OK, so Protect Yourself When Buying a Home is a pretty long Real Estate Term to Know in Georgia. Actually, it’s a Consumer Protection Brochure that has been produced by the Georgia Association of REALTORS. In the past, it was optional for REALTORS or real estate agents to provide this to their Buyers. As of the 2011 printing of the Purchase and Sale Agreement, it is now part of the actual real estate contract.
This important brochure should be given to you at the START of your home or condominium purchase process by your agent. At Thomas Ramon Realty, this brochure is included in our initial information package, and we review it with you.
It has 10 specific topics that it covers as they relate to a home or condominium purchase:
Read and keep a copy of any signed contract
It would seem pretty common sense, right, that you would keep such things? Well, when you sign the Purchase and Sale Agreement, you have created a legally binding contract with time lines and dates that must be followed. Plan to have a file or notebook where you can keep ALL the documents related to your sale. In case you might lose them, you could also consider scanning them and having them on a computer, backed up to a service like Carbonite where they would be protected.
Have the home or condo inspected by a professional home inspector
Having this inspection performed helps you and I examine the condition of the home and determine if there are any repairs that may need to be performed by the Seller prior to your purchase. While we never hope for major problems, this inspection can uncover issues that you may not want to deal with, now, or in the future.
Inspect the neighborhood where you plan to live
You should take time, both with your agent and by yourself to get to know the neighborhood where you are going to purchase your home. There are many factors to consider. In an urban environment like Midtown Atlanta, you might want to visit the area both during the day, and at night to determine if there are any noise issues from surrounding businesses or highways. What is the proximity to a major highway or transit station if you commute to work? Being a long distance from a major highway can add travel time to your commute. Where is shopping, dining, gas stations and other services you might need? If there is vacant land near the building you are looking to purchase in, are there any known plans for that land? A knowledgeable agent like me that works the Midtown market can help you determine these things. Also, you can contact local government planning officials that might have new information about potential plans for development.
Termite Inspection
While rarely a concern in condos, this is an important consideration if you are purchasing a single family home. Again, our contracts have changed from where this was a Seller responsibility to provide this information, to now the Buyer is responsible for conducting these inspections. Again, this should be done by a licensed pest control company. If you happen to be purchasing in a condo community that is older, and has ground floor units, then this would be a wise inspection to have.
In our next post, we’ll review the remaining five topics you need to consider as you purchase a home or condominium.
RISMEDIA, March 17, 2011—(MCT)—So you’re a renter and you want to green your space, but your landlord won’t splurge on solar panels. Don’t fret. There are plenty of low-cost ways for apartment dwellers to be eco-friendly.
You can be a green tenant by unplugging appliances or using chemical-free products. It’s as easy as fixing leaky faucets or installing window treatments to conserve heat in the winter and to keep your place cool in the summer without cranking up the air conditioning.
Keep in mind, living in a Midtown Atlanta Condominium is very much like living in an apartment, so, many of these tips apply as well. We don’t often think of what we are doing to the world for future generations with garbage and all….and this article certainly makes you think about what part you can play! Working together to keep your Midtown Atlanta Condo green is a great thing to do!
Condo Living – New York Times is a great article about condo living in various cities in the U.S. It talks about the various reasons why people buy condos, and what they like about urban living.
The vibrancy of city living — culture, shopping and the finest restaurants — appeals to a broad spectrum of second-home buyers, including aging boomers looking for a getaway and globetrotting jet setters beefing up their portfolios.
Midtown Atlanta
Many of those buying in metropolitan areas may already have a second home or even a third, but their collections are simply not complete without a pied-à-terre in an energetic urban locale. According to the National Association of Realtors, 40 percent of all home sales in 2005 were second homes. And a third of those were in urban areas.
While many American cities offer that type of living and urban amenities, the hottest (and some would argue most prestigious) markets are found in Manhattan, Miami, Las Vegas and San Francisco.
The typical buyer in these cities may be a wealthy executive who counts a city condo as one of many secondary homes that he cycles through over the course of the year, or a baby boomer in her 40’s or 50’s.
“Things go better with Coke.” Remember that commercial campaign for the famous soft drink? Well, Midtown Atlanta will certainly be getting “better with Coke” as Coca Cola begins a transformation of their Midtown/North Avenue campus which will include the relocation of up to 600 employees.
The 35 acre campus, located just West of Midtown on North Avenue will be reinvigorated with a $90 million renovation of its 1.8 million sq. ft. campus, most famous for 1 Coca Cola Plaza, the tower with the logo on top. In a statement to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, spokeswoman Kerry Tressler stated, “The effort is part of reaching our goal of being a great place to work in our 2020Vision and to meet the needs of a high-performance workforce.”
Coca Cola Relocation to Midtown Atlanta
The relocation of employees and the renovations are part of the $13 billion acquisition of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc.’s North American operations, which was done last October.
Midtown Atlanta
This project is great news for Midtown Atlanta! The Coca-Cola campus is convenient to numerous Midtown high-rise and single family homes. New higher paying jobs could certainly mean more buyers for the many condos available as well as shoppers and diners for Midtown’s retail and restaurant business.
OK, so Protect Yourself When Buying a Home is a pretty long Real Estate Term to Know in Georgia. Actually, it’s a Consumer Protection Brochure that has been produced by the Georgia Association of REALTORS. In the past, it was optional for REALTORS or real estate agents to provide this to their Buyers. As of the 2011 printing of the Purchase and Sale Agreement, it is now part of the actual real estate contract.
It would seem pretty common sense, right, that you would keep such things? Well, when you sign the Purchase and Sale Agreement, you have created a legally binding contract with time lines and dates that must be followed. Plan to have a file or notebook where you can keep ALL the documents related to your sale. In case you might lose them, you could also consider scanning them and having them on a computer, backed up to a service like Carbonite where they would be protected.
You should take time, both with your agent and by yourself to get to know the neighborhood where you are going to purchase your home. There are many factors to consider. In an urban environment like Midtown Atlanta, you might want to visit the area both during the day, and at night to determine if there are any noise issues from surrounding businesses or highways. What is the proximity to a major highway or transit station if you commute to work? Being a long distance from a major highway can add travel time to your commute. Where is shopping, dining, gas stations and other services you might need? If there is vacant land near the building you are looking to purchase in, are there any known plans for that land? A knowledgeable agent like me that works the Midtown market can help you determine these things. Also, you can contact local government planning officials that might have new information about potential plans for development.RISMEDIA, March 17, 2011—(MCT)—So you’re a renter and you want to green your space, but your landlord won’t splurge on solar panels. Don’t fret. There are plenty of low-cost ways for apartment dwellers to be eco-friendly.
