michael neville: Luck takes preparation…to capture Lightning in a Bottle - 08/10/11 04:51 PM
Over the years I’ve conducted hundreds of consultations for buyers & sellers. Once in a long while you have those “lightning in a bottle” situations where you’re so excited for your clients (and maybe a little envious because you’d love to trade places). I’ve worked with roughly 10 families in the last 3 years from the same church group (and I’m not even a member of their church) & thankfully, yet again they were referring me to another young couple looking to purchase their 1st home.
We discussed the unique circumstance, challenges, and procedures for how we’d approach finding … (0 comments)
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michael neville: Now Here's Some Inspiration.....this is what fuels me when I'm battling the banks - 06/17/11 11:01 AM
No one should claim the short sale process is simple, easy & quick….yet it’s a very necessary component in stabilizing our market & enabling people to transition onto the next chapter of their lives.
We work long hours & dealing with banks can be incredibly frustrating at time, which is why I keep thank you letters like the one below that I just received from a seller in Atlanta who we recently helped successfully complete a short sale posted on the walls in my office as a constant reminder of whom we’re helping. It helps to fuel the internal … (0 comments)
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michael neville: Another Successful Short Sale - Win-Win-Win scenarios - 06/17/11 10:19 AM
Late last fall I was contacted by a woman who’d been surfing the web looking for a local short sale expert…when she came across info about my track record of success in the Atlanta area. We discussed her situation over the phone – 2 years after being laid off, she’d thrown her hands up and admitted she needed help and had to get rid of the burden of her home mortgage.
My only disappointment in the whole situation is that she hadn’t contacted me earlier, as she’d been pulling money out of her retirement fund to pay the … (1 comments)
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michael neville: Testimonial for Michael Neville & Associates....Exceeding Seller's Expectations Is Our Goal - 04/04/11 01:44 PM
Michael Neville goes beyond the "call of duty" for a seller.
He found me when I did not know I needed a realtor, gently guided me toward clarification of my amorphous goals, led me to state my needs for relocating, and even helped me empty my house after the sale.
To say that Michael Neville is a "full service" realtor is to understate. Michael is a fine, well rounded human being who is tuned in to other human beings, their needs, and the variety of ways there are to meet human needs, not only for shelter, but for … (0 comments)
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michael neville: Living Well Below Your Means - Minimizing Monthly Expenses - 03/28/11 07:13 PM
So, I had a client who was a little savvier than some & who had a desire to reduce his monthly expenditures significantly. He’s a single guy who has been spending just under $1,000 a month on rent. We’ll call him Joe for the purposes of this blog entry. Joe is a regular guy who doesn’t need or desire anything fancy. He just wanted a place he can lay his head, that’s centrally located in the heart of Atlanta (only 5 minutes to his office), close to the nightlife of Buckhead & Midtown, preferably a gated-community, with reasonable HOA fees.
… (3 comments)
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michael neville: Short Sale, Estate Sale, Multiple Liens all wrapped into 1....Success & Done, on to the Next One! - 03/11/11 02:37 PM
I was contacted by a woman in the Fall about a few homes in the Kirkwood & East Atlanta neighborhoods that her mother had owned. Now, as the executor of the estate - it was time to sell them and move on. She'd seen my signs in the area & decided to give me a call. I'm not sure there are too many realtors willing to deal with the banks in a situation involving multiple liens and small properties (each less than 80k).
The outstanding loan balances on her mother's former primary residence was well more than double the … (0 comments)
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michael neville: Goodbye to Era - a flashback to the good ol' days - Morningside Pocket Listing Sale - 02/28/11 05:53 PM
Last summer, I was contacted via email by a woman well in to her retirement looking to know the value of her Morningside home. She’d been in the home for the last three decades and wasn’t sure of what values were these days, especially with foreclosures and short sales impacting every segment of the market.
I offered to visit her home so I’d be able to then compile a list of comparable sales in the area. What I entered into that summer afternoon was not merely a home, it was more of a portal back in time to … (0 comments)
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michael neville: Homestead Tax Exemption for Cobb County - time to save some $$$$ - 01/18/11 02:17 PM
It's 2011 & time to save you some money!!! Each year I'm amazed by how many people haven't been informed that they need to file for their homestead exemption on their primary residence. You may remember at closing that I promised to follow up with you at the beginning of the year because this exemption can save you a small fortune if you file for it (it's only for your primary residence and will renew every year..no need re-apply as long as the home remains your primary residence.)
There are a number of people who don't seem to know this … (0 comments)
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michael neville: Homestead Tax Exemption for Fulton County - time to save some $$$$ - 01/14/11 06:34 PM
It's 2011 & time to save you some money!!! Each year I'm amazed by how many people haven't been informed that they need to file for their homestead exemption on their primary residence. You may remember at closing that I promised to follow up with you at the beginning of the year because this exemption can save you a small fortune if you file for it (it's only for your primary residence and will renew every year..no need re-apply as long as the home remains your primary residence.)
There are a number of people who don't seem to know this … (2 comments)
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michael neville: Appreciation for Working In The Trenches - 12/08/10 01:28 PM
You may wonder why on earth is there a picture of Michael Neville with a Samurai Warrior on his desk, well it will all make sense once you finish reading the story below.....
I received a call from a young man earlier this year about the need to sell his townhome in East Atlanta, a normal inquiry.....once he mentioned the development I immediately knew it wasn't going to be that simple.
The development had planned on being a mix of townhomes & single-family homes.....they'd only completely the first few phases of townhomes before going bankrupt and leveling a forrest of … (0 comments)
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michael neville: What is a Short Sale? - 12/07/10 07:22 PM
I have people ask me this all the time - so here's a very straightforward explanation of the basic components & definition of a short sale and circumstances that qualify for a short sale.
Whatever you do.....you DO NOT HAVE TO LIQUIDATE YOUR 401K - the banks are NOT ALLOWED to come after your retirement funds!! I've had a few people ask me this in the last month as they've been unable to find work for the last few years & have depleted their life-savings trying to hold on to their homes in Atlanta.
Here are the basics:
A short sale … (1 comments)
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michael neville: Can I Sell My House In This Market? - 12/01/10 10:25 PM
People often ask me if it’s an okay time to sell their home. No matter what the market conditions, my first reaction has always been “it depends on what you are looking to achieve”.
Seller’s commonly say “I want top dollar for my home”. There’s no doubt, that is always our goal, but “top dollar” in today’s market may not truly be what they are looking for – since it may be 25% below their outstanding loan balance, yet it is still “top dollar” in the current market based on the activity and comparable sales in the area within … (1 comments)
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michael neville: A Special Way of Saying Thanks To My Past Clients.... - 11/15/10 08:18 PM
As the holidays approach my annual tradition of trying to take a little bit of the burden off of my past clients' shoulders is here! With so much to be done - organizing in-laws, prepping turkeys, cleaning, making travel arrangements, etc. I'm here to help in a simple yet tasty manner...I tell them "I'll help with dessert - just tell me what type of pie you'd like and I will deliver it to you!"
I truly appreciate the opportunity to serve as their realtor. With nearly 65% of my business coming from past clients repeat business, or past … (6 comments)
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michael neville: Decatur Wine Festival - Drink & Taste The Goodness - November 6, 2010 1-4 pm - 11/05/10 12:25 PM
November 6th I'm an incredibly happy man - there are numerous things to be excited about.....and I continue to try to share that joy with others who don't know about one very special event - the DECATUR WINE FESTIVAL. No, it's not the Catalina Wine Mixer....it's the DECATUR WINE FESTIVAL in Decatur Square. From 1-4 pm you get the pleasure of sampling an incredible amount of wines - both local and international & sampling some of the best food that the Decatur area restaurants have to offer. There are organic & sustainable wines to taste and over 350 additional domestic & … (0 comments)
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michael neville: Chomp & Stomp - Cabbagetown - November 6th, 2010!!!! - 11/05/10 11:46 AM
One of the quirkiest neighborhoods in Atlanta, Cabbagetown, hosts one of the best Fall events every year. This neighborhood is unlike any other in Atlanta. With a historical connection to the Appalachian Mountains this neighborhood has a feel all its own -- no, I'm not kidding, but that history lesson is best saved for another time. Chomp & Stomp is a great chance to enjoy a HUGE number of insanely hot & good chili's at the cook-off.....but get there early because it goes quickly. You could get there extra early & get rid of any guilt about eating countless types of … (0 comments)
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michael neville: Enjoying All Atlanta Has to Offer on a Budget - 11/03/10 02:21 PM
There are countless people looking to save $$$, especially in the current economic climate. While I usually focus my energy on finding deals for my clients in the form of foreclosures & short sales in and around Atlanta, when I do have some downtime - I still love a great deal.Why pay retail when you can pay so much less to pay to do the same activities?Honestly, these websites haven't just saved me a tremendous amount of money, they've enabled me to explore new parts of this city - trying new restaurants, different types of special cultural events, and cross some … (0 comments)
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michael neville: Being the 2nd Agent & the 1st Agent to Shed Light on the Reality of the Situation - 11/02/10 06:24 PM
Sometimes people jump into the world of real estate with thoughts of grandeur & making a fortune but in this market, those opportunities are buried in a pile of deals that can be harder to navigate than a minefield. With the proper guidance, analysis of market conditions, budgeting, & most importantly the right acquisition price (you make money based on the buy not on the sale....it's all about creating large enough margins to sell in the anticipated market at time of acquisition or even if the market slides 10-15% they are still okay.A couple was led to believe they'd be … (2 comments)
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michael neville: When Losing Is The Best Idea - 10/14/10 12:10 PM
In December I helped a group of investors acquire a property in East Atlanta - a modest 3/1 that could be easily converted to a 2/2 without needing to do an expansion. They have a substantial background in contractor work but not in flipping, so this was a different approach.The goal was to have the project renovated by Mid-March/Early April in plenty of time for the home-buyer tax credit. Unfortunately, other components outside of this project delayed the timeline substantially was slowed. The project was slated to be sold just above or below 200k as other recent comp's supported that value … (2 comments)
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michael neville: As Seen On HGTV's House Hunters..... - 01/28/10 07:04 PM
So, this past weekend my clients, Johnie & David, and I had our episode "Manly Man Cave In Atlanta" debut for HGTV's House Hunter's. While it was nice to reflect on the home-buying experience of Johnie & David it was also interesting to see how a 5 month process of house-hunting was editted down to a 30 minute tv show.
One of the questions I've been asked by repeatedly by people since the show aired was "Did you really only half to show them 3 houses?!" The answer is definitely no, we saw & discussed many, many more homes. The fact is … (8 comments)
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michael neville: Going Strong & Clean to win the Prize - 12/15/09 05:30 PM
So not all condo's are the same, nor the circumstances of a foreclosure, nor the agents that have the ability to represent you in negotiations.
Sometimes, you win a multiple offer situation with a foreclosure when you're not even the highest offer -- but you've presented the "strongest & cleanest" offer. Banks aren't in the clean-up and coddle business, they're looking for swift & no-fuss transactions, even if that means it may not be the highest possible contract price. Because the fact is not all contracts become closed sales - so if there's a shaky buyer asking for a lot of "little stuff" when it … (0 comments)
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