Carl Martens's (carlhmartens) Blog

Foreclosure rates in metro Atlanta range from 9.9 percent in Clayton County to 3.7 percent in Cobb County, according to HUD. By the Numbers NSP Allocation; Local foreclosure rate; Local abandonment risk; Statewide foreclosure rate Georgia total; $77,085,125; 5.2%; Medium; 5.2% Atlanta; $12,316,08...

Atlanta is among the nation’s hardest-hit markets for foreclosures according to a Harvard University scholar.  The large numbers of subprime loans, extensive mortgage fraud, and large quantities of housing stock are the identified causes of this current increase. Mark Duda, the Harvard researcher...

One of the best guides to the danger ahead is Whitney Tilson. He’s an investment fund manager who has made such a name for himself recently that investors, who manage about $10 billion, gathered to hear him last week. Tilson saw, a year ago, that sub-prime mortgages were just the start. “We had t...

Up until recently, homeowners who are upside down on their mortgage had little recourse other than foreclosure. That’s not a good option because a foreclosure remains on your credit record for at least 10 years. To avoid going into foreclosure, many experts are now advocating a short sale.  In a ...

The home mortgage crisis is spreading across Georgia like wildfire as the state’s economic woes get worse. One in eight Georgia mortgage holders were either behind on their payments or in foreclosure in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to a survey released Thursday by the Mortgage Bankers As...

If you’ve watched the 60 Minutes video on our website titled, The Mortgage Meltdown you understand what an Option ARM is.  For those that haven’t, its quite simple.  Thousands of mortgage loans were set with initial interest rates as low as 1%, but these rates were set to later reset at higher ra...

Are you looking to buy a new  Atlanta home? Are you thinking that now’s a great time to find bargains? Before you make an offer, it pays to know a little about the seller’s situation. If a home is being sold for less than the current homeowner owes on the property and don’t have sufficient funds...

About a year and a half ago I purchased my first home (pictured throughout this article).  The home was also a foreclosure.  Now a year and a half later I can say that I am almost finished with the rehab work on the house.  Speaking from experience, I plan to provide you with 5 tips for buying a...

The majority of neighborhoods in Roswell belong to Fulton County, but there are a small few that are in Cobb County and their residents get to enjoy the lower Cobb County taxes and East Cobb schools. With a Roswell address and the benefits of low Cobb taxes and award winning East Cobb schools the...

Chatsworth Chatsworth is a community of 153 homes in Roswell, Georgia founded in 1987.  The community of Chatsworth is located between Sandy Plains Road and Mabry Road NE Southwest of Woodstock Road.  The subdivision is accessible off of Mabry Road NE. Feel free to contact us if you have any det...