Sandy Ward Costner, a REALTOR ® with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills has been awarded the Accredited Buyer’s Representation (ABR) designation by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC) of the National Association of Realtors.

Sandy joins more than 27,000 real estate professionals in North America who have earned the ABR designation. All were required to successfully complete a comprehensive course in buyer representation and an elective course focusing on a buyer representation specialty, both in addition to submitting documentation verifying professional experience.

REBAC, founded in 1988, is the world’s largest association of real estate professionals focused specifically on representing the real estate buyer. There are more than 40,000 active members of the organization worldwide. The National Association of Realtors, “The voice for Real Estate,” is the world’s largest professional association, representing over 1.4 million members involved in all aspects of the real estate industry.

Sandy can help you not only with BUYING your new home, but also SELLING your home.

You can contact Sandy at 828-291-2222,

email Sandy.Costner@BetterFoothills.com,

or via her website at Sandy.Costner.BetterFoothills.com

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills held an award ceremony on March 6^th 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 2023. 

Hannah Fox, Hope Rogers, Tiffany Gray-Napier (not pictured), and Roseann Flowers received the Silver Award. Mike Kelly Jr, President of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills said, “He is proud of these 4 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 specializing in residential and commercial real estate sales. The company was founded in 2010 by Mike and Kathleen Kelly. For 12 years the company was known as Hickory Real Estate Group and in December 2022, they became Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills. The Hickory office has 40 agents, and they work throughout Catawba, Burke, Alexander, Caldwell, Lincoln, and Iredell Counties.

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.

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

With deep roots in Catawba County since childhood, Karla’s diverse experience uniquely positions her to enhance your real estate journey. As a marketing manager at a local staffing agency, Karla actively engages in both marketing and recruiting, which equips her with the ability to truly understand your needs.

Her bilingual proficiency in Spanish further elevates her skill set, ensuring effective and meaningful communication with clients. Karla is excited to join BHGRE Foothills and bring her passion for helping others and her diverse skills to the real estate industry, ready to assist clients with all their real estate needs.

“We are excited that Karla is joining our firm,” said Mike Kelly Broker/Owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills. “As one of our agents, Karla 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, BHGRE Foothills has continued to grow and helps buyers and sellers in the Foothills area.

Feel free to contact Karla Garcia to help you with your real estate needs.

You can contact Karla by phone (828) 994-1405 or,  
visit her website Karla.Garcia.BetterFoothills.com

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

Li Chia, has been a resident of both Burke and Catawba counties for the last 28 years. She holds a degree in Business Administration and has a background career in Human Resources. Her years spent in Human Resources has helped her gain important skills to provide the best service to her clients. She prides herself on having a strong work ethic, attention to detail and a great listener. Buying a home can be one of the most important decisions in a person’s life and she is looking forward to help guide clients through the process. 

“We are thrilled that Li is joining our firm,” said Mike Kelly Broker/Owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills. “As one of our agents, Li 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 Li Xiong to help you with your real estate needs.

You can contact Li by phone 828-781-2511 or,
visit her website Li.Xiong.BetterFoothills.com

Mark your calendar with this great Downtown Hickory event that kicks off the holiday season!

The City of Hickory’s annual Christmas parade is on Friday November 17th at 6:00 p.m. and will be immediately followed by the tree lighting by Santa and Mrs. Claus on Union Square. After the parade and tree lighting conclude, the community is encouraged to spend some time in Downtown Hickory, shopping at the retailers, grabbing a bite to eat, enjoying the holiday music, and maybe even taking their own photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus. A number of the downtown retailers will remain open late this evening for holiday shopping. Make it a full night of fun and festivities downtown.

Hickory is in its sixth year of a new tradition, which is to kick off the holiday season the Friday before Thanksgiving by combining the Hickory Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting. Sponsored by Lowes Foods, the parade will begin at the intersection of 4th Street NW and 1st Avenue NW., and continue on 1st Avenue NW towards City Hall, Turn right on North Center Street, then turn right on Main Avenue NW.

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

Jayana is a proud full-time mother of two beautiful children. She has her associate degree in paralegal technology and has been a real estate paralegal at a local law office for the past 4 years.  She has been working as a REALTOR for the last 3 years at another firm and is excited to be joining Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills. She enjoys being able to develop relationships and helping people through real estate.

“We are excited that Jayana is joining our firm,” said Mike Kelly Broker/Owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Foothills. “As one of our agents, Jayana 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 Jayana Linder to help you with your real estate needs.

You can contact Jayana by phone 828-238-1004 or,
visit her website Jayana.Linder.BetterFoothills.com