Make Your Dog the Best in Show at You Lucky Dog Boutique & Bakery

At You Lucky Dog, you can shop for your dog and help veterans organizations. Here’s how.

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You Lucky Dog Boutique & Bakery is a store that’s doing some amazing things here in Jonesboro, and I’m excited to be able to feature them today in our latest vendor spotlight.

Located at 514 Southwest Drive, You Lucky Dog was opened in March 2016 in honor of the owners’ son, an Iraqi war veteran who died in a car crash. He had experienced PTSD and had a service dog himself, and the store was a way they could honor America’s veterans and help local rescue organizations help pets get into good homes.

“All the money we raise here keeps the store going, and we donate the rest of it to veterans organizations and rescue organizations to help pets get off the streets,” Wayne says.

I bring my dogs in here every single week, and they do a phenomenal job.

You Lucky Dog is not a nonprofit, but the owners still felt like they needed to give back in honor of their son. I bring my dogs in here every single week, and they do a phenomenal job. The groomers are amazing, and they offer some of the best prices in town. Along with dog grooming, they offer dog training and a wide variety of freshly baked treats for all sorts of pets.

If you’d like to reach You Lucky Dog or learn more about them, you can give them a call at (870) 520-6359 or visit their website at www.youluckydogjonesboro.com.

If you have any real estate needs or you’re thinking of buying or selling a home in our market, don’t hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email. I’d love to help you.

This November 16th, Have a Free Pie on Us

We'd love for you to come join us at a client appreciation event we’re holding at our office on November 16th.

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You’re cordially invited to a Burch & Company client appreciation event on Thursday, November 16th here at our office on 2408 Phillips Drive, Jonesboro, Arkansas 72401.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., we’ll be doing a pie giveaway and hosting a fish fry with John 3:16 Ministries, which means we’ll also have plenty of fish, hush puppies, coleslaw to go around.

We’d love the opportunity to start serving you by giving you a pie.

If you haven’t worked with us before, that’s fine. This event is for past clients, current clients, and future clients. We’d love the opportunity to start serving you by giving you a pie. This will be a great time of fellowship and an opportunity to make some great memories.

If you can’t make it between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., you can also stop by afterward between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to pick up whatever pies we didn’t give away earlier.

If you have any questions about this event, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d be glad to help you. In the meantime, we hope to see you there!

What Can Animal Medical Center Do for Your Pet?

Animal Medical Center here in town can treat any animal you come in contact with in Northeast Arkansas, and their service has always been amazing.

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Today I’m sitting down with Dr. John Huff from Animal Medical Center here in Jonesboro to spotlight their wonderful hospital and everything they do. 

My family and I have been going to Animal Medical Center for over 10 years for multiple animals. There have been some great times and some not-so-great times, but the service has always been amazing. 

Located at 1115 S Gee Street, on the west side of Jonesboro, the Animal Medical Center is a companion animal veterinary hospital. Dr. Huff has been there since 1993, but there’s been a clinic at that location for over 80 years. They primarily treat dogs and cats, they but can take care of any animal you can think of or come in contact with in Northeast Arkansas, whether it has two legs, four legs, eight legs, or no legs. They also make house calls for large livestock. 

The service at the Animal Medical Center has always been amazing.

They’re open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. They’re also open from 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays for boarders who dropped off their pets for the weekend and need to pick them back up. Aside from Dr. Huff, AMC also has Dr. Heather Curry and Dr. Victoria Zachary. Theirs is a staff that knows you and your pets by name, from the receptionist all the way on up. 

When he’s not working at the clinic, Dr. Huff is passionate about doing missionary work in third-world countries. All told, he’s been on 13 missionary trips. I know from experience that that kind of thing is a big commitment, but that just shows the kind of heart he has. 

If you have any questions for Dr. Huff or you need to reach AMC, you can call them at (870) 935-8387.

If you have any real estate questions for me, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to help you.

How Burch & Co. Takes Care of You

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At Burch & Co. Real Estate, our job is to help our clients find their dream home at their dream price. Listing and marketing somebody’s property are our two specialties. We take the time to walk them through the entire process, from getting pre-qualified to buy a home, to talking with the bank, to finding out which mortgage works best, and finally, to looking at houses.

Last year, we had buyer’s agents that closed upwards of 70 houses each. They’re experts who are in houses every day pouring their time and energy into their buyers' needs. Our team structure delegates the listing and marketing tasks so that these agents can focus solely on helping buyers find their homes. We’re always looking for ways to expose our sellers’ listings and how to encourage the other 300-plus agents in Jonesboro to communicate these listings to their respective buyers.

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Our job is to help our clients find their dream home at their dream price.

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As our special way of saying thanks to all those agents who refer their buyers to any of our listings, we offer a $10,000 sales bonus to be awarded at random at a party catered with food, drinks, and live music. It’s always a fun time, and somebody goes home $10,000 richer! The real benefit for us though, is the opportunity to give back.

Make Sure Your Closing Process Runs Quickly and Smoothly

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Today we are here to give you four great tips on how to keep the closing process moving when buying a home. At this point, you’ve had your offer written and accepted, but today we want to let you know about some potential hurdles you may come across, and how to overcome them.

We want you to get through the closing period without any hassle, and here are four ways to do that:

1. Have us stay on top of it- When you hire our team to sell your home, you are hiring our entire team. That includes our closing coordinator, who has the job of orchestrating your closing from start to finish.
2. Keep your lender in the loop- It’s good to keep in touch with your lender on a regular basis. In this case, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so to speak.
3. Be aware of last minute surprises
4. Keep your finances stable- Don’t go out and buy a house full of furniture and appliances or a new car. We have had clients in the past fail to close on homes due to mistakes like this, and we don’t want to see it happen to you.

Thanks for hanging out with us today. If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to speaking with you soon!

How Are You Protected Throughout the Buying Process?

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What happens if you're under contract with a home, but you end up finding big problems with it? What are your options?

It's not always easy to spot problems yourself, and often big problems aren't known right away. This can be frustrating for home buyers. Luckily, the Arkansas Real Estate Association (ARA) writes contracts up to protect the buyer. They feel, as I do, that buyers shouldn't have to worry about buying a $400,000 home that has major defects.

The ARA gives the buyer 10 days to have the property inspected in any way they see fit and allows for the buyer to request a property disclosure from the seller. This disclosure, which 99% of sellers will share with the buyer, lists any and all issues the seller has had with their home during their ownership of it. During that 10-day period, if you find something that you can't live with, there is no harm in walking away. Your earnest money will be safe and you will not be penalized for backing out at this time.

Now, if the appraiser finds something wrong with the property, the bank is typically not going to loan the money on the house until the problem has been addressed. We call that a third-party repair because you didn't request it, but the bank did and will not move forward until any defects have been addressed.

These are just a few of the ways you're protected when you're buying a home. If you have any questions about this topic, or if you would like a team of experts to lead you through the buying or selling process, don't hesitate to reach out to us at any time. We would love to hear from you!

How Aggressively Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage?

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How aggressively should you be paying off your mortgage? This answer will differ depending on your given financial situation, but we can still offer you some good advice.

We're big fans of Dave Ramsey, and he always suggests that you should pay off your smallest debts first. This may be a credit card, a vehicle, or a student loan. Once you have paid these off, then take that money and roll it over into your mortgage payment.

I would also suggest building up an emergency fund. If done correctly, you should be able to collect enough to get you through 6 months if an emergency occurs.

Some of the things that may take away from you paying off your mortgage are retirement accounts and college funds. Paying off your mortgage is important, but planning for retirement is also valuable.

If you'd like a copy of Dave's book, I'd be more than happy to give you a copy. It's full of a lot of great advice, and it's what we turn to when we have questions about these things.

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions about this issue.

What's the Difference Between an Inspection and an Appraisal?

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Today, we cover a topic that confuses many people in the area. Home inspections and appraisals are often seen as interchangeable, but these are two very different processes that occur during a real estate transaction. 

In some ways, these two processes are the same: a third-party walks through the property and makes an assessment. However, the similarities end there. Appraisers work for the bank to determine the value of the house. Their job is to check out the house and ensure it's worth as much as the contract says it is, so the bank feels comfortable lending that amount of money.

The home inspector is going to give a more detailed look through the property. They're there to make sure there aren't any structural defects that could cost you down the road. You write them a check to do this for you, so they are representing you and your interests! 

We recommend all of our buyers get a home inspection to get a better idea of what they're buying. You don't want to purchase a home with defects that might cost you a lot of stress, time and money down the road! 

If you have any questions for us, or if you would like real estate assistance of any kind, we would love to hear from you! 

Why is a Pre-Approval So Important?

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A lot of clients have been asking me whether or not they should be pre-approved before they go out and search for homes.

You absolutely need to be pre-approved for a home loan, and this is true for many reasons.

1. When you walk into a home you want to know that you can afford to purchase it. Otherwise, you're just wasting your time looking at homes.
2. When you're preparing an offer, you look much better in the eyes of a seller when you have been pre-approved. It's important to prove to a seller that you have the funds to buy the home.
3. This helps in multiple offer situations, which have become more common lately.

It doesn't take a lot of time to get pre-approved, and we can direct you to one of our local lenders to assist you with this. 

Whatever you do, it's absolutely imperative that you get pre-approved before you even start looking for a home.

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have about real estate in Jonesboro!

Where Are Interest Rates in Jonesboro Heading?

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Today, we discuss where mortgage rates are heading and how they affect home sellers! 

You've been hearing it for years, but it's true: interest rates are near all-time lows! They bump up .25%-.5% here and there, but they have consistently hovered around 4% for 30-year fixed rates and 3% for 15-year fixed rates. This inexpensive money means home buyers can afford more home, and it means sellers can get more out of their house!

In today's market, you can buy a wonderful home at a very affordable price. We've even come across some renters who have made the jump to home ownership because it was cheaper than renting! The market is in a great place, so now is a great time to consider taking advantage of it. Rates can get no lower and are expected to rise in the coming year, so you don't want to miss a great opportunity while it's available!

If you have any questions about our market, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, give us a call or shoot us a quick email. We would love to hear from you! 

When Is Cash King in Real Estate?

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A lot of people have asked us lately if cash is really king when it comes to buying and selling homes. People often prefer cash, but it is not the end-all of real estate transactions.

When everything is all said and done, a seller shouldn't care too much where the money is coming from to pay for their home. A title search is going to be done and a lender will ensure that the buyer can pay for the home.

Cash buyers often think that they can put in lower offers because they have the money, but sometimes this turns off the seller. Just because someone is paying cash doesn't mean they deserve a better deal on the home.

However, there are instances where cash is preferred. Older properties are less likely to be financed by banks, so in a situation like that you may be better off going with a cash offer.

Unless the property is truly distressed and is unlikely to be financed, you want to weigh your options with cash buyers, as they are usually not willing to pay a lot more than people who have financed offers.

If you have any questions about this topic or if you'd like to know more about it, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'm always here to help you with Jonesboro real estate!

Are We In a Seller's Market in Jonesboro?

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Are we in a seller's market or a buyer's market? This is a question that I hear quite often. We're in the thick of the summer market, and because of the amount of growth we're seeing, I think that almost 75% of the market is a seller's market. 

If you're in an area that's experiencing a lot of demand from buyers, I suggest that you get your home on the market quickly before other properties flood the area. Now is your chance to get top dollar for your home, and these market conditions right now will allow that.

If you're buying, you have a wonderful opportunity to purchase an affordable home. Interest rates are lower than ever, and you stand to make a very good investment right now.

If you would like to know more about real estate in your specific Jonesboro neighborhood, please don't hesitate to contact me!

What's Up with Jonesboro Home Prices?

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Today I just wanted to talk briefly about home pricing trends in Jonesboro. Overall we're seeing a lack of inventory and our buyers are having to write offers over the listing price.

In most of our local neighborhoods, it's a seller's market. This is causing an increase in home prices, and sellers are really sticking with what their homes have been listed for. They're really not willing to budge because they know that they have the upper hand.

If you're looking to purchase a home in the near future and you need help, please don't hesitate to contact me. I would love to help you find a good home in this market!

What's Inventory like in Jonesboro?

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Today I just wanted to give you a short, sweet update about the inventory levels that we're seeing in and around Jonesboro right now.

Frankly, there just isn't a lot of inventory to be had in Jonesboro. This is making it tough for our buyers, because we're seeing some homes selling even before they hit the market.

If you're selling, this means that you have a huge competitive advantage. We're in a hot seller's market, and you stand to make a good profit when you sell your home. My advice to you is to do so soon before other homes flood our market.

On the flip side, if you plan on staying in the area after you sell, it may be a bit hard to find a good home to move into.

If you need help finding a suitable property in the area, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'd love to help you find a good home in Jonesboro!

How to Prepare Your Jonesboro Home for the Market

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We spend a lot of our energy and effort marketing the homes of our sellers. One of the questions we receive quite often is "What are the most important repairs, renovations, and improvements to do before listing my home?" Today, we answer just that.

Every time we evaluate a property, we take a look to make sure that all air filters and vents are clean and neat. If these things aren't addressed, people will assume the rest of the home was not maintained as well.

You also need to open every closet, look at every ceiling, and check all your carpet for stains. There are ways to take care of these things, and you need to be sure to deal with them if you want buyers to seriously consider purchasing your home.

There are many little things that will scare buyers away from your home. For more tips on how to avoid a long and stressful home sale, give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love to help you accomplish your selling goals!

Tips for Decluttering Your Jonesboro Home

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The spring real estate market is in full swing, so there is no better time to share some tips to help you prepare your home for the market. Today, we share the best ways to declutter your home so that it stands out from the crowd! 

• Clean for a cause: There are many needy people out there who could use some help. When preparing to move, keep Goodwill and Salvation Army in mind as good places to donate your unused items. Knowing you're helping others makes getting rid of things a bit easier. 
• Don't leave room for "maybe": When cleaning out a room, a drawer, or a closet, we suggest creating three distinct piles: trash, donate, and keep. The "keep" pile should be the smallest if you want your life to be clean and simple. 
• Health hazards: Studies show that we spend 90% of our time indoors. The more stuff we have around the house, the more dusty and dirty it will become. Today, homes are built in such a way that doesn't allow for much ventilation, so you need to be vigilant about dusting and cleaning areas of the house that are used less than others. 

For more tips on how you can have a successful home sale this spring, give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love to help you accomplish your selling goals!