Grayson, GA

I used to do an irregular look at some garage properties. I would grab a few properties that were representative of the variety of 4+ car garage homes available in Gwinnett County, GA. While pulling properties for a buyer moving in from another state, I decided it was time to take you on a tour again...

Honestly, when we are looking at properties between $1million and $2million, it is a rarity to see someplace with a shop. They show up once in a while, but rarely. We are getting into the territory of some pretty nice display spaces, though. While it is still rare, there are some collectors with homes at this level... and there might be a stable full of Ferraris or high end muscle cars.

The other thing is that most of the homes in this price range... especially in Gwinnett County... have 4+ car garages. Most owners in this range have several cars. And while there seem to be a lot of cool cars, there aren't that many serious car fanatics... or some of them have warehouses to keep the really cool toys.

Here is an example... Between $1m and $2m, there are 29 other properties with 4+ car garages.

Because of MLS rules, I can't disclose an address or be very specific about any property without gaining written permission from the listing broker... Thus, no pictures...

Looking for a place to meet friends after work? Maybe you are planning a move to the area and would like to find a place to pop in for a quick and easy meal.

Grayson's Hail Mary Sports Pub just might be the ticket for your crowd. Nothing fancy so casual dress is just fine. Coming from work in a suit, not a problem though. The food is good, the service is above average and the atmosphere is, well, happy! I met friends at the Hail Mary last night and we had a great time. Live entertainment begins at 9 PM.

Try the nachos and the beach bread - very good appetizers. I also liked the combo platter appetizer, especially the fried pickle slices.

I've been to the Hail Mary before and tried their chicken quesadilla and other meals - all very good. Portions and pricing seems just right.

Check it out the next time you want to sample some local "bar food" eats while enjoying your favorite brew!

Check out the Pub's website for more details. http://www.thehailmarysportspub.com

Have fun!

Stephanie McCarty

REMAX Greater Atlanta

404-457-8089 cell visit my site and search the MLS for area listings at www.mysouthhomes.com

The current market has made it possible for many large families to finally move up to a home that is more comfortable and suitable for their lifestyle. If you have 3 or 4 kids, a 4 bedroom home is workable, but is it comfortable? Probably not. In Grayson, in recent years, purchasing a 5 bedroom home, or a home with 4 bedrooms and a basement, could be challenging for home buyers if they needed to stay under $200,000.

Well, that's not the case right now.

If you are looking for a special home for sale in Grayson, a home with at least five bedrooms, chances are, your selection has NEVER been better.

Right now there are 12 homes for sale in Grayson under $200,000, with at least five bedrooms. Two of the homes being offered also has 4 baths, and a whopping 8 of them has 3 or 3 1/2 baths.

Homes for sale in Grayson with a basement, in recent years, have primarily been over the $200K mark. Right now you can buy a home in Grayson with 5 bedrooms and a basement, under $200,000, and you will actually have 5 of them to choose from!

Need a teen suite or inlaw suite? How about one with a full kitchen? Not a problem. 2 of the homes for sale in Grayson with five bedrooms and a basement advertise a teen suite or full in law suite.

Grayson is a relatively "new" area. Of course there are much older homes but most of the homes for sale in Grayson are built in the 1990's or more recently.

Of the current inventory of homes for sale in Grayson under $200,000, with five bedrooms, the OLDEST was built in 1990, and there is 1 new construction, never been occupied, built in 2007.

I know what you are wondering? Okay. If there are homes for sale in Grayson with five bedrooms under $200,000, exactly what is the LOWEST price for a home in Grayson with five bedrooms? Wait for it. . . an astoundng $118,000 and the home was built in 2002, five bedrooms and 3 full baths. Can you spell B-A-R-G-A-I-N?

Okay, so you have to sell your home to get one of these great deals? No problem. If you are moving up and still under $200,000, odds are pretty good that you are selling under $150,000 and tha IS the hottest market right now. You won't have the equity that you may have had in 2005-2007 but do the math - whatever you feel you are leaving on the table when you sell, you will highly likely to MORE than make up for on your purchase!

If you are searching for a home in Grayson or anywhere in metro Atlanta give me a call. I frequently work with buyers and I enjoy representing their interests. Working with a buyer agent costs the buyer NOTHING. In fact, a buyer gets the benefit of years of experience and negotiation skills that typically saves them considerable cash when they purchase represented by a buyer agent.

Not in my area? No problem. I can refer you to a great agent anywhere in metro Atlanta that I don't service myself. It's a myth that buyers save money buying unrepresented. Ask me about it and I'll give you the real story on what usually happens when a buyer agent's commission isn't paid by seller.

In the meantime, search the MLS directly from my website www.mysouthhomes.com. If you already have a good idea of your target area, price range and criteria, work with me and I'll set up a personalized website that pulls in only those listings that meet your wish list, and you get first crack at the newest listings that meet your needs.

I can be reached at 404-457-8089, or email me to set up your appointment so that we can get started on your purchase, or your sale and purchase if you already own a home. slmrealestate@comcast.net.

Happy home shopping! Stephanie McCarty, ABR

RE/MAX Greater Atlanta

Office: 770-979-1700 but call my cell for a faster response!

If you are looking for a home in Gwinnett County, Georgia, in the $250,000 to $350,000 price range, boy are you in for a treat! And, even more encouraging, there is a sizeable inventory of homes priced $250,000 to $350,000 in the most sought-after school clusters.

So many times when relocating buyers have moved into our area from out of town or out of state, in the past, we have had a more limited selection of properties for them to choose from. Right now, not so much!

If our economic woes have done anything that could be considered "good", giving serious, qualified buyers a better range of properties to choose from would be pretty high on my list. A move-up buyer who wishes to purchase a home in Gwinnett County right now is pretty much in the cat bird seat, no doubt.

Let's examine some of the current MLS data specifically:

Homes for sale in Gwinnett's most sought-after schools (Peachtree Ridge, Collins Hill, North Gwinnett, Brookwood, Grayson). Gwinnett county has a gigantic school system that probably rivals that of some smaller states in the U.S. There are also opposing opinions, but for the sake of writing this post, I selected these five schools based on my experience in the real estate business in Gwinnett for the past ten years. These are the schools that more often than not are chosen or asked about, if not preferred and demanded, by buyers in any price range.

We are focusing the data on homes priced $250,000 to $350,000 in Gwinnett, for purposes of this post.

Here are the numbers and they are very encouraging for prospective buyers:

These are the filters used for homes priced $250,000 to $350,000 in Gwinnett:

minimum of 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths

Minimum of 2500 square feet of living space

Allowing for that criteria alone, the number of available properties is 304.

Unlike many metropolitan areas around the country, Gwinnett has a large supply of new construction at any given time, except right now, and it's not exactly absent even in this economy. Buying a new home is not always an option though. What if the buyer purchasing a home $250,000 to $350,000 in Gwinnett only wants to live in a particular school cluster? Or even, zoned for a particular elementary school or some other geographically limiting factor? Depending on exactly where that may be, there could be NO new construction. At that point, any buyer who really would like to have new construction will typically ask their agent to limit their search to homes in a certain age range, say for example, built since 1990. Inside the perimeter that would be too limiting. In Gwinnett this filter for age would still offer a buyer a good selection of homes priced $250,000 to $350,000 in Gwinnett.

When we filter for homes built since 1990 in our target price range of $250,000 to $350,000, the total available is 236. Total available was 304; total built since 1990 236. Interesting isn't it? Limiting our inventory selection to only those homes in the price range built in the past 20 years didn't really make a substantive difference in the data. Again, Gwinnett is a "young" county and although there are homes much older, we are constantly building and have a steady supply of newer homes for buyers to choose from, particularly those priced $250,000 to $350,000, a favorite "sweet spot" for area builders and developers.

What do most buyers want in our market? A basement. Therefore, I have limited the dataset to homes with a basement (by filtering out crawl space and slab homes specifically in the MLS fields).

If you are interested in buying a home priced $250,000 to $350,000, with the above criteria (4 BR, 2 1/2 baths minimum; at least 2500 sf, built since 1990, AND with a basement) in Gwinnett county, there are 166 homes available in the price range.

Buyers love their basements! My filter specifically excluded crawl space and slab home listings, but no distinction was made for size or type of basement.

Finally, popular schools. Even if a buyer doesn't have kids in school, they are usually concerned about resale down the road. Everyone knows that the perceived quality of schools in the area will have a direct impact on the market value of your home - it's part of the "location, location, location" thing that we all understand about residential real estate.

If you are shopping for a new home in Gwinnett County, priced $250,000 to $350,000, with at least 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a minimum of 2500 SF* living area, built since 1990, with a basement, in one of the five listed school clusters above, you will have 90, yes, I said, 90, homes to choose from. It's amazing to me. Eliminating a large number of school clusters and areas in the county and you would still have 90 homes to choose from - that's super for the buyer right now.

Not only has this market made it possible for buyers to get more home for their money, but they also get considerably more selection, even in the more sought after areas of the county. All of this is kind of like the perfect storm scenario - a good storm that is - a nice gentle spring rain storm that keeps you from having to run the sprinkler system for example.

Better selection. More features and square footage. Better pricing. Great areas/schools for resale purposes. What's not to love?

If you are looking to purchase a home priced $250,000 to $350,000 in Gwinnett ANYTIME within the next five years, I cannot imagine it getting much better than it is right now if you like, if it gets better at all!

*A note about square footage: quoting square footage in the Georgia MLS is a new data field. Consumers should verify square footage during their inspection or prior to making an offer. Many, if not most, of the listing agents will include the square footage number listed in the county tax record. The agents do not have a way to verify the basis for that square footage.

And, if you are shopping for a home in this price range, remember that it never hurts and always helps to have a professional representing you. Work with an experienced buyer agent and your real estate experience will be one that puts a smile on your face, rather than a frown! Good luck.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if I can assist you anywhere in the county or metro Atlanta. I am an accredited buyer representative and I really love working with buyers in all price ranges! email slmrealestate@comcast.net or cal me directly at 404-457-8089.

The City of Grayson has many wonderful communities offering a lifestyle that many are seeking in the suburbs of metro Atlanta, specifically, Gwinnett County.

Northforke Plantation community is located off of Hillside Drive at the corner of Bennett Road. Conveniently located near fabulous shopping at The Avenues Webb Gin, a recently built lifestyle center, and all of the stores, shopping centers, restaurants and more along State Route 124, a few short minutes away.

Check out the community's website for a wealth of information about the community and the area. Visit it at www.northforke.net.

There is also a community map of streets:

Consider Northforke Plantation for your next move in Grayson, GA. If you are interested in learning more about the community, the area, or properties that may be currently available for sale, don't hesitate to contact me directly at 404-457-8089, or email slmrealestate@comcast.net. I will promptly respond to your inquiry and hope to be of great assistance with any questions that you may have.

Interested in other communities in Grayson, check out my website at www.mysouthhomes.com where you can search Grayson listings by price range or other criteria, accessing the Georgia MLS for the latest accurate real estate information.

Stephanie McCarty 1637 Athens Highway, Grayson, GA 30017

404-457-8089 cell office: 770-979-1700 search MLS listings at www.mysouthhomes.com