New mobile app for local real estate
Posted by thunsicker in Atlanta Real Estate, Prudential Georgia Realty on November 11, 2013
Prudential Georgia Realty has introduce a new mobile app for Android and iPhone! For instructions on downloading it, text TinaH to 404-620-2300. Even if you aren’t shopping, it’s fun to keep up with everything that’s going on in the market. Here are a few of the great features available:
- Best Local Real Estate App for Greater Metro Atlanta
- Listings from all MLS’s
- Sold Properties from MLS
- Recently Rented from MLS
- New Home Properties
- Short Sales/Foreclosures
- Property Scan/Augmented Reality
Download it and let me know what you think of it!
SOLD: 1956 West Wesley
Posted by thunsicker in Uncategorized on November 6, 2013
I’m so happy for my clients who are moving to 1956 West Wesley. We just closed last Friday!
As many of you know, Paces Neighborhood has large lots, estate style homes and is my dream location. Earlier this year, I had moved another family to 3111 Ridgewood just around the corner. Although different in style, both of these homes have over one acre lots, pools and fabulous kid friendly terrace levels. We are going to plan something soon so both of these families can meet other friends in the neighborhood. Fortunately, they are both still close to Vinings and I still consider them neighbors!
1956 West Wesley
3111 Ridgewood
Don’t forget – Time change on November 3!
Posted by thunsicker in Living on November 1, 2013
Turn your clock back and get an extra hour of sleep!
Yes, it is that time of year again. Daylight Saving Time ends so we turn our clocks back one hour at 2am Sunday morning, November 3rd. Most people will change their clocks before they go to bed Saturday night. This change puts us back on Standard Time. The good news is that everyone can get an extra hour of sleep!
History of Daylight Savings Time: People often ask – what is Daylight Saving Time and why do we have it? Daylight Saving Time (or summer time as it is called in many countries) is a way of getting more light out of the day by advancing clocks by one hour during the summer. During Daylight Saving Time, the sun appears to rise one hour later in the morning, when people are usually asleep anyway, and sets one hour later in the evening, seeming to stretch the day longer.
The reason many countries implement DST is to make better use of the daylight in the evenings. Some believe that it could be linked to reducing the amount of road accidents and injuries. The extra hour of daylight in the evening is said to give children more social time with friends and family and can even boost the tourism industry because it increases the amount of outdoor activities. DST is also considered a means to save energy due to less artificial light needed during the evening hours. Clocks are set one hour ahead during the spring, and one hour back to standard time in the autumn.
Benjamin Franklin first suggested Daylight Saving Time in 1784, but modern DST was not formally proposed until 1895 when an entomologist from New Zealand, George Vernon Hudson, presented a proposal for a two-hour daylight saving shift to the Wellington Philosophical Society. It wasn’t until World War I, in 1916, that DST was adopted and implemented by several countries in Europe and the United States. The United States, Canada and some other countries extended DST in 2007. The new start date is the second Sunday in March (previously the first Sunday in April) through to the first Sunday in November (previously the last Sunday in October).
If you would like to set your clock to the correct time, please click this link.
Now that you have an extra hour, what will you do with it?
Happy Halloween!
Posted by thunsicker in Living on October 30, 2013
I’d like to wish you and your family a safe and Happy Halloween. Since Halloween is tomorrow, we wanted to share a couple of ideas that you might use to get ready.
Pumpkin pie is one of the most popular culinary delights of the fall season. Here is a recipe from AllRecipies.com that received the “5-star rating” as The Perfect Pumpkin Pie.
Here is another tasty Halloween treat from Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewart.com/930935/how-decorate-scaredy-cat-brownies
For those that are a little more adventurous with your pumpkins, you may want to carve up some scary or funny pumpkins to decorate your home. We thought you might enjoy the options for Extreme Pumpkin Carving: ExtremePumpkins.com. Now you can have the coolest house on the street!
Have A Safe And Happy Halloween!
Gray: The New Neutral
Posted by thunsicker in Interior Design on October 28, 2013
Everything old becomes new again! I’m old enough to remember the early 80’s when gray was the neutral. It looks like it is making a strong comeback. Clients are calling it Greige and in this article they are calling it Dune. It’s basically a warm-toned grey.
Regardless of what you call it, I like it and already have a room this color. I find it goes well with stone or brick (the mortar in brick can be the same tones.) In surveying my house, I find that it is all solids – not patterns – which makes changing a color pretty easy. Someone once told me when selecting colors for your home to look at your wardrobe as it contains color you tend to like. I can’t say the color scheme applies to me – I have a pretty bright summer wardrobe and fairly dark winter one – but the lack of patterns certainly holds true.
Beyond White: Hot Color Trends for the Kitchen and Bath RISMEDIA, Thursday, October 17, 2013— (BPT) – So many of us love the rich colors featured in kitchen and bath magazines, but when it comes to selecting colors for our own homes, we tend to play it safe. It’s time to be bold and get out of the color comfort zone. Whether it’s a vibrant backsplash, playful shade on the wall, or a new sink color that pops with personality, today’s hot color trends are anything but boring.Consider these top five color trends for kitchen and bath spaces: 1. Gray reigns king
The 2013 NKBA Trends Report names gray the coveted color of the year. According to the report, use of gray color schemes in both kitchens and baths has dramatically increased since 2010, particularly over the past year. The hue is currently used in 55 percent of kitchens and 56 percent of bathrooms.“I regularly work gray into my projects because it instantly elevates the design and adds depth to the palette,” says senior interior designer Travis Rotelli, who works at the Kohler Design Center in Kohler, Wis.
Another old style that is making a comeback is brass. So often, I hear clients say that they don’t like all the brass in a particular house. The solution for that now is to simply take the good quality Baldwin brass and have it dipped to remove the clear coat. This will reveal the natural brass. This natural aged brass is beautiful and the new style again. I have Baldwin Brass in my home and may try it in a few rooms to see how it goes before I do the whole thing. If I do, I’ll be sure to take before and after pictures. I like the warmth of brass, and while hardware styles and choices change so frequently, high quality fixtures should be able to pass the test of time.
What do you think of both of these comeback styles? Have you or would you use either of these in your own home?
September Market Update – Vinings, Buckhead and Smyrna
Posted by thunsicker in Buckhead, Data and Statistics, State of Real Estate Market, Vinings on October 17, 2013
Generally, Vinings is its own unique market. Our sales in September remained the same as a year ago and down 44% from last month, while inventories went up slightly. Days on Market went way down. I believe is because many buyers are patiently waiting for the right house to pop up, and when it does, they grab it. If you don’t get your buyer in the first couple of weeks, it may be on market a while as the inventory has remained somewhat stable or slightly higher in Vinings. We don’t seem to have the shortage of supply that Buckhead has, but our area is so much smaller that the right house at the right price can be hard to find.
September Market Update – Vinings
And on to the Buckhead market: We didn’t see a big change from September to October, but year to year the news is still good. Days on Market is down 31% from last year and available listings are down 28%. Compared to the previous month, sales in September were down, but can be expected at this time of year. We are seeing the return of the trade-up buyer. Confidence in their ability to sell their current home is again allowing buyers to take that step to a bigger home. This is a change in the “downsizing” trend we saw while the economy was down. There is still a 4 year Inventory over $2M, so that market is still slow, but the $1M-$2M market is better than it has been.
September Market Update – Buckhead
Even though my blog is titled Real Vinings Buckhead, I’ve decided to add information on Smyrna as well. I’ve sold so many homes there recently and currently have several available listings there. It’s always interesting to me how different all three of these markets are. Buckhead, by definition, is a much larger geographic area and has many more high priced homes. Because of this, its numbers are highly affected by the luxury homes market and the more “average” homes – which happen to range around $600,000 – still fly off the market. In Vinings (30339,) the homes average closer to the $500,000 range with two lots selling at that price in the past month as well. Existing inventory is primarily the original 1960’s homes (both original and remodeled) and newer construction that ranges well over $1M.
The Smyrna market, on the other hand, was much more affordable with the average over the past year being around $300,000. This year we are seeing the higher priced homes in Smyrna coming back on the market and selling. Because of this, the affordably priced homes are eaten up and the higher priced homes are driving the price point up causing a drop in the volume of transactions. I’ve seen homes in the $500,000 range get snatched up over the past few months, where a year ago I could count on one hand the number of homes in Smyrna that sold over $500,000. I should add that these reports are for 30080 Smyrna, and not Mableton per se. The statistics back me up with the sales in Smyrna being down 14% year over year and down 26% month to month. As always, please contact me with any questions you have about buying or selling your home.
September Market Update – Smyrna
Catching up with the DeLoaches – your design/contractor duo
Posted by thunsicker in Atlanta Home Builders on October 10, 2013
I had originally posted about my friends Lauren and Greg DeLoach when I started this blog a couple years ago. Greg is a contractor and Lauren is an interior designer. They are the complete design/build team. Now, they’ve made it big time, and I am so proud of them. Atlanta Homes Magazine recently featured a beautiful home they partnered with local architects Spitzmiller and Norris on.
It’s just another example of their talents. I will add that after working with Spitzmiller and Norris, they recommend them very highly. They also enjoyed working with architect Stan Dixon. As always, I recommend calling them for your design and contracting needs, but be prepared for a wait as they are booked a couple months out. Lauren is managing 3 small children, so right now she only works with Greg’s clients, but I’m sure in the future we’ll see her branching out from that as well. With work like this, it would be a shame if she didn’t.
You can find Lauren at http://laurendeloachinteriors.com/ or Greg at http://cottageindustryconstruction.com/.
Best wishes and much success, Lauren and Greg!
Paces Ferry Road Closure at Railroad Crossing
Posted by thunsicker in Uncategorized on October 1, 2013
Paces Ferry Road Closure at Railroad Crossing
I can tell from the volume of hits to my site that many people are searching for answers like I was as to how long the RR crossing is going to be closed. With the amount of times a day I drive across that stretch of road its put a serious crimp in my commute times as I’m sure it has many others. Looks like it may be another day. They are siting “weather”, really? Its been beautiful all week. So its closed today and may still be closed tomorrow, so plan accordingly.
Feature for Sellers: Prudential monthly real estate updates
Posted by thunsicker in Buckhead, Data and Statistics, State of Real Estate Market, Vinings on September 16, 2013
Knowing what is going on in the real estate market is just as important when selling your home as it is when you are buying. One of the great features that has come with joining Prudential is a monthly market update that is quick and concise. Below, I’ve included links to the Buckhead and Vinings September updates.
What you’ll notice in the Buckhead data is the dramatic fall off of sales in August. Normally, I would think this drop is related to back to school, but this year the decrease was more dramatic than in years past.
Vinings was more stable from July to August. I believe the uptick in sales prices is related to the Jumbo rates being lower than conventional financing right now. In both markets you’ll see that inventory is down dramatically.
If you are interested, I’m happy to pull YTD data for you as well. As always, if you’re thinking about selling, give me a call so I can help you analyze the value of your home.
Upcoming Vinings Restaurant Week!
Posted by thunsicker in Living, Neighborhoods, Restaurants, Vinings on September 11, 2013
Come one, come all to the Second Annual Vinings Restaurant Week from Oct 5th-13th.
If you already call Vinings home, live just across the river in Buckhead or over the RR tracks in Smyrna, you are probably looking forward to another great restaurant week. Besides the fact that these are all great restaurants (we’ve tried all of them!), eating locally gives us a chance to run into friends and neighbors while we are out. We will make it a point to visit as many of these restaurants as we can.
Each place will offer fixed price menus – $15, $25 and $30.
These are just a few of the eighteen neighborhood restaurants participating in Restaurant Week! With so many great places to choose from, you’ll find something to suit anyone’s taste including dessert and breakfast/brunch/lunch for you early birds.
If you’ve found this link because you are searching for a Vinings home, this is a perfect opportunity to see what the area has to offer. Grab a friend or come out and make a friend. We looking forward to seeing you there!
For you locals – which of these restaurants is a must-visit? If these places are new to you, which one are you most looking forward to trying?
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