About Atlanta's Midtown West

As I am sure many of you do, I get numerous daily e-mails with inspirational quotes, tips and the like. Some days I just hit delete, to busy to read them.

Other days, I'll stop, ponder, and sometimes even print out something that might end up on my office wall or in my calendar notebook. Something I'll want to read, again and again as a reminder.

And then, you will run across something you just feel like sharing.

I can't say I'll "franchise my real estate buiness" but it makes me want to think big!

Some changes went into effect today as it relates to a Purchase and Sale Agreement (contract) in the Metro Atlanta area. There is now going to be TWO different sets of forms to use in a real estate transaction. Yep, you heard that right! And what's even more interesting? You can't mix the forms together. So what's the story and how will this affect a Buyer or Seller of real estate in Atlanta?

First off, the Georgia Association of REALTORS (GAR) announced a few months ago that they would begin charging non-REALTORS a licensing fee of $199 per year to use their copyrighted forms, found in FMLS (First Multiple Listing Service). This is apparently a result of the State association seeing something like a 40% or more drop in membership in the past few years. So, understandably, like any good business, they are looking for additional revenue. They felt that if you were NOT a member of GAR that you should not have the right to use their forms.

Well, there are quite a number of practicing real estate agents in the Metro Atlanta area that are not REALTORS. These agents (actually their brokers and/or owners) got together with FMLS and have produced a new set of real estate forms that can be used by EITHER non REALTORS or REALTORS. Rest assured, these forms were not written by these individuals or companies, but by a real estate attorney firm hired by FMLS.

(For the sake of this conversation, we will refer to them as the RE Forms and the GAR Forms.)

So, how is this all going to work? Well, it will be sticky for awhile till everyone gets use to it. You know real estate people, we are not always agreeable to changes!~

Let's use an example. I am a non REALTOR. I write an offer on a home listed by a REALTOR member and that offer is on RE Forms. They must present that offer, even if they don't "like" the new contract. Agents are required to present any and all offers to their Seller, even if it's on a paper napkin. Now, if they choose to make a counter offer, they must make that counteroffer on the RE Forms, NOT on a GAR Form counter offer. If the Listing Agent wants to use the GAR Forms, they will need to submit a new contract to me, the Selling Agent. Then, if my Buyer and I want to make a Counteroffer, the Listing Agent will need to supply me with the GAR Forms Counteroffer form. Sound like fun?

We'll get it all worked out, never fear. In fact, as everyone reviews the forms, they will find some rather good changes in the new RE Forms that eliminate the need for numerous exhibits to be attached to the contract. They are all referenced in the body of the contract in a "check the box if this applies" format.

What does all this mean for the Buyers and Sellers of real estate in the Metro Atlanta area? Nothing really. If you have bought and sold property in the Atlanta area in the last few years, you just might have to read the contract a bit more, but it still covers all the same things.

It will be us agents and REALTORS that will be pulling our hair for awhile.

I think there are many an individual in this world that think our resources are endless. We will never run out of clean water, fresh food, trees for lumber, etc. Along the same lines, these same people probably do not believe in global warming or how wacky our weather seems to be in the last few years. And they probably figure that throwing a used ink cartridge or old remote control into the garbage will not hurt anything either.

Well, they probably aren’t, it quite possibly is, yes it does.

So the next time you clean out your closet, garage or storage unit, think twice before you just toss that stuff in the garbage. Take it to the Midtown Atlanta Community Recycling Center, sponsored by Keep Atlanta Beautiful. Held the second Saturday of each month, (the next being December 10th) it’s conveniently located in Old Fourth Ward at the former Walden Middle School at 320 Irwin Street, ATL 30312. So, just what will they take for recycling?

I’ll just bet you’ve thrown one of those items in a garbage can before? I know I have!

They also do paper shredding! Perfect place to get rid of those tax receipts (not your return…save that baby!) I'll be taking my old real estate files that should be discarded (we are only required to keep them for 3 years and they they are to be disposed of) and having them all shredded!

Be sure to visit the Midtown Atlanta Recycling Center and do your small part to help the enviornment for the people that will follow us!

1010 Midtown Atlanta GA. Viewpoint Condos. Spire Atlanta. -- Wake up to breathtaking views. Fall asleep while gazing at Atlanta’s skyline. Walk a few blocks or hop on the train to your downtown office. Choose from among more than 80 restaurants. Stroll to your choice of entertainment venues. Midtown Atlanta Condos with Views are where the action is.

These 3 skyscrapers – 35 floors at 1010 Midtown Atlanta GA, 36 floors at Viewpoint Condos and 28 floors at Spire Atlanta offer floor-to-ceiling walls of windows and panoramic views. The rooms are open and airy, and there’s just something that makes you happy about being in an environment with so much extended outdoor space.

The design and architecture at 1010 Midtown Atlanta GA are admirable. If there is a problem, it is 1) that only half of the building gives you a spectacular view. The other half faces the Lowes hotel - another skyscraper that sits directly across the street. And 2) the prices in this building are higher than they should be and this may be why the building has sold only half of its 400+ units. The good news for prospective buyers at 1010 Midtown Atlanta GA is that the units are more spacious than the units of other high rise condos AND the 1010 Midtown Atlanta GA developers should be willing to wheel and deal to get the remaining units sold.

You’ll find a similar situation at Viewpoint Condos and Spire Atlanta, but to a lesser extent. These sister buildings sit across the street from each other, but most units have side views that don’t feed into their neighboring windows. And their prices are more in line with today’s market, and competition from the flood of foreclosures and West Midtown Atlanta short sales buyers have to choose from. Consequently, Spire Atlanta is sold out and Viewpoint Condos has only 1 new construction unit remaining. This makes it easier for existing Viewpoint Condos owners and Spire Atlanta owners to resell their units as a Midtown Atlanta Condo with Views, even if they have to go the short sale route.

These skyscrapers with their walls of windows let you play the game of how far can you see?

If you choose to visit one of these Midtown Atlanta Condos with Views at 1010 Midtown Atlanta GA, Viewpoint Condos or Spire Atlanta, be careful. Once you’ve viewed 270 degrees of Atlanta from your living room, bedroom, kitchen or balcony, you may never want to go back to living in a home with 4 walls again.

If you would like to buy your own home with a view at 1010 Midtown Atlanta GA, Viewpoint Condos or Spire Atlanta, OR if you would like to consider some other Midtown Atlanta Condo with Views, OR if you own a home at 1010 Midtown Atlanta GA, Viewpoint Condos or Spire Atlanta and want it sold, call me at 770-475-1130 x4486.

Copyright Cheryl Dukes, Solid Source Realty, Inc. - 2011 All Rights Reserved, Midtown Atlanta Condos with Views – 1010 Midtown Atlanta GA, Viewpoint Condos, Spire Atlanta. This is the final in a series about interesting places to live in and around Atlanta. (See previous posts about Glenwood Park, EdgewoodAtlanta, Guilford Forest, Country Club of the South, Atlantic Station, One Ivy Walk and The Manor Golf and Country Club.)