Selling your Mobile AL home takes some preparation as well as having the right realtor on your side.  Here are some tips on how you can prepare your home for sale in Gulf Coast Alabama:

Organize closets and cabinets for a neat appearance at first glance.  Potential buyers love to look into cabinets and storage areas; so do not just de-clutter your home by stuffing it in a closet or you will risk giving the wrong impression to buyers.  Neatly placing items in cabinets and closets will give buyers the impression that you take pride in the home you are selling and have taken good care of it.

Clear out personalized items.  When staging your home for a potential buyer it is often easier for the buyer to imagine their items in the home if you do not have personal items and family photos everywhere.  A few pictures are fine, but they should be tasteful and well-placed so as not to be a distraction.

Consider renting a storage unit to store extra items and furniture.  Presenting a home is not only easier with less furniture, but it will better showcase the space of a room and the room’s purpose as potential buyers walk through.

It’s worth it to fix small visual or functional features in your home to improve the overall beauty.  Just look around and you will likely see a few projects that you have put off that should be addressed before staging the home for sale.  For example, replace burned out light bulbs, worn bedding, leaky faucets, holes in walls, or cracked tiles.

For more tips on preparing to sell your home in Mobile AL click here.

And for more information on buying or selling real estate in Gulf Coast AL including Mobile, West Mobile, Fairhope, and Daphne, contact your local realtor Barbara Reeves today.

The New Year is a great time to think about making resolutions, and those concerning your home are no exception.  So if you are looking for some goals to set this year for your Mobile AL home, consider these ‘resolutions’ for 2012:

• Cut down on energy use.  Check the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems and see if there is anything that needs to be replaced, repaired, or used less.  Replace old appliances with those that have good Energy Star ratings or simply replace your light bulbs with energy efficient ones.
• Budget for needed improvements throughout the year.  If you create a yearly budget you’ll be better prepared to avoid overspending and look to what improvements are classified in the ‘priority’ category, such as new roofing or appliances.
• Organize and De-clutter your home.  Your home can instantly look newer and more livable by just organizing a few well-used rooms.  Take a look at what’s on the floors or stowed in closets and how it can be better managed to look aesthetically pleasing and be easily accessed.  You may have to sort things in piles for those items that can be donated and those that need to be trashed.

So make some plans for improving your Mobile AL home this year and check out houselogic.com for more great ideas for ‘home resolutions’.

And for more information on buying or selling property in Mobile AL, contact Barbara Reeves today.

Mobile County AL will be seeing some preservation projects moving forward due to new funds awarded to the cause.  Today the Alabama Historical Commission announced that they were awarding $47, 600 to go towards three historical preservation projects including Barton Academy, Fort Gaines, and a local cemetery.  The Mobile Historic Development Commission will receive $15,880 for a market needs analysis of Barton Academy in downtown Mobile AL, Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board will be able to use $15,855 to make repairs to the historic Fort Gaines, and $15,880 will go to Friends of the Catholic Church to preserve a cemetery.  These grants are part of the $750,00 total that were awarded statewide by the Historical Commission.  The Historical Commission hopes that this will help develop local economies, provide jobs, and strengthen tourism.

For more on this or other new developments in Mobile AL, visit al.com.

And for more on buying or selling real estate in Mobile AL, contact Barbara Reeves today.

You do not have to spend a lot of money have professionals remodel and decorate your home to attract buyers.  Consider these relatively inexpensive ways to add value to your Mobile AL home now:

• Have your home inspected.  Things like deteriorating roofs, pest problems, or outdated electrical systems will not be immediately visible, but will negatively impact your home’s value when you try to sell it.  Fix anything that needs repair now, however small, to prevent making larger repairs down the road.
• Schedule an interior designer to help you assess what improvements should be made.  Ask about ideas for paint colors and furniture placement.  Many interior designers offer an hourly fee that is less than $100, so shop around before hiring.  This one hour consultation should give you enough information to make the changes on your own.
• A fresh coat of paint will do wonders and is one of the most cost-effective improvements you can make.  Choose colors that will have appeal to most people to increase your home’s value.
• Refer to magazines, books, tv shows, websites, or your realtor for remodeling and decorating tips.  Do-it-yourself projects are cost-effective as long as you have a clear idea of what needs to be done and have done your homework on the topic.  While it’s better to leave larger projects to the professionals, simple improvements can be made if you have the information to do it right.
• Improve energy efficiency.  Not only will making these changes save you money now, but it will make your home more marketable when it’s time to sell.

For more tips on improving your home’s value visit hgtv.com.

And for more information on buying or selling real estate in Mobile AL, contact Barbara Reeves today.

Bienville Square in Mobile AL

Why live in Mobile AL?  Mobile AL tops the list when it comes to southern culture and charm.  Located on the picturesque gulf of AL, Mobile has a great variety of things to do all year long for individuals, couples, with friends, and as families.  Potential real estate opportunities are endless in Mobile, from extravagant bay homes, to nice family homes in community-oriented areas.  Just outside of Mobile are the popular neighboring cities of Fairhope, Daphne, and Spanish Fort which allow for even more community options.  So whether you are looking to live by the water, within a convenient city, or in a more rural setting, the Mobile Metro AL area has it all.

Contact Gulf Coast Realtor, Barbara Reeves, today to find out more about what exciting real estate opportunities await you in Mobile, West Mobile, Fairhope, Spanish Fort, or Daphne Alabama.

The Mobile Bay Oyster Gardening Program kicked off last weekend for the season.  The program is in its 10^th year and requires volunteer gardeners to take 100 oyster shells loaded with young oysters (known as ‘spat’) and transfer them to small cages allowing them to grow while protecting them from predators.  Each volunteer gardener must have access to water with a pier and a location that is open to shellfish harvesting as well as attending a workshop to help them become acquainted with the program.  In November, the oysters will be released on unpublished restoration reefs that have historically supported oyster colonies.  Since its beginnings, the Mobile Bay Oyster Gardening Program has successfully produced and planted 400,000 oysters.

For more information on this or other activities in the Mobile AL region, visit baldwincountynow.com.

And for more on buying or selling real estate in the Gulf Coast, including Mobile, West Mobile, Fairhope, Daphne, or Spanish Fort AL, contact Barbara Reeves today.

Find all the information you need as a first time homebuyer in the “Step-By-Step” guide to buying your Daphne or Mobile AL home. Many first time homebuyers are confused as to where they should start and how they can get into their perfect home with as little stress as possible; the solution, as outlined in this guide, is to first find a trusted Realtor who has had years of experience in successfully helping clients buy and sell property.  This crucial first step will save you time and energy throughout the process.  Other helpful hints include getting pre-approved on a home loan before shopping for homes so you can be ahead of the competition, asking for a comprehensive Market Analysis from your Realtor that will compare other recently sold homes in the area matching your criteria,  and having your chosen home inspected by a professional to avoid ‘surprises’ when you move in.

For more about the “Step-by-Step” Guide to Buying Your Daphne, Mobile AL home, visit mymobilerealestate.com.

And for more information on buying or selling in Daphne, Fairhope, Spanish Fort, and Mobile AL, contact experience Realtor Barbara Reeves today.

Looking for a great place to live in AL’s Gulf Coast?  Take a look at this interactive community map designed to give you all the information you need to find that perfect place.  Simply click on the map to see more facts about each city including Mobile, Daphne, Fairhope, and Spanish Fort AL.  Here you will find details on demographics, transportation, media (i.e. the local news stations and newspapers available), education, local sports, a brief history of the area, and more links to street, topographic, and satellite image maps for reference when visiting the area.  You will also find information on points of interest and popular activities.

Click here to take a look at this useful interactive tool for Mobile, Daphne, Fairhope and Spanish Fort communities.

In May, the department sent out notices to parading groups asking them to anticipate paying the full cost of police protection for their parade route, which would average about $25,000 per parade; this was likely prompted by the City Council’s decision to initially reject the 1 percentage point increase in the sales tax rate.  However, the sales tax rate increase was passed at a later date and this new permit fee, while being twice that of last year, is not as high as expected.

And for all your Gulf Coast AL real estate questions including buying or selling in Mobile, West Mobile, Fairhope, Spanish Fort, and Daphne AL, contact Barbara Reeves today.

Mobile River Road plan presented

The new Mobile River road plan will be open for public comment today from the Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).  MPO is comprised of local elected officials and engineers and approves all federal road funding in the Mobile AL area.  The road plan in question is referred to as the Long Range Transportation Plan which will stretch over a 25 year period and includes various projects estimated to cost $750 million.  Some of the named projects include a new Mobile River crossing, the widening of Snow Road from Jeff Hamilton Road to U.S. 98 in order to make a new bypass west of Schillinger Road, and widening Alabama Highway 193 from Hamilton Boulevard to a little north of Fowl River.  Mobile AL community members will be able to attend the hearing from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. today at the GM&O Building in downtown Mobile to learn more about the road plan and voice their opinions.

For more on other projects that the MPO are planning visit their website at mobilempo.org.

And for all your Mobile AL real estate endeavors contact your local realtor Barbara Reeves today.