September is quickly approaching! That means it’s time to bring out the jackets, long-sleeve shirts, and denim jeans.

But what are you doing to bring your home into fall?

Here are a few easy decorating ideas you can do to welcome the cooler temperatures and beautiful colors into your home.

DIY Home Decorating Tips for Fall

You don’t have to paint your walls or buy new furniture to get your home ready for fall.

Instead, you can use some simple seasonal tricks to welcome autumn leaves and pumpkin spices into your home, and impress your visitors in the process.

1. Bring Out the Cinnamon- and Pumpkin-Scented Candles

The smell of those warm spices gently wafting throughout your home is enough to energize you for the season.

Light a few candles in your kitchen or living room, as well as other rooms that receive the most traffic in your home. Your home will be looking — and smelling — festive in no time.

2. Stick a Seasonal Flag Outside

Personalize your front yard by placing a welcoming fall flag by the mailbox, in your front garden, or hanging from your front porch. Let people know that you’re ready for autumn!

3. Swap Out Your Dining Table Centerpiece

Put the colorful summer tones away for next year and bring out your festive fall accents.

Make a seasonal statement with the centerpiece on your dining room or kitchen table. Some simple autumn centerpiece ideas include:

• red, orange, and yellow pillar candles
• roses or colorful leaves in a vase
• small pumpkins
• old-fashioned lanterns
• a bowl of apples

4. Hang a Festive Wreath on Your Front Door

Add some fall foliage, colorful ribbon, or burlap accents to an autumn wreath and catch the eye of your friends and neighbors.

People tend to notice your home’s decorations when they first spy your house, which is why front door accents are often included in tips for increasing curb appeal. Display your fall home readiness with a red, gold, and brown wreath on your door!

5. Decorate Your Shelves with Pine Cones and Oak Leaves

If you have a mantle above your fireplace or an empty space on a bookshelf, fill it with simple arrangements of fall foliage — pine cones, oak leaves, acorns, and pumpkins.

To truly make a statement with your decor, pair vibrantly colored leaves with a white or neutral color base, and enjoy the display capture the attention of passersby.

6. Put a Pumpkin on Your Front Porch

Nothing says fall as much as a round pumpkin sitting on your porch steps.

When pumpkins come in season, you can purchase one for Halloween fun or simply as a seasonal accent.

Staging Your Home for Sale This Fall?

These DIY home decorating tips work well to increase your curb appeal if you’re selling your property this season.

If you have any questions about home staging tips or about selling your home, contact us at any time. We would be happy to provide you with the answers you need.

The post 6 Simple Home Decorating Ideas for Fall appeared first on Dakno Blog.

If you love HGTV’s Beach Front Bargain Hunt and the Hilton Head Area check out the YouTube above.   The show includes a couple searching for the perfect home for their growing family.  The weather was fabulous and you will love following this couple as they explore Daufuskie Island.  This show will certainly introduce Daufuskie Island nationally to people that may have never heard of it before.   Tune in and watch as we hunt for a house big enough for their large family.

Buyers need to beware when  using Automated Valuation Models (AVM’s) to determine property values.  AVM’s are values based on averages and found on websites including  Zillow, Trulia and Homesnap .  The problem with using AVM’s is that they do not account for unique property features.  There is, however, a way to improve these AVM’s.

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With mortgage rates so low, many investors are choosing to invest in real estate, as it is more tangible and understandable than stocks. According to Bankrate’s annual investment research, 27% of Americans with money to invest would choose to invest in real estate over any other investment. Because Hilton Head real estate is becoming popular again among investors, here are tips for investing in the local market. Read the rest of this entry

One of the best stories about price per square foot came up when a client and his agent were standing in the driveway of a home on Hilton Head Island.  The buyer could not understand why the home was priced so much higher per square foot than any of the other homes he had seen that day.  He asked his agent for the reason and her reply as she looked at his car was, “How much per pound did you pay for that Mercedes?”  Bottom line, if you like a Mercedes buy the Mercedes and if you like the house, buy the house! Read the rest of this entry

Moving in the Hilton Head Area is different than moving in other places.  Reasons include narrow roadways, gated communities, weather considerations, same day closing-moving days, POA’s, owners closets and mailbox keys. Just to name a few!
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First-time home buyers who work with us often have the same question: Should we or shouldn’t we get a first-time home buyer loan?

In fact, there are a number of advantages and disadvantages attached to this type of loan.

So today, we thought we would take a few moments to share with you what you can expect from getting this type of loan as a first-time home buyer. That way, when it comes time for your to decide how you’re going to finance your first home, you’ll have all of the information you need right at your fingertips.

First-Time Home Buyer Loans 101

A first time home buyer loan offers financial assistance to qualified buyers by utilizing a variety of methods:

• Very low down payments or none at all
• Subsidezed interest costs
• Grants
• Forgive loans
• Defer payments

Generally speaking, the best candidates for this type of loan are home buyers who have never owned a home, although those who have not owned a home in more than three years may also qualify.

With these types of loans, certain restrictions may apply in order to qualify. Thus, it’s important to research beforehand whether you meet those restrictions.

First-time home buyers should also be aware of the specific restrictions attached to using the loan. These may or may not include:

• Being prohibited from buying homes in higher price ranges
• Being required to make the newly purchased home your primary residence
• Being prohibited from renting the home to others

These types of loans are certainly great for those buyers who otherwise might not be able to purchase the home. But there are some disadvantages to this type of loan.

Some of those drawbacks include:

• Buyers are limited to the type of home they want by price range
• Buyers may not be eligible for certain program benefits if they sell their home before a predetermined time limit.
• Buyers may have a limited number of loan types to choose from.
• Buyers may have to pay for recapture taxes in exchange for benefits they receive through the program

For these reasons and more, some first-time home buyers may find it just as beneficial to get a traditional loan, although this should be considered on a case by case basis.

We’ll Help You Through Your First Home Buying Experience

Contact us today to learn even more valuable information that is sure to help you as a first-time home buyer. We are glad to offer you our expert assistance, which includes straight-forward advice and user-friendly resources.

Until next time!

The first half of real estate sales in the Hilton Head Area is over and the results are in.  The Hilton Head Area includes Bluffton, Daufuskie and Hilton Head Island and all types of property.  Below is the executive summary from our HHIMLS June 2015:

First Half Sales Summary for the Hilton Head Area

• Pending Sales increased 46%
• Inventory dropped 12.4%
• New Listings were up 3.3%
• Prices moved higher to $289,950(median)
• Days on market increased 1.9% to 109 days
• Months of supply was down to 7.1 months or 17.4%

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As you might already know, summer is a very busy time for Island real estate agents. If you are a prospective buyer,  BlogHiltonHeadAgent.com will help you get to wherever you are going!

Today, we’re going to share four things every Hilton Head buyer should know about appraisals. Read the rest of this entry

When it comes to Hilton Head home sales this summer, buyers are not waiting for their next trip.  There has been a 25% increase in home sales on Hilton Head Island this June compared to last year’s June.  Off Island(over the bridge), home sales jumped a whopping 53% over the same month last year.  All bets are off as inventories start dropping and interest rates start moving…in the meantime, Happy House Hunting Hilton Head!  Read the rest of this entry