| |
Michelle Francis Runs on Dunkin Donuts (Coffee!)
 Well, I can't speak for America, like DD says, but Michelle Francis Runs on Dunkin Donuts (Coffee!). I don't know really when this addiction started, and trust me, it is an addiction! However, it's a daily ritual to go by the Dunkin Donuts drive through for my daily large Decaf, Cream and Sugar.
One day my mother was with me in the car, she was just mortified that the DD guy had my coffee ready and waiting out the drive through window and greeted me by name! Hey, I figure there are worse places for folks to know your name.
How does this make my day better? Well, first is just puts a smile on my face, like all is right with the world. On some days this large decaf makes it on an exercise walk. (OK, not running, just walking:-) I know this is strange, but it's a great feeling on a crisp morning to have a cup of coffee. On the warmer mornings (and we've seen too many of those in Atlanta this summer), it's water and I have the coffee when I get back home.
The great news is that with today's mobile apps it's easy to locate a Dunkin Donuts on the run around town or on vacation. In fact, really cool is that visiting family in Wellsboro, PA, there is a Dunkin Donuts just a few blocks walk from the house. What a great way to begin the day walking down tree lined streets and ending up 6 or 7 minutes later at the Dunkin Donuts?
Where does your daily routine take you?
Johnny Isakson - US Senator and REALTOR from Georgia at Atlanta GA Real Estate FMLS Tradeshow - August 2010
Every year I attend the FMLS Showcase for all kinds of real estate knowledge and making sure I am keeping up with trends, new products and software updates. Yesterday, for the first time I got to see Johnny Isakson, our Senator from GA give an excellent talk about our economy relating to Real Estate from a Realtor's perspective.
Johnny spent over 20 years as a full time Realtor in Atlanta, as well as part of that time operating a local real estate firm as a business person. What he said made a lot of sense and I took notes. I thought I'd give a go of trying to share his message, as he is the only REALTOR in the US Senate and is considered the expert in our industry for the US Congress.
First, although Senator Isakson was a Realtor through a few difficult recessions, in the past 40 years, he noted that this one was worse and different, as while inventories are down, our economy has two big challenges:
- Jobs - very high unemployment
- Uncertainty - such that there's a lack of decision making, as folks are concerned about what's coming at them next!
Senator Isakson expects it will be a 5-7 year housing recovery with a "new normal" within that of three criteria to get a mortgage:
- Solid job
- 20% down payment for your purchase
- Good Credit
He will not be going back to the US Congress and asking for any additional house buying tax credits because he promised he would not and our countries deficits are just too high. Doing an additional credit would destroy value of hard assets and affect inflation, neither of which is good for us!
We really need to recover slow and steady and debt is a big problem. So big, he cited the example of perspective that now that the US Government Debt is in the Trillions, he wanted to try to share how big ONE trillion is. If you count a trillion seconds going by, you need 31,709 YEARS of time to do so!!!!! Wow, that is a heck of a long time folks.
With respect to Flood Insurance via the US Government, Isakson was embarrassed that it ever lapsed in the first place, although now in place through September 30th, 2010. He is completely expecting that to be made permanent, as there is no other option to insure flood plain properties to take it's place.
Interestingly, he didn't make the presentation very political, but thought November 2nd would see very high turnout as folks vote their pocketbooks.
A great question was asked about how he sees the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Senator Isakson took us back through the 1980's collapse of the Savings and Loan Banks - evolving into the RTC who took over bad assets evolving into Fannie & Freddie. Continued evolution of those two is expected as they cannot survive in their current form.
Citing an example from Great Britian, he shared how there is a small insurance for all properties sold that goes into a bucket to cover issues as a reserve fund, so it wouldn't be the government, but this private fund resolving issues. Interesting option, as he doesn't see how the US Government can be the only resource for all housing issues.
As far as the Finanical Reforms related to Mortgages, Isakson doesn't feel that they hit the mark, in fact costing the consumer more, when the goal was to reduce costs. Most likely more work to follow. He cited one challenge of having appraisers come in from another state to do appraisals, that just isn't good business practices.
When asked about FHA mortgages, he thought their future was bright as long as they are not the only source for mortgages, but about 40% of new mortgages.
Lastly, Senator Isakson shared that HOUSING is the CORE of the US ECONOMY!
I know this is long, but thought it worthwhile to hear what our Realtor advocate in Congress is saying about the Real Estate Market!
A special thanks to Mitch Kaminer, (shown smiling with Johnny Isakson in the picture above), an Atlanta Realtor & upcoming Atlanta Board of Realtors' President for allowing me to use his nice picture!
Paige Walker shares a fantastic tip for doing a home Inventory, so in the event you need this information you can have easy access to it! Kudos! Thanks for sharing for all. Michelle Via Paige Walker, Broker and Owner - Your Louisiana Real Estate Connection (Century 21 Millennium): In the last few years we have seen it happen, the unforeseen events that lead to your home being destroyed. Whether by natural disaster, fire, burgularly or an accident....you could lose everything. Some items in your home could never be replaced, for all the rest hopefully you have insurance.
If you lost everything would you be able to sit down AFTER the FACT and make a list of EVERYTHING in your home. Try as we might, I just don't think it's possible. Not to mention you will not be in your perfect state of mind. This is the reason it is so important to have a Home Inventory of all of your belongings.
If you don't have a Home Inventory it might can be a little overwhelming how to start.
Well don't fret....CLICK HERE! www.StuffSafe.com is Home Inventory made EASY! It will walk you through the complete process, upload photos, include serial numbers and additional information. Once your finished you can download the file, print it, or just leave it on the very secure server. Which really makes perfect sense because if your home is destroyed and your Home Inventory was inside the home, well you see my point.....
Another cool thing is that you can give access to your Home Inventory to your insurance agent, other family members, friends. They can log in online with their own password and will only be able to view the inventory and will not be able to add, delete or change anything.
Still not sure about having a Home Inventory ponder these facts:
- An up to date inventory can help you make sure you have the correct amount of homeowners/renters insurance.
- Help you get your insurance claim settled faster when you have a complete inventory of your home at your fingertips.
- Help you to verify your losses on your tax return.
- In the event of a complete loss of your home, your inventory is safe online and can be accessed from any computer that has Internet access.
Go to www.StuffSafe.com and start your Home Inventory...did I mention that it's FREE!!!
DO IT TODAY, OR AT LEAST GET STARTED!
***UPDATE ***
I have set for re-blog, sorry about that!! In addition I noticed some are worried about the security aspect of having their inventory online!
All you have to do to register is give a user name and password. NO WHERE DO YOU GIVE YOUR ACTUAL NAME, YOUR ADDRESS OR EVEN THE STATE YOU LIVE IN!! So I don't really see the risk. I love that you can give your family or insurance agent their own user name and password for their file so they can pull up a READ ONLY file of your contents. That's pretty cool. They can not make any changes or additions to your inventory but they can see the complete list. LOVE IT.
I am about 1/3 complete on mine. My husband is the District Manager of an Insurance Company and he thinks it is terrific, but we do wonder why they don't charge for the service!
   
Paige Walker, Broker and Owner of Century 21 Millennium, Pineville, LA
2126 Weldonberry Dr, Atlanta, GA 30319 - Brookhaven New Townhome for Lease - August 2010!
| Michelle Francis | Tim Francis Realty | (404) 219-9760 | 2126 Weldonberry Drive, Atlanta, GA | | Phenominal high tech wired Brookhaven close-in
home with all the
best features! | | | 3BR/3+1BA Townhouse | | $2,100/month | | Bedrooms | 3 | | Bathrooms | 3 full, 1 partial | | Sq Footage | 2,000 | | Parking | 2 dedicated | | Pet Policy | Conditional | | Deposit | $4,200 |
DESCRIPTION
| Close-in Brookhaven newer Townhome with excellent features - high tech wired with speaker system, fireplace, hardwoods, granite, gourmet stainless steel appliances, quiet and peaceful private views, community pool and more! Tons of storage space. | | | | see additional photos below | | | | | RENTAL FEATURES
| - Air conditioning |
- Fireplace |
- Walk-in closet |
| - Hardwood floor |
- Tile floor |
- Breakfast nook |
| - Dishwasher |
- Refrigerator |
- Stove/Oven |
| - Microwave |
- Granite countertop |
- Stainless steel appliances |
| - Basement |
- Washer |
- Dryer |
| - Laundry area - inside |
- Balcony, Deck, or Patio |
- Swimming pool |
| - Cable-ready |
- High-speed internet |
|
|
COMMUNITY FEATURES
| - Garage parking |
- Storage space(s) |
- Swimming pool(s) |
| - New property (< 5 years) |
| |
|
LEASE TERMS
Flexible one or multi year lease, pets considered on an individual basis (no more than one) with additional non-refundable deposit, rental application first step in leasing process. | | | | ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
 Front Lease home view |  Gourmet Kitchen! |  Great room, open to kitch |  Private back view - deck |  Pool - perfect to enjoy! |  New townhouse < 5 years |
|
| | | Contact info: |  |
Michelle Francis |
Tim Francis Realty |
(404) 219-9760 |
|
| | | | | | | Posted: Aug 24, 2010, 8:24am PDT | |
Atlanta GA Real Estate Market Report - After the tax breaks end, where are we? August 2010
Now that the 2010 First Time & Repeat Buyer's Tax Credits are over, where is our Atlanta, GA Real Estate Market? Not surprisingly, metro Atlanta saw a huge 29% drop in sales volume for Single Family Homes over last July. This was the lowest number of sales units since the July 1996 Olympic Summer Games, when we were hosting the world's biggest party and a little too busy to buy real estate.
Sales in Atlanta GA were worse for attached homes where a huge oversupply in new construction projects saw a 21% decrease. The overall number wasn't lower, but the inventories are worse in that marketplace such that average price points are decreasing as well.
Average sales prices for Single Family Homes (Detached) increased to $226,186 or 4.9% above July 2009. However, one closing in Atlanta of a mansion previously known as Dean Gardens at $7.6 Million skewed the numbers. Very important to note that this homes very original list price years back was $40 Million. For this listing it was $13.9 Million, so pennies on the dollar in terms of sales price.
For Condo's and Townhomes (Attached) Sales average prices were down to $143,290 or 7.7% below July 2009. This trend is 33 months long and growing with the above mentioned over-supply in new construction.
Where does this put today's Buckhead, Atlanta, & Sandy Springs, GA home buyers? Well, we still feel strongly that condo's and town homes are a market to stay out of in terms of buying at least through 2011, possibly longer. For Single Family Homes (Detached), there continues to be some opportunities to buy at low prices with unparalleled interest rates. Along these same lines, since fewer folks can buy or choose to buy we are seeing a very solid executive leasing market.
Where do you see yourself moving in Atlanta?
Leesa shares a ton of ideas of just some of the prep work needed for a successful selling experience. The more we as agents can provide to potential buyers, the more opportunities we have to SELL your home!
Enjoy! Via Leesa L. Finley, REALTOR®/RE Strategist Wake Forest NC Real Estate & Wake County (Circa Properties - Your Wake Forest NC Homes Specialist): Thinking of Selling Your Home? Here's Your Homework Assignment
It can be quite a bit of work getting your home market ready! I am sure that by now you have heard the mantra of CLEAN and DECLUTTER. And, if you haven't, here are some great posts that can help you catch up!
This post, however, is NOT about cleaning up and getting your home market ready in appearance but what YOU, as a seller, can do to make it a smooth transaction for everyone.
I have a checklist that I like to share with each of my sellers prior to listing their home of action items they can complete. Here are just a few to share:
- Property Survey - Have your property survey from when you purchased the home available to both me and buyers. It is always nice to have a copy of the survey in marketing materials. Also, in North Carolina, you are not required to order a survey so many times buyers will just like to see your copy.
- Copy of your Deed - Many times homeowners just pack away their deed after they have closed on their and never look at it again. By reviewing your deed I can better understand who is legally permitted to sell the home and if there are any unusual circumstances surrounding your property.
- Copy of your Homeowners Association Rules, Regulations, and Restrictive Covenants - I recently wrote an article regarding HOAs and the sellers responsibility to disclose -Purchasing A Home With Restrictive Covenants? Research Before Signing! While that post may gave been tailored for Buyers it is an interesting read for sellers as well. Buyers will need to review Restrictive Covenants BEFORE they place an offer on your home therefore, it is a courtesy to have them readily available. Also, it is wise to review them should there be any restrictions as to what time of "For Sale" sign you may be permitted to have in your yard or if you are in a townhome where they can be placed. Very important for me to know.
- Current Mortgage Paperwork - It is always best to review your current Mortgage Paperwork to look for any pre-payment penalties or any "condition of the mortgage" that may effect the sale of your property. It is ALWAYS wise to call your mortgage company PRIOR to listing your home for sale for several reasons. Speak with a mortgage professional with your current mortgage company to verify your current balance on your loan (although it will be different come closing time) and also to notify them that you are selling your home. I have been in situations in the past where the mortgage company delayed on sending the payoff to an attorney because they weren't properly notified.
- Special Assessment Information - If you are aware of any special assessment against your property it is best to have that information available to pass on to buyers. It is also a condition of the NC Residential Property Disclosure.
In addition to "paperwork" that I request here is a list of items that are considered a courtesy to Buyers but are VERY well received!
- A List of your Current Utility Companies with their contact information
- Average cost of your monthly utilities
- A short list of local conveniences such as nearest post office, library, DMV, etc. Remember, your buyers may be coming from out of town and while they can certainly turn to their "Buyer's Agent" for more local information it is nice to have this list for them.
I hope you find this list or pre-requisites helpful in getting your home ready for sale. If you have any questions about the items listed or would like more information about me, your Wake Forest NC Real Estate agent, please feel free to give me a call or simply send me an email - I would be delighted to help!
     
Whether you are buying or selling Real Estate in Wake Forest NC it just makes sense to use a Realtor® that knows the area! I live here, work here and play here - I call Wake Forest NC home! For more information regarding homes for sale in Wake Forest NC be sure to visit my websites:
- Leesa Finley- Homes for Sale in Wake Forest NC, Wake Forest NC schools, restaurants, shops, entertainment and MORE....
- Wake Forest NC House Chick - My company website with information for the entire Raleigh NC area including Cary, Apex, Garner, Franklinton, Youngsville, Holly Springs and MORE....
I AM your Wake Forest NC Real Estate Agent of Choice......
Don't forget to check out Discover Wake Forest NC for all the latest new listings in Wake Forest, Home Buyers and Home Sellers Tips and the most up to date calendar of events in Wake Forest NC!
Have we reached a New Normal in Real Estate?
The last couple of years have been tough in real estate all over the country. Originally, since Atlanta hadn't seen HUGE appreciation like California and Florida, I didn't think we'd get hit so bad because we hadn't seen as crazy a market with the extreme speculators.
What I've learned over the past couple of years is that Atlanta and Georgia had it's own unique challenges. Georgia had the easiest barriers to entry for starting a new bank. So, we saw a huge start-up of new banks. Many wanted to get on the real estate band wagon and mortgaged huge condo or townhome projects. This would have been fine if it was just a coule of them, but it turned out to be 100's. Then, all of the builders in Buckhead, Atlanta and Sandy Springs were fighting over every lot we had in 2005/6 to build a new McMansion and make a killing with a high end spec home.
Which leads us to today, Georgia is GROUND ZERO for bank failures in the country. There are a long list of banks to be closed as they get the man power to make that happen. The builders who have survived (and the list is limited) are doing major renovations or custom home builds. There are almost no new homes going up, as financing has become such a challenge. Many condo's or townhomes sit with unfinished cement poured that won't be built on anytime soon, or huge completed condo's that have literally NO lights on when you drive by at night.
In Atlanta, the Single Family Detached Homes are going to recover first. Inventories in December 2006 were about 60,000 homes. They decreased tremendously to 36,000 units in December 2009. Since there are so few new homes being started, it's almost negligible, the inventories are expected to decrease even taking into account shadow inventories. So inventories for DETACHED homes are decreasing, unfortunately, so is demand now that the tax credits are over.
Condo's and townhomes are much worse overbuilt, they are not part of the market I serve. These markets are much more challenged and will take longer to come out of the bottom than detached homes.
For Atlanta to recover, we need increased demand with the ability to purchase a home through our new normal real estate financing and appraisal processes. Today for financing this means your personal finances and all kinds of factors will be scrutinized beyond your wildest imaginings. You will be repeatedly asked for multiple verification of employment, savings and any items within your credit background. As well, appraisals will continue to be challenging, as there are so few recent comps of comparable sales along with a high percentage of short sales and foreclosures.
We have reached a New Normal in Buckhead, Atlanta and Sandy Springs, GA that will continue for the next couple years as the mortgage companies figure out how to do business in the current economy and beyond.
What do you see as the New Normal?
Getting it SOLD! in Buckhead - Atlanta GA - August 2010!
We've reached a new normal in Atlanta GA Real Estate in mid-August 2010 as the Real Estate market continues to evolve. After a long four hour closing, I am happy to say this home at 225 Windsor Gate Cove is SOLD with Tim Francis Realty in Buckhead representing the satisfied sellers! The home offered tremendous value and space in a delightful neighborhood.
 While it's not an easy market to sell a home in, if you price it right and prepare your home for sale, it will sell. It's not the time to "Test the Market" or "Give it a try", if you are serious and have a reason to sell, it can be done.
It's critical to listen to what the market and what your real estate professionals have to say. If the home is priced right - and that means the sellers can feel like they are giving it away and the buyers feel like they are getting a deal, you should have showings, interest and offers. No showings, the home is still probably too high a price.
Note: It's critical to get showings, they lead to strong interest and offers. Ideally, you want second showings where the home has made it by the first look and the buyers are coming back to take a deeper look, as they indicate the interest is strong and then offers.
Homes are selling in Buckhead (Atlanta, GA), just not at record paces, but they are still selling. Buckhead inventory is down dramatically from three years ago, even with a potential shadow inventory coming forward. Few if any homes are being put under construction, so inventories are at our lowest level in 3+ years.
If you are considering selling your Buckhead home, why not give us a call? Or e-mail?
We are actively looking for more good homes to sell in Buckhead!
It's amazing how the internet and GOOGLE is changing everything. So true, that you really do want your agent to be getting the word out on your property in all the avenues folks will be checking out.
Blogging takes this to a whole new level, as you can really highlight the LOCATION around the house and what the new buyers might enjoy about living in the area. (See Example: 1362 Cartecay Drive, Atlanta, GA 30319 - Brookhaven Walking Sights! or Virginia Highlands in Atlanta, GA - taking a stroll June 2010!)
Enjoy!
Via Andrea Kappre, New Jersey Realtor | New Jersey MLS | Homes for Sale in NJ (Century 21 Hughes-Riggs Real Estate Company): Why Your Listing Agent Should Be A Blogger
Question: What do most people do these days when they want more information?
Answer: They GOOGLE IT!
And your home and its "findability" on the Internet is no different.
Over 80% of home buyers start their home search on the internet. Therefore to list your home for sale with a Realtor who is NOT all over the Internet and, most importantly, blogging, is like plucking dozens of eyeballs out! Ok, that sounds silly. But eyes are what you need. As a seller, VIEWS (virtual or literal) are what you need.
Typical Scenario
What might home buyers type in when they are searching? Well any good Realtor will know that they can use tools created by Google to find the most common search terms, such as: Homes for sale in (Your Town), First time home buyer in (Your County), Homes for Sale on Main Street, (Your Town), Information about Amherst Farms (or any other development) ... and so on.
Therefore it is important that your Realtor, your neighborhood, your town, and your home for sale, can be found on the first page of Google or any other search engine. This is accomplished by having a Realtor that is Internet savvy and is a blogger. Blogging "ranks" high when someone performs an Internet word search like on Google. The most amazingly beautiful, high tech super-duper custom webpage for your home for sale doesn't mean SQUAT if home buyers do not find it when they are searching the Internet.
Let's wrap this up with a little test ...
Search for these various terms and see if "Andrea Kappre" shows up anywhere ...
"Homes for Sale in Amherst Farms, Mickleton" - "Realtor in Gloucester County"
These are just two examples ... a narrower search such as your street or your development will likely place you in the top 2 or 3 results on Google.
Now Imagine YOUR HOME is the first one a buyer sees when searching on Google!!!
To list with a non-blogger - that is listing suicide!
Marte Clif does a great job spelling out why you really don't save money buying without an agent. The mentality is that you do, but I've had quite a few folks relay their bad experiences that they thought they would be saving money, but the listing agent got a larger commission and they didn't get represented.
Some folks will always feel like they can save, but in many cases there is a higher cost! Via Marte Cliff (Marte Cliff Copywriting): In a word: NO.
We keep hearing about people who think they can save money by acting as their own agent when purchasing a home. In truth, it will probably cost them more.
Here’s why:
For starters, without the aid of a buyer’s agent, you aren’t going to know if you’re paying a reasonable price for that home. You can look at similar homes all day and see the asking prices, but without the sales data available to an agent, you will never know the actual selling prices.
You say the neighbors will tell you what they got for their house? Yes, they might. And it only might be the truth. People don’t like to admit taking less than the asking price for their house – and some even like to put on a false front by bragging that they “made a killing.” 
Next, without the experience and expertise that an agent can lend, you may forget to include contingencies that can cost you money. For instance: What if that house needs a new septic tank and you forgot to include a contingency for approval after the inspection? What if you forgot to ask for an inspection?
Your home inspector may also find little things that should be corrected before you close – but what if you didn’t include dollars for repairs in your contract with the seller?
And, unless you’re a construction expert, you may entirely miss warning signs that would cause you to bypass a house before paying an inspector to point them out. A good buyer’s agent can protect you from that expense.
There are dozens of details to be addressed in a purchase and sale agreement – and unless you fill them in correctly, you could be liable for thousands of extra dollars.
Remember that the listing agent is working for the seller… not for you. You cannot expect him or her to point out mistakes that could cost you money, or to give you any advice at all. In fact, knowing that you have no one to advise you, they might even push a little harder to give the seller an advantage.
Maybe you’ll get part way through and realize you need advice. Where can you turn to understand your contract when you have no agent? You’ll need to pay a real estate attorney to explain things to you.
Negotiating with the seller is another area where it pays to have an agent on your side. Not only can an agent negotiate from a position of market knowledge, he or she will act as a buffer between you and the seller, or the seller’s agent. That helps keep you out of those damaging “Take it or leave it” situations, and prevents you from revealing information that will damage your negotiating position.
Remember, everything you say to the seller’s agent is being relayed to the seller.
Once you have an agreement, the real work of closing the transaction begins. Your buyer's agent will be looking out for you, coordinating with your lender, arranging for inspections, helping you re-negotiate as a result of those inspections, and tending to numerous other details that you won't have even considered.
But back to saving money… The ONLY way you’ll save any money is if you purchase a “For Sale by Owner” property. In that case you may be able to negotiate the price down if the seller has included dollars to pay a buyer’s agent.
But realize – most people try to sell their homes themselves because they want to save money – not because they want to offer you a lower price.
And of course, in that situation, you’re both back to needing to pay an attorney to make sure the paperwork is done correctly.
If a home is listed, you will not save money by doing without representation.
Some “Do it yourself” buyers say they’ll be able to talk the seller into paying them the money that would have gone to a buyer’s agent. This is entirely false thinking.
When a home is listed with an agent, the commission is agreed upon. The seller will pay either a flat fee or a percentage of the sales price to the listing broker. The listing broker will pay a percentage of that fee to a buyer’s agent – if there is a buyer’s agent involved.
If there is no buyer’s agent, the listing broker and the listing agent will share the entire commission.
Even if they wanted to share with a buyer, they could not. Licensing law is clear about this – commissions may only be paid to licensed brokers and agents.
The bottom line: Buying without an agent won't save you money, but it could cost you plenty.
|
|
Michelle Francis, Atlanta GA
Atlanta,
GA
More about me…
Tim Francis Realty
Address: 4590 Windsor Gate Court, Atlanta, GA, 30342
Office Phone: (404) 219-9760
Cell Phone: (404) 219-9760
Email Me
Tim Francis Realty is a boutique real estate firm that offers Residential Buying , Selling, Executive Home Leasing and Property Management in Atlanta, Buckhead and Sandy Springs, GA. Give us a call, ya'll.
 Links
Archives
|
;)
;)
