One reason for purchasing a home is that it is YOUR home – you can make changes to it, make it your OWN.   And many homebuyers DO renovate – it may be something as simple as replacing a faucet or something as major as adding a new wing to the house.  According to a survey by the website Houzz.com, homeowners who renovated in 2017 spent an average of more than $60,000 on the renovations (a lot more than the cost of the faucet….)

Some renovations are made necessary by our life circumstances and by the aging population, like a chair lift or elevator.  Others are purely for enjoyment – like adding a swimming pool or a man cave (or she shed).   But in every case, we will typically choose what appeals to us personally in terms of finishes and space since after all, its our dwelling we are talking about.

No matter how unique your taste, however, you would probably like to think that the renovations you make will add at least an equivalent amount of value to the property as the renovations cost.  (in other words, if you spend $10,000 you expect that your property will be worth at least $10,000 more when you go to sell).  But that is by no means guaranteed.  Property is a very personal thing.  What appeals to you may not appeal to the person looking to purchase the home when you go to sell.

In addition, fashions are by definition time sensitive.  What is in vogue today may be passe by the time you go to sell.

In other words, cost does not equal value. The cost of the renovations does not necessarily equal the increase in value for your property as a result of the renovations.  In fact, sometimes there seems to be very little correlation at all.  And sometimes the renovations you choose may actually decrease the value of your property.  Say, for example, a very unusual and vibrant tile that you LOVE, but which few others would want.  Or even if they love it, they wouldn’t want in their home because it is so unique and it sn’t chosen by them.  In these cases your renovations may actually result in a net loss of value.  If what you have done is personal, or has become dated, or just simply isn’t to the purchaser’s liking, that purchaser will devalue the property by the amount the purchaser feels they will have to spend to take out those renovations and redo the property to their liking.

For instance, our buyers Jill & Brian had been looking in Ashford Park for quite some time for a new home for their family of four.  They have two young children and were drawn to the neighborhood by the number of families, by the walkability of the neighborhood, and by the elementary school.  When the house that seemed exactly “right” for them – one that checked all their boxes – came up for sale we ran over there to check it out.

The home WAS exactly right for them – except for one thing.  The kitchen had been redone in dark, masculine shades.  The cabinets were a dark brown, almost black, and the granite countertops matched the cabinets.  While cabinets can be repainted, the granite would need to be replaced to suit Jill & Brian.  So for them, the home was worth less than it would be otherwise, because they needed to factor in the cost of the renovations they felt were necessary to make the home theirs.

So if you are planning to renovate your home, unless you are not worried about resale, you probably want to consider whether or not the renovation will add value when you go to sell.  The renovations that are shown to add the most value upon resale are those of master bedrooms and kitchens, and the most popular renovations, at least at this time, make space lighter, brighter, and bigger.  Buyers also like open kitchens which become more a part of the living space.

One thing you can do in your research is head to a popular new home development in your area to examine the standard finishes the developer is installing.  This can indicate what buyers like and are purchasing in today’s market.   So that might be a good place to start if you’re determined that your renovations must add value to a subsequent purchaser.

As a general rule, such finishes are more neutral.  Think whites, beiges, greys…. A more neutral palette that a subsequent purchaser can then individualize through unique furnishings, artwork and the like.

If you are renovating YOUR property, why not do simply what appeals to you?  That certainly seems to make sense if you’re not worried about selling the property in the near future.  But consider this also: many a homeowner has renovated a home in a unique and personal style, thinking that they will stay in that property for years to come, only to find that they are forced to move for some unforeseen reason.  Or perhaps they discover that what was in vogue the year that they renovated no longer appeals even to them just a few short years later.

For all of these reasons, it makes sense to consider carefully the future impact of what you are doing to your property.  You may then make the conscious decision to do something bold, even crazy, with your house – that’s your prerogative, of course, and who is to say that there’s not a buyer in the future who will love exactly what you’ve done?  But getting other opinions and thinking carefully about the future of your home cannot hurt… and may increase your profit down the road.

When you are listing your home for sale, it is extremely important that you use professional photographs – and that you are READY for the photographer.  Your part is to have the home ready – meaning your home should be clean, neat and staged for photos.  We help you stage your home and can provide references to cleaners and handymen and will help you through that process.  Then (and this seems obvious, but it is important, as you will see) you must be aware of when the photographer is coming to your home.

We are always extremely careful to be sure you know exactly when the photographer is coming and what you can expect.

Recently in the Atlanta area a real estate photographer was actually SHOT (with a gun) by a homeowner when the photographer arrived to take photographs of the home for a listing.  In February 2018 the photographer, Whitney Morris, entered the Douglasville home through the lockbox (as photographers often do), but the homeowner was surprised by his entry and shot Morris through her bedroom door.  The homeowner says that she did not know the photographer was coming.

Morris survived, but is severely injured.  On a gofundme.com page, many have donated to help Morris, including multiple other photographers, one of whom wrote: “You don’t know me but I’m a re [real estate] photographer out of California and this is a worst nightmare of mine.   Knowing you’re going through this leaves my stomach in knots.  Knowing it is about to be our busy season where we make the bulk of our income is horrifying.”

Having your home on the market can be disconcerting – you will be letting lots of people into your home; the photographer, then agents and buyers.  Be sure you have a strong team on your side keeping you informed and ready for what is to come.   And know when your photographer is coming, of course!

Every home going on the market ought to be photographed by a professional.

I love playing tourist in my hometown. Living in Atlanta, it is easy to forget how much there is to enjoy here – until someone comes to visit from out of town and you take them to the usual places like the Civil Rights Museum, Martin Luther King Center, the Beltline, the Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, etc.   I have vowed to check into a few more of the hidden and less visited treasures that are right under our noses.

The Wren’s Nest in Atlanta’s West End is a designated National Historic Landmark.

The living room at The Wren’s Nest in Atlanta’s West End contains original furniture and wallpaper.

Some of the many books written by Joel Chandler Harris, found at the Wren’s Nest in Atlanta.

Joel Chandler Harris’ typewriter, hat and glasses at the Wren’s Nest in Atlanta.

The entrance to the Wren’s Nest, the home of Joel Chandler Harris, on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard in Atlanta.

I had mixed feelings about one of those – the WREN’S NEST, also known as the Joel Chandler Harris house.  It’s right smack dab in the bustling West End of Atlanta, a very vibrant and racially diverse area.  But I thought of the home’s past as racist.  The famous and now deceased owner, Joel Chandler Harris, was an Atlantan who wrote more than 190 books, the most famous of which were the Uncle Remus books.   Harris was a shy person who stuttered, so rather than speak he wrote – prolifically – and put to paper the stories told to him orally on a plantation near Atlanta when he was a young boy working for a plantation owner.  I have always thought of the Uncle Remus books as a vestige of the Old South and racist, perpetuating racial stereotypes.

And indeed, there is a lot of controversy over the Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit stories that Harris wrote.   Uncle Remus and the stories he tells perpetuate racial stereotypes.   While the preservation of house dating from the 1800s is rare treasure in Atlanta, should we even be focusing on who lived there, if racism is what his works reflect?   The staff here does a great job of answering those questions and of presenting a whole picture of both the man who lived here and the house he inhabited.

I mean, what if Uncle Remus, long reckoned by many scholars and readers to be a racial stereotype and a sad vestige of Old South nostalgia, was instead a nuanced character who consistently subverted white authority and Old South social codes?

from a pamphlet at the Wren’s Nest by Lain Shakespeare, Former Executive Director at the Wren’s Nest

The house and the stories written here are a fascinating part of Atlanta’s history.    I urge you to see for yourself – and would love to hear your thoughts.

Atlanta and surrounding areas have become the darlings of Hollywood. We are now the number one filming location in the world for movies!  And you have undoubtedly seen Atlanta taking a starring role in many television shows and movies. It all started with the Georgia tax credits for filming, and then seemed to snowball as production companies learned how much else our state has to offer, like temperate weather for much of the year. Also, a ready, willing and skilled workforce. A wide variety of different environments, cities, housing stock and “looks”. And voila, before you could say “there’s no business like show business”, our city became a star!

More and more movies and television shows are being filmed in Atlanta. Could your HOME be the next STAR?

With so much Hollywood going on here in Gollywood (Georgia), chances are that if your home hasn’t had a starring role in a movie or television production, your neighbors home HAS. Why not your home, and what does it take to get your home considered as the next movie set?

The first step is to be sure that you want to do this. It sounds very sexy and amazing and all, but consider the downside before you decide to allow Hollywood into your home. First, film crews have lots of heavy equipment and that equipment and accompanying crew will be traipsing through your property without your supervision (since generally the agreement will be that you stay away from the home while the filming is taking place). The price of stardom, as it were. Is this something you are willing to put up with?

Is your family willing to move out while filming takes place? Different productions pay differently, and while it is true that it can be more than worth your while, some productions will barely cover your costs of making the home available and moving into a hotel or other rental property for the duration of the shoot. And keep in mind that delays in filming are common. Damage can happen. Are these risks you are willing to take?

It is important to keep in mind that terms are negotiable. If you are interested in having your home used as a “set” and a production company is interested in YOUR property, you can negotiate the terms. Of course, if you have unrealistic expectations you are unlikely to get any Hollywood types to agree and you risk the “gatekeepers” writing you off as unrealistic and not putting forth your home for consideration in the future.

But before we get to negotiating the terms, we must get interest in your home. Exactly what makes a home Hollywood worthy? Typically location managers will be looking for very specific things. For instance, for a recent shoot the producers were looking for a 1970s style home very close to a similar home right next door that would also allow shooting to take place. It was the need for two homes beside one another that eliminated many homes from consideration, since even if YOU are willing to make the sacrifices required, many times your neighbor may not agree. Perhaps the location manager needs an Italianate Palace and you own a small ranch. So just like HUMAN stardom, home stardom carries a large element of luck and of being in the right place at the right time.

But you will not know if your home is right for a particular role if it is never called to the “audition”. Sometimes the audition comes to you in the form of a location scout. Particularly if you have a unique home, you may get a flyer in your mailbox asking if you are interested in your home being considered for a particular use. The flyer will state the working name of the production and what they are looking for. If you agree to be considered, the location manager sends a photographer (or takes the photographs him or herself) and will submit them to the producer for consideration. This is the functional equivalent of being “discovered” at the Hollywood soda shop and just about as likely. So you might consider proactively seeking consideration.

​One place to start is the official Georgia Film Commission website, where you can submit pictures of your home for inclusion in their database. http://www.georgia.org/industries/entertainment/georgia-film-tv-production. Note that the property you submit does not have to be a home – it can be a business or other property. Once you upload to the database, it will be available to a wide range of producers and companies for consideration.

There are also “home casting ​specialists” in Atlanta who will ​handle the process for you. ​They can oftentimes negotiate a greater deal for you than you can do on your own because a good specialist will know the industry, the players, and what can be negotiated​​. One ​great ​specialist in Buckhead is Taryn Bowman, and her website is http://www.castmyhome.com.​ Taryn told me of a recent experience: “​I received a call from a​ n​eighbor who had a movie production company show interest in her home. She immediately called me to work out the deal. I told her to let them say a price first and that I would take it from there. They quoted her $10,000 for a set-up day, a shoot day, and a wrap day. Then I had the homeowner step out of the equation, and I worked directly with the company, 20th Century Fox, to negotiate much better terms for her. I got her $20,000 and a night in a suite at the Ritz plus per diem.​” ​ Taryn does not charge the homeowner – she negotiates a fee for her services from the production company.​

​​Perhaps instead of presenting your home as a place to film, you want to rent out a property for cast or crew housing​. To do this​ you can list your home for rent with us (or one of our team members​)​ on the multiple listing service, thereby opening up your property to a wider range of executives and professionals in addition to the entertainment industry. We list rentals that are offered on a yearly basis (rather than month to month). While we do not market properties to casting directors, we are always here as your property advisors when you want to buy, sell, or lease your home! If you will forgive the pun, you are “star” of our show and we appreciate your business and your referrals!