and daffodils induce feelings of happiness
and contentment. Arrange containers in groups of three
or five near the entrance.
5) Clean
drapes, curtains & blinds and open every window Send
your window coverings to the dry cleaners or wash, dry
and press. Toss blinds into a soapy bathtub for a quick
wash. Get rid of all accumulated dust and spider webs.
Crisp linens and a spring-time breeze through the
windows invites the season inside.
6) Set out
fresh-smelling flowers such as just-clipped lilacs
branches or peonies Why not flatter your neighbors and
ask if you can borrow flowers from their yards? Natural
scents are more appealing than artificial and trigger
fewer allergies among those susceptible. Peony vases are
designed to hold peonies upright, but wash the flowers
first to avoid carrying ants inside. Clever home staging
brings color and fragrance indoors.
7) Polish
floors to a high gloss Your hardwood floors should be
refinished, if necessary. Make your ceramic and linoleum
floors twinkle and shine. Bleach dull grout. Thoroughly
clean all area rugs.
8) Utilize
towels, throws, pillows in light colors – yellows,
pinks, pale blues, lavenders Even if it means replacing
items, towels, linens, throws and sofa pillows are
inexpensive accents you can buy. In soft spring colors,
they will light up a room. Layer towels on bathroom
towel racks and place rolled wash cloths on the counters
in a fashionable pyramid.
9) Offer an
outside mat for cleaning shoes & put umbrella stand at
entrance No matter where you live, spring weather is
often unpredictable. In some states, it can be 72
degrees one day and snowing the next. If it's raining,
give buyers a place to stash umbrellas and wipe their
feet before entering your home. Some sellers lay down
plastic runners across floors for protection, but that
tends to ruin the effect of a glittering polish job.
10) Buy
brightly colored helium balloons Stationery and
party-supply stores sell helium balloons for about a
dollar each. So, there's no reason not to pick up a
couple dozen balloons to tie to your open house signs.
Balloons build excitement and will get your home noticed
by home shoppers.
11) Set out
four-color flyers & financing options Don't skimp on
your marketing materials. You want home buyers to select
your flyer among the dozens they pick up. Color sells
better than black and white. Show home buyers how easily
they can afford to buy your home by giving them two or
three financing options. The first thing on buyer's
minds when considering a home purchase is the monthly
mortgage payment. Don't make them guess.
12) Use a
color photo for display advertising Spend a little more
on newspaper and online advertising by including a color
photograph in your ad. Remember: a picture is worth a
1,000 words. Look through your photo galleries for a
seasonal photograph that flaunts your home to its best
advantage.
13) Mail
four-color postcards with UV coating Call a local title
company to obtain a free direct-mail list of your
surrounding neighbors. Print four-color oversized
postcards and include a UV coating to give the marketing
oomph. Use first-class postage.
14) Fill sink
with ice to chill bottled water for guests Put a couple
dozen bottles of water in a sink of ice for buyers. You
can also tape labels to the bottles, printed from your
computer, with your phone number, a photograph and
address of your home.
15) Set out
treats, individually wrapped in cellophane & tied
w/ribbon Touring homes makes buyers hungry. Give them a
snack. It will give buyers an opportunity to linger in
your kitchen and marvel at its elegant appointments,
which might otherwise be overlooked.
Memorial Day
Trivia
-
Q. What was the first
state, which officially celebrated Memorial Day?
A. New York was the
first state, which officially celebrated Memorial
Day in 1968, making it the birthplace of this
holiday.
-
Q. Originally, Memorial
Day was first known as what, the hint is the day
begins with the letter d.
A. Memorial Day was
originally called Decoration Day and it celebrated
the memory of those soldiers who had died serving
the country during the civil war. Southern states
rejected to celebrate those fallen soldiers on
Memorial Day until after WWI when the meaning of
Memorial Day changed to honoring Americans who died
fighting in any war either at home or aboard.
-
Q. Why do we celebrate
Memorial Day?
A. Memorial Day is a day
of commemoration of those who have died fighting for
the freedom of every American.
-
Q. Who is General John
Alexander Logan and what role does his memory play
in our Memorial Day celebrations?
A. General John
Alexander Logan declared that Memorial Day is to be
observed by decorating the gravestones of soldiers
who died while fighting for our freedom. He was a
man of passion who believed that no one should be
forgotten for the scarf ices they gave so that all
of us could enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy.
-
Q. On this special day
of remembrance, should the American Flag be half
raised all-day or fly in all her glory at full mast?
A. On Memorial Day Old
Glory should be flown at half-mast until noon, then
she should be raised to fly at full mast.
-
Q. What is the
nationally recognized flower of Memorial Day?
A. Red Poppies are
recognized as the Memorial Day flower these littler
red flowers were first worn back in 1915 to honor
fallen soldiers. When you see the folks from the VFW
selling the red poppies outside of your local
stores, purchase one and wear it proudly for those
who died giving us our freedom.
-
Q. What day of the week
is Memorial Day held on?
A. This holiday is
always celebrated on the last Monday of the month of
May and has been this way since 1971 when the
National Holiday Act of 1971 changed it from May 30
to the last Monday.
