We're at it again with another Facebook Live raffle! We love connecting with our community and promoting local business owners and this is just one way we do it. If YOU want to be entered to win, be sure to find this post on our Facebook Page and like it or share it and tag us! We will be drawing 2 WINNERS to receive both a gift certificate AND a t-shirt next Wednesday, June 28th.

 by CENTURY 21

Who doesn’t want a faster home sale? Make a good impression on buyers to increase your chances of a speedy sale. Not sure how to do that? We’ve got tips for every step of the home sale process.

Optimize Your Listing: A picture is worth a thousand words. Take professional quality images of your home. There is an abundance of online listings — do what you can to make yours stand out (for all the right reasons). Work with a CENTURY 21® Affiliated Sales Associate to write your listing and create a seller marketing plan. Recommended Reading: Picture Perfect: How to Take Great Photos of Your Home, Creating a Marketing Plan

Upgrade Your Curb Appeal: The outside of your home is the first area a potential buyer will see. Spruce up your yard and exterior. Add a fresh coat of paint, new landscaping, a new mailbox, and more! Recommended Reading: 7 Essential Curb Appeal Tips for Sellers

Clear Clutter: Getting rid of clutter may make your home appear larger and more appealing to buyers. Donate usable items, and get rid of items that are unusable. Once you’ve paired down, get organized so everything looks neat and tidy. Recommended Reading: 7 Easy Ways to Organize Your Home

Make Your Home Feel Larger: Little tricks like using light paint colors, incorporating mirrors, adding extra lighting, and sticking to a monochromatic color scheme may make your room appear larger. Make some home decor and home improvement changes before your open house. Recommended Reading: 10 Secrets for Making Your Bedroom Feel Larger

Accomplish Home Improvement Projects: Pick up a hammer and nails, and complete some home upgrades. Before you get started, make sure you’re not improving something too much. It’s not an oxymoron, we promise. Recommended Reading: Cents and Sensibility: 5 Mistakes That Could Decrease Your Home’s Value, Top 5 Best Home Improvements for Sellers in 2015

Avoid Common Seller Slip-Ups: Learn from someone else’s mistakes. CENTURY 21® Affiliated Sales Associate, Ann Weaver, shared some of the most common mistakes she’s seen sellers make. Hint: Home condition, marketing, and open house times all made the list. Recommended Reading: The 5 Biggest Seller Mistakes

Ace Your Open Houses: An open house is a key component of the home sale process. You want your open houses to run as smoothly as possible. Avoid these common errors. Recommended Reading: Open House Oops: Don’t Make These Mistakes, Do This, Not That: Tips for Staging Your Home

Set the Price: Setting a price can be tricky. You don’t want to price too high or too low. It’s helpful to research, listen, and compromise. Recommended Reading: Setting the Price, The Sale

What are you waiting for? Start today. You may find that you have a smoother (and speedier) home sale process as a result.

It doesn't take much time here to realize what an incredible community we have the privilege to be a part of in the High Country. There's something so unique about the cluster of mountain towns, each with their own quaint restaurants and boutiques, bustling with locals and tourists alike. We love it so much that we want to show you just a small piece of our charming community: King Street in downtown Boone. So take a walk through town with Billy Herring, a Boone native, and get to know us and where we come from a little bit better. You won't be disappointed!

by CENTURY 21

A real estate agent’s main asset is their personality. If you’re a good listener and you love connecting with other people you’re probably an agent-in-waiting. The best agents are typically dependable, conscientious, and capable of sustaining new and lasting relationships. If this sounds like you, you’re in the right place.

CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT tool will help you determine your personality type by providing invaluable insights to help you move one step closer to entering the real estate business.

Are you comfortable around strangers? Do you like to take charge of a situation? If you’re nodding your head, this tool is for you. It’s a quick and easy way to gain insight into becoming a great agent. Chances are you’re already bursting with qualities you’ve never equated to selling a house.

So, are you interested in an independent business where you make your own hours? Does the idea of helping someone make their dream a reality sound exciting?

Click below to unlock your real estate personality. It only takes ten minutes. You’ll never forget the feeling of handing someone the keys to their new home.

by CENTURY 21

Have you ever pondered which show fits your personality best? Take this quiz to find out!

Where would you like to live the most?

    1. An estate

    2. A castle

    3. A white house

    4. A big city apartment

    5. A home on the beach

Which word best fits your decorating style? 

    1. Opulent

    2. Rustic

    3. Minimalist

    4. Vintage

    5. Eclectic

Which is your favorite activity?

    1. Throwing dinner parties

    2. Watching fights

    3. Planning takedowns

    4. Drinking whiskey

    5. Spending time with family

Which would be your dream job?

    1. Not working 

    2. King

    3. Politician

    4. Advertising executive

    5. Real estate agent

Which drives you?

    1. Reputation

    2. Honor

    3. Power 

    4. Money

    5. Family

Answers:

If you chose mostly 1’s, you belong in “Downton Abbey.” You embody class, and you’re always aware of the impression you give off. You like to host formal events (mostly so you can show off your formal dining room). You find comfort in antiques and collecting pieces that have a story. Each room of your home is full of items from different periods of history, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

If you chose mostly 2’s, you belong in “Game of Thrones.” You are a tough person, and you love battle scenes almost as much as you love dragons. You like to decorate with darker colors and love the cool touch of stone walls. Your favorite space is probably your living room, where you claim the best chair every day (despite others trying to steal it from you). Winter is coming, but you don’t mind the cold.

If you chose mostly 3’s, you belong in “House of Cards.” You know what you want, and you’re willing to do whatever it takes to get it. You are full of passion and drive, and you don’t like distractions—which is why your home is full of neutrals. You’re a minimalist through and through, so you decorate with cool steel accessories and light-colored walls. You won’t let anything slow you down!

If you chose mostly 4’s, you belong in “Mad Men.” You are flashy, creative, and hardworking, which shows in your home. You strive to find the perfect accent pieces to bring any room to the next level. A bright purple lamp here, a teal pillow there, and your regular house becomes a stylish home.

If you chose mostly 5’s, you belong in “Modern Family.” There is nothing more important to you than family—not work, power, or even friends. The first people you turn to when you have a problem are your parents, siblings, and kids. This is echoed in your decor, because you choose comfort over style. Some might say you have a typical suburban house, but to you, it’s much more than that—it’s a place to display your family photos and creations for everyone to admire. And, yes, you still have your thirty-year-old’s artwork on the fridge…

This month, we are proud to welcome two new agents to our fabulous team: Eric Thomas and Pam Pizza. Both have ecstatic personalities, extraordinary work ethics, and extreme attention to detail. If you are looking to buy or sell, these two are ready to bring their knowledge and talent to the process with your best interests in mind!

Eric is new to the real estate business--he's a true natural already making incredible strides in this new venture. Give Eric a call at 903-601-1146 and he will provide you with some of the best service in town!

Pam has been in real estate for about 15 years and especially enjoys working with buyers. We're honored to have Pam on our team, and we look forward to everything she'll do with us! To reach Pam, call 828-263-3590.

by CENTURY 21

With so many dining rooms being converted into part of the living room or kitchen these days, dining room design has kind of fallen by the wayside. But if you’re one of the lucky homeowners to have hung on to a formal dining space, you’ve got an opportunity to make some amazing modern updates. Here are 7 affordable ways to breathe new life into an old dining room:

#1 Perk things up with paint.

Are your dining room walls still the same color they were when you moved into your house 10 years ago? If so, there’s a good chance the color’s a little past its prime. In fact, it may also be doing an injustice to your furniture and the updates you’ve made in adjoining rooms as well. Refresh the walls with a paint shade that makes you feel comfortable and cozy. The room will reflect that feeling.

#2 Modernize the lighting.

Are outdated chandeliers and lamps gathering dust in your dining room? Consider sending them packing and installing some recessed lighting and pendants in their place. Pendant lights, in particular, come in a wide variety of styles and colors sure to add some new pizzazz to your space.

#3 Repurpose another room.

If your dining room is located in an undesirable space — a cramped corner of the house away from the kitchen, for example — pick a new place for your table and chairs. Put them in the kitchen, if you have the the space. Or, place the dining table somewhere right in your living room, where there’s easy access to the TV and stereo. You should always feel comfortable during a meal, and being confined to an area you don’t enjoy doesn’t contribute to that feeling.

#4 Add some visual appeal.

Visual appeal doesn’t stop at paint and lighting. It’s also important to consider how wall decor may increase the interest and comfort of the room. Blank walls may make it easy to zone out and focus on your meals, but your guests will surely enjoy looking at something a little more interesting. Depending on your budget and the size of your dining room, consider hanging potted plants and colorful pieces of art. Just be sure to balance wall decor with other elements in the room so your space doesn’t feel like it’s cluttered with stuff.

#5 Throw in a rug.

One of the worst sounds to hear is a chair scratching against the floor as you go to get up from the dining table. So fix the issue. Add a rug underneath the table and chairs to make things soft and cozy. Choose a rug that isn’t too thick with fibers. Otherwise, your chairs can get stuck and twisted. Of course, you’ll also want to make sure that the style and color of your rug complement the rest of the room.

#6 Use dividers.

Many newer homes combine kitchen and dining spaces. If you want to create a dedicated dining space, think about incorporating a room divider. It’s much cheaper than installing a wall — and you can add shelves, plants or a sliding door to further divide the two spaces. Plus, the flexibility of the divider allows to revert back to the bigger space any time you like.

#7 Build in.

How’s your dining room designed? Do you have a table that sits in the middle with four chairs around it? If you want to make the room more functional — and create more storage in the process — think about ditching the clunky furniture and opting instead for built-ins like bench seating, china cabinets and buffets. A professional can create custom built-ins to suit any style.

by CENTURY 21

It can be easy to get lost and confused during the home buying process. Proper planning is paramount. It’s also helpful to learn from other people’s mistakes. Here are some of the most common errors people make when shopping for a new home.

Not budgeting for everything: Yes, this sounds obvious, but many people forget about some of the costs of buying a home. There are added costs such as furniture and appliances, DIY projects, moving fees, or your first mortgage payment. This last one is especially important—setting a budget may help you determine how much you can comfortably afford to pay for your mortgage.

Neglecting your credit score: Your credit score will play a major role in the home buying process. This 3-digit number might be the thing that keeps you from your new home! Credit reports often contain errors or misinformation, so it’s important to retrieve your report ahead of time and fix any errors before sending it out to lenders. Looking at your credit reports may also give you a better idea of what interest rates you can expect so you can make room for them in your budget.

Trusting verbal agreements: A home seller can verbally accept your bid and still turn around and give it to someone else if a higher bidder comes along. So before you celebrate your new home, make sure you’ve signed paperwork!

Skipping the home inspection: You can’t expect the seller to tell you about all the potential problems you might face if you buy their home. There might even be issues with the house that the seller isn’t aware of, which is why it’s crucial to hire an inspector to take a look through the house. An inspector will examine the overall foundation and structural features of a house. It’s their job to find these areas of concern so that you don’t have to worry about them later on! (Tip: Don’t be too reliant on the inspector. You may catch these problems that they sometimes miss.)

Sweating the small things: Don’t like the color of a house or the wallpaper inside? Is there something about the kitchen that you just can’t stand? Don’t sweat the small things! Focus instead on the location and the overall structure of the house. Once you move in you can change the small things you don’t like and make your house a home!

If you avoid these mistakes and work closely with a CENTURY 21^® Affiliated Sales Associate, you may just find the home you’ve been searching for!