General Blog

March Madness – St. Patrick’s Day Events in Savannah

March 2, 2018 by Helen Miltiades

March Madness? How about just something fun to do this month? Here’s what’s happening in the Savannah area this March, 20176.

For gamers and comic book enthusiasts, GnomeCon is coming to the Coastal Georgia Center at 305 Fahm Street. This science fiction and fantasy convention is March 2-4 with a variety of events and activities for people of all ages. Participate in costume making workshops, game tournaments, zombie family feud and a unique screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Tickets start at $35.

River Street’s St. Patrick’s Day Celebration is happening on March 17 at the Riverfront Plaza and includes entertainment, life music, outdoor restaurants, singing and celebrating. Of course you want to wear green this day to participate in some of the fun activities, contests and Savannah Waterfront Association’s largest event of the year. If you bring your ID you can grab a wristband to enjoy your adult drink to go walking around one of Savannah’s largest parties. Wristbands are $5 per day and can be purchased at multiple downtown locations. You won’t want to miss this annual event March 17, 18^th and 19^th.

The Savannah Sightseeing Old Town Trolley Tours has events going on all month long. It starts off with the Oyster Roast on March 5 supporting the Davenport House Museum. This event is from 3 PM until 6 PM. On March 10-12 is the Savannah Stopover Music Festival. This festival focuses on the good fortune of Savannah by presenting traveling musician with the SXSW music conference. This three-day festival features music, visual arts, and unique technology in a historical setting.

On March 11 is the Greening of the Forsyth Fountain. This traditional event dyes all the fountains green in Savannah starting off the St. Patrick’s Day tradition. However, they do need a lot of help so you want to get involved with the city and their events tours to participate in this fun event.

The weekend of St. Patrick’s day is the Tara Feis Irish Celebration sponsored by the city’s Cultural Affairs. This is on the Saturday before the St. Patrick’s Day parade and is a family-friendly festival open to the public with free admission. It offers live Irish dancing performances, food, activities, arts and crafts and games. It’s held each year in Emmet Park in the heart of downtown Savannah beginning at 11:00 AM.

On the second or third weekend of the month is the Celtic Cross Ceremony and Recession where Irish Catholics join together to celebrate their heritage at Emmet Park. Bagpipes play, Irish speakers talk about the past and the future of Irish Catholics in the Savannah area and there’s a reception at 2:30 PM with food and refreshments. The event starts at 1:00 PM.

Once all the St. Patrick’s Day festivities are completed you’ll want to hang around for the 2016 Savannah Music Festival. This event is March 24 through April 9 in the Historic District of downtown Savannah. There are over 100 performances of live music, jazz, classical and a variety of international music traditions.

March is our St. Patrick’s Day celebrations so if you got a hankering, don your green apparel and join us at one of these amazing events this month.

Baby Boomers Buying Houses in Savannah

February 15, 2018 by Helen Miltiades

Good idea or scary move?

Baby Boomers Buying Houses in Savannah

It all depends on where you are in life, financially and physically. Should you downsize or invest? Move out or move up? These can be a lot of scary questions as baby boomers hit their retirement age. You may have made a lot of money over the past 30 years but with the drop in home prices over the last 8 years you may have lost a lot of it too. So where does that leave real estate investments today?

Many baby boomers have actually been delaying retirement for the basic fact that selling and downsizing just isn’t an option. They may owe more than the home is worth and this keeps them hanging onto it until it bounces back. Well, it has. Maybe not with the vengeance some would like but stronger certainly than we have seen in the past 4 years. The number of existing homes sold is up about 8% nationwide according to the S&P and prices have reached over 12% higher than they were this time last year. So now baby boomers are toying with the idea of selling or renting out and downsizing. Which is the best option and which makes the most sense financially?

Generally speaking, we know it’s better to own than rent but that’s usually if you are going to stay in your home more than 5 years. Is that something baby boomers want to consider at this time? It all comes down to ease of living which has many implications as far as maintenance, finances and responsibility. If age 65 is no longer the retirement age, keeping a home or investing in new real estate may be well within the realm of possibility for baby boomers. Buying a new home is sometimes a strain on the cash flow, not just in the down payment but in monthly taxes, insurance, fees and the mortgage payment. Even if buyers plan on paying cash, they must consider the inevitable costs associated with owning real estate. One smart plan may be to buy a good rental investment, live in it for a while, and then rent it out when you are ready to move on. The equity remains and collects while the retirees are off enjoying the freedom.

So what makes the most sense for you? It really comes down to all the many variables associated with your specific retirement plan. I would love to talk to you about the options that might work when it comes to real estate in Savannah GA. Call me today and let’s talk.

Why Deep Cleaning Matters When Trying to Lease a Property

May 30, 2017 by Helen Miltiades

Why Deep Cleaning Matters When Trying to Lease a Property

The best way to get a home rented to what will hopefully be long term tenants is to create an environment in the property where renters can imagine moving their belongings in and creating a life there.

If all prospective tenants see is a home that is in okay shape but not great shape it can be difficult to find someone to sign that lease. A freshly deep cleaned property with neutral paint colors will help renters see the best side of a property and envision what living there could really look like for them.

If there is carpet in the property, making sure it is professionally cleaned and in its best shape is crucial. Carpet is not the most popular or trendy of floor choices currently and tenants will notice any stains or repairs that might need to be made. It can be an immediate turn-off to see the dingy or stained carpet in a rental home and will take longer to rent the property.

Consider calling in a professional carpet cleaner to get the job done right. There are many rentable carpet cleaning machines to DIY the cleaning yourself, but it is very easy to over saturate the carpet and make the floors look or smell worse than when you started. It is best to hire a professional carpet cleaner with a satisfaction guarantee and who offers repairs, stain removal, and odor removal.

Tile grout is another item in a home that, if it is not nice and clean, can make a home look tired, dated, or not well taken care of. Make sure to get the grout deep cleaned in the home. It will give an appearance of a well taken care of the property and that the landlord really does care about providing a quality living environment. Hire a professional to clean the grout and they can seal it for you as well to help prevent any staining that may happen while renting the property.

Walls that go unpainted for long periods of time go unnoticed by someone living there, but new tenants will pick up on dingy tired walls right away. Fresh neutral colored paint on the walls along with all nicks and holes repaired will add to that new and fresh feel that a prospective quality tenant is looking for.

Some other areas to focus cleaning attention on include windows and window sills, appliances, caulk lines especially around tubs and showers, flower beds and gardens, and light fixtures.

Getting a property in top shape and ready to show to potential buyers can be a lot of work, but with the right property manager, it doesn’t have to be. A quality property manager can help you get the right people hired to have your property looking fresh and new and get a lease signed in no time.

Are you struggling to rent a property you own or looking to release some of the duties of being a landlord? We can help make rental property ownership easier. Please feel free to browse our website or contact us for more information about our property management services.

Using a Property Manager Tenants Actually Want to Work With

April 26, 2017 by Helen Miltiades

A quality property manager can help make being a landlord much less stressful. There are a number of benefits and reasons for hiring a top-notch property manager to oversee your rental.

Using a Property Manager Tenants Actually Want to Work With

One aspect of property management is finding and retaining quality renters. To do this a great property manager will build rapport with current tenants. Building strong relationships with tenants helps to create a positive culture and results in benefitting all parties of the contract.

If you have a rental property and just don’t have much time for more than collecting rent and making mandatory repairs it could be increasingly beneficial to hire a property manager. The property manager will be able to care for your renters and help them feel more comfortable in your home fostering an even more welcoming situation that may keep renters in your property longer.

The key to building a relationship between the property manager and tenants is availability. A property manager that is available to answer questions and help remedy any problems if needed is one a renter will want to work with.

The easiest way for a property manager to make themselves available to tenants is with communication that they are available to answer any questions they may have and providing the tenant with ample contact information.

Property managers that are available through more than one means of contact help to ensure renters they will not be hard to get a hold of. For this reason, many of the top property management companies will provide a phone number as well as an email and sometimes even a website they can leave a message or comment on.

When renters have an easy way to pay rent and access to an easy way to make maintenance requests they also feel valued and may even live there for a longer period of time.

Some tenants may be a little harder to keep communication lines open with and an experienced property manager knows this and is proactive to keep communication flowing starting with the time of move in. By checking in with the renter to see of they got settled in ok and periodically emailing or messaging a tenant just to check in and encouraging the tenant that it is okay to contact property management anytime with a need, you can gain great trust.

When your tenets have a good relationship with your property manager, they will be more satisfied with living in your property which translates to better tenants. For a property manager you can trust contact Helen Miltiades Realty today.

The Villages at Godley Station

January 25, 2017 by Helen Miltiades

The Village at Godley Station is a master-planned community in Pooler Georgia made up of several smaller planned subdivisions – Copper Village, Towne Lake and the Arbors.

Copper Village is a well-established subdivision featuring numerous homes from 1400 ft.² to 2400 ft.² starting at about $220,000. This community is located in Chatham County and includes over 25 acres of community amenities including a 5000 ft.² clubhouse, playground equipment, tennis courts, a fitness center, a junior size Olympic pool, and kiddie pool as well as walking and jogging trails. The homes come in one or two story floor plans and a good range of lot sizes.

Towne Lake is also a part of the Villages at Godley Station and features well-established homes, numerous amenities, and beautiful lots. Nestled among established pine trees and landscaping, Towne Lake homes were built by award-winning builders including Title Construction, Robertson Construction and numerous other local and national homebuilders. These homes are built-to-order and are all custom designed including a variety of amenities, features, and fixtures. This is one of the most popular and fastest-growing communities throughout the Pooler and Savannah area. Residents of Towne Lake enjoy the amenities of green space, privacy, playgrounds and a close and convenient access to daily necessities such as the Walmart supercenter, Sam’s Club and local restaurants and shops.

The Arbors, also known as the Arbors Circle or the Arbors Village, is a master-planned lifestyle community, which offers value, quality, and affordability among tree-lined streets and beautiful amenities. The Village Park is close by with the clubhouse and fitness center as well as numerous hiking trails, biking paths, and lighted roadways. The Arbors offers a variety of home styles typically with one or two story floor plans, one or two car garages and in sizes from 1500 ft.² to 2300 ft.². These homes were built by a variety of homebuilders including Jerry C Wardlaw Construction and Hallmark Custom Homes. These home start at about $220,000 and are similar in style to Copper Village homes.

The Arbors is a small community located inside The Villages at Godly Station located in Pooler Georgia. This community along with Copper Village, offer affordable homes, a wide variety of amenities and a convenient location just minutes to downtown Pooler and about 25 minutes from Savannah.

The Arbors has four different floor plans:

The Mulberry is a four bedroom, two and one-half bath, two-story home with a two-car garage and about 2700 ft.² of living space. It originally sold for around $235,000.

The Dogwood is a two-story home with four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, 2435 ft.² and a two-car garage originally priced at about $225,000.

The Mimosa is a two-story home with a two-car garage, four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms with 2785 ft.² originally priced at $231,000.

The White Oak is a one-story home with about 1816 ft.² of living space, three bedrooms and two full baths with a two-car garage originally priced at $206,000.

Today, all of these homes have been built out and sold. Resale homes are available between $250,000 and $400,000. Residents have use of the community amenities such as a relaxing and fun swimming pool, multiple tennis courts and a clubhouse. The clubhouse features 5000 ft.² of meeting space and is ideal for parties, gatherings, get-togethers and reunions. It also features a fitness center, full-service kitchen and parlor area. Residents also have the use of the kiddie pool and children’s play area. Fitness areas include tennis courts, volleyball courts, basketball courts and a variety of hiking and biking trails.

These homes were built by Jerry C Wardlaw construction, also known as the Carolina Collection. Other construction companies included Hallmark Custom Homes. Many of these homes have practical and useful outdoor living spaces and may include a backyard fire pit, fireplace or covered patio.

Residents of the Arbors pay monthly homeowners dues of around $85-$100 per month. (Fees may have changed since the publishing of this post).This covers all common area maintenance, road maintenance, and management services. Residents are just a short few minutes to shopping, work, and local schools. Residents utilize the Godly Station Elementary, the Godly Station Middle, and the New Hampstead High School.

All homes at the Villages at Godley Station require monthly homeowners association dues, which vary depending on the location and style of home. These homes are located in the Pooler School District with phenomenal new schools including the Godly K-8 and the New Hempstead High School.

For more information on the homes and real estate currently for sale at the Villages at Godley Station or surrounding homes and similar price ranges please feel free to give me a call at any time.