Properties By Simona - Georgia Realtor

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas!
May your day be filled with laughter, love, and holiday cheer 🎄✨

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah!

If you celebrate, may the week ahead bring you and your loved ones joy, friendship, and laughter.

From my home to yours, have a wonderful Festival of Lights!

Heads up, sellers! Clean and fresh goes without saying, but a new study from GetAgent says selling your home may be as simple as one of these fragrances wafting through the halls of your home:

- Freshly baked bread
- Fresh linen
- Newly brewed coffee

You could always do some serious baking, washing, or brewing right before “show” time, but lighting a candle is definitely the easiest way to go. Other safe smells? Cinnamon, citrus, jasmine, pine, and vanilla.

Ready to sell? Give me a call or send me a DM today. I’d love to connect with you!

Attention, home buyers! If you’re currently on the hunt for a lender, I’m going to let you in on a not-so-secret tip…

Always. Choose. Local.

Buying a home is a HUGE decision—and so is the lender you work with. Local lenders are more likely to provide you with stellar service because their reputation is at stake. Not to mention, your hard-earned dollars will often be recirculated within your community. So basically, it’s a win-win-win!

Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of using a local lender.

Pros:
Local expertise
Personalized service
Support the local economy
Possible lower fees and interest rates

Cons:
Longer lender search
Fewer loan options
Less brand recognition

Want to know which lenders my buyers have used and loved in our area? Just say the word!

One of the BEST things about fall? Decking out my home in the coziest of fall decor! If you’re getting ready to do the same, score big at these hot spots for on-trend fall decor.

- World Market: Great for everything from pumpkin-scented candles to adorable throw pillows
- Etsy: Ideal for personalized, handcrafted, one-of-a-kind finds
- Michael’s: Their seasonal home decor selection is massive and super affordable
- Home Goods: Tends to be hit or miss, but a fantastic option, nevertheless
- Crate and Barrel: Sizeable collection of home decor in fall hues and textures

Got a go-to this fall? Drop your fave place to shop for fall in the comments below!

Here’s what's on my October maintenance checklist:

- Organize the dreaded junk drawers
- Replace the air filters
- Clear out the rain gutters
- Make sure outdoor furniture is winter-ready
- Clean the fireplace to prep for cozy nights

With winter on the way, now is the BEST time to prep your home for the changing season. Bottoms up and happy cleaning!

It's International Coffee Day, friends!

So how about grabbing a coffee?

Your house fit like a glove when you moved in several years ago. Now? Not so much. Life has changed. YOU have changed.

Maybe now you:

- Work from home and seriously need a dedicated office.
- Have a few little ones in the fam, human or four-legged!
- Need a bigger living room for your teens and their herd of friends.
- See your parents aging and so want them to have a comfortable space to visit or stay.
- Have tried rearranging until you’re blue in the face, and you still feel like the walls are closing in.

The truth is you grow and change — and so does what you need from your home. If you think you might want to upsize, but you’re still on the fence, let’s connect. I’d love to show you a few homes with a little more wiggle room so you can see firsthand how they fit!

Some fall decor ideas will never go out of style, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make room on the mantle, couch, or foyer for the newest trends on the block.

Ready to meet the latest home design fall trends? According to the experts, here are the ones to keep an eye out for:

- Earth tones and warm neutrals everywhere. Think muted greens, terracotta, oatmeal, rust, and sand. An easy way to pick the right shades? Stay away from primary colors and choose shades that look like they've been through the wash a time or two.
- Natural wood in lighter tones, especially in the kitchen and bathroom cabinetry. Put simply: dark woods are out, light woods are in.
- Woven elements take over. Items like rattan furniture, baskets of all sizes, and fiber area rugs are here
- Textured fabrics touch every surface, from linen pillow cover to wool throws, wallpaper, and window coverings.

This fall, it’s looking like it’ll be all about the earthy vibes! Which trend is your favorite? What are you seeing in your neighborhood? Share below!

Hands up if you’re happy it’s fall? Double hands up if you’ve made your fall 2022 bucket list.

No? Well, you’re in luck, cause today I’m giving you a serious jump start. Here are some of the BEST things to do in Woodstock this fall season.

- Seriously, skip the grocery store pumpkins and head to a Pumpkin Patch. Nothing screams “Welcome, fall!” quite like sipping apple cider, bouncing on a hayride, and lugging the bulkiest pumpkin in the patch back to your car. It’s a quintessential fall activity, so don’t miss out!
- Go on a long drive to check out the fall foliage.
- Go brewery hopping around the city.

These are on my bucket list this fall, but I know there are plenty more where that came from. Woodstock locals, what am I missing? Drop what you’re looking forward to this fall in the comments below!

Not sure if you're keeping count, but today marks 100 days left in 2022…

How’s that hit you?
Are you fist-bumping or feeling a wave of panic?
What’s left on your yearly to-dos?

There’s still time to do your thing, but you gotta hurry! And listen up, if one of your thoughts is to buy or sell before the ball drops in December, I’d love to make it happen. DM me and let’s go find your next home!

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could pay off your mortgage early? Might sound like a pipe dream, but it’s not impossible. In fact, 37% of U.S. homeowners are living mortgage-free. Why shouldn't you be one of them??

Just because you opted for a 30-year mortgage doesn’t mean you actually have to spend the next 30 years paying it off! Here are three hacks to knock it out early:

Hack #1: Make an extra payment every year. Simply divide your mortgage payment by 12 and add that amount to your principal each month.

Hack #2: When your income increases, don’t increase your spending. If you get a raise, it’s tempting to bump your spending along with it. Instead, keep the same budget and put the extra towards your mortgage.

Hack #3: Put surprise money towards your mortgage. Any time you get extra $$$ from a tax return, bonus, inheritance, refund check, or whatever else it may be, toss it to your mortgage. You won’t miss it, and the future you will thank you.

Are you living mortgage free?! What's it like? How did you do it? Share in the comments below!