Caroline Ashe Your Source in Augusta, GA Real Estate April 3rd, 2013
Staging has become a must-do in the real estate world. Most people can do it themselves with a little research online and a decorating-savy friend or two. Here are a few quick staging dos and don’ts:
Staging Dos:
- Declutter the refrigerator
- Remove all non-essential items from counters in the kitchen and baths
- Use the rule of 3 when decorating bookcases. 3 items per shelve no les no more
- Reduce the amount of family photos and collections
- Freshen outside mulch and remove dead plants
Staging Don’ts
- Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink for showing
- Don’t have blown light bulbs
- Don’t list your home without having a deep cleaning done including furniture and drapes
- Don’t have full gutters
- Don’t have bright colors wall paint, neutralize the paint colors
- Don’t have a cluttered garage or attic/storage spaces
I witnessed this staging no no while previewing a home yesterday! BONUS TIP: remove all empty hangers from closet. Closet will feel more organized and lack of storage won’t be an issue.
Need a Staging eye? I can help! Find Caroline Online or email caroline@carolineashe.com
Tags: home staging, staging, staging dos and donts
Caroline Ashe Your Source in Augusta, GA Real Estate February 22nd, 2013
Reasons to Buy a Home in 2012
The National Association of Realtors released the top reasons to buy a home. The below graph shows that the top reason to buy is the desire to own my own home. This is for first-time buyers and resale home buyers. The American dream is alive a well!
Reasons to buy a home
Looking to buy or sell in 2013, let Caroline Ashe guide you! Connect with her online at
Tags: buy a home, buying, buying a home, reasons to buy a home
Caroline Ashe Your Source in Augusta, GA Real Estate January 17th, 2013
Average Home Prices in Augusta, GA
Columbia County Georgia
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Existing Homes (Resale) – $186,080
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New Homes – $221,150
Richmond County Georgia
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Existing Homes (Resale) – $89,200
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New Homes – $173,731
Fine Print: These figures are for YTD 2012. All information obtained from the Greater Augusta MLS. Information is deemed to be accurate but not warranted.
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Tags: average home prices, average home prices in augusta ga, columbia county georgia, richmond county georgia
Caroline Ashe Your Source in Augusta, GA Real Estate December 17th, 2012
Interest Rate for a Jumbo Loan Today
Jumbo loans are making a come back and we are seeing positve movement in today’s real estate market. Home sellers are becoming home buyers because the lagging sale of their current homes are finally making it to the closing table! The inventory levels in Augusta, GA for example saw great improvement in 2012 and the outlook for 2013 is even better.
Jumbo loans were out of reach for even the most qualified buyers for a number of years from the fact that investors just were not buying jumbo loans. The interest rate were so high, that unless you had enough liquid assets to get the loan amount to $417,000, it just wasn’t worth it. The higher end market became sluggish and a much harder sell.
With the easing of the Jumbo Loan market and the positive activity in today’s real estate market the larger loan amounts are in reach. Buyers are buying larger, more expensive homes and utilizing jumbo loans. A jumbo loan is a loan over the conforming amount of $417,000. If a buyer requires a mortgage over $417,000 then the buyer should expect to have an interest rate of 1% higher than the current conventional interest rate. Jumbo loans would also require the qualified buyer to have an minimum down payment of 20%.
Quick Jumbo Loan Home Search
Richmond County GA Homes $400,000+
Columbia County GA Homes $400,000+
Aiken County SC Homes $400,000+
A special thanks to Kevin McDougal of Augusta Mortgage for providing some of the information for this blog post. Looking for a fantastic local Augusta GA lender? Call Kevin at 706-513-4682 or kmcdougal@augustamortgage.com. Kevin is licensed in GA and SC.
Tags: interest rate for jumbo loans, jumbo loans
Caroline Ashe Your Source in Augusta, GA Real Estate December 12th, 2012
Bartram Trail Located in Evans, GA
45 Day Market Review
# of Homes SOLD or PENDING = 17 (all homes are new construction)
Current # of Homes for Sale in Bartram Trail = 10
Average SOLD or PENDING Price = $322,471
Neighborhood Profile
Bartram Trail Homes for Sale
under $300,000
$300,000 – $500,000
Serach the ENTIRE Augusta MLS
Tags: bartram trail, bartram trail evans ga, bartram trail homes for sale, homes for sale bartram trail
Caroline Ashe Your Source in Augusta, GA Real Estate November 28th, 2012
Furnished House vs. Vacant House
Simply put: it depends on the house.
I am a fan of staging and I think it’s a great value if a seller wants to spend the money to have the home professionally staged, but with seller pinching every penny, professional staging might not be an option. If money is tight the seller might consider doing the staging themselves with the help of interior-design-minded friend.We all have that friend who just has a knack for putting a room together. Also, if you are using the services of a professional realtor they will be happy to give you tips on staging. Simple staging can include removing at least 1 piece of furniture from each room, adding fresh flowers, or clearing the countertops in the bathrooms and kitchen (all non-essential items stored out of sight)
Sadly, as an agent, I’ve had homes that I know sold because they were vacant. Maybe it was the seller’s clutter or maybe it was the layout of the house. If a home has too much stuff the buyer can’t imagine their things in the home. The clutter effect is a problem for many older sellers home’s or in estate owned property. The homeowners have usually spent a lifetime in the house and have just ran out of room to stick stuff! Also, the layout partnered with too much furniture can play tricks on the eye and make a room feel smaller than it is. What about strangely hung artwork that makes the ceilings feel shorter. It’s all a trick of our mind! In these cases, I feel a vacant house is an easier sell. With the vacant homes it’s still a good idea to add a crisp clean towel in the bathrooms, fresh flowers in the kitchen and a seasonal wreath on the front door.
The question still remains does a furnished house or a vacant house show better and I feel it’s a house per house basis! Use different resources friends, local realtors and the internet.
Past Blog Post on Staging- Quick Tips for Staging Basic Home Staging
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Peek at Properties – Click Here
Tags: furnished house, home staging, staging a home, vacant house
