Covenants. How does your neighborhood look? How does it look compared to others with similar priced homes? "Your HOA can work for you if you let it," said Ginny Gross, past-president of the North Towne Homeowners' Association. "It basically serves as insurance for your number one investment."

Neighbors. Take a good look at your neighbors' homes. Is your neighbor's grass cut? If not, it would be smart for you to cut it. You can bet that it will hurt the sale of your house.

Entrances. Is there trash at the entranceways? If there are flowers, are they well-maintained? First impressions mean a lot. If your house is on the market, you need to consider yourself the self-appointed "trashmaster" for your neighborhood until you get it sold.

Social Activities. Does your neighborhood association sponsor a variety of social events for both adults and children? Easter egg hunts, Halloween costume parties and Christmas parties are very popular community-building activities.

Businesses. Are the local businesses successful? Is there a variety of businesses that provide needed services? On the other hand, are there a lot of empty storefronts? Successful retailers are a good sign that the overall community is healthy.

Churches, clubs, and organizations. Is there a variety of local special interest groups working to serve the needs of the community? Are there groups that people can quickly plug into so that they feel they belong? Do these groups sponsor community-building events such as parades and festivals?

These factors are often not consciously acknowledged by a prospective buyer. Sometimes, a buyer will say things like, "I don't know what it is I like about it (the neighborhood), but I just like it!"

I encourage each of you to do what you can to make our community more desirable. Not only will you increase the marketability of your home, but your peace of mind will benefit as well.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson, once said: "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."

Gina Carr's team of professionals is the #1 team in residential real estate in 30189. For assistance with all your real estate needs, please call her at (770) 516-5700 ext. 700.

The Carr Report

Thinking Outside the
Box (Home)

by Gina Carr, MBA

You probably spend a lot of time thinking about what you can do to improve the value of your home. I'd like to encourage you to "think outside the box," literally. Think about the things you can do to improve the desirability of your entire community - things that have nothing to do with your home in particular. After all, if you don't live in a desirable community, it doesn't matter how nice your home is. No one will want it.

Fortunately, we live in a community that is very desirable. People all over Atlanta recognize the Towne Lake area as being a very attractive place to live. Let's take a look at the factors that have gone into building this great community.

Schools. At the top of the list for many homebuyers is "good schools." Even empty-nesters typically want to buy in a good school district because they know that it will be good for resale. Schools are judged on several factors:

Test Scores. People generally judge a school on its test scores. This factual data is a very important piece of the puzzle.

Parental Involvement. It's no mystery that students perform better when parents are involved with their kids both inside and outside the school.

Awards. Another method of judging schools is whether they have received some awards or "school of excellence" distinctions. For example, Bascomb Elementary has been recognized as a Georgia School of Excellence. This makes homes in that district more desirable.

Atmosphere. Parents like to visit schools to see how it "feels." Is the staff friendly? Do the students seem happy? Are the facilities clean? Does my child feel comfortable here?

Neighborhood. Homebuyers consider a variety of factors when considering which neighborhoods to consider.

Amenities. Are the amenities in good shape? Is the pool furniture clean and in good repair? How about the tennis courts and any common area buildings? It is critically important that your public areas look good.