The Home Boutique

3 ½ Tips to Help You Sell Your Home….Faster!

Posted on by Amanda Fard

Ever wonder why some homes seem to sell the day after the For Sale sign goes up? Well, there are a number of reasons why homes sell quickly; but as a homeowner, you can certainly help the process along by following these quick and easy tips to help sell your home….faster!

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Tip #1: Break up with your home

It may sound strange, but the first thing you need to do is fall out of love with your home. Start thinking of your home as a product that needs to be marketed to the widest possible audience. If you still think of your home the same way you did the day you moved in, it will be difficult to begin the process of handing it over to someone else. Emotionally separating yourself from the memories will help you perform all the tasks needed to get your home in buyer-ready shape!

Tip #2: Do a drive-by

Do a drive-by of your home, and ask yourself if you’d want to go inside? Is the lawn manicured and well-kept? Is the front door clean and inviting? Is the mailbox standing upright? Does the house look loved? Homeowners tend to focus only on the interior of their home when getting it ready to sell; but it’s important to remember that a home’s curb appeal is what creates that critical first impression with prospective buyers. Help your home put its best foot forward by breaking out the lawnmower and paint brush to spiffy up the exterior in preparation for all the buyer visits you’ll soon be receiving.

Tip #3: Make beige your BFF

It’s true, beige is  beautiful – especially to prospective home buyers! You may love your bright yellow bedroom walls and antique taxidermy collection; but when buyers enter your home, they want to feel like it could be theirs. Buyers need a neutral canvas to work with, and if there’s too much of you and your life on display, they won’t be able to see themselves living in your home. Start the process of neutralizing by walking through your home with your “buyer goggles” on and answer the question, “who lives in this house?” If you are reminded in every room that you live there, then start subtracting down to the point where your home could be anybody’s home. Don’t go so far that the home is lacking personality; just cut back on the really personal and potentially polarizing items.

Tip #3 ½: Get out of the 80’s

An important tip that ties into Tip #3 is to ensure your home is not out-dated. If buyers walk into your home and think they’re on the set of The Golden Girls, you have a problem. Today’s buyers want a home that’s up-do-date and fresh. In a competitive seller’s market,  the last thing you want is a buyer to leave your home thinking “That was a great house, but…….” A small investment in updating your bathrooms, kitchen and overall appearance of your home will pay off with stronger offers, and hopefully a quicker sale!

– Amanda

Explore Atlanta: Decatur Book Festival

Posted on by Amanda Fard

2014-poster-diterlizziI love curling up with a good book! I also love supporting local events – so this Labor Day weekend, I’m going to check out the Decatur Book Festival.

The AJC Decatur Book Festival is the largest independent book festival in the country and one of the five largest overall. Since the festival’s launch nine years ago, more than 1,000 world-class authors and hundreds of thousands of festival-goers have crowded the historic downtown Decatur square to enjoy book signings, author readings, panel discussions, writing workshops, and more.

This year’s festival runs from August 29th through August 31st and features a full line-up of activities including:

  • A children’s stage featuring interactive activities and presentations by top authors and illustrators
  • Live music performed by nationally touring musicians
  • Cooking demonstrations by noted cookbook authors
  • Food and beer vendors, and a wine garden
  • The second annual art|DBF showcase
  • An opening day Children’s Parade, and a special Wizard of Oz parade on Sunday
  • A Youth Poetry Slam, for kids 12–18 years old and a poetry slam for adults.
  • A series on the sesquicentennial of the Civil War
  • Over 160 vendors in the book market and street fair

The festival is accessible by MARTA, just take the Blue Line to the Decatur stop, and you’ll exit the station in the center of the festival! If you decide to drive, there is plenty of parking available in decks, metered spaces, and paid private lots.  If you fancy a weekend bicycle trip to the festival, The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition has a free bike valet set up on N. McDonough Street, in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse. 

Hope to see all my fellow book lovers this weekend!

– Amanda

How To Avoid The 2 Biggest Home Buying Mistakes

Posted on by Amanda Fard

177165paper_shuffleDo you ever begin a project and end up muddling your way through the whole thing, only to just barely survive the chaos and come out on the other end thinking, “There has to be a better way!”

Well, don’t let the home buying process be another one of those muddled up projects! With years of real estate experience, I’m here to help you learn from the biggest mistakes I’ve seen home buyers make time, and time again.

Mistake #1: Not getting pre-qualified or pre-approved for a loan Sure, you can search for homes without ever talking to a loan officer; but that’s like planning a vacation without knowing your travel dates. Understanding how much home you can afford should be your first priority once you’ve committed to purchasing a home.

Beyond the obvious reason of helping focus your search to what you can truly afford, most sellers won’t even consider an offer unless proof of pre-qualification is submitted. For more information on the pre-qualification process, check out this quick summary from one of my recommended vendors, Supreme Lending.

Mistake #2: Not clearly defining your home search criteria When a buyer recently told me she was looking for a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house in Marietta, I told her she’d have to narrow down her search a bit, otherwise we’d spend a year or so looking at thousands of active listings in Marietta that match her criteria. You can’t possibly look at thousands of homes, nor do you want to! Narrowing down your home search will help you, and your agent, pinpoint homes that truly meet your wants and needs. One way to sort through all the options is to make a Top 5 list.

Your top 5’s can focus on anything that’s important to you, from school districts and commuting time, to backyard size and closet space. While it’s easy to deviate from your list, try to stick to your original Top 5 – it’s usually the best indication of what you truly want. Of course you may not know exactly what you want right out of the gate – that’s okay too. A good agent will guide you through the real estate jungle, and show you what’s available in your price point so you will ultimately be able to come up with your Top 5 list.

While there is no denying the home buying process is hard work, avoiding the mistakes of home buyers past will help keep you on a path to success and home ownership.

– Amanda

My Favorite Mansion

Posted on by Amanda Fard
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541 West Paces Ferry Road

Ever wish you could live in, or at least see inside one of the amazing Buckhead mansions that line West Paces Ferry Road? Well, here’s your chance!

541 West Paces Ferry Road is one of the most iconic mansions in Atlanta and is offered exclusively by The Home Boutique and Keller Williams Realty Cityside for $6,500,000.

Built in 1926, “The Pink Palace” offers nearly 16,000 square feet of European-style luxury combined with an impressive array of modern conveniences.

For a full slide show of gorgeous photos, check out the feature article that appeared in today’s Atlanta Business Chronicle highlighting the home as one of Georgia’s most elegant homes.

– Amanda