Memphis Real Estate Blog

Upcoming Holiday Events in the Mid-South

jasongaiateam — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 20:24:30 +0000

Rockeyfeller Plaza

November 05, 2012 – December 30, 2012

200 Union Ave.
Memphis, TN 38103

Tel: 901-721-6000

AutoZone Park will soon be one of downtown Memhis’ favorite family-friendly hotspots this holiday season. “Rockeyfeller Plaza” will feature a lighted 35-foot articial tree which…

Zoo Lights

November 15, 2012 – December 30, 2012

2000 Prentiss Place
Memphis, TN 38112

Tel: 901-333-6500

What better way to enjoy the lights of the holiday season than at the Memphis Zoo. Grab your scarf and mittens and enjoy the stroll through the #1 rated zoo in the U.S. taking in…

Memphis Zoo on Ice

November 16, 2012 – December 30, 2012

2000 Prentiss Place
Memphis, TN 38112

Tel: 901-333-6500

The Memphis Zoo knows how to welcome the holiday season. This #1 rated zoo will be decked out in festive light displays from mid-November through December. As you stroll through…

Christmas at Graceland 2012

November 16, 2012 – January 08, 2013

3734 Elvis Presley Blvd.
Memphis, TN 38116

Tel: 800-238-2000

The arrival of winter at Graceland was always a special time of year. It meant the holiday season was fast approaching and the anticipation of all the fun things the season would…

Star of Wonder

November 17, 2012 – December 30, 2012

3050 Central Ave
Memphis, TN 38111

Tel: 901-636-2362

View the seasonal skies and learn about the planets and constellations at the Sharpe Planetarium in the Pink Palace Museum. The Sharpe Planetarium features 165-seat theater-in-the…

Enchanted Forest Festival of Trees

November 17, 2012 – December 31, 2012

3050 Central Avenue
Memphis, TN 38111

Tel: 901-320-6320

A Memphis holiday tradition, the Enchanted Forest is full of delightful animated characters, model trains, gingerbread houses and dozens of beautifully decorated trees. All proceeds…

The Night Before Christmas at CTI Imax

November 17, 2012 – December 31, 2012

3050 Central Ave
Memphis, TN 38111

Tel: 901-320-6362

The Night Before Christmas comes to life in this stop-motion animated IMAX film featuring a brother and sister, and their friend, The Candleman. A little holiday magic also takes…

Starry Nights

November 23, 2012 – December 28, 2012

500 North Pine Lake Drive
Memphis, TN 38134

Tel: 901-767-7275

First Tennessee Starry Nights is a Mid-South tradition. More than 2.5 million lights illuminate the night sky in the largest holiday light show and festival in the Mid-South. But…

Snowy Nights in My Big Backyard

November 23, 2012 – December 29, 2012

750 Cherry Road
Memphis, TN 38117

Tel: 901-636-4131

Bring the family to celebrate the holiday season in the children’s garden at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Play in the Giant Snow Globe, create winter crafts, and enjoy fun, games…

Paperwhite, Amaryllis and Christmas Cactus Sale

November 10, 2012 – November 30, 2012

4339 Park Avenue
Memphis, TN 38117

Tel: 901-761-5250

Pre-order your Christmas bulbs now. These fresh-blooming flowers make instant holiday decorations for the home or much-appreciated gifts. Place your orders now for these special…

Cedar Hill Farms Cookies & Milk with Santa

November 24, 2012 – December 22, 2012

008 Love Road
Hernando, MS 38632

Tel: 662-429-2540

No reservations required. $4.95+ tax per person (including adults) to visit with Santa. Bring your camera and take pictures at the Loft and visit with Santa while you…

Cedar Hill Farm Christmas Tree Farm

November 25, 2012 – December 15, 2012

008 Love Road
Hernando, MS 38632

Tel: 662-429-2540

Families can take a hayride to the back forty and choose and cut the perfect Christmas tree right from the farm. Choose the non-allergenic and non-shedding Leyland Cypress, Carolina…

Santa Claus in Old Towne

November 26, 2012 – November 30, 2012

9200 Pigeon Roost Road
Olive Branch, MS 38656

Tel: 662-893-0888

Santa Claus will visit Old Towne for pictures at Pigeon Roost Plaza in front of the barber shop.

Old Towne Christmas & City Tree Lighting

November 29, 2012

9200 Pigeon Roost Road
Olive Branch, MS 38656

Tel: 901-517-2396

Annual Christmas festivities in the Old Towne setting.

Ballet Memphis Presents Nutcracker

November 30, 2012 – December 02, 2012

203 S. Main St.
Memphis, TN 38103

Tel: 901-525-3000

The Nutcracker lifts everyone into the holiday spirit. Ballet Memphis’ largest theatre production features more than 100 local children and professional dancers, a live orchestra…

Christmas Kitchens and Cuisine: An Advent Affair

November 30, 2012

564 West Commerce Street
Hernando, MS 38632

Tel: 662-404-3361

The Annual Fall Tour of Homes is being represented this year as a holiday event and includes four Christmas kitchen tours from 7-8:30 p.m. in the lovely homes of Randy and Sara…

Annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Christmas Show

November 30, 2012

200 Madison Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103

Tel: 902-482-4949

Start your holiday season off right with this family-friendly rockin’ performance of your Christmas favorites at Visible Music College in downtown Memphis. The college trains…

Stage your home during Christmas

jasongaiateam — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 19:54:57 +0000

I think houses for sale at Christmas need to reflect the season but that normal staging rules should still apply. The rules are:

1. Emphasise your house’s features.

Think about the selling features of your house and use your Christmas decorations to emphasize them. For example, if you have a lovely fireplace then a simple wreath hanging over the mantel mirror will draw attention. If you have high ceilings then a larger tree will ‘sell’ these. An impressive kitchen counter? Place mince pies on a covered glass cake stand. Is the entry to your house a feature? A seasonal bunch of flowers on the entry table will give a welcoming first impression.

2. Less is more

One of the top rules for staging is to remove clutter so it makes sense not to clutter your house with decorations. A couple of places for decorations in each room is enough (a tree, a table decoration, a wreath, a couple of candles) and keep all bedrooms decoration free. Think about size too. It’s better to have 1 large piece than lots of smaller ones.

3. Think of your audience

Decorate with your ideal buying audience in mind. If you’re aiming for a family then a traditional tree works well. If you’re aiming at a younger couple then they will appreciate more stylish decorations. Help your audience see how a Christmas could be celebrated in your house if they were to buy it.

4. Don’t get too personal.

Christmas decorations are inherently personal but a little stylish ‘curation’ will help. Definitely a big no to lots of lights on the outside of your house or to inflatable santas or reindeer perched in your yard. This look is not for everyone.

5. Keep it on trend.

We’ve all got boxes of decorations that we bring out each year without question. It’s part of the fun of Christmas. For staging, use only the newer pieces or invest in a few pieces that you can take and enjoy in your next home. Think about the accent colors you are using throughout your house and keep the decorations in line with these.

An added benefit. Buying activity will slow down across Christmas but viewings will still happen. Having less decorations will help you stay on top of the clutter and cleaning and give you less to pack away when you sell your house.

Monday Night Game Recipes. You Already Know Who this is About!

jasongaiateam — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:40:07 +0000

With Darrelle Revis and Santonio Holmes out with injuries, it’s looking like it’s going to be another long season for Jets’ fans. This just means that game days require a larger focus on alcohol. (Atleast until they start Tim Tebow)

The Jet-Tini: 1 slice apple finely chopped, 1 tablespoon sour mix, 1 shot apple schnapps, 1/2 shot Smirnoff green apple vodka, ½ shot Smirnoff vanilla vodka

Tebow Time: A New York sports bar ,Brother Jimmy’s, created a “No Sex on the Beach” cocktail in hopes that Tim Tebow would visit the bar, but pretty much any mocktail will do. Perfect for the designated driver for the evening.

If cocktails like these aren’t really your thing, you can always just serve green beer. Just drop a drop or two of green food coloring into a bottle of light-hued beer.

To satisfy your stomachs before game time, come up with your own version of the Tim Tebow inspired sandwich served at New York’s famous Carnegie Deli. The ingredients?

The Jetbow, consists of corned beef, pastrami, roast beef, American cheese, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. With two pieces of white bread. Feel free to jazz it up any way you like, kind of the same way Tebow does the 4^th quarter. Maybe Monday will be the last of Mark Sanchez…..or the beginning of Tebow Time!

NFL Week 5

jasongaiateam — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 23:57:36 +0000

SUN, OCT 7	TIME
Miami at Cincinnati	12:00 PM
Green Bay at Indianapolis	12:00 PM
Baltimore at Kansas City	12:00 PM
Atlanta at Washington	12:00 PM
Cleveland at NY Giants	12:00 PM
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh	12:00 PM
Seattle at Carolina	3:05 PM
Chicago at Jacksonville	3:05 PM
Tennessee at Minnesota	3:25 PM
Denver at New England	3:25 PM
Buffalo at San Francisco	3:25 PM
San Diego at New Orleans	7:20 PM
MON, OCT 8	TIME
Houston at NY Jets	7:30 PM

Halloween Tips when Selling your Home

jasongaiateam — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:42:26 +0000

Halloween is that magical time of year when children and adults dress up in costume and get candy. Here are some Halloween decorating tips for homes for sale during Halloween time.

We love Halloween and put decorations up all over the house and outside. We go for the scary and borderline gory decorations. This may not be the best way to go if you are trying to sell your home.

Inside your home – Limit the amount of decorations in your home. Try using a “harvest” type of centerpiece on your dining table. One or two witches or ghosts is ok, but remember that the goal when selling your home is to de-clutter the house so don’t go too crazy with the spooktacular decorations. You can add a Halloween feel by adding harvest tea towels to your oven door handle and a few faux pumpkins.

Outside your home – Stay away from the Scary decorations. Your homes curb appeal is very important. Your curb appeal is your homes first impression on buyers and you want to make a good one. Try using a bail of hay on the porch accented with a few pumpkins. If you have a flag pole you may want to hang a “cute” Halloween flag. Keep your decorations in a “harvest theme” and limit your decorations to 5-7 pieces.

Get the Kids involved in your downsized decorating. You can get a plain hay wreath at your favorite craft store. Go to your local dollar store and pick up a few fall floral picks. Grab a few small Halloween decorations like cute witches or ghosts that you can add to the wreath. Usually they will be floral picks or small handing decorations. Cut the leaves off the pics and remove the sticks and strings from the decorations. Then all you need to do is have the kids help you glue the leaves and decorations to the wreath. This will make the kids feel like they decorated the house even with the downsizing in decorations.

Simple Tips for Better Home Showings

jasongaiateam — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:28:00 +0000

Remove clutter and clear off counters. Throw out stacks of newspapers and magazines and stow away most of your small decorative items. Put excess furniture in storage, and remove out-of-season clothing items that are cramping closet space. Don’t forget to clean out the garage, too.
Wash your windows and screens. This will help get more light into the interior of the home.
Keep everything extra clean. A clean house will make a strong first impression and send a message to buyers that the home has been well-cared for. Wash fingerprints from light switch plates, mop and wax floors, and clean the stove and refrigerator. Polish your doorknobs and address numbers. It’s worth hiring a cleaning service if you can afford it.
Get rid of smells. Clean carpeting and drapes to eliminate cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells. Open the windows to air out the house. Potpourri or scented candles will help.
Brighten your rooms. Put higher wattage bulbs in light fixtures to brighten up rooms and basements. Replace any burned-out bulbs in closets. Clean the walls, or better yet, brush on a fresh coat of neutral color paint.
Don’t disregard minor repairs. Small problems such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, or a dripping faucet may seem trivial, but they’ll give buyers the impression that the house isn’t well-maintained.
Tidy your yard. Cut the grass, rake the leaves, add new mulch, trim the bushes, edge the walkways, and clean the gutters. For added curb appeal, place a pot of bright flowers near the entryway.
Patch holes. Repair any holes in your driveway and reapply sealant, if applicable.
Add a touch of color in the living room. A colored afghan or throw on the couch will jazz up a dull room. Buy new accent pillows for the sofa.
Buy a flowering plant and put it near a window you pass by frequently.
Make centerpieces for your tables. Use brightly colored fruit or flowers.
Set the scene. Set the table with fancy dishes and candles, and create other vignettes throughout the home to help buyers picture living there. For example, in the basement you might display a chess game in progress.
Replace heavy curtains with sheer ones that let in more light. Show off the view if you have one.
Accentuate the fireplace. Lay fresh logs in the fireplace or put a basket of flowers there if it’s not in use.
Make the bathrooms feel luxurious. Put away those old towels and toothbrushes. When buyers enter your bathroom, they should feel pampered. Add a new shower curtain, new towels, and fancy guest soaps. Make sure your personal toiletry items are out of sight.
Send your pets to a neighbor or take them outside. If that’s not possible, crate them or confine them to one room (ideally in the basement), and let the real estate practitioner know where they’ll be to eliminate surprises.
Lock up valuables, jewelry, and money. While a real estate salesperson will be on site during the showing or open house, it’s impossible to watch everyone all the time.
Leave the home. It’s usually best if the sellers are not at home. It’s awkward for prospective buyers to look in your closets and express their opinions of your home with you there.

Tennessee Temptations for Game Day

jasongaiateam — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 18:21:50 +0000

Both the Tennessee Titans and the Tennessee Volunteers have conference games this weekend. The past few weeks have been shocking in both NFL and SEC play, we’ve seen some upsets and some upsetting calls. Now it’s time to get back in action and get cooking! I’ve chosen Tennessee themed recipes that are great for all occasions, like Tuesdays.

I think everyone will enjoy this marinade that will be perfect for anything you choose to serve and it pairs nicely with the new Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey. Have fun!

JACK DANIEL’S MARINADE

1/4 cup Jack Daniels Whiskey 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup Dijon mustard 1/4 cup minced green onions (with tops) 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste) 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (not salt) 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Blend all ingredients. Use as a marinade for shrimp, scallops, beef, chicken or pork.

Marinate seafood for 1 hour. Marinate beef, chicken or pork in refrigerator for 2-12 hours.

After marinating, reserve marinade. Stir in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into cold marinade. In a saucepan, bring marinade to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Use as a sauce for basting while cooking seafood or meat while it is being grilled or broiled

JACK HONEY LEMONADE

Ingredients

1 part Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey
3 parts lemonade

Instructions

Combine ingredients in a tall glass over ice and garnish with a cherry.

Welcome to NFL Week 4 and Welcome Back Refs!!!

jasongaiateam — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:42:09 +0000

Week 4
THU, SEP 27	TIME
Cleveland at Baltimore	7:20 PM
SUN, SEP 30	TIME
Carolina at Atlanta	12:00 PM
New England at Buffalo	12:00 PM
Minnesota at Detroit	12:00 PM
San Diego at Kansas City	12:00 PM
Seattle at St. Louis	12:00 PM
San Francisco at NY Jets	12:00 PM
Tennessee at Houston	12:00 PM
Cincinnati at Jacksonville	3:05 PM
Miami at Arizona	3:05 PM
Oakland at Denver	3:05 PM
New Orleans at Green Bay	3:25 PM
Washington at Tampa Bay	3:25 PM
NY Giants at Philadelphia	7:20 PM
MON, OCT 1	TIME
Chicago at Dallas	7:30 PM

Wondering How Much Your Home Is Worth?

jasongaiateam — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 20:24:44 +0000

How has the price of your home changed in today’s market? How much are other homes in your neighborhood selling for?

If you’re wondering what’s happening to prices in your area, or you’re thinking about selling your house, I’ll be able to help.

Just give my office a call for a no-fuss, professional evaluation.

I won’t try to push you into listing with me or waste your time.

I’ll just give you the honest facts about your home and its value.

And maybe I’ll also give you the “inside scoop” on what’s happening in the housing market near where you live!

Just give my office a call at (901) 751-4357 or email me at Jason@JasonGaiaTeam.com to arrange an appointment.

17 Tips for Packing Like a Pro

jasongaiateam — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:04:38 +0000

Moving to a new home can be stressful, to say the least. Make it easy on yourself by planning far in advance and making sure you’ve covered all the bases.

Plan ahead by organizing and budgeting. Develop a master “to do” list so you won’t forget something critical on moving day, and create an estimate of moving costs. (A moving calculator is available at REALTOR.com)
Sort and get rid of things you no longer want or need. Have a garage sale, donate to a charity, or recycle.
But don’t throw out everything. If your inclination is to just toss it, you’re probably right. However, it’s possible to go overboard in the heat of the moment. Ask yourself how frequently you use an item and how you’d feel if you no longer had it. That will eliminate regrets after the move.
Pack similar items together. Put toys with toys, kitchen utensils with kitchen utensils. It will make your life easier when it’s time to unpack.
Decide what, if anything, you plan to move on your own. Precious items such as family photos, valuable breakables, or must-haves during the move should probably stay with you. Don’t forget to keep a “necessities” bag with tissues, snacks, and other items you’ll need that day.
Remember, most movers won’t take plants. If you don’t want to leave them behind, you should plan on moving them yourself.
Use the right box for the item. Loose items are prone to breakage.
Put heavy items in small boxes so they’re easier to lift. Keep the weight of each box under 50 pounds, if possible.
Don’t over-pack boxes. It increases the likelihood that items inside the box will break.
Wrap every fragile item separately and pad bottom and sides of boxes. If necessary, purchase bubble-wrap or other packing materials from moving stores.
Label every box on all sides. You never know how they’ll be stacked and you don’t want to have to move other boxes aside to find out what’s there.
Use color-coded labels to indicate which room each item should go in. Color-code a floor plan for your new house to help movers.
Keep your moving documents together in a file. Include important phone numbers, driver’s name, and moving van number. Also keep your address book handy.
Print out a map and directions for movers. Make several copies, and highlight the route. Include your cell phone number on the map. You don’t want movers to get lost! Also make copies for friends or family who are lending a hand on moving day.
Back up your computer files before moving your computer. Keep the backup in a safe place, preferably at an off-site location.
Inspect each box and all furniture for damage as soon as it arrives.
Make arrangements for small children and pets. Moving can be stressful and emotional. Kids can help organize their things and pack boxes ahead of time, but, if possible, it might be best to spare them from the moving-day madness.