Because it is Hot and miserable and I drove down Davis drive today and saw all of those poor boys in full football uniforms practicing in the heat and I had an immense feeling of sympathy for them. I am posting the Demon football schedule for this fall. It will be here before we know it. So for those out there like my husband who love high school football here you go.

Varsity

@ Crisp Co (Scrimmage)August 20, 2011 Away 7:30

@ Peach County August 26, 2011 Home 7:30

Records

2010 Standing Rank: 6 Region Record: Region: 2-5-0 (.286)

Classification Record: Classification: 2-6-0 (.250) Total Record: Total: 2-8-0

(.200) 2009 Standing Rank: 5 Region: 4-3-0 (.571) Classification: 6-4-0 (.600)

Total: 6-4-0 (.600)

2004 GHSA Champion

1988 GHSA Champion

1981 GHSA Champion 1976 GHSA Champion

So in hopes of this oppressing heat ending and the sounds of Cheerleaders, coaches and fans. Here is to football. We will be posting the other high schools in the coming week but since both Loretta and my children graduated from WRHS we had to put them first.

Have a great day!

Staging we hear that term thrown around alot these days. How important is it to stage? 

Let me ask you this when you were looking at homes and you walked in a house that was not cleaned up (did you?) what was your impression? Were you able to look beyond the mess and clutter?Okay this room was a bad example but I have actually shown homes that looked like this. Gotta love the posters on the wall. How about this one?

Better but still not the impression you want to give to a buyer when they first walk in your home. We have shown these type of homes also. This is more the norm. You walk into this when you did not give the seller 24 hours notice and they leave for work in a hurry and it never fails that then they get the call to show and the buyer will only be in town for a day. Story of my life. We have rushed to homes to make beds, load dishwashers, put the dog out. After all we are a full service team.

This is how your bedroom should appear to your buyer. Clean fresh and uncluttered.  We love love love us some bedskirts. They hide a multiude of sins. You can shove all kinds of things under the bed and the buyers will never know. It is one of the best hiding places when you are selling because no one will ever look under your bed, or in your microwave. Just saying.

Pillow shams are another one of our favorite items. You buy them to match the bed skirt then you hide your daily pillow behind them and wah la you have a compete bed. Nothing like a bed with a blanket pulled up over pillows to make you not linger in a bedroom. And sellers when you are marketing your house please make your bed. It is a sign of care and cleanleness and it projects to the rest of your house. Buyers can understand some minor dishes in the sink or items on the bathroom vanity but not unmade beds. Usually those homes do not get second showings.

Our other advice to you would be pictures on your wall. We recently had a seller tell us "Look the walls have no holes we have lived here 4 years and we did not hang any pictures."  Hang your pictures and art people. Buyers are buying a lifestyle they want to see a home not a house. They want to know the living room worked for you and that you lived in this home. I have yet to have a buyer say "Honey, look no holes in the walls let's buy this one". But I have had them say " Will you ask if we can buy the mirror over the fireplace? Can we ask for that in the contract?

Your walls help bring your room together use them.

So when it comes to staging does it work? We think so. When we send our photographer out to take pictures Loretta and I are usually there moving this, hiding that, opening those. It works! Remember it is a lifestyle they buy. Everyone knows they will not have the same funiture as you but they like that you decorated and you lived, and you nested in your home. It makes them think they will too.

So clear off your counters, pack away your clutter on your dresser ( my husband would laugh out loud if he read this about dressers mine is the worst. I have a jewerly obsession as well as a sister who makes one of a kind pieces so I have a vast collection. That's my excuse anyway) Remeber you can put stuff you use daily in small plastic baskets and that way when we call to show your house on a short notice you shove the baskets under the sink, or in a cabinet. 

I once attened a military wife breifing where the speaker was giving tips on entertaining and she said take a laundry basket and go around your house and pick up anything that is where it does not belong and set it on the floor of your closet with a towel on top and after your guest leave you can put everything away. It works I have done it for 20+ years. Ours are usually dog toys, magazines, mail, and shoes.It is a great trick one I use often. 

If you are feeling overwhelmed about putting your house on the market or you are just wondering what you could do to help it sell faster I hope this helps. Give us a call and we will be happy to stop over and help you figure out what exactly you could do to help.

Well it was memorial weekend and we had no open houses scheduled and the heat was high and hot so we packed up and headed to Kennesaw near where my daughter lives and went to Shoot the Hooch! Actually that is a redneck name for floating down the Chattahoochee river. We put in at Kennesaw I think it was a state park and we floated the day away. This was what Loretta kept referring to as Lunch Island it was not a island just a bank that everyone pulls over at but the best thing is, It is directly across from a large rock that juts out that brave or not so smart souls jump off of into the water. I will take this time to mention that both Loretta and my son Jonathan both jumped. Loretta did it once Jonathan twice. Jacque did it none! Guess I am showing my age, but it actually held no appeal to me, my husband mentioned afterwards that he would have liked to jump but he mentioned it after we had floated on down the river. Timing is everything. Sorry for the blurriness but that was a 10x zoom and that dear friends is my son Jonathan notice the perfect form... And this is Loretta what a brave soul she is! Love the form of holding the nose. But gotta give her props I was on the shore taking pictures. The mass of humanity is what ever level part of shore looked like, there were tons of people doing the redneck thing. This is my youngest he snagged the kayak from his father after lunch and went looking for snakes of which he found none I am happy to say. The had to take along a float just for the coolers, All in all it took us around 4 hours to float and we ended tired from what I am not really sure, sunburned, and mostly relaxed. It will definitely be a do again for all of us. It was a cheap fun

Now that the holidays are over and we are all back into the swing of work we have packed away the Christmas decorations and we have I hope taken down the Christmas lights, (note that my outside lights just came down on Sunday) I was thinking about all the gift cards we received for the holidays, we recieved them to Outback, Carrabas, Shell and Amazon (my fav) just to name a few. Guess that is what you get the person when you have no clue what to get them. 

Well Loretta and I were talking about gift cards and saying that the extended tax credit is a lot like a gift card to the activity duty military.

For members of the military, Intelligence and Foreign Service who have served outside of the U.S. for at least 90 days between January 1, 2009 and May 1, 2010. Uncle Sam is giving you a gift card  worth $6,500 to $8,000. If you qualify you have until April 30, 2011 to get a completed sales contract and then, must close it by June 30, 2011. 

The bonus that comes with this gift card is that the recapture of the tax credit doesn't apply if the qualified service member receives government orders to move prior to the three year residency period completion. What that means to you is that if you get orders and have to sell your home before the 3 year recapture period is over you are exempt from having to pay that back.

If you would like more information go to  additional information, go to IRS.gov. When your ready to find the perfect home call the perfect team to help you find that home of your dreams. We will hook you up with a local lender who will walk you step by step through the buying process.

As part of its plan to stimulate the U.S. housing market and address the economic challenges facing our nation, Congress has passed legislation that:

• Extended the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit of up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers until April 30, 2010.
• Expanded the credit to grant up to $6,500 credit to current home owners purchasing a new or existing home between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010.
• First-time home buyers who purchase homes between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010.
• Current home owners purchasing a home between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010, who have used the home being sold or vacated as a principal residence for five consecutive years within the last eight.

Who Qualifies for the Extended Credit?

To qualify as a “first-time home buyer” the purchaser or his/her spouse may not have owned a residence during the three years prior to the purchase.

Which Properties Are Eligible?

The Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit may be applied to primary residences, including: single-family homes, condos, townhomes, and co-ops.

How Much Is Available?

The maximum allowable credit for first-time home buyers is $8,000.

The maximum allowable credit for current homeowners is $6,500.

Can a Buyer Still Qualify If He/She Closes After April 30, 2010?

Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, as long as a written binding contract to purchase is in effect on April 30, 2010, the purchaser will have until July 1, 2010 to close.

How is a Buyer's Credit Amount Determined?

Each home buyer’s tax credit is determined by two additional factors:

1. The price of the home.
2. The buyer's income.

 Price

Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, credit may only be awarded on homes purchased for $800,000 or less.

 Buyer Income

Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, which is effective on November 7, 2009,  single buyers with incomes up to $125,000 and married couples with incomes up to $225,000—may receive the maximum tax credit.

If the Buyer(s)’ Income Exceeds These Limits, Can He/She Still Get a Credit?

Yes, some buyers may still be eligible for the credit.

The credit decreases for buyers who earn between $125,000 and $145,000 for single buyers and between $225,000 and $245,000 for home buyers filing jointly. The amount of the tax credit decreases as his/her income approaches the maximum limit. Home buyers earning more than the maximum qualifying income—over $145,000 for singles and over $245,000 for couples are not eligible for the credit.

Will the Tax Credit Need to Be Repaid?

No. The buyer does not need to repay the tax credit, if he/she occupies the home for three years or more. However, if the property is sold during this three-year period, the full amount credit will be recouped on the sale.

I listen to the news and I read the news (online) and I hear about the economy and I know it has slowed down in much of the country but here in Warner Robins we are seeing signs of growth. Passing Houston Lake Road and Hwy 96 today I was amazed at the progress of the new Kroger Superstore coming to that corner. ( I hope it has gas pumps) I love my 10 cent discount with my Kroger card. Then drive right around the corner onto Houston Lake Road in front of Shenanigans and you will see a new Chinese restaurant almost completed. I am way excited about this one also. It is being opened by a local couple who already own another restaurant in town. It has the appearance of being upscale and a great date location. Then if you continue on to the 247 connector you will see the lot cleared for a new Publix grocery store that they have not started building yet but it is coming. We have some great things happening in our little neck of the woods and I just wanted to share it with you. Have a wonderful day!

One of my favorite things about living in the south is that starting in March the town of Macon is draped in cotton candy pink Cherry Blossoms everywhere. We have just finished a very rainy festival celebrating the over 300,00 Yoshino cherry trees in all their amazing beauty. Did you know that Congressional records list Macon Georgia as the Cherry Blossom Capital of the world? It is said that if all the Cherry trees in Macon were planted 10 feet apart side by side they would stretch for 500 miles. My favorite part of the history of the Cherry Blossom festival is that it was started by a local Realtor, named William A. Fickling, Sr . In 1949 he found a tree growing in his backyard and was awed by the unique beauty of the tree and set out to find out what the tree was called, but it was not until 1952 on a trip to Washington DC that he discovered the name of the tree. He then learned how to propagate the Yoshinos and began freely sharing them with the community. As the years passed and the number of Cherry Trees grew they spread all over Macon and with that the start of the Cherry Blossom festival started. Despite its humble beginnings, the festival has become one of the Top 20 Events in the South, Top 50 Events in the U.S. and Top 100 Events in North America. It has grown from a three-day festival with 30 events, to a 10-day celebration featuring hundreds of events planned to entertain all ages and backgrounds. Originally a sleepy Southern town, Macon has now become a bustling center of beauty and international friendship. It roots began with a man who possessed a deep appreciation for beauty and a passion for horticulture, and of course a love of Real estate. So as the Cherry blossoms are replaced with the dogwood blossoms I wanted to share some pictures of Macon with you. My assistant Cheryl sent the pictures to me. I wish I could give credit to the photographer but I have no clue who it was. So for those of you in the North look what we in the South are enjoying.