Happy Sunday!

 

Prepping Your House for Showing and Selling: Check the Kitchen and Bathrooms!

Two of the biggest selling points in a house are the bathrooms and the kitchen. To top that, these are two of the most used areas meaning that when you are getting ready for a showing, these are areas that need extra attention when cleaning. When you are getting ready to have a buyer enter your home, it is extremely important to have the kitchen and bathrooms in tip-top shape! 

Obviously a deep clean is important for these two high traffic areas of the home. For the kitchen, the counters should not only be free of clutter but clean enough to eat off of. You don't want dirty counters in a showing! Wipe down appliances and cabinets, mop the floor, and make sure sure the trash is taken out. In addition, the surface of your refrigerator should be clear. That means it's time to take down vacation photos, children's drawings, and A+ tests. This is because, when showing the home to potential homeowners, you want to make sure it's depersonalized-- which you can read more about here!

For the bathroom, many of the points of tidying the kitchen can be the same. You need to clean the counters, of course, as well as the sink. Be sure to clean the toilet, the floor, and the trim! The bathtub or shower is also an important thing to take note of. Clean out any shower scum and check to make sure the curtain is clean. Finally, make sure any medicine cabinet or linen closet is clean and tidy. Put any dirty towels in the hamper, and hang new towels to help the aesthetic of the room.

The kitchen is often the biggest selling point, followed up by bathrooms. Because of that, and because those are two very high-traffic areas, they need some extra TLC! So if you have some potential buyers coming in, be sure to take an extra turn around the bathrooms and kitchen-- make sure they're in tip-top shape! 

Why Do I Need an Agent?: Weeding Out Unqualified Buyers

To buy a home, there is a criterion that needs to be met. When selling one's own home, they may not have the needed questions to determine whether or not a buyer is qualified-- or, with all the other work going into selling a home themself, it may simply slip their mind. Like I talked about last time, selling a house is a full-time job and part of that job for realtors is knowing how to weed out people who want to see the home, but won't qualify to buy it.

You may be wondering what the big deal about showing a home to an unqualified buyer is. That is a relatively simple answer. On this blog, we have repeatedly put an emphasis on how much needs to go into a showing. Things need to be clean and organized and having to ensure your home is in tiptop shape when an unqualified buyer wants to view it is, in short, a waste of your time and potentially stopping someone who has the means to buy your home from seeing it in the taken time frame.

Overall, this aspect has to do with training more than anything else. Realtors have been through classes in order to determine the seriousness and qualification of a buyer. The end result is that you don't have to take the time to clean and show your home to people who can't afford to make you an offer. At the end of the day? An agent may be the best choice for you! 

A Day for Flowers

 

Clarksville Critters: What Wildlife to Expect

Clarksville is a busy sort of city, but we have a good assortment of wildlife around the area-- some of which you may not expect. My neighborhood has a large number of forest animals that like to make their way through. White-tailed deer are our most frequent visitors and cause many cars to slow through the neighborhood to watch them graze. Currently, we have two nursing fawns in the area. I can say despite the damage to the gardens, being able to watch the deer is a daily blessing of calm. 

Rabbits, squirrels, possums, raccoons, and groundhogs are some other often spotted critters in the area! Another smaller animal that you might not expect is the armadillo. While these were not present in Clarksville through my childhood, they started appearing around the city a few years ago. It's rare to really see any, but the evidence of their existence is everywhere! 

It seems like different animals are slowly moving to our fair city-- some better than others. Recently my family became aware that there were otters in the area (when they decided our pond fish were a buffet). While I am personally still upset that we are now lacking those fish, seeing an otter splashing around in the pond was pretty adorable. But, of course, most of the migrating animals are not so sweet as armadillos and otters. Tennessee is now also reported to have both cougars and alligators. While I've thankfully not seen any alligators, I have spotted a (dead) cougar while heading towards Fort Campbell. We've always had coyotes in Clarksville, but these predators shy in comparison to the large carnivorous cat. 

Most suburban cities have a good amount of wildlife, but it seems the diversity of ours in Clarksville is growing a little more every few years. Whether good or bad, be sure to respect the wildlife around you-- and if you plan to go hiking, consider taking something in case you run into a too big cat! 

Why Do I Need an Agent?: Real Estate is a Full-Time Job

Everyone knows that 'for sale by owner' is a very legitimate way to sell a house. However, there is a lot to have in mind when you make the decision on whether to choose an agent for buying / selling, or going forward on your own. A house is a big investment, and you want it handled in the best way possible. The truth is a real estate agent is the best way.

The first thing to keep in mind is that for an agent? Real estate is a full-time job. And selling a house is a full-time type of task. The average working person can not take off time to open their own home for every potential showing, nor can they take calls while at work to coordinate what times they can do so. 

An agent, however, has all their working hours free for that very task. Pam Cash, an experienced agent, plans her days around showing her client's homes with nothing else set in her way. She can do it when it is best for those wanting to see the home, and she can take time throughout the day to set up different necessary appointments. 

In addition, there is a great amount of paperwork and contracting to do as well as a large amount of marketing to insure the house gets seen as much as it can. Most people do not have experience in such things-- real estate agents, however, do. This is what they are trained for and paid for. Agents like Pam Cash with the Cash Team have extensive experience with contracting, marketing, and seeing your home has showings lined up without you needing to interrupt your day to schedule them yourself. With her excellent communication skills, you won't have a thing to worry about and you'll know what's going on with your home at all times!

So why do you need an agent? Reason one: they are trained to do the things that you may not realize are incredibly time-consuming. With a big investment like a home, you need someone who is going to commit their working hours to get it sold efficiently. An agent is just that. 

A Friendly Smile from the Zoo!

Best Place for Cuddles: The Catio Cat Lounge

Another Nashville location on the top of the visit list! If you are in the market for a cat to bring into your home, or just feeling the need to snuggle some kitties, you need to take a day in Nashville to visit the Catio Cat Lounge. Close to Oprymills at 2416 Music Valley Dr, you can make it a day with a trip to the mall or any other close location as well-- that is if you don't get lost in the multiple antique stores in the same strip!

I discovered the Catio with my boyfriend while trying to find a cat cafe in Nashville. While this is definitely more of a lounge, there are beverages that patrons can buy to take into the lounge area. The prices are also relatively cheap for the number of cats to love-- $6 for a half-hour and $12 for a full hour. We decided to just take on a half-hour of Catio time, and it was incredibly worth it. Walking into the area, there are plenty of places for both cats and humans to curl up. I was immediately greeted by a former stray cat as well as an attendant that introduced the rugged kitty as Blackie. She was helpful throughout our stay, informing us of the names of resident cats but allowing us to roam around to play with grown cats and rambunctious kittens. 

With a friendly staff and even friendlier cats? The Catio Cat Lounge is an amazing place to visit for a cuddle puddle of cats or some much-needed kitten time-- or, of course, a potential adoption. If you're planning a day trip to Music City, take a detour to Nashville's (currently only) cat lounge. 

A Day for the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere!

While not right in Clarksville, the Nashville Zoo is not too far of a drive from our lovely city and it is an amazing site for a day trip. I have gone to the zoo in Nashville since I was a child, and it is easily one of my favorite places to visit. Through the years, it has grown immensely with additions. Until yesterday, I hadn't been to the Nashville Zoo since before the closure for COVID. Upon returning, I was incredibly excited for the new exhibits that included the Andean bear, the Sumatran tiger, and a view into the HCA Healthcare Veterinarian Clinic.

Located at 3777 Nolensville Pike, the zoo is a large space with 90 developed acres available for exploration-- with a total of 188 acres that they plan to grow into! Voted the Best Regional Attraction and Best Day Trip by The Tennessean, the Nashville Zoo is the 9th largest zoo in the country by landmass. Most of the attractions and animals are outdoors, but there are some that are indoor-- such as the reptile house, the Unseen World. In addition, many of the enclosures have coverings to allow for a reprieve from the heat and hold more information about the animal on exhibit. My personal favorite of these has become the Andean bear exhibit where a zookeeper even held a skull to show those exploring the interior space to see the bear in his expansive enclosure through a floor-to-ceiling window.

The Nashville Zoo does a great amount towards education and conservation of animals, which is one reason I greatly adore it. The Wild Works Animal Show is a twice-daily viewing of different animals within the zoo where keepers allow their sociable critters to show off while educating the audience about the species and any endangerment. There is also the new HCA Healthcare Veterinarian Clinic. This area allows views into the nursery that currently holds Caracal kittens as well as two observation decks for interested zoo-goers to witness surgeries and other procedures. To top that off, the Nashville Zoo offers many different encounters such as "Rise and Shine with Rhinos" and "This Is How We Zoo." Recently, I was able to have a Face-to-Face encounter with my favorite animal, the red panda, and it was utterly amazing. Along with included zoo tickets-- allowing for a full day of exploration-- my boyfriend and I were taken behind the scenes into the red panda enclosure to view the animals up close and help feed them breakfast. The whole time, we were happily informed more about the beautiful creatures. After my experience, I highly recommend looking into the different experiences and backstage tour passes that the Nashville Zoo offers! 

With amazing enclosures for its resident animals and top-tier experiences for its guests, the Nashville Zoo is a place you simply can not skip out on! If you have time this summer, mark a day to take a trip to the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Prepping Your House for Showing and Selling: First Impressions and the Front Door

 When you're meeting someone important for the first time, you want to make a good impression. Imagine yourself going to an interview, or out for a blind date. You'd want to make yourself look nice. You'd take extra care with your hair, iron out the wrinkles in your clothes, and make sure there are no specks of dirt on your shoes. The same thing goes for your house! When you have a buyer coming to view your home for a showing, that first impression is incredibly important and the front door area is that first impression to a buyer. 

The first thing is first. Just take a stroll out the front door and make sure everything is intact. No noticeable cracks in the sidewalk, no dead plants in pots, no cobwebs in the corners. This is the time to really focus and clean up that area. Give the door a new coat of paint, and shine up the hardware. Sweep off the front porch, knock down old bird nests on the windows, and dust away the spiderwebs. Put down a clean new doormat-- but note that it's advised to stray away from ones with personal phrases. You don't want your potential buyer to feel like a guest but a future owner. In addition, consider taking off any old screens or storm doors to allow your door to be easily viewed instead of hidden behind an unneeded layer.

If you have time to pressure wash your sidewalk or the sides of your house, take some time to do that big clean. And, of course, be sure to take a sponge to the mailbox to thoroughly clean it. If it's rusty or broken? Consider buying a replacement, even if it isn't the most expensive type of mailbox-- a clean, in-tact mailbox makes a better impression than one falling apart no matter the quality.

Overall, the door into your house is the first impression-- the first handshake-- out to a potential buyer. Because of that, you need to make sure to spruce it up for that meeting! 

Happy Wednesday!