Michael Neville - Intown Atlanta Realtor

It's time for one of Atlanta's most eclectic events - the Inman Park Spring Festival! The Tour of Homes is only on Firday April 24th - so don't miss out. The tour features elegant, turn of the century Victorian homes, bungalows, as well as contemporary construction. The Tour of Home Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the festival. If you're interested in more than merely looking at a few homes and are considering moving to the Inman Park neighborhood, please give me a call or email me & I'll be happy to arrange a private tour of any and all homes you'd like to consider. You can always see what's available by visiting my website at www.LiveInAtlantaGA.com

Beyond the Tour of Homes - all Festival events are FREE!

Saturday, April 25th the hilariously quirky parade will be led by the Inman Park Butterfly, followed by floats, clowns, jugglers, and the Kelly's Seed & Fedd Marching Abominables.

The children's activities include pony rides, moon walk, face painting and other fun activities.

For more info visit www.inmanparkfestival.org

On April 25th Zoo Atlanta will have a wild, green bash for Good Ol' Mother Earth. It's from 10-5 and will be a time to recycle, re-use, & re-envision your world view. There will be green exhibitors, zoo mascots, earthworm digs, and the KIDZone dance floor will be rockin'. There will be special keeper talks, wildlife shows, and animal encounters. Bring your old or unused cell phones for recyclling during the Party for the Planet. It will be fun for all ages.

Zoo Atlanta is located in the Historic Grant Park district only seconds from downtown. It's a great place to visit as well as an incredible place to call home. So, if after seeing all of the animals you decide you want to live in Grant Park or Ormewood Park right next door. Just call me at 404-310-8364 or Mike@LiveInAtlantaGA.com or visit my website at www.LiveInAtlantaGA.com

The following statistical information comes from the data gathered by FMLS.

Mike's Corner - Market Update - The average sale price for single family detached homes in Metro Atlanta was $179,368 in February compared to December '08 $208,965, which is a $29,597 drop in two months! This is the lowest monthly average since February 1998, 11 years ago. The average February closed price was 21.7% lower than February 2008. There are certain counties and neighborhoods that have faired better or worse than others. The worst being Clayton County (school accredidation is a HUGE issue - plus the median income is substantially lower, which means they were more susceptible to the sub-prime market & possibly early rounds of lay-offs.) Dunwoody in Fulton County and Candler Park in Dekalb County were two of the few areas holding strong and showing signs of APPRECIATION!

What does this mean? Honestly, it is clear sign for most that unless you truly need to sell - now is not the time, unless you plan to take advantage of the loss you'll possibly take by buying something with a larger equity position. People who need to sell (expanding family, family change, job transfer, or job loss) need to face the reality of the market. If they feel they "can't sell" because they are "upside down" (the outstanding loan is more than the house will sell for currently) it may be time to evaluate a possible short-sale with the bank forgiving the difference in the loan. No matter what the case, speak with a qualified realtor, look over the facts, be well-informed, and look for an objective opinion.

For Buyers, these numbers would indicate that it is clearly a great time to buy. You will never know when "we hit bottom" happens until we see it in the rearview mirror. There are new programs offering $14,000 for Buyers in down payment or renovation assistance that choose to buy foreclosures. The state of Georgia is about to pass a primary residence homebuyer tax credit of $1,800 that will be good for 6 months from the day it is signed off on. This is on top of the $8,000 Federal Tax Credit which is good for 1^st time homebuyers purchasing before December 1, 2009. That's a potential savings of $23,800 on top of the ridiculously low prices we're seeing for homes - meaning this is an incredible time to buy!

For Investors, this is an unbelievable opportunity to have immediate positive cash flow rental properties and/or land acquisitions with plans of a long-term hold. With tight lending restrictions the rental market is booming.

For some realtors, i've just pulled the pin and left the grenade in the room.......for everyone else - welcome to our reality. Rather than be upset by the information, use it to act prudently and know that the market is what you make it. Good Realtors can be successful in any market & it always pays to be honest b/c what you do in the dark eventually comes to the light.

If you have questions, concerns, comments, or a desire to evaluate your personal real estate options please feel free to call 404-310-8364 or email me at Mike@LiveInAtlantaGA.com - I'm here to help

So, we all realize that in this market we need to step it up to keep our clients happy, under contract, and reach the closing table...oh yeah, and fund the loan (just in case some bank decides to disappear in the middle of the night....not saying any names).

I'm looking forward to using a box cutter, flat edge screwdriver, & crowbar to pry open all of the windows which were painted shut on a home we have under contract that needs to be ready for the FHA appraisal on Monday. My client had to leave town for a wedding this afternoon, but I let him know this wouldn't be a problem - I'd handle it. He was pleasantly surprised & smiling through the phone - with a simple "gosh".

It's about being solution-based, knowing you need to roll up your sleeves, & then providing the services needed to ensure deals get done. I could complain that I'm spending part of my weekend doing this or realize that my client is going to be unbelievably impressed/appreciative and be more likely to send me referrals down the line b/c he's got a story to share about his realtor with his buddy-- and know that I'm ensuring the deal gets done b/c we know each closing is that much more important in this market.

It doesn't matter if you're in Atlanta, GA or Portland, ME - we're in the same boat --- get the deals done, go the extra mile --- b/c in the extra mile there's no traffic. There are a lot of people jumping ship in the industry. I want to be one of the last ones standing, how 'bout you?

To celebrate Earth Day the 2-Day Music & Art Festival will be held from 12 pm - 10 pm on Saturday and 12:30 pm - 8 pm on Sunday in Atlanta's beautiful Candler Park. There's free admission for the live music, food, & eco-educational activities. If you're 21+ you can purchase a wristband for $5 to enjoy Sweetwater beer and wine. A portion of the wristbands will go to benefit Candler Park improvements.

This event is in it's 5th year and is a huge attraction for live music and arts-driven eco-education - all led by the Sweetwater Brewing Company. With the focus on being eco-friendly people are encouraged to use MARTA and get off at the Candler Park Station that is only a few blocks away.

More info can be found at www.sweetwater420fest.com

And if you're impressed by the neighborhood, park, etc. please give send me an email to Mike@LiveInAtlantaGA.com or call 404-310-8364. There are some amazing homes in Candler Park, Inman Park, and Lake Claire - with the Edgewood Retail District & Little Five Points only seconds away - not to mention Virginia Highland only a few blocks away as well. These are definitely some of the best & coolest neighborhoods within the City of Atlanta.