25 Easy Ways to Make Your Home Sell Faster

1.  Create a positive mood.  Turn on all lights, day and night, and install higher wattage light bulbs to show your home brightly.
2.  If you have a fireplace, highlight it in your decorating --- even if you never thought of it as a focal point in the past.
3.  Keep your home dusted and vacuumed at all times.
4.  Have a family “game plan” to get the home in order quickly if necessary.
5.  Air out your home for one-half hour before showings, if possible.
5.  Lightly spray the house with air freshener so that it has a chance to diffuse before the buyer arrives.
6.  Put family photos in storage.
7.  Improve traffic flow through every room be removing all non-essential furnishings.
8.  Putty over and paint any nail holes or other types of damage in the walls.
9.  Clean all light bulbs and light fixtures.
10. Wash all windows inside and out.
11. Make the most of your attic’s potential.
12. Remove and/or hide excess extension cords.
13. Open doors to areas you want potential buyers to see such as walk-in closets, attics, cedar closets, etc.
14. Microwave a small dish of vanilla twenty minutes before a showing and place it in an out of the way place.
15. Highlight an eat-in area in your kitchen with a table set for dinner.
16. The kitchen and bathrooms should always be spotlessly clean.
17. Expand your kitchen counter by removing small appliances.
18. Organize your closets and pack away the off-season clothes.
19. Replace shower curtains and keep them clean.
20. Put out fresh towels and decorative soaps.
21. Use flowering plants to dress up the yard, walkway, and patio.
22. Paint all entrance doors.
23. Clean and shine all hardware and accessories indoors and out (door knobs, knockers, lamps, mail box, address numbers, etc.)
24. Use a new doormat.
25. Be sure the doorbell is in good working order.

October Ushers in a Variety of Savannah Festivals

A lot of great festivals and events are coming up in the next few weeks.  Get out your calendar and make some plans.  Here are my favorites:


Oktoberfest on the River
10/4-6
Plan to spend all day on River Street.  The oompah bands are great, but the weiner dog races are adorable.  Shop, eat, drink, be entertained.  End the day with fireworks!
http://www.riverstreetsavannah.com/ai1ec_event/oktoberfest-on-the-river/?instance_id=150

Savannah Greek Festival
10/10-12
Got a baklava jones?  Want to see the REAL folks who break plates for fun?  The food is great and the dance demonstrations make you want to sign up for Dancing with the Stars!
http://www.savannahgreekfest.com/

Tybee Pirate Fest

10/10-13 Aargh!  Come in costume!  Attend the Buccaneer Ball if you dare.  Perhaps you’ll meet Jack Sparrow. http://tybeepiratefest.com/ Savannah Folk Music Festival 10/11-13 Savannah is gaining stature as a hub for great music.  We’ve just finished the Jazz Festival and now it’s time for folk music.  There will be great performances as well as a songwriter competition. http://www.savannahfolk.org/Portals/SavannahFolkMusic/Events/2013/2013%20Savannah%20Folk%20Music%20Festival%20-%20Press%20Release.pdf Shalom Y’all Jewish Food Festival 10/27 Grab some of the best food around!  Everything is delicious! http://mickveisrael.org/food-festival.html Halloween on the River 10/31 Dress in your costume and compete for prizes.  You won’t believe how imaginative people can be! http://www.riverstreetsavannah.com/ai1ec_event/halloween/?instance_id=116

Georgia Botanical Gardens at the Historic Bamboo Farm

Have you ever driven past a gate so often that, when you finally turned in to explore, you felt a little guilty for having waited so long?  That’s how I felt when I finally stopped in at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens.  The Gardens encompass 51 acres of plantings, ornamental gardens, lakes, and berry fields (where you can pick your fill in the season).  For the first half of the 1900’s, the property was used by the US Department of Agriculture to trial and evaluate Asian plants for use in American agriculture.  By the 1950’s, federal funding dried up and the acreage became somewhat neglected until the 1980’s when the University of Georgia acquired the site and revamped the Gardens as a plant research and education center.

Taking a walk around the Gardens will introduce you not only to bamboo and one of the world’s largest bamboo mazes, but it will also showcase plants that are not commonly seen in the area.  A variety of benches and picnicking areas exist so that you can stop as often as you like and just appreciate what’s around.  This would include a rose garden, fountains, as well as banana trees and other fun plants.  I had expected to enjoy the abundant greenery and peaceful lakeside vistas.  However, I was surprised to learn that a wide variety of events are held at the Gardens, including star-gazing evenings with local astronomy clubs, an upcoming Oktoberfest brew and dance bash with the appropriate Polka-style musicians, and an elaborate Christmas lighting spectacular.  Obviously, my visits may become frequent, especially since the Gardens are within two miles of my home.

Isn’t it lovely to be surprised by another Savannah treasure?

Veterans Park in Effingham County

Just about 30 minutes from downtown Savannah is a sleepy little burg called Springfield, GA.  it’s a small community consisting of a main street with a handful of storefronts, a 25-bed hospital, a county jail, and a lot of farmland.  Slowly but surely, Springfield is stretching and trying to attract industry, such as the 2010 addition of Efacec, a Portuguese manufacturer that makes power transformers.  One of the surprises I’ve discovered in the area was the Veterans Park.  Given that there is a high concentration of military in the tri-county real estate market, it wasn’t a surprise to find monuments or sites honoring veterans.  However, Effingham County’s Veterans Park did hold a few items I didn’t expect.

For example, there were monuments dedicated to wounded veterans, MIA/POWs, and many of the unsung support for armed conflict such as the merchant marines who ferried supplies to various theatres of war.  Peacekeepers were also honored.  The entire Park is lovely, with a beautiful lake, lots of places to sit and consider, all nestled within a wooded vista that is calm and peaceful.  In many veteran-honoring displays, one would expect to see tributes to local fallen soldiers from recent combat, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam and the World Wars.  These were there as expected, with names inscribed on a large curved wall.  However, Effingham County didn’t stop there.  Tributes were included for Effingham County soldiers from the Spanish-American War, Civil War, and the American Revolution.  In walking along the wall, I felt the pull and weight of history.  I recognized family surnames that are still present in Effingham.

If you’re ever in the area, the Park is worth a few minutes. 

Time to Get Your Picnic On!

With barely two weeks to go, it’s time to lock in your plans for Picnic in the Park!  Consider your picnic theme and be ready to strut your stuff.  It’s always fun.  Plan to set up late afternoon,  Judging for picnic accoutrement begins at 5 p.m.   Come, dine in style, and be entertained.  The Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra has a fabulous concert planned, beginning at 7:15 p.m.

Park Yourself in Style

Savannah’s downtown parks are a delight.  If you take a seat and just watch what happens, it’s amazing who might pass by.  Can you guess where this stylish park bench resides?

Six Pence Pub

If you like a pint along with a great “house specialty” dish like Shepherd’s Pie, try the Six Pence.  The Six Pence is always a great choice for lunch or a late afternoon stop.  Located on Bull Street in downtown Savannah, the Pub is a popular watering hole for those who are taking a stroll through the Historic District.  Patrons run the gamut of personalities.  I guarantee you’ll meet some interesting folks.