Erin Shawver

Fair market value, simply speaking, is what a buyer is willing to pay for a property; in other words, "what the market will bear." This is, in essence, what a property is worth. There are many factors that go into establishing the fair market value of a home, and two weighty ones are the home's square footage and number of bedrooms/bathrooms. The home's age, condition and location are also important factors, and the school district can greatly affect value for home buyers with children. Supply and demand is also a consideration. The fewer comparable listings there are on the market in your area, the more valuable your home, especially if it has hard-to-find amenities or is located in a very desirable neighborhood or sought after area. Conversely, if there are lots of comparable homes on the market, it can lower the value of your home, particularly when there is a scarcity of buyers.

An easy way to determine the value of your home is to request a comparative market analysis (CMA), which tells you how much your house is worth compared to other homes sold in the area in the past year.

But of course this is never to be confused with an official appraisal of your home by a licensed real estate appraiser to determine the value of the property. But these two determinations can often vary for different reasons of course. The facts are this: what the value is on paper verses what the market bears (what a ready, willing, and able buyer is ready, willing, and able to purchase your home for can be different) can always be off sometimes of course.

I will be happy to personally complete this comparative market analysis for you upon request for free! Just contact me and I will go over a few details with you. Give me a call or email me TODAY!

Have a great day! It's a good LIFE!!!

Erin Shawver

770-889-SOLD (OFFICE) 678-549-2800 (CELL) erin.shawver@powersoldit.com

OKAY! So some of you have been asking and some of you have just been wondering what is the deal with all your blogs (personal and now this). Well first I have to admit that I thought the whole "blog" thing was totally weird first of all. The word BLOG itself is just weird to begin with. Then I just thought to myself that no one would ever want to hear or read what I was thinking or had to say anyway so what was the point? And of course the main thing was, I do not have time for this "blog" thing anyway. Which is what everyone says, and I myself do not even have time for it as you can see sometimes my blog posts can be few and far between (which I am trying to become better at). So I will try my best to explain first my personal blog so you can get to know me on a personal level better and why I have that blog since I created it first and then I will explain this blog and why I created it for my business.

First thing's first! My personal blog! You can view it at: http://www.reshawverfam.blogspot.com

1.) I created it mainly to keep in touch with family members that were not on facebook or myspace that wanted a quick and easy way to see and view our family pictures and get family updates like engagements, births (not ours of course!), graduations, family functions, things of that nature. Just a place where out of town family could come and see what was going on in our lives and keep in touch.

2.) Then more and more of our family members got into facebook and myspace, and then I realized that the picture service that I was using wanted to charge me for uploading my pictures to my blog (which I was NOT having). You could only have a limited amount of space to upload picture to. So I was having to manually upload pictures on my blog and then the two other social networking sites and I just got annoyed with that after awhile. So I only post a few pics on my personal blog now and then I post the majority of my pics on facebook because that is where the majority of my friends and family are these days!

3.) Now I blog mainly to inspire others with things that I am reading about. Bible verses from Bible studies that I am involved in, things of that nature. I try to be an uplifting person, I am a person of great faith in Jesus Christ and plan on shining His light in all that I do, not only personally but in my business as well. I post a "Thankful Thursday" blog post almost everyday single week. This is a way for me to keep myself in check and remember that no matter what adversities I may be facing that there are always things to be thankful for.

4.) I was also posting instersting websites that I would run across from time to time because I just feel like when I find something worth sharing that I should share it right?! So I try and post a Wednesday Website...BUT like I said before my blogging sometimes on a consistant basis at least has become few and far between here lately because I seem to have gotten busier lately, which is good. I also LOVE reading comics from time to time and LOVE sharing good ones with my followers (IF I even have any!) So I do post cartoons on there as well on Tuesdays when I get the chance and remember of course.

OKAY now for the Active Rain Blog...My Real Estate Blog...My "Professional" Blog just for "Business" things...well it's not just for business really. BUT yes it is mainly just geared for real estate yes!

1.) I heard about this site from a friend and heard many great things about this as a great tool for agents to not only grow their businesses but also as a networking tool to as agents to help each other and learn. After all we are after the same common thing at the end of the day...a CLOSING and to learn more about the real estate business as a whole!

2.) I really want this blog to be a place where my clients (past, present AND poential of course) can come get good information, learn more about the real estate market and me as an agent of course.

3.) I would like to break the stereotypes that have often been set upon real estate agents and I feel that maybe...just maybe by having this form of blog where I can be as open and honest about my professional practices to my past, present and of course potential clients that they can begin to see that I am set apart and that these stereotypes can be busted. Agents can be good, honest and hard working people.

4.) I try and post not only things about real estate on here but also personal information so that my past, present and of course my potential clients can get to know me, Erin Shawver, as the person and not just as the real estate agent, because I feel that it's when a relationship is formed that a true partnership between the agent and client can be formed and that trust is established.

So there you have it! This is why I blog and why I LOVE blogging now! So if you LOVE reading my blogs PLEASE give me a shout out from time to time so I don't feel like I am just talking or typing to the space that is cyber space out there for nothing.

BROWNS BRIDGE COMMUNITY CHURCH in Cumming, GA is hosting Good Friday services at 5:30 and at 7:00PM on April 10th. The day we remember the death of Jesus Christ. The first service there will be child care provided in Wamaba land. PLEASE come out and share in this time of worship. There will be amazing music and just a time of relection for what Jesus Christ did on the cross for all of us that day.

*Also if anyone is interested in meeting us for dinner before or carpooling please let us know so we can make arrangements. The MORE the better! We would LOVE to have you come and share this time with us!

For more information about our church you can visit the website at:

http://www.brownsbridge.org/

3860 Browns Bridge Road Cumming, GA 30041

What do you think about the real estate market right now? What comes to mind when you think of buying or selling? So often lately people have asked me, "So Erin how's real estate, must be so bad right now. What a crappy time for your industry."

Houses are taking longer to sell and buys are few and far between sometimes because a lot of them can't get qualified with all the new rules and regulations. BUT people still have the desire or need to move which means they have to put their house on the market to sell. AND surprise, surprise people still have to have places to live too! People are moving here and there all the time. So although it may be a little slow right now due to the economy things are still happening out there. And trust me even though it can be frustrating that I have not sold a house yet this year you rest assure that I WILL sell a house soon!

I have faith! I have faith in a God that is bigger than anything that this economy or government can throw our way. I have faith in a God that help people in their most desperate time of need. I have a God that has HUGE plans for each of us if we just trust and realize that He's got it all under control. If we could for one minute of the day stop and release our worries and fears and stresses and turn them over to God we would rest easy in knowing that no matter what God will deliver us. I serve a big God with big plans for me and my future. So I can rest easy in knowing He will see me through these hard times of struggle. Think about it if you will! I challenge you when you begin to worry or get stressed that you stop and pray and ask God to take those feelings from you and tell Him your worries and fears and stresses and anxieties. I am a person of deep faith in my God and I know that whatever happens or does not happen in life is for a reason and a purpose and that it's all according to God's beautiful plan for my life. If you can realize that then everything else is so much easier to handle. Instead of trying so hard to live our lives our way trust it with God. He is the ultimate provider, not buyers and sellers and real estate commissions. He will provide for you if you just trust Him wholeheartedly!

As the leading advocate for homeownership, the National Association of REALTORS® aggressively supports the mortgage interest deduction (MID) because it helps people become and remain homeowners. The MID has been part of the federal tax code since it was first enacted in 1913. A home purchase - the largest investment most families will ever make - builds family wealth, provides tax revenues for local governments and stimulates growth in all housing-related industries. According the most recent IRS tax return data available, 63 percent of the families who claim the MID earn between $50,000 and $200,000 per year. While in any particular year only about one-third of taxpayers itemize, of the taxpayers who do itemize deductions, more than 81 percent take the MID.

NAR strongly opposes any attempts to alter the current tax treatment of mortgage interest. Any changes to the mortgage interest deduction could erode the value of homes and homeownership, effectively closing the door on the American dream. An NAR survey of home buyers found that both first-time buyers and repeat buyers ranked the desire for tax incentives as an important reason to buy. People usually don't buy homes because of the MID. They buy homes to satisfy social, family and personal goals. The MID does, however, facilitate homeownership by reducing the carrying costs of ownership.

The MID remains the most effective tax incentive to expand homeownership. Homeownership provides important social and economic benefits. It is the cornerstone of a healthy community, the basis for positive community involvement and a family's first step on the ladder to wealth.

The tax deductibility of interest paid on mortgages is both a powerful incentive for homeownership and one of the simplest provisions in the tax code. It should not be targeted for change. NAR has been both vocal and successful in protecting the MID, yet proposals to eliminate it or scale it back continue to surface in Congress. Policymakers and voters have a legitimate desire to simplify the tax system, but tampering with the deductions for mortgage interest and property tax would be unwise, if not disastrous. Current law permits deductions of the interest paid on mortgage debt of up to $1 million on a primary residence and one additional residence. In addition, the interest paid on home equity loans of up to $100,000 may be deducted.

NAR opposes any tax reform plan, including a flat tax plan, that does not retain the deductibility of mortgage interest. NAR also opposes any effort to convert the MID from a deduction to a tax credit. A flat tax is a tax system in which all earned income is taxed. It has no deductions or exclusions. A single rate of tax applies to all individuals, regardless of income level. It's called a flat tax because this single rate applies to all income. Flat tax and other tax code simplification plans threaten the MID. In the past, flat tax proposals have come before Congress as part of the ongoing debate over how best to reform the current tax system.NAR believes true reform can be achieved only through legislation that simplifies regulations and moves to a lower overall tax burden. Tax reform proposals that result in unfair distribution of present tax levels, heavier total tax burdens, or disruption of markets are not desirable. NAR will remain vigilant in opposing any tax reform plan that excludes the deductibility of mortgage interest.

Information from www.realtor.org