Thursday, October 31, 2013

Residents at Active Adult Communities Create their Perfect Lifestyle

The Orchards Group’s metro Atlanta active adult communities, The Orchards of Brannon Oak Farm and The Orchards of East Cherokee, are unlike most other active adult communities. Normally, active adult communities have a Social Director that organizes all of the activities and events for homeowners to participate in. Striving to be different and make homeowners happier, The Orchards Group took a different approach by allowing homeowners to offer their input on the activities and events that are taking place. 

This idea that allowing homeowners to take responsibility for their own lifestyle makes them more involved in the community proves to be doing well at The Orchards of East Cherokee, located in Hickory Flat. Residents have been very involved in the planning events and activities, as their community has expanded in the past year, so have the events. For instance, their monthly Meet and Greet dinner has grown from being held once a month to three times! New social groups and events have also been a product of the growing community, including a Saturday night themed party, men’s coffee gathering, ladies lunch outing, craft club, book club and game days.

But how do all of these adults with varying interests get along? Mitch Block, sales and marketing director for The Orchards Group, sees the differences as a positive. “As more people purchase homes and move in to the communities, they bring with them more and more personal interests,” Block says. “Because of this, we are seeing a growing use of the clubhouse, which is exactly the intention. Hopefully, we will continue to see new groups created, such as card groups or even movie groups.”

With so many activities and outings to choose from at The Orchards Group’s two communities, residents have the option of participating in as many or little events as they choose. And if they can’t find the perfect social group or event for them, they can create it!

For more information on the active adult lifestyle that can be found at the two Orchards Group communities, contact The Orchards of Brannon Oak Farm at 678-513-8879 or The Orchards of East Cherokee at 770-345-5409. Or, visit www.OrchardsGroup.com.


Monday, October 14, 2013

Smith Douglas Continues Success of Cherokee County Homes for Sale

Cherokee County homes for sale
Smith Douglas Communities, one of the area's newest and fastest growing builders of metro Atlanta homes is continuing their success in Cherokee County with a brand new community, Cherokee Reserve.

In August, Metrostudy, the nation's leading provider of housing market data, announced that the Atlanta home builder had the no. 1 most active and best selling community of Cherokee County homes for sale; Cornerstone Estates experienced 60 home starts and sales within a 12 month period.

This recognition, coupled with the fact that new home starts in Cherokee County were up 100 percent for the second quarter 2013 from 2012 and the fact that the Cherokee County school district is the no. 1 SAT scoring district in Georgia, means that Cherokee County is the place to be.

Smith Douglas' brand new community of single-family homes in Canton will feature five of the builder's most spacious floor plans on large home sites with affordable pricing starting from the $190,000s.

Homes in Cherokee Reserve will have up to five bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms with one floor plan, the Chestnut, offering an option for a sixth bedroom. Homes will feature open floor plans with dramatic foyers with hardwood flooring, kitchens with granite countertops that are perfect for entertaining, oversized master suites with sitting areas and luxurious bathrooms and much more.

The community itself offers an ideal, tranquil setting in a lush, wooded environment that is still convenient to shops, restaurants, entertainment and recreation.

Children residing in the community will attend Hickory Flat Elementary, Rusk Middle and Sequoyah High schools.


To learn more about these affordable homes in Atlanta or to schedule an appointment, call 678-316-3776 or email CherokeeReserve@SmithDouglas.com.

Monday, October 7, 2013

The Importance of Marketing to Real Estate Agents

For years, many home builders nationwide have developed and implemented marketing strategies that cater to their primary customers, the buyer. And, while the buyers are ultimately the decision maker when it comes to a new home purchase, many builders neglect to remember who oftentimes brings them to their sales center to begin with, the real estate agent. According to statistics from the National Association of Realtors, even though 90 percent of homebuyers use the Internet in finding their new home, 87 percent are still seeking the help of an agent.

What does this mean? This means builders should be devoting at least part of their marketing strategy to wooing Realtors. By offering special Realtor and homebuyer incentives, exclusive Realtor events and making sure they are updated with the most recent company news, builders have a better chance of that same Realtor bringing a potential buyer or several potential buyers to their sales center.

One home builder who is successfully marketing to Realtors is Keystone Custom Homes. This regional builder who has 44 communities in Pennsylvania and Maryland  is already well known and well liked among local Realtors. In fact, more than 90 percent of Realtors say they'd refer Keystone Custom Homes to a friend. This is because the builder has put in place programs such as their Ambassador Program, which rewards agents for selling their homes, and because the builder offers Realtors special treats throughout the year, such as their recent delivery of 300 cakes to Realtors who had done business with them.

Now, the builder has taken their Realtor marketing up a notch with the launch of the Keystone Rewards Realtors blog. This blog not only offers the latest local real estate market and community news, but also news on special Realtor events, promotions and contests. The site truly acts as a one-stop shop for co-op Realtors looking to work with the builder, as they can even register their buyers, sign up for the Ambassador Program and connect with Keystone Custom Homes' social media accounts all in one place.


Be sure to check out www.KCHRealtors.com to see the perfect example of Realtor marketing done right!