Real Estate new listing at 2142 Parkview Lane Atlanta, Georgia

This fantastic location is close to everything in HOT Parkview! Spacious gourmet kitchen features Stainless Appliances, Granite, Hardwood Flooring and Cherry Stained Cabinetry. Breakfast nook leads to your relaxing outdoor retreat- the Dining Deck. This home has virtually no yard work- the front area is just enough to “WOW” your guest with curb appeal, the back is all dining deck. Finished Basement is perfect as in-law, guest suite or home office. Custom blinds throughout this home stay with the property. The Master Bedroom features a large sitting or reading area, with high trey ceilings. Master Bath is a spa lover’s retreat with jacuzzi tub, Two full closets and sink/get-ready areas. The photo’s are nice, but you really need to see this one in person to do it justice!

To view this virtual tour, click Here.
2142 Parkview Lane, Atlanta, Georgia
FMLS 3642933 

Realtor.com vs. Trulia vs. Zillow

An interesting article today posted by The Future in Real Estate Marketing entitled, “Zillow Plateaus While Trulia Grows”.
The posting discusses Real Estate traffic posted by all three sites over the past year. Realtor.com far surpasses both Zillow and Trulia from a # of hits standpoint. I happen to like Trulia most, the layout is simply more fun- but I use all three in marketing properties for clients. If you are interested in the article, it is HERE.

Natural Flooring from The Daily Green

Choose Natural Flooring

Wood, cork, ceramic tile and bamboo are healthier than synthetic carpet 

Looking to remodel or replace your old dingy carpets? Think about all-wood floors. Carpets and the pads beneath them are made with synthetic fibers derived from petroleum and are glued together with urea formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a suspected carcinogenic substance and it leaks from your carpets and pads into the air for as long as you own your home.

Carpets also catch dust and allergens such as pet dander and pollen. Even vacuuming and steam cleaning doesn’t remove all of this, and carpets usually gain weight over the years. Carpets also make good homes for fleas and dust mites, making it virtually impossible to remove them from the home without commercial spraying. Finally, there are all the chemical substances used to clean carpets. Very few natural solutions exist to clean these artificial fibers.

Wood flooring eliminates most of these problems. Stick with the hardwood floors, and if possible get bamboo or flooring made from salvaged wood to protect our forests. Wood flooring is easy to install and really not more expensive than premium carpeting. It doesn’t collect dust and allergens so it is definitely recommended if you have either allergies or asthma. It also doesn’t provide homes for fleas or dust mites. Wood is also easier to care for and doesn’t stain as easily when properly sealed.

I would suggest staying away from laminate flooring though. This is usually cheaper and has the look of wood but is made of wood fiber (aka sawdust) glued together with formaldehyde-based glues and covered with a veneer of pressed paper to look like wood. It does come with a long-term warranty but isn’t as durable as true wood flooring.

Of all the wood flooring choices available, bamboo is probably the most environmentally friendly. If you want to soften your wood floors, you can use organic wool or cotton area rugs that are available in a variety of colors and patterns to suit your desire. Area rugs are easier to clean and disinfect than wall-to-wall carpeting because you can take them outdoors to do so. Also you can use them to a really good effect in your home decorations.

Some alternatives to wood flooring include cork flooring and stone or ceramic tiles. Cork flooring is softer than hardwood and usually sold as tiles. It makes a good floor for places where people are standing all the time like the kitchen. It is a very resilient floor and adds warmth to any room. Stone and ceramic tiles come in many different configurations and colors. Usually they are thought of as cooler surfaces, but they also come in warm colors and styles.

If choosing a ceramic tile, make sure the glazes don’t contain harmful substances like arsenic. While this is only a problem if the tile gets chipped, it is better to be safe than sorry. Sticking with as many natural substances as possible when remodeling or redecorating your home is better for the environment in the long run.

Wayne Luke

Open house in Douglasville- Sunday, 1/13 from 5-7:30PM

A gorgeous home to watch the sunset in! Join my team Sunday evening for an open house at 3101 George Place, Douglasville, GA 30135 from 5-7:30 PM. Please view my web site under “featured listings” for more information about this home to make memories in!

Open house in Atlanta- Sunday, 1/13 from 11AM-1PM

Join me at 2230 Cheshire Bridge Road, Unit 403 for an open house this Sunday.
This 2 bedroom condo has gorgeous light, wood floors, garden tub- ready for you to move in!
The home is also featured on my website under “featured listings”. See you there!

Going green terminology

Have you been reading articles about going green, and feel a little lost on the terminology?
Below are a few common terms, along with definitions:

AFUE: stands for annual fuel utilization efficiency. A unit with an AFUE of 90 percent wastes no more than 10 percent of the fuel it uses and can save you as much as 27 percent on your heating bill.

EarthCraft: a voluntary residential green building program of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and Southface Energy Institute that serves as a blueprint for energy- and resource-efficient homes. www.earthcrafthouse.com.

Energy Star: a program of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy that sets energy-efficiency guidelines for homes and household products. An Energy Star home will be 15 percent more efficient than is required by building codes. www.energystar.gov.

Green Label: a program of the Carpet and Rug Institute to improve indoor air quality by testing carpet, cushions and adhesives for their emissions of gases that may cause respiratory irritation or headaches.

LEED: a program of the U.S. Green Building Council that stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It’s a rating system that promotes design and construction that uses less energy, water and natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier and more comfortable for the occupants. www.greenhomeguide.org.

SEER: stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio and is the way air conditioners are rated. Generally speaking, the higher the SEER rating, the more efficient it is.

Sustainability: this term suggests looking at the environmental impact over the life cycle of products and buildings from raw materials to the manufacturing to the disposal and possible reuse. Dowdy says a good example is the life cycle of a light bulb. What materials were used to make the light bulb? What resources are used to manufacture it? How long will it be used? What happens to it when it is no longer useful? The idea is that each stage should be considered.

Top Five Going-Green tips for your Atlanta Home

The latest top five tips to easily go-green when selecting and maintaining your home as posted in the AJC today:

• Ask if your home framins is constructed of Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood.

• Service your HVAC system at least every two years and replace filters with each season.

• Turn off lights when they aren’t in use- Take advantage of natural light whenever possible.

• Consider carpet tiles which are easy to replace where there’s damage and have a longer life than roll carpet. These are latest buzz in carpet.

• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. The quickest way you can save energy is just to swap out your light bulbs.

Pretty simple, just making these small changes will impact your energy use- and your bills!