Are you Selling? Buying?

 

On The Market? 

Spring is normally the busiest time of year for home sales. But this year has been different. Home are still selling, but it's taking a little longer. 

Here are a few things you should know if you are thinking about buying or selling:

~~Buyers are currently being screened to ensure they are pre-qualified. No casual lookers.

~~Most open houses are being done virtually and are highly successful.

~~Expect few face-to-face meetings with your agent. Zoom and FaceTime are being used extensively.

~~When viewing a home, plan on wearing a mask and following extensive protocols about not touching any surfaces, cabinet and closet doors being left open, things like this.

~~Over the past few months, mortgage interest rates have been lower than we've ever seen. And experts expect that trend to continue.

~~The process will be slower, as it is taking longer to schedule home inspections and repair estimates from tradespeople.

~~A bigger inventory of homes on the market is on the horizon for buyers. Many sellers are on the sidelines, still residing in their property and not wanting strangers (agents and potential buyers) walking through their home at the moment due to the health crisis. Once it is clear the risk is minimal, we will see a big increase in the number of homes for sale.

~~Buyers are also waiting in the wings for the coronavirus pandemic to end and the economy to get back on its feet.

 

Here is the recent data on Metro Atlanta Real Estate (data supplied from FMLS includes all residential property types. ) April 2020 vs. April 2019:  9476 new listings in April 2020 which is down almost 27% from April 2019. There were 6218 pending sales in April 2020 which is down 32% from April 2019. Both of these numbers indicate that sellers have elected to stay on the sidelines a little while longer before putting their homes on the market.   However, in April 2020 homes are on the market for an average of 42 days which is down only 10% from April 2019. Another positive note for sellers is that the average home price in April 2020 is  $330,499, up from $318,340 in 2019.   This is an increase in average sales price of 3.8%. 

Our local Realtor friend Lee Ann Wynns, with Dorsey Alston, summarizes  by saying:  "Yes, it is possible to buy or sell a house right now.  While the market is down in new listings and pending sales, the good news is that prices are up!  We are seeing homes sell in a day and with  multiple offers because the inventory is so low.  Buyers who need to buy are out there."  

If you are selling, be sure to come in first and meet with an Enhance Design Consultant to discuss smart updates to make to your home to get top dollar.  And if you are buying, we can assist you with turning your new purchase into your perfect forever home.  Relax ...... we're here to help!

What We Are Doing

The Enhance Floors Design Center is open Monday - Saturday 10 til

5. We are seeing clients by appointment only. We are only scheduling one appointment at a time to limit the number of clients in the showroom. We are cleaning and sanitizing regularly, washing our hands often, and wearing masks when working with clients.  We have a "Sanitation Station" for your use, stocked with disposable gloves, masks. and hand sanitizer.

To reduce the amount of time you will be in the Design Center, call or email us to discuss your project prior to your appointment. We can send you some educational information in advance, so that you have fewer questions and know a little bit more about what you need to look at prior to your arrival.

We can also work with you virtually to view products via Facetime or Zoom and can have complimentary samples sent to you home.

Our Installers are also working, wearing masks and gloves at all times. We are avoiding close contact and following appropriate social distancing, in the showroom and in your home.

We promise to stay home if we are sick and do ask that you only come into the Design Center or allow our Estimator and Installers into your home if no one in your family is currently diagnosed with COVID19 or has been exposed to the virus.

Great Time To Buy

It is National Karastan Month, and it is the best time of the year to buy! Take advantage of sale prices on all Karastan carpets (plushes, patterns, even top-of-the-line wool carpet) and LuxeCraft LVP. What? You didn't know Karastan had luxury vinyl? You definitely want to take a look at these gorgeous wood stylings -- species like walnut, hard to find cypress, maple, oak, hickory. Even herringbone patterns for a unique installation.

And not only is all Karastan carpet and LVP on sale this month -- you can also take advantage of 18 Month Interest FREE financing on installed purchases over $2500. Now is the time to make your dream home a reality with beautiful new Karastan floors!

Design Tip

Give your bedroom a new and refreshing summer make over. Choose some vibrant colored sheets and bedding sets. Match the theme with some white lamps, fun accent rugs, and a decorative wall decoration on your bedroom wall - a collection of straw hats is fun.

 

How Much Does It Cost?

We just installed gorgeous COREtec LVP in the Family Room, Dining Room, and Hall of a Kennesaw home. The visuals of this wood-look plank are incredible, and this great looking floor could not be any easier to take care of! These areas, 490 square feet, were installed for a little over $3000.

  

I Was FLOORED By Enhance

Lori in Woodstock writes: "I would like to recognize everybody that I worked with including the lady at the store that I talked to and the owner. He was wonderful. The workers were amazing. They moved everything out of the way. I would definitely use Enhance Floors & More again."

Thank you, Lori. We appreciate the great review! We have extended the Decorating Dollars you earned until 5/31. Please give us a call to set up a time to come in and "spend" them.

 

Our New Normal

Wow, what a weird past couple of months it has been. Our lives are so vastly different, aren't they? We hope you and your family are all healthy and well. It looks like the virus new case numbers are dropping and we are on the first steps of the journey back to "normal", whatever our new normal will be. It will be different for all of us. We all have to do what seems best for us and for our family. As the shelter in place mandates are expiring and businesses are allowed to reopen, we are happy to inform you that we are increasing the staffing in the Design Center and able to offer more appointments for you to come in and shop for flooring. We are now open Monday thru Saturday, 10 til 5. One appointment will be scheduled at a time, so there will not be other clients in the store during your visit. We will wear a mask and ask that you wear one, too. We are following appropriate social distancing and, of course, no handshakes or hugging (yes, we sometimes hug our clients. Many of you are like family!) We are sanitizing the samples we handled and the door handles and knobs after each client.  Our safety and safety of our clients is paramount. That being said, the in-store appointments are going great and everyone seems very comfortable with the protocols we are taking. How To Diagram To Get A Ballpark Price We are also able to ballpark pricing for you while you are in the store. The first step is for you to take accurate measurements and draw a diagram or two for us to work from. Here is some guidance on how to measure your rooms: What you need:            --Lined paper (notebook or graph) --Standard metal blade tape measure, 25 to 30 feet (shorter lengths are OK, but more of a challenge to use) --Maybe a helper to hold the end of the tape or to write down the measurements for you You can list your measurements in all inches or in feet and inches. Do not worry about fractions of an inch, round up to the next full inch. When measuring for carpet, measure first the length of the room. This is going from the front of the house to the back of the house. Then measure the width of the room. This is from the side of the house to the other side of the house. Treat a closet as a small room. Draw a square or diagram to represent each room. If you use graph paper it helps you keep your lines straight. However, crooked lines don't really matter and your drawing being to scale is not important, what is crucial is your measurement being accurate. As you diagram, draw with the length of all the rooms going in the same direction (front to back of the house.) You do not have to draw all the rooms touching, but it helps to have the closet connected to the room you are measuring. When measuring stairs, we will need to know the number of stairs and the width of the stairs. Some steps will have an exposed edge (or edges) where wood is showing. Be sure to note this if applicable. If you have a landing(s), measure the length and width. Some staircases have what we call a "pie shaped" landing. Measure the widest depth of the landing and measure the width. Measuring for hard surface flooring is very similar. The only difference is that we do not have to make sure that we keep the carpet running in the same direction. We will also need to know what type of floor covering is currently installed in each room. If you want us to give you ballpark pricing while you are in the store, take a few minutes and draw a diagram (it's not as hard as it seems, we promise.  The key is using the right type of tape measure!)  And, of course, you don't have to.  We almost always come to your home to measure and double check everything prior to finalizing your order. Design Tip Now that the pollen has eased up, it's time to get outside. Want to make your great outdoors even greater? Hang some budget-friendly bistro lights. No special wiring necessary! Outdoor lighting provides just the right amount of sparkle to brighten up and add life to a blah backyard or patio. Readily available online - you don't even have to go to the store to shop!    How Much Does It Cost? Wood floors always add value your home. A Roswell client had water damage in their kitchen and needed to replace the kitchen/breakfast room hardwoods and add wood in the living room, dining room, den, foyer, hall, and powder room. Our client chose Somerset Color Collection Solid Oak in the wider 3 ¼" width, color Red Oak Natural. The areas totaled 1075 square feet and the price was right at $11,000. We were on the job for a full week as there was demo to do.  The variation in Red Oak Natural blends nicely with so many different wood stain colors and paint shades. I Was FLOORED By Enhance Neil in Marietta writes that we did: "a beautiful job on our new den hardwood floor. Not only were they able to match the existing floor in other rooms but the two installers could not have been nicer and more professional. When they left there was no indication we had work done. They cleaned up and removed all debris. The floor is great. Thanks, Enhance and Don Stubbs." Thank you, Neil. We appreciate you coming back to us. Let us know when you are ready for the new countertops for your kitchen. Enjoy your new floor!