Get Ready For Spring
[houzz=https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/104421968/list/14-colorful-spring-containers-to-cheer-up-your-porch-or-garden w=300]
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Posted By
Chip Morrison
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5:42 AM
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Selling To Millennials Course March 28, 2016
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A brief introduction of this fast-paced and introduction for Realtors who want to have more success in working with the largest group of home buyers in the country. Step 1 in earning the CME (Certified Millennial Expert) designation.
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Posted By
Chip Morrison
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10:31 AM
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Mildew vs. Mold - Courtesy of American Home Shield
Mildew vs. Mold: Do You Know the Difference?
When it comes to mildew vs. mold, homeowners often have trouble identifying the differences between these two fungi. Knowing their different characteristics will help you when preparing for the battle against these household culprits.
Photo by: Shutterstock
What is Mildew?
Mildew is a common gray and white fungus that’s often powdery in appearance. In homes, mildew will grow on damp materials like paper, leather and fabrics in addition to walls and other wet surfaces. Because of this, mildew is most commonly found in bathrooms, kitchens and basements. In addition to identifying mildew by its fuzzy appearance, you can also point it out before actually seeing it. Mildew usually gives off a musty smell that indicates an infestation is nearby.
Regardless of how clean you keep your house, you've encountered mildew at some point in your life. It’s nearly impossible to rid a home of mildew entirely since moist areas are hard to avoid in places like bathrooms and basements. Fortunately, mildew poses only minor health risks such as minor respiratory problems and occasional coughing fits.
What is Mold?
Mold and mildew are both members of the fungi kingdom. Though some molds may bear resemblance to mildew, most molds will appear darker in color like dark green or even black. Some may even be described as hairy. Mold also thrives in damp areas and can even grow on food.
Unlike mildew, certain types of toxic molds can result in serious health problems for you and your family. Black mold can lead to serious respiratory complications, which may result in long-term health issues and even death in some cases. If you believe you may have a serious black mold infestation in your home, call a mold removal service to properly remove the infested area.
How to Get Rid of Mold and Mildew
Rooms:
• In order to easily remove mildew or mold residue from walls and tiles, mix 1 cup of chlorine bleach with 1 gallon of warm water and lightly scrub the infected area while wearing gloves. Let the solution dry for 10 minutes and then repeat the process at least two more times to ensure all mildew or mold has been removed.
Fabrics:
• When cleaning certain fabrics or pieces of furniture that have mold or mildew growth, take them outside to prevent any spreading of spores. If the material is still wet, let it sit in the sun until dry. Next, use a brush to remove as much mold and mildew as possible. For any remaining stains, use the bleach and water method of removal. If the piece is washer friendly, send it through a cycle after you’ve removed the mildew with bleach.
Professional Help:
• For those in need of extensive mold removal, turning to a professional may be necessary. Firstly, professional mold removal can run you anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, so make sure your concern is a valid one. Once you request a removal, the company will first schedule a consultation. If they suspect mold, then they will move on to testing. Once a mold problem is identified, contractors will begin the removal process. Keep in mind, each of the three steps usually includes a fee.
How to Prevent Mold and Mildew Growth
Even though you may have just finished cleaning an infected area, your home is still at risk for mold and mildew deposits. Taking preventative measures now will help to prevent future infestations. The most important step to keep another infestation at bay is to keep all areas of your home and items within it dry at all times. You can keep your home drier with the following tips:
• Keep interior doors open to improve airflow and circulation
• Use humidifiers and air conditioners to keep indoor humidity below 60%
• Use exhaust fans to help move moisture to outside your home
Mildew vs. Mold Fact Sheet
Sources:
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Mildew_vs_Mold
http://www.hgtv.com/remodel/interior-remodel/mold-vs-mildew
http://healthresearchfunding.org/difference-black-mold-mildew/
http://www.hgtv.com/remodel/interior-remodel/mold-inspection-costs
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/mold-removal/
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Posted By
Chip Morrison
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1:48 PM
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Real Estate Taxes - Comparison by State
| Interesting information on Real Property Taxes by State. Want to know where your state ranks? Here you go.
Rank | State | Effective Real-Estate Tax Rate | Annual Taxes on $176K Home* | State Median Home Value | Annual Taxes on Home Priced at State Median Value |
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| 1 | Hawaii | 0.28% | $489 | $504,500 | $1,405 | | 2 | Alabama | 0.43% | $764 | $123,800 | $538 | | 3 | Louisiana | 0.48% | $841 | $140,400 | $672 | | 4 | Delaware | 0.53% | $929 | $232,900 | $1,231 | | T-5 | District of Columbia | 0.57% | $1,005 | $454,500 | $2,601 | | T-5 | South Carolina | 0.57% | $1,009 | $137,600 | $790 | | 7 | West Virginia | 0.59% | $1,035 | $100,200 | $590 | | T-8 | Arkansas | 0.62% | $1,088 | $108,700 | $673 | | T-8 | Colorado | 0.62% | $1,097 | $239,400 | $1,495 | | T-8 | Wyoming | 0.62% | $1,094 | $189,300 | $1,179 | | 11 | Utah | 0.69% | $1,210 | $212,500 | $1,463 | | 12 | New Mexico | 0.72% | $1,273 | $159,300 | $1,154 | | 13 | Tennessee | 0.75% | $1,314 | $139,900 | $1,046 | | 14 | Idaho | 0.77% | $1,354 | $160,500 | $1,237 | | 15 | Mississippi | 0.78% | $1,377 | $100,800 | $790 | | 16 | Virginia | 0.80% | $1,401 | $243,500 | $1,941 | | 17 | California | 0.81% | $1,429 | $371,400 | $3,021 | | T-18 | Kentucky | 0.84% | $1,471 | $121,600 | $1,018 | | T-18 | Arizona | 0.84% | $1,484 | $162,900 | $1,376 | | 20 | North Carolina | 0.85% | $1,502 | $153,600 | $1,313 | | T-21 | Oklahoma | 0.87% | $1,525 | $115,000 | $998 | | T-21 | Montana | 0.87% | $1,528 | $187,600 | $1,632 | | 23 | Indiana | 0.88% | $1,539 | $122,700 | $1,075 | | 24 | Nevada | 0.92% | $1,618 | $167,100 | $1,539 | | 25 | Georgia | 0.96% | $1,682 | $148,000 | $1,417 | | 26 | Missouri | 1.00% | $1,763 | $136,700 | $1,372 | | T-27 | Oregon | 1.08% | $1,890 | $234,100 | $2,518 | | T-27 | Washington | 1.08% | $1,903 | $257,200 | $2,785 | | T-27 | Maryland | 1.08% | $1,906 | $287,500 | $3,118 | | 30 | Florida | 1.10% | $1,932 | $156,200 | $1,718 | | 31 | Massachusetts | 1.18% | $2,075 | $329,900 | $3,896 | | 32 | Minnesota | 1.19% | $2,091 | $185,200 | $2,204 | | 33 | Alaska | 1.21% | $2,124 | $246,300 | $2,978 | | 34 | North Dakota | 1.22% | $2,146 | $142,000 | $1,734 | | 35 | Maine | 1.27% | $2,233 | $173,600 | $2,206 | | 36 | South Dakota | 1.36% | $2,382 | $135,700 | $1,840 | | 37 | Kansas | 1.41% | $2,478 | $129,400 | $1,825 | | 38 | Iowa | 1.47% | $2,582 | $126,300 | $1,856 | | 39 | Pennsylvania | 1.51% | $2,647 | $164,900 | $2,484 | | 40 | Ohio | 1.55% | $2,729 | $129,600 | $2,013 | | 41 | New York | 1.58% | $2,773 | $283,700 | $4,478 | | 42 | Rhode Island | 1.61% | $2,829 | $241,200 | $3,883 | | 43 | Vermont | 1.72% | $3,021 | $216,200 | $3,717 | | 44 | Michigan | 1.83% | $3,220 | $120,200 | $2,203 | | 45 | Nebraska | 1.88% | $3,301 | $130,100 | $2,444 | | 46 | Connecticut | 1.91% | $3,357 | $274,500 | $5,244 | | 47 | Texas | 1.93% | $3,392 | $131,400 | $2,537 | | 48 | Wisconsin | 1.97% | $3,459 | $165,900 | $3,266 | | 49 | New Hampshire | 2.10% | $3,698 | $237,400 | $4,996 | | 50 | Illinois | 2.25% | $3,959 | $175,700 | $3,959 | | 51 | New Jersey | 2.29% | $4,029 | $319,900 | $7,335 |
*$175,700 is the median home value in the U.S.
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Posted By
Chip Morrison
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10:39 AM
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DOGGIE WASH AREA - IDEAS FOR YOUR HOME
Making our lives easier while caring for the canine members of the family is a popular goal in these busy times. I ran across this article, which shows some great photos of dog wash stations:
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Posted By
Chip Morrison
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6:15 AM
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Free 3 Hour C.E. Class on June 25, 2015 at 9 am.
Selling
to Millennials:
Free 3
Hour C.E. Class
Join us
at C&S Bank in downtown Cumming for a CE Class on Selling to Millenials!
1700
Market Place Boulevard, Cumming, GA
30041
The
Hottest Topic of 2015. The Generation that is larger than the Baby
Boomers is now in the market for Real Estate. This fast-paced seminar will
outline the tools YOU need to take your business to the next level.
Breakfast
& Registration starts at 9:00 a.m.
Co-Sponsored by: Team
Training Institute, Floors Sag or Shake, AquaGuard Foundation Solutions,
C&S Bank, Northwest Exterminating, Marcus Rosin (closing attorney), The
Real Estate Book, Chris Keeling Home Inspections
.
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Posted By
Chip Morrison
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11:50 AM
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Scam Alert for Recent Buyers
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It has come to our attention that there is a scam happening with buyers who have recently purchased property. The buyer/homeowner is receiving a recorded deed notice and asked to pay a fee. The deed recording fee is paid at closing; however, most buyers do not remember or do not realize this and some have paid to this false notice. The return address is in Westlake Village, CA.
So if you EVER get something in the mail regarding your home purchase and you are uncertain what it is, just pick up the phone and give us a call. We are here to help you!
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Posted By
Chip Morrison
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9:28 AM
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Proposed Riverwalk Village in Roswell
| Developers have outlined a proposed new development called Riverwalk Village, a "live-work-play" community that would be located on 104 acres south of Holcomb Bridge Road between Highway 400 and Old Alabama Road.
They have proposed 1,556 residences, 490,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, grocery and entertainment space, 1.7 million square feet of office space, 200 room hotel, 200,000 square feet of institutional and civic space and 51 acres of open space that will include water features and walking trails.
The plan is estimated to take 15 to 20 years to build out and is currently going through a review process with the Atlanta Regional Commission. Once that is complete, they take it to the City of Roswell for planning and zoning talks.
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Posted By
Chip Morrison
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7:57 AM
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Georgia Highway 400 Improvements On The Way!
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GOOD NEWS FOR ATLANTA COMMUTERS...EVENTUALLY
Next year, the Georgia Department of Transportation begins a 3-year rework of the Interstate 285/Georgia 400 interchange. It promises to relieve congestion along one of the nation’s worst bottlenecks.
This is one of the most dangerous and frustrating sections of any northsider's commute. Whether you are heading downtown for your daily commute, to the airport headed out of town, or making your way to the Interstates (75 or 85), you have to run the gauntlet of this crazy exchange.
New flyover ramps, new collector-distributor lanes and other facilities to aid east-west travel on along I-285 and north-south travel along SR 400 would be constructed.
It appears that their goal is to get rid of the left lane merges from I-285 that consistently freak out drivers traveling on GA 400 and also to have 4 lanes of traffic exiting from GA 400 to I-285 (adding an additional lane for each exit).
Here's a short video of the proposed changes:
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Posted By
Chip Morrison
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7:52 AM
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Mercedes Benz coming to Atlanta
| Good news for Sandy Springs was reported when Mercedes Benz decided to move their offices to Atlanta. The location of their new offices will be a 250,000 square foot building on 12 acres of a project that Ashton Woods Homes is buying that was part of the Glenn family property, who were a big part of Sandy Springs' history. Since the property is a total of 75 acres, there will be much more development involved, including some residential. The property (as you can see from the picture below) is just west of Hwy. 400, straddling both sides of Abernathy Road.
This should make for some interesting traffic additions to the area, but we are getting reports that huge improvements to the Hwy. 400/Hwy. 285 interchange are on their way.
Glenridge Hall, which was built in 1929, by Thomas Glenn, is scheduled to have it's furnishing auctioned off March 21-22, 2015. A few fun facts about the historic property:
- A portion of the movie, "Driving Miss Daisy" was filmed at the site. - Thomas's brother-in-law, Howard Candler (married to Thomas's sister), built Callanwolde, another historic Atlanta property. - Sandy Springs was originally famous for it's fresh spring water, which was bottled and sold. The site of the original spring is now the location of the Sandy Springs Museum. |
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Posted By
Chip Morrison
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9:17 AM
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No Down Payment? No Problem! Home Buying Tips in Atlanta
| Worried that you aren't ready to buy a home because you don't have money for a down payment? Exciting news on the home financing frontier these days. There are several programs out there for people who want to buy today and they are Fast, Easy and Simple!
Let's start with the basics. You are currently renting (or living with family) and really would love to move into a house. You have a job, your credit is okay (more on that later), but you don't have a big balance in your bank account. Well, there are several programs out there designed to help you out and get you into home ownership with a monthly payment that's most likely the same OR LESS than what you are paying right now in rent.
There are 3 basic types of loans you need to know about:
The first is a VA loan. If you have served in the military, you can get 100% financing. That means NO MONEY DOWN.
The second is an FHA loan. With this loan, you normally need to put down 3.5% of the price of the home (on a $125,000 home, that's $4,375). However, with a down payment assistance program, you can get into the home with no money down. There are grants (think of it like the financial aid programs for college) and other programs you can qualify for that will give or loan you the money you need to buy today.
Of course, if you are living with a family member that would love to help you out and can afford it, there are also "gift" money programs.
The third loan type is a Conventional loan. They now have programs with just 3% down, although the qualifications are a little stricter than FHA and VA.
This is just the beginning, but if it sounds good to you, give us a call or drop us a text today and our team of financial wizards can help you turn your dream of buying into reality sooner than you think!
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Posted By
Chip Morrison
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10:03 AM
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Return for the latest real estate information in the Atlanta area!
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