About Gwinnett County, GA

Thank you Sesame Street.. and Happy 40th Birthday.

Oh all the firends that lived on my street when I was growing up, there was Grandpa Mudcat, Grandmama Bear,Hero Guy,Kermit the Frog (to be a freind to all),Wally and Ralph,Baby Bear,Bert and Ernie (best friends for life no matter what) ,Big Bird (alwasy ready to learn),Cookie Monster (who tought me to love life full out),Count von Count (who tought us to have PRIDE in what we could do and show off every chance we got),Elmo,Dorothy,Grover,MS Piggy( who told us to love ourselfs regardless of what other said)

I miss my Friends maybe I go back today for a visit ...

Who ways your BFF on Sesame Street ?

Gwinnett County has convened an exploratory committee to explore the possibility of expanding Ronald Reagan Parkway so it connects with 85. $2 million has been put on the table to explore and plan. A community meeting was held a few nights ago. Notes from that meeting will be included in a future post.

Ronald Reagan Parkway is one of the nicest roads in Gwinnett. Although less than 10 miles long, it feels like you are driving through the mountains. The trees that were planted and left up are magnificant this time of year. Look for a future post on the beauty of the parkway.

AgainWell, yes, you can.

The question is "Should you?"

There are a few things to keep in mind as you decide about timing on purchases using the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit (up to $8000)... and Move Up Buyers Tax Credit( up to $6500).

• How is the inventory in your local market? Will it be going up or down over the next several months?
  

Here in the Atlanta area, inventories generally increase in the spring and decrease around the holidays. This means that there are more homes to choose from during the spring and early summer.

• What about buyer competition? Will there be more buyers competing for the available properties in the future?

Suppy and demand has two variables. Demand is the other one. Here in the Atlanta area, there are generally more buyers in the market during early spring until mid-summer. The buyers in the market around the holidays are generally more serious...

• Will interest rates move up or down?
  

That is always a tough call. Many experts have been expecting increases for the last several months. So far they have been wrong, but the basics of why they are expecting increases is still valid. There is increasing competition for the available capital because of increased governmental borrowing. Also, low rates often cause currency devaluation, so there is an expectation that rates will need to be increased at the federal funds target level.

• What about prices?

Again, with the Atlanta market, prices tend to be stronger during the spring and summer and weaker during the fall and winter.

Of course, each year and each market can be radically different. But...

• Does it matter if there are more homes on the market if you find one you REALLY like?
• If you are buying when there are fewer buyers, you have more power.
• Can interest rates go much farther down?
  
• Do you really expect prices to move down? Keep in mind that on many attractively priced properties there are multiple offers.

You need to make your own decision. I think it is a good time to buy, but I'm not the one signing the contract... So, do your own research. When you are done, feel free to give me a call.

One of the things that is challenging for families selling homes is dealing with toys and other things that clutter up the house. We still have to live in the home, but we also need to make it attractive for buyers. In the video are some great tips for accomplishing both goals.

We can even do this in the garage... same idea, we still need to be able to work on the toys, but we need to keep it neat and presentable.

from LaneBailey.com

Just when you thought it was gone, one of our local banks is now offering 100% financing on some of its foreclosed or short-saled communities. This is a great opportunity for those who are paying high rent but don't have tons of cash to take advantage of getting into a home with equity and a lower payment then their rent was.

There are also many different programs available for 1st time buyers that give them their down payment or match their downpayment.

We are living in unprecedented times in regards to incentives to purchase a home. Combine these incentives with low interest rates and their has never been a better time to buy or sell.