Monthly Archives: April 2014

PRESS RELEASE: RE/MAX All Properties – The Dinsmore Team Appoints New Sales Associate

Jeff Dean 2Award Winning Real Estate Agent Strengthens Resources

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga., April 28, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — RE/MAX All Properties and The Dinsmore Team announced today that Jeff Dean has joined the agency to bring his extensive experience in operations, sales and marketing, general management, and business development to the team.  Having spent the last 20 years honing his manufacturing and operations expertise, Jeff comes to us from Vital Signs & Graphics, where he was not only the Chief Executive Officer, but the founder as well.  In that capacity, as well as his previous plant management positions at Collins & Aikman and Robert Bosch Corporation, he was instrumental in improving production efficiencies, cross department communication, and reducing general overhead costs.

Jeff joins The Dinsmore Team as a Sales Associate to continue their recent success in providing unparalleled real estate services to residents in Forsyth County, GA.  Jeff states, “I am excited to begin a new chapter with The Dinsmore Team and look forward to helping them continue to help residents with all of their real estate needs.  Knowing that they pride themselves in giving such unmatched service, I am incredibly proud to be a part of their family.”

Marie Dinsmore, The Dinsmore Team’s primary agent commented, “Jeff’s wealth of experience and industry knowledge has already made him a key addition to this agency.  We view his appointment as a sign of our commitment to being the leading property experts in North Georgia. Our consistent standards—along with an increasing demand from our customers—have led us to look for an addition to our team who fits with our ethos of integrity and exceptional service.  Therefore, I cannot begin to express how very fortunate we are to have found someone of Jeff’s caliber to fill this position. I’m confident that he will play a key role in our agency’s habit of excellence.”

About RE/MAX – The Dinsmore Team

The Dinsmore Team has helped over 300 families with their real estate needs since 2002, and hold both CDPE (Certified Distressed Property) and CLHMS (Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialists) designations.

Recognized as the mark of accomplishment in luxury markets around the world, the CLHMS designation is designed to help affluent buyers and sellers feel secure in knowing that their certified agent has the knowledge, experience, and confidence required to close the deal; agents who this designation have documented performance in the TOP 10% of their standard markets.

For more information about the luxury home market along the GA 400 North Corridor, visit www.dinsmoreteam.com.  The Dinsmore Team can also be reached directly at 770-712-7789 or by emailing Marie@DinsmoreTeam.com.

Media Contact: Marie Dinsmore, The Dinsmore Team, 770-712-7789, marie@dinsmoreteam.com

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SOURCE The Dinsmore Team

Exterior Renovations for Increased Curb Appeal

When it comes to marketing your home, one of the biggest things all real estate professionals agree on is the importance of curb appeal.  While things such as updated kitchen appliances and hardwood floors may provide you with a great return on your investment, it’s important to remember that not all renovations need to be done indoors.

garage door

In all actuality, homeowners can recoup a great deal of money by focusing some of their remodeling efforts on outer focal points.

While putting a lot of effort into increasing curb appeal might not always occur to every seller, here is a list of the top five ways to get the biggest exterior bang-for-your-buck (Return on Investment percentages are according to a 2014 Cost v. Value report – www.costvsvalue.com):

1.  INSTALL A STEEL ENTRYWAY DOOR—It’s true that classic wood doors may look appealing; however, they tend to absorb moisture which can bow, warp, or twist the wood and cause the paint bubble and peel.  To combat this, steel doors are not only low maintenance, but are also energy efficient and handle adverse weather conditions with ease.  141.8% ROI

2.  GARAGE DOOR REPLACEMENT—Garage doors aren’t often something many of us place whole lot of thought into, but there’s truth to the idea that they can really help secure a buyer for your house.  In essence, they not only greatly improve your home’s appearance, but they tend to boost property values due to increased longevity and function.  94% ROI

3.  INSTALL FIBER CEMENT SIDING—When looking to revitalize your home’s outward appearance, it only seems logical for siding replacement to make a difference; however, instead of simply opting for updated vinyl, homeowners can actually see a great return with the installation of fiber cement siding.  In short, this type of siding is not only versatile, but long-lasting and economical as well.  90.7% ROI

4.  FIBERGLASS ENTRY DOOR REPLACEMENT—Although steel doors help homeowners recoup a lot of money, fiberglass entry doors run a close second.  While similar in durability and energy efficiency, fiberglass won’t dent the way a steel door will and it actually has five-times the insulation value of wood.  99% ROI

5.  WOOD WINDOW REPLACEMENT—When it comes to energy efficiency, functioning windows are obviously important, but if we also take curb appeal into account, wood windows represent a fantastic opportunity to choose from an array of styles, colors, and finishes.  Additionally, while it may be tempting to opt for comparable PVC-U windows, wood is not only more attractive, but beats out vinyl for return on investment by 12%.  84.4% ROI

The Dinsmore Team has the experience, tools and real-time market knowledge to assist you.  I look forward to serving you and your family.

Marie Dinsmore, Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist

The Dinsmore Real Estate Team  |  www.dinsmoreteam.com

Marie@DinsmoreTeam.com | 770-712-7789

In the market to buy or sell a home, but want to KNOW the market first?

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photography-sold-home-sale-sign-house-image7181162Almost any realtor worth their salt can provide you with a CMA (current market analysis) of your home, but how many realtors will take the time to provide you, on a monthly basis, with an analysis of market conditions for the city in which you’re interested.    With this report, both sellers and buyers will have a realistic view of market conditions such as:

  • Average selling price based on the number of bedrooms
  •  How many active homes are on the market
  •  Average Sold Price compared to the Original List Price
  • Days on the Market
  • The Number of New Listings, closed sales and Pending sales for the previous month
  • Average Days to Contract

With Local Market Insight information, and with a skilled Realtor to help navigate you through the negotiation process, you will be able to make better informed decisions when buying or selling your home.

If you would like to sign up to receive free Local Market Insight monthly reports (no obligation and we do not ask for your telephone number), please click here.   The Dinsmore Team focuses on cities along with GA400 corridor (Roswell, Alpharetta, Milton, Johns Creek, Cumming, Dawsonville) as well as Canton.

If you would like to receive up-to-the minute email updates on homes listed in a particular subdivision, we can do that too.  Please click here to sign up for these updates.   Please note that we can only provide listing information for properties located in an actual subdivision in Georgia.

The Dinsmore Team has the experience, tools and real-time market knowledge to assist you.  I look forward to serving you and your family.

Marie Dinsmore, Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist

The Dinsmore Real Estate Team  |  www.dinsmoreteam.com

Marie@DinsmoreTeam.com | 770-712-7789

10 Tips for a Home That’s Safe and Sound

burglar4There is little that is more important than feeling secure in your own home. While we can only control a small bit of the world around us, here’s some basic information to keep a home safe.

The goal of securing your home is two-fold: protecting your possessions, but also protecting the people who live there. Security professionals advise “deter, detect and delay” tactics. These 10 tips cover a lot of ground, so keep them in mind and you will be well on the road to greater peace of mind.

1. Check your doors, windows and all locks: Deadbolts and secure, steel outer doors are important, as are secure windows that lock. A huge majority of burglaries are no-force entries, where culprits gain access to your home through an unlocked window or door, so check them frequently. Keep trees and shrubbery trimmed to prevent access to windows and decks on upper floors. If a door or window is in an out-of-the-way place that is easily accessible, consider securing it with bars or an outer security door. Simply placing a piece of wood in sliding glass doors or windows can prevent entry. Automatic garage door openers ensure that access to your garage is controlled. Studies show that the more difficult it is to enter the home, the greater the chances are that the burglar will move on.

2. Have adequate lighting: On the outside of your home, lighted entryways and flood lights with motion sensors ensure that everyone, including you and your neighbors can see who is entering your abode. However, care must be taken to replace burned out or disabled bulbs, and to place such that there is minimal annoyance to neighbors. Inside your home, ensure that there is adequate lighting so intruders are easily visible.

3. Create limited entries with a perimeter and gate: Gates and fences can provide a feeling of stable security or of paranoia, depending on how they are used. Tasteful fencing can create a feeling of “place” that provides a positive look and feel to your home, while also adding a deterrent and a delay to criminals. Limiting vehicular traffic to your property and creating barriers to individual entry make your valuables more difficult to remove, and cameras at these points of entry can more effectively capture any activity.

4. Be a friendly and observant neighbor: Neighborhoods with a “community watch” where each person is looking out for the next provide a sense of security. Generally people know each other and who lives where. This activity makes it easier to talk about crime and helps homeowners to solve problems. Let neighbors know that you are crime conscious, and encourage them to be so, too. Provide your neighbor with contact information if you are leaving on vacation so that they can be in touch should there be unusual or unexpected activity around your home.

5. Be discreet: While you do want neighbors to be informed to some degree, advertising more widely that you will be away from your home is less desirable. When seeking to find a house sitter or pet sitter, avoid advertising the dates of your travel. With an increase in social media and local email lists, people who are outside of your immediate circles could gain access to your plans and make use of that information.

6. Put on a good show: When you are going to be away from home for any period of time, one deterrent might be to make it look like someone is home. Often people who break in are simply looking to steal valuable items and prefer not to encounter people at all. Keep shades as they would normally be open or closed, and use timers to control lights and even music. Increasingly, “smart home” technology can enable homeowners to control the environment from a distance. Consider stopping deliveries or better yet, have someone stop by daily or stay in the home to pick up mail and newspapers, and to check on the house while you are gone.

7. Get a dog: In addition to companionship, a dog could be an excellent deterrent to a burglar. Barking serves as an alarm, helping to detect an intruder as well, but often seasoned criminals know how to deal with dogs by feeding them treats (sometimes laced with poison) or locking them in a room. Still, this added unknown might keep a less determined stranger away.

8. Get a security system: There are many types of systems with and without monitoring available. Some produce loud alarms that are designed to alert neighbors, others are silent and contact police. With the advent of inexpensive cameras, homeowners can set up video surveillance as well. While it is good to have a system in place and to post that a system is in use, beware of giving away too much information so that criminals don’t know which system they are dealing with. Typically these systems monitor entries, but many also include motion sensors. Using these systems requires some understanding on the part of the homeowners so that false alarms are not triggered. Also note, these systems require power to run, so during power outages unless there is a backup power source they will not be functional and other preventative steps will be required.

9. Get a safe: Using a home safe to secure valuables, guns and ammunition is an excellent idea. Consider using it to store important paperwork, like deeds, wills, other legal documents, social security cards, passports, as well as computer backups and photos. While safes are often quite heavy, ensure that they are bolted down so they might not be easily stolen in their entirety. Safes can also provide critical “delay time” – enabling police to arrive before the contents are looted.

10. Don’t leave your keys around: If a burglar sees a car in a garage or driveway and the keys are present, the temptation might be too much. In fact, you might be providing a vehicle to take more items than the burglar was intending to originally take! Keys to additional homes or properties are invitations, as well. Have a place for keys that is not well known or easily seen.

Having an eye for security can be like a game. The winning move is to create a home that provides you with a real feeling of security because you have addressed the issues. It isn’t paranoid to “think like a criminal” and imagine that your home is full of valuables. Take the time to follow these tips, and you can deter, detect, and delay crime in your home.

Marie Dinsmore, Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist

The Dinsmore Real Estate Team  |  www.dinsmoreteam.com

Marie@DinsmoreTeam.com | 770-712-7789