It has been a little while since the last show but we have a special one today. On this episode we talked to Andrew Moose with The HUM, an outdoor music venue in Downtown Hickory. On the show you will learn how The Hum got started and the kind of events they host there. Andrew is a really interesting person and you will learn a lot. for more information about The Hum go to www.thehum.live

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills is pleased to announce that Erika Holden has joined its firm as a REALTOR®/Broker.

Erika was born and raised in Caldwell County, NC. She has 3 children whom she enjoys spending time hiking, fishing, and having dance parties with. Erika began her real estate career in Colorado Springs in 2014 but transitioned into law enforcement when returning to NC in 2017. Being a native of the area, and a real estate enthusiast, she has decided it’s past time to do what she loves – help make your home buying and/or selling dreams come true!

“We are thrilled that Erika is joining our firm,” said Mike Kelly Broker/Owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills. “As one of our agents, Erika has access to high-quality training, great marketing tools, powerful technology, and an unmatched social media program in the Catawba Valley area.”

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills is a full-service real estate brokerage company specializing in residential and commercial properties. Since starting in 2010, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills has continued to grow and help buyers and sellers in the Foothills area.

Feel free to contact Erika Holden to help you with your real estate needs.

You can contact Erika by phone 828-729-9297

or, visit her website Erika.Holden.BetterFoothills.com

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills is pleased to announce that Jeremy Scott has joined its firm as a REALTOR®/Broker.

Jeremy is a dedicated husband and loving father of three, whose unwavering commitment to family extends to his community and professional pursuits. As a proud US Army veteran, he has exemplified the values of honor, integrity, and service throughout his military career. Now, Jeremy is thrilled to embark on a new chapter in his life by pursuing a career in real estate with Better Homes and Gardens Foothills. With a genuine passion for helping others and a strong desire to make a positive impact, he aims to utilize his market knowledge, exceptional negotiation skills, and attention to detail to guide clients through the real estate process smoothly. Jeremy’s unwavering dedication to serving his community and his genuine excitement for his new career make him an invaluable asset to the Better Homes and Gardens Foothills team.

“We are excited that Jeremy is joining our firm,” said Mike Kelly Broker/Owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills. “As one of our agents, Jeremy has access to high-quality training, great marketing tools, powerful technology, and an unmatched social media program in the Catawba Valley area.”

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills is a full-service real estate brokerage company specializing in residential and commercial properties. Since starting in 2010, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills has continued to grow and help buyers and sellers in the Foothills area.

Feel free to contact Jeremy Scott to help you with your real estate needs.

You can contact Jeremy by phone 828-368-1809

or, visit his website Jeremy.Scott.BetterFoothills.com

1. Improve your home’s curb appeal. Start looking at the outside of your home from the standpoint of a buyer. It is important for buyers to be able to see themselves in your home. That is why curb appeal is where we recommend people start who considering putting their home on the market. Some fresh mulch and an inviting entry make a huge difference on how buyers will see your home.

2. Tie up loose ends inside your home. You should try to look at the inside now to address the items that buyers might see as a red flag. Do you have some unfinished painting projects that need to be wrapped up? Does the powder room have wallpaper that is peeling off in the corners? is there some shoe molding laying in a bedroom that still needs to be put on?  This is the time where you tie up the loose ends of old house projects so that you have been putting off because if you don’t buyers may not be able to see themselves living there.

3. Light staging goes a long way. If you watch a lot of home improvement shows on TV you, might think you need to move all your furniture out, paint your home the perfect shade of grey and bring in outside furniture and art to make your home more appealing. While in some circumstances this is the way to go, in our market some simple things can make a huge difference. In the bathrooms make sure that you minimize the amount of clutter on the countertops. Also go to Walmart or Target and get fresh towel to improve the look of the bathroom. In the bedroom Maybe buy a new bed in a bag with a new comforter and some throw pillows to match. Simple things like this can make a huge difference in buyers being able to see your home as theirs.

4. The rule of 3 is a pretty good guideline. I don’t know if I saw it on a tv show or read it somewhere but the rule of 3 has been a game changer for me. My version of the rule of 3 is to limit the number of items on any flat surface to 3. Have a side table? Limit it to 3 display items, decorative display shelf? No more than 3 items. This is a great way to make sure that you home look tastefully decorated but never cluttered. It is not always possible to adhere to this rule but if you have it as a goal you are bound to have a home buyers can picture themselves in.

5. Search out smells. This one is a tough one to put out there but there is a pretty good chance your home does not smell as good to others as it does to you. I think I saw a commercial where someone coined the term nose-blindness. It is time to take a deep dive and get others’ opinions if you dog or cat is leaving scent reminders around your home. Some other smells that may be off putting to buyers are cooking and smoke smells. It is a good idea to invite that friend over that is never afraid to give their opinion to tell you if your home has an aroma. If you don’t have that friend then ask your agent for their opinion (the good ones will probably tell you, just don’t kick them out of your home when they do.

6. Consider a pre-listing home inspection. There is nothing more frustrating than thinking you did all the right things to get your home ready for sale and then get under contract and into the inspection process only to find out there is a problem with your home that you were not aware of that makes a buyer walk from your contract. It is always a good idea to have a pre-listing home inspection so that you know that your home is in good condition and if not, you can fix the problems now and not be forced to fix a problem that comes up later in the home inspection.

7. Talk to a REALTOR® early in the process. A good agent will walk you through the best way to handle all the above items for your situation. Not every home, area or situation is the same so lean on your REALTOR® to help guide you through the process.

If you are thinking about selling, feel free to reach out to us here and we will meet up and help guide you through this process.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills is pleased to announce that Raina Barnett has joined its firm as a REALTOR®/Broker.

Raina Barnett was born and raised in Taylorsville NC. She is a proud graduate of Alexander Central High School and has her CNA license. She enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and her fur-babies Princess and Finn. She always had a passion and interest for interior design and real estate. She is super excited to help people out with all their real estate needs.

“We are thrilled that Raina is joining our firm,” said Mike Kelly Broker/Owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills. “As one of our agents, Raina has access to high-quality training, great marketing tools, powerful technology, and an unmatched social media program in the Catawba Valley area.”

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills is a full-service real estate brokerage company specializing in residential and commercial properties. Since starting in 2010, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills has continued to grow and helps buyers and sellers in the Foothills area.

Feel free to contact Raina Barnett to help you with your real estate needs.

You can contact Raina by phone 828-320-7968,

email Raina.Barnett@BetterFoothills.com,

or, visit her website Raina.Barnett.BetterFoothills.com

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills is pleased to announce that Ronshad Shabazz has joined its firm as a REALTOR®/Broker.

Ronshad Shabazz is a Raleigh, North Carolina native with black and gold blood as an Appalachian State graduate. In 2019, Shabazz graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and numerous App State basketball records. As one of the best players to have played there, Shabazz had the opportunity to pursue a professional career. Initially landing him on an NBA development roster he took his talents to Russia and eventually Finland. While in these places he decided to pursue entrepreneur studies resulting in a love for real estate. Most days leading up to the career change time was spent researching investment strategies and systems to ensure success. Becoming a broker has always been a thought but starting the New Year it felt like the best time to search for an opportunity with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills. The qualities that made Shabazz successful as an athlete will be the same qualities applied to real estate on a day-to-day basis; perseverance, consistency, dedication, and reliability, to just name a few.

“We are excited that Ronshad is joining our group,” said Mike Kelly Broker/Owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills. “As one of our agents, Ronshad has access to high-quality training, great marketing tools, powerful technology, and an unmatched social media program in the Catawba Valley area.”

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills is a full-service real estate brokerage company specializing in residential and commercial properties.

Since starting in 2010, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills has continued to grow and helps buyers and sellers in the Foothills area.

Feel free to contact Ronshad Shabazz to help you with your real estate needs.

You can contact Ronshad by phone 828-994-3294,

email Ronshad.Shabazz@BetterFoothills.com,

or visit his website Ronshad.Shabazz.BetterFoothills.com

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills held a recognition luncheon on Friday March 24th to honor and celebrate their top agents. The agents received their national awards from Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate for consistent high production, quality service, and professionalism in real estate for 2022. 

Roseann Flowers and Hope Rogers received the Gold Award. Tiffany Gray and Carrie Ford received the Silver Award. Emily Wood received the Distinguished Service Award.

Mike Kelly Jr, President of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills said, “He is proud of these 5 hardworking agents and their dedication to their careers in real estate.”

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills is a full-service real estate brokerage company specializing in residential and commercial properties. The company was founded in 2010 by Mike and Kathleen Kelly. For 12 years the company was known as Hickory Real Estate Group and had grown to over 30 agents. In December 2022, after a lot of research, they decided that the best way to continue to grow their business and expand their territory, was to become the owners of a local Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate franchise.

Feel free to contact Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills
for any of your real estate needs in the area.

By phone 828-328-9540,

email Information@BetterFoothills.com,

and on the web BetterFoothills.com

On Tuesday March 14, 2023 Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills had our ribbon cutting for the launch of our new brand and 13 years in business with the Chamber of Catawba County and the City of Hickory.

Our company was founded in 2010 by Mike and Kathleen Kelly. For 12 years the company was known as Hickory Real Estate Group and had grown to over 30 agents. In December 2022, after a lot of soul searching and research they decided that the best way to continue to grow their business was to become the owners of a local Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate franchise and that is how they became Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills.

The Better Homes and Gardens ® Real Estate network is a dynamic real estate brand that offers a full range of services to brokers, sales associates and home buyers and sellers. Using innovative technology, sophisticated business systems and the broad appeal of a lifestyle brand, the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate network embodies the future of the real estate industry while remaining grounded in the tradition of home.

Photo Credit; ©2023 Pat Appleson Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Used by Permission

Welcome to Duke Street Cottages, a pocket neighborhood of Zero Energy Ready Homes near downtown Granite Falls, North Carolina. With spacious front porches overlooking a shared green space, these small homes live LARGE. Traditional architecture is skillfully blended with open floor plans and modern technology to provide the home of the future, today.

Click on the pictures below to see the homes that are still available. The two story home is almost complete and the one story homes are getting ready to be started.

Home Benefits:

• Affordable to buy and own with near zero maintenance and utility bills
• Sustainable community living with shared green space and solar pavilion
• Healthy indoor air quality with high efficiency filtration and ventilation
• Homes are easily accessible to downtown and is across the street from Granite Falls Brewery, one of the most popular restaurants in town
• Close to popular places to visit like Hickory (7 miles), Boone (38 Miles), Asheville (73 Miles), and Charlotte Airport (57 Miles)

For more information about this amazing neighborhood check out the builders website
DukeStreetCottages.com