About Fulton County, GA

Looking for an upscale home at foreclosure prices? Sandy Springs Village subdivision maybe just the place for you!

Located on Glenmanor Court near Glenridge Road and Johnson Ferry close to the heart of Sandy Springs, the Marta Train, and GA 400, Sandy Springs Village will allow you to easily get around Metro Atlanta. Beyond the convenient location of the Sandy Springs Village real estate, you will love the lavish custom features. From the over-sized master suites with spacious sitting rooms, fireplace, spa-styled bath and balcony to the gourmet kitchen with granite countertops, Sandy Springs Village is a must see for its deeply discounted prices. These stunning brick homes also feature 4 - 6 bedrooms, terrace/basement levels, balconies, stacked stone fireplaces, hardwood floors throughout main floor, stereo surround sound pre-wiring, and many other treats for any homeowner.

Want more details about Sandy Springs Village? Contact places2love@gmail.com or 404.444.5777. Happy House Hunting!

Roswell, Georgia sits in the Northern Atlanta metro area, just south of the city of Alpharetta. Roswell is a history rich city filled with many historic southern artifacts. The town square in Roswell is surrounded by century old buildings. Summer festivals are very common in Historic Downtown Roswell. With it's vast array boutiques and restaurants, Downtown Roswell is always a popular tourist destination. This city definitely has a classic character to it, the kind that is hard to find these days in the common suburban landscape. Roswell High School is one of the many top schools in the Fulton County school system. It doesn't matter what type of home you are looking for, there is a good chance of finding it in Roswell. Roswell GA Real Estate consists of up-scale luxury homes and a good variety of every type of housing. Residents love the fact that at off-peak times, Roswell is only a 30 minute drive to Downtown Atlanta. There are also some foreclosures and short-sales currently available in Roswell at this current time. It would be my pleasure to be your Roswell Real Estate Agent and show you all of the great Roswell homes available.

Jennifer K Giraldi, REALTOR

Solid Source Realty

678-469-9519

Free Bank with Toaster! Well that certainly caught my eye when I got it in an e-mail today. My father had been to a "moneyshow" financial seminar that he attends annually in Orlando, FL last week. He shared some general notes of what they were sharing, mostly random notes he'd taken.

i have attended the last five annual shows...and will write at random from my notes..........the 90s was the worst decade ever for stock market return....minus 9% worse than the 30s...if oil drops under 60 bucks means the economy is very weak.....headwinds ahead...CONSUMER DEBT.....average household has 15% equity today in the house down from 50% 4 years ago....and less than 100,000 in total equity....no interest rate increase from the fed this year....DEFLATION...the federal reserve is 96 years old....the value of our dollar is $.04 versus 96 years ago....new technology is deflationary...faster cheaper....see another 10% decline in home prices in 2010...on average......3.3% gdp needed to stabilize the economy....and keep employment from getting worse...from 1968 to 1982 the s&p declined .4% 67% of that was due to inflation during those years.......$50 Trillion was lost world wide the last three years....15 trillion in the USA...the current stock market has only recovered 3 trillion of that to date.......3 banks that are worthless....citi,wells fargo and capital one....April 10th the dollar will rally up....housing problems in Rust and Sun belts....no jobs in the rust belt.....san diego housing was 14times household income...house prices are 2.4 annual income today...from a peak of 3.4 times 3 years ago...we need to build at least 1.5 million new homes a year...but are building 500,000....plusses...rising corp profits,no inflation......minusses....government involvement in everything,,,,government changing the rules,,,and very slow growth ahead...........new slogan....FREE BANK WITH TOASTER....

Now, I realize this isn't organized and I didn't want to mess with it, as you get the point. One of the things I just love about my dad is his thirst for data and information. He is ALWAYS asking questions and learning. What a great trait. Also there is a lot of wonderful analytical information, which I just enjoy trying to figure out how to move forward from here.

I'm not sure whether we should be laughing or crying with the new slogan: Free Bank with Toaster!

We certainly do have some big challenges today all over the world. I just hope they are not handing out banks at your retail stores when you buy a toaster and do you really want one if they are?

Here's a hypothetical for you:

You are representing the buyer in a transaction. The listing sheet clearly states, "Not a short sale," but you notice, while doing your due diligence and researching the property in the MLS, tax records, county courthouse records, etc. that the list price is significantly less than NOT ONLY what the seller paid for the home but also less than the amount of their loan. You ask the listing agent, "This definitely isn't a short sale?" He says, "No."

You write the offer, and following negotiations, your client (the Buyer) reaches an agreement with the Seller - they are under contract. The normal things happen from here: the inspection and subsequent repair negotiation; the appraisal; the loan package arrives at the closing attorney's office; the HUD-1 Settlement Statement is prepared and sent to all parties. You notice that the Seller needs to bring upwards of $51,000+ to closing in order to sell their home. "You're sure it's not a short sale?" you ask the listing agent. He says, "No."

And then...four days before closing, your phone rings. It's the listing agent, and he says, "I really need to talk to you."

Sure enough - the seller doesn't have the money to close. They are more than $10,000 short and have no way to come up with the money. Their bank has turned them down for a loan for the amount they need. They are a bad risk. They have asked family and friends, who have also turned them down. Suddenly, the closing that has been 45 days in the making (not to mention the time you spent showing properties to your clients) is falling apart. You feel helpless. Your buyer is confused and angry. The listing agent...well, you wonder where was he throughout this process?

The question is, what do you do when the listing agent doesn't fully do their job? As REALTORS®, our job is to counsel our clients. That includes preparing a "Net to Seller" sheet when an offer is received AND at the time of each subsequent counteroffer. It also includes talking them through the situation - do you know how much you owe on this home? Do you have the funds you will need to close? It includes requesting a preliminary HUD-1 from the closing attorney to show the seller, in black and white, what their financial obligation is at closing. It includes being brutally honest with your client about their financial obligations, as well as being diligent and DOING YOUR JOB. Our Georgia Association of REALTORS® contracts has a "Source of Buyer's Funds" exhibit and a "Financing Contingency" exhibit that sellers can use to insist on knowing the buyer's financing plan; however, there is no "Source of Seller's Funds" exhibit that we can use to protect our Buyers and be sure that the Seller has enough money to close in a situation like this one. After this week, I really think there should be.

Because this is not a hypothetical. It happened to me this week. Thankfully, we closed the loan, with some artful maneuvering on the part of the closing attorney, who was able to eek out some additional funds for the seller by netting their escrows and applying that amount to the deficit, among other things. The money was "found" and the closing happened right on schedule.

But the point it, it might not have closed. And the sad fact is that, in this market, doing due diligence on just one side of the deal is no longer good enough. We've entered a time in which we now have to worry about not only prequalifying OUR clients, but also prequalifying the clients on the other side of the table, in case that agent has not done his or her part.

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Maura Neill, ABR, CRS, MA
The Gebhardt Group
RE/MAX Greater Atlanta
10220 Medlock Bridge Road
Johns Creek, GA 30097

(770) 238-0595
email: Maura@GebhardtGroup.com
website: http://www.GebhardtGroup.com/
blog: http://www.GebhardtGroupBlog.com/

The Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks Department is excited to announce the upcoming Daddy Daughter Dance. Spend a magical, fun-filled evening with your little princess. The dance will feature music from both generations provided by a live DJ and includes dance contests, musical games, complimentary snacks, refreshments, door prizes and a goodie bag for each girl. Attire is business casual to semi-formal.

The dance will be held on two nights

• Wednesday, February 10, 2010: 2nd and 3rd Grade Girls, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
• Thursday, February 11, 2010: 4th and 5th Grade Girls, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

The Daddy Daughter Dance will be held at Woodland Charter Elementary School, 1130 Spalding Drive, Sandy Springs, GA 30350. Pre-registration is required and is accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until the event is full or February 5, 2010.

The cost is $30 for each father/daughter and an additional $10 for multiple daughters. You may register in person at Hammond Park, 705 Hammond Drive, Sandy Springs, GA 30350 or you can register by clicking here.

Souvenir photos will be available for an additional $10 at the dance.