Spring & Summer… the Relocation Seasons

The real estate market is starting to pick up in our area and I believe it is the season for relocating. Typically spring and summer are the best times of year to plan a relocation or house purchase. Spring lends itself to cleaning out and starting over while summer schedules lend themselves to the flexibility you require for such an arduous undertaking as moving. Listed below are some reasons these seasons are the top choice for relocation adventures.

• Spring Cleaning: no better time of year to clean out old clutter and clean up gutters … make fresh the old house you are putting up for sale and hop around for spring time open houses with gardens in bloom and lawns green with spring. For some reason homes for sale look fresh and new in the spring. Along with a good deep spring cleaning, flowering plants on a front stoop offer nice curb appeal. Everything looks brighter in Spring.
• Summer scheduling: the kids are out of school so transitions to a new school are much easier on them when the year isn’t disrupted. They can have ample time for send offs with old friends and play dates with new friends. A move during the school year is more likely to cause children anxiety about their school work and social structure. Summer is a more relaxed time of year so they can take their time learning about their new neighbors. This also applies to adult work schedules. Often times in business with tax season over and vacations being planned, business slows to a more manageable pace for a move.
• Fiscal Calendar: many government agencies work on a fiscal year that ends in June so being able to tie up a fiscal year at work before you leave a position allows you to exit on a good footing with your current employer. Moving during this time might add some work to your plate to wrap up the old and discover the new but the long term benefits are worth the extra work at the front end. Your employer will appreciate your effort to make their transition easier too.
• Holiday Season: I don’t know anyone who would recommend a move during the holiday season because of the added chaos we all experience. Between gift buying, holiday greetings to send and family to visit … this is not the time to add house hunting and house showing to your list. I have a friend who has a tendency to move during the holidays that past two moves their family has made (all across state lines) and I would swear her hair is grayer for it!

Moving is stressful for every member of your family but there are better times of the year than others. To avoid additional stress of the big change, consider these reasons for choosing spring or summer to buy and sell your home. Plan in advance and make sure there is some flexibility built in for your family.  Whether you are moving to another home in the same area or to a completely new area of the country, spring and summer are your best bets for making the change!

Going Green is not just about your aluminum cans …

The phrase “going green” was once considered a catch phrase for environmentalists who liked to recycle paper and cans. But today, most industries are making sure they show their clients and consumers how “green” they can be. This does not exclude real estate and home developers. You can Google search lots of blogs with tips on how to make your family more green friendly, but I am talking about the actual structure of your home. Maybe we are seeing a slit shift away from the mansions built a few years ago, to the more sensible designs of homes with just the space we really need and nothing more. Global Green is one organization making a huge contribution with the real estate movement in New Orleans. They are pulling in heavy weights like Brad Pitt who are dedicating energy, time and financial support to this flood ravaged area by not only building new homes for the thousands of misplaced but making their homes GREEN. The cutting edge of development in housing in our country hopes to turn the tide away from poorly constructed homes that drain our economy of natural gas and energy resources to a more eco-friendly way of being. In consideration of Earth Day, we should all reevaluate our contributions to wasted energy in our homes. If you are in the market for a new home, consider asking questions about updates previous homeowners have made in an effort to make the home more compatible with the environment. The development of these new homes will be fascinating to watch. It will be interesting to see whether or not they stand the test of time. It will be interesting to see the impact the changing economy has on how home owners and real estate developers treat new structure and renovate old. Only time will tell but while we wait … collect your cans, paper goods and plastic… every little bit counts.

Location, Location, Location

Location, location, location that has always been a catchphrase in real estate and it holds a great truth. I have just returned from the island of Grand Cayman … can we talk about location? There are few bad locations on this rather small island (22 miles in length and roughly 8 miles wide and occupies 76 square feet). One of the most amazing lessons I gleaned as we wandered through paradise, was seeing how little real estate you really need to have everything at your finger tips. There are bars and restaurants in the downtown area with as little as a step ladder access to an incredible underwater world of creatures & corral. Most bars and restaurants boast 8 or 9 tables … what more do they need? A few customers, some good food and cold drinks with a built in view. There is very little need for more. Maybe it is the concept that the ocean lends itself to vast openness and extreme fresh air. Maybe it’s the constant breeze and crashing waves or the cold drinks and easy way of being on the island. There is no where to get in a hurry to go… no one wants to be in a hurry.With the exception of some waterfront properties with hurricane shutters, three car garages and large swimming pools over looking the bay, the residential areas in the interior of the island are very humble. The homes are ranch style and appear to have two to three bedrooms with possibly two full bathrooms. Most homes have a small porch or portico with windows open and very few hvac units were spotted. Several have clotheslines with the day’s laundry strewn about to dry and roosters pecking the ground. The houses are not very well organized but sort of randomly situated around the interior. There are few street signs and several round abouts. No need for a map … you can probably cover the island by car in an hour or two and that is with traffic.When we talk about waterfront property and being on deep water in Savannah, we are hoping for access to the open seas and a place to dip our crab lines. Location matters where ever you decide to plant roots, be it island roots or city roots. Location is everything … decide what you require around you, what would appeal for resell and what your family needs … that determines the value of your location but keep in mind a little blue water never hurts!