About Clayton County, GA

Buffing Up Your House To Sell It

Sellers are always asking, what can I do to help make my home sell faster. What can be done around the home to make it look more appealing to those potential buyers. The answer is a simple one, but you will need to be in the mood to do the work. You don't need to make "HUGE" changes, no knocking down walls or renovating any rooms, just some a bit of hard work and an eye for detail. There are three things you can do, don't have any clutters anywhere, clean and repair things and the colors in the home if you have some wacky bright or dark colors, change them to a more neutral one.

De-cluttering is one of the best things you can do. You want to create a home that has a lot of extra space and organized. This means removing of piles in the closet, all the sentimental things that are stacked up all over the place. Potential buyers do not care about your sentimental things, they are looking for that extra space and a home that is nicely laid out, that gives them the ability to imagine themselves living there.

Cleaning is a must after decluttering. Also seeing what needs repaired and painted will be easier now that there is no clutter. Cleaning means, emptying and wiping out all drawers, cupboards, the kitchen and the bathroom. I know this all takes time and you may end up looking like this lady, but it will be well worth to you in the long run.

As for the painting, if you have dark rooms or bright rooms, sometimes that is a turn off for potential buyers so you want to try to do some neutral colors, beiges, whites, soft greens. You are trying to make your home look move-in ready and be as appealing as it possibly can. You want your home to shine and give it as much newness as you possibly can. You want the buyer to feel they are buying a very nice home that looks as if it was brand new.

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What You Need To Know About Contengencies

Let me start by telling you what a contingency is. It is a formal clause in a real estate contract, that specifies particular conditions that must be met by either the seller or the buyer in order to proceed to the next step in the contract. Contingencie are found in every contract to protect the interests of both sellers and buyers. If either side fails to meet any of the requirements, it can result in breach of contract.

There are three different categories that make up a contingency. Protection for the buyer, protection for the seller and reciprocal protection of both parties. Most contracts normally contain two contingencies, the mortgage contingency and home inspection contingency.

A mortgage contingency stipulates that the buyers will make every effort to obtain a mortgage for the particular amount the seller is asking for. If the buyer obtains a mortgage then the contingency is removed. However, if the buyer cannot obtain a mortgage for whatever reason, then the buyer may withdraw from the contract without penalties. So the mortgage contingency protects the buyers interest if financing is not available they are not held to the contract they had signed.

A home inspection contingency also protects the buyers. If the house is found unsuitable due to issues such as, significant termite damage, unsafe electric wiring, or material defects, it allows the buyer to be able to withdraw from the contract without penalty and the return of all deposits. If issues that are found are found fixable, it gives the buyer the ability and right to negotiate repairs with the seller.However if the seller refuses to repair any of the repairs for the buyer, the contract becomes invalid, stopping the seller from forcing the contract on the buyer.

Contingencies can vary depending on the circumstances and what they require. Buyers can include anything from asking a seller to remove something to asking for a new water heater to be installed. On the other hand, sellers can have their own requests as well to the buyer, like asking for a certain amount of time to remove things from the home or property or giving them enough time to vacate the premises.

There are two important things to keep in mind when contingencies are involved....

One, having several contingencies from either side by the buyer or the seller, can weaken the contract and make it even more complicated than it has to be. To many from the seller can push the buyer away from the deal and to many from the buyer can push the seller from accepting the deal. Second, always work with an experienced agent to make sure that all your interests are taken care of , so you know that all your rights are protected, regardless if your the seller or the buyer.

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OFFERS WANTED OPEN HOUSE!!!!!!

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Bring your best offer!!!!!

The Clayton County area average home sales price has gone through the floor. Three years ago the average price was around $150,000 and now it's at $50,000!!! The number of sales have gone up substantially so it looks like there are buyers out there at these low prices. The biggest problem down here has been the school system losing it's accreditation. This is an area that has a huge number of foreclosures.

Total days on market is 104. The sales price to original list price ratio continues to dropped below 80%.

The numbers below are for single family detached homes in FMLS area 161. Links to stats for other areas are at the bottom of the page.

Year over year, total transactions increased from 64 to 98 (+53%)

Year over year, average sales price decreased from $99,095 to $51,087 (-48%)

All data for graphs is taken from the FMLS statistics put out by Smart Numbers.

For other market areas as shown in the following map, please click on the links below.

All areas combined: Summary of all FMLS areas

Area 13: North Fulton, Alpharetta/Roswell West of 400
Area 14: North Fulton, Alpharetta East of 400
Area 131: Sandy Springs North of 285
Area 132: Sandy Springs Southe of 285
Area 21: Buckhead
Area 23: Midtown/Virginia Highlands
Area 31: South Fulton, West End
Area 33: South Fulton outside 285
Area 81: East Cobb, North
Area 82: East Cobb, Central
Area 83: East Cobb South
Area 72: South Cobb
Area 73: Cobb West Central
Area 74: Cobb West
Area 75: Cobb Northwest
Area 121: North DeKalb, Dunwoody
Area 41: DeKalb, Tucker
Area 42: DeKalb, Stone Mountain
Area 43: DeKalb South
Area 221: Forsyth East
Area 222: Forsyth Southwest
Area 62: Gwinnett, Duluth/Buford
Area 64: Gwinnett, Southwest
Area 161: Clayton County