Atlanta Condos For Sale

We Love Happy Clients at MyMidtownMojo and Thomas Ramon Group

by

We Love Happy Clients at MyMidtownMojo and Thomas Ramon Group

Selling real estate is a full time job…and then some. At least in the way that I approach it with my clients. You won’t find one of those voice mail messages about what time calls are received and returned. If my phone rings at 9pm, it gets answered at 9pm. And if I’m traveling, I’m still available for my clients. Such was the case with Andrea and Gilberto. 

I sold Andrea her condo back in 2016. Fast forward to 2021, and she now had a boyfriend, and they wanted to look for a home together. We had it Under Contract in a quick 5 days. So the house hunt began.  They had done the right thing by having their pre-approval letter from a lender in place and ready to go. And it was the market of 2021…where homes are flying off the shelf. We went to one open house that was more like a garage sale. The people were lined up down the driveway to see the home. We made some 5 or 6 offers on homes, but kept getting beat out by the “all cash offer.” 

It was the end of June, and I had a major trip planned and was going to be gone for a month. I told them I would have to refer them out to another agent to they could continue to look at homes. They said no! They wanted to keep working from me, and were ready to take a break from the house hunt and the contract frenzy. 

While in Albuquerque, NM, they called to to say they were headed to an Open House and felt this really was “the one” they wanted. Sure enough, it was. We submitted our offer, and I continued to negotiate it as my trip wound up. We were Under Contract by the time I returned to Atlanta. Both Andrea and Gil and such kind words to say!

Happy Buyers in Their New Home

“My fiancé and loved working with Thom. I worked with him 5 years ago when buying my 1st condo. We decided earlier this year that it was time to buy our first home together and worked with Thom to sell my condo and find our new home. It was one heck of a ride with this crazy market, but he made it more enjoyable for us. Love his energy!
 
Thom is very knowledgeable of the real estate industry and is good at what he does! While on our search, Thom was out on vacation for a month. He told us he could refer us to another team member while he was out, but we decided to just wait and take a break ourselves from house hunting. We still looked at open houses during that time and Thom made sure he had his laptop on him in case we wanted to place any offers. I definitely will work with Thom again in the future if in the market. Thank you Thom!”
 
Gil had this to say….”Let me start by saying just wow! It was such a pleasure and adventure working with Thom. Thom is professional, fun, well knowledgeable and a perfectionist in what he does. He made shopping for homes fun and enjoyable. My fiancé and I even looked at 18 homes in one month. Believe me the market was difficult and we almost gave up. He helped my fiancé buy and sell her condo. And now I can see why she recommended using him again to find our first home. From selling to buying, it was very overwhelming, but Thom made it simple and less stressful.”
 
After a month of endless house hunting and placing offers, Thom went on vacation for a month. He offered us to work with someone else, but my fiancé and I declined and decided we loved working with him so much it wouldn’t be right working with someone else. So we decided to take that time off from house hunting until he got back.  We are now all moved into our new home and couldn’t be happier.”
 
It truly is the real reward for selling real estate. Seeing young couples like this get the home they had been searching for. 
 
We might add that the day of closing, Gil and things pre arranged and he proposed to Andrea in their new home. AWESOME!!! 
 
 

Fan Duel to Open $15M Tech Campus in Midtown Atlanta

by

FanDuel Technology Hub MIdtown AtlantaFan Duel to Open $15M Tech Campus in Midtown Atlanta

It’s no secret that Midtown Atlanta is a technology hub. 

Google has leased the majority of 1105 West Peachtree. You have Mail Chimp at Ponce City Market….and then there is Centergy at Tech Square with Georgia Tech. So, no surprise that we have another one coming. 

Bisnow.com reported on May 18th and Governor Brian Kemp announced that FanDuel Group is expected to open a $15 million technology campus in Midtown Atlanta. The campus will eventually employ more than 900 people! FanDuel Group is a division of British Flutter Entertainment PLC and the new campus will focus on product development, tech and IT operations. 

The campus will take up some 68K square feet of space in a yet-to-be-disclosed location. Ponce City Market has been mentioned, but there are certainly some other choice locations in Midtown Atlanta, taking advantage of the talent pool from GATech.

FanDuel to open Midtown Atlanta Tech HubFan Duel to Open $15M Tech Campus in Midtown Atlanta

FanDuel operates a mobile sports betting and fantasy sports betting platform. It is one of the largest daily fantasy sports companies in the world and is the nation’s biggest mobile sportsbook, with online betting sites in 10 states, though Georgia isn’t one of them.Lawmakers in Georgia pushed, but failed, to legalize sports betting in the state this session. FanDuel operates sports betting in 10 U.S. states, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Colorado.

FanDuel is one of several companies to announce a major technology hubs in Midtown. Microsoft has acquired some 90 acres on the Westside near Grove Park and the new Westside Park (former Bellwood Quarry) and plans to open additional offices at Atlantic Station.Airbnb announced in February they are putting their East Coast Tech Hub in Atlanta, called the Atlanta Technical Hub. 

FanDuel Chief Product Officer Sarah Butterfass told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the company selected Atlanta in part because of its diverse talent pool as well as the proximity to other tech companies and higher education institutions. . The company plans to work with local colleges and universities — including the city’s concentration of Historically Black Colleges and Universities — to create courses to train students for possible careers with FanDuel, according to the release. The firm also plans to offer résumé-building workshops, mentorship programs and mock interviews as part of a community outreach program.

Employees of FanDuel can find some exciting living opportunities in Midtown Atlanta, and depending on the final location of the Tech Hub, could walk to work from many of Midtown’s mid-rise and high-rise condominium communities. 

The Midtown Atlanta location will also offer FanDuel employees access to MARTA for easy access to Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. Midtown Atlanta is also accessible from the Downtown Connector (I-85 and I-75).

COVID-19 The Lockdown in Numbers

by

I was cleaning my desk up and found an article I had meant to put into a blog post. 

Then I thought, well, it’s still some interesting numbers, so why not still share it. The article was in the July issue of (I think maybe Atlanta Magazine?) and has various stats about what the COVID-19 impacts have been, and The Lockdown in Numbers. 

Some interesting points :

  • Game Downloads and streaming usage increased 35% from March 1 to May 1 (I was certainly online, but it was not gaming!)
  • A 40% drop in congestion on state roads and our freeways March to May! If you were out and about as I was (although it was pretty minimal in March and April….grocery trips and even those were few and far between as I did some major stocking up when it all “hit” about March 15th) the freeways were more than empty. It was like something from the Walking Dead…..seriously! 
  • The stat that I really liked was the huge increase in the number of fosters and adoptions of four-legged family members. In March, 2019 the number was 233,573…..in March 2020, it was a staggering 792,813!!! It just warms my heart to think of all those animals that found loving homes and families versus what the other future was. And no, I was not one of them…..
  • And as one can imagine, a 75% reduction in riders on MARTA…I mean, who was going to work?

We are still struggling to get back to “normal” and you have to wonder what that will actually be. To see the airports bustling…hotels filled with vacationers or business people at conventions. It must come soon, right?

COVID 19 Lockdown in Numbers

City Of Doraville Gets New Residential Sanitation Service

by

City of Doraville Sanitation ServiceCity Of Doraville Gets New Residential Sanitation Service

The residents of the City of Doraville will have a major change in their garbage service, beginning February 5, 2020. 

In late 2019, the City Council voted to move the city’s garbage collection from Advance Disposal to the Dekalb County Sanitation Division. Cost savings may have not been the determining factor, since the new service will cost City Residents an additional $100 per year for the garbage collection. But, we looked at what is included in the new service, which is aimed at cleaning up the city, especially with regard to bulky items that have often remained on the curb of homes for days or weeks before being picked up. 

The new garbage service includes:

  • Unlimited curbside garbage pickup
  • Unlimited recycling pickup (subject to restricted items)
  • Weekly pickup of yard trimmings
  • Weekly pickup of bulky items…think couches, mattresses, toilets and televisions .. to name a few! 

Special collections for items like dead domestic animals, auto tires, construction materials and tree limbs cut by professional companies will require an extra fee, although literature provided to residents did not offer up what those fees may be. 

For curbside recycling, the list of what is picked up vs. what is NOT picked up is about equally as long on either side. Stand out items that ARE UNACCEPTABLE include glass, waked paper, aluminum or tin foil, foam rubber or packing material, polystyrene cups and to go trays and more…..

Doraville Garbage ServiceResidents have already been provided a 95-gallon roll cart for household garbage. These are the same size as previous containers, but are numbered and assigned to an address. At a later point, residents will receive a 65-gallon recycling roll cart. 

What will prove interesting is the pick-up schedule. The once-a-week collection day is on Wednesday. This means…a single home could have lawn bags, a bulky item, and both their recycling and garbage roll carts at the curb. One presumes it’s going in multiple trucks. One for garbage/bulky items, One for the recycle items and yet another for the lawn debris that should be going to a composting area somewhere in the County. The first service is on Wednesday, February 5th…so we shall see. 

You can find all of the information that was included with the delivery packet and the green roll cart here on our website. 

Doraville Georgia Newsletter August 9, 2019

by

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. 

Doraville GA Redevelopment Tilly Mill CrossingRedevelopment 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!

 

Baby Boomers are Not Moving

by

Baby boomers Not movingWere you born between 1946 and 1964? Then you are a Baby Boomer and Baby Boomers are Not Moving! 

What does that mean? In an article that appeared in Housingwire, and according to the Chicago Tribune, these Baby Boomers are a stick in the spokes of the homeowner cycle. And that clog equals some 1.6 million homes that are NOT coming on the market because they have chosen to “age in place” vs. selling and moving to a retirement community or some other community. As a result, these homes are not coming to market for those first time home buyers that are currently looking in the market. It is a form of housing gridlock if you will. 

Baby Boomers Not Moving

In January, Chase released a study which found that 76% of Baby Boomers own their own homes.  Some 66% of those homeowners think that home values will soon rise and an even greater 88% of them have renovation plans within the next 3 years!  And while Baby Boomers think their home is “just right,” a Millennial might look at an older home as a place to throw money as systems, and more, need updating.

Consider Resale When Remodeling 

And as the Boomers make changes to their home, the need to keep resale in mind for the future. You can affect the market appeal of your home with weird changes you make make, to fit your lifestyle. You may be looking at “undoing” some of those changes when you do look to place your home on the market. That wheelchair ramp from the carport, or a retro-fitted bathroom with grab bars may not be quite what today’s buyer is looking for! But hey….if you have historic details…be sure to keep them and not remove! Millennials will get into history and such and overlook the functional issues a home may have. 

But you also have to think long term in the upkeep and if you can afford it…or afford someone to clean house and mow the lawn. Sure, you might enjoy it when you are 55, but when you are 65, or even 70 it could be a real challenge. At least at the homes where you have a large yard to take care of, or lots of space to air condition that you don’t really need…or can’t physically take care of.

If you have been thinking about “aging in place” or maybe downsizing to a smaller home or even a condominium, why not give us a call and we’d be happy to sit down with you and talk about some of your options. 

Sending

Thom Abbott

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

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

HomeSmart