Owasso Living

It’s approaching that time of year again! Christmas decorations are out in the aisles of your favorite stores. Are you looking for some inspiration that is both easy and budget friendly?

Check out these decorating ideas to take your home to the next level!

The Gardner Home Team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays!

If you’re looking for a smaller, family friendly, well-developed place to live that’s not in the heart of a city, Owasso is for you!

Situated less than 15 miles from Tulsa, Owasso is full of great schools, churches, parks, and neighborhoods that are perfect for you and your family.

In 2002, Owasso began its initiative to become a “City of Character;” a commitment its citizens to be the best city it could possibly be.

For a city of around 30,000 residents, Owasso is one of the fastest growing cities in this area of Oklahoma. With many neighborhoods under construction, and new homes constantly being built, there is definitely a place for you!

Pictured: Owasso’s largest residential development: Stone Canyon

If you have children, the education is important to you. Owasso currently has the 7th largest public school system in the entire state of Oklahoma! With 7 elementary schools alone, Owasso is a place that can accommodate any student.

If you’re thinking about moving to the greater Tulsa area, put Owasso on your list of places to check out! When you’re ready, make sure to call Owasso’s number one real estate team! Stan Gardner and his team are here to help you find your dream home!

Contact Stan at 918-430-8248 or stan@stangardner.com

*for more information on the city of Owasso, visit the city’s homepage: http://www.cityofowasso.com

The real estate market is constantly changing and evolving. It can completely flip in the matter of a month, which can be incredibly stressful for homeowners.

Take a look at the chart below. What sticks out to you? The biggest change occurred on the listing side, increasing by over 14%. What does this mean for you, a person trying to sell a home? There are more listings out there than what are selling. Bottom line, if you want your home sold in a reasonable time and you don’t want it sitting on the market decreasing value, you need a professional who knows what he’s doing.

The Gardner Home Team can provide that for you. We have experienced realtors who know the market and are willing to do whatever it takes to get your home sold.

Contact Stan Gardner at (918)430-8247|stan@stangardner.com or Mellissa Malicott at (918)955-8248 or malicott@stangardner.com for help selling your home!

In the greater Tulsa area, there are countless realtors and real estate agencies to choose from. So what makes us here at The Gardner Home Team special?

We are a part of the best that real estate has to offer.

• Berkshire Hathaway Home Services has been nationally recognized with awards and accolades from leading business and industry organizations. It’s also the Number One relocation broker. Plus, it’s owned by Warren Buffett.

The competitive market forces us to be competitive realtors.

• There are currently 6800 homes for sale in the Tulsa market. Here at The Gardner Home Team, we can make sure that you won’t be excluded from showing your home.

We possess superior negotiation skills.

• There’s a reason we sold 89 transactions in 2016. Negotiating is part of buying and selling. It’s our job to get creative with the offers for you.

We have the resources needed to succeed.

• When you list your home with us, you not only align yourself with America’s finest brokerage in Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, you also work with an agent who has access to some of the most powerful consumer tools available in real estate today.

We take care of professional networking.

• Often times there are a lot of outside services that you need to work with when selling your home. The Gardner Home Team will provide you with a professional photographer, staging opportunities, and recommendations for professional repairs.

We do all of the behind the scenes work.

• When it comes to the actual closing process, there is a lot of paperwork that needs to be done. We will not only guide you through the closing process to make sure it runs as smoothly as possible, but we will take care of all of the tedious paperwork for you.

We take time so you don’t have to.

• The Gardner Home Team coordinates and hosts all of the showings. We pre-qualify buyers beforehand and meet them at your door with the professionalism you would expect so you don’t have to worry about anything.

We offer professional advice.

• It’s important to stay realistic and objective when listing your home. We at Berkshire Hathaway and The Gardner Home Team have been trained to keep you on track by communicating professional feedback, such as market updates, weekly, so you always know what to expect.

There are many things that set us apart from other broker services out there. But if you choose The Gardner Home Team you can be guaranteed quality and professional service 24/7!

Contact Stan Gardner 918-430-8247|stan@stangardner.com or Mellissa Malicott 918-955-8248|malicott@stangardner.com for a listing appointment!

Tulsa is a place that is on the “up and coming” list. Younger individuals and prospective homeowners are gravitating more toward cities and less toward suburbs. They want to be in the heart of a city that has a lot to offer and a lot to do.

Tulsa is starting to cater more to the  younger millennial crowd with its quaint coffee shops, art galleries, dive bars, and organic food grocery stores (like Trader Joe’s). However, what makes Tulsa interesting is all of the history rooted in the architecture.

If you’re someone who enjoys history, art, and seeing what a city has to offer, Tulsa could be the perfect place for you.

Here is a list of Tulsa’s most interesting places (museums, bars, coffee shops, places of worship etc.):

Museums:

• Union Depot (pictured)- this old piece of Tulsa architecture serves as a musical arts center today.
• Woodie Guthrie Center- currently a public museum and archive containing instruments and original artwork fro Guthrie while also serving as an educational resource.
• Philbrook Museum of Art- originally a 72 room mansion, the Philbrook was converted to a museum of art in 1938 by Waite Phillips.
• Tulsa Air and Space Museum- a wonderful place to explore the aviation history of Tulsa.
• Sherwin Miller Museum- this museum is dedicated specifically to Jewish art and has been since 1965.

Other Attractions:

• Aquarium & Zoo- the Oklahoma Aquarium recently added a Sea Turtle exhibit and it’s the perfect place to visit for an interactive experience with marine life.
• Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area- for all of you nature lovers, Turkey Mountain is one of Tulsa’s most beautiful scenic locations!
• Prayer Tower at ORU (pictured)- the architectural marvel at Oral Roberts University is at least worth a drive by. The tower is located in the center of campus and is a beautiful sight.
• Boston Avenue Methodist Church- another architectural masterpiece, this massive place of worship is a perfect example of Art Deco in its finest form.
• Cain’s Ballroom- built in 1924, Cain’s is rooted in music and art history. Today it serves as a concert venue.

Bars:

• Lefty’s- the place to go if you want sports, drinks, live music, and food all at once!
• McNellie’s (pictured)- accurately deemed Tulsa’s best pub, this place has 350 beers to choose from.
• Dust Bowl- this retro 70’s style venue that is both a bar AND a bowling alley.
• Legends- if you like line dancing and country music, Legends is the place for you!
• Valkyrie- this is the place to be if you like smaller neighborhood type bars. They continuously rotate their menu, so you’ll never try the same thing twice.

Coffee Shops:

• Nordaggio’s- known for their fantastic espresso, Nordaggio’s is perfect for the coffee lover.
• The Phoenix- looking for good breakfast and a place to cozy up with your favorite book? The Phoenix is the best spot for you (and they’re open late!)
• Shades of Brown- this small coffee shop is perfect for grabbing a cup of coffee and catching up with friends. Plus, you can admire local Tulsa artists’ artwork!
• 918 Coffee- located on Historic Route 66, 918 Coffee was designed to fit both the down home and the upscale tastes that coffee can bring.
• Chimera (pictured)- this is the place for the environmentally friendly one. They offer both vegetarian and vegan options on their menu and any of their items can be made gluten free!

Restaurants:

• Kilkenny’s- even though it’s technically a pub, Kilkenny’s motto “a destination for travelers and a gathering place for friends,” is the perfect place to spend a night with the family. They also have a large menu with a variety of options: something for everyone!
• Red Rock (pictured)- located along the Arkansas River, Red Rock Canyon Grill, you can enjoy Southwest and American cuisine while sitting outside on their beautiful patio.
• Ike’s Chili House- “Tulsa’s Best Chili Since 1908.” Must you know more?
• The Rusty Crane- this small restaurant offers a cozy atmosphere, perfect if you’re visiting with a friend! Most of their decorations are also re-purposed. Sit down, grab some food, and enjoy the moment at the Rusty Crane!
• El Rancho Grande- you can’t live in Oklahoma and not eat Mexican food. Located on Route 66 and open now for 60 years, El Rancho Grande is the place to go for Tex-Mex cuisine!

If you find yourself wanting to migrate to the Tulsa area to enjoy all that the wonderful city has to offer, make sure you call The Gardner Home Team for help! 918-430-8247.

Welcome to the second post in the series of tips and tricks when you’re buying or selling your home! These helpful hints will give you quick insight on what to do (and not to do) when you’re listing your house.

DO

• Declutter and Depersonalize–  it is important that your home be as clean and free of your personal items (stuff that makes it “home” for you) before realtors come in with prospective buyers. It allows people to visualize what they would want the home to look like for them, without getting overwhelmed with too much clutter.
• Make sure your home is fresh and clean- homes that have a fresh and clean scent are much less distracting. Buyers can be turned off if a home has a funky smell, so making sure yours is fresh will benefit you and your home!
• Be realistic on your price- it’s often difficult to go with the trends of the market because everyone believes that their home is the best. Try to take the sentimental value out of it. Your realtor will know what  houses in your area are selling for, and will advise you on a price that is both realistic and that will allow you to place your home at a great value.
• Have an aggressive marketing strategy- similar to being realistic on your price, you want to adjust it to follow the trends in the market. You want to make sure that you’re staying on top of those trends so you can draw in the most attention and buyers!
• Be prepared for when your home sells- sometimes homes sell quicker than expected, and it’s important to have everything on your list completed. The selling process can be overwhelming sometimes, especially for people who don’t have a lot of experience, so you don’t want to get bogged down with too much. Your realtor should have prepared you on what to expect during this process, so hopefully everything will run smoothly from selling to closing!

DON’T

• Check listing websites and expect them to be accurate- this is probably the main tip your realtor will tell you not to do. It’s important to be patient and trust that they are keeping you in the loop of what’s happening. Checking listing websites can be discouraging because they often times take up to 24 hours to update. As always, it is best to contact your realtor directly if you have questions instead of trusting websites.
• Keep pets in your home while it is showing- pets are a distraction and can take away from the actual experience of looking at a home. Pets make it difficult for realtors to concentrate on the prospective buyer and showing your home if they have to worry about pets on the premises.
• Leave repairs unattended- It is important that your home be in the best possible condition while it is showing. Any repairs and updates that you plan on doing need to be completed before the showing process begins. Not only do they add value to your home, but they make it more aesthetically pleasing for the buyers.
• Expect your home to sell within 30 days- Sometimes there is a quick turnaround and a home can sell sooner than 30 days. However, more often than not, your home will be on the market for longer. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t get impatient with your realtor. They are doing their best to bring in buyers for you. How quickly a home sells also depends on the market. Remember that there are slower times.
• Withhold information- be upfront and completely honest with your realtor. This is especially important during inspections and disclosures. Withholding information about your property can result in an extremely complicated legal situation should the buyer run into any problems. It’s just easier to be honest from the beginning and deal with problems all at once.

These tips come straight from team of realtors at The Gardner Home Team. We hope they can be useful to you! If you have any questions or are looking to list your home, contact The Gardner Home Team at 918.430.8247.

When it comes to purchasing a home, there are some things you should do, and some things you shouldn’t. Having these tips will allow you to get the most out of your experience while also allowing the process to run smoothly. Here’s a short list to keep you (and your realtor) happy.

DO

• Get pre-qualified with a lender– this allows you to see what your budget for a home will be so your realtor can keep you within your price range.
• Find a real estate agent that matches your personality- and stay loyal to that agent. Working with multiple realtors only makes things more difficult for everyone.
• Do your research– whether that be for agencies, homes, or lenders, it’s important to know exactly what you want and qualify for. The more straightforward you can be, the better.
  • Your agent will also have a list of local lenders for you to use. Take the recommendations seriously. Using a trusted and quality lender is key.
• Ask questions– make sure you know exactly what the process will entail. Have your agent lay everything out so you won’t be confused later on. Call The Gardner Home Team for help and to answer any questions!
• Do a walkthrough- before buying the home, make sure that you are comfortable purchasing the property as is and be sure to note anything that is wrong or needs fixing.

DON’T

• Don’t buy anything with your credit after pre-qualifying- this causes your line of credit to adjust and may cause you to be disqualified from the lender.
• Don’t go into open houses without mentioning you have a realtor- it is important, not only for your realtor, but for you. Mentioning you are already working with someone ensures that the process keeps running smoothly and you are represented by someone you know you trust.
• Don’t look at too many houses- the process can already be overwhelming, especially for first time buyers, so keeping the number of homes you look at to a low number will be better for you in the long run.
• Don’t be shy about what you want- it is easier for your agent to find homes based on the qualities you are looking for instead of presenting you homes that they think you might like.
• Don’t assume your agent has control over 100% of your file- while they will be in contact with third parties checking on everything for you, after they turn the contract over they have no control over how long the rest of the process will take. Call The Gardner Home Team for advice!

Always remember that buying a home is different for everyone. Things that work for someone else might not work for you. When in doubt, just be open and honest with your realtor and they will make sure the process is as stress free as possible!

For additional information on the Do’s and Don’ts of purchasing a home, contact The Gardner Home Team at 918-430-8247.