Reuse Paper Bags

Bringing your own

bags with you when

you shop is a great

way to cut down on

waste.

Ever wonder what house upgrades will provide the best return on

your dollar when the time comes to sell?

Check Remodeling Magazine’s "Cost vs. Value Report" where you can view

various remodeling projects. The report provides an estimate of the job cost

along with the added value on resale and continues by calculating the percent-

age of the cost recouped. www.costvsvalue.com/atlanta

Before You Buy

Inspect! Buying a home is one of the most important purchases you will make

in your lifetime, so you should be sure that the home you want to buy

is in good condition. A home inspection is an evaluation of a home's

condition by a trained expert.

During a home inspection, a qualified inspector takes an in-depth and

impartial look at the property you plan to buy. The inspector will re-

view the readily accessible exposed portions of the structure of the

home, including the roof, attic, walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors,

basement and foundation, as well as the heating/air conditioning sys-

tems, interior plumbing, and electrical systems for potential problems.

Home inspections are not intended to point out every small problem or

any latent defect in a home. Most minor or cosmetic flaws, for exam-

ple, should be apparent to the buyer without the aid of a professional.

DID YOU KNOW?DID YOU KNOW?DID YOU KNOW?DID YOU KNOW?

The air released from a

sneeze can exceed the

speed of 100 mph!

Patricia Kalmeijer, Realtor ®| 678-386-3896 | patriciakalmeijer@jennypruitt.com | www.patriciakalmeijer.jennypruitt.com

Compared to the rest of the country, Georgia's cost of living is 11.83% lower than the U.S. average.

SEVERE DROUGHT

Find out more Georgia’s drought

score with the Sperling Drought

Index Methodology.

www.droughtscore.com

MARCH 2008

Have you heard about this

ordinance? In Gainesville, it is illegal to eat

chicken with a fork….

SELLING A HOME FOR TOP DOLLAR IN TODAY’S MARKET CONDITIONS TAKES MORE WORK THAN SIMPLY LISTING THE HOME ONLINE … HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY!

Find out what your realtor is actually doing to get your home sold

Your realtor should invest in numerous tasks that will lead to the suc-

cessful sale of your home. Those include but are not limited to guiding

you through the selling process, providing you with knowledgeable ad-

vice like staging your house (recommend repairs or cosmetic work that

will significantly enhance the salability of your property), advertising in

newspapers and other media, scheduling and hosting open houses,

emailing new listing to all contacts and current buyers, coordinating

showings, getting feedback from agents after showings, keeping you in

the loop, negotiating the best possible deal, managing the paperwork,

preparing for the closing, and more. Your realtor should present you

with a detailed and efficient marketing plan ...

Meet me at one of my Open Houses. Meet me at one of my Open Houses. Meet me at one of my Open Houses. Meet me at one of my Open Houses. Every Sunday from 2 Every Sunday from 2 Every Sunday from 2 Every Sunday from 2 ---- 5 pm.5 pm.5 pm.5 pm.

Check my website to find out where I amCheck my website to find out where I amCheck my website to find out where I amCheck my website to find out where I am

www.patriciakalmeijer.jennypruitt.comwww.patriciakalmeijer.jennypruitt.comwww.patriciakalmeijer.jennypruitt.comwww.patriciakalmeijer.jennypruitt.com

Epicurean Corner

Fluffy Pancakes

Ingredients

- 3 large eggs

- 1 cup flour (122 gr)

- 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

- 1/2 cup milk (110 ml)

- Pinch of salt (optional)

Method

• Add the flour, baking powder

and milk to the egg yolks and

mix to a smooth thick batter

• Whisk the whites (with the salt)

until they form stiff peaks

• Fold carefully into the batter

• Pour some of your batter into

the pan and fry - on a medium

heat - for a couple of minutes

until it starts to look golden and

firm

• At this point, sprinkle your cho-

sen flavoring onto the uncooked

side before loosening with a

spatula and flipping the pancake

over

• Continue frying until both sides

are golden

You can make these pancakes large

or small, to your liking. You can

serve them with maple syrup, but-

ter, chocolate or crème fraiche…

Bon appétit!

Donate your furniture

Atlanta Furniture Bank

www.furniturebankatlanta.org

Atlanta Tool Bank

www.toolbank.org

Habitat for Humanity “The ReStore”

www.atlantahabitat.org/restore.asp

Famous Georgians

Ray Charles (1930-2004), singer, pian-

ist, composer, born in Albany.

“Georgia” would become the song

most associated with Ray Charles and

was adopted as Georgia's official

state song on April 24, 1979. What

was just a ”tune” written in 1930 by

two college roommates has been

recorded by Charles only at the sug-

gestion of his chauffeur…

MY LISTINGSMY LISTINGSMY LISTINGSMY LISTINGS

FOR SALE

• 282 Cottonwood Creek Circle, Canton, GA 30114 at $119,840

• 116 Ashton Farms Drive, Canton, GA 30115 at $797,000

• 3181 Davis Road, Marietta, GA 30062 at $234,840

• 229 Baywood Way, Hiram, GA 30141 at $158,500

RENTAL

• 4511 Chattahoochee Way, Marietta, GA 30068 at $3,850/month

The AIRNow website

Find out more about the daily air quality. It tells you

how clean or polluted your outdoor air is, and what

associated health effects might be a concern for you.

http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.fcsummary

The percentage of homes sold without profes-

sional representation has continued to decline

since 1997. The survey also indicates most “For

Sale By Owners” end up working with a real estate

agent.

Would You Pay More For A Green Home?

Email me your comments

A real estate agent is a REALTOR® when he or

she becomes a member of the NATIONAL AS-

SOCIATION OF REALTORS®, The Voice for Real

Estate®, the world's largest professional asso-

ciation. The term "REALTOR®" is a registered

collective membership mark that identifies a

real estate professional who is a member of

the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

and abides by its strict Code of Ethics.

The Language of Real Estate - When is a Real Estate Agent a REALTOR®?

Financial TraumaFinancial TraumaFinancial TraumaFinancial Trauma

Recognize early the warning signs of serious financial problems and

get more choices for a successful solution. Don’t let your cash flow

become anorexic.

Here are a few tips:

• Don’t live paycheck to paycheck

• Don’t spend more than you earn

• Get a good insurance (medical debts seem to be a serious cause of bankruptcy)

• Pay more than the minimum payment on your credit cards

Why not start out with a higher price and just see what happens? Since buyers have so many choices, some homes are taking months, not weeks, to sell. If you don’t price your home competitively from the start, you run the risk of having your house on the market for a very long time … or not selling at all.

Useful tip: to keep your extension cords from getting tangled, insert them into a empty toilet paper roll to store...

Patricia Kalmeijer, Realtor ®| 678-386-3896 | patriciakalmeijer@jennypruitt.com | www.patriciakalmeijer.jennypruitt.com