Atlanta Condos For Sale

3 Important Buyer Tips for 2016

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There are certainly many Important Buyer Tips than just these three tips you need to know if you are going to be buying Atlanta real estate. But as we move into 2016 and the “season” heats up, here ARE three very important tips a Buyer should be keeping in mind!

3 Important Buyer Tips for 2016

Home Buying Tips DON’T WAIT!!!

According to a recent survey from REALTOR.com™, more than 85 pecent of Buyers thinking about buying a home or condo, or going to wait until the sprin or summer of 2016 to start. With the limited inventory in the Atlanta area, waiting may, or may not help you. There may be more inventory on the market as Seller’s decided to wait to list. But there may be more Buyers. More Buyers + a FEW more Sellers = High Demand + Multiple offers. If you wait, be ready to bring your game on, and maybe not so much negotiation on the home price.

Mortgage Shopping 101

When you are start the mortgage process, don’t presume that the first one is the best one. Shopping around is a good idea to find the right mortgage, and the RIGHT mortgage PERSON to help you! We have a great team of lenders here to help you through the process! And when you are shopping for a mortgage, the credit reporting services can see what you are doing, and it does not impact your credit. (Now, go buy some new furniture or a new car…that’s another story!) Also, in the tight Atlanta real estate market, you want a pre-approval from your lender….NOT a pre-qualification! There IS a DIFFERENCE!! A pre-approval means that your loan officer has seen the required documentation (W-2, paycheck stubs, bank statements, etc) and has put you through a pre-approval process. Now they just need a contract, appraisal and then a “clear to close.”

Also, falling under both Waiting and Mortgages is the fact that interest rates WILL rise this year! We’ve had one change, and there are sure to be more to follow. In increase in the interest rate can have an impact on your buying power.

Consider New Construction

Now, if you are looking for a condominium, then new construction will be quite the challenge. Most of the high-rise construction you see in areas like Midtown and Buckhead are all apartment (for rent) construction. But there are some exciting areas with new construction homes and townhomes that offer you Intown (ITP — Inside The Perimeter) living options. Areas like Brookhaven, Chamblee and Doraville are starting to see new construction. Doraville, for example, is a sleeper area that we expect to see take off in the next few years with construction as well as a marked increase in the home prices. The redevelopment of the Doraville GM Plant into Assembly Doraville will be a game changer for this entire area!

5 Reasons to Use a Real Estate Professional

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Do I really have to give you 5 Reasons to Use a Real Estate Professional? So I have to give you 5 Reasons to see a dentist, not a doctor if you have a toothache? Buying your home or condo is probably the largest single investment and purchase you will ever make. Mind you you may make that purchase more than once during your lifetime. That’s a GOOD thing! You are either moving up (you can afford more, bigger or different location) or you are moving down (downsizing) because you want to spend less, get smaller or a different location. But, just so we can keep it real….

5 Reasons to use a Midtown Atlanta Realtor5 Reasons to Use a Real Estate Professional

  1. Experience — As a real estate professional, we are in there and out there every day. It’s what we do for a living. We have continuing education requirements ( a minimum to keep our license) but many of us take even more training in everything from contracts to social media marketing to inspections.
  2. Paperwork and Process — Whether you are Buying or Selling, this is a legal process. The “i’s” have to be dotted…the “t’s” have to be crossed. Deadlines, and contingencies, amendments and more. We (along with assistants and/or teams) manage all that process from start to finish…and beyond. (We remind you about filing for your homestead exemption for one!)
  3. Pricing To Sell or What to Pay — We are here to help you understand today’s real estate values when you list your home For Sale or when you make an offer. Yes, I know you have granite counters from Timbucktu….but that may not really affect the amount of your list price.
  4. Market Conditions on Your Block or in Your Building — What is selling across the street and at what price may, or may not, have an impact on what you can sell your home for. Knowing the upgrades or different floor plans helps in determining how the numbers affect you. In condo buildings, if enough sales happen in the same building, often times, the appraiser will not look outside of your building.
  5. Negotiations — Buying and selling real estate can become an emotional event. Maybe you as a Buyer have your heart set on a home and the Seller won’t budge on something. Or you are selling your home, and all those years and memories start to mess with your objective to sell and move to the next chapter in your life. We are here on either side to act as a “coach and advisor” with all parties throughout the home buying or selling process.

5 Reasons to Use a Real Estate Professional and help you make your home purchase or the sale of your home as stress free and enjoyable as possible!

5 Tips For Being A Better Buyer

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So you are ready for 2016 and ready to make that home or condo purchase! Yippie! We are ready to help you! But hold your horses just a minute there partner!!!! We need to give you 5 Tips For Being A Better Buyer!

5 Tips For Being A Better Buyer

Why….YES! There ARE some things YOU can do to be a better home buyer! Let’s look at the 5 “B’s” of Being a Better Buyer.

  • Buyer TipsBe Pre-Approved This is much different than being pre-qualified. When you have been pre-approved, your Home Buying Team Lender will have looked at your income and supporting documents like income tax returns, W-2’s, bank statements and such. He/she will have a good idea if there are any “red flags” that need to be addressed. They can often do what is called “desktop underwriting” whereby this information is reviewed and you are given a pre-approval letter. In a market with tight inventory like we currently have (2016) in Atlanta, you will need that pre-approval letter to be attached with your Purchase and Sale Agreement. A Seller is not going to take their home off the market while you find out if you can get a loan.

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  • Be Patient, But Be Prepared — Now, if you have time to look for your new home, you need to be patient. As I just mentioned, with the limited inventory we have available, the home or condo you want may not yet be on the market when you start your home search. That said, be prepared to move quickly to look at, and make an offer on anything that comes on the market that meets your wants and needs. You won’t be the only one looking, and the possibility of being in a multiple offer situation is very realistic. Hence, why we want that pre-approval we just mentioned above. This is the time to have “tight communication” between you and your agent (hopefully that is ME!) While I will be looking daily for new homes on the market, you might see something somewhere that I did not. Maybe it had 1 more bedroom than I was searching for, and so you found it. Or it has no basement (you wanted one) but the rest of the house is fabulous!!! Know the best way to communicate your find to your agent ( text, email, call, all of the above!) so you can get to see the new listing as quickly as possible.

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  • Be sensible — With tight inventory, if a condo or home is listed at $350,000, there is a pretty good chance the Seller is NOT going to take $295,000!! Now, your agent will look at comparable sales in the building or neighborhood, as well as any upgrades or special features the condo or home may have, and there is always a possibility the home is overpriced. But if the listing agent did their job, it should be priced right. Believe it or not, there is nothing wrong with paying the list price for a home. Again, as long as it is priced right. Sure, you want the deal. The deal may be the list price. If there is not a lot of activity on the home you are looking at, you might have more negotiation room. But if you end up in a multiple offer situation, all bets are off!

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  • Be Ready — to make several offers before you get the home you want. You could have a Seller that HAS overpriced their home and won’t budge. So your offer does not get accepted. Or, there is the multiple-offer situation and we get outbid by another Buyer. (Maybe they were paying cash, no closing costs, shorter closing time, etc.) But you also want to be ready to move quickly. That perfect home or condo could pop up in one day, and you are Under Contract that night! It happens every day in Atlanta real estate!

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  • Be Positive you have the right real estate agent to help you. If you are looking at condos for example, and you felt the agent that your neighbor used in the burbs was the right one for you to work with, be sure. If they can’t answer your questions about HOA’s or condo docs, or common elements, or parking….you may not have the right person working for you. On the flip side, if you are looking for a space to have a horse (yes, you CAN do that in Atlanta!) then make sure your agent knows that the 5 acres you are looking at is ZONED to have horses, and HOW MANY you can have!!

5 Tips For Being A Better Buyer

Are You Considering Relocating to Atlanta, Georgia? A Personal Letter

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Dear Potential Atlanta Home Buyer,

Are You Considering Relocating to Atlanta, Georgia?

Atlanta is a wonderful city, filled with everything a big city offers, as well as all kinds of hidden gems. It’s a pretty cool place to live. I mean I’ve been here for 21 years!!! I’m originally from Montana (yes, they let a select few of us out each year!) but have lived in New Orleans, LA, Myrtle Beach, SC, Miami, FL, and was in Atlanta for about 1.5 years, then went to New York and came back to Atlanta. I’ve been here ever since. (All of those moves were compliments of my years in the Hospitality industry with Hilton Hotels and Nikko Hotels.)

Atlanta Georgia Real Estate AgentIf you are considering relocating to Metro Atlanta, I would love the opportunity to help you find the right place to call home. But I’m a little bit different than most real estate agents in how I help my clients, and thought it might be better if I told you right up front, how I work.

Even before I started selling real estate, I loved Midtown Atlanta. I started in 2004, so many of the condominium buildings I’m familiar with did not even exist when I started selling. I’ve taken my love of Midtown Atlanta, and my knowledge about the neighborhood and have sold most of my real estate during this past 11 years in Midtown and the surrounding neighborhoods. What does this mean to you as a home buyer if you want to live in say, Cobb or Cherokee County? I’m not going to be the agent who knows that market the best. And that’s actually a good thing as I see it. I don’t believe you can know every neighborhood, or every county in Metro Atlanta. Shoot, the metro Atlanta area is now 15-20 counties, depending on who you ask. Can you even imagine how one person could know all that?

So, I choose to focus on Intown neighborhoods basically from I-20 North to I-285. And THAT is still a huge area! But how is this a good thing for you? You will see MyMidtownMojo.com and Thomas Ramon Realty are affiliated with Palmer House Properties. When I joined the brokerage in 2010, we had about 300 agents. We now have over 1300 agents throughout the Metro Atlanta area. So, if you want to look for a home in a part of Atlanta I don’t feel I can give you the best service, I’ll find you an agent that I KNOW and TRUST to help you in the area of Atlanta where you want to live. And that is how I approach real estate.

I’ve helped buyers and sellers with single family homes, condos, lofts and townhomes. Both resale and new construction.

I’ve never had a complaint filed with the Georgia Real Estate Commission. I’ve never been involved in a mediation or a lawsuit since I’ve been selling real estate. Not every agent can say that.

I’m known amongst my peers and clients as a detailed, professional individual that works to make sure everyone knows what is happening every step of the way. And while it is my business and my livelihood to sell real estate, I won’t hesitate to talk you out of purchasing a particular condo or home, or not accept an offer on your home if it’s going to be a bad decision for you.

I’ve worked with everyone from first-time home buyers, to people downsizing to actors purchasing homes here in Atlanta because of our ever growing film and television industry! So, I’ve had many challenges, and I’ve never had a client say they would never work with me again!

Remember all those cities I listed above? I did a corporate relocation five times in my years in the hotel industry. I remember moving to Atlanta, and not knowing where the dry cleaners, or grocery store, or local watering hole was. It was a learning experience every time! So I know just how it feels!

If you’ve moved in the past, and had an agent experience that did not “sit well with you,” I want to change that experience for you! You will find I take the time to ask important questions. Learn about you, your lifestyle, your needs and wants in a neighborhood, or building and where you will be working. I never want you coming home at night, thinking, “Why did I buy here.”

I want to work for you…and with you to help you find the right new home here in Atlanta, or certainly the right agent to help you if it’s an area I don’t know! I hope you will Call me 770.713.1505 (my cell phone is never far away from me!) Click (You will find contact forms all around this site, or even email me at Thom@MyMidtownMojo.com, or Text me!

I’m confident you won’t be disappointed! In fact, you might just have a new friend once you are settled here!

Downsizing From a House to a Midtown Atlanta Condo

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As you begin to think about not needing all this space, and that second floor you never even visit now, you will have some considerations to make for sure! Are the kids all gone?

Congratulations!!!  You have shipped the last kid off to college! (Admit it, despite being sad to see them go, you are kinda ecited about having the place all to yourselves now. But wait? What are we going to do with 3500 square feet of house for just the two of us? We still have to clean and mow the lawn (unless you have services for both!) What if we ditch the house and move Intown where we can walk and shop and leave the car in the garage? AWESOME!

Downsizing From a House to a Midtown Atlanta Condo

Downsizing to a CondoWAIT A MINUTE!!! We have 3500 sq. ft. of “stuff.” What ARE we going to do? What do we get rid of?

  • “I’m not giving up my Great Grandmothers’s writing desk!!”
  • “I’ve got to have my leather sectional so I can stretch out to watch college football!”

Indeed, these are some of the comments you will hear as you start the challenging process of downsizing from a house to a Midtown Atlanta condo. And some of these comments are important, but some of them we will have to think twice.

I’ve worked with many a condo buyer that is downsizing from a house. And the space of that 2 bedroom condo we are looking at is probably about the size of your kitchen, breakfast, dining, living room and maybe your family room. Yep. Forget that second floor or basement. And I often tell buyers that the furniture that works is your house probably won’t work in your condo!!

My rule of thumb is…if it has tremendous sentimental value (a treasure from your honeymoon trip) or a family heirloom that has been handed down (that writing desk above) then those are the things we want to make sure we can find space for. That leaher sectional will best be sold, donated or handed down to one of those kids who needs furniture!!

It is not an easy process, an may be one you should start BEFORE you even start looking for your condo. But then again, by me showing you some options and space, it may give you a better perspective as to what you can take, and what you can’t.

I found this great article, Moving to a Smaller Home, and Decluttering a Lifetime of Belongings that might help you understand the process and give you some ideas for getting started.

Once you are settled in your new condo, you are going to love your new lifestyle. You may not need that leather sectional to watch the college game as you may join your new found friends at a local sports bar for the afternoon!

Midtown Skyline From Spire Feb 2014

 

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Cornerstone Village Midtown Atlanta 2015 Annual Meeting

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Cornerstone Village Annual MeetingDo you live in a condominium community? Or even a single family home community that has an association? Does your HOA have an annual meeting? Better question might be….

Do You ATTEND your Annual Homeowners Meeting?

Cornerstone Village Midtown Atlanta 2015 Annual Meeting

I had the opportunity to attend the Cornerstone Village Annual Meeting earlier this week. In most HOA communities, you must have a 2/3 attendance (via in person or through a proxy vote) to conduct official business. In the case of Cornerstone Village, with 310 homes, if my math does me correct, there has to be approximately 207 owners present at the annual meeting in order to have a quorum and conduct business. I attended because two owners that I manage their rental condos for, asked me to attend, and I did so by having their proxy vote.

But, there was not a quorum. Nope. Not enough owners attended (or turned in a proxy vote) to do any business.

So what you say? Say WHAT I say?

You OWN a home in this building. You have a financial interest in how the association is run, or the building is maintained and presented. But you don’t bother to come to the annual meeting. Tisk Tisk.

Here’s the most scary part of this….There were numerous people interested in running for the HOA Board of Directors. People that have “stepped up to the plate” to offer their time and talent into running and managing the community (along with a great Property Manager!) But none of those people were elected. Because an election could not happen without a quorum of owners.

So what happens now? The current Board of Directors will hand pick and select the NEXT Board of Directors. How’s that for democracy?

Now, I happen to be writing about Cornerstone Village, but this is an all too common occurrence at many annual meetings for the HOA. Not just this building. You have a financial interest in this building. If the lobby looks bad, or the association is not managed properly, you could have problems in the future, be it in the form of a special assessment, or a challenge selling your home because of excessive rental units, poor reserves, condition of the amenities…and more.

You need to pay attention to what happens in your building. And if for some reason you don’t THINK you should go, or care about the annual meeting, then give your proxy to an owner that does.

Thom Abbott

Associate Broker, REALTOR(R)
905 Juniper Street, NE Suite 110
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
770.713.1505 Direct
404.876.4901 Office

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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