So far in the first four months of 2011, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with quite a few clients. What’s different this year than in the last few is that three of my clients have been first time home buyers.

There’s a certain excitement and enthusiasm that only first time home buyers have and it’s refreshing to work with them from time to time.

Working with these clients has necessitated that I really do all my research in the $250k new construction price range.

Here’s what I have discovered – right now, there are a lot of really nice Atlanta new construction homes out there in the $250k range. If one segment of the market has really benefited from the big correction, it’s been this one.

I’m finding nice sized homes, in the 2,200 to 3,000 square foot range, with two car garages and great interior finishes located in nice communities with very convenient locations. Some even have basements.

I’m seeing kitchens with granite counter tops, stainless appliances, good lighting packages, hardwood floors and high quality carpet. Exteriors with 1-3 sides brick and HardiePlank® siding which is a great exterior even for all four sides.

These homes are being built to new very strict high-end efficiency standards, including ultra efficient modern HVAC units, higher insulation levels and efficient materials and designs throughout.

In short, these homes are great! What you get now for a “starter home” is really greatly improved over what you used to get in the past.

Also, with most of these builders, if a buyer uses the builder’s partner lender, then the deals get really interesting. I’ve personally seen upwards of $17k thrown in including: all closing costs, loan rate buy downs, 2” blinds throughout the home, and washer/dryer and refrigerator included.

If you are looking for a brand new home with a great warranty, now is definitely a great time to purchase. You will get a lot for your money, a great deal on financing and closing costs, and the home will be built very well.

That’s what I’m seeing!

First Time Home Buyers in Atlanta is a post from: Atlanta Real Estate Info First Time Home Buyers in Atlanta

Using Multiple Realtors is a post from: Atlanta Real Estate Info Using Multiple Realtors

With so many short sales and foreclosures the last few years, there’s now a flood of people out there looking for leases. Not a single day goes by without someone calling or registering on my site, looking for a lease property.

I literally could spend all day every day working with lease clients if I chose to. But there’s a little problem with that and it’s called going out of business.

Nobody seems to know or care how a Realtor gets paid for a lease, or if we even get paid at all. Folks just call right in and start firing off the questions and asking to go see properties.

Well, for reasons I am about to divulge, that’s not going to work. So let’s clear the air on using Realtors to find leases, and figure out how we can work together.

The Work Load

First, finding a lease property for a client is often just as much work, if not more, than finding a property to purchase.

In fact, clients making a purchase are typically much more picky than lease clients and will actually consider fewer properties. On the other hand, lease clients can consider just about anything due to the short term nature of a lease. “I wouldn’t buy in this area, but I can certainly lease here for 12 months….so let’s take a look at all of them…”

Sounds like just as much if not more work than finding a purchase property. What about the compensation?

The Compensation

Instead of a commission, there is a “co-op” fee that gets paid to the Realtors involved in a lease. Back in the day, this co-op fee used to be one month’s lease payment. Half went to the leasing agent and half to the buyer’s agent. Nothing that pays the bills, but you could make $500 or $1000 maybe. But here in 2011, with everybody squeezing everybody, co-op fees are more like a flat $150 or $300, or some small amount, even if the lease payment is say $3500/mo.

Let’s compare a Realtor working with a lease client to one working with a purchase client.

The Comparison

Realtor shows 25 houses over two weekends to a client that purchases a $400k home. Realtor makes $400k x 3% or $12,000 (minus a ridiculous amount of fees, levies and taxes).

-vs-

Realtor shows 25 houses over two weekends to a client that leases a $400k home. Realtor makes $350.

Huge disparity. This means that if you are asking a Realtor to give up weekends and time with purchase clients to work with you, a lease client, please be aware of what you are asking for and adjust accordingly.

The Solution

Tell your Realtor that first off, you working with him and will stick with him, and only him, until you find a lease property. Basically, you going to protect his whoppin’ $350.

Second, be willing and ready to take a list of lease properties from your Realtor and check them all out yourself on the Internet and then drive by them yourself in order to do most of the initial screening on your own.

Lastly, get your list of real potentials down to a very small number, like 1-4 before you ask to actually go out and see these properties.

If everyone understands the dynamics of leases, and it’s all on the table, then most Realtors will be happy to assist you with a lease property.

Oh yeah – one last thing. Trying to talk home sellers into becoming landlords and leasing is a giant waste of time for ALL parties involved, trust me.

Oh yeah – one more last thing. Offering to pay $2000/mo for a $2500/mo lease is not going to work. I once saw a $4000 property go for $3900 but asking for the discount also raised the ears of the owner and put the whole deal under a microscope. Think about it.

Ok, I think that’s it.

Realtors, Leases and Reality is a post from: Atlanta Real Estate Info Realtors, Leases and Reality

If you are moving to Atlanta, you should really take some time and study the counties.

The county you reside in can have a large and long term impact on quite a few things including your property taxes, school districts, location (obviously) and senior tax exemptions.

It’s one of the items that’s very easy to investigate and consider because depending on your tolerance for commutes, you will typically only be able to consider between one or two counties.

The five large counties north of Atlanta are Cobb, Cherokee, Forsyth, North Fulton and Gwinnett counties. Property taxes across just those five can vary widely.

Based on a $500k home, here are the approximate tax rates for those counties:

As you can see, there’s nearly a $200/month difference between North Fulton and Forsyth County, which by the way are separated by a single road, McGinness Ferry!

Both have excellent school systems and access to the same shops, stores, parks, etc. and are both off the GA 400 corridor.

Also, if you are moving to Atlanta to retire, or planning to retire here, be very careful of what county you move into. The tax exemptions for Seniors vary widely and range from almost nothing to nearly everything.

Forsyth County, for example, has a senior tax exemption which removes the school bond which results in your annual property tax being about 10% of what it would be otherwise. $400 per year versus $4,000 per year; a significant difference for someone on a fixed income looking to play golf, or travel, etc.

When relocating to Atlanta, make sure take a look at the counties!

Here are the County Web Sites for the five large North Metro Atlanta Counties:

• Forsyth County
• Gwinnett County
• Cobb County
• Cherokee County
• North Fulton County

Here are the links to each County’s Senior Exemptions:

• Forsyth County Tax Exemptions
• Gwinnett County Tax Exemptions
• Cobb County Tax Exemptions
• Cherokee County Tax Exemptions
• Fulton County Tax Exemptions

See more helpful articles on Moving to Atlanta in our Moving to Atlanta site section.

Atlanta Property Taxes is a post from: Atlanta Real Estate Info Atlanta Property Taxes

The seemingly infinite choices of neighborhoods is one of the really great aspects of moving to Atlanta. In just about every county, you can find a wide range of options covering just about anything you may be interested in.

The five large counties north of the I285 perimeter which include North Fulton, Cobb, Cherokee, Forsyth and Gwinnett counties offer everything ranging from starter townhome communites to private gated golf communities with an entry price north of $1M. It’s all here.

Here are just some of the community types you can find in the Atlanta metro:

• private gated or ungated
• large 2000 home communities to small enclaves
• golf communities including public, semi-private and fully private
• $1M and over custom home communities to national builder tract home types
• communities known for golf, or tennis, or swim, or various combinations
• “famous” communities or “ultra discrete” communities
• quiet neighborhoods, or very active neighborhoods
• great starter home communities
• communities with large lots, or minimal lots
• communities with all maintenance included in the HOA fee
• high end townhome communities
• communities known for kids, or for no kids, etc.
• 55+ communities for retirement

You can often find combinations as well. For each of those above, there are specific communities that fit the bill.

Moving to Atlanta, you have a lot of choices and it’s our goal to present you with options that best match your criteria. We never want a client to discover a year later that the best community for them is actually across the street or down the road from where they purchased!

Try to get very specific, or as specific as possible about your preferences, and let us go to work for you, providing lots of options. Or, we can show you possibilities and you can see what’s out there.

See more helpful articles on Moving to Atlanta in our Moving to Atlanta site section.

Atlanta Neighborhoods is a post from: Atlanta Real Estate Info Atlanta Neighborhoods

Atlanta is a very large metropolitan city, sometimes referred to as the Capitol City of the Southeast. Three major interstates converge in downtown Atlanta: Interstate 85, Interstate 75 and Interstate 20.

This Place is Large

Driving one lap around the 285 perimeter will take you 64 miles. So just the area inside the 285 Perimeter (ITP), is surrounded by a 64 mile loop. Consider that most of metro Atlanta’s six million people live outside of that loop and you start to get a feel for how large the metro Atlanta area is.

From where GA400 begins inside the perimeter, it’s 16 miles to Roswell, 21 miles to Alpharetta and 46 miles to Cumming. All very popular areas to live. These are some distances you want to be driving on your terms, or not at all.

Distances + Population = Traffic

Take the population and the distances and you get traffic, and lots of it. Traffic that’s been rated as top five in the USA at times. Not really the best distinction to have!

The good news is that it’s manageable. When selecting communities, make sure you spend some time analyzing the commutes to and from: work, schools, church, sports facilities and anything else that’s important to you.

The key to beating this traffic issue, and not spending four hours a day in your car, is to just be really smart about it. Take into account when you will be driving to and from work, what highways or surface roads you can use, the distances involved, and what the traffic patterns currently are.

Don’t set yourself up for failure, make sure you have the conversations and do your homework!

Only someone that has lived here and driven these commutes and watched the evening news for years will fully understand the commutes. Make sure you have these discussions with us and end up with a commute that will work for you. Or, possibly no real commute at all.

See more helpful articles on Moving to Atlanta in our Moving to Atlanta site section.

Commutes Around Atlanta is a post from: Atlanta Real Estate Info Commutes Around Atlanta

Check the Commutes

One of the most popular ways to start the relocation process is to take a look at the commute times to your employment, then locate neighborhoods that are within acceptable commute times for you.

Atlanta is huge. Peachtree City in south Atlanta is two hours from Cumming in north Atlanta. So while there may be literally hundreds of options, you can’t realistically work in Canton and live in Hamilton Mill in Dacula, for example.

Specify a City

Another method is to name a city and work from there. Some clients will simply specify a city. They will state “we want to be in Alpharetta” and from there it’s easy to identify the types of communities they are interested in within that specific city and start looking at homes.

Specify a School District

Another relocation method is to to specify a school district. After researching schools and consulting with us, some clients will ask to be in certain school districts. These are very easy requests as it’s no problem at all to identify all the communities and properties within certain school districts.

Specify a County

Often, clients moving to Atlanta will specify a couple of counties, for example north Fulton and south Forsyth, a popular combination. Certain counties have overall traits which are very desirable for people with young families, for example.

Check the Retirement Tax Exemptions

Occasionally, we will help folks that are retiring now or in the next 5-10 years and they are very concerned about the senior tax exemptions in various counties. These vary widely, to say the least – make sure you check!

Specify a Community Type

Some relocation clients will be very specific, wanting only gated private golf communities with homes over $1M, for example. It’s no problem at all to identify every possibility and discuss them with a client.

There are all sorts of variations and combinations. I once worked with a client moving to Atlanta who asked me for a location that supported the highest level of LaCrosse for his sons. That one required some research!

Regardless of what your requirements are, we can help you identify what they are and find the neighborhoods, communities and homes that fit them perfectly.

Here’s a short list of items that might help prevent overlooking something important to you:

• Cities – Alpharetta, Cumming, Acworth, Dacula, Marietta, just to name a few.
• Counties – this determines your tax base and public school systems.
• Commutes – proximity to work, schools, churches, recreation, etc.
• Airport Access – once a month or four times a week – big difference.
• Schools – public, private, Montessori, etc.
• Sports Programs – certain areas are knows for certain sports.
• Churches – no long commutes to your church.
• Neighborhood – gated, golf, tennis, swim, large lots, no maintenance, you name it.
• Medical Facilities – work at a large hospital, or need to be near one.
• Colleges – need to be near a University?
• Retiring in Atlanta – taxes, types of communities available, proximity to family.
• Taxes – your tax rate will vary by county especially Senior tax exemptions.
• Relocation Companies – we have worked with nearly all of them from Cartus, to Brookfield to Weichert.

See more helpful articles on Moving to Atlanta in our Moving to Atlanta site section.

Identifying Your Criteria is a post from: Atlanta Real Estate Info Identifying Your Criteria

Atlanta is an amazing city for business. From its early start as a railroad terminus in 1837, Atlanta grew exponentially and today the state’s capital is one of the nation’s largest, most business friendly cities in the world.

Since 1996, Atlanta has ranked in the top five cities with the most Fortune 500 companies calling it home. Forbes magazine also recently ranked the state of Georgia sixth for doing business and Georgia’s gross state product was a whopping $329 billion in 2009.

Atlanta is headquarters to 12 Fortune 500 companies.

Twelve Fortune 500 and fifteen Fortune 1,000 companies are headquartered in Atlanta with the three largest and most notable being:

The Home Depot – the world’s largest home improvement specialty store.
United Parcel Service – the world leader in specialized transportation, logistics and package delivery.
The Coca-Cola Company – the world’s largest and best known soft drink company.

Some of the other great Fortune 500 companies which have established headquarters in the metro Atlanta area include Genuine Parts, NCR, ING Americas, Holiday Inn and Porsche Cars North America.

Atlanta Fortune 500 Companies

1. The Home Depot, Rank: 29
2. UPS, Rank: 43
3. The Coca-Cola Company, Rank:    72
4. Delta Air Lines, Rank: 84
5. Coca-Cola Enterprises, Rank: 113
6. Southern Company, Rank: 145
7. SunTrust Banks, Rank: 224
8. Genuine Parts, Rank: 236
9. First Data, Rank: 250
10. AGCO, Rank: 337
11. Newell Rubbermaid, Rank: 373
12. NCR, Rank: 451

Georgia Fortune 500 companies

AFLAC, Rank: 152
Mohawk Industries, Rank: 392
Source: Fortune magazine

Atlanta Fortune 500 and 1000 Corporations

Atlanta’s Business Environment is a post from: Atlanta Real Estate Info Atlanta’s Business Environment

Avoid the Sea of Sameness

Our method for finding that perfect home is different, and our web site is designed to support this better method and help you succeed.

We believe that you don’t start your search by looking at homes. Strange, right…afterall, this is what everyone does. They go online to one of a hundred Sea of Sameness Sites, put in a few criteria and start looking at huge lists of results.

This almost completely wastes your time and results in lists of favorite homes that look great in the photos but in most cases, in no way supports what is truly important to you.

Let’s face it, there’s probably one home in every community in your price range that you might like. But I bet you would not like all the communities, or the commutes, or schools, or amenities. So searching for homes first is not the key.

What we recommend is starting by defining what is truly important to you.

Things like:

• Schools
• Sports: tennis, golf, swim, equestrian, running
• Commutes to work or school or sports training facilities
• Home styles, lot sizes, trees, outdoor spaces
• Proximity to something important
• Private gated access, or open

This is a short hypothetical list but making your own specific list is very easy. Just start with what you already know. Here’s an article about my own experience with this.

After you have your list, here’s where this site really helps you.

The Neighborhood Navigator at the top right of the site has over 70 quality communities; all listed by general location via county. You can easily go to the one or two counties that work for you and take a look at all the communities. Each community has its own page that describes the community, some have videos, and each lists every home for sale in each one.

Counties are key in the Atlanta Metro and do a much better job of describing things like general location, tax base, schools, etc., than cities do. In the Atlanta Metro, a city can span across three counties so city-based searches can be very misleading.

Also in the main body of the front page are communities and brief descriptions. These are more for show, but are very popular high quality communities and you might discover one here.

We of course have a full search engine, like everyone else.

However, ours is based on the map. Why map based? Because again, it does you no good to search homes, get back a huge list then find that 3/4 of the ones you liked are nowhere near where you would consider living!

It’s all a better way! Give it a try!

Finding Your Atlanta Home is a post from: Atlanta Real Estate Info Finding Your Atlanta Home

Great News for Vickery Village!

T. Olive Properties, along with an investor, has purchased 50 lots in Vickery Village and has plans to build homes and townhomes adhering the current Vickery Village architectural style.

This is great news for Vickery Village and should really help the community.

What are the T. Olive Plans?

Of the fifty lots, the plans call for 14 Townhomes and 36 Detached Homes, four on basements. A total of 12 different models with initial pricing from $268,900 to $452,500, which are excellent price points for new construction in Vickery. This pricing should also benefit the existing residents concerned about price stability.

The current Vickery Village timeless architecture will continue with features like: detached garages, courtyards, cedar shake roofs and covered porches. Interiors will continue the current theme with ten-foot high ceilings, traditional floorplans from the era, beamed ceilings, hardwood floors, custom cabinetry and high-end appliances.

This is good to hear and easy to believe since the partners of T. Olive originally worked with Hedgewood Homes to build what you see at Vickery today.

Vickery is still a very unique and desirable community.

Along with the state of the art YMCA right on location at Vickery, there are great places to eat and relax, including: Robin Hood Tavern, Tanners, Cinco’s and Sidney’s Pizza. There are also stores and shops, with lots of potential and space for new ones.

The public school district is among the best in the country and the parks and recreation in the area are unmatched with both Midway Park and the Big Creek Greenway nearby.

Learn more about Vickery Village here and check out all the current listings. Or, contact us to learn more about the new construction available in Vickery. Right now, there are two spec homes currently under construction by T. Olive Properties.

About T. Olive

With a combined 24 years of custom home building experience, T. Olive Properties’ Randy and Brian Schiltz have managed various construction projects throughout the country. Randy has the honor of being chosen to manage building projects for Southern Living and Cooking Light magazines, as well as many custom home clients in various locations in Georgia.

Brian has extensive construction experience with high-end coastal custom homes in Los Angeles County, California. In addition, he was the project manager for the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum 2.0 rated commercial building in the United States.

T. Olive Properties is actively involved with the Earthcraft House program, feeling a responsibility to build comfortable, healthy homes that reduce utility bills and protect the environment. T. Olive monitors the latest in green building technologies and remains attuned to implementing cost effective building practices to help clients live in environmentally friendly, energy efficient homes. T. Olive Properties provides buyers the piece of mind offered with the “2-10 Warranty Program” on every home they build and all homes are Earthcraft Certified.

Vickery Village partners with T. Olive Properties is a post from: Atlanta Real Estate Info Vickery Village partners with T. Olive Properties