Skylake...

2010 Sales

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 19:00:00 +0000

Here is the year-end sales report for 2010. Total number of residential sales is 9. No lots were sold this year.

38 Brentwood Court - 2/2 with mountian view, screened porch - $178,500
320 Muir Drive - 3/2 with unfinished basement, screened porch - $184,000
290 Muir Drive - 3/2 with 1-car tuck-under garage, screened porch - $185,000
46 Woodland - 3/2 with screened porch - $195,000
17 Grouse Pt. - 3/3 with mountain view - $195,000
113 Rockridge - 4/3 with 2-car garage, screened porch, finished basement - $241,000 (bank-owned)
1379 Blue Ridge - 3/2 with unfinished basement, mountain view - $256,500
128 Indian Trail - 3/3 with 2-car garage - $331,000
582 Grimes Nose - 3/3 with mountain view, 2-car garage, sunroom - $390,000

If you were keeping up-to-date with sales in the past, you might not notice any changes for awhile. There's a good reason for that...the last closing was in August. The good news is, we haven't had many bank-owned foreclosures in Skylake. Property values have remained solid compared to the rest of the area. There are still some great deals avaiilable, though...so this is a great time to buy if you are in the position to do so! We've had lots of price reductions over the last few months, so check out our inventory and call me if there's anything I can help you with.

Happy New Year...I hope 2011 is your best ever! :)

How to Bring Autumn Inside

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:34:00 +0000

Article by Jan Peterson, September 2009

When summer is over, autumn fills the air and the landscape changes colors. Bringing this magic inside a home sets the stage for upcoming holidays and is easy to do!

As the autumn air becomes crisp, the scenery outside reveals nature’s hues of greens, oranges, browns and gold, and keeping stride with the changing seasons makes a home warm and inviting. Autumn brings to mind bare tree branches, fallen leaves, golden hues, and natural textures, so investing in a few pieces of seasonal decor that reflect those images will bring autumn inside. It’s not necessary to completely redecorate, but adding a bit of autumn-inspired decor will create seasonal ambiance. Here are decorating ideas that will keep a home in-sync with the season.

Add Autumn to the Table: Tablecloths, Table Runners, Napkins and Centerpiece

Changing out table linens is an easy way to reflect the changing season. Cooler Fall weather means bowls of steamy soup, baked breads and goodies, and harvest skies. Tablecloths, runners and napkins can evoke those feelings, by using fall colored prints or solids, or nubby, natural textures. The look can be a mix of autumn colors for a casual look, or co-ordinated hues for a more formal one, and the change can be subtle or bold.

Baskets, glass vases or harvest designed bowls can be used to create a natural centerpiece. The centerpiece could be:

•An amber, crock-shaped bowl filled with pinecones or oranges.

•Multiple glass vases of different heights and shapes, filled with acorns, pumpkins pods or pumpkin seeds.

•Glass vessels filled with pillar candles surrounded by cranberries or coffee beans.

•Eucalyptus or dried flowers arranged in a round, rustic basket.

•A square basket filled with an autumn-colorful liner, filled with different shapes of bread loaves.(The loaves can be dried and coated with varnish or a sealer so they’ll last through the season.)

Smell the Fall Air: Candles in Lanterns, Potpourri and Fragrance Warmers

When decorating, a homeowner should attack all the senses! They can switch out those ocean and linen scented candles for ones that smell like cookies baking, pumpkin bread, cinnamon, or apple pie. For visual effect, they can use candles wrapped in birch bark or cinnamon sticks. Decorative lanterns on tables and shelving can double as candleholders.

If burning candles are a safety concern, fragrance burners are available that heat wickless, scented wax without the flame, such as the kind offered by Scentsy Inc. This company offers scent bars in fall and winter fragrances.

Vases and bowls around the home can be filled with potpourri consisting of dried cranberries, orange peels, pinecones, bark curls, pomegranate or cinnamon sticks

Create Cozy Autumn Ambiance: Add Pillows, Throws and Bedding

Fall conjures up cozy images. Tossing a few inviting pillows in fall hues or designs on couches and beds will cry out “curl up!” Pillow covers work great for this transformation as they can be removed and replaced for the next season’s look! Catalogs such as Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel offer pillow covers in solid fall colors or designed with autumn leaves, pinecones, fir trees or pumpkins. Adding a few soft throws in the fall theme, and family and friends will be curling up on the couch wrapped in seasonal ambiance!

In the guest room, touches of fall can easily be added. Covering the bed with a cozy goose-down comforter, and a load of fluffy pillows to crash in, will make for a memorable guest experience. An easy decorative touch for the bed is a few standard-sized pillows covered with king sized pillow cases in fall colors, with the long, open end tied off with decorative raffia.

Scatter Fall Touches Around the Home: Dried Flowers, Twigs, Gourds

Tasteful scattered touches of fall in the main living areas will create the ambiance of fall. A homeowner can:

•Switch out silk or real plants with baskets of eucalyptus, dried flowers or twigs.

•Fill a basket by the fireplace with wood

•Fill a basket by the armchair or coffee table with reading books or crossword puzzles.

•Arrange gourds or silk autumn leaves in baskets, bowls or glass vases.

•Hang an autumn wreath on the front door.

Cinnamon sticks in a glass canister, a set of large espresso mugs, and favored coffee or hot chocolate in the pantry will provide ready-to-serve warmth on a cool autumn evening. A wooden bowl with assorted nuts and a nutcracker sitting on the coffee table will invite guests to sit down and stay a while.

Each of these touches will add the ambiance of the fall season to a home, but it isn’t necessary to do all of them. Simply taking a step back in time to the memories of what autumn meant growing up will guide a homeowner to the changes they want to make. Even a few small touches of autumn will bring that additional feeling of homespun warmth to an already inviting home.

5 Questions & Answers About Adding a Fireplace

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:13:00 +0000

Fall is in the air, which means time to get cozy in front of the fireplace. In Northeast Georgia, a fireplace is always at the top of the list for homebuyers. Some buyers prefer wood-burning, while others enjoy the convenience of gas. Either way, a fireplace is one of the best home-improvement investments you can make. Here's a great article on some things to consider. I also have the names of a great chimney-sweep and firewood guy...just give me a call!

Article From HouseLogic.com

By: Rich Binsacca

If you want to add a fireplace to your existing home, ask yourself what value it brings to you and your property.

About half of the 40 million homes constructed in the U.S. since 1973 were built without a fireplace, and yet consumer study after homebuyer survey indicate that the majority of people want one and are willing to pay extra to have it. For homeowners considering adding a fireplace to their existing home, here are answers to the key questions you need to ask to determine if a fireplace is right for you.

1. Is it possible?

With the variety of fireplace options available today, from traditional wood-burning masonry to wall-mounted ventless units, it would be difficult to imagine a situation in which it would be entirely impossible to add a fireplace of some sort.

That being said, local interpretations and enforcement of building codes may dictate details such as the chimney height, the construction of the firebox and flue, minimum clearances around vent pipes, and limits on fireplace emissions--all of which narrows your choices. You'll need to check with your city or county building department, many of which have current code information online.

There's also the question of fuel: If you've got the space to safely store stacks of wood (not against the house--a fire hazard--but within convenient proximity) or an existing source of natural gas or propane, then you'll increase your options.

2. How much will it cost?

Costs for materials and labor to add a new fireplace can run the gamut from several hundred dollars to $20,000 or more. Among the most popular options, a factory-built gas/propane fireplace unit runs about $2,000 for a basic materials package; add to that at least another $5,000 for the cost to hire professional tradespeople to cut a hole in an exterior wall, frame and build a chimney, install the fireplace, and add a surround and mantle.

Figure on spending about half that or less for a fireplace that vents horizontally through the wall--called a direct-vent fireplace-which eliminates the costs of building a vertical flue and chimney extension, and for simpler finishes around the fireplace opening.

An EPA-qualified wood-burning fireplace, which features doors with air-sealing gaskets to regulate how much indoor air it uses for combustion, therefore saving energy and reducing emissions, may cost upwards of $4,000 per unit. The installation and finishing costs of such units, however, is about the same as the natural gas fireplace. A traditional, open-hearth, wood-burning fireplace--like the ones you see in mountain resort hotels--requires a skilled, professional mason and a budget approaching (and often exceeding) $20,000.

The lower end of the cost spectrum includes so-called "ventless" gas or gel fireplaces, and those powered by electricity. Expect to spend about $400, plus another $1,000 to have a professional install and finish those that require a dedicated gas or propane line.

When considering costs, also factor in on-going expenses, namely for fuel and maintenance. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, natural gas is the least expensive utility-supplied heating fuel at a national average of $1.42 per therm (a measure of heating value), followed by heating oil and propane; electricity, meanwhile, is nearly twice the average cost per therm of natural gas. Utility rates vary by geographic region, so check with your local suppliers to accurately gauge those costs; your use of the fireplace will impact ongoing fuel expenses as well.

If you have a readily available (and thus cheap) source of wood, ideally on your own property, it probably trumps the cost of any utility-supplied source. Wood and natural gas are by far the most popular fireplace fuels, combining for 83% of the market, according to the National Association of Homebuilders Research Center.

An annual service contract with a professional fireplace or chimney inspector, around $150, is a relatively inexpensive way to maintain your fireplace with confidence.

3. Will I recoup my up-front costs?

A fireplace generally isn't calculated separately in a professional home appraisal, though real estate salespeople often consider it to be a hot button among potential buyers. According to the National Association of Realtors' 2007 Profile of Buyers' Home Feature Preferences, 46% of homebuyers said they would pay extra (a median of $1,220) for a house with at least one fireplace, the most popular "desired feature" in the survey.

Still, says certified appraiser and real estate industry author Mark Rattermann, "Probably the best gauge is to look at the number of newly built homes with fireplaces" to measure whether homebuyers want and are willing to pay for them. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 53% of new homes built in 2008 included at least one fireplace. That's down from a peak of 66% in 1990, though that drop-off may say more about builders trying to reduce costs than changes in consumer demand, as the latest NAHB consumer preferences survey found that 77% of homebuyers want a fireplace.

Rattermann also suggests homeowners consider a new fireplace in the context of their home's overall value when trying to estimate its payback potential. "A $10,000 fireplace in a $1 million home is well supported in most markets," he says, because it's an expected feature in upscale homes. "But a $10,000 fireplace in a $100,000 home probably isn't valued as much," in the context of other spending priorities at that price point.

4. Where will it go?

If you're thinking payback, put the new fireplace in the most-used room in the house (besides the kitchen). That's usually the family room or great room. But if your goal is personal enjoyment or perhaps the more practical goal of space heating, the best place is where the unit best serves those purposes: to enhance the sitting area of the master bedroom, to heat an office or guest room at the far end of the forced-air system's duct run, or for holiday ambiance in the lesser-used living room.

And don't forget the backyard: About 3 million outdoor fireplaces are installed every year, according to the Hearth Patio & Barbeque Association, as part of an overall trend toward more extensive outdoor living spaces. Expect to pay about the same for an outdoor unit, installed, as you would a comparable indoor fireplace, though don't expect the outside unit to be an efficient heating source; rather, more so for ambiance.

5. Is a fireplace energy-efficient?

It's true that a traditional, wood-burning fireplace in a big, open room--while romantic and impressive to guests--is an energy hog by continually sucking conditioned indoor air for combustion and losing most of its heat up the chimney. But sealed units (including those that burn wood) have the mechanics, controls, and venting systems to use outdoor air for combustion, reduce thermal loss, and effectively supplement the home's primary heating system. A fireplace used for "zoned" or small-area space heating can lessen the energy demand on the furnace and reduce utility bills by allowing you to turn down your thermostat when the fire is going.

Theoretically, a series of well-placed and right-sized fireplaces might completely replace an existing home heating system. "A direct-vent gas fireplace is much more efficient as a per-room space-heating option than a traditional central forced-air system (using a furnace)," says Steve Frederickson, a fireplace installation expert and lecturer for Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Education Foundation. "It's very wasteful keeping your whole house at 70 degrees all the time. If everyone used one of these fireplaces to heat just the rooms they use, when they use them, it would cut the residential heating load by 20%-25%."

Rich Binsacca has been writing about housing and home improvement since 1987. He is the author of 12 books on various home-related topics.

Bear Sighting!

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 03:51:00 +0000

The highlight of my day was seeing a bear in my backyard this afternoon! While this might've really freaked me out a few years ago, I consider it a special treat today (for a split second, I even considered following it when it started moving out of my sight)!

Some of my neighbors have spotted them fairly often in Skylake...it seems some people just have the knack for seeing them (or maybe they're just more observant)! One of my friends saw a momma bear with 3 cubs 2 years ago. The cubs were still very small...I'm sure that was quite a sight! My parents claim a bear "stole" the chainsaw they were storing under their deck. After hearing the bear make a racket and seeing it run into the woods, they found the chainsaw on the edge of their lot with claw marks in the plastic case it was in. I'm not one of those lucky "bear-sighting people", though...in the 12 years we've lived here, I've only seen one 3 times.

For those of you who were considering moving here and are having second thoughts after reading this, I definitely don't want to scare you away. First of all, I've never heard anyone say they felt threatened by one. They're more afraid of us than we are of them! Secondly, if I can get used to living near them (I've been a city girl my whole life until moving to GA), then anyone can!

I wasn't quick enough to grab my camera for a picture, but here's a photo that was taken by a Skylake resident a couple of years ago. I think it's funny how he's fluffing out his fur on the top to make himself look bigger. I doubt that was really necessary since the person taking the picture probably wasn't planning to wrestle him or anything! If any of you have your own bear story to share, feel free to do so...I know some of you "bear-sighting magnets" probably have some interesting stories to tell!

Skylake Sales - July 2010

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 20:42:00 +0000

Here are the current Skylake sales thru July 2, 2010:

584 Grimes Nose - 3 BR/3 BA, 2,800 sq. ft w/mountain view - $390,000
290 Muir Drive - 3 BR/2.5 BA - $185,000
128 Indian Trail -3 BR/2.5 BA - $331,000
1379 Blue Ridge - 3 BR/2.5 BA, 1,750 sq. ft. - $256,500
46 Woodland - 3 BR/2 BA - $195,000
17 Grouse Pt. - 3 BR/3 BA w/mountain view - $195,000
38 Brentwood Court - 2 BR/2 BA, 1,200 sq. ft. - $178,500
113 Rockridge - 4 BR/3 BA, 3,514 sq. ft. - $241,000 (Foreclosure)
320 Muir Drive - 3 BR/2.5 BA - $184,000

Business is definitely picking up with more buyers looking, and a great selection of homes and lots for sale. Interest rates are incredibly low too! Take a look at our inventory and encourage your friends and family to do the same. if there's anything I can help you with, just give me a call!