The Derosia Team

As you can probably tell by our lack of posts that we aren't the best at blogging. However, we would like to wish all of our clients a very happy new year (although we are a little late) and hope everyone had a great holiday season. 2010 turned out to be another excellent year for us. Thank you to everyone that purchased from us! We moved offices in August. It was a scary move at first, but we quickly adjusted and LOVE our new location at Realty Executives Smoky Mountains in Pigeon Forge. Earlier in 2010, Darlene and I (Kim) reached a personal goal for each of us and got our brokers licence. It was a very hard test to pass, but we both did! We have many goals for a successful 2011. One of our goals is to provide our clients with a good website that is very user friendly. I think we have come a long way on this, and we hope you enjoy the new look of our website. Searching for property is easier than ever. You can search right from the home page now! If you want to see a list of fore...

This is an article we found on some mistakes that first-time homebuyers make when shopping for their first home. Buying your first home is very exciting but can also be stressful if you don't look for a couple of key points. These are just some suggestions and cautions to take when looking for a place to call home. If you have any questions please let The Derosia Team help you out. http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/10-worst-first-time-homebuyer-mistakes-2010

If you are visiting Gatlinburg in July and August, we suggest you check out the semiannual Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair and see the creativity of our talented local artist. Also enjoy the Fair's live entertainment of Bluegrass and Country Music. The fair runs from July 16 - July 24 from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Monday - Saturday and 10:00 am - 5:00 pm on Sunday at the Gatlinburg Convention Center. If you would like to learn more please visit http://www.craftmensfair.com . Also while walking the streets of Gatlinburg don't forget to stop and watch our sidewalk performers of the Smoky Mountain Tunes and Tales. This is a great time to learn about the mountain heritage. Stop by for a fantastic interactive, educational, and entertaining experience that everyone in the family will enjoy. Here is a video to give you a preview of this show.

The question for many individuals in search of a place to call home is: “Is it more beneficial to buy or rent?” While the decision is personal preference, we would like to provide you with the advantages and disadvantages of both prospectives. There are many advantages to buying a home. A homeowner’s mortgage goes towards the ownership of their home and the property builds equity. Also, the average homeowner’s mortgage will decline after several years of paying their mortgage. Many homeowners qualify for annual tax benefits which in some way or form reduces the mortgage. Homeowners are not dependent on landlords to maintain the property and are free to change the décor and landscaping of their home. There are also some things that should be taken into consideration before purchasing a home. There is a possibility of foreclosure and loss of equity if the homeowner fails to make payments. Also, in some cases the homeowner may be responsible for such things as: property taxes, home and ca...

A short sale is a sale of real estate where the property sales for less than the balance owed on the property's loan. A short sale must be agreed upon by both the borrower and the lender. This allows them to avoid foreclosure. A short sale, however, does not necessarily release the borrower from the obligation to pay the remaining balance of the loan. A short sale will affect the credit score, but not as much as a foreclosure would. If you are thinking about short selling your property or purchasing a short sale, feel free to contact us to discuss in depth how this process works. Currently, Phillip handles all our short sales and is very knowledgeable about the process.

I found this quote today and I think it fits us perfectly! "Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves- to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by our today." - Stewart B. Johnson

Growing up in Gatlinburg, I (Kim) have always heard my family talk about "dogwood winter" but had no clue what they were talking about. It's actually very simple! Dogwood winter is a term used mostly in the south that refers to a period of cold weather that coincides with the blooming of the dogwoods. In the beginning of spring there is usually a stretch of warm and pleasant weather followed by several days of cold, cloudy weather and even possibly frost or snow flurries. Because of dogwood winter, most gardeners don't plant until after the dogwood trees have bloomed. With that said, I do believe that dogwood winter has recently just ended in Gatlinburg!!