Roseann Blacher~ Atlanta Area Real Estate "My Service to You Does Not End at Closing"
Roseann Blacher

ROSEANN BLACHER, Licensed Real Estate Agent



Hi, I'm Roseann


 

 

Welcome to My Home Page , your source for Atlanta area real estate.

I am a real estate professional with EcoBroker certification for the energy and environmental issues that can affect your real estate transactions. There are tremendous green resources available in the market and as part of my service commitment to my clients, I help to identify and make sense of these invaluable green opportunities( read the excerpts in my "This Just In" column!). I am a great facilitator in this regard. I look forward to working with you. Please call me anytime at : 404.376.3696 

If you own real estate that you're thinking of selling, I would be happy to provide you with a FREE Home Evaluation, as well as get you up close and personal with a HERS (Home Energy Rating System)-qualified technician to help with an energy efficiency rating on your home...a great selling tool!

  

 


Your Weather Forecast



Selling Season is Coming!



 

We still have some hills to climb before we see a better, more "real" market, so all the more reason to do your homework on home buying and selling....and all the more reason to be frugal in saving, spending and shopping, be it for a new home or car. As with a 401k, look for long-term benefit, such as essential repairs to the home as you live in it, not leaving until it is time to sell and then costs you a bundle! Enjoy your home until it is time to market it!  Choose & develop a relationship with your Real Estate Professional weeks before you are ready. Then the house will be in the best selling shape it can be!As I mentioned, the Atlanta area still has about an average ten-month inventory of homes to sell, so STAND OUT in the crowd! Buyers can pick and choose! Assess your home and garden; prioritize what needs repair or a fresh “face” to present it in the best  light. Ask a Real Estate Professional what is hot on the market as far as features and go for it. ESPECIALLY in this slower Seller's market, a Real Estate Professional knows what’s selling and how to get the biggest bang for your buck! I know you have heard the phrase: "location, location, location". Well, for those of us that are slightly lacking in that department, I have another: " Curb appeal, curb appeal, curb appeal"!  It never hurts to give a great first impression right from the street into the door!

    It is not a pretty housing market unless you are a well-qualified buyer, but the stimulus plan will yield results.

THE STATS:The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of single-family homes and condominiums were down by 15+ percent, from last year the biggest drop since a 17.7 percent plunge in 1982. The South is leading the downturn with a -15%+- growth. There is still a ten-plus month supply of homes on the books and that is yp over 8% from last year, indicating a buyer's market. Median price for a single-family home averaged  $220,400 in the South($203k nationwide), down 3.4 per cent from last year. Don't despair! Well- priced homes and well-prepared sellers are having success. Again, don't despair, but don't be unrealistic about your sales price!

 

Want to do some updating before you sell? See what the National Association of Realtors says home buyers want:

TOP 10 PICKS ON FEATURES DESIRED BY HOME BUYERS

  1. Central Air Conditioning
  2. Garage (2 or more spaces)
  3. Walk-in closet in master bedroom
  4. Backyard/play area
  5. Cable/Satellite TV-ready
  6. High-speed Internet Access
  7. Separate shower enclosure in master/main bath
  8. Patio
  9. Fencing
  10. Home less than 10 years old ( but this trend is changing!)

 

Make time to participate in the Georgia State Park’s  schedule of events and classes. Holiday activities are in full force, so enjoy the beautiful Winter at our majestic and affordable state parks. An annual Park Pass is a great and inexpensive family gift and you can designate which favorite park gets the benefit of your purchase!!!

PLEASE...be sure to help keep our parks (and everyday environment) clean by respecting trail rules and "LEAVE NO TRACE" by taking out what you bring in.

All State parks are offering  family fun programs from camping to fishing and crafts to creepy crawlies! Many great family outings are only an hour or two away from Atlanta. Go leaf "peeping", bird watching or just enjoy the scenery! Check it out: http://www.gastateparks.org/

 

In the Garden ...

We are trying to climb out of an historic drought, so please review your county laws! We have saving rains over the months, but still, think of other ways to save water; going forward... such as rain barrels...an alternative  that can save hundreds of gallons (and dollars!) in the long run when watering your flowers and veggies.Besides, the garden much prefers rainwater to chlorinated tap water.Rain barrels are a great family project, can be used with drip irrigation systems and are very tech-friendly! I just installed another one at my house and have reduced my overall water bill by TWENTY-FIVE PER CENT!! I have containers for my air conditioner water and dehumidifier water...you would not believe how much water they produce!

 Even though our drought-limiting water guidlines have been lifted , be very aware of your installed irrigation system usage. Have a rain sensor in place so you aren't paying for and wasting water while it's raining! Now that we can water again, if necessary, reduce your watering times and days only if you have planted winter rye over your dormant grass( one-inch of water about twice a week will work fine), and most of all, water early mornings so you get the least transpiration water loss from sunlight... and the grass and plants can dry during the day to hinder the growth of fungus. PLEASE remember, just because you use a well to water your lawn, this still affects the overall water table. Do you really need  all that green grass all year long?

Think about a different path in the garden, think NATIVES! Plants native to your region provide food and shelter to wildlife, as well as reduce your water usage! Look for notices of budding native plant sales to be cropping up around Georgia: Chattahoochee Nature Center, Dunwoody Nature Center, Georgia Native Plant Society, and many more.

 COOL WEBSITE ALERT!

http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/index.html-Gotta love a chicken...brrrk!

http://www.meetup.com/chickens/members/7098800/-For Atlantans and lovers of chickens everywhere!

http://freerice.com/index.php A terrific and challenging ( and addictive!) word game that donates food to the hunger with your correct answers! Getthe kids involved!

http://www.cyber-rain.com/default.aspx-Work  Work with your PC to digitally adjust your sprinkler system per the weather!

http://wallpaperyourworld.com/info/about.html Designer Jack Poles' Eco-friendly wallpaper store, and more!

http://www.schoolmatch.com/ Research your schools.

www.calltorecycle.org It can't hurt...and it will help!

 http://www.georgiaorganics.org Great resource for sustainable, locally grown foods.Become a member and support sustainable farms!

http://www.biblio.com/ecosend Excellent site for books of all kinds!

http://www.gnps.org/index.html Georgia Native Plant Society promotes just that, plants native to this area!

Pop Ad Blocker - www.toolbar.google.com - Google.Com...Desktop...Access Your PC Anywhere in the World - GoToMyPC.Com...Assist Others by Taking Over Their Computer - www. Up Your Computer  www.Carbonite.Com Software - www.Systransoft.Com or Google.Com/TranslateGoToAssist.Com...Back...Translation...Get and Receive E-mail on Device - wwwGetPeek.com...Passwords - www.RoboForm.com...Pay Your Bills On-line - www.MyCheckFree.Com... Your Home - www.KnowYourStuff.Org...InventoryTired of Yalking to Answering Machines? - www.GetToHuman.Com...Send All the Photos You Want - www.PhotoLeap.com...Wonder if They Read Your E-mail? - www.ReadNotify.com...Eliminate Spam - www.OnlyMyEmail.Com...Convert Voice Mail to E-Mail - www.PhoneTag.com Protect Your Computer - www.ThreatFire.Com...

Forget the Gym........Really????

Maybe.What about circuit training in the garden? I have cast out the electric hedge shears and bounced the leaf blowers for the old-fashioned route. No cords to string out forever to reach the mailbox shrubbery, and it is a GREAT workout with and average 306 calories/ hour burned! Raking the lawn? Do you know how many calories an hour this aerobic workout burns? 292 cal/hr! Here are a few more to consider: Planting seedlings /shrubs-306 cal/hr; Weeding-306 cal/hr; Harvesting fruits and veggies-204 cal/hr; Digging and composting-340 cal/hr; Cutting the lawn (walking power mower)-374 cal/hr; Tilling or cutting wood-408 cal/hr; Wheelbarrow work-340 cal/hr; Hand-splitting wood-340 cal/hr;or just the constant motion of general gardening burns 272 calories per hour — that’s a Grande Mocha Latte! Not to mention that gardening is good for the soul!

   


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Whether you are planning to buy your first home or sell your existing home, contact me today! 

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GREENSPACE


Don't forget to Recycle!

Sprouts

These tips from Bankrate.com and the Alliance to Save Energy will help clip your energy budget and wake up the conservator in you!

...I tried it, it's great!

*CALL TO RECYCLE is a great organization that will take your discarded cell phones and rechargeable batteries and reuse them. There are many collection sites right in your neighborhood to make it easy to drop the items off. To keep mercury and harmful chemicals out of the water table and dumps, use this free service!                         Go to:www.calltorecycle.org to find a location near you!

*When doing your home laundry, turning the dial from hot to warm will cut your energy use by 50 percent per load, and save you up to $63 a year, according to the Alliance to Save Energy. *OR,try the "cold" setting to wash and hang your clothes until mostly dry, then tumble. The savings to energy cost and clothing wear is remarkable!

*Drying your clothes on the line can save you as much as $10 a month, said Brad Stroh, co-founder of Bills.com. Laundry lines vary in cost, from about $5 for a simple rope line to $500 or more for deluxe models.

*For a $15 one-time fee, Green Dimes will send you a junk-mail opt-out kit that will remove your name from mailing lists for junk mail and catalogs. They then monitor the lists to make sure your names stay off of them, potentially reducing your junk mail by 90 percent. Green Dimes also plants 10 trees for each kit sold. Or, you can contact the Direct Marketing Association, and pay a $1 fee to be removed from some mailing lists.

*COMPACT FLOURESCENT BULBS-You will save $85 over the life of the bulb for each 60-watt light bulb you replace with a 15-watt CFL. You'll also save 543 kWh of electricity and reduce your CO2 emissions by 833 pounds. Old CFL's can be recycled at any Home Depot. I did just that!

*"VAMPIRE" ELECTRICITY-"The simple solution is to unplug small appliances and electronics when you aren't using them. Or, plug them into a power strip and turn the power strip off when you aren't using those items. Power strips cost $10 to $20 each, and can save you up to $100 a year, depending on how many electronics you have. Simply unplugging one television, computer monitor and fax machine when you aren't using it will save you about $6 a month".
SEASONAL THOUGHT-Remember raking leaves in the Fall? How about trying that again instead of using a power blower or mower to rake your leaves each time??!? The emissions from single-stroke engines account for a large part of our pollutants and need to be reduced! This is an easy fix! I rake and compost into the compost pile to add nutrients to the garden for next year. After the leaves are all on the ground. I put a layer of leaves back under the plants that supplied them. This replaces some of the nutrients they worked so hard to make all growing season. Then, "over-mulch" with more decorative products if you must, for a "cleaner" look for your particular needs. The exercise you receive, plus the fun with the kids playing outside is a bonus! I gleaned EIGHT wheelbarrow loads of compost from last year's efforts. My vegetables have thanked me all winter!

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NOW'S THE TIME FOR SERVICE

Expect good service anytime, but now is the time to schedule your yearly or twice yearly heating system service...before they get busy. To expensive you say? How expensive is a new heating unit, I say! For about 10 per cent of the cost of a new unit, you can have your existing unit checked,  and assure it is safe for another heating season. With yearly, or bi-yearly maintenance, your HVAC system can last for years and years!

  NEWS TO USE   : YOUR HVAC SYSTEM

What you don’t’ know about central AC systems could cost you! An improperly matched split AC systems can increase your power bills, and make you less comfortable. The Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) wants homeowners who are buying a new high-efficiency cooling system to know that you SHOULD NOT make the mistake of only replacing the broken unit of your two-part system. It may be the less expensive option, but this short-term fix will cost you more money and frustration down the road. The two parts of a split air conditioning or heat pump system - the indoor (coil) unit and outdoor (condensing) unit -- are specifically designed to work together as a coordinated "team" to provide top performance and maximum efficiency and comfort.

According to ARI, replacing only one of the two units will not achieve a higher efficiency, and could in fact reduce the system's capacity and efficiency to cool a home by up to 40 percent. What this means is that the system may not be able to keep up with the thermostat setting and run constantly. This will result in higher power bills because the system will have to work harder and run longer to keep the house cool.

Consumers need to ask their air conditioning installers to provide proof that the split cooling systems they are installing are properly matched to achieve their certified energy-efficiency ratings.
ARI is offering consumers a free brochure that explains the importance of a properly matched system. To obtain a free "Perfect Match" brochure, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to ARI Perfect Match, 4100 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 200, Arlington, VA 22203. The brochure also can be
downloaded for free from ARI's Web site at
www.ARI.org and click on "Consumers."
  

 

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