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Matthew Share

A sign that the bottom of the market has been reached

The other day, I was doing some research for buyer clients of mine on the state of the market for a property that they were considering putting an offer in on. This property was new construction in a generally sought after area of East Cobb (Marietta, GA). The home was listed in the 900's. As part of my research, I analyzed the trends in inventory levels in my local absorption reports. Interestingly, I noticed that the months of inventory has actually declined in recent months in that category and area. It peaked in February 2008. See the stats below.

8/07 - 18.9 months of inventory

9/07 - 20.3 months

10/07 - 20.5 months

11/07 - 21.2 months

12/07 - 24 months

1/08 - 24.4 months

2/08 - 31.1 months - - - - -This is where it seems to have bottomed out and the trend reversed.

3/08 - 29.3 months

4/08 - 28.8 months

A great place to meet with existing clients or meet new ones

I am writing this blog entry at my favorite local coffee place. It's a relatively new place called the Daily Grind in N East Cobb County right at the intersection of East Piedmont Rd. and Sandy Plains Road. They have geat beverages as well as a comfortable atmosphere and free Wi-Fi. There's even a conference room that you can use for small meetings. I will be conducting a business networking session there once a month with the first session on May 29th at 8AM. Since this is the first one, I ask that if you plan on attending please let me know and I will know to look out for you there. If you go, ask for the owner, John and tell him I sent you.

In the trenches - what I see in my local market

All over the news it is doom and gloom about the housing market. The statistics are there indicating how bad things are. Somehow, I am seeing a slightly different story. I have seen a tremendous increase in activity in April. So much so that I actually have a buyer that is visiting from out of town. Most of the homes that I previewed this week are already under contract before they could get here to look at them. Some of these were homes that were on the market for almost a year at the same price. I too had a listing like this that just sold. What I have noticed is not a void of buyers; but a tremendous amount of overpriced listings. If you are selling a nice house that shows well in my area and you price it right, it WILL sell. Pricing it right is the key. Currently, in the neighborhoods that I work, it looks like the right price is usually approximately 7% below what the comps were selling for in 2006.

Sample Local Restaurants in Atlanta Suburbs

If you are considering relocating to the Atlanta suburbs and you want a chance to sample many of the local restaurants, there are 2 upcoming events that you would be interested in.

1. Taste of Marietta - this will take place on April 27th in the historic Marietta Square. It is simply wonderful to spend a little time in this charming outdoor square if the weather is nice. While you're there, take a drive around some of the historic neighborhoods and see some fantastic properties.

2. Tast of East Cobb - on May 3rd. Similar; but smaller scale event as the Marietta version. This one is not in a historic location (just a strip mall parking lot); but should also be a fun event for the whole family. It's also a great time to get out and meet the locals if you are new to the area or considering relocation. Look for me and be sure to say hi if you see me.

There will be restarurant samplings as well as local entertainment and other vendors and activities at both of these events.

Why don't we put square footage information in the MLS in Georgia?

Whenever I work with clients from other states, they are amazed that I am not able to tell them accurate square footage information about a listed property. Quite frankly, I am on their side and wish that I could get access to this information and give it to my clients. The price per square foot is a good indicator of value. I often refer my clients to the tax records to get square footage information but find that data is notoriously incorrect. Does anyone know how this came about. What is the history and reasoning behind why agents in GA can not give out or advertise this information? I'd love to know because I get asked this often by my clients.