We all have favorite spots in this world. Places we’ve been, areas attached to specific memories, or just places we love for whatever reason. Shédiac in New Brunswick is “it” for me.

My mother grew up in Shédiac and we still have family here. We have been coming here just about every summer since I was a little girl and this area holds a very special place in my heart, always will. The picture above is the shore at the campground where we are spending the next couple of weeks.

The best part of being a Realtor is that even though I’m 2000 miles away, technology allows me to do just about everything I need to do. The only thing I can’t do while I’m away is show homes and I have colleagues ready to step in and show you any home you would like to see. So go ahead, contact me today if you are thinking about buying or selling a home in the Lafayette area, or even Shédiac for that matter. I can put you in touch with a great Realtor here, too!

Originally Posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Home sales in Acadiana and Lafayette parish rose again in July after dipping slightly in June. In Acadiana, a total of 369 homes sold last month and in Lafayette parish, 269.

Home sales for 2012 so far in Lafayette parish remain above sales for 2011. July is the month with the greatest difference this year with 269 homes sold in July 2012 vs 179 in July 2011.

Home sales pending are still above 700 and currently sit at 726. In Lafayette parish, there are currently 490 homes under contract. Last year in August, there were only 464 home sales pending in Acadiana and 280 in Lafayette parish. August, this year, certainly looks very promising.

The summer may almost over and school starts again this week in Lafayette parish but the real estate market in Lafayette is still hot. Contact me if you have any questions about real estate.

Originally Posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Every week, I receive calls from buyers driving by my listings. I gladly answer their questions and always ask if I can assist them in finding what they are looking for (if the home they called about is not “it”). The answer I get the most is: “Oh, I’m just looking… I’m not ready to do anything right now.” And then most seem in a hurry to hang up. Sometimes, they do hang up right then and there.

To all of you “just looking” folks, I have a question: if you find the home of your dream today while you are “just looking” and it is in a price range you can afford, are you going to want to buy it, or will you just keep looking?

If you answered that you are going to want to buy the home, what are you going to do next? Call the agent on the sign or send an email to whomever from a website and hope that all goes well? Or will you wish at that point that you had an agent you could call and that you were ready and able to make an offer on the house before another buyer snatches it?

You don’t have to be ready to buy tomorrow or even next month to enter into a relationship with a Realtor. If you are thinking about buying a home, and no matter what your timeline or situation may be, your Realtor can help you get there.

Here are 5 of the benefits of working with an agent from the start:

1. You’ll never have to talk to another Realtor again. Every time you see a property you like or that you have questions about, you can call your Realtor. Because we all cooperate with one another in selling the inventory, your Realtor can show any home that is listed with any real estate company. Once you find the right home, your Realtor will be ready to act quickly and to negotiate on your behalf.

2. Your Realtor will find the time, early in the process, to assess your needs and to go over the home buying process with you so that you know what to expect between now and the time you find a home and take possession of it. If he/she doesn’t, and you feel like you are flying blind, find a Realtor that will. There are several steps to buying a home today and knowing what comes next throughout the process will take some of the stress away. Moving is stressful enough in itself.

3. Your Realtor will help you get your financing in order so that you can get pre-approved and be ready to make an offer the minute you find your dream home. And there is no shame in having credit issues to take care of before obtaining financing, your Realtor can put you in touch with people who can help with this, too, while you keep looking.

4. We can set up a search for you so that you receive notifications every time a listing matching your criteria hits the market. No more finding the perfect home a week after it was listed and it’s already gone. As Realtors, we also see lots of homes and sometimes, we even find homes for our clients before they hit the market. What if your Realtor could do that for you, too?

5. You Realtor will help you make the right decision for you at this time in your life. People buy homes for different reasons: first home, move-up home, investments, secondary residence, etc. and each involve a set of criteria. For example, if you are a first-time home buyer, you need to be thinking resale value in 5 to 7 years. If you are looking for an investment property, you need to be thinking in terms of cash flow. Buying a home may be the largest purchase you’ll ever make. If you had the same amount of money to invest in the stock market, would you seek professional guidance or would you just pick stocks and hope for the best?

As you keep “just looking” for a home, take a few minutes to also start looking for a Realtor, ask your friends if they know of someone, Google their name, and once you find someone you like, make contact. Having a professional Realtor by your side will save you time, money, and lots of headaches.

Now go ahead, Google me, and contact me today!

Originally Posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

If you live around Lafayette, you’ve likely notice the Warehouse District Lofts on South College road. They are hard to miss with their tall, colorful metal structures and orange garage doors and they are in the heart of the city near Lafayette General Hospital, the Oil Center, Girard Park, ULL campus, and about 5 minutes from Lafayette’s airport.

The lofts sure stand out in the Lafayette landscape with their sleek modern lines. I can’t think of any other homes for sale that look and feel this way around here. And this is certainly low maintenance at its best for the busy lives most of us lead. Inside, they offer all the amenities of modern living on three levels with the master bedroom being on the third floor and the main living area on the second floor.

As I write this, there are no units in the Warehouse District Lofts readily available for purchase. However, they have poured the slab of the next three units and there is a model home that I can show you. One of the advantages of buying a home while it is still being built is that there is still time to choose amenities such as flooring, counters, and colors. By making an offer early in the process, you can truly make it yours and just move right in when it is ready.

Prices for the lofts are in the $260,000 range for 2 bedrooms, 2baths, and around 2000 square feet. Contact me if you want to schedule a visit.

Originally Posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

If you are thinking about selling your home, you should seriously consider hiring a stager. As a Realtor, I have a stager on my team of experts that I work with. Why? Stagers are trained to make your home look its best for potential buyers whether it’s only by moving some furniture around and painting a couple of rooms, or remodeling at a low cost so that you maximize your profit. It will also likely reduce the amount of time your home will be on the market, thereby saving you even more money.

This was the kitchen/breakfast area at 106 Grand Prairie in Lafayette the first time I saw it. Bright orange counter tops, dark cabinets, a combination of wall paper and brown paneling on the walls and hanging cabinets separating the kitchen from the living area. It screamed 1970s.

There is not much in these pictures that is appealing to today’s buyers because the majority of them want a move-in ready home and most of the time, “clean” and “well maintained” simply doesn’t cut it. Below is what the same kitchen looks like after the owner followed our stager’s recommendations.

The cabinets that were removed from above the counter tops were recycled in the breakfast area.

The total cost of this kitchen renovation was about $5,000 and included moving the cabinets around, new counter tops and back splash, new light fixtures, fresh paint on the walls, cabinets, and cabinet hardware, and the labor to get it all done. Staging is not about spending a ton of money, it is about maximizing the return .

106 Grand Prairie in Lafayette is currently available and will likely not stay on the market much longer. This home features 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, plus a large office or bonus room, 1822 square feet of living area, double carport and a nice size backyard. And aside from the newly remodeled kitchen, this home also has new flooring in the living, hall, office, baths, and laundry, new light fixtures everywhere, fresh paint inside and out, landscaping, and the list goes on. Our stager’s team went through this home room by room, and inch by inch, to make it ready for you. The best part is the price: only $155,000!

Contact me today to make your appointment to view this home or visit this link for more details and pictures of 106 Grand Prairie in Lafayette.

If you are considering selling your home and think that my team and I may be on to something with this staging business, I’d love to tell you more about it.

Originally Posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News