The Georgia Association of REALTORS® and the Atlanta Board of REALTORS® have been campaigning the past two weeks to help get the Homebuyer Tax Credit extended, as have many local REALTOR® organizations, following the National Association of REALTORS®' lead.
YOU can help to get this important legislation extended - for the good of the economy - simply by writing to your representatives in Congress!
And it's easier than you may think!
Simply visit www.Congress.org and type in your zip code to be linked directly to your representatives.
Then click on the representative's name and click on "Contact" to reach a link to the Web Form you need to send an email directly to that Representative's office:
You'll also see their addresses and phone numbers for both their local and Washington, D.C., offices.
Not sure what to write? Click here for the letter I sent - via the Georgia Association of REALTORS® - simply copy and paste it into your representatives' web forms and hit send - it's that easy!
Subscribe to The Gebhardt Group's Real Estate blog today!
Maura Neill, ABR, CRS, MA
The Gebhardt Group
RE/MAX Greater Atlanta
10220 Medlock Bridge Road
Johns Creek, GA 30097
(770) 238-0595
email: Maura@GebhardtGroup.com
website: http://www.GebhardtGroup.com/
blog: http://www.GebhardtGroupBlog.com/
Want to bring a furry friend home to be a part of your family? Visit Veterinary Medical Center in Johns Creek / Alpharetta this Saturday, September 12, 2009, from 
10 AM to 4 PM and take part in their Pet Adoptions!
Veterinary Medical Center is located at 8750 Nesbit Ferry Road. It's my personal vet, where I bring my three cats and my Beagle, Charlie. I even adopted my sweet little tabby cat, Emma (pictured below), from them three years ago.
Also, if you just moved to the area and are looking for a new vet for your furry friends, you can stop by, meet the staff and check out the facilities. They have a caring staff and wonderful doctors. They also provide boarding and grooming services.
So if you live in the Alpharetta / Johns Creek area - or in the North Metro Atlanta, I encourage you to stop by the Veterinary Medical Center on Saturday, September 12, 2009 between 10 AM and 4 PM. There will be a variety of cats and kittens, dogs and puppies available for adoption. Refreshments will also be provided. You can call (770) 998-8450 for more information or to ask for specific information about available pets.
And don't forget to bring a friend!
Subscribe to The Gebhardt Group's Real Estate blog today!
Maura Neill, ABR, CRS, MA
The Gebhardt Group
RE/MAX Greater Atlanta
10220 Medlock Bridge Road
Johns Creek, GA 30097
(770) 238-0595
email: Maura@GebhardtGroup.com
website: http://www.GebhardtGroup.com/
blog: http://www.GebhardtGroupBlog.com/
Love Chick-Fil-A? Love their Original Chicken Sandwich? I know I do!
I just worked with a client from Texas who currently lives in Los Angeles, CA - there is only one Chick-Fil-A anywhere near her home in LA. She can't wait to move to Atlanta to be closer to Chick-Fil-A!
This Labor Day - Monday, September 7, 2009 - you can get a FREE Chick-Fil-A Original Chicken Sandwich, just by wearing your favorite sports team logo to a participating Chick-Fil-A.
I'll be here - at my favorite local Chick-Fil-A, located at 8475 Holcomb Bridge Road in Alpharetta, Georgia.
I'll be wearing my Florida State University Seminoles logo - we play our first game on Monday night! Whose logo will you be wearing to get your FREE Chick-Fil-A Original Chicken Sandwich?
For more information, you can visit the Chick-Fil-A website and click on the Labor Day Giveaway logo.
Will I see you at lunchtime at my Chick-Fil-A in Alpharetta? Look for me wearing FSU gear! Come on over and say hello!
Subscribe to The Gebhardt Group's Real Estate blog today!
Maura Neill, ABR, CRS, MA
The Gebhardt Group
RE/MAX Greater Atlanta
10220 Medlock Bridge Road
Johns Creek, GA 30097
(770) 238-0595
email: Maura@GebhardtGroup.com
website: http://www.GebhardtGroup.com/
blog: http://www.GebhardtGroupBlog.com/
On, HGTV's "Design Star" on Sunday night (August 9, 2009 episode), host Clive Pearse introduced the designers' challenge by saying, "In today's economy, people are not moving, they are improving." He went on to introduce the task of turning two California familes' garages into additional finished living space, therefore adding on to their existing homes and saving them from having to sell and move into larger homes.
Much of our real estate work right now has consisted of advising clients on home improvement projects that will add value and/or space to their existing homes, if they do not want to try to move in the current economy. Though it is a great time to buy a new home and move up (if one can afford to), many are waiting out the economic downturn, unwilling to take a big loss on the sale of their existing home, even to get a great deal on the purchase side.
Does this sound like you?
If you answered yes, I ask you, where do you find your contractors?
The best piece of advice we can give you, if you are using this time to improve your current home and wait out the economy, is to always seek out referrals to contractors and service providers from friends and family who have used their services - or of course, another great referral source is your REALTOR®. At The Gebhardt Group, we keep a detailed list of service providers who have excellent service records for us and for our clients. Each name on our list we have either used in our own personal homes or we have received from our clients who have recommended them highly.
Avoid the frustration of poorly done work or contractors who don't finish the job - get a referral from a trusted source - ask around your office, your friends, your neighbors, your REALTOR®. Your home is your biggest investment - don't allow just anyone to work on its improvements!
Subscribe to The Gebhardt Group's Real Estate blog today!
Maura Neill, ABR, CRS, MA
The Gebhardt Group
RE/MAX Greater Atlanta
10220 Medlock Bridge Road
Johns Creek, GA 30097
(770) 238-0595
email: Maura@GebhardtGroup.com
website: http://www.GebhardtGroup.com/
blog: http://www.GebhardtGroupBlog.com/
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Photo credit: "Hammer" - Posted to flickr.com by Darren Hester on November 22, 2007
In this market, buy for your lifestyle, not just for an "investment."
A "down market" or a "soft market" is a great time to buy a home...but not for the reason that some 
people think.
Ask yourself: what lifestyle do you want and how can buying a home help you to achieve it? Are you currently renting and eager to buy your first home? Are you expecting your family to grow in the near future? Have you been considering downsizing? It can be a scary time to buy, not only because of the way the media feeds our fears about the economy, but also because of the very real dangers that many face right now with potential job loss, company downsizing, depletion of investments like stocks and 401(k) accounts, etc. Thinking about your home as a way of meeting your lifestyle needs, rather than as a place to stash your cash, may help potential buyers to see the picture more clearly. Real estate is historically one of the best long-term investments one can make -- going back to the way of thinking of a generation or two ago, when homes were bought to serve the needs of shelter and safety, may help today's buyers to make more logical decisions about homebuying and help us emerge from our slumping housing market.
Great buys in the housing market exist for those who want to find them -- and being able to find them also means being realistic about what you can afford. While a down market is a great time to get deals, it doesn't mean to spend outside your means -- after all, that's how we got into this foreclosure mess we're in to begin with. Assess your finances, talk to a reputable lender (preferably one that comes recommended to you by a friend, family member or your REALTOR®) to get a realistic idea of what you can afford now.
It's a great time to find homes that are undervalued for many reasons: perhaps the home is a foreclosure or a short sale (pre-foreclosure); perhaps the neighborhood's values have been negatively affected foreclosures going on in and around it; perhaps the seller has already moved and is anxious to get the home sold. Whatever the reasons, the deals are out there to be had -- but think of this as a great time to buy a home to really live in, not a home to be your piggy bank. An investment -- yes? But a long-term one.
Subscribe to The Gebhardt Group's Real Estate blog today!
Maura Neill, ABR, CRS, MA
The Gebhardt Group
RE/MAX Greater Atlanta
10220 Medlock Bridge Road
Johns Creek, GA 30097
(770) 238-0595
email: Maura@GebhardtGroup.com
website: http://www.GebhardtGroup.com/
blog: http://www.GebhardtGroupBlog.com/
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Photo credit: "Piggy savings bank" - Posted to flickr.com by alancleaver_2000
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Serving the North Metro Atlanta area for over 15 years! (Alpharetta, Roswell, Norcross, Cumming, Suwanee, Duluth, Peachtree Corners, Sugar Hill, Decatur, Dunwoody, Buckhead, and the *new* Johns Creek)
We are a top-producing real estate team in the North Metro Atlanta area. Comprised of four experienced agents, each with our own specialties and strengths, we work together as a cohesive team to make each client's home buying and/or selling experience the absolute best it can be. We are:
Pam Gebhardt, CRS, ABR, CRC, GRI, CLHMS, e-Pro, Associate Broker, a REALTOR® for 15 years, and her team of support staff expertly and patiently guide you through the home buying or selling process. Her clients feel that they can call on her for help or advice long after the sale is completed. She is involved in the community and knows what is going on! Her annual customer appreciation parties help her to stay in touch and show her appreciation to everyone. Specializing in Buyer Brokerage, Relocation, and Exclusive Seller Representation, Pam enjoys a business that is complimented by returning clients and referrals from past clients - a sure sign of satisfied customers!
Nancie Torrence, ABR, CRC, a REALTOR® since May 2001, she earned a BS in Education from Miami University in Oxford, OH, and is a former corporate sales executive with Fortune 500 companies. As a REALTOR® Partner with The Gebhardt Group, Nancie uses her business background to help make your experience with The Gebhardt Group effortless. In 2004, she was ranked in the Top 100 in Communities Magazine and in the top 25 RE/MAX teams. She is a member of the RE/MAX Team Platinum Club, RE/MAX Team Chairman's Club and the Million Dollar Club.
Maura Gebhardt, ABR®, REALTOR® Partner, has been with The Gebhardt Group for 7 years. She works as a Buyer Specialist and specializes in working with first-time homebuyers and enojys walking them through the process of finding and buying the perfect first home. With an MA in English Literature from Florida State University, she is also in charge of all marketing and advertising for the team, including team promotions, listing marketing, and websites. Maura writes The Gebhardt Group's blog and has recently started a new division focusing on women as homeowners and property owners, Smart, Successful Women Own Real Estate. Maura is also a member of the Million Dollar Club and the RE/MAX 100% Club.
We are The Gebhardt Group!
Deirdre Graf, ABR, e-Pro, a licensed REALTOR® and Buyer Specialist, earned her BA in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire. Her focus is to expertly guide her clients through the buying process. Deirdre's role is to monitor the market and provide up-to-date information for our clients about available properties and current trends in the marketplace. To that end, she works specifically with buyer clients to help identify their particular needs, assist in arranging mortgage financing, and negotiate offers to help you get the home you want for the best possible price. Deirdre is also a member of the Million Dollar Club.
The Gebhardt Group is a full service real estate team. We specialize in the North Metro Atlanta area, from condos and townhomes, to luxury and country club properties, with list prices ranging from $100,000 to $4.9 million. We work with buyers and sellers. We love working with relocation clients and helping them get to know the area. Our business is 90% referral-based and we are proud of that!
With specialized systems in place to help with your home buying or selling process, we take care of each detail, to make your experience the best it can be.
With cutting-edge technology in place, we make your home search easy and market your home to the highest degree. Please visit us at:
http://www.SmartSuccessfulWomen.com/
http://www.NorthAtlantaRealtyBlog.com/
With a team of four REALTORS® who are always available to answer your questions and meet your needs.
With an emphasis on education, provided in part by RE/MAX Greater Atlanta, the number one RE/MAX franchise in the world.
We pride ourselves on our top-notch client care - from the moment they become a client, through contract and closing, and beyond!
I wanted to thank you for doing such a great job on handling the sale of our home (in Country Club of the South). I have sold 7 homes and this was one of the best experiences we have had with selling real estate. The entire reason is because of how professionally you handled the entire transaction from beginning to end. ~ Bob Hasty
Thank you for the very professional way you handled the listing and selling of our son Jim's home in Cumming, GA. Jim had used other Realtors but none of them treated him with the respect and guidance you provided. Your feedback system is a great tool and we never had to guess what potential buyers thought of the property; you kept us informed and negotiated a sales price that was more than we expected to receive in such a tough market. I would tell anyone who wanted to buy or sell a home to call you FIRST! ~ Donna Hanrahan
Pam is a highly competent Realtor with a great sense for the area. She is extremely professional and has more patience than one can imagine (I had to drag her through at least 125 houses or more). She is highly responsive and is a great communicator- everything you'd ever want in a Realtor. I'm convinced that Pam was not focused on just finding us a house-she wanted to help us find a home. ~ Jeff Barna
It is a rare exception when I take the time to write a complimentary letter to recognize a professional such as yourself, but felt that your work representing me, both as a seller...and then a buyer, warrants such action on my part... I want to applaud your total dedication and professionalism. You make me always feel that I was your only client, although I know you had many others. You invested your time above and beyond what was expected, dealt with me honestly and worked on my behalf at all times. For that I thank you. You're the best of the best! ~ Nick Pierce
[Pam] goes the extra mile...no, ten miles! She services each client as if YOU are her ONLY client. It is a rare, wonderful and refreshing experience to have the opportunity to recognize superior performance and to say "Thank You" for the pleasure of our experience working with Pam to both buy and sell my home. ~ Trent Tetterton
We've owned a number of homes, in many areas of the country, so we've dealt with many Realtors. You rank right at the top. You were professional, helpful and knowledgeable. ~ S. Michael Sharp, Ph.D.
We felt you did a wonderful job in helping us get the house ready for the market and in preparing all the advertising materials. You were always there for me, by phone and in person. I can't thank you enough for your assistance and personal support. ~ Barb Alderson
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