Real Estate Blog 
Small Business Owner? Have You Heard of HRA 105?
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 2:32pm. 34 Views, 0 Comments.
Okay; maybe I did just fall off the turnip truck. I just learned about something called a HRA 105. HRA means Health Reimbursement Arrangement and that can mean, if you qualify, a big fat tax deduction. Now I know you are listening. I know I am.
We have some medical stuff coming up and this required talking to our insurance company. So I talked to my insurance agent, Diane, to get her help. We talked about our high deductible which got her to thinking about how to save money for us. (We love Diane!) She began to tell us about the HRA 105.
This is a tax arrangement, in place since 1954 that allows qualifying members to deduct 100% of their health insurance premiums and non-insured medical expenses from federal, state and self-employment taxes. 60-70% of…
My “Happy House”
Thursday, August 5th, 2010 at 4:24pm. 32 Views, 0 Comments.
I just listed a fantastic home in Brookstone Country Club. As a Realtor® we see numbers of houses; some good and some not so good. We are not overly selective J but my prayer is always, “Lord, send me good listings.” Well, He did!
This is a beautiful home! Don’t you just love when you walk in a home and see that the sellers have already done all those wonderful things that are necessary to get the house ready, with new paint, granite and carpet. But best of all it’s when you walk in and the floor plan is dynamite. It’s got one of those basements (oops, “Terrace Levels”) that is so fantastic, with natural light and is so awesome for a family or entertaining.
But you know what is the best for me? It’s good to have a great listing, but is also great to…
RedGard® is good stuff!
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 at 6:19pm. 61 Views, 0 Comments.
Wood products on your Georgia home have a tendency to rot. Rot; isn’t that a terrible word? Yuck! Rot is, or rather, has been a way of life here on this planet. It is a natural process of a tree growing, serving its purpose and then ending up on the ground and decaying to become part of the landscape.
So, we make stuff out of wood such as doors & door frames and windows and window frames and trim and other things to numerous to iterate here. We put a coat of paint over it and leave it outside a very long time and never think about it again—until—we sell our home. Then the buyer of our home sends over a pesky inspector and that person knows exactly where to look to find every bit of rot on your beautiful home.
When selling your home all those rotten…
Farmer Jones, our “go to” chicken man
Monday, June 28th, 2010 at 1:37pm. 80 Views, 0 Comments.
We live on a mini farm in Kennesaw and have raised our kids among chickens, ducks and geese, cats and dogs. Even though we have a pasture, barn, riding ring and fencing, we never had horses. We even had a 400 pound pig join us for a few seasons that belonged to one of our neighbors. It is difficult to move a pig that big when he likes where he is sleeping.
After the kids were grown we kind of let all the animals (the farm birds especially) disappear except for the wild turkeys that flew in on occasion and the deer that would show up to eat the apples off of our apple trees. Then, all of a sudden, I started the old “we need to eat better” thing and a couple of our friends were going in that direction too, so the next thing I knew I was paying $3.00 a…
Cobb County School Zones Are Changing Again
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 at 2:47pm. 172 Views, 0 Comments.
Find Your Cobb County School for Your Address
Cobb County school zones may be changing again. The school board here is making many changes due to the economy and the loss of tax revenue, therefore, cuts are the order for the day. Class sizes are growing and teachers and others are losing their jobs. We are experiencing many changes these days and this is one of them.
So, how do property owners find the schools associated with their address? Or, how do you find which schools your children will attend for a home you are thinking about purchasing? Glad you asked...
Now, when you go to this Cobb County School Zones website you may have some questions. I suggest that you put in the address (either your current or prospective address) correctly or as…
SELLING YOUR HOME IN THIS SEASON? Choose your Realtor® wisely.
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 at 10:20am. 99 Views, 0 Comments.
If you would like to sell your Marietta home I implore you to call us. We are experts in the field of marketing and selling Kennesaw and Acworth real estate. We want you to take advantage of our 28 years of expertise gained right here in Cobb County, Georgia. We have seen so many people in this market who have little or no representation and that is very sad. People like to think that if they hire a discount company or get a so called “deal” from an agent that it’s all well and good. Well, it’s not.
Anybody can put a sign in the yard, anyone with money can advertise; they can spend a lot of money and get it on the internet and some websites…but the real question you want answered is, “once they get a prospect can they secure that lead?” Can they…
Why would you trust me?
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 at 8:47pm. 135 Views, 0 Comments.
I want to be your Realtor®; thought I’d just make that clear. I want to list and market your home when you want to sell it—we’ll get it done, even in the current market. If you are a buyer, whether from in town or out of town, I want to be your agent. I’m a woman, I’m a multi-tasker, I can do it all, so yes, I work with both buyers and with sellers. :)
I put myself in your shoes the other day and asked myself, “Why would you trust me?” Many of you don’t know me, most of you have never met me or even talked to me on the phone, so why would you? Trust is sometimes earned and sometimes given and it is such a fragile thing, isn’t it?
Most business comes to real estate agents through referrals. That makes complete sense because you know someone you already…
Snow in Kennesaw, Marietta, Acworth and More!
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 12:22pm. 265 Views, 0 Comments.
What’s up with this weather?! We've got snow in Kennesaw, Marietta, Acworth and More!
As I sit here looking out the window at the snow falling down, I am amazed that today is
March 2, and it’s snowing outside…again. Really, you can hardly see the yard it’s coming down so fast.
And everything is quite. The phone is not ringing. Nobody wants to look at houses today in this weather. So it seems it’s a nice day to enjoy the quiet.
The problem is I like to be doing something. If I’m not out with a Marietta buyer or helping a Kennesaw seller stage and/or put their house in order for sale, the truth is I am bored. I really like to be doing things and not sitting. I like the quiet, but not for too long.
I have an idea. Just a thought, but here I am sitting…
Lightbox Picture Viewer
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 7:03pm. 167 Views, 0 Comments.
Lightbox Picture Viewer
We like to keep innovating and improving our website for our Marietta homes and real estate customers. We want to make the best possible presentation of the homes you look at on this website and so, in keeping with that view, we have added the Lightbox Picture Viewer to our website.
Now, when you look at pictures of homes on www.CathyMeder.com you will see them in a larger, clearer format.
Please check out this example of the viewer on one of Cathy's personal listings, found here: www.cathymeder.com/1835PineMountainRoad. Just hover the selection tool (your mouse) over one of the pictures and click to open the viewer.
The picture viewer will open and automatically begin a slideshow of all the available pictures. You can…
Things Are Getting Better in the Marietta Real Estate Market!
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 3:11pm. 140 Views, 0 Comments.
Things Are Getting Better!
Concerning the real estate market in Kennesaw, Marietta and Acworth, I feel like Kevin Costner’s character in the movie, “THE POSTMAN.” He was heard to say, “Things are getting better. Things are getting better every day.” And that is what happened in the movie and is happening here in Georgia!
One thing I have learned is it is just as easy to believe for the good as it is to believe for the bad. So, that is exactly what we need to do—believe for the good. And don’t be surprised when that is exactly what comes your way because things are getting better.
Buyers are still in the market. Sellers are still selling, though fewer. But one thing that I notice is if your house is priced competitively and you have done some updates…
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