Intown Atlanta Real Estate Archives -

Sellers Are Returning to the Housing Market

August 25, 2020 by Thom Abbott

Sellers Are Returning to the Housing Market

In today’s housing market, it can be a big challenge for buyers to find homes to purchase, as the number of houses for sale is far below the current demand. Now, however, we’re seeing sellers slowly starting to come back into the market, a bright spark for potential buyers. Javier Vivas, Director of Economic Research at realtor.com, explains:

“Seller confidence has been improving gradually after reaching its bottom in mid-April, and now it appears to have reached an important recovery milestone…After five long months, sellers are back in the housing market; while encouraging, the improvement to new listings is only the first step in the long road to solving low inventory issues keeping many buyers at bay.”

Even with the number of homes coming into the market, the available inventory is well below where it needs to be to satisfy buyer interest. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports:

“Total housing inventory at the end of June totaled 1.57 million units, up 1.3% from May, but still down 18.2% from one year ago (1.92 million). Unsold inventory sits at a 4.0-month supply at the current sales pace, down from both 4.8 months in May and from the 4.3-month figure recorded in June 2019.”

Houses today are selling faster than they’re coming to market. That’s why we only have inventory for 4 months at the current sales pace when in reality we need inventory for 6 months to keep up. But, as mentioned above, sellers are starting to return to the game. Realtor.com explains:

“The ‘housing supply’ component – which tracks growth of new listings – reached 101.7, up 4.9 points over the prior week, finally reaching the January growth baseline. The big milestone in new listings growth comes as seller sentiment continues to build momentum…After constant gradual improvements since mid-April, seller confidence appears to be reaching an important milestone. The temporary boost in new listings comes as the summer season replaces the typical spring homebuying season. More homes are entering the market than typical for this time of the year.”

Why is this good for sellers?

A good time to enter the housing market is when the competition in your area is low, meaning there are fewer sellers than interested buyers. You don’t want to wait for all of the other homeowners to list their houses before you do, providing more options for buyers to choose from. With sellers starting to get back into the market after five months of waiting, if you want to sell your house for the best possible price, now is a great time to do so.

Why is this good for buyers?

It can be challenging to find a home in today’s low-inventory environment. If more sellers are starting to put their houses up for sale, there will be more homes for you to choose from, providing a better opportunity to find the home of your dreams while taking advantage of the affordability that comes with historically low mortgage rates.

Bottom Line

While we still have a long way to go to catch up with the current demand, inventory is slowly starting to return to the market. If you’re thinking of moving this year, let’s connect today so you’re ready to make your move when the home of your dreams comes up for sale.

5 Maintenance Skills All Homeowners Should Know

January 27, 2020 by Thom Abbott

5 Maintenance Skills All Homeowners Should Know

Owning a home can be one of the most important parts of a satisfying lifestyle. The joy of coming home to someplace you can call your very own offers security and comfort. Yet owning a home comes with responsibilities as well; maintaining the home in proper condition is critical to avoid larger problems later. Let’s look at 5 Maintenance Skills All Homeowners Should Know.

And yes, this applies to condo owners as well.

While some people are handier than others, here are 5 maintenance skills anyone can master.

1. How to Turn off Your Gas and Water –If you smell gas or have a water leak, taking quick action to shut off the source to the home while you wait for a professional can save thousands of dollars, and even lives. When you purchased your home or condo, this may have been pointed out to you during your home inspection. These are key things to know. If you have a dishwasher or washing machine that won’t stop filling, you can turn off all the water at the main shutoff to stop any flooding, or at least minimize it. With gas, of course you want to avoid any potential explosion and/or getting sick from the fumes.

2. Understanding How Electricity Is Fed to Your Home –Learn how to reset GFI outlets and popped breakers at the panel to avoid expensive house calls. Check out this YouTube video!

3. How to Find a Wall Stud – Avoid drywall repair when hanging pictures or shelves. Here is one on Amazon!

4. How to Change Your Air Filters – Keep your air fresh and your HVAC systems running efficiently. Know the size of your filter, and have extras on hand. You can change your filter as often as you desire, but many recommend every other month. Some systems say every 6 months, but that could be to long.

5. How to Address Simple Plumbing – From fixing a running toilet to recaulking the shower, simple plumbing related issues can save money in service calls and damage.

A quick visit to the local big box home supply store or afternoon online watching repair videos can help any homeowner tackle a few simple do-it-yourself tasks around the house. Learning a few basic maintenance skills will ensure you and your loved ones are safe and you’ll help your home stay in top condition.

If we can help you find a handyman to help with these issues, let us know. We also have plumbers and HVAC contacts should you find a problem is bigger than what you may be comfortable handling.

Doraville Georgia Newsletter August 9, 2019

August 10, 2019 by Thom Abbott

Doraville Georgia Newsletter August 9, 2019

Doraville is what we like to call the “sleeper cell” in real estate. It’s time is coming, and if you want to capture a part of it now’s the time to do it. You’ll find a link below to reach out to me! Let’s find you a part of the next amazing city to live in!

That all said, we like to keep you up-to-date on happenings in the Doraville area. That’s easier with the Doraville Georgia Newsletter for August 9th, 2019. Here is a recap of what’s enclosed:

August Qualifying Dates for November General and Special Election

This will be a pretty important election in Doraville politics. Joseph Geierman was on the City Council for 1.5 years and decided to step down from that position to run for Mayor. That now opens up BOTH seats from that District for election this year. Not something you see very often. Additionally, there are two other Council Seats up for election.

Redevelopment of Tilly Mill Crossing

If you have lived in or around Doraville, you may know this location more as Friday’s Plaza. Once upon a time it was a bustling shopping center, but voices claim the introduction of the Peachtree Industrial Blvd limited access sent this shopping center to its demise. Maybe it was just bad management…hey Dunwoody is just over the way there. But that is all about to change as 70% or so of the shopping center will be torn down to make way for 30o new apartments!! This is GREAT news for Doraville that has seen no new apartment construction in…..forever! A portion of the shopping center will remain, including the ever popular PawStand. But let’s hope they get creative with the remaining space. This really could be a “mini-destination” with some coffee shop, restaurant and some small local shops. Time will tell.

New Flooring in Fleming Arena

Not much to say here. Not sure how many residents use this facility, but it needed a new floor.

Tilly Mill Sidewalks Complete — Well Part of them

Doraville Public Works completed installing new sidewalks from Harper Vally Drive to Mill Court. You can’t do all of the sidewalks all at once, but good to see the city making progress on this.

There is more in the Newsletter and you can find a copy of it HERE!

Chamblee Signal -Official Newsletter of Chamblee, GA May June 2019

May 26, 2019 by Thom Abbott

Chamblee is a great community located along the Gold line of MARTA, North and slightly East of Midtown Atlanta. Once upon a time it was a sleepy town with it’s main street an example of what it was…Peachtree Industrial Blvd. But times have changed, and the Chamblee Signal -Official Newsletter of Chamblee is a great city publication about what’s happening in the city.

Here are the highlights of the May-June, 2019 issue:

Community Involvement in Comp Plan

A Comprehensive Plan is one of the most important documents any city can have in place. It’s the “road map” of where the city is headed in the future….the “vision” if you will. The first round of meetings referenced in the Signal happened earlier this month. You can learn more about the upcoming meetings and this process at OneChamblee.com

Facade Grant Program

Started by the Chamblee Downtown Development Authority (DDA) five years ago, this program is instrumental to the revitalizing and redevelopment of the Downtown Chamblee area. You can learn more about the DDA at DowntownChamblee.com

2019 National Wiffle Championship

Ahhhh…..don’t really know what to say. Best read the Signal, and you will find a link to it below.

PDK – A Hub for Business

Indeed, the SECOND busiest airport in GEORGIA sits right in Chamblee….Dekalb_peachtree, also known as PDK. While the airport primarily serves private aircraft, Ultimate Air Shuttle provides scheduled passenger service to Cleveland, Ohio and Charlotte, NC.

Chamblee Dining on the Rise

Along with the new apartment buildings and Peachtree Station Shopping Center comes more dining options. From Bad Daddy’s Burgers to Chronic Tacos, Gu’s Kitchen, La Garde, The Alden and more….residents and visitors alike have many new dining options, and more will certainly follow as the Downtown area redevelops and the new apartment buildings open up.

For all the stories in the Chamblee Signal -Official Newsletter of Chamblee, GA May June 2019, CLICK HERE!

If you are looking to purchase a new or existing home in Chamblee, give us a call at 770.713.1505. We’d be delighted to show you all the neighborhoods and various living options available to you! Or you can contact us here!

Historic West Midtown Goat Farm Arts Center to be Redeveloped

March 25, 2019 by Thom Abbott

A significant redevelopment is scheduled for the Goat Farm Arts Center, an artist community tucked away in West Midtown that’s very well known for its creative tenants and 19th century warehouses.

The $55 million project would add apartments and artist studios to the roughly 10-acre complex, according to plans put forward to the Development Authority of Fulton County.

The proposal refers to for a four-story apartment building with 240 units, including up to 36 affordable units. The building would be a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. The project would also include about 50 commercial artist studios and a surface car park lot with 300 spaces.

The investment would come to an area where several of the buildings were originally constructed in the late 1800s, have slipped into a state of disrepair and are losing their functionality and ability to operate safely, says a fact sheet on the project.

The developer is Goat Farm Development LLC, an affiliate of TriBridge Residential, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.

The proposal is scheduled to go before Fulton County’s development authority on March 26. The county will deal with whether to approve almost $2.8 million in property tax abatements over the next 10 years.

Atlanta Business Chronicle first learned of plans earlier this year when tenants said they were told to vacate the Goat Farm by the end of the year.

Sources told ABC that the Goat Farm will have to temporarily close during the redevelopment.

Anthony Harper of Hollister Property Development, which owns the Goat Farm, in February said he could not comment. Harper could not be immediately reached on March 21.

Ben Hautt, co-managing partner of Stream Realty, which has developed adaptive reuse projects including the Ellsworth in the Upper Westside, shared his confidence in a project at the Goat Farm.

” Anthony and the Goat Farm were pioneers and will continue to be,” Hautt told Atlanta Business Chronicle in an email. “Goat Farm was mixing the arts, loft space, and community strategy way ahead of everyone else. No doubt this new development will be prosperous, too.”

A redevelopment at the Goat Farm comes as property values in West Midtown continue to soar.

There’s more than a billion dollars worth of new projects in the pipeline for the area, said Jim Meyer, CEO of Atlantic Capital Properties, which is part of the development team for a $150 million project called 8West that’s bringing 175,000 square feet of office space.

“West Midtown is the place people want to be,” Meyer said.

Other big developments include Star Metals at Howell Mill, Brady Avenue and 11th, where coworking company Spaces signed a lease, and The Interlock, which landed WeWork.

Brookhaven GA 2018 Year End Real Estate Market Report

March 3, 2019 by Thom Abbott

Brookhaven, GA has always been a desirable location to live, ever since I’ve live in Atlanta! And when it became a city, I think that desirability grew even more as they looked to make things better like zoning and parks.

In this post, we want to focus on the 2018 real estate year in Brookhaven and what the real estate market was like. You can find more information about Brookhaven here.

Brookhaven GA 2018 Year End Real Estate Market Report

Disclaimer: As we do this “15,000 ft overview” of the Brookhaven market, please keep in mind many factors come into play as we pull market numbers. Some homes listed as Brookhaven, are not actually IN the city limits of Brookhaven. Ashford Park is a prime example…parts of it are actually in Chamblee, so some homes will get listed in Chamblee and some get listed in Brookhaven. But this overview will give you a good idea of what’s happening in the Brookhaven area.

Single Family Homes

We had to break down the single family home sales into three categories: Homes sold over $1m, homes sold $500,000 -$999,000 and finally homes sold for $499,999 or less. In 2018, those numbers look like this:

Over $1 Million — There were 49 sales in 2018, ranging from several at $1M to a high of $2,600,000 for 2799 Mabry Road.

$500,000 – $999,000 — A whooping 335 homes sold in this price range in 2018, ranging from $502,000 to $993,000

$500,000 or less — And there was an impressive 169 homes sold in this price range, from a low of $215,000 to a high of $495,000. There is a good chance than many of these homes in the lower price range were torn down to make way for the higher priced new construction that Brookhaven is seeing. On some streets in Brookhaven, we would not be surprised if in a few years there will be no original homes left…having all been torn down and replaced with new construction. It’s pretty amazing.

Brookhaven has a MARTA station on Peachtree Road, and another, just outside its city limits with the Medical Center station on the North side. Town Brookhaven has been the city’s “downtown” of sorts, and now a new development, including a hotel has been proposed right in front of Town Brookhaven,.

CLICK HERE to see the Complete 2018 Market Report – $1 Million

CLICK HERE to see the Complete 2018 Market Report – $500,000 – $999,000

CLICK HERE to see the Complete 2018 Market Report – $500,000 or less

Condominiums/Townhomes

Brookhaven has a variety of condominium and townhome communities. Surprisingly enough, there were like 60-some sales of condominium homes that were in the range of $205,000 or less….making Brookhaven still an affordable location for first time buyers. We do expect, however, to see those prices continue to rise in the coming years as the city works on making changes to areas like Buford Highway where any new construction will be way above these kinds of prices.

In 2018, there 380 sales, ranging in price from $106,000 at Keys Lake Condominiums (off Buford Highway) to a very impressive $1,350,000 for a home at The Aldredge. In looking at the report, you can see a majority of the sales were in the $400-600,000 range.

CLICK HERE to see the Complete 2018 Market Report

What’s The Real Estate Market Like in Brookhaven?

As we said earlier in this report….the housing boom of “tear-down and build new” will most likely continue into the future. We suspect it won’t be long any many streets will no longer have any of the older homes left…all having been torn down and replaced with the much larger $1m+ homes!

Townhomes and condominiums are still affordable in many areas of Brookhaven, but land prices and new construction will surely change that. There are numerous large, older apartment complexes that are more than likely going to get bought up and torn down to make way for new construction. It’s a challenge the city is looking to deal with to include affordable housing requirements for new construction. How that all plays out remains to be seen.

If you are looking to Buy or Sell a home in Brookhaven, MyMidtownMojo.com can help!

Selling? Do you want to sell your Brookhaven single family home or condominium? Call us today at 770.713.1505 to schedule a free market analysis of your home. Or, complete our Seller Information Form and we will be in touch with you!

Buying? Are you looking to buy a Brookhaven home, condo or townhome? We can set up specific searches for you based on price, community or other specifics you may be looking for. In a competitive Seller’s Market, we can alert you of new listings within minutes of them hitting the market! Just complete out Buyer Information Form, or let’s schedule a time to talk about what you are looking for!

Contact MyMidtownMojo and Thomas Ramon Realty@Palmer House Properties at 770.713.1505 or Info@MyMidtownMojo.com for all your Brookhaven real estate needs!

Sellers Are Returning to the Housing Market

Why is this good for sellers?

Why is this good for buyers?

Bottom Line

5 Maintenance Skills All Homeowners Should Know

Doraville Georgia Newsletter August 9, 2019

August Qualifying Dates for November General and Special Election

Redevelopment of Tilly Mill Crossing

New Flooring in Fleming Arena

Tilly Mill Sidewalks Complete — Well Part of them

Brookhaven GA 2018 Year End Real Estate Market Report

Single Family Homes

Condominiums/Townhomes

What’s The Real Estate Market Like in Brookhaven?

Contact MyMidtownMojo and Thomas Ramon Realty@Palmer House Properties at 770.713.1505 or Info@MyMidtownMojo.com for all your Brookhaven real estate needs!

PalmerHouse Properties