Recently I had a friend request that I write about the best ways to increase your property's value through inexpensive changes that you can do yourself. I think this is something that's very important-there are definitely ways to make your property more appealing to a potential buyer without breaking the bank. However, if you have a little extra cash or you want to ensure that you get top dollar when you put your home on the market, there are more expensive changes you can do as well. I've broken these tips into three categories: Inexpensive, Mid-Priced, Expensive. Just a couple of thoughts before I share these tips: Kitchens and bathrooms are going to bring you the biggest bang for your buck Curb appeal is important-make sure your landscaping looks fresh and clean You don't want to com... 02/19/2009

Do you have a home in Dacula Georgia you need to sell quickly? Have you been searching the Internet looking for a way to someone to buy your Dacula house fast or some way to sell your home in Dacula Georgia fast? Many sellers need to sell their house fast, but don't know where to turn. Luckily you've found the right "We Buy Houses Blog" to sell your home in 7 days or less! WeBuyHouses.net is your number one source for buying houses in Dacula Georgia for fast cash or by taking over your existing mortgage payments. We can help you sell your house fast by buying your house fast! How to Sell Your Dacula Georgia House Faster Than Ever! (How it works) Once you've completed our Seller Questionnaire providing your contact information and telling us about your Dacula house for sale, one of our p... 02/18/2009

You can sell your Dacula, Georgia house in one hour and still get market value! We buy houses in Dacula, Georgia in any area, condition or price range. We buy pretty Dacula homes, no-so-pretty homes and we buy pretty-ugly Dacula homes too. We buy houses in Atlanta, Augusta, Macon, Savannah, Valdosta and other Georgia cities and counties as well. If you have a home in Dacula that you need to sell fast for any reason whatsoever, we buy Dacula, GA houses for all cash or can take over your monthly mortgage payments, often in one hour or less! You can avoid all the hassles of selling your Dacula house yourself or through a Realtor® With OneHourHomebuyers.com, you can... Get fast cash and immediate debt relief for your Dacula house. Avoid paying unnecessary real estate listing fees, commissio... 02/12/2009

Recently a good friend of mine invited me to go to lunch with her at the cute little restaurant, Blessings Cottage, in the closeby town of Dacula, Georgia. I hadn't had the pleasure of eating there yet, so of course I said yes...and it was absolutely wonderful! Just wait until you hear all about this great little place... Blessings Cottage is situated inside of a historical home built in 1905 and is owned by Bonnie Rasmussen and her daughter, Sonya Kee. From the minute you walk into the home, you feel warm and cozy. The front hallway is full of various gifts from serving platters with Bible verses on them to soaps and other neat beautiful things. The left front room is filled with home decor items and the right front room has the most precious baby gifts.   Down the hallway a little way... 02/02/2009

Now I know that most of my recipes are straight full of butter, sugar and cream cheese...just how Paula Deen likes it, but that's not all I cook--I make healthy foods too. This recipe is one of my favorites and it's just easy as pie to make and oh so tasty! So without further ado, meet the healthy snack:  HUMMUS! INGREDIENTS: 1 can (15-16 oz) garbonzo beans, drained (*These are also known as Chick Peas) 1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, cut in half (or more! I love garlic, so I always use more) 2 TBSP lemon juice 1/2 tsp. salt Chopped fresh parsley--this is just a garnish, I usually make it without Pita bread wedges, crackers or raw veggies DIRECTIONS: In blender or food processor, place beans, oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt. Cover and blend on high sped, stopping blender... 01/30/2009

Are you thinking about selling your home? Or maybe your home is already on the market, but is not getting shown as much as you would like. It may be time to take a look at the color on your walls and in your home decor and make changes if necessary. Did you know that color can have an emotional and psychological impact on a potential buyer? Which is why it's important that you learn which colors create certain feelings in a person and carefully choose the colors in your home. In turn it can lead to a faster home sale...which is the goal, right?! Photo by Tanakawho Tips and Suggestions for helping your home sell:      *Off-White and Beige Walls: Most people will advise that having off-white or beige walls is great because it gives the potential homeowner the opportunity to envision how t... 01/28/2009

...We all scream for ice cream!! I don't know about you, but ice cream is one of my very favorite treats! I could eat it everyday...so of course I was very excited when the ice cream and dessert shop, Scoops, came to the nearby city of Dacula, Georgia. This wonderful dessert place has pretty much any type of candy or ice cream that you can imagine. It has several counters full of mouth-watering chocolates, fudge, candied apples, giant cinnamon rolls, as well as a bazillion (okay, maybe not that many) flavors of ice cream! (The picture below is just ONE of the cases of yummy treats) In addition, the walls are lined with candy, from every flavor of jelly bean you can imagine, to every kind of sour or chewy candy you could want. It's a child's dream...and probably every dentist's nightmare... 01/22/2009

Today I'm featuring a locally owned restaurant in Dacula, Georgia called Dacula Dogs..."a Chicago style eatery with a splash of Southern charm." And I would certainly have to agree. This restaurant, with its friendly staff and fun atmosphere, actually ships all of its ingredients straight from Chicago to ensure that all of its hot dogs are authentic. After you order at the front counter, you sit and wait for your food because each order is cooked as it's placed so that your food is always fresh and hot. The picture below is of their famous Chicago Style hot dog with chilli added to it. It includes: mustard, onions, relish, tomato,pickle, sport peppers and a dash of cerelry salt. And the prices are so affordable too! You can get this Chicago Style hot dog with fries for only $4.60 and e... 01/21/2009

Do you have a Atlanta house to sell? We Buy Houses Atlanta! "Atlanta Georgia Home Buyers Who Can Buy Your House In 1 Week or Less!" We know that there are several places you can go to sell your house and most often we list with a Realtor. Well there are many situations that prevent us from listing our home to sell. Perhaps you are over financed, or maybe your home needs major repairs. Sometimes we are behind on payments and need to sell fast. Well, what if there was a faster way to sell you housewhen we are facing difficult situations? What if there was a company that actually took an investment in selling your property and didn't charge you hefty realtor fees to do so? Check us out, we may be able to buy your house in 1 week or less! Yes, that company exists! We Buy Houses in 1 Week o... 01/17/2009

FMLS:3830922 4505 J M Turk rd Flowery Branch, GA 6 beds 6 baths Fully Finished basement and Huge backyard up to 5 acres Listing agent Sandy Deaton Peggy slappey properties.. 404-889-0191 6001 Waters Edge Trail Roswell,GA FMLS: 3823579 3 beds 2.5 baths Townhome in gated community. Listing agent: Mike Beernink 770-265-8580 mhbeernink@aol.com Showinghouse.com promotes our clients listing with virtual tours at youtube and Active rain to help advertise them. if you need more info, please contact me at 678-371-5550 12/29/2008

I was browsing the questions in linkedin and I came across one about upgrades but it was the answer that caught me off guard. We've all heard the value of staging and some of us have seen it first hand.  However, I think there is still a mistique about it all and consumers certainly are taking longer to see the "light." Here's the answer from linkedin: As a Realtor in suburban Boston, I have found over and over again that staged homes burn buyers. So, when I am representing a buyer I try to impress upon them that alot of what they are seeing is fluff. The staging is geared to make a buyer overlook a homes problems. I believe it is a much better investment to buy a house that has been well maintained but not necessarily updated. Removing carpeting, wallpaper and painting does not cost $1... 11/29/2008

Ok so I put out a post a couple of days ago about hosting my first open house. I was absolutely asounded by the amount of advice given to me by all of you! It went well and I thought I would just share some of the amazing and generous adivce that was given to me by some of you nice ActiveRainers. 1. Bake some cookies. Not only is this a nice gesture and it gives them something to munch on, but it also gives the house a nice "homey" smell to it. Also try brewing coffee for added affect. ( Thanks Janaya Goselin) 2. Have a guest book and ask each visitor to sign in. Get their name, number, and email address and ask them if it's ok to stay in touch with them. (Thanks Edward and Celia Maddox) 3. Have some nice cool tunes playing in the background. Having a little "elevator music" can really ... 11/24/2008

So I'm hosting my first open house tomorrw. I'm sort of nervous and very curious to know if it is a waste of my time or not. Any advice and tips you can offer a brand new and very young Realtor about hosting his very first open house would be much appreciated. I am looking forward to all of your creative tips!   Nick Underwood Realtor @ WhatIf?Realty 770-899-0962 nicku989@yahoo.com Here's a link to the Open House Advertising post. 11/22/2008

While some listing agents may disagree, I think the buyer's agent has some unique responsibilities and most have nothing to do with finding the home. See I believe fully in the buyer's agent fiduciary responsibility to the client.  Meaning that outside finding them the right home and consulting with them to figure out what that is based on needs and wants, it's about: Negotiating to get the best deal Delivering key marke information based on LOCAL information Managing the transaction to make sure things happen and things DON'T HAPPEN Informing the client of possible outcomes Strategizing with the client to ensure happiness. At the end of the transaction a good buyer's agent will have saved the client's time and a boat load of money.  In fact, THAT should be the measuring stick.... not w... 11/17/2008

DECEMBER: Reel Tech TV is hitting the road!  We've been inundated with requests to teach our video blogs in person so Monday, December 8th is our first, state certified seminar.   We'll be teaching agents: -Why video is important -How to use video to increase your business  -How to shoot, edit and upload video -The best ways to use your video -On camera tricks of the trade -Much, much more!! Monday, December 8th from 9AM to 12PM 6650 Sugarloaf Parkway Duluth, GA  $60 *3 CE credits for GA realtors!* Click here for more information and to register for the class -Only 40 seats remaining- If you're not able to make it to the class, no worries!  Look out for more dates in 2009 and keep watching our blogs on Active Rain each week!!   JANUARY:  Reel Dwellings TV will be speaking at Inman Conne... 11/15/2008

The whole idea of creating a video is to get potential clients to use your services.  So once you have the video, what do you do with it?  How do you get the eyeballs on that video to increase your business?  Click on this week's episode of Reel Tech TV for great ideas and tools to show you how! Reel Tech TV Episode 7 Want to learn these Reel Tech TV tips in person?  We're taking our class on the road!  Join us Monday, December 8th in Duluth, GA for a 3 hour seminar.  **Georgia realtors, this class offers 3 hour Continuing Education credits**  Course: Video Training for Real Estate Date: Monday December 8th        Cost: $609:00am - 12:30pm Location: Virtual Properties | Duluth 6650 Sugarloaf Parkway, Suite 700 Duluth, GA 30097 Only 42 seats remaining!! Click Here to Register! Click Here... 11/14/2008

Yes, You Really Can Sell Your House is in Days! We Buy Houses Dacula GA: Selling your home quickly in today's market is not as easy as it sounds. Selling with a Realtor® may not be the best solution for you and most of us are not aware that there are other alternatives.You see, we're not like typical Realtors® who only want to list your house for a commission and hope it sells one day. We are a nationally recognized group of real estate investors who are well trained in how to buy and sell houses quickly. We handle all the paperwork and will do everything we can do to get your houses sold as quickly as possible and in many cases we already have buyers waiting to buy your home! We specialize in helping people that need to sell fast because of double payments, divorce, estate sales and w... 11/10/2008

Here is the Dacula FMLS Update for Dacula single family detached home listings for sale as of today Thursday November 6 2008.  This is for the current inventory activity of single family detached Dacula homes for sale: Active - 685 Properties Found - Dacula homes for sale Contingency w/Kickout -2 Properties Found Found - Dacula homes for sale Contingency - Due Diligence - 0 Properties Found - Dacula homes for sale Contingency - Other - 0 Properties Found - Dacula homes for sale Pending - 51 Properties Found - Dacula homes for sale 11/06/2008

On August 24th, Nateja competed in her first ever pageant along with 191 Atalnta area teens and at the end of the day the 17 year old was named, Miss Teen Atlanta. According to Glenn Matlock from the Neighborhood News, Nateja is a top student at Mill Creek High School, located in Hoschton, GA.  Her parents drummed into her head that if she wanted to succeed in America, she must first get a good education. Nateja's passion is helping the sick and needy, "For these children, I want to be an image of what I didn't have when I was younger," she said.  "Kids that are sick, I definitely open my heart to them.  If I could, I would take all the little girls of all races out for a spa day.  Even at a young age it's good to feel beautiful." Nateja Dias has already won $20,000 by winning this roun... 10/13/2008

So now that you have shot and edited your video, where do you post it?  We have some great ideas and "how-to" advice in this week's episode of Reel Tech TV.   Reel Tech TV Episode 6 Don't forget to check out our brand new website for more information at ReelDwellings.TV 10/13/2008