Trent Cluley -- Pickens County Georgia Real Estate

*** SORRY, THIS LISTING HAS SOLD! ***

LAND FOR SALE: LOT 15 AUTUMN COVE RD, JASPER - PICKENS COUNTY - GA

Don't miss out on this three acres of lightly wooded, level to sloping, land for sale . . . close to Jasper Georgia.

Located in the well-established neighborhood of Hickory Cove in Pickens County GA, this acreage for sale is an excellent opportunity to own a serene, semi-private residential lot at a below market price. With soaring shade trees and minimal underbrush, a huge level expanse along the front of the property, and easy access to the cul-de-sac street frontage, this is an ideal lot for building that dream home, whether on a basement, crawl space, or even a slab.

In a subdivision of estate-sized lots, with a small community lake available to residents, the location and setting of this land has much to offer. Just 3-miles from Jasper off Cove Road, and backing up to the gated resort community of Bent Tree, it is in a convenient and popular area of the county, without the restrictions found in many similar developments.

A quiet side street. A pristine, level to sloping tract of land. A small, unpretentious subdivision of private homes on wooded lots. A great price. Take advantage of this opportunity before it's gone . . .

View a virtual tour at http://www.Lot15AutumnCoveRoad.Info

LISTED FOR SALE BY BROKER:

Trent D Cluley
Keller Williams Realty - Select Partners
678-493-2100

A tennis tournament in support of Vision Atlanta / Camp Grace will be held Wednesday, May 13th, 2009, at Bridgemill Tennis Club in Bridgemill community, Canton GA. Sponsors, players, volunteers and donations are very much needed, with all proceeds going to support Vision Atlanta's work with at-risk and disadvantaged youths.

There will be morning and afternoon sets from 9-12 (A Team), and 1-4 (B Team), at a cost of only $35 per player, which price includes lunch. Not a bad deal . . . a couple of hours of tennis, food, good fun, and support of a worthy cause, at minimal cost. Call or email to sign up as a player or sponsor today. Everybody welcome!

For more information, see below flyer, or contact Terry Hyde / Wilma Hebrank at Keller Williams Realty - Select Partners, 678-493-2100. Thanks for your support!

While the number of homes placed under contract in the month of March improved over February's numbers (which is to be expected at this time of year), in my opinion, the number fails to indicate a significant turning point in the local housing market.

Out of 500+ homes for sale in the Jasper Georgia area, eighteen pending sales is a relatively small number, and is still almost 36% below numbers posted in March 2008 -- an already declining market. When compared with March 2007, the number of houses sold last month reflect a drop of greater than 50%, so certainly nothing worthy of note.

With the average list price of homes placed under contract falling between $195,000 - $200,000, here too we see a shift from prior periods where average sale prices were greater than $220,000. Only one of the eighteen homes to find a buyer in March was priced over $300,000 . . . a sure concern for sellers of higher-priced homes, who are having a harder time selling at this time. A fact reflected in the growing number of price reductions seen in this price range.

Of the 18 sales, seven were listed as foreclosure, lender owned, or corporate owned . . . nearly 40% of the total, not counting short sales and other must sell situations. The impact on sellers not in a distress sale situation is obvious. While there are those in the industry locally who argue that foreclosures are a minor matter, unlikely to have an impact on pricing, the facts speak for themselves . . .

Inventory of houses for sale in Pickens County GA reached 549 homes on market, marking a steady climb back up after having dropped below 500. At current sales levels, this corresponds to 3-years worth of inventory! Forty-four of these are bank-owned REO homes -- making foreclosures roughly 8% of all available homes for sale.

Despite the lack of positive news in this update, it is not all as bleak as it seems . . .

Aside from previously mentioned government efforts, low interest rates, and lower housing prices, March showed a sharp uptick in consumer confidence (essential to any correction), first time home buyers began making their presence felt in greater numbers around the country (important, as these buyers have no home to sell and buy the lower-priced homes of potential move-up buyers, creating a chain reaction), and . . . a review of April's numbers are looking somewhat promising.

I am going to be very cautious in trying to call a "bottom" or turnaround in the housing market in the North Georgia area, but am certainly keeping an eye out for anything that might represent good news or a sign of improvement, and April may be it . . .

Feel free to contact me for specific info about your street, neighborhood, or town!

*** SORRY, THIS LISTING HAS SOLD!!! ***

FOR SALE: 50 ARBOR HILLS CIRCLE, TALKING ROCK GA 30175
MLS#: 3888036
$165,000
$155,000!

What a great opportunity to own new construction in the popular swim & tennis community of Arbor Hills in Jasper GA! This 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bathroom home, with bonus room and full basement, offers all the space and finishes you need, at a price significantly lower than other new homes have been listed for sale in this neighborhood.

A 2-story foyer and formal dining room with judge's paneling create a sense of elegance from the moment you walk in the door. A lofty living room, complete with stone fireplace, wood floors, and vaulted ceiling flows into a bright breakfast area (which opens onto the back deck), and a roomy kitchen. The kitchen has ample cabinet and counter space, with a well-designed work area and easy access to the dining room.

The master suite on main offers a trey ceiling, ceiling fan, and roomy private bathroom . . . complete with double-vanity, garden tub, separate shower, and walk-in closet. Also on the main level, are a full laundry room, two-car garage, and half-bathroom, for the best in convenient living!

Upstairs, a catwalk overlooking the living room and foyer connects two secondary bedrooms (one with excellent mountain views), a large bonus room, and a full bathroom, while downstairs a full walkout basement, stubbed for an additional bathroom, provides space for additional storage and expansion if needed.

The exterior is as feature rich as the interior, with a back deck, covered front porch, concrete siding, and sodded yard to provide that little "extra touch" not usually found in homes within this price range.

All of this on a quiet cul-de-sac side street in the convenient Arbor Hills neighborhood, close to Jasper, Talking Rock, and Highway 515 in Pickens County GA. Community amenities include a homeowner's association, clubhouse, swimming pool, tennis courts, sidewalks, streetlights, and underground utilities (public water & sewer, electric, phone/dsl, natural gas).

This immaculate new cottage-style home for sale in Arbor Hills is a deal not to be missed, at only $165,000! Call or email today for more details, or view a full virtual tour at . . .

www.50ArborHillsCircle.Info

Listed for Sale by Broker:

Trent D Cluley
Keller Williams Realty - Select Partners
678-493-2100

In a number of my blog posts, both here on ActiveRain and my other Pickens County real estate blog, Curbview Jasper, I frequently mention that due to home foreclosures, short sales, bankruptcies and other "distress" situations, there are a number of "deals" available among the homes for sale in Jasper and the North GA area. In this post I would like to highlight some of the areas / neighborhoods in which these bargain properties can be found.

To avoid violating any advertising restrictions, I can't identify specific houses, lots or tracts of land for which I don't have a listing agreement or other written permission from the owner, as this might be considered "marketing" without authorization. So, in the interest of ethics and the law, a general picture will have to suffice.

Several neighborhoods in Pickens County GA come to mind as a place to look for competitively priced homes, but foremost among these, the top three for new construction homes in my opinion would be . . .

Madison Ridge. Located to the southwest of Jasper GA, Madison Ridge is an otherwise appealing development, for which timing was simply unfortunate. The first homes were being built right as the market was turning, with the result that most or all of the new homes ended up being foreclosed on by the various banks through which loans had been secured (along with the developed lots & land that make up the development) . These bank-owned homes in Madison Ridge that were previously priced in the $300,000+ range can now be purchased starting at around $240,000.

Hunter's Ridge. This one is a little more surprising. Hunter's Ridge is a well-established neighborhood to the north of Jasper that until recently hadn't experienced a significant level of foreclosure activity. However, a selection of quality new homes were in the process of being built when the slowdown occurred, and they too ended up in foreclosure. These homes are mostly complete and are now available for sale at tens-of-thousands less than previously listed.

Dogwood Trace. Another of the newer subdivisions that suffered the consequence of the real estate slow down coming at an inopportune moment. Despite the quality construction of the homes, a lack of buyers drove the builder into bankruptcy and ultimately foreclosure, leaving a few new homes in the neighborhood available for sale at a greatly reduced price.

Also deserving of mention for anyone looking for a developed residential lot on which to build, rather than existing construction, is The Preserve at Sharp Mountain, which has a number of developed lots either in "pre-foreclosure" (short sale) status or already held as a bank-owned "REO" property. These lots are all 3-acres or more, many with mountain views, and are priced at considerably less than what their previous owners paid for them, making them quite attractive for a savvy buyer.

Of course, other gated communities such as Bent Tree and Big Canoe have their share of short sales, foreclosures, and discounted properties as well, but I will save the details of those for another post . . .

Again, this is merely a broad overview -- there are far more neighborhoods and areas offering up smart buys than covered here, and there are many properties that are attractively priced, even if not "distressed" as such.

For more info on finding a great deal that matches your specific needs in Pickens, North Cherokee, North Forsyth, or West Dawson County, feel free to call or email with your criteria.