Did you know that there is Down Payment Assistance available for 1st Time Home Buyers in Dekalb County? Applications are now being accepted for the DeKalb County First-Time Homebuyer Program, funded by the DeKalb County Community Development Department and administered by the Housing Authority of DeKalb County.
Here's how it works: All eligible applicants will receive $5,000 towards their down payment, closing costs, or other prepaid expenses. Those who successfully improve their FICO credit scores to 620 or higher may receive up to $8,000.
What are the maximum annual income limits?
Household of 1----$39,850
Household of 2----$45,550
Household of 3----$51,250
Household of 4----$56,950
Household of 5----$61,500
Household of 6----$66,050
Household of 7--- $70,650
Household of 8+- $75,200
What is the maximum purchase price? The purchase price of the home cannot exceed $160,000.
Who is eligible? First-time homebuyers that have not owned a home during the last 3 years are eligible. Displaced homemakers and single parents may also qualify. Successful applicants must meet maximum income guidelines, be creditworthy, participate in home ownership pre-purchase counseling, and plan to purchase a single-family home anywhere in DeKalb County, outside the city limits of Atlanta. Homes must be up to all DeKalb County codes at the time of purchase.
What is the first step to apply? Applicants must first attend a workshop with one of the approved counseling agencies listed below.
How will my credit history affect eligibility?Applicants must be credit-worthy as determined by one of the program's participating lenders. Judgments, garnishments, bankruptcy, collections or too many bills may affect your ability to qualify for a loan.
Is any other assistance available? Qualified buyers may be eligible for $5,000-$20,000 in additional funds through the Georgia Dream Homeownership program, under the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
Housing counseling with an approved agency is the 1st step to enter this program. If you already have a contract on a house at the time of application, please be aware that your closing date must be at least 45 days away in order to complete processing. Because of the many HUD rules and regulations, this program may not be for you if you have already signed a contract on a home.
How much cash must buyers contribute? Buyers must contribute 1% of the total purchase price. So if you are buying the maximum purchase allowed of $160,000, you will need to contribute $1,600.
A certificate of completion can be obtained by attending classes and individualized counseling that will prepare you to make an informed choice when you purchase your home.Topics covered in the classes include:
Following class completion, you will also be required to sit down with a certified housing counselor who will go over your own personal situation and advise you on the best way to proceed to become a new homeowner in a way that works out best for you. Class times and locations will vary by the counseling agency, so call now to enroll in a class that fits your schedule.
Approved Housing Counseling Agencies
• Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Greater Atlanta 1-888-239-8516, ask Operator for the DeKalb County 1st Time Homebuyer Program,Referral code 098 www.cccsinc.org
•· DeKalb Metro Housing Counseling Center 404-508-0922 e-mail: dmhcc@bellsouth.net
•· Green Forest Community Development Corporation 404-486-5768 www.gfcdc.org
•· D&E, A Financial Education & Training Institute, Inc. 770-961-6900 www.depower.org
•· Housing Authority of DeKalb County 404-270-2600 www.dekalbhousing.org
•· Urban Hope Homeownership Center 770-696-9607 www.urbanhope.com
•· Reynoldstown CDC 404-525-4130 ext. 15 www.reynoldstown.org
•· HomeFree-USA 404-607-0800 www.homefreeusa.org
If you are considering buying or selling a home in Dekalb County, contact Jen Bowman, Realtor, Success Realty at 404-456-5024.
See More Down Payment Assistance Programs
View more of the Georgia Real Estate Voice Follow me on Twitter. Search for Dekalb Homes for Sale.
Ahhh, Atlanta home of the Beerfest. Here is another one intown in the hot new neighborhood of Glenwood Park. Glenwood Park is a really cool live, work, play community with condos, townhomes with street front office space on the ground floor and single family homes. Retail space is also available for lease. Some of the homes have rooftop decks with skyline views of downtown Atlanta. It is especially amazing at night.
Glenwood Park is an entire community built around green building principles. Each residence adheres to the Earthcraft House construction standard developed by the Southface Energy Institute and the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association.
Hotober Fest (haa-toe-ber-Fest) : a one day event promoting the Preservation of our precious Earth, Appreciation of Craft Beers and Celebration of Live Music. It is Saturday October 4th, 2008 from noon to 7 p.m.
Hotoberfest is an environmental fundraiser with craft beers and will feature some of the areas favorite bands and local DJs. celebration of live music, featuring Beer Tasting in an OctoberFest-style Beer Garten with over 100 Craft Beers from around the world. A portion of the ticket will be donated to local, environmentally focused organizations
An advanced web-ticket price of $30 ($35 at the gate), gets you in to the Beer Tasting.
A limited number of VIP Green Tickets are available ($50 in advance, $55 at the gate). VIP Green tickets allow access to specialty beers that are not included in the Beer Garten, as well as "all access" admission to the VIP Green Ticket Tent for the entire event.
This one day festival will be held on the grounds of Glenwood Park neighborhood, located at exit 59B off I-20E, between the Boulevard and Moreland Avenue exits, two miles from downtown Atlanta.
For more information: go to the Hotoberfest website.
Food and beverages will be available to everyone and the Live Music is Free!
TRANSPORTATION & PARKING
Please support efforts toward sustainability and try to be conscious of our neighborhoods, try to: Car Pool Bicycle Take MARTA, Route #9 ($5 walk-up admission discount with Bus Transfer ticket dated 10/04/08)
Follow signs to Parking Lots located at:
There is NO PARKING on the old sections of Faith Ave. & Sanders Ave. or in the commercial district parking lot of Glenwood Park. Violators will be towed at the owners expense.
Info courtesy of Jen Bowman, Realtor serving Decatur and Intown Atlanta, Success Realty, 404-456-5024
Everyone who has moved know the costs can quickly add up, which can add to the stress of moving. One of the best ways to save money is to get your moving boxes FREE. Yes, it can be done. I just looked on U-Hauls website and to get 100 boxes and supplies it was over $500! That's not chump change in my book. So, if you're moving or have clients moving check out these resources.
Craigslist - Post a free Wanted ad, people are always moving and needing to get rid of their boxes.
Once again, on Craigslist, look under the Free section for people giving away moving boxes.
Yahoo has FreeCycle groups all over the country, actually 4,604 groups. The point of FreeCycle is to keep things out of the landfills by recycling. Post a free Wanted request. While you're there post a free Offer request to give other people a chance to get the things you don't want to move. On FreeCycle, no money changes hands. It's FREE. It's a great way to recycle.
Go to your local recycle center and get the boxes there that others are getting rid of.
Go to your local liquor stores, drug and grocery stores. They always have boxes. Ask the store manager what day they get deliveries and if you can have the boxes.
Ask friends that have recently moved to pass on their moving boxes to you.
Once you have used your boxes, pass them on to someone else. It's good for the environment and everyone's wallet!
Where do you get your moving boxes from?
I recently listed a home in Dekalb County, GA where we have 143 schools and centers, that's not including colleges and universities. I wasn't sure of the particular school that new young residents of the home would go to. So, I did what most real estate agents do.
I went to the Local Multiple Listing Service and looked at other listings in the subdivision. I was quite surprised that I found 5 different elementary schools listed for the subdivision. I knew that couldn't be right. So I went to the Dekalb County Schools website and looked it up by address of the home I was listing. The home owner didn't have children in school, so I didn't even ask if she knew the schools.
When you are purchasing a home, you need to know what school your children will attend. You'll need to go to: Dekalb County Schools
Do not just rely on what the Listing tells you in regard to the school. 90% of the listings showed incorrect schools in the particular subdivision I was looking at. Yes, 18 out of 20 listings had inaccurate info. As a professional Realtor, I found this shocking. I realize that many homebuyers buy a home in a particular place because of the school.
If one of the reasons you are buying a home is based on the school your child will attend, go the extra mile. Verify the school through the School District's website. Due diligence is critical and it is the responsibility of the Home Buyer. That is just another reason why a Home Buyer should have representation with a Buyers Agent who can watch out for these things.
If you are thinking of buying or selling a home in Dekalb County, GA contact local expert Jen Bowman, Realtor and Broker Associate with Success Realty at 404-456-5024.
Read more of the Georgia Real Estate Voice. Search the MLS for homes in Dekalb County, GA.
When was the last time you went to the Dekalb County Public Library? If you are not familiar with it, you'll want to check it out. There are 22 branches of the library, so there is probably one near you. One of the best features I like is being able to search the library database from the comfort of my own home. I can go online and choose what I want, which is usually a different fitness DVD. The library will then email me to let me know that my selection has arrived at the branch I choose. I go pick it up, it's quick and easy.
So while I was there today, returning another DVD, I happened to see a poster that really piqued my interest. The library actually has Georgia State Park Passes to lend out. I just mentioned this to my husband, and he said "what's the catch?" No catch, you can borrow a Park Pass Kit. It consists of a park pass hanging tag for your vehicle, 1 library loan pass for Historic sites in GA, along with the 2008 Guide to Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites pamphlet and Get Outdoors Georgia pamphlet in one folder. You can get into the State Parks free for 7 days. There are 63 Parks and Historic sites. If you were to buy the annual passes it would cost $30 for the State Parks and $35 for a family pass to the Historic sites. The pass will save you on the parking fees for all the parks and save you the fees for the historic sites. To see all the parks, check out www.gastateparks.org. I thought this was pretty great, considering autumn is coming and it's time to get outdoors and play.
The library has 45 copies of the pass. So how do you reserve yours? Go to www.dekalblibrary.org. At the top right of the page under Find Books, Movies and Film, type in Parks Pass, hit go. Look for Georgia State Parks and Historic sites Park Pass. Click on the Request Item button. Put your barcode from your library card in and your pin. If you don't know your pin, contact the library. They'll email you when your request comes in. You can also reserve your Pass by just going up to the Check Out desk and asking for it. Visit your local library and take advantage of these money saving deals.
Success Realty
404-456-5024
www.JenBowman.com
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I'm an Associate Broker actively working in Metro Atlanta. If you're thinking of buying or selling a home, let me guide you through this ever changing real estate maze. Call me at 404-456-5024.
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