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 As one of the oldest full service real estate firms in Atlanta we have been our clients advocates; helping them navigate the world of home ownership since 1932. We have implemented a Project Management system that is designed to pull together all aspects of your home renovation and/or home building needs and orchestrate your project to fulfill the dreams you have for your home.
Home owners are demanding a change in the Home Design/Build industry; they are tired of contractors who over-charge and under-deliver. We’ve heard your complaints about your past experiences and we have taken what we have learned and developed a Project Management System/process that is effectively taking a broom and dustpan to the industry.
Few firms have successfully entered the world of Residential Project Management, a concept found largely in the commercial construction arena. Our team of professional Project Managers has over a century of combined experience in the industry and are trained to remodel your home to the highest standards of custom building and remodeling.
Pioneering since 1932…
One of the most important things we do as human beings is use our sense of hearing to really listen to people. Because if we ‘hear’ what people are saying we connect and develop empathy and thus relationship is born! When you are meeting with someone from the home industry one of the most important traits to look for in a company is for the people within the company to really be listening to what you are communicating to them. If you have a contractor give you a bid for your project without seeing your property and hearing the details of what you want done then in the famous words of Finding Nemo…”Keep on swimming… swimming, swimming!”
We believe there is a strategy for every house. People are not cookie cutter and neither are their dreams for their home. As a project management firm, we love helping people realize and walk out the dreams they have for their families home life. Have a look at this recommendation from a client that we helped last spring…
 I had planned a wonderful, romantic surprise for my wife as a gift for the move into our newly constructed home that Berry Design Build built for us. Not being the romantic type (a husband who buys electronics and sporting goods for his wife every holiday, birthday, anniversary), I did not know where to begin. I contacted a good (Turkish) friend of mine who has a keen eye for women’s fashions. We took several days of shopping at Phipps and Lenox malls. I even babysat his kids in Lenox as he shopped for my wife. We finally found a beautiful dress and some LOVELY shoes. The plan was as follows:
- I set the gifts up in her empty walk in closet, the dress hung beautifully on a fabric hangar and the shoes displayed in the center of a large shelf
- She was to go through the house after the closing and before any furniture had been moved in
- She walks into the closet and is surprised and is in tears (happy, love tears of course)
- I am the most wonderful and thoughtful husband and I score points for the remainder of the year.
The best laid plans….
After the set up in the walk in closet, the plan was in motion. I had written an endearing note and placed it in an envelope in front of the shoes. An hour later I called my wife and told her that the walk in closet was messed up, the contractors pulled down the shelves and are changing things (I knew this would get her over there fast!) She went over after work and I was waiting for the phone call or the hugs and kisses when she came home. No phone call, no hugs, no kisses.
Strange I thought. Were the clothes and items stolen? Maybe she did not go into the closet or even go upstairs, in spite of my insistence. I blew it off, and over the next 1-2 I tried to emphasize that she needed to go and see the closet. She subsequently went over a few times (even once with her work colleagues), but still no phone call, hugs or kisses. On the day of closing we were going to have my fashion/shopping/Turkish friend and his wife (Marissa) over to celebrate the completion of the project. When they arrived I pulled them aside to let them know that I was confused as she had not mentioned anything about the gifts. We devised a plan that Marissa would take my wife upstairs and insist that she go into the closet. This would finally work. She would get her gifts and I would get my hugs and kisses (I did not need the phone call anymore). After about 15 minutes of them wandering upstairs, they came down. Nothing. No thank you, no smile, no tears. What was going on? Was my wife that oblivious?
At this point, I was at the end. I had no more creativity left in me. My wife had won. My romantic gesture had fallen flat. Immediately, I asked my wife to follow me upstairs. I walked her into the closet and stood her in front of the gifts and said (very clearly) that these gifts were for you. She was very surprised laughed quite a bit. I was deflated. We went back down, her in her new dress and shoes and me with my defeated soul, and had cheese and wine with our friends.
So here is the other side of the story, the part I never saw or knew of. My wife had seen the gifts and the card every time she went over to the new house. She thought the closet was being “staged” by Berry Design Build for pictures to place on their website. She did not want to “disturb” the scene because it looked so nice. She noticed the card but did not think it was for her (my only mistake…I did everything correct but did not write her name on the envelope. Who else would the card be for?!?) She figured the gifts were not from me as I would never do anything like this (once again, my one romantic gesture fizzled in the wind). When she and Marissa went upstairs, she said the same things to her, even though Marissa insisted for her to open the card. My lovely wife was adamant that these were not for her, they were for Berry, and I would never buy her gifts like this (another dagger!). LOL.
I learned a few things from this: 1. Always write a name on the envelope. 2. Even though my wife thinks she knows everything, sometimes she may miss the obvious. 3. It is hard being romantic. It is easier to buy her electronics (keep it up Apple).
In the end, I did get my hugs and kisses!
Anish
We are very excited to announce that Berry Realty Co has been selected to help a FIRST-TIME home buyer find their perfect home this summer on HGTV’s show Property Virgins. If you would like to participate in the show with us, please contact Laurel@BerryDesignBuild.com or submit an email through our website/Facebook/blog.
We do have a few guidelines that they have given us…
- Looking to purchase between April and September in 2012
- Looking for a home within a 30-minute commuting range of Atlanta
- Need to have a pre-approved mortgage
- Must be a first time home buyer
Please share this around to your friends and office mates and keep a look out on our blog as we will be updating as we travel this new venture! Wish us luck!
You might have heard that we are celebrating our 80th (!!!!) birthday this year and if you haven’t well, now you know! 80 years of history has provided us with so many wonderful stories, dramatic moments, triumphs and many, many of humorous escapades.
We are going to use our blog this year to tell you the stories. Some of them you might have heard before (because you might have experienced them first hand!) and some will be new. Trust me, all of them will be entertaining  Because our dear friends, clients, and family of Atlanta have one thing in common ‘a great good hearted nature’ that keeps people moving in droves to our great city just to be apart.
Check out our latest newsletter to read what has and is happening at Berry Realty Company!
 If you’re considering leasing your home and you’re ready to put it on the market you might have thought someone who is looking to rent rather than buy won’t mind if the paint is peeling a bit or if the hardwood floors are scratched and old. But other than the location of your home and it being priced correctly, your home’s condition and how well it shows is a very important factor in renting it quickly and to a great tenant. Renters have much more sophisticated tastes today, as many are coming from nice homes and upgraded apartments. The better condition your home is in the more likely you will attract a tenant who will appreciate this and will care for it as if it’s their own. A fresh coat of paint does wonders, especially if it is peeling or cracking on the outside or inside. So go ahead and repaint that hot pink child’s room that looked so lovely with your daughter’s furniture or the blue dining room that set off your china set so well, with neutral colors that will compliment what potential renters own. If your bathrooms and kitchens are outdated and it’s in your budget, replace the countertops and/or paint the cabinetry and add new hardware. Installing new light fixtures will go a long way as well.
Congratulations, you are well on your way to finding the perfect family to rent your home!
Leigh Ann Birkinshaw
Real Estate Consultant & Property Manager
Before you can do anything you need to start with a figure. Most renovators with a few years under their belts have come up with a few budget calculating tips. Take that kitchen we were talking about earlier; we can give you an estimated price of $300/per linear foot for mid range cabinets, $32/per square foot of hard surface countertops and $15/per square foot of backsplash. With these numbers you will be able to make an educated decision as to whether or not you would like to move forward and have a designer plan out your space. And with that in mind I will be able to give you my thoughts on what this price point will buy you. But alas this is where the ‘free advice’ ends.
I think peoples reluctance to ‘give out’ their budget amount is due largely to the feeling that the renovator will make them overspend or charge a higher fee. This is so far from the truth! An ethical project manager is looking out for their clients best interests, regardless of their budget. We want you to have the BEST renovation/home build your budget will allow. And once we know your budget we will help stretch your $ to achieve this for you!
Our best advice regarding a remodeling budget is: Have one. The second piece of advice is: Be sure it’s realistic. This is where things get a bit sticky. “Why?” you ask. Because realistic is a subjective term.
It’s always interesting when people ask us how much we think their remodel will cost. Or conversely, they will ask if $XXX is enough to cover their home project. It seriously happens on a regular basis. It’s a difficult question. “Why?” you ask. Because we don’t have nearly enough information about the client’s situation or expectations to provide a reasonably accurate or relative answer. Occasionally, we receive the answer that every Project Manager loves to hear: “We don’t have a budget” or “Money is not an object”. Unfortunately, when we ask if they are comfortable with a $100k working budget, more often than not… they answer no.
All remodels are not the same. Even if you had two kitchens with the same square footage, their total costs would most likely not even be close. There are so many variables.
Can you build a full kitchen remodel in Atlanta for less than $25,000? Absolutely!! Can you build a full kitchen remodel in Atlanta for more than $25,000? Absolutely!! You get our point.
 We are often asked, “What’s the most important factor to be considered when renovating a home?” Perhaps one answer is the RESPECT FOR THE HOMES SURROUNDING the property being renovated. When contemplating a well-designed renovation, you must certainly consider the fit of the home itself, but as important you must create a fluid transition within the fabric of the neighborhood in which it resides. In every community there is usually an age and a character that identifies the neighborhood. Although it is fine to be different in design and décor, differences must respect the envelope of scale, massing, and character of the original home as well as the surrounding properties. A “unique” home is only perceived as valuable when its distinctiveness enhances the flavor of the community.
When hired as a project manager, a top priority for Berry Realty Company is to consider the desired budget before undertaking any renovation project. We evaluate the cost of the desired renovation by obtaining bids for every aspect of the project. We then assess the budget against the return on investment and projected implications for resale or marketability for the total renovation based upon that specific area. Once a final renovation plan has been determined, we budget and monitor the finances throughout the project, paying attention to every detail. Often the smaller items, although inexpensive, can be numerous and quite costly if unaccounted for in the initial budget planning, a common mistake we see happen with a novice renovator. One of the main goals of a well-executed renovation is to have the renovation dollars that are spent add value to the home for a high return on investment. If the home is already the most expensive on the block, the renovation investment might be a waste of money when there is no (or little) return on the investment.
Renovations can be costly and some of our clients have chosen to finance their project. Be sure to research all options available to you for financing. If you will be borrowing the funds for your project, you may be able to refinance your existing mortgage – a good choice while interest rates are still so low or you may be able to get a home equity loan. Home equity lines are better for smaller renovations projects – ones that you can repay quickly, while refinancing may be a better choice if you need a large amount of money for your renovation and plan to remain in your home for many more years.
As with any construction project, renovations require much pre-planning. If you spend any time here at Berry Realty Company, you are bound to hear someone on the renovation team say, “Measure twice and cut once!”
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As one of the oldest full service real estate firms in Atlanta we have been our clients advocates; helping them navigate the world of home ownership since 1932. We have implemented a Project Management system that is designed to pull together all aspects of your home renovation and/or home building needs and orchestrate your project to fulfill the dreams you have for your home.
