The Home Beat

Considering a new build?  New construction can be a great option for a lot of buyers. There’s a lot to be said for being able to customize features and buy a new home with warranties in place. It can allow you to sell an existing home without having to put yourself in a contingent-offer situation, buy you the time needed to relocate, or help you to avoid a multiple offer situation and the stress that can come with trying to secure a contract in our competitive Greenville market. The process seems simple enough:  tour a few neighborhoods, talk to the on-site agent, pick a floorplan and a lot, make your deposit, and the build begins. There are n o sellers to deal with, no inspection period with repairs to consider, and no drawn-out negotiations.  So why involve a buyer’s agent? Won’t you get a better price if a buyer’s agent isn’t involved? Won’t negotiations go better if you can handle them yourself? Not so fast. In any real estate transacti on, it’s important to have a pr...

We are often asked by friends and clients: What color should I paint my walls? Should I go neutral or can I put color up? Should I cover up my "colorful" walls with something more neutral, and if so, what's the neutral go-to color now? With new construction home sales on the rise and existing-home inventory low, we find ourselves  touring model homes with buyers more and more often these days. Our 2 biggest takeaways? Wallpaper and non-neutral paint colors are BIG. Wallpapers come in traditional adhesive-backed and the newer peel-and-stick (pros and cons would be another whole blog!). We see wallpaper on accent walls, partial walls, and whole rooms. Grasscloth never has completely gone out, and it's back, bigger than ever.  According to homesandgardens.com , even wallpaper borders are back. Paint, too, is used on accent walls or above sideboards in a formal area or headboards in the primary suite or sometimes as just a swath down the middle of wall to make a statemen...

Roundabouts, traffic circles, or rotary traffic islands (rotaries for short) are all names for a type of circular roadway infrastructure we’re seeing more and more of in the Greenville area. Originating in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, these intersections were created to improve traffic flow. When arriving at a traffic circle, a car merges into the counterclockwise-moving traffic unless the circle is full. Once a vehicle enters the roundabout, it follows the circular route until reaching the exit for the desired roadway. Roundabouts provide many benefits over conventional intersections. In addition to providing a typically nice greenspace to drive around, roundabouts, with their yield signs and low speeds have been found to be 30% safer than traditional four-way intersections with traffic signals and stop signs. According to greenvillesc.gov, compared to traffic signals, roundabouts typically reduce crashes by 40 - 60%, reduce injury by 35 - 80%, and almost completely eliminate in...

We’ve all heard of various things that should never be disposed of in the kitchen sink- grease, pasta, potato peels, but milk?! Yes, indeed. While it may not damage or clog your pipes, pouring milk down your drain is actually terrible for the environment. It takes a lot of oxygen to break down milk, taking oxygen away from living organisms that need it to survive. Large amounts of milk have even been known to suffocate entire ecosystems. In fact, some places fine businesses for disposal of milk down drains.  So if your milk is getting close to expiring, find another way to dispose of it- maybe a tasty batch of  rice pudding ,  homemade Greek yogurt , or even  fresh ricotta . Other no-nos for your drains: Cooking Oil and Grease:  Two of the worst things to pour down your drain are cooking oil and grease. Because they are liquid, it seems like they won’t do any damage. However, grease and cooking oil create globs of fat that mix with the moisture in your...

You know what they say: one man's trash is another man's treasure! One of the unique benefits of listing homes is the occasional encounter with estate-type sales where people are clearing out vintage items. I like to putter around with furniture refinishing, so.... A vintage, well-loved dresser got transformed, complete with new knobs, keyholes, and drawer inserts:   A 1960s-era Chinoiserie style tea cart that had rusted through the brass plating got a new life:       Cottage style cherry table left in the garage? The top had a ton of potential and allowed me to convert it to a mid-century modern piece! One of the ubiquitous oak pedestal tables of the 1980s- now with a country French look. Just more things to love about our clients and their homes!

Selling your home in the wintertime isn't as difficult as you might think. In fact, with a little preparation and the right mindset, you can have your home sold before spring arrives! To help get you started, we've put together this list of 10 tips for selling your home this winter. 1. Price your home correctly. Winter is a great time to capitalize on motivated buyers who may be looking to take advantage of lower prices, less competition from other buyers, or tax incentives. Be sure to price your home competitively – this may even mean pricing it slightly below market value in order to attract the most interest from potential buyers, increasing competition for it, and naturally driving the price up.  2. Make your home inviting and comfortable for prospective buyers. Since winter weather can make outdoor activities less desirable, you want to make sure that people touring your home feel welcome and at ease inside. Invest in some cozy blankets, warm accents like scented candles ...