The real estate market is starting to pick up in our area and I believe it is the season for relocating. Typically spring and summer are the best times of year to plan a relocation or house purchase. Spring lends itself to cleaning out and starting over while summer schedules lend themselves to the flexibility you require for such an arduous undertaking as moving. Listed below are some reasons these seasons are the top choice for relocation adventures.

• Spring Cleaning: no better time of year to clean out old clutter and clean up gutters … make fresh the old house you are putting up for sale and hop around for spring time open houses with gardens in bloom and lawns green with spring. For some reason homes for sale look fresh and new in the spring. Along with a good deep spring cleaning, flowering plants on a front stoop offer nice curb appeal. Everything looks brighter in Spring.
• Summer scheduling: the kids are out of school so transitions to a new school are much easier on them when the year isn’t disrupted. They can have ample time for send offs with old friends and play dates with new friends. A move during the school year is more likely to cause children anxiety about their school work and social structure. Summer is a more relaxed time of year so they can take their time learning about their new neighbors. This also applies to adult work schedules. Often times in business with tax season over and vacations being planned, business slows to a more manageable pace for a move.
• Fiscal Calendar: many government agencies work on a fiscal year that ends in June so being able to tie up a fiscal year at work before you leave a position allows you to exit on a good footing with your current employer. Moving during this time might add some work to your plate to wrap up the old and discover the new but the long term benefits are worth the extra work at the front end. Your employer will appreciate your effort to make their transition easier too.
• Holiday Season: I don’t know anyone who would recommend a move during the holiday season because of the added chaos we all experience. Between gift buying, holiday greetings to send and family to visit … this is not the time to add house hunting and house showing to your list. I have a friend who has a tendency to move during the holidays that past two moves their family has made (all across state lines) and I would swear her hair is grayer for it!

Moving is stressful for every member of your family but there are better times of the year than others. To avoid additional stress of the big change, consider these reasons for choosing spring or summer to buy and sell your home. Plan in advance and make sure there is some flexibility built in for your family.  Whether you are moving to another home in the same area or to a completely new area of the country, spring and summer are your best bets for making the change!

If you have been in the Savannah area for any length of time or on the east coast recently, you know that the fastest growing port is right here in our very own backyard. Savannah is rapidly becoming one of the largest ports on the southeastern seaboard. All this time I have noticed more and more container vessels coming in and lots of news about the ports but until these images came across my desk I didn’t give much thought to the process of loading and unloading container ships. They don’t look that big from here … like Lego blocks! But up close, well you have driven up next to an eighteen wheeler haven’t you? You see what I mean. How can the port grow, the containers increase and the cranes stay the same. They can’t … so just yesterday the cranes came to town. Sent from China in December, the cranes finally made it into Savannah’s port yesterday. The city even made sure the bridge connecting us to the low country of South Carolina was closed to traffic … just in case someone had measured wrong. Crazy! What a mess that would have been for that ship to hit the bridge. Luckily they had about eight feet of breathing room. The port authority and all the employees at the port were well prepared for the arrival of the cranes. They were not prepared for the crowd of onlookers. People covered Riverstreet and strained to watch as the cranes made their way to their new home. With the installation of these great big cranes, it doesn’t appear as though the growth of Savannah’s ports will slow down anytime soon. What an exciting time to be part of the blossoming of our fair city … Savannah. Join us and see what the fuss is all about!

1. Condos are easy to maintain. In a condo, you will most likely not have to worry about the grounds or the exterior of the structure.

2. With a condo, like an apartment, you have a built in social option of close neighbors. Unlike a rented apartment, you are likely to have other owners surrounding you which offers more stability and common ground.

3. Resale of your condo if you out grow it … investors are always looking at townhomes and condominiums for rental property. Unlike houses, the investment is often more manageable.

4. Amenities … often condo units come with amenities as extensive as tennis courts, swimming pools, a workout area, or a clubhouse. These are things in a house you would have to add yourself or join a club to get the same benefits.

5. Flexibility with design. Buying a home and facing redecorating can be a daunting task; however, a condo offers the same chance to play with design but on a much less overwhelming scale.

6. Location. If you are interested in being in a district where property is at a premium, condominiums are a good choice. Condominium units are frequently found in downtown areas and offer owners the best of ownership and location at a more affordable price.