Selling a house is serious business – that’s why there are those of us who do it for a living!  Here are some tips when preparing your home to go on the market:  

1.       Get rid of clutter.  Throw out or file stacks of newspapers and magazines.  Pack away most of your small decorative items.  Store out-of-season clothing to make closets seem roomier.  Clean out the garage.

2.       Wash your windows and screens to let more light into the interior.

3.       Keep everything extra clean.  Wash fingerprints from light switch plates.  Mop and wax floors.  Clean the stove and refrigerator.  A clean house makes a better first impression and convinces buyers that the home has been well cared for.

4.       Get rid of smells!  Even if you think you house does not have smells, spring for a good carpet and drape cleaning to eliminate any possible cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells.  Keep the windows open when possible (if road noise is not an issue).

5.       Put higher wattage bulbs in light sockets to make rooms seem brighter, especially basements and other dark rooms.  Replace any burnt-out bulbs.

6.       Make minor repairs that can create a bad impression.  Small problems, such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, or a dripping faucet, may seem trivial, but they’ll give buyers the impression that the house isn’t well maintained.

7.       Tidy your yard.  Cut the grass, rake the leaves, trim the bushes, and edge the walks.  Put a pot or two of bright flowers near the entryway.

8.       Patch holes in your driveway and reapply sealant, if applicable.

9.       Clean your gutters.  Remove any debris such as pine straw that has accumulated on the roof.

10.   Polish your front doorknob and door numbers.  Remember, the door is the first part of the home potential buyers see!
 
For more information about selling a home in the Huntsville AL area, please call me at 256-508-0211 or visit my website at www.MoveToHuntsville.com. I would love to help make your home more saleable!

107 Moore Springs Circle, Huntsville AL 35811

Your family and your wallet will be comfortable in this 2-story new construction home in Huntsville.  Great features include 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, plus a study. The fashionable formal living room and elegant dining room are available for special occasions, while the inviting family room with gas fireplace will be a favorite for everyday living. The family-friendly kitchen overlooks an informal dining area and family room. The family cook will appreciate the stainless appliances and beautiful cabinetry. The soaring ceilings in the master suite give that open, spacious feel and you will be able to relax at the end of the day in the jetted tub. The 4th bedroom is perfect for a rec room, exercise room or sewing room. Other custom features include sparkling hardwood floors, custom moldings and woodwork, over-sized windows and 2-zone heating and cooling. This home is built with the modern day living in mind and one that is sure to meet your every need!

For more information on this home for sale in Bellglade or other Huntsville real estate, visit my website, MoveToHuntsville.com or give me a call at 256-508-0211. I’m glad to help!

In continuing with the theme of curing kids’ summertime boredom, I’ve compiled a list of ways to get your children outdoors and exploring the beautiful natural surroundings of Madison County, AL:

1. Go on a Bug Hunt Equip your child with a baby food jar or bug jar and encourage them to look for natural life around them. Look under leaves & stumps (be sure to turn them back over), on tree trunks & leaves and in flowers. Handle the bugs gently and let them go when you are done. Name your favorite bug according to its colors, the way it moves or something different about it.
2. Listen to the World Around You Have your child sit and listen to the sounds of nature by closing their eyes, and counting on their fingers the different sounds they hear. Compare natural vs. unnatural sounds. Try this in several different habitats such as in a field, near a pond and in a forest and compare the kinds and numbers of sounds heard.
3. Look at Nature Before a visit to a park, have your child decorate two toilet paper rolls. Staple them together to make mini-binoculars. Take them outside for a game of “I Spy” looking for items from nature. Look for things near by, in middle range and far away.
4. Get a New Perspective Have your child lie face upward under a large tree. Have them look into the branches. Can they see the top branch? What patterns can they see. What other things are present? They can pretend to be the roots of the tree in the soil. What do they feel like? What animals can they see moving around in the tree?
5. Use Imagination Choose an area with natural ground coverings such as leaves, cones, wild grass etc. and sit down. Give your child 6 short pieces of straw or toothpicks. Have them pretend to shrink down to the size of an ant with you. Their job is to lead a nature walk for creatures the size of an ant by choosing 6 interesting things along a one meter stretch of ground. Encourage them to use their imagination!
6. Wet Noses Wet the underside of your child’s nose with a small wet sponge. This improves their sense of smell just as it does for deer and rabbits. Find familiar smells such as flowers to try, then go on to other things like rubbing a leaf between your fingers and smelling or scratching a pine needle. Also try moss, bark, pitch or grabbing an handful of leafy soil etc.
7. Discover Color in Nature Get 10 old paint swatches of various natural colors from a paint store. Cut them into individual squares and take these and your child to a natural area. One at a time, have your child look for each color in nature. You will be amazed at what colors you can find if you really look!
8. Touching Nature Blindfold your child and lead them to a tree to get to know it by feeling the bark texture, finding branches and any other way to recognize a specific tree without looking at it. Still blind-folded, lead your child back to where you started. Now take off the blindfold and have them try to find their tree using their sense of touch to confirm it. What other senses helped them to locate their tree? (sounds, sense of balance, smells, warmth etc.)
9. A Night time Experience Go with your child to a safe natural place at night. Cover your flashlight with red plastic so you won’t startle the animals. Try out some of the ideas above to learn about plants & animals of the night. It takes about 20 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust from bright light to darkness.
10. A Rainy Day Experience Dress to stay dry but with your hands free (no umbrellas) and go out on a rainy day with your child. Peek into puddles. Listen for bird & frog calls. How many kinds of raindrops can you see? Can you find plants with a drip tip? Try to find out where animals go when it is raining.

For more information about living in the Huntsville area and Huntsville real estate, please call me at 256-508-0211 or visit my website at www.MoveToHuntsville.com.

157 Equestrian Lane, Madison AL 35758 

If your family is growing then you’ll need the space in this like-new one-year-old 4-bedroom, 3.5-bath home on a private cul-de-sac (no neighbors in the back!) in The Village at Walden Preserve. Great features include a dining room, formal living room, large family room with gas fireplace, master suite with whirlpool tub for relaxing nights, his-and-her walk-in closets, custom kitchen with breakfast area, Corian countertops, tile backsplash, walk-in pantry and work island. There’s even a bonus room that could be play room or 5th bedroom. Details including hardwood floors, chair rails and crown molding have not been overlooked in this home! Community pool, club house, oversized garage, large covered porch for playing on rainy days. This is a spectacular home loaded with upgrades – shows better than new!

For more information on this Madison AL home or Huntsville real estate, visit my website, MoveToHuntsville.com or give me a call at 256-508-0211. I’m glad to help!

103 Red Rock Drive, Huntsville, AL 35811

Create your next home in this 2 story, 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home in Huntsville’s newest restricted community of Turner Farm.  Features include an engaging great room with gas fireplace and a bonus room which is sure to become the grandkid’s favorite. The gracious dining room is sure to impress with its chair rail, beauty boxes and crown moldings. The family friendly kitchen displays a tile back-splash, stainless appliances, and a breakfast area for informal meals. The master suite is the perfect place to retreat to at the end of the day with a whirlpool tub to soak in, dual sinks, and a separate shower. You will delight in the 9 foot ceilings, wood and tile floors, and a sprinkler system for easy yard maintenance. This new home is complete and ready and waiting for someone to call it ‘home.’

For more information on this home or other Huntsville real estate, give me a call at 256-508-0211 or visit my website, www.MovetoHuntsville.com. I’m here to help!

Summer is in full swing and as the novelty of being out of school begins to wear off, most parents are bracing themselves for the inevitable “I’m booooored” that is just bound to come out of their children’s mouths soon.

Below are links to several fun things to do with your children this summer to get them outside and enjoying this beautiful time of year in Huntsville: 

• Boating and Fishing    
• Hiking
• Museums
• Parks
• Sports 

For more information about living in the Huntsville area and Huntsville real estate, please call me at 256-508-0211 or visit my website at www.MoveToHuntsville.com. Here’s to an exciting second half of the summer!

107 Red Rock Drive, Huntsville AL 35811

Impress your guests with the casual elegance of this 1 story, 4 bedroom, 2 bath home in exciting Turner Farms of Huntsville. They will envy you from the moment they enter the quiet cul-de-sac and drive up to the full brick front with stone accents to stepping the time they enter the welcoming foyer. The open, flowing floor-plan of the ‘Lake Forrest’ model is perfect for family living and entertaining, alike.

The hardwood flooring, custom moldings, high ceilings, and attention to detail are sure to please. The sophisticated great room features a gas fireplace and TV niche, while the first-rate kitchen displays custom cabinetry, stainless appliances, tile back-splash, panty, recessed lighting, and spacious breakfast area overlooking the yard and patio.

You’ll enjoy retreating to the master suite with whirlpool tub, separate shower, raised dual vanities, and tile floor. All the bedrooms are spacious and the 4th bedroom would make a wonderful den, office or exercise room. This gorgeous Huntsville new construction home is one you won’t want to miss!

For more information about this home or other Huntsville real estate, visit MovetoHuntsville.com or gie me a call at 800-230-4749 #4932. I’m here to assist you with all your Huntsville AL real estate needs.

Alabama collected less in state and local taxes in 2005 than any other state. Alabama residents paid $2,569 in taxes compared the the national median of $3,387.

Alabama has come in last in tax collection since 1993 and is proud of it! Full story…

Learn about Huntsville AL real estate by visiting MoveToHuntsville.com.

290 Knox Creek Trail, Madison AL 35757

Relax rain or shine on the covered patio of this well-maintained 4-bedroom, 2 bath, 2,030 single family ranch in Timber Creek. You will enjoy the high ceilings and open space of the great room with gas fireplace for chilly nights. The Spanish Trey Ceilings in the dining room are sure to strike up conversation at your next holiday gathering. The kids will love the eat-in kitchen where they can watch mom prepare their favorite foods, before running off to play in the large fenced backyard. After a long day, retreat to your master suite with high, trey ceilings and enjoy being pampered in you own whirl pool tub. The ‘his and her’ closets are sure to give you plenty of space for all your personal belongings. Dad, no need to go shopping for appliances, as the dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave, washer and dryer are all included. The all brick exterior provides maintenance free living. This home is perfect for a growing family!

For more informaiton on this home or other Madison AL real estate, visit MoveToHuntsville.com or give me a call at  800-239-4749 # 4932. I’m glad to help!