This is a common question that The Wells Team receives from prospective buyers looking in Dawson

 County. Are there any "tax breaks" for me? The easiest way to answer that question is to have you go directly to the source. Please go to the Dawson County Tax Assessors Website:

http://www.dawsontaxassessors.org/ On the left side go to exemptions. This will explain all of the options

available in the county. Come on up and experience Dawson County with The Wells Team. One hour north

of downtown Atlanta, this county has the outdoor, slower pace lifestyle, that Barb, Sue, and myself (The

Wells Team) have each enjoyed for over 9 years! See all of our Dawson County listings on our website:

http://www.randywellsteam.com/

Georgia homeowners are going to pay a little more this year on their property taxes.

I quoted the Dawson County Tax Commissioners Website:

"Your 2009 Property Tax bill may be higher than bills you have received in past years.

The state homestead tax relief grant appropriated by the General Assembly and the Governor is not being funded this year due to declining state revenues during the current recession.

The Tax Commissioner and Dawson County do not have the authority to restore this credit.

According to legislation passed this year, the grant will only be made available in the future if state revenues grow at least 3%, plus the rate of inflation."

Despite this slight tax increase it is still a great time to buy in the Atlanta area! Let the Wells Team find your "deal of a lifetime"

Go to www.randywellsteam.com to see all of our listings!

WE SHARE YOUR FRUSTRATION!

You cannot get your home to appraise. WE SHARE YOUR FRUSTRATION!

You watch more foreclosures appear in your neighborhood. WE SHARE YOUR FRUSTRATION!

The offer you received on your home was "insulting". WE SHARE YOUR FRUSTRATION!

The buyer seems to have the advantage. WE SHARE YOUR FRUSTRATION!

Why don't they understand how much I put in this home? WE SHARE YOUR FRUSTRATION!

Why do they say they love my home then disappear? WE SHARE YOUR FRUSTRATION!

They do not understand my situation. WE SHARE YOUR FRUSTRATION!

This market continues to challenge us in ways we have not seen in the past. We see the frustration level increase in our listing clients.

The Wells Team confronts this frustration by keeping our clients informed. A lot of the information might not be what they want to hear but it needs to be said.

This market will turn around and when it does The Wells Team's clients will be well positioned.

During the interim The Wells Team will give you the service you deserve.

We share your frustration!

We are proud to be featured in the latest edition of Top Agent magazine. This magazine highlights top real estate agents in the Atlanta and Los Angeles area.

The Wells Team has been very successful the last five years. We owe our success to our clients who have place their trust and confidence in us.

Enjoy the article. (We are page 26)

http://www.topagentmagazine.com/TopAgentATVol6.pdf

What a great time of year in North Georgia!

There are two big fall festivals taking place in October. Goldrush takes place in Dahlonega Georiga the weekend of October 16th. The next weekend features The Moonshine Festival in Dawsonville Georgia.

Need more?

Drive to the highest point in Georgia, Brasstown Bald. From the observation point you can see Georgia and Tennessee!
Take the hike on the Appalachian Trail
Go to Burts Pumpkin Farm in Dawson County.
Take a boat ride on Lake Lanier
Drive in our beautiful mountains and enjoy the foliage.

A great to website to find all North Georgia activities: www.accessnorthga.com

If you are ready for change in lifestyle come up and see us!
We represent The Norton Agency. After 81 years doing business in North Georgia we can tell you this with confidence: WE KNOW NORTH GEORGIA!

Check us out www.randywellsteam.com
 

I write this blog growing more frustrated by the idea of a "loan modification".

This is based on real experience.

Three years ago my parents bought a $390,000 2BR condo in New Smyrna Beach Florida. They bought this condo in order have a place for the family to get together and enjoy the beach.  They put 20% down and obtained a conservative adjustable mortgage. The current mortgage is set to adjust in two years.

Then the "real estate crisis" hit. Florida real estate takes a hit including their beach front condo.

As home owners watch their values go down a new program called the load modification is introduced. This program will help keep people in their homes. Homeowners will have to apply to their lending institution. If approved you could receive relief on your principal or the interest rate you have on your current mortgage. A program with the best of intentions.

Now my personal experience with Wells Fargo.

In the spring of 2009 I told my Dad to refinance the condo. Interest rates were in the 4.5% to 5.0% range.

One problem: The condo would not appraise. Similar units were now selling at $240,000, 37% less than our original purchase price. He would be unable to refinance.

Fear started to set in with my Dad. He is on a fixed income. Two years from now his mortgage would adjust probably higher. Take a higher interest rate, add condo assessments, and you spell disaster.

I suggested a loan modification. The process started with a phone call in late May. It is now mid September and my Dad is not one step closer to receiving help.

Maybe he asked too much. He simply wanted his adjustable rate mortgage to be converted to a fixed rate mortgage. Nothing more.

Sounds simple? Not so fast.

Here is the process:

Go to the Wells Fargo website to find information.

Call Wells Fargo because the website has no information.

Find out that I cannot help my Dad because I have not written authorization to discuss his loan.

Fax letter to Wells Fargo so I can help my Dad.

Fill out all necessary financial paperwork and send letter of hardship.

Fax information to South Carolina.

Eventually receive one of many letters stating that all paperwork is not filled out correctly.

Make numerous phone calls to Wells Fargo finding out what paperwork needs to be completed.

Find out that Mom and Dad must sign all paperwork not just Dad.

Fax all new information to Wells Fargo in South Carolina.

Receive letter stating that all information has been received.

Wait

Wait

Miss a phone call from Wells Fargo on your home phone. They will not leave a message so you do not know they called.

More paperwork stating if you are on the verge of foreclosure then Wells Fargo can help

Contact Wells Fargo and tell them he is not going to foreclose.

More letters, more missed phone calls stating information is lacking.

Calls to Congresswoman in Florida asking for help. Surprise she cannot help.

Are you seeing a trend?

As of the beginning of September my Dad received a phone call from a Wells Fargo representative in Minnesota.

Minnesota? Not Iowa? Not Texas? Not South Carolina? No a young man called my Dad (he answered the phone) from Wells Fargo in Minnesota.

Why the phone call? The representative stated that my Dad had not submitted the proper financial information.

Here we go again.....

My Dad explained all of the information they had received including all pension statements. Wells Fargo said they will now require financial updates every 30 days.

My Dad could have a response in 60 days!

WHERE IS THE HELP PART BEGIN?

AND WE WONDER WHY HOMEOWNERS ARE WALKING AWAY FROM THEIR HOMES?

Just one real estate agents opinion based on personal experience.

Check out our website: www.randywellsteam.com

I GET NO RESPECT! We all remember this line made famous by Rodney Dangerfield. This line is our theme for today. So before you read on take your drum out and place it by your side. After each line make a drum roll and hit the cymbal. Not as good as Dangerfield but you get the idea.

Why is it that real estate agents get no respect?

We are so ugly that... (drum roll)
We are so big that... (drum roll)
We are so dumb that...(drum roll)

Unfortunately The Wells Team has been dealing with sellers, buyers, and fellow agents who put this line into practice.

A few examples:
Fellow agents swearing at us.
Fellow agents calling us "junior" and telling us to get our act together.
Fellow agents "lecturing" us like we are schoolchildren
Fellow agent arguing with our broker only to find that this one year agent was wrong
Fellow agent calling us at 9:30 at night to yell at us over offers on homes
Fellow agent fighting with us over the removal of bathroom mirrors in a home

Buyers who think its comical to have us rebid on homes in $1000 increments.
Buyers who expect us to drop everything on a moments notice to show them houses
Sellers who have you redesign their home only to rearrange it after you leave
Sellers who want your expertise on the market only to argue with you on pricing of their home.
Sellers fighting over $2500 in a market where a sale is very difficult
Sellers fighting over appraisals

If you did a drum roll after every one of these phrases then you should be worn out by now.

The Wells Team prides itself on the way it does business. We make it a point to respect our buyers, sellers,fellow agents, and other real estate professionals.

The next time you deal with a realtor we ask that you treat them with the respect that they deserve.

Please don't make us take out the drum.

See us at www.randywellsteam.com or on www.facebook.com under Randy Wells

Can you imagine looking for houses in the same neighborhood for 10 years? The time, the frustration, the missed opportunities, and the loss of your sanity?

Barb and I came up against buyers that "admitted" to us that they fit this profile. They had been looking in our neighborhood longer than Barb and I had lived there.

Could we help end this mental torment that they had endured for the past decade?

The answer was a resounding yes!

Barb and I pride ourselves on really listening to our clients, and knowing the local market. This is especially true in our own neighborhood, Chestatee.

After showing them houses that we thought fit their wish list we came away empty handed. Were we through? Would we vanish into the realtor abyss as others ahead of us had done?

Bring in Barb to pull off our real estate miracle.

A house becomes available in our neighborhood. Without even seeing the house Barb sends pictures and the virtual tour to our frustrated out of state buyers. She sent it without even going inside? Her obvious knowledge of the neighborhood, the house, and most importantly her buyers, contributed to success.

Long story short: OUR CLIENTS BOUGHT THE HOUSE WITHOUT SEEING IT IN PERSON!

Were they mad? Had they reached their point of desparation? No they trusted us!

The next time you interview a realtor ask yourselves the following questions:

Does the realtor know, really know, the area where I am located?

Does the realtor know the neighborhood and the individual homes?

Does the realtor really know me?

If you are looking in the North Metro Atlanta area give us a call.

OUR GOAL: TO EARN YOUR TRUST, LISTEN TO YOUR NEEDS, AND WORK HARD FOR YOU!

See us at www.randywellsteam.com

We have seen the first six months of 2009 speed pass us as time has a tendency to do.  As Barb and I communicate with our clients on the North Atlanta market, and what has transpired this year, we find ourselves trying to grasp what has actually happened.

In other words: THE ATTACK OF THE QUESTION MARK!

As we write this we are working on three different contracts with prices varying from approximately $150,000 to approximately $750,000.

We show foreclosures to prospective buyers. On some occasions they feel inclined to put in a "low ball" offer on a home that has already seen a price reduction. The offer is rejected and the buyer disappears. As a result we see a large amount of foreclosures that have been sitting for almost six months! These homes are priced to sell. Why haven't they disappeared?

The procrastinators and quick escape artist have dominated our year to this point. One neighborhood that Barb and I work seems to be a magnet for the continual looker. We have encountered buyers who have been looking for 10 years (the current record)! What are they looking for: A DEAL! That continues to be the overwhelming response for this group. Our answer is quite simple: EVERY HOUSE WE HAVE IS A DEAL! You could not build a new home for what you can buy in our current listings. Despite this they continue to procrastinate waiting for THE BETTER DEAL! As they express their interest on a particular home they leave us and turn into the quick escape artist. They have disappeared.

Conclusion:

We are summarizing the first six months of 2009 with the question mark. The job market in the Atlanta area, the unemployment rate close to 10%, government bailouts, and consumer confidence have all contributed to the caution of buying a home.

There continues to be so much choice for the buyers that they cannot make a decision. If I wait will prices go lower? Can I find a better deal if I keep waiting? When will the deals end? And so they wait.

Pricing continues to be #1 among our clients. However we are selling homes to buyers who want a particular home, location, or lifestyle with the price being secondary.

The question mark continues to follow the real estate market.

Lake Lanier is up. Let the champagne corks fly!

As of this writing we are only five feet below "full pool" on the lake. Residents are once again boating, fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything that the lake has to offer.

In terms of real estate this represents a great time if you are looking for the second home, weekend getaway, rental property, or a new primary home.

Barb and Randy of The Wells Team are 9 year Chestatee residents. Chestatee is the only golf course/lake community on Lake Lanier. Our community marina looks great and there are some boat slips available.

As nine year residents of the lake we have the knowledge you need to buy the right property at the right price. Our real estate company, The Norton Agency, also has an investment on the lake. Now entering our 81^st year The Norton Agency sold the first lake lot on Lake Lanier. We have also had representatives from the lake present classes to some of our agents, including The Wells Team. We wear the Lake Lanier Expert designation with pride!

Take advantage of the low interest rates and the slower market to find a great opportunity on the lake!

Barb and Randy will be happy to show you around!

If would like to see our lake listings check out our website:  www.randywellsteam.com

See you on the lake!