We are the Atlanta, Georgia Home Buyers and We Buy Houses in 1 Week or Less! Do you have a home that is not selling in Atlanta, Georgia? Is it getting to the point that you need to sell fast? We Buy Houses buys homes in any situation! Don't list or even relist your property until you speak with one of our local representatives! No cost, no obligation. Simply complete our home seller questionnaire for selling your home fast! We Buy Houses in Atlanta Georgia as well as these surrounding counties: Fulton • Gwinnett • DeKalb • Cobb • Clayton • Cherokee • Henry • Forsyth • Douglas • Paulding • Coweta • Carroll • Fayette • Bartow • Newton • Rockdale • Hall • Walton • Spalding • Barrow • Pickens • Haralson • Meriwether • Butts • Dawson • Lamar • Pike • Jasper • Heard If you want to sell your h... 04/03/2009

Atlanta Real Estate - Condos Lofts and Townhomes for sale in Atlanta GA At Keller Williams Realty, we strive to provide our clients and future clients with the most accurate and up-to-date information on the market.  We want you to be armed with as much information as possible before you make the decision to buy or sell a home.  Chartmaster Chuck Carr provides a monthly snapshot of the market each month:   As you can see from the data, the majority of the sales are in the $0 to $299K range, which means that the new $8000 tax credit is bringing the first time home buyers out in full force this Spring season.   Search for Atlanta Lofts, Condos & Townhomes by Complex or Building Search for Atlanta Lofts, Condos & Townhomes by Intown Atlanta Neighborhood 04/03/2009

Vacant Home Staging Before & After Pictures   As previously mentioned, I've started to create flyers for the agents to use in their marketing.  I started with this new offering two weeks ago for a home I had staged in Atlanta.  I've made it part of my overall service package at no additional charge and thus far, it's been a hit. Here's the latest flyer for a home I just completed: Here's a set of before & after picture prior to staging and after staging: Before Staging - Dining Room.  As you can see, the room is a dark maroon red. After Staging - Dining Room.  The room with its' brand new color seems to have come to life. Living Room - Before Staging:  As you can see, the homeowner has beautiful drapes which will come with the home when sold. My job as a professional home stager is to c... 04/02/2009

  Psychology 101....A Prerequisite to Becoming a Realtor! The one thing that the pre-licensing realtor class forgot to mention in their syllabus was that if you intend to practice real estate, you MUST know Psychology 101. As agents, we are known as the air of authority on the entire process of buying a home. With that comes finance questions, offer questions, inspection questions, closing questions, and every other question imaginable. So, it's important to understand the psychology behind the question. Your clients aren't calling at 11:30 p.m. because they want to intrude on your personal time, they are calling because deep down they have a fear about the process and they need the PROFESSIONAL to help them overcome it. I.E...Psychology 101!!  One of the things I love MOST about my pro... 04/02/2009

As a REALTOR, we see almost everything! I mean I've walked into homes and found clothes all over the floor and bedroom doors closed! (no noises, so I guess I got there late?) I've seen cute kids, and crammed closets! Bedrooms the size of closets, and closets the size of bedrooms. But, I just listed a beautiful condo right in the building where my office is, Cornerstone Village. I met with the Sellers to discuss our Marketing Plan, and then gave them some time to implement my suggestions. Today I was there to take the photos for our marketing....and I still want to know.. Mr. and Mr. Seller....Can I Take Him With Me? Meet Milo! Is he just not the most adorable dog you've seen? 04/01/2009

The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta is the largest aquarium in the world. On an average day, thousands of visitors will be enjoying the many collections of aquatic species. Most have a camera, and will take as many photos as possible. Some have great results, sometimes the resulting pictures are not so good. Taking photos in an aquarium can be tricky, mostly because of glass and water! Here are a few tips for aquarium shooting: First of all, don't use a flash. The resulting reflections on the glass will obscure the photo. Use a fast lens, and open the lens as much as possible to get adequate light for the shot! Secondly, try to shoot fish as close to the glass as possible. This practice eliminates a lot of distortion from the water, and let's you capture the fish in fine detail. Thirdly, tr... 04/01/2009

How to Add Warmth to a Room - Solutions for Selling Part IV First and foremost, I hope you enjoy reading these series as much as I enjoy writing them.  If the event you've missed the first three, here they are: How to Add Appeal Keep It Simple It's All About The Photos   Now for how to add warmth to a room:  To best describe the process, let's begin by looking at the following picture.  As you can see, we're beginning with a clean slate.           This room is located off the kitchen and therefore would likely be an important room to the prospective buyers.   As you can see, the room is void of any color.  In addition, the room appears to be rather small.                 NOTE:  This picture is of unit 2.  The staged property is actually unit 4.  The rooms are identical in shape and size... 04/01/2009

Atlanta Home Search - Buying and Selling your Atlanta home I'm sure many of you have been listening to the news and have heard about the new "Making Home Affordable" plan.  The question is... ARE YOU ELIGIBLE to REFINANCE USING THIS PLAN?  The good news is that you can quickly find out with the new Making Housing Affordable government website.  They have an online questionnaire that only takes a minute or two to complete and you get an instant response. Visit the website at:  www.MakingHomeAffordable.gov There are actually two different programs that are under the "Making Home Affordable" plan -- one allows you to refinance if you no or little equity in your home but you are current on your mortgage payments (see the refinance questionnaire).  The other program is for people who are beh... 03/31/2009

Atlanta Home Finder - Homes for Sale in East Atlanta I am pleased to announce that 1683 May Avenue in East Atlanta is officially under contract... in just over a week! How did we do it?  The home owners did a wonderful job preparing their home for sale, I focused on our target market, did a lot of "Coming Soon" marketing, networked with the top local real estate agents, and we PRICED THE HOME CORRECTLY. In today's market, more than 70% of Atlanta single family home listings FAIL (do not sell) during the 3 to 6 month listing period.  Every time I list a home, the homeowners and I  do our homework to ensure that we determine the perfect listing price -- we look at the competition, recent sales, expired listings, our target market and the pulse of the market. When you do your homework and ... 03/31/2009

Atlanta Lofts and Condos for Sale in Midtown - SHORT SALE - Spire Midtown Condos / Lofts Just Listed in one of Midtown Atlanta's most popular new developments! This stunning condo at Spire is one of the largest units at one of the lowest prices! The home offers everything a you could possibly need in a Midtown loft space:* City skyline views from kitchen, living and bedroom* Gourmet kitchen with stainless appliances, granite & breakfast bar* Separate desk / office area* Patio that is great for entertaining* Impeccable hardwood flooring* Spacious bedroom* Low HOA dues that include pool, fitness center, business center and more * Location, Location, Location! Just step out your front door to restaurants, shops, MARTA and nightlife. Address:  860 Peachtree Street #1006, Atlanta GA 30308 Of... 03/30/2009

STOP FORECLOSURE!! Get a Loan Modification Do You need help keeping your mortgage Current? Are you behind on your mortgage payment? Does your adjustable rate continue to go up? Do you have a hardship keeping you from making payments? Do you owe more that your house is worth? The federal government has begun new programs to assist homeowners who have been affected by our current economic conditions. Even if you have talked to your mortgage company before, and they offered no relief, we may be able to help. There are many loan modification and workout plans now being used to give homeowners help, don't wait call today to speak with one of our staff members. Get a Free Loan Modification Consultation Tell us your Loan needs and One of our consultants will Contact You     All consultations ... 03/30/2009

What does WWW really stand for? You think World Wide Web, don't you? Ahhh....think again! What it really stands for is: Will You Want It In Writing.....FOR EVER! Yep! Mr. Google and Ms. WWW have a strange way of remembering things.....forever! It reminds me of a line from the movie Beaches, with Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey. They are sitting at the beachhouse talking about Bette having a long memory and Barbara says, "I'm counting on it." That would be Mr. Google and Ms. WWW. Here's a perfect example. I was checking up on "self" and what was appearing about me via Mr. Google. So I Googled myself. (Kinda tickled at first!) Page 1 had my website, my Active Rain Blog, my Localism Blog, and some other references to myself and/or The Thom And Ray Team. But, what's on page 9? Or 10, or 11... 03/29/2009

Cross Creek Country Club is a gated condo community on 122 acres of  forest and green-space in Atlanta, GA. The community includes an 18-hole par three golf course with on-site golf pro, tennis courts, lake and 3 swimming pools. The main clubhouse includes a restaurant, bar and health club.  Watching the birds on the lake as you get a workout in can be so peaceful. Cross Creek is located in Atlanta's upscale Northside / Buckhead area, close to Interstate 75 off of the Howell Mill Rd exit. Cross Creek is just minutes north of Midtown and Downtown Atlanta and Turner Field, and as little as 20 minutes from Hartsfield International Airport with no traffic, of course. Lenox Mall, Phipps Plaza, and Cumberland Mall offer prime  shopping close by. Cross Creek is a professionally-managed communi... 03/29/2009

Attention: metro-Atlanta Renters: Are you interested in benefiting from: the lowest mortgage rates in over 20 years, the best home bargains in the Atlanta market in 20 years, and  the first-time homebuyer tax credit (up to $8,000)? If so, we invite you to attend this FREE seminar. Learn all about the new government legislation giving first time homebuyers a tax credit for up to $8,000.   Three dates are available for your convenience: Monday, March 30 - 6 p.m. Atlanta-Fulton Library, West End Branch 525 Peeples St., SW, Atlanta, GA  30310 RSVP at 404.752.8740 ♦♦♦ Saturday April 4 - 4:30 p.m. OR Saturday, April 25 - 4:30 p.m. The Grounds Coffee House (Lower level of the Sky Lofts in the West End) 898 Oak St., SW, #F, Atlanta, GA  30310 RSVP at 404.753.7063   Please pass this along to any... 03/29/2009

The Midtown Atlanta Real Estate market is challenging these days. But then again, most every market is. If you are a REALTOR, how do you know your market is challenged? Do you watch the local news? (Remember, real estate IS LOCAL!) Do you watch your local listing service daily? Maybe you have a listing that is not moving. But, what if you are Seller? How do you know how the market is? Do you base it on the number of showings your home has? How quickly your home did (or did not) sell? What's the difference between being a Community REALTOR and a REALTOR in your community? Well, some may disagree with me, but it means more than just living in the subdivision (or condo building) and farming that neighborhood. It means you are involved in your community. Involvement can come in a number of... 03/29/2009

Solutions for Selling Part III - It's all about the photos! If you've read it once, you've likely read it a thousand times; prospective buyers are using the Internet to begin their search for their next home.  That statement alone speaks volumes to the importance of your photos. Prospective buyers, in the comfort of their home, will spend time reviewing home after home in order to create a list.  If you're a seller, your objective is to make that list.   Knowing how important the photos are to the seller and to the agent, I make it a priority to take the best pictures I can for each of my staging projects and provide the photos to the agent and to the seller at no additional charge.  Yes, it took an investment in a great camera and yes, it takes an investment of my time.  However, to me... 03/29/2009

All I can say is wow.   The average price in the West End area of Atlanta dropped 50% this past year.  Over the past four years average prices have dropped from around $160,000 to $40,000. This area has had an abundance of foreclosures. I don't personally work this area but if you are interested in it, I have a few agents in my office who I can refer you to who do a lot of business there.  It is amazing at what you can get for $50,000. The number of sales has increased as prices have dropped.  Average sales/original list price is down to 60%.  But you have to be quick to get the good deals.  Many foreclosures are coming onto the market at riduculous prices and many times a home will get 10 offers on it in the first two days.  But you also might be buying a home that has been gutted.  It... 03/28/2009

The Midtown/Virginia Highlands area had a really big drop in the number of sales.   But still, the average price went up a bit.  It's tough to really say if there is a definate trend in prices.  I only am posting single family detached homes here. Midtown has a large number of condos and  condos prices are really down.  There's a huge inventory of condos and they keep building more. The nice thing about houses in this area is that land is limited.  They can't just build  a couple hundred new homes like they can with a condo highrise. The numbers below are for single family detached homes in FMLS area 23. Links to stats for other areas are at the bottom of the page. Year over year, total transactions decreased from 42 to 18 (-57%) Year over year, average sales price increased from $507,6... 03/28/2009

The Buckhead area had a really big drop in the number of sales.   The average price seems to have dropped down to the range it was it 5-7 years ago.  I only am posting single family detached homes here.  Buckhead has a large number of condos and I can say that condos prices are really down much more.  Unfortunately, they keep building more. The numbers below are for single family detached homes in FMLS area 21. Links to stats for other areas are at the bottom of the page. Year over year, total transactions decreased from 51 to 20 (-60%) Year over year, average sales price decreased from $796,009 to $580,725 (-27%) All data for graphs is taken from the FMLS statistics put out by Smart Numbers. For other market areas as shown in the following map, please click on the links below. All area... 03/28/2009

The Atlanta FMLS came out yesterday with the Atlanta housing stats for February 2009. I was really surprised at how things have kept going down.  I personally had a pretty good February and the activity has really picked up.  Maybe it will be March and April before that increased activity is reflected in the numbers.  It also could be that what business is left is going to the fewer agents still in business. Atlanta is a huge market so I have also graphed out the data for 24 separate market areas.  Links to these posts are at the bottom of the page. You'll see that some areas are much worse than others.  The total numbers are nice to know but it's really not much use when making decisions about your specific area in Atlanta. These are the total FMLS numbers for single family detached ho... 03/28/2009