Vacation Homes Near Atlanta
One thing that is common for all of us who vacation is that we have to have some place to stay. The question is how do we want to pay for it? Do you want to rent, buy or possible look at another form of ownership? For many of the more affluent, the answer is easy. Just buy a vacation home and use it whenever the mode strikes. I see this type scenario in some of the mountain and lake areas that just a short drive away. For those of us who just can’t go with out a little sand in our bathing suits the beaches of South Georgia and Florida call out to us annually. Perhaps because the drive is considerably longer, the vacation homes in these locations may be purchased as a time share or interval ownership.
Let me be the first to say that if you are looking for an investment, in my opinion a time share is probably one of the worst investments you can make. If you are looking for a place that you can trade in order to visit other time share facilities it can work out nicely. One lady in my office bought a Florida time share with her husband and they have never been to it. They trade it in every year and visit another location. For my wife and I, we purchase a time share in Daytona Beach Florida about 20 years ago. We have gone to it every year and we vacation with many of the same people each year. One nice thing about our situation is we don’t have to worry about who we may be playing golf with. There is always a foursome ready to go play. We have seen children grow up and are now visiting with the grandchildren. This will be our case this year. If you follow this blog or put it into your RSS Feed Reader, you may even see a picture of our grandson Lincoln playing on the beach or in the kids pool. Bet you will!
Accessibility to vacation areas and vacation homes from the Greater Atlanta area is one feature that we have over many other metro areas of the country. Let’s look at some of the areas that are in close proximity to Metro Atlanta.
- The North Georgia Mountains – About an hour and a half north of the city
- The Blue Ridge Mountains – About three hours northeast of the city
- Lake Lanier – About forty five minutes northeast of the city
- Savannah and Tybee Island – About four hours southeast of the city
- Jekyll Island – About five and a half hours southeast of the city
- The Florida Panhandle – About five hours southwest of the city
- Daytona Beach Florida – about seven hours southeast of the city
Georgia License for Builders and Remodelers
As of July first of this year all builders and remodelers in the state of Georgia are to be licensed by the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors. There are three types of contractors that must obtain a license by July 1, 2008.
* Residential-Basic Contractor (Contractor work relative to detached one-family and two-family residences and one-family townhouses not over three stories in height).
* Residential-Light Commercial Contractor (Contractor work or activity related to multifamily and multiuse light commercial buildings and structures).
* General Contractor (Contractor work or activity that is unlimited in scope regarding any residential or commercial projects).
A fourth classification of contractor is the specialty contractor who is not required to be licensensed. This classification would include painters and roofers for example and they are not allowed to hire subcontractors.
I would think that the purpose of this law would be to help protect innocent homeowners and home buyers from unscrupulous contractors. We have all heard horror stories about homes and projects that have not worked out as originally planned. One big advantage of this law is the requirement for contractors to meet minimum standards for education, financial stability and workers compensation.
So what will the down side of this law be? Since Atlanta is so close to Florida, some of what happens there makes its way to our news programs. When a major event such as a hurricane hits Florida, it can sometimes take additional time to even get bids on getting work done much less getting the work itself performed.
Charles Bannister Gwinnett County
Well it’s election season in Gwinnett County as well as the rest of the nation. I don’t know about you but I am already tired of all the TV ads. Well advertising in Gwinnett County went to another level for me today. Someone stuck a flier for Charles Bannister on my front door. I don’t mean they put a flier on my front door, I mean they STUCK the damn thing on my front door. I took 3 pictures for every one to see. One picture is of the front of the flier, one is of the back of the flier (with a nice chunk of it missing) and the third is of the mess they made of my front door.
On the front of the flier it states “It’s been an honor to serve you, my neighbors. I promise to continue focusing on reducing traffic, enhancing our police force, combating illegal immigration and bringing new businesses and jobs to Gwinnett County”. I wonder if they will be coming out to clean and possibly repaint my door?
Chasing The Market
The real estate market is quite unique at this particular point in time. History tells us that even though we have seen ups and downs, we just have not experienced a market like this. Increases and decreases in property values occur all the time just like the stock market. Generally speaking, over the long haul the value goes up. So what makes this market so unique?
What Happened To the Mortgages?
Up until several months ago there was a mortgage program for just about everyone. Then came the sub-prime market shake up and loan programs were reduced to some of the most basic. On top of that, investors tightened up the qualification parameters for applicants. Many first time buyers utilized 100% financing programs which went away. That breathed new life into the down payment assistance programs, which congress may soon do away with. The number of buyers who can qualify for a mortgage in today’s market has declined which therefore creates a negative impact.
Price Your Home Right
Pricing a home correctly when it first goes on the market is more important now than ever. In the past sellers market, when the market was appreciating and mortgage programs followed freely, it was an accepted practice to price your home slightly above value to allow some negotiating room. In today’s buyer’s market this just is not the case. As a seller you don’t want to put yourself in the position of “Chasing the Market”. So how do you avoid this pitfall? The easiest and most comprehensive way is to have your home appraised by an independent third party who is a licensed appraiser.
Help Buyers Buy Your Home
What other factors influence a buyer’s decision of whether or not to make an offer on your home? The main ones are appearance, appearance and appearance. Make sure that the exterior is inviting, remember you only get one chance to make a good first impression. Removing clutter and having clean carpets along with fresh paint will help tremendously. If your home is not in show ready condition and properly priced it is almost certain that you will be chasing the market instead of having the market chase you!
Lawrenceville Home for Sale - Brookwood High School District
Located in the “Lakes” section of the Flowers Crossing at The Mill Subdivision in Lawrenceville is 1264 Williston Drive. This brick front ranch style home with Hardiplank® siding features an open floor plan and has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths on the main level with a 4th bedroom/bonus room up. The oversized master suite has a sitting area, double vanity, jetted tub, separate shower and a walk-in closet. Both additional bedrooms on the main level are quite ample in size and afford families the benefit of single level living. The Kitchen is appointed with hardwood flooring, cherry stained cabinets, Corian® counter tops, a breakfast area and is open to the dining room and den. The den has a volume ceiling, fireplace with gas logs and of course cable for enjoying your favorite programming with family or friends. Upgraded ceiling fans are found throughout this home.
Flowers Crossing at The Mill is a family oriented active subdivision. Amenities include 10 tennis courts, 2 pools and a community center which is aptly named “Kids Towne Hall”. Year round activities are available for both children and adults and include Easter Egg Hunts, a community Garage Sale, Chastain Night at The Lakes, both adult and youth Christmas Parties along with much more.
Schools are an important part of any family residential area and this one is no different. This home is service by three of Gwinnett Counties finest schools; Craig Elementary, A C Crews Middle and Brookwood High School.
For additional pictures and information on 1264 Williston Drive, please view this page; http://www.mackperryhomes.com/property/1264-williston-drive/
Johns Creek Condos
When you think of ranch style condos, the first thing that comes to many of our minds is an active adult community. While this may be the case for most one story condo communities, I was pleased to find a community that was not so restrictive. Ideal for active adults as well as single parents and young professionals, I had the pleasure of previewing “The Villas of Johns Creek”. The first thing that impressed me was the location. After all, in real estate we hear the three most important words are location, location and location. Being near the intersection of Peachtree Parkway (141) and Abbotts Bridge Road (120) The Villas of Johns Creek are convenient to shopping, dining, recreation and commerce and are in the prestigious Northview High School District.
The clubhouse and heated pool were impressive. Inside the clubhouse several amenities stood out. The complete exercise room, the resident’s game and media room just to name a few. The grand room of the clubhouse featured card tables along with a full kitchen for resident events.
The Villas of Johns Creek is a planned 70 unit luxury ranch style condominium community. The condos are built utilizing a quad design and feature 2 or 3 bedrooms. Priced from the mid 250’s, these maintenance free homes are perfect for all ages to enjoy. Let someone else take care of the yard work while you spend you free time doing the things you enjoy most.
You can view the available properties at The Villas of Johns Creek here.
Homeowners Association Gone Wild
How would you like to receive a letter from your homeowner’s association that starts out like this? During a recent inspection it was noted that you were in violation of the Covenants and Architectural Guidelines for the following reason:
General Maintenance - Paint Metal Roof: "Each homeowner shall keep and maintain each Lot and Structure owner by him, as well as all landscaping located thereon, in good condition and repair…"
Specifically please paint the metal roof on the front of the house to match the shutters.
We will recheck your property in approximately twenty (20) days from the date of this letter. Please note that violations that are not corrected by that date or continue to be repeat violations will incur a fine of $25 per day. The association has the right of abatement (the right to correct the violation at your expense) and the right to membership suspension. Please refer to the Covenants.
In my subdivision many of the bay windows and Queen Anne returns are covered with copper. Now if the copper roof is to be painted the same color as the shutters, then just on my cul-de-sac of 7 homes there would be grey, taupe, reddish orange, blue and black painted copper. I think it is easy to visualize just how silly that would look. Obviously the individual that wrote this letter was not very well versed about copper roofs and their maintenance. For those who don’t know as it ages, copper naturally goes through several stages. Rather than educating themselves first, it is sad that the homeowner’s association just sent out this letter for no good reason.
After several phone conversations and countless hours of research obtaining documentation about copper roofs along with emailing these documents to the homeowner’s association the violation was dropped. The resident was guilty until proven innocent. Seems a bit backwards from the way we have all been brought up don’t you think? Below you will see a picture of a monument that started out as bright shiny cooper and been going through the aging process for some time. I think we can all agree that it would be a shame to paint this structure.
2806 Storybook Court
Located in the highly acclaimed Grayson School District, 2806 Storybook Court in the Hawthorn Glen subdivision is a lovely 2 story traditional home with many features found in much more expensive properties. The entire main level of this very open floor plan has hardwood flooring. The kitchen features cherry stained cabinetry along with a gas stove/oven and built-in microwave/vent fan along with a breakfast area. The over sized Great Room is wired for a flat screen TV above the fireplace with glass doors and gas starter. Also on the main level is a Dining Room and a Powder Room. As you head upstairs you notice the wrought iron balusters on the stairway hand rail.
On the upper level the spacious Master Suite has a separate tub/shower along with a large walk-in closet. Also upstairs is the laundry room and 2 additional large bedrooms along with an additional full bath.
The level cul-de-sac setting provides low traffic near the home and the fenced backyard is ideal for pets, children and entertaining. This home is also just a short walk from the community swim and tennis amenities. The annual Home Owner Association dues cover your privileges for these facilities.
New Home Deal In Atlanta
What is the best verbiage to use when marketing a sale on new construction in Greater Atlanta? I recently received an email marketing a builder that was titled “Your Buyers have 2 more weeks to get a Great Deal”. What do you think this email was actually trying to say? Was it that after this two week period is up the deals on this builders homes will really suck? Was it that in 2 weeks the bank was going to foreclose on all this builders inventory? I don’t think that it was either of these two, but the builder needed to clarify his intentions. I feel fairly certain that the builder was trying to create a sence of urgency and increase traffic to the communities he is building in, but don’t do it to the extent that prospective buyers and the agents representing those buyers get the wrong impression.
What About Pricing
One problem that I see with new homes in the Atlanta market is that some of the builders are asking inflated prices for them and then discounting the list price by huge amounts. What is going to happen when this real estate slow down rebounds? Will the builders want to go back to the inflated pricing? Natural tendency would be to say yes. But guess what, the appraisers will be using the discounted pricing for establishing the value of future sales. Kind of a catch-22 don’t you think? Certainly no one expects the builders to work for free. They are entitled to a return on their investment and should run their business accordingly, just be realistic. When I see prices discounted by $50,000 to $100,000 on individual homes, something tells me that the builder is acknowledging that the home was overpriced to begin with. Why not price the homes competitively and negotiate the transaction in a normal manner.
Several years ago when the real estate market in Greater Atlanta was booming, builders viewed real estate agents as a necessary evil and tolerated our existence. With Buyer Agency being so well advertised and promoted as the best course of action by consumer advocates, builders now realize that collectively the REALTOR community is working with the majority of the buyers.
For more information about buyer agency and an Atlanta Buyers Agent contact Mack.
America’s Best Builder - 2007
At the recent RE/MAX Around Atlanta awards breakfast I had the privilege of meeting Bryan Cohen, president of Touchstone Homes. While acknowledging that the housing industry in Atlanta is in a slow down, especially from a new home builder’s perspective, Mr. Cohen spoke about what he and his company did during this time. While the natural tendency may have been to pull back and wait for better economic times, Mr Cohen and Touchstone Homes elected to take a proactive approach. Looking forward, Touchstone Homes elected to utilize this slower time to totally update their state-of-the-art Design Studio that is located in Suwanee. Touchstone Homes realize that purchasers want to personalize their home with the various products and finishes that will make it unique.
America’s Best Builder - 2007
Taking a proactive approach to their business, although not officially one of the categories, could be one of the reasons that Touchstone Homes was named America’s Best Builder for 2007. For more than a decade Builder Magazine and the National Association of Home Builders have recognized the best builders in the nation. Builders are judged by a panel of ten industry experts on finance and operations, customer service, design and construction, quality and marketing. Congratulations Touchstone and keep up the good work.
