Fall Tips for Metro Atlanta Homes part 2

It has already been an action packed  fall with these very unusual rains in metro Atlanta. I can not stress enough how important it is to maintain your home. That is take action steps in advance to protect your home from costly damages and repairs.

We are headed quickly into Thanksgiving and then poof before we know it 2010 will be here. Deferred maintenance is a concern of  Buyer, Inspectors and agents of Resales Properties.  With so many Builder Spec homes sitting on the market unoccupied even New Homes can have deferred maintenance. 

In my previous post on Fall Tips I talked about gutters, and leaves. Right now in Metro Atlanta if you call any reputable Water proofing and Repair company, you will find them booked through December and January, just for an Inspection. The hard rains are responsible for much damage, but some damages could have been avoided by having walked the home and visually inspecting for good drainage. If you see areas that are pooling water or an extreme runoff you need to have a professional look at possibilities for redirecting the water. Much of the damages to homes is not covered by homeowners insurance.

I work with a Company that can do once a year inspections and has a VERY reasonable fee schedule especially if it avoids costly repairs.

If you are in need of Vendors for your metro Atlanta home for  winterizing, waterproofing, HVAC or other seasonal  maintenance, please contact me.

Debby Crawford

404-213-2869

Mortgage News Atlanta Metro Real Estate and the Economy

Last Week in Review

“TIME IS MORE VALUABLE THAN MONEY. YOU CAN GET MORE MONEY, BUT YOU CANNOT GET MORE TIME.” Jim Rohn. And while this is certainly true, home buyers and folks receiving unemployment benefits both got the word that a bit more money and time is coming their way.
Just on Friday, President Obama signed into law a bill that extends unemployment benefits and the First Time Home Buyers tax credit, which is also being expanded to include benefits for homebuyers who aren’t on the first time around buying a home. If purchasing a home is in the cards for you or anyone you know, you can get all the details of the homebuyer’s tax credit in this week’s Mortgage Market Guide View article below. But first, here are a few additional highlights from last week…including important job market news.
Last week’s official Jobs Report showed that there were 190,000 jobs lost in October, higher than the 175,000 job losses that were widely expected. In addition, as you can see in the chart below, the Unemployment Rate rose to 10.2%, quite a bit higher than the 9.9% expected, and the highest Unemployment level since 1983.

While this number is bad, what is even more concerning is the “real” unemployment rate being closer to 17.5%. This includes those who have not searched for a job for at least four weeks, known as “discouraged or detached” workers, as well as those desiring full time work but having to settle for part time, the “underemployed”. The only ray of sunshine within this anemic report were the upward revisions for August and September, showing 91,000 fewer jobs lost than previously reported.
Let’s remember, in order to just keep up with population growth – or to keep the ranks of the unemployed from rising – there must be 125,000 jobs created each month. So the latest report of 190,000 jobs lost, really means we have fallen behind by 315,000 jobs, just last month.
In other news, Pending Home Sales for October were reported up 6.1%, mostly attributable to First Time Home Buyers rushing to get into contract before the original November 30, 2009 expiration date for the $8,000 tax credit – again, see below for details on the tax credit extension and expansion. Also last week, the Fed issued its latest Policy Statement without any big changes or surprises.
Remember, weak economic news typically causes money to flow from Stocks into Bonds, helping Bonds and home loan rates improve. Bonds struggled through the middle part of the week but were able to rally Friday on the heels of the poor Jobs Report. As a result, Bond prices and home loan rates ended the week slightly better than where they began.
TAKING THE TIME TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHETHER YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW MIGHT QUALIFY FOR THE EXTENDED AND EXPANDED HOMEBUYER TAX CREDIT COULD MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE…AND MANY PEOPLE ARE STILL UNAWARE THAT THIS CREDIT IS AVAILABLE! TAKE A MINUTE TO CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S MORTGAGE MARKET VIEW FOR MORE DETAILS, AND PASS THEM ON TO ANYONE YOU KNOW WHO MIGHT BENEFIT.

This Post came from the Lender I work with. As you will see this is information that is provide from a very high level of understanding our market place and the overall economy. So, I chose to work with someone that can relate to my educated and very intelligent client base.

For information on qualifying for a mortgage or Refinancing your home, give Eric a call here is his contact info…

 

      

Eric S. Hoffner

Mortgage Loan Officer

900 Circle 75 Parkway #760

Atlanta, GA 30339

D 770.690.2822

C 770.652.9574

F 1.866.342.0472

www.erichoffner.com

www.chasepreferredagent.com

A Spiritual Journey through the Real Estate Shift

Happy Friday to Everyone,

I am getting ready to head to The Episcopal Church Retreat in The North Carolina Mountains. It is called Kanuga, it is a place for renewal, community, fun, hiking, reflection and a lot more. I look forward to it all.

This year it is very cathartic. I am feeling like I have learned and re designed my business to meet the needs of my clients and in doing so have become one of the Top three agents in the Keller Williams Realty Peachtree Battle office.

I am honored to receive so many referrals and they are the very lifeline of my business.  With this accomplishment comes great pride and many benefits of success. For me it embodies what I think must happen in our country before we can see real recovery. I believe we have to focus on what is important and realign our thinking, especially on money.

As the financial markets imploded in September 2008, the American people sought change and elected a President to lead them to change. It was to my business as I changed from New Construction and working for Builders to focusing on adding the Certified Distressed Property Designation so that I could help people.  You see, I believe my life’s work has always been about helping people. I just had to refocus. Like squeezing one eye really tight and peering into that Kaleidoscope to see anew, colors, shapes and beautiful images.

I spent from mid 2008 to mid 2009 feeding the Homeless of Downtown Atlanta. By February when it was as frigid as it could be here, I led  a small group of volunteers to cook over  1200 meals … yes piping hot full meals, served in a freezing shelter at night. We were quite weary from the planning, labors of prep and cooking.  I called the experience Iron Chef on A Shoestring for the masses! For me the gratitude of those men and the opportunity to serve shaped my mindset.  Many of the men became familiar to me and me to them. Compassion without judgement is a gift  probably as needed as a hot meal. Seeing their gratitude for so little helped me remember everyday what I had to be thankful for in spite of what the market was doing. For me it was easy to be “WHO”  I am with those that were so grateful.  I am thankful to God for the gift of being able to serve The Homelessmen of Atlanta.

On my pursuit to redefine my business in a market where the rules on everything were changing  without notice, I learned to embrace change. I must say not without much stress. I decided that if there was anyway I could help people it would be by removing as much stress as I can from their real estate transactions.

So, with new tools in my tool belt, one of which is the cumulative effect of all the individual success… I embrace the journey ahead to help not only clients in financial distress but those who are looking for an agent that has strong core values and knows the importance of gratitude. That was where the journey to getting my Mojo back came from.

I am looking for a strong finish to 2009 and am hard at work on plans for 2010… with a glad heart appreciating all I have.  I am happy that I found my passion for my business that I had lost in the shift. That passion is fuel of the soul to be the best I can be for me and my clients! My mantra is Live with LOVE, live BOLD  and GIVE freely.

Have a great weekend!

Alpharetta Luxury Market and Distressed Properties

As I reviewed pending sales in Alpharetta I was specifically looking in 1 area the Alpharetta 30004 and in 2 price points although the prices are a big leap… from $500K to $600K, and 1,000,000 and over.  My intersting point to share is that the stat are basically the same. Lots of active listings and all but one or 2 in each price range of pending sales is not a Short Sale or Foreclosure. This is ahead of Metro Atlanta statistics that one in every 4 sales is an investor and 50% are Distressed sales!

I think Sellers may not be getting or hearing the message. Distressed Sellers ARE the Competition.

Here is a link for Pending sales in Alpharetta you may also notice that many should have already closed and yet they have not!    That is the subject for another night!

 Buyer Full Page this link will show you a snap shot of pending sales in thae Alpharetta Luxury Homes Market.

Everyone benefits from avoiding Foreclosure

 

You may not know that I’m a Certified Distressed Property Expert. For the hundreds of homeowners in our community who owe more on their home than it’s worth and don’t know what to do, I have become a resource for solutions.

If you or someone you know is in this situation and confused about the alternatives to foreclosure – specifically short sales — I’ve created a website to clear up the issues and provide real information at:

www.CrawfordGroupAtlanta.com or www.AtlantaMetroShortSales.com

While you’re on the site, you can download a free report—prepared just for you — on the myths surrounding short sales. In reality, a short sale can be the best solution for certain homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgage.

Many people get derailed by a myth – now is time to get the right information. Please feel free to contact me with your questions or concerns.

We are seeing distressed properties at every price point, this economy and housing market is the perfect storm financial storm when any additional hardship is added. Avoiding Foreclosures helps everyone.

I’m here to help.

Debby

Debby Crawford, Your CDPE

Keller Williams Realty Peachtree Battle

404-213-2869

 

Fall Tips for Metro Atlanta Homes part 1

 

It’s Fall Again and  Time to Start Preparing Your Home for  Fall and Winter

Fall is my favorite time of year and it is very important time for maintenance for homes. Homes with proper maintenance can be more energy efficient during the winter months. Preparation can save your home by preventing possible seasonal disasters such as leaking roofs or fires caused by neglected chimneys and other water damage. 

One of the biggest culprits of costly repairs is water damage due to undersized and uncleaned and clogged gutters. I strongly urge you to price gutter guards.  Also, access how effective your gutters are. In the next heavy rain stand outside and watch how your gutters perform in a heavy rain. The water should NOT be pouring over the gutters. The job of the gutters are to route the water to the downspout. Undersized and clogged gutters will cause the water to flow over the front and or back of the gutters. If there is a flashing problem well there could be HUGE damage. 

You may need to pay extra care this year because of our weather patterns and clean the gutters more than once between October and Christmas. Proactive maintenance can save money and repairs.

If you are looking for a Vendor please call me.   

Buyer’s Market has many Opportunities

Deborah Crawford ~ http://www.CrawfordGroupAtlanta.com Do you remember the real estate market of just a few years ago?  It was a “sellers market,” when a lot of people we know bought a property just to get in the real estate market. Our friends  or family members were often in bidding wars and ended up buying a property that wasn’t exactly their ideal home. Back then, the ideal home was often out of reach for many of us.  Guess what?  Now that prices have dropped, that ideal home may once again be within reach.  Do you know of anyone that is interested in buying that dream home today?  The best properties that are priced right are still flying off the shelves. This is the opportunity that many of our friends  and family have been waiting for.  We can sell that not-so-ideal home and move on up to the home that at one time was out of reach.  Let’s see what we can do together! This is a note I sent to my data base of clients, friends, family and future clients. If you want to be included in my mailing, please feel free to visit me at www.CrawfordGroupAtlanta.com and register or send me an email at debby@crawfordgroupatlanta.com I appreciate referrals.

Flood Fundraiser Love is Love

I wanted to share this article from one of my favorite restaurants in Atlanta. So, if you are wondering about the relevance to real estate let me explain. Real Estate is a people business and a relationship business. I genuine care about all of my clients and their families. I embrace people coming together to support community in the many ways that looks and manifests itself. This last round of weather impacted many residences and to a lesser extent some businesses. One of the things I LOVE a business that keeps those values and keeps them local.

So even if you can’t make this event remember Woodfire  when thinking of a special night out.

“FROM WOODFIRE”

Woodfire Grill is the recipient of the 2009 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and we would like to share with you a few of our favorite picks during our upcoming wine dinners.

Love is Love

On Sunday, October 11, we will host a fundraiser for Love is Love Farm to help the beloved local farm recover from the flash floods that occurred early last week. Love is Love sustained severe flood damage from the heavy rains in the Atlanta-area and must now rebuild their entire establishment, which is located in Douglasville, Georgia.

The fundraising event will feature a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. followed by a seated dinner at 6:30 p.m. that includes a four-course menu with wine pairings for $100 per person. All proceeds from the event will benefit Love is Love Farm.

We are strong supporters of Love is Love Farm’s mission to provide local, organic products and we get a large portion of our produce from their farm, so it is our goal to raise $10,000 to help get them up and running again. During the event, guests will also have the opportunity to donate additional funds directly to Love is Love Farm to help with the reconstruction process. If you are unable to attend but would like to contribute, send a check made out to Love is Love to our address below and we will include it with our donation. Please call 404-347-9055 to reserve a spot.
Woodfire Grill
1782 Cheshire Bridge Road
Atlanta, GA
404-347-9055

My thoughts on the Media in Real Estate

Well if you page down I have a post about when will it be like 2006… I wrote that because that date is THE mountain top for price of almost every category of property sales in Metro Atlanta. All morning I have read the news online, Face book, CNN and numerous other sources saying that basically this is 6 months of sales increasing. Sounds great especially if you like hearing good news no matter what the spin.  Folks, the reality is that we crashed and in many cases felt a crash and burn.

I am not a fan of bad news, but I like news that is direct, honest and sets expectations. The current media is a mixed message, it goes like this Buyers are thinking it is a Buyers market and that means I can STEAL a house! Sellers are “hearing” the media in a different way…. they “hear” great I don’t have to reduce my price and if I hold on a little longer I can get “my” price. My concern is that if Buyers and Sellers hear just their part of the meassage it may parlay into a stalled market again.

Right now is the time to Buy and an excellent time to buy UP. As a preferred Chase JP Morgan Realtor, my Buyers receive a $300. off their closing costs. Rates are under 5 % and you can LOCK your rate now, for closing in 90 days and take 60 days to find the property to purchase. This is an awesome time to Buy, and Sellers that are not leaving the housing market completely still have great opportunities.

No its not like 2006 …  but according to S&P it is more like 2003. This is a good thing. For futher demystifying your situation. Please call me and in the mean time please read this: http://tiny.cc/KWac3

Do you need to replace an HVAC ? …Energy Tax Credits

Many people have heard about the Energy tax credits and still many folks have not.  Here is some very helpful information if you have a HVAC system to be repaired   considering replacement. This often comes up because of the change of weather.

Are you wondering if you can still take advantage of the federal energy tax credits. The answer is yes and you should plan your projects now. There are really two programs: one for ENERGY EFFICIENCY and a separate one for RENEWABLE ENERGY. They have very different rules, a few of which are summarized here: 

Residential ENERGY EFFICIENCY Tax Credits

• Part of the stimulus package
• Apply to projects such as weatherization, high efficiency systems such as heating and air conditioning, high efficiency water heaters, energy efficient windows, etc.
• The system requirements are specific – for example Energy Star® qualified appliances or windows do not all meet the requirements of this program.
• The tax credit is 30% of the allowable costs of the equipment and installation.
• The credit is capped at $1,500 for any one or multiple projects installed between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010. Thus these must be in service by the end of 2010 to be eligible for the tax credit.
• These efficiency improvements must be installed in the owner’s principal residence.

Residential RENEWABLE Energy Tax Credits

• This program relates to the cost of equipment and installation of renewable energy systems such as solar-electric, solar hot water (domestic and home heating), wind generated electricity, geothermal heat pumps, and fuel cells. The eligible equipment is carefully defined.
• Some of these credits have been in place for a number of years, but the current program applies to renewable energy systems placed in service after December 31, 2008 and before December 31, 2016. That is not a mistake – the program has a lifetime of 8 years.
• The tax credit is again 30% of the eligible costs.
• There is NO cap on the amount of the credit and unused credits may be carried to later tax years.
• This equipment must be installed on a residence, but it does NOT have to be the taxpayer’s principal residence. Ask your tax advisor if you could use these credits for a second home or a residential investment property.

I hope that you find this information helpful. I personally am a fan of Cunningham Heat and Air here in Metro Atlanta, if you need a Vendor referral. Contact me please.