As the year comes to a close, I know you’ll have a lot on your mind. I am here to serve your real estate needs, whatever they might be.
SERVING YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS
Are you looking for a home or planning to sell a property in the near future? Please call me at your convenience and let me work for you!
Do you know someone who would benefit from my services? Please give me his or her contact information and give my number to him or her!
REFRESH
If you have contacted me about a home in the past, and you are still trying to find that perfect property, please let me help you again! Bring me up to speed and I will hit the ground running for you!
SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS SERVICES
If you offer services for homeowners, please let me know about it. I would be happy to include your information in my BLOG http://www.forsalebykat.blogspot.com and also provide a reciprocating web link to your website from mine http://www.KatParker.com.
INNOVATION
I am always considering new ways to “get the word out” about me and the unique real estate services I offer. If you see something you think I should know about, don’t hesitate to contact me about it! I love hearing your ideas!
CONTACTS THROUGHOUT THE US
I am licensed in California and Alabama, and I can help your friends and family choose a professional REALTOR ANYWHERE in the US and Canada. Aside from the Alfa Realty network, this year I have joined WCR which is a nation-wide network consisting mainly of women REALTORS. WCR is comprised of full-time professional Real Estate Salespeople who will focus on your needs. My personal business focus is on residential real estate in East Montgomery, Pike Road, Wetumpka, Eclectic, Lake Martin, Holtville, Titus, Lake Jordan, Millbrook and Prattville. I receive rewards for referrals and I would be more than happy to share these benefits with you, my cherished customers. If you are relocating to another part of the US or Canada, please let me know. I can help you locate the area’s MLS website and connect you with a professional REALTOR.
REMEMBER
I want feedback. I am committed to providing you with the best service I can. I am here to help you from 10am to 7pm, Monday through Saturday and 1pm to 5pm on Sundays and other times, by appointment. If you would like me to set aside time for you to look at properties, it is best if I can have 48hrs notice to clear my schedule. You (customers) come first, but I can only be in one place at a time!
THANK YOU
Thank you for the opportunity to serve your needs this past year! Whether I have provided information on properties or helped you through a closing, it has been my pleasure to serve you and your family.
PLEASE
Let me know how I can help you in the coming months and New Year.
Update me with your new and preferred contact information (email, telephone, address)!
I am so excited about this season and the New Year!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
My Schedule
I don't have young children to tend to and therefore my schedule is somewhat more flexible than that of other Realtors (R) in the area. Contact me to assist you if you want someone who will be AVAILABLE to help you with your Real Estate Needs. http://www.KatParker.com
What's New Before Thanksgiving
Showings at last minute - Kat's philosophy
Well, most buyers and sellers are preparing for Thanksgiving along with those who aren't planning a move right now. So, there won't be quite as many showings this weekend and next. However, there are SERIOUS buyers looking for homes YEAR ROUND. So, if someone does ask to see your home this weekend, I would JUMP THROUGH HOOPS to accomodate. You never know when the "right buyer" will walk through your front door, so try to allow all showings.
Unless your home is overly fragrant from a meal made of curry or is filthy due to messy guests or family, let people in! And if it is not quite "show-ready", ask for 15 minutes to make it presentable then clean up the biggest mess and leave the rest. Most folks LIVE in their houses and will understand - especially if their agent did not have foresight to call ahead.
Settling on what's available / Getting what you WANT
Did you GET what you WANTED when it came to a wedding location or apartment or were you required to take what was available, without regard to needs and dreams? The real estate market is GREAT for Buyers right now. There is more inventory in the Montgomery MLS than there has been in a very long time. This means you have more homes to choose from! The majority of the homes are priced between $170,000 and $220,000 so if you are prequalified for any number in this price range, you've got your work cut out for you! To help you narrow down the list and save time looking at only homes you'll love, get pickier on your first few showings. Think about "deal breakers" such as: two-story, no carport, no yard, undesirable location for schools or job commute... Pick homes that meet all your criteria "needs" and "wishes/dreams" to see first. If you don't like any of them, then you can get a little lenient on some facets of your next home. OR if you have a little time on your hands, then get a REALTOR(R) who is willing to WORK for you! If you know EXACTLY which neighborhood you want to be in, then choose a REALTOR(R) who will talk to neighborhood residents and find out who might be convinced to sell. You'd be surprised! A REALTOR (R) who isn't afraid and has time to knock on doors and meet people in your desired neighborhood may be able to save you money and get you what you need!
SELLING A HOME IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET
This is a competitive time for Sellers. You might have a gorgeous home with all the up-to-date appliances and color schemes, but is it getting seen? How do you ensure your home is seen by 85% of all qualified buyers? PRICE IT RIGHT! You might think, well I can lower my price in a month or two if I don't get a reasonable offer by then. BUT in the first 4 weeks, which is the most crucial time to have your home correctly priced, you might have missed the buyer who was ready to make a move on your home! Think about it.... Let's say your opinion is that your home is worth $300,000, so you price it for $310,000 to give negotiating room. Buyers are looking for homes in the price range they can afford. Your home will be compared with homes priced from $285,000 to $325,000 because some buyers will be preapproved above $310K and others might not be. But with luck, they'll look at your home anyway. Now your home is being compared against homes that are more expensive, and probably have extra amenities that your home doesn't - otherwise, you'd price your home even higher!
Example: Buyer 1 is approved for $325K and they look at your home to see if it has what they are looking for but they find it is not quite as nice as the home around the corner. Now they decide if they want to make a concession to save money, or not. In this price range, most buyers are inclined to get every bell and whistle they can afford. YOU'LL MISS OUT!
Buyer 2 is approved for $305K and they tell their REALTOR(R) not to show them any home priced above their budget, and they'd prefer to look at homes priced under $300. YOU MISSED OUT!
If you are selling a home in the Montgomery Tri-County or Lake Martin area, you need to call me. I have worked in competive markets and in every case my residential home sellers have received offers within 30 days of listing. So - call me if you are READY TO SELL your home!
Well, most buyers and sellers are preparing for Thanksgiving along with those who aren't planning a move right now. So, there won't be quite as many showings this weekend and next. However, there are SERIOUS buyers looking for homes YEAR ROUND. So, if someone does ask to see your home this weekend, I would JUMP THROUGH HOOPS to accomodate. You never know when the "right buyer" will walk through your front door, so try to allow all showings.
Unless your home is overly fragrant from a meal made of curry or is filthy due to messy guests or family, let people in! And if it is not quite "show-ready", ask for 15 minutes to make it presentable then clean up the biggest mess and leave the rest. Most folks LIVE in their houses and will understand - especially if their agent did not have foresight to call ahead.
Settling on what's available / Getting what you WANT
Did you GET what you WANTED when it came to a wedding location or apartment or were you required to take what was available, without regard to needs and dreams? The real estate market is GREAT for Buyers right now. There is more inventory in the Montgomery MLS than there has been in a very long time. This means you have more homes to choose from! The majority of the homes are priced between $170,000 and $220,000 so if you are prequalified for any number in this price range, you've got your work cut out for you! To help you narrow down the list and save time looking at only homes you'll love, get pickier on your first few showings. Think about "deal breakers" such as: two-story, no carport, no yard, undesirable location for schools or job commute... Pick homes that meet all your criteria "needs" and "wishes/dreams" to see first. If you don't like any of them, then you can get a little lenient on some facets of your next home. OR if you have a little time on your hands, then get a REALTOR(R) who is willing to WORK for you! If you know EXACTLY which neighborhood you want to be in, then choose a REALTOR(R) who will talk to neighborhood residents and find out who might be convinced to sell. You'd be surprised! A REALTOR (R) who isn't afraid and has time to knock on doors and meet people in your desired neighborhood may be able to save you money and get you what you need!
SELLING A HOME IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET
This is a competitive time for Sellers. You might have a gorgeous home with all the up-to-date appliances and color schemes, but is it getting seen? How do you ensure your home is seen by 85% of all qualified buyers? PRICE IT RIGHT! You might think, well I can lower my price in a month or two if I don't get a reasonable offer by then. BUT in the first 4 weeks, which is the most crucial time to have your home correctly priced, you might have missed the buyer who was ready to make a move on your home! Think about it.... Let's say your opinion is that your home is worth $300,000, so you price it for $310,000 to give negotiating room. Buyers are looking for homes in the price range they can afford. Your home will be compared with homes priced from $285,000 to $325,000 because some buyers will be preapproved above $310K and others might not be. But with luck, they'll look at your home anyway. Now your home is being compared against homes that are more expensive, and probably have extra amenities that your home doesn't - otherwise, you'd price your home even higher!
Example: Buyer 1 is approved for $325K and they look at your home to see if it has what they are looking for but they find it is not quite as nice as the home around the corner. Now they decide if they want to make a concession to save money, or not. In this price range, most buyers are inclined to get every bell and whistle they can afford. YOU'LL MISS OUT!
Buyer 2 is approved for $305K and they tell their REALTOR(R) not to show them any home priced above their budget, and they'd prefer to look at homes priced under $300. YOU MISSED OUT!
If you are selling a home in the Montgomery Tri-County or Lake Martin area, you need to call me. I have worked in competive markets and in every case my residential home sellers have received offers within 30 days of listing. So - call me if you are READY TO SELL your home!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Sunrooms
Adding square footage to your home is the SMARTEST remodeling advice anyone can give or receive. It will automatically add value. Next in line are kitchen and bath remodels, followed by living and dining rooms. If you have a porch or patio, you should think about closing it in this winter and giving your family more living space to enjoy over the future months and years! Then down the road when you are ready to sell, it will be a bonus!
Central Alabama Sunrooms, Inc. has recently taken on several projects in the Montgomery area. Four Seasons Sunrooms has a few resellers/dealers in Alabama, one of which, closed its doors earlier this year. Therefore, CASi has the opportunity to take over a few of these projects and get them done right!
Visit www.CentralAlabamaSunrooms.com for more information on what this company can do for you!
Central Alabama Sunrooms, Inc. has recently taken on several projects in the Montgomery area. Four Seasons Sunrooms has a few resellers/dealers in Alabama, one of which, closed its doors earlier this year. Therefore, CASi has the opportunity to take over a few of these projects and get them done right!
Visit www.CentralAlabamaSunrooms.com for more information on what this company can do for you!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Choosing a quality kitchen range hood
Choosing a quality kitchen range hood - besides removing odors, best units get rid of moisture -- quietly
by Paul Bianchina, Inman News
In most kitchens, there is a simple appliance situated above your range or cooktop that often seems to be mistaken for nothing more than a big light fixture -- and in fact, the "builder's grade" range hood in many new homes really is little more than that. But your range hood serves a couple of very important purposes in the kitchen, and selecting the right one is something that warrants some comparison shopping.
Range hoods come in several sizes, finishes and designs, and that's where most people start when they're shopping for a new one. First of all, it needs to be the correct size to match the width of the opening in the cabinets above the range, and to match the width of the range or cooktop itself. Hoods come in a couple of standard sizes, including 30, 36 and 42 inches in width, with the depth being designed to fit with standard 12-inch-deep upper cabinets. There are some variations available in many of the higher-end models, so knowing the size you're looking for is the first step.
Typically, the next consideration is one of aesthetics. There are several finishes available, the most common being white, almond, black, stainless steel or some combinations of those colors. Then there's the design of the hood housing, which can range from the traditional rectangular box with the sloping front that is commonly see in kitchens of all types, to some very sleek, slender models that almost disappear into the cabinets.
AN EXHAUSTING CONSIDERATION
Size and aesthetics aside, it's time to take a look at what really makes the range hood function in the capacity that it's designed for -- exhausting air. Range hoods utilize a fan to draw air up and into them, through a filter, then through a duct to -- hopefully -- the outside. That air movement serves to remove cooking odors from the kitchen, and that's when most people will turn it on.
But the range hood has an even more important and often overlooked role as well, which is to remove moisture right at the source where it's being generated. Like a bathroom fan, the range hood lives to draw warm, moisture-laden air out of the home's interior and exhaust it to the outdoors before it can do any harm. For that reason, there are three additional things to pay very close attention to when buying and installing a range hood.
First of all, since the hood needs to remove moisture from the room, you want to avoid the temptation of purchasing a recirculating hood. Recirculating hoods do not require an exhaust duct, so they are considerably cheaper and easier to install. But since all they do is recirculate air through a filter to remove some of the grease and odor, they fail completely in their primary task of removing moisture.
Second, the hood has to be vented all the way to the outside. This is now a building code requirement in today's homes, but in years past range-hood ducts were often run into the attic and no further. As many homeowners have found to their shock and dismay, pumping all that warm, wet air up into the attic can cause a whole host of problems, including dryrot, mold, degraded insulation, and even severe structural damage.
Finally, the range hood needs to have adequate power to effectively remove the air. As with all types of ventilation fans, range hoods are rated in cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air movement. The higher the CFM rating, the more effective the fan is at drawing in room air and pushing through the duct. Larger rooms and larger ranges need more CFM to more an adequate amount of air for ventilation, but even small rooms need a greater amount of CFM if the exhaust air needs to be pushed though a long run of duct, or one with a large number of elbows and other fittings.
At their least expensive, hoods utilize a tiny plastic rotary fan on a vertical shaft, sort of like the propeller on an old beanie cap. Even though a massive 42-inch hood looks powerful enough to handle any ventilation chore, if it's equipped with an anemic motor and fan blade, the resulting air movement will be inadequate.
Better range hoods utilize a multifinned horizontal fan called a centrifugal fan, commonly known as a squirrel cage fan for its resemblance to a common animal exercise wheel. Centrifugal fans are much more efficient at moving air, and offer a higher CFM then a rotary fan with the same size motor.
The final consideration with your new range hood is its noise level, because even the best of hoods won't get used if it sounds like a Boeing 747 is headed for a landing on your kitchen counter. Range hoods are typically rated in sones, and the lower the sone rating the quieter the fan. As a means of comparison, one sone is about the noise that your refrigerator makes, and normal conversational levels are about four sones.
****
Happy Shopping! For Lowes discounts and a FREE Ideas Magazine subscription, email kat@katparker.com with LOWES in the subject line!
by Paul Bianchina, Inman News
In most kitchens, there is a simple appliance situated above your range or cooktop that often seems to be mistaken for nothing more than a big light fixture -- and in fact, the "builder's grade" range hood in many new homes really is little more than that. But your range hood serves a couple of very important purposes in the kitchen, and selecting the right one is something that warrants some comparison shopping.
Range hoods come in several sizes, finishes and designs, and that's where most people start when they're shopping for a new one. First of all, it needs to be the correct size to match the width of the opening in the cabinets above the range, and to match the width of the range or cooktop itself. Hoods come in a couple of standard sizes, including 30, 36 and 42 inches in width, with the depth being designed to fit with standard 12-inch-deep upper cabinets. There are some variations available in many of the higher-end models, so knowing the size you're looking for is the first step.
Typically, the next consideration is one of aesthetics. There are several finishes available, the most common being white, almond, black, stainless steel or some combinations of those colors. Then there's the design of the hood housing, which can range from the traditional rectangular box with the sloping front that is commonly see in kitchens of all types, to some very sleek, slender models that almost disappear into the cabinets.
AN EXHAUSTING CONSIDERATION
Size and aesthetics aside, it's time to take a look at what really makes the range hood function in the capacity that it's designed for -- exhausting air. Range hoods utilize a fan to draw air up and into them, through a filter, then through a duct to -- hopefully -- the outside. That air movement serves to remove cooking odors from the kitchen, and that's when most people will turn it on.
But the range hood has an even more important and often overlooked role as well, which is to remove moisture right at the source where it's being generated. Like a bathroom fan, the range hood lives to draw warm, moisture-laden air out of the home's interior and exhaust it to the outdoors before it can do any harm. For that reason, there are three additional things to pay very close attention to when buying and installing a range hood.
First of all, since the hood needs to remove moisture from the room, you want to avoid the temptation of purchasing a recirculating hood. Recirculating hoods do not require an exhaust duct, so they are considerably cheaper and easier to install. But since all they do is recirculate air through a filter to remove some of the grease and odor, they fail completely in their primary task of removing moisture.
Second, the hood has to be vented all the way to the outside. This is now a building code requirement in today's homes, but in years past range-hood ducts were often run into the attic and no further. As many homeowners have found to their shock and dismay, pumping all that warm, wet air up into the attic can cause a whole host of problems, including dryrot, mold, degraded insulation, and even severe structural damage.
Finally, the range hood needs to have adequate power to effectively remove the air. As with all types of ventilation fans, range hoods are rated in cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air movement. The higher the CFM rating, the more effective the fan is at drawing in room air and pushing through the duct. Larger rooms and larger ranges need more CFM to more an adequate amount of air for ventilation, but even small rooms need a greater amount of CFM if the exhaust air needs to be pushed though a long run of duct, or one with a large number of elbows and other fittings.
At their least expensive, hoods utilize a tiny plastic rotary fan on a vertical shaft, sort of like the propeller on an old beanie cap. Even though a massive 42-inch hood looks powerful enough to handle any ventilation chore, if it's equipped with an anemic motor and fan blade, the resulting air movement will be inadequate.
Better range hoods utilize a multifinned horizontal fan called a centrifugal fan, commonly known as a squirrel cage fan for its resemblance to a common animal exercise wheel. Centrifugal fans are much more efficient at moving air, and offer a higher CFM then a rotary fan with the same size motor.
The final consideration with your new range hood is its noise level, because even the best of hoods won't get used if it sounds like a Boeing 747 is headed for a landing on your kitchen counter. Range hoods are typically rated in sones, and the lower the sone rating the quieter the fan. As a means of comparison, one sone is about the noise that your refrigerator makes, and normal conversational levels are about four sones.
****
Happy Shopping! For Lowes discounts and a FREE Ideas Magazine subscription, email kat@katparker.com with LOWES in the subject line!
Land and Homes For Sale
301 Bowen Bend near Emerald Mountain in Wetumpka
$188,000 4 Br/2 Ba large lot with storage building
Beautiful inside and out!
MLS # 245145
Land on Seth Johnson Drive in Redland Community of Wetumpka
NEW SCHOOL COMING FALL 2009
$55,500 0.65 +/- acres wooded lot in River Ridge
MLS # 246642
Land on Hwy 229 / Red Hill Road near Castaway Island
You can see the water through the trees!
9.3 +/- acres VERY CLOSE to Lake Martin!
MLS # 240924
$188,000 4 Br/2 Ba large lot with storage building
Beautiful inside and out!
MLS # 245145
Land on Seth Johnson Drive in Redland Community of Wetumpka
NEW SCHOOL COMING FALL 2009
$55,500 0.65 +/- acres wooded lot in River Ridge
MLS # 246642
Land on Hwy 229 / Red Hill Road near Castaway Island
You can see the water through the trees!
9.3 +/- acres VERY CLOSE to Lake Martin!
MLS # 240924
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