Hillsdale home in Brookhaven

We are happy to report that Mark and Kelley closed today on their Hillsdale home as well as a wonderful new home in Wyntercreek (Dunwoody) just two short months later.  Thank you so much for trusting us with your two transactions Mark and Kelley!  We loved working with you, and we are just as happy about having you as new friends.  We hope you enjoy making your new house a HOME.

Wyntercreek home in Dunwoody

As previously mentioned, the home buying and selling process can be like swimming in shark infested waters.  Our goal is to always make the process a win for our clients by simplifying the transaction, overcommunicating and overdelivering.  Kudzu.com provides us with great clients like Mark and Kelley.  If you have never checked us out on Kudzu, I encourage you to take a look at what others have said.  You’ll see a link below. We would love to help you in any way. - Andy

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080929/ap_on_bi_ge/wachovia_citigroup

This morning’s announcement regarding Wachovia is sure to add worry fuel to the inferno which is the financial market right now.  However, it’s important to remember that your money within Wachovia will not be harmed by the recent events.  Citigroup will be taking over deposits.  Many thanks to Scott Meldrum of Countrywide who just published a great update on the mortgage market given the latest events.  We have seen a massive drop in stocks this morning leading to good things for mortgages and bonds.  The 10 year treasury has dropped from over 3.8% to the mid 3.6% range in early trading.  Mortgages have improved by almost 1 discount point, equating to about .25% in rate reduction. 

This week the roller coaster will continue with the headliner being the $700 billion bailout plan to be announced hopefully sooner rather than later.  

If you have specific comments or additions, don’t forget you can always make comments on these blog posts.   We love to get your opinions.  - Andy

Michael Noer, Forbes.com

For the first time ever, Atlanta tops our list of the best cities for singles. The capital of Georgia and home of Coca-Cola earns the top slot because of its hopping nightlife, relatively high number of singles and sizzling job growth.

To those who know “Hotlanta,” the ranking should come as no surprise. In the eight years that we have been ranking America’s largest urban areas in terms of their friendliness to the nation’s 74 million single adults, only once did Atlanta place outside the top 10.

To determine which U.S. cities are most comfortable for soloists, we ranked the 40 largest urbanized areas in mainland America in seven different categories: number of singles, nightlife, culture, cost of living alone, job growth, online dating activity and coolness. To determine a city’s cool factor, we partnered with Harris Interactive, who conducted a poll, asking, “Among the following U.S. Cities, which one do you think is the coolest?”

For the entire article, click here.

It’s the time of the year, Property Tax Time!  Most of us have already paid property taxes either ourselves or our mortgage company has paid our taxes for us.  Whichever camp you fall into, you should pay attention to these tips to ensure that your i’s are dotted and your t’s are crossed.

If escrowed with a mortgage company:

1. Check your property’s tax website to see if your taxes have been paid, especially if you did not get the bill

2. Look at your most recent mortgage statements to see if the tax payments have been deducted from your excrow account

3. Confirm the due dates for your city and county taxes (sidenote: remember that the due dates for Fulton and City of Atlanta have been extended for 2008 because the bills were issued late)

4. Contact your lender if the bills are late or about to be late (sidenote: check with the servicing department)

5. Confirm that the lender will cover any late fees if the bill is paid after the due date (sidenote: you shouldn’t be responsible for their goof)

If not escrowed:

1. Confirm the due dates for your city and county

2. Pay online if possible to avoid late charges

3. Send payments early enough to meet deadlines

4. Always include a copy of the bill with payment and put the tax parcel number on your check

If you bought or sold this year before the tax bill came out:

1. Seller should forward the bill to the buyer as soon as possible so buyer will pay on time

2. Although buyer will be paying the bill, seller’s name is on it

3. Buyer should keep a copy and forward the bill to the new lender if escrowed - otherwise buyer should pay on time

4. Buyer and seller may need to adjust tax prorations based on the actual bill.

We frequently have homeowners asking us, “What can I expect to get if I add on a …”  Thanks to the Cost vs. Value Report 2007, we have some concrete numbers to share with you.  I find these incredibly interesting especially when you consider that a deck gives you the best “bang for your buck” from the items on the list.  We are currently evaluating bids to install a new deck on our home, and we never realized it would return this kind of money.  As is always the case, you should first think about doing a renovation because it increases your enjoyment of your home, but if you are like us, you are always considering and evaluating projects.  Also, keep in mind that there are some fantastic deals on Home Equity Lines of Credit through today’s lenders.  Hope the information helps, and if there are any other questions you might have as it relates to return on investment or real estate in general, just give us a call or shoot us an email!

A little over a month ago, we helped the Barr’s sell their Brookhaven home.  With twins, they had slightly outgrown their very first home together.  They needed more space and we found it in a great country club community in Suwanee!  Congratulations, Doug and Beth on your new home in Laurel Springs!  Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to represent you on both selling and buying.  We can’t wait to see your new home once you get settled! 

Lesley and Andy

This traditional brick home in Brookhaven’s Hillsdale Neighborhood is Under Contract! 

We know Brookhaven and we know how to get homes sold.

Give us a call & find out how we sell homes in the least amount of time…

for the most amount of money!

With the fireworks going off in the financial markets over the last week or so, some are left wondering if the sky is falling.  The market has been weeding out the “little guys” of the banking industry in the metro Atlanta market as so many put their fortunes in the hands of real estate speculators.  The same trend appears to be happening nationally as we see even some of the “big guys” such as Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch looking in different directions for help.  We have partnered with Countrywide, which is owned by Bank of America now, to provide some great information from the trenches.  I hope you enjoy the latest installment from Countrywide’s VP, DC Aiken.  Mr. Aiken’s suggestion of falling interest rates hitting the 5.25% levels is unbelievable for anyone interested in buying right now.  As previously mentioned:

sliding home prices + high inventories + falling interest rates 

= the perfect storm for buyers

Here’s the Countrywide Update:

This beautiful townhome is the BEST VALUE in this quiet swim, tennis neighborhood!

best value in neighborhood • kitchen features stained cabinets, stainless appliances,  & walk-in pantry • OPEN FLOOR PLAN WITH LARGE family room • beautiful corner firelplace •  eXPANSIVE MASTER SUITE  WITH double vanities, garden tub, & walk-in closet • LARGE 2ND BEDROOM PERFECT FOR ROOMMATE FLOOR PLAN FEATURING WALK-IN CLOSET & BATHROOM• NEUTRAL PAINT COLORS • 2ND FLOOR LAUNDRY • GREAT STORAGE • MOVE-IN READY • PATIO OVERLOOKS COURTYARD & GREENSPACE •  QUIET GATED, SWIM & TENNIS COMMUNITY LOCATED CLOSE TO SHOPPING, ENTERTAINMENT, & Kennesaw state university

Priced at $149,900 and Move In Ready. 

Call Lesley or Andy for a showing today!