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Making your Home Attractive to Buyers

Most houses that go on the market for sale are not ready to be shown. I am regularly amazed at the number of sellers who have made no serious effort to look at their house from the buyer's perspective. As a result, the house falls into the real estate twilight zone, on the market forever with no realistic chance of an acceptable offer. As an alternative, here is my all time top ten list of things you should do before you even think of putting up a "for sale" sign:

1. First impressions count. Pay close attention to your front door and how your house looks from the street.

2. When in doubt, paint. On the inside of your home, fresh paint looks and smells great, is inexpensive, and gives the impression of a well kept home. Use neutral lighter colors to add to the feeling of open space.

3. Light up your life. When asked, most buyers say they want a house that is bright and cheerful - and you should give it to them.

4. Offer unlimited storage space. Create that illusion by removing excess furniture from crowded rooms, getting rid of all clutter, and emptying the basement. Your goal is to make the house look like nobody lives there.

5. Closets are critical. The house with enough closets has never been built, and your overstuffed messy closets emphasize the problem. Make yours look spacious by removing almost everything.

6. Eliminate unpleasant odors. Don't try to mask bad smells with air fresheners - attack the root cause and eliminate the problem.

7. Leaky faucets are indications of more serious plumbing problems in the minds of buyers. Replace worn washers ahead of time.

8. Pets often complicate the marketing of a home. Carpets with pet odors may have to be replaced, but it will cost you much less to do so now.

9. Clean everything. Perhaps the single most important step you can take to prepare your home for showing is to clean every surface in your home thoroughly.

10. In the southern part of the country, we get a lot of rain every year. And most of it seems to collect in basements and crawl spaces. Find out if you have a moisture problem in your basement or crawl space. If not, be thankful. If so, take steps now to correct the defect.

 
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John Adams Presents


LANDLORD SURVIVAL TRAINING

with John Adams
Tuesday, February 28th

Being a landlord can be a rewarding experience. It can also be a difficult one if you don't have the knowledge and understanding of what the process requires.

Few schools offer degrees in property management, so most landlords learn "on-the-job" through acquired knowledge and on-the-job experience, essentially re-inventing the wheel. This is an expensive and depressing way to learn anything.

Whether you're a full-time landlord or just getting ready to purchase your first rental property, whether you are a licensed Georgia real estate professional or an accidental landlord, this seminar will help you improve your property's value, increase your cash flow and decrease your expenses, from attracting (and retaining) good tenants to maintaining your property to understanding your rights and obligations under the law.

For more details and to register click HERE

PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION WORKSHOP
with John Adams
Tuesday, March 27th

One of the significant annual expenses faced by any Georgia property owner is ad valorem property tax. Depending on where you live, it can be as high as three percent of the property's fair market value, and it must be paid year after year after year.

As a result, efforts to minimize this expense are not only worthwhile, they are encouraged by Georgia law. The phrase "ad valorem" means that each property is taxed based only on its value, and no one is required to pay a penny more than the minimum the law demands.

At the Property Tax Reduction Workshop, real estate expert John Adams will review the system he has used for over thirty years to reduce valuations and assessments in Georgia counties and municipalities, saving himself literally hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years.

In this 3 hour information packed seminar, John will teach you how to:

1. Understand the legal process of Property Tax Assessment
2. Meet the newly uniform Tax Deadlines
3. File your own Property Tax Return with a realistic valuation
4. Document your PT-50R with facts to support your case
5. Proactively meet with your Appraiser to reach an agreement
6. Protest your Notice of Assessment in an Intelligent manner
7. Give the Assessor an Opportunity to Save Face
8. Appeal to your Board of Equalization, in person or by mail
9. Make Your Case to the BOE
10. Take Your Case to Superior Court if necessary

If you are not doing all these steps now, you are likely costing yourself hundreds or thousands of dollars a year. If you own just one house, you could easily save over a thousand dollars over the next three years. If you own properties valued collectively over a million dollars, you are literally throwing away your profits year after year.

For more details and to register click HERE