tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15234153357006936512024-03-12T22:39:33.210-04:00Atlanta Real Estate BlogThis blog is about Atlanta real estate issues and whatever random thoughts I happen to have. Please feel free to e-mail me if you have questions or want to suggest a topic that you think would be useful. I can also help with your search for a home or listing your property for sale.msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-78195571514976159182010-08-29T17:17:00.004-04:002010-08-29T17:31:58.600-04:00HOA is the problem?Home Owners Associations serve a very useful purpose in helping subdivisions and condominium complexes maintain uniformity and desirability by enforcing certain rules for the benefit of all. One of these rules that applies more to condominiums than to single family homes, is a rule that states only a certain portion of the condos in the complex are rentable. The idea is that owners would be msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-50467989783682140272010-05-31T23:33:00.000-04:002010-05-31T23:33:25.659-04:00Random Act of Kindness
In the cold, cruel world of foreclosures, here is an amazing story of a random act of kindness by a Foreclosure Angel.msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-34487648918077027252010-05-23T17:49:00.006-04:002010-05-23T18:08:31.279-04:00Home buyer credit back in GwinnetLet's Do Business Gwinnett is offering up to $5000 in down payment incentives and special interest loans as low as 3.49% on select homes and land lots valued up to $205,000 in the Gwinnett county through a coalition of local banks. They are also offering a 6.49% financing on select homes to borrowers that needs time to improve credit. The special interest loans are offerred msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-13048154321014126522010-01-03T18:07:00.018-05:002010-01-09T11:18:31.744-05:00Buying Forclosure PropertyIf you are in the market for buying property, there are many advantages available to the fist time home buyers, including incredibly low prices, very low interest rates, the highest affordability and a $8000 Tax Credit. Along with all these advantages, it is hard to ignore the glut of foreclosures that have been priced well below the market rate of comparable homes. However, there are many msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-39306166197659641302010-01-01T09:57:00.003-05:002010-01-01T10:23:24.512-05:00Happy New Year!Wish every oneA Very Happy and Prosperous New Year!msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-8049071099370365902009-11-12T00:37:00.008-05:002009-11-16T18:16:03.623-05:00First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit ExtendedRealtor.org reports that the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit has been Extended for contracts signed through April 30th, 2010 that will close by the end of June. The income limits have been expanded as well to include Single buyers making up to $125,000 and Married Couples making up to $225,000. Additionally, those who are looking to trade up may also qualify, provided they have owned and msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-50257006322401914122009-07-04T15:56:00.011-04:002009-07-04T16:18:05.425-04:00Wish every one a Very Happy 4th of July!Today, the 4th of July 2009, we celebrate the independence day. "We the people" are guaranteed certain rights and liberties by the Constitution of the United States of America, to which we ALL should be grateful."We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-6466212702000089312009-06-04T00:14:00.001-04:002009-06-04T00:16:43.969-04:00Bad advise?An article on Realtor.org is reporting that the pending home sales were boosted by record low mortgage interest rates."Record low mortgage interest rates boosted pending home sales for the third consecutive month, with some benefit now from the first-time buyer tax credit, according to the National Association of Realtors®."This is certainly good news just in time for the home buying season. msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-78588162804153928952009-06-02T00:22:00.004-04:002009-06-02T23:50:33.858-04:00CDC Federal Credit Union offers $10,000 Mortgage Grant Program for Down-Payment AssistanceIn addition to the $8000 Tax credit offered to first time buyers, CDC Federal Credit Union and Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta has teamed together to offer $10,000 in down-payment assistance for qualified buyers. There are strict income limits in order to qualify, and the buyer must contribute $1000 towards down payment in order to receive assistance of $5000 or put a down payment of $2000 to msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-28145142969949462282009-05-13T21:58:00.002-04:002009-05-13T22:04:30.342-04:00Housing bluesMarketWatch is reporting that four states, Nevada, Florida, California, and Arizona (in order of the number of foreclosures) are the main culprits in dragging down the housing prices. These four states contributed 193,659 of the 342,038 foreclosure filing nationwide. This equates to these four states contributing about 60% of all foreclosures in the nation. Due to these foreclosure issues, msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-23702114641217257822009-05-08T09:47:00.005-04:002009-05-08T10:00:43.408-04:00Wish everyone a joyous and peaceful VesakVesak, which is considered to be the holiest of the Buddhist religious days, signifies the birth, enlightenment and the death of Buddha, which occurred on the same full moon day (lunar calendar). Vesak is celebrated in a multitude of ways including going to the temple, food offerings, lighting colorful lanterns, meditating in quiet tranquility, enacting plays from Buddhist stories, colorful msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-364565699043196952009-05-05T11:39:00.002-04:002009-05-05T11:42:50.567-04:00Cinco de MayoCinco de Mayo, is a calibration to commemorate the defeat of French troops in 1862 in Puebla, Mexico. Today, it is a calibration of the Mexican culture with music, food and street parties. For more information on where to celibate Cinco de Mayo, please checkout the following links.Celebrate Cinco de Mayo Atlanta-styleAtlanta Cinco de Mayomsoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-63812983639847820452009-04-30T00:59:00.007-04:002009-04-30T08:14:17.750-04:00Buy now or wait?The real estate market has been in a downward trend for a while and many buyers have been holding out for the market to bottom out. While this is a good strategy, it is worth your while to figure out what its going to cost you to wait for the market to bottom out. Here are my thoughts about it. I want to make the disclaimer that I am not advising you to go out and buy a home. As always, you msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-22317231144629231232009-04-23T22:44:00.004-04:002009-04-24T09:00:42.456-04:00This side up!Bloomberg is reporting that the home prices rose 0.7% in February, which was preceded by a 1% increase in January. This is the first time home prices have gone up for 2 straight months in almost 2 years. In addition to this, MarketWatch is reporting that the mortgage applications rose 5.3% last week.That was yesterday while I was in the midst of writing up this blog about the January and msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-64960465383567014602009-04-22T00:05:00.002-04:002009-04-22T00:08:45.772-04:00Headaches with buying bank owned propertiesWashington Post is running an article that would be an interesting read for any one considering buying foreclosed properties. While there are many good deals to be found, you must have a lot of patience as banks work like banks generally do... Monday thru Friday from 9 am to 5 pm with many bank holidays that most people don't get... add to it that there are practically no incentives for them to msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-70485235755708797582009-04-07T22:24:00.004-04:002009-04-08T08:51:10.282-04:00Spring is in the airThe signs of spring is everywhere... the plants starting to turn green with fresh leaves, Cherry Blossoms starting to bloom, the stock market went up for some time and even the housing market is starting to show signs of life! In a market where some states have seen steep losses, seeing only a -2.4% forecast for Atlanta is definitely good news! Click here to check the Real Estate Forecast for msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-1078007548527117722009-03-05T23:43:00.008-05:002009-03-06T09:23:34.970-05:00Rick Santelli vs the "looser home owners"Rick Santelli of CNBC expressed his opinion about the bailout of what he called "looser home owners." I have not been a fan of bailouts either, however I cannot agree with his position when the rich are bailed out at the expense of the poor and he is angry at the few bones thrown at bailing out the poor. What's good for the goose should be good for the gander as well!The amount of bias some msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-33294230133458904302009-03-04T01:09:00.006-05:002009-03-04T01:22:41.785-05:00Citigroup to give a break to unemployedI read this article titled "Citi to Allow Jobless to Pay Less on Loans" on The Wall Street Journal, that would be welcome news to those who have undergone financial hardships in this ugly and uncertain economy. Citigroup's program claims to lower the mortgage payment for those who have lost their jobs and are at least 60 days behind on mortgage payment. The offer applies only to loans serviced msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-19645200226317682962009-03-01T23:51:00.011-05:002009-03-02T00:33:10.823-05:00First time buyer incentives aboundThere are numerous advantages to purchasing a home this year. In addition to the low interest rates, high levels of offordability, and incredible deals due to the financial crisis, there is an additional $8000 or 10% of purchase price (which ever is less) tax credit for first time home buyers. In order to qualify for the tax credit, you would not have owned a home for the past three years, andmsoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-80319461321427169552009-03-01T19:18:00.005-05:002009-03-02T00:14:02.571-05:00Snow in SuwaneeWe have been pretty lucky to have a mild winter so far. It rarely snows in Atlanta and the first snow of winter fell today to remind us that the winter isnt over yet! Here are some pictures I took from the Sims Lake Park in Suwanee.StreamHiking TrailSmall Pondmsoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-43261774662398326822009-02-25T23:48:00.004-05:002009-02-26T00:20:50.743-05:00House DesignsWhen it comes designing houses, people come up with ideas as diverse as the universe itself. Here are some interesting ones I saw on youtubeGoing green? Here is a guy that is making Recycled HomesAnd homes that the big bad wolves dream of blowing downHere is an interesting Sliding HouseThis is a nicely built cave house, but unfortunately being foreclosed.msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-48019462456181453492009-02-21T19:15:00.009-05:002009-02-22T09:48:26.105-05:00Can you change the world?Can you change the world? Can a single person determined to make a change for the better succeed in a world full of obstruction and negativity? More importantly, what if you were to believe the world of negativity that you cannot make a difference and join the self defeating ideas of a world asleep? Surely, you would have lost even before you ever started. However, if you believe you can give msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-39713077787973939412009-02-17T20:11:00.004-05:002009-02-17T20:24:12.961-05:00Atlanta Properties GroupToday I swithed to a different broker; Atlanta Properties Group. Keller Williams Realty has served me well, but I decided it was time to try out a different broker in order to find a broker close to where I am. I believe Atlanta Properties Group is well positioned to help me serve my clients in the best possible ways.msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-70362568715338667932009-02-14T17:25:00.004-05:002009-02-15T01:19:56.569-05:00Happy Valentine's DayFebruary 14th marks a day set aside for the lovers and the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of valentines... but the history of the Valentines day is far more amusing when you look at its history. According to the Wikiedia, the Valentine's Day was originally a pagan festival that was renamed after two Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. Yes, you read that right! If you want to msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1523415335700693651.post-16196017606713118852009-02-12T00:39:00.009-05:002009-02-19T00:34:09.540-05:00What are banks doing with the bailout money?Many have been wandering what the banks are doing with the bailout money as they seem to be hoarding it, instead of helping to ease the credit crunch. In this article titled "Bank CEOs flogged in Washington" CNN is reporting the CEOs of 8 top banks being questioned by the law makers for the unwillingness to lend to consumers. So, the real question that we have to ask as tax payers is "what are msoorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16842449982942840713noreply@blogger.com1