Suicide Victim's Skeleton Found in Foreclosure - 02/28/12 07:06 PM
You never know what you might find in foreclosures. I’ve found dead animals, “hoarder” style homes, those filled with animal and human feces and of course, rat and roach infested homes. I’ve walked in on drugged out junkies, even thought one or two might be dead…but I’ve not found a dead body thus far. A Milwaukee agent did…she found forty-one-year-old David Carter’s “nearly skeletonized body” on the second floor of his home. A Smith & Wesson 9-mm. handgun was found lying on his chest; an autopsy later determined a gunshot to the head as the cause of his death.
How does a dead man’s … (6 comments)

I Shot My Wife in the Bedroom; Do I Have to Disclose That? - 02/24/12 04:21 PM
One second, let me scan the seller’s disclosure form for homicide...nope, you're good. Do I need to write on here that my brother died of AIDs in the house? This is a great place, other than that house up the street that we think has a meth lab in the basement; that won’t be an issue will it? That’s an old Civil War cemetery behind the house, the only time it creeps me out is just before a storm. I hear whistling and crying down in the basement; should I mention that?
Work in this business long enough and you’ll run into … (8 comments)

Why the Public Doesn't Trust Real Esate Agents - Look in the Mirror - 02/24/12 08:29 AM
It’s fair to say that the public perception of real estate agents is not a positive one; agents are one of the more popular targets when assigning blame for the real estate collapse. This industry deserves it; for as important a role as agents play, the requirements to earn and maintain a license are ridiculously light. This is a business of primarily part time and “acquaintance” agents; this is also a business where that sort of arrangement is embraced by both the public and industry itself. Agents rise to the level expected of them and the public doesn’t expect much.
It’s … (2 comments)

Glad to Be a Real-a-tor...or is it Realtooooor? - 02/23/12 04:40 PM
So the "nails on a chalkboard" feeling I get when I hear "REAL A TOR" also impact others...I always feel compelled to AXE the person to keep repeating it...sooner or later they get it. Of course, there's always the chance it could morph into REALTOOOOOOOOOR.
Robert Willson is an agent in Kansas and he addressed this massacre of the word in his article "Glad to Be a Real-a-tor"
“I’m so happy you’re my Real-a-tor.” Many of us have heard these words of praise from sellers or buyers after a successful transaction. The accolades confirm the reason we are part of this sometimes challenging … (3 comments)

Atlanta 4th Qtr Real Estate Data Review - 02/22/12 04:54 PM
Over the last year, two sub markets in the City of Atlanta saw median home values increase over 10% and NE Cherokee County sales increased by 121.7%. Last quarter, Sandy Springs (inside 285) sat with the highest home inventory at 13.8 months (2x many areas) and saw only 35.5% of listings sell and Eastern Gwinnett County lead the region with 63.1% of all sales noted as distressed. Many surprises in the data, some with clear explanations, others result in head scratching. What’s the story behind the charts below and the stats?
The 4th Quarter ’11 Atlanta real estate market data review is … (0 comments)

Increase in Lenders Chasing Deficiency Judgments - 02/21/12 01:16 PM
Sweating out a distressed sale or foreclosure may not absolve an owner from the long arm of those due money. Banks can employ what is called a deficiency judgment (the difference between the outstanding mortgage balance and the sale price) to collect the debt, requiring a defaulting borrower to pay the balance of a loan and any fees, minus what the bank recovers when it sells the home. In a worst-case scenario for borrowers, banks could garnishee wages to pay off the loan balance. Lenders traditionally have not pursued such debts because there has been little money to collect. But lenders … (0 comments)

Buying a Home is Like Marriage - Easy In But Tough Out - 02/19/12 11:16 AM
I often compare buying a home to getting married; there are many parallels if you take a second to think about it. This comment often raises eyebrows and once a few of the obvious one are pointed out, I get to the one that buyers miss.
If buying a home is likely to be the single most financially important thing that you’ll do, getting married has to be the single most socially important thing you’ll do (with a big foot in the financial camp). A few of the more obvious similarities:
- Both are significant social milestones- Both are significant financial … (24 comments)

Video of Another Vandalized Atlanta Foreclosure - 02/11/12 08:55 PM
Here's a foreclosure home in the East Point area of Atlanta that has been picked clean - including into the walls. This is an example of one of the challenges faced by owners of vacant homes in Atlanta; vandalism is rampant and is costing owners - including lenders - big money.
For years, vacant homes have sat minus appliances and HVAC systems as those would disappear almost as quickly as they arrived, in some cases within a day. It's common in this market to have a stipulation that these will be installed the day prior to closing...and the seller will sit … (5 comments)

Buyers Tiring of Foreclosure Nonsense - 02/09/12 11:18 PM
It took a while but it seems that home buyers are finally beginning to tire of the real estate owned (REO)/foreclosure nonsense. Here in Atlanta, lender or “corporate” owned (the industry desired more appealing term than foreclosure) homes are a major part of the inventory. Statistics on this issue can vary widely but suffice it to say that REO's and short sale properties will continue to impact metro Atlanta for years. Investors and speculators make up the majority of distressed property purchasers, focusing mainly on the under 200K price point - close to 50% of sales in 3rd quarter '11 were considered … (3 comments)

Updated Unit, Black Teddy & Fishnets, Great Views – $509K - 02/09/12 09:27 PM
How funny is this…
Let’s see…updated kitchen, new carpets, view of the river, black teddy worn extremely well, fresh paint…..Here’s a twist on the obvious , quality photos sell homes. Trulia posted this attractive 2BR Pittsburgh condo with an asking price of $509,900 and it’s likely that there may be adjustments to the pics very, very soon. And if this was indeed a mistake, there’s no doubt some poor guy will be groveling in the doghouse until hell freezes over.
But it certainly is getting views….where’s the virtual tour?
… (5 comments)

Video of the **** Real Estate Agents Say - You Know You Do! - 02/09/12 01:02 PM
Here’s a great look at the world of real estate agents and the mindnumbing, repetative, consistently embelleshed and often off putting things they say. Not you fine agents here on Active Rain - those other lunk head ones....This is one of the “Sheeot ______ Say” You Tube series. Don't know it? Head to You Tube and search, pretty funny stuff.
This is funny but also alarming because while it’s tongue in cheek, this is exactly the stuff robot agents are trained to spew. Talking points and scripts are very much alive in the current environment. You know you've heard all of … (2 comments)

Tears Behind the Smiles - Agents Hurting Financially - 02/09/12 12:13 PM
This really shouldn’t come as a surprise…grab Smokey Robinson….”Now if there’s a smile on my face, it’s only there trying to fool the public…” Real estate agents keep smiling behind the tears generated by the depressed market. Housingwire magazine reports on the results of a recent agent survey, and the impact that the market is having on many. Some clients are also feeling the impact as agents invest less into client services.
The next time you see a well-dressed, smiling real estate agent glaring at you from an advertising board, remember the carefree persona these days is likely only a mirage. Look … (0 comments)

Atlanta is FINALLY #1...in Falling Home Values - 02/01/12 08:45 AM
Atlanta can finally raise a championship banner, and it's one no one wants. But toss the challenge flag because the devil is in the data reviewed. In November, prices of single-family homes were down close to 12 percent compared with a year earlier, the largest decline among major metropolitan areas, according to data released on Tuesday in the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Index. Home prices regionally are now below their levels of 2000, making Atlanta one of only four metro areas to have experienced such a slide. The price of entry-level housing in the area — the lowest tier of … (14 comments)

 
Hmt_650 Rainmaker_large

Hank Miller, Broker & Certified Appraiser

Alpharetta, GA

More about me…

Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage

Address: 3730 Roswell Road, Marietta, GA, 30062

Office Phone: (678) 428-8276

Email Me

The HMT blog is written by Hank Miller of The Hank Miller Team. He is a licensed broker and certified real estate appraiser in the state of GA. Since 1989, real estate has been his full time occupation and Hank consistently ranks at the very top of Atlanta area agents in overall production. He is known as much for his attention to detail as he is for his candor.


Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog