Archive for December, 2008
A Great 2008 a Better 2009!
Categories: Chattanooga Real Estate News, Flavors of Chattanooga
The Scenic City Scoop Chattanooga Tennessee Real Estate Blog Team
To all our friends, family, clients and fans of the Scenic City Scoop,
We all would like to wish you and your families a very Happy and Healthy New Year.
Andy, Kacey, Stephanie and David
| Currently No Comments »
Chattanooga Real Estate Debate - Paint vs. Wallpaper
Categories: Chattanooga Real Estate News, For Home Sellers, Home Maintenance
By David Israel, Business Manager
Let me start off this article by stating that I do not show houses, however, I have been asked the question on numerous occasions, “will my house sell faster if I take down my wallpaper and paint the walls?”. My answer is always YES - and everyone on the team concurs! I have read a few articles on the subject of Paint vs. Wallpaper and there are distinct advantages to having wallpaper on your walls. There are also many disadvantages.
In the Chattanooga real estate market, most buyers these days are looking for simple neutral painted walls. Wallpaper is just a turnoff to most of the buyers in today’s market. Remember, I always say that you only get a first impression once. Wallpaper usually is a bad first impression. I don’t want to knock wallpaper, I grew up with it all over my house (ended up trying to take it down myself as a teen-ager, what a disaster!). There are so many colors, textures and designs that you can choose from. I feel that wallpaper is an expression of an individuals personality. There are some beautiful homes that I have visited in Chattanooga that are well decorated and the wallpaper is beautiful. If people didn’t like wallpaper there wouldn’t be thousands of companies selling the product.
So, what is my point. Selling real estate in Chattanooga can not have a personal expression of one’s self. A house must be staged to sell. In my opinion that means tear the wallpaper down all over the house and paint the walls.
| Currently No Comments »
Jay Serves You Some Million Dollar Secrets - Part 2 of 4
Categories: Chattanooga Real Estate News, Flavors of Chattanooga, Things to Do in Chattanooga
(Second in a Four Part Series)
Guest Blogger - Jay Zuckerman
*Please note that I am not compensated for any product mentioned*
Hard times, in the middle of your road
Hard times, creeping up on the good folks you know
Hard times, living down where the rest of you know
Hard times, from the California Hills to the Cumberland Road
Ryan Bingham - Hard Times
#3 Your Local Library
Is the cost of $25 hardcover books or $15 for paperbacks at bookstores becoming a burden on your wallet in this current financial environment? Remember that building you would go to in the 1980’s to gather information for an essay and inevitably get distracted by the latest issue of Sports Illustrated? Yes, it’s your municipal library. In Chattanooga, we have the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library with a large downtown library and five satellite and branch locations.
If you are a Scenic City denizen, You can become a member of the Chattanooga library for free.
The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library has a terrific online interface which allows you to check out a book from the convenience of your own home. Live in East Brainerd and don’t want to drive downtown to pick the book up? You can choose where you want to pick up the book at no cost. It takes at most two business days for the book to arrive at your preferred branch.
If someone else has the book you want checked out, you can place a hold online. You will receive a postcard in the mail when it is available.
But wait there’s more: The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library has many best sellers (usually fiction) available at their front entrance. For a nominal donation, you can check the book out for a week.
But wait there’s even more: You can apply for courtesy cards at many University libraries. At UTC, you can obtain a University Library Card even if you are not a current student. Alumni, dependents of faculty and staff, Hamilton County teachers, and students at the University of Tennessee or any Tennessee Board of Regents school can also receive a UTC Library card at no cost.
| Currently No Comments »
Fed Statement Help Mortgage Rates
Categories: Chattanooga Real Estate News, For Home Buyers, Mortgage and Finance
By Angel Sherlin
Thanks largely to Tuesday’s Federal Reserve statement, the historic drop in mortgage rates over the last few weeks continued a little further this week. Lower than expected inflation data from the November Consumer Price Index (CPI) 
report also was favorable for mortgage rates. According to Freddie Mac’s weekly survey, average 30-year fixed conforming mortgage rates fell to the lowest level in 37 years. Mortgage rates turned slightly higher late in the week, however, raising the question of whether the downward trend will continue.
In a unanimous vote, the Fed cut the target Fed Funds rate from 1.00% to a range between 0.00% and 0.25%. The 75 basis point cut was larger than the consensus forecast for a 50 basis point cut. According to the statement, the Fed will employ “all available tools” to stimulate economic growth. Most notable for the mortgage industry, the Fed mentioned the option of expanding the purchase of large quantities of mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage rates generally move based on changing levels of demand for mortgage investments. Immediately following the release of the statement, mortgage rates dropped due to this expected increase in demand.
In the housing sector, November Housing Starts fell -19% to a record low. Building Permits, a leading indicator, showed a similar decline. The slowdown in the building of new homes will help reduce the inventory of unsold homes on the market.
| Currently No Comments »
Jay Serves You Some Million Dollar Secrets - And You Can Keep the Tip!
Categories: Chattanooga Real Estate News, Flavors of Chattanooga, Things to Do in Chattanooga
(First in a Four Part Series)
Guest Blogger - Jay Zuckerman
*Please note that I am not compensated for any product mentioned*
“Circumstance has forced my hand
To be a cut price person in a low budget land
Times are hard but we’ll all survive
I just got to learn to economize”
Low Budget - Kinks
Economic times are tough right now. I can no longer keep up with the Kardashians. I tried to buy my girlfriend a new Lexus for Christmas, but I could only afford the giant red ribbon. I now have to cut holes and overbleach my $25 jeans rather than buy the $90 pairs at the mall where the designers have kindly taken the time to do it for me.
In all seriousness, I want to pass along some wisdom over these next four blog posts to help save you some money during this tough economy without making you look cheap.
Hopefully, by the time you’re done following my advice, you’ll have enough money in your pockets to buy your dream house through Andy Hodes & The Scenic City Team.
Without further adieu:
#1 Gym memberships
A common New Year’s Resolution of course is the ole’ “I’m going to get in shape this year” or “I’m going to get a gym membership.”
How serious are you about keeping your New Year’s Resolutions? If you’re like me, you probably give it up by the third week. So the gym has at minimum $700 of your hard-earned money.
As a weightlifter who owns a gym membership (though I’ve been lazy myself lately), I can tell you that gyms become packed right after New Year’s Day with clients who rushed into a gym membership purchase. Within two weeks the gym attendance returns to the same it was before the new year.
Gym managers understand this. They generally offer special rates at the start of the year. You might see ads that read “Just $39 a month” or “$1 a day.”
Here’s the catch. These are for one or two-year memberships and likely include other additional fees as well. Some of those catchphrases are their lowest rates, which usually just apply to students or senior citizens. Most have no opt-out fee either.
| Currently 2 Comments »
Share your Christmas - Chattanooga gives with their hearts
Categories: Chattanooga Community Events, Chattanooga Real Estate News, Flavors of Chattanooga
By David Israel, Business Manager
Channel 3 holds 24th Annual Food Drive for Chattanooga Area Food Bank
Let’s give a big slap on the back to the owners, management and employees of WRCB Channel 3 in Chattanooga for their incredible work on December 10, 2008. The Chattanooga community decided to give not only with their hearts, but with their groceries. The “Share your Christmas Food Drive” collected over 117,000 pounds in three locations, Chattanooga, Cleveland and Dalton, GA. The food collected in Cleveland and Dalton will stay in those areas to help the local groups that feed the ones in need. The food collected in Chattanooga will go directly to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.
Channel 3 broad-casted live from each location all day from 5:00am to 6:00pm. It certainly does the heart well to know that during these rough times in our economy, people still are willing to give to those less fortunate then themselves.
If you are still looking to participate, you can still donate food at the following locations:
Any Area Bi-Lo
Any Area Chick-fil-A
Any Area Food Lion
Any Area Publix
Wal*Mart (Soddy Daisy location only)
Greenlife Grocery
If you are searching for information on Chattanooga Real Estate there is no better source than The Scenic City Team!
| Currently No Comments »
