Happy Memorial Day weekend! I hope you all have something fun planned even though it may not be a trip to the beach! The weather should be perfect for spending some time outside and maybe you'll want to give a little attention to your yard while you're out there. Here are some tips to achieve a good looking lawn for the summer!

Water = Green 

Water is one ingredient that your lawn cannot live without, so make sure that you’ve got a great routine in place for keeping the lawn damp. If you have a good sprinkler system installed, you’re already a step ahead of the game! If not, make sure that you’re reaching all areas of the lawn if watering by hand or by moveable sprinkler. Water in the evening or very early morning for best results, but don’t overdo it! 

This is the first Mother's Day that I get to celebrate as a mom and so I wanted to learn about the origins of this sweet day. It seems that an appreciative daughter by the name of Anna Jarvis was the spearhead behind the first national holiday. Thanks to years of work on Anna’s part, President Woodrow Wilson declared a national holiday honoring mothers in 1914. The ironic part of the story is that in no time at all the day became so commercialized that Anna later did an about face and tried to have Mother’s Day done away with! In fact, poor Anna was arrested in 1923 for disturbing the peace at a convention selling carnations for Mother’s Day! So if you regret that Mother’s Day has become so commercialized, just think how Anna Jarvis must have felt!

If you're looking for some creative take-out options, check these out!

Or if you need some original ways to express your appreciation to your mother, here are a few ideas: 

A handwritten love note 

A personal manicure and pedicure by YOU 

Cook a great meal and don’t let her help with dishes 

A fat booklet of homemade coupons redeemable for “honey-do” favors throughout the year 

A photo memory book created by YOU 

However you choose to celebrate Mother’s Day, may it be a joyous one for you and yours! :-)

January Comments 

Demand: January residential sales were at 3,280, an increase of 7.8% from the previous year. 

Price: Average and median sales prices continue to gain traction and outpace 2019’s figures, with positive gains. The median sales price in January was $273,000, an increase of 7.1% from last January. The average sales price was $336,000, up 6.0% from the previous year. 

Supply: Atlanta area housing inventory totaled 11,483 units in January, a decrease of 10.9% from January 2019. New listings totaled 4,173, down 9.8% from January 2019 and up 48.4% from the previous month. The month’s supply over a 12-month period decreased to 2.3 months. 

A Word from 2020 Atlanta REALTORS® President Jennifer Pino: Jennifer Pino, President of Atlanta REALTORS® Association said, "National economists have projected sales should increase modestly over 2020, but Metro Atlanta experienced a great start to 2020 with January sales reflecting a strong 7.8% increase. With demand remaining high and inventory levels continuing at historic lows, the median price has increased again by 7%. Interest rates are expected to remain low throughout 2020, which will help keep the monthly mortgage at an affordable level." 

Hello all and happy February, finally! Last month we posted a short article with 5 tips to keep in mind before beginning home DIY projects. Today we are lucky to have guest blogger, Paul Denkin of dadknowsdiy.com, share more in-depth knowledge about when you should DIY and when you should leave it to the professionals. Enjoy! 

Happy New Year!! Hopefully you took some time to disconnect and enjoy time at home with your loved ones over the holidays. While doing so you may have noticed some things around the house that need attention. If you're planning on taking on a home project or two for the new year, check out these helpful tips before you get started!