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Chattanooga is finally starting to warm up, which means anyone with a green thumb is getting antsy to dig in the dirt. We feel you! Although we might still have a frost ahead, here is an early spring gardening checklist to get you started: 

Spruce up shrubbery 

Now is a great time to give shrubs a trim, so they look fresh for the season. Avoid trimming the spring bloomers, though. 

Start spring cleaning

When the weather is mild, cleaning out the yard isn’t so bad. Remove debris from drainage ditches, gutters and planting beds, and clear unwanted brush and undergrowth out of your yard. Also cut back dead foliage on last year’s perennials and ornamental grasses before new growth starts.

Consider composting

If you haven’t already…

Buying a home can be stressful, especially if you’re a first-time home buyer. If you’ve been considering buying a home, now is a great time! To help you get ready for this big life decision, we’ve gathered some of the most important tips you should know before you buy: 

1. Start saving for a down payment early 

There are plenty of mortgage programs that offer as little as 3% down on a new home—but by putting less than 20 percent down, you’ll be losing a lot of money in the long run. If you borrow more than 80 percent of the value of your home, you normally have to pay for private mortgage insurance (PMI) to protect the lender. That PMI typically costs between .5-1 percent of the loan amount, which may not sound like much, but if if your loan balance…

Is it bad to sell your home during the holidays? It’s a question we get a lot. There is a myth surrounding the idea of listing that sellers should wait until spring to put their home on the market. In reality, this couldn’t be farther from the truth! Here are some reasons why NOW is the best time to list your home: 

1. During the holiday season there are typically fewer homes on the market. Less supply means less competition. Less competition means more money in your pocket. 

A study by online brokerage Redfin found that on average, sellers net more above asking price during the months of December, January, February and March than they do from June through November. Not only that, but the study found that homes listed in winter sold faster than…

In theory, buying a fixer upper is a great idea! If you want to live in a certain area and can’t afford a house in move-in ready condition, or if you’re one of those people who love the charm of an older home, it actually might be your only option. But ask anyone who has made it through a major renovation, and you’ll find out that you might be in for a bigger headache than you could have imagined. Before you set out to do your remodel, here’s some need to know advice to help you make it through. 

1. Choose wisely 

Location, location, location. You’ve heard it before, but when it comes to buying a home, it’s maybe the best advice we can give. You can have an amazing home in a less than ideal location, and your odds of resale go down immensely. Be…

You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to improve your home value! There are some simple and inexpensive projects you can do that will give you a great return on your investment. You also don’t have to be a true handyman to do all of these projects. With a little effort and money, you can make a huge difference! 

1. Make sure your kitchen is cooking

In terms of sale value, one thing that can really make or break a home is the kitchen! The kitchen is thought of as the heart of the home, so if it isn’t up to snuff, it can really devalue your home. One thing you can work on is giving outdated cabinets a new appeal with a crisp white semi-gloss paint. For a little elbow grease and a bucket of paint, you can totally transform your kitchen. If your…

Buying your first home is really exciting … but also a little terrifying. It’s not a choice you want to get wrong. Here are some of the worst mistakes home buyers can make and how to avoid them! 

1. Looking for the home yourself 

You might be amazing at searching sites like Trulia and Zillow for potential homes, but what you probably don’t know is sometimes that information is totally incorrect. So you can find a home you love at the price you need, and once you contact someone about it, you might find that it’s an old listing that has already been sold, has an incorrect price, etc. Yikes! A Realtor will have access to your entire area’s MLS (Multiple Listing Services) which will have every home for sale in the market and its current data and…

There are reasons some homes sell faster than others. We’ve seen more than our fair share of homes, having worked with a lot of clients both buying and selling over the years. So we have the secrets you need to make your home ready for resale and marketable to potential buyers! Check out our top 7 tips straight from the real estate agent: 

1. De-clutter and organize

Be sure to go through your home before photos are taken and potential buyers start coming through to tour the home. Keep only the essentials, and put everything else in storage or give it away. And don’t forget to purge closets as well! Buyers want to know there is a lot of storage space in a home, and if yours looks like it’s bursting at the seams, it’s not going to be appealing. 

If you’re looking to buy a home, it’s time to check that dreaded credit score! While to us our credit score doesn’t mean too much, to a lender who’s considering whether to approve your mortgage loan, a low credit score can indicate you’re a risky borrower. And for most of them, that’s not a risk they’re willing to take. 

So, what do you do to get your credit score up and get ready for your home purchase? Let us help with these tips. 

1. Get a current copy of your credit report

Knowing is half the battle when it comes to your credit. If you know where you stand, then you know exactly how much work it’s going to take to make that good credit score happen for you. You're entitled to one free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each…

With technology evolving more every day, it’s easier than ever for scammers to find their way to you and sell you on whatever they may be offering. Between phony telephone calls, get rich quick schemes and fake online listings, it’s hard to know what’s real and what’s not. Let us help you with identifying some of the most notable real estate hoaxes and how to avoid them. 

1. Bogus real estate investment seminars

Chattanooga’s real estate market is booming, and you want to get in on it! So, when someone advertises a  FREE real estate investment or house flipping seminar, that sounds like a great plan, right? Maybe. Many real estate “gurus” will get the public in the door with the promise of free information, but then it goes downhill from there.…

Whether you’re selling your home or looking to buy a home, it’s important to know the reasons why the deal may not work out in order to plan in advance. We’ve made a list of our top five reasons so you can do what you can to avoid them! 

1. The home didn't appraise for the contract price

In a market like ours where there are so few homes available, it’s very possible for a buyer to get into a multiple offer situation. In that case, if you really want the home, it’s important to offer your highest and best. But what happens if the home doesn’t appraise for the agreed-upon contract price? In this case, the buyer might have to bring additional funds to the table, which might not be an option, or get a second opinion. Or the seller has to be…