Evaluating Schools

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buying near a great school, evaluating schools, neighborhood schools, School District, School research, schools

The question remains: How do you evaluate schools? What’s the best approach for understanding if your local schools will score your property an “A” or relegate it to the land of “D-“?

Luckily, there are some excellent resources out there for vetting schools online. Here are a few I’ve come across which provide a good place to start:

Education.com: A major portal site for education everywhere, you’ll want to pay particular attention to the schools section, found here: http://www.education.com/topic/school-and-academics/

GreatSchools.org: A good search engine for researching schools, you can do zip code based searches and learn lots about the public and private institutions in the area.

ProjectAppleseed.org: A website dedicated to improving public schools, you can learn a lot here about the crucial elements of what makes a local school and excellent local school.

Finally, here are a handful of questions to ask yourself if you’re doing research:

How comprehensive is the school’s safety policy?
What social/support services are available at the school?
How does the school handle discipline?
Are people involved in a parent/teacher organization?
How healthy is the school district’s annual report?

Finally, be sure to ask your agent!

Looking for neighborhoods with great schools? We can help! Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside 904-422-7626 http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com

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Supersizing Small Spaces

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furniture positions, homes for sale in Jacksonville FL, make a small home spacious, small home, small house, small house design tips, small space design, small square footage, tricks to making a small home seem bigger

Has your home started to feel a little small for your family? It happens to the best of us. The things we own gradually end up colonizing a lot of our free space, and the house which felt “just right” a few years ago can suddenly feel as tiny as a shoe closet.

Fortunately, there are some simple tricks you can try to supersize your small space. Most of these tricks are a matter of changing perspective rather than opening up more square footage. Before you try them, consider a real effort to declutter first. If your declutter campaign falls short, though, these tactics may come to your rescue:

Lighten up the walls. Color can make the difference between breezy, cozy, and claustrophobic. Dark colors on walls make them seem smaller and denser, while lighter ones broaden your view and reflect more light. While white can be a bit harsh, there are other cheerful tones such as lemon, mint, and cornflower which can transform a space.

Aim high. Many times, our gaze tends to lock onto the things in the way of our feet. If you have zones of heavy storage occupying square footage, look for ways to get those items off the ground. Corner shelves, hidden cabinets, and even hanging racks can do wonders for widening up narrow spaces. Hanging pictures higher up on walls can make rooms feel taller, too.

Widen up the windows. Big curtain rods which extend beyond the border of the window can make a window seem larger, and making the move to keep them open (perhaps with sheer drapes for privacy) can let in crucial light. If you have a little renovation money, consider adding windows to rooms where less-than-ideal lighting conditions exist.

Cast mirror magic. Amplifying light is a big theme here, so position large mirrors across from windows to create “windows” where no window can exist. Even if you don’t have a window handy, a large mirror can double up the tiniest room.

Demand double duty furniture. Hidden storage in large furniture can be a boon for making the most diminutive room more manageable. Take, for example, raised bed platforms with drawers built in the frame. Look for any opportunity to hide storage in existing objects.

Hopefully these five tips will make your small house more spacious. If they still don’t make enough room for peace of mind, it might be time to consider upsizing. We’re happy to help you assess how much home you can afford, and what you might be able to get for the house you’ve outgrown. Drop us a line if you’re ready for the big time! Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com

4 Tips for Mobile Phone Safety

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cell phone safety, internet safety, Jacksonville FL Real Estate, mobile phone safety, password protection, protect your data, public computers, sharing photos, social media

With all the recent talk of stolen celebrity photos from cell phones, it’s rather apparent that the convenience of mobile devices also comes with risk. As you check-in, text, share photos, and increasingly run your life on the go, you may inadvertently expose private information or make yourself more likely to be a victim of a crime. Here are four things you should be aware of as you use new mobile and social technology that might spare you expensive or embarrassing lessons:

1. Beware of how often you “check in” through social media.
Apps like Foursquare and websites like Facebook allow you to “check in” when you’re out and about in the world, effectively broadcasting where you are… and where you’re not. Be especially sensitive to checking in from airports and locations far from home. Enterprising thieves can use this information to target your home or business.

2. Beware of the photos you’re sharing.
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, what are your pictures on Facebook saying to friends, family, and co-workers? Just like checking in when you’re out of town, vacation photos posted in real time can inadvertently let people know you’re not home.

3. Remember to log out of public computers
If you’ve ever checked your email in an internet cafe or hotel computer, did you remember to log out? Closing a browser window isn’t usually enough. People who open the browser can often waltz right into your email account because your “session” is still active. Remember to click “log out” or “exit my account” any time you log into private accounts through public machines.

4. Protect your devices
Smart phones now carry the sort of data you used to keep under lock and key in your home office or closet safe. If your devices are lost or stolen, how much of your private information could be exposed through your device?

First and foremost, add password protection to your device in case it is lost. Most have a setting you can activate which forces someone enter a code before access the apps and data on the device.

Second, consider adding an app or service which will track your device via GPS if it is lost or stolen. Depending on your device, there are an array of options to help locate your smart phone if it disappears. To find an app specific to your device, try Googling (without quotation marks): “app tracks stolen [device name]” where [device name] is replaced with your brand of smart phone (iPhone, Android, Blackberry, etc.).

Call us! Let us know if this was helpful or if we can help you with your real estate needs. Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside 904-422-7626 http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com