Mary Anne Payne, ePro, Associate Broker

Lakewood 400 Antiques Market This Weekend 3/19/2010

Looking for a cigar store Indian for your basement bar? How about some antique guns for that military display in your study, or better yet, vintage buttons and fabric for any kind of art project??!! You can find all that and more at the Lakewood 400 Antiques and Flea Market on Highway 9 in Cumming.

A monthly antiques and flea market typically held the third weekend of the month, the market has been a fixture in the North Atlanta area after moving from its original location at the Lakewood Fairgrounds in downtown Atalnta. While not as big but growing, this market offers many different items from fine antiques to furniture to flea market finds in a compact, easy to navigate indoor and outdoor facility near Highway 141 in South Forsyth County. Open this weekend from 9-6 Friday and Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday. Admission is $3 and good for the whole weekend!

Lots of fun dealers, artwork and contemporary pieces too.

How to tell if your property is priced to SHOW or ON the market :

You have been on the market over 30 days with no offers.

You did not listen to your agent and talked them in to pricing it above the recommended listing price so you can have ‘room to negotiate'.

You will not reduce that price within those 30 days to get it sold.

You think it's not ‘fair' that appraisers are using foreclosure and short sale comps in your neighborhood-it is what it is, get over it.

You don't really have to sell, that if you don't get your price you won't move-that worked in 2005, it won't in 2010.

You and your agent are basing your price on the actives and not the solds in the area.

You are appointment only, two hour notice before showing only, not available to show weekend afternoons because children are sleeping, call homeowner to put out lockbox, call homeowner to remove pets, etc.

You do not prepare your home for showings like turning on ALL the lights, including the ones in the closets and bathrooms, opening blinds and curtains, keeping heat or air on depending on the weather, and making sure your kitchen is bright and spotless-including the cook tops, appliance fronts, countertops, INSIDE the oven and cabinets-trust me buyers look.

You are home during showings, your cat is on the kitchen counter and you just smoked a cigarette on the deck (we can tell, it follows you inside...)

Your agent has not told you that you are competing with people who absolutely HAVE to sell their homes and will do whatever it takes to make that happen.

How to tell if your property is priced to SELL or IN the market :

Your listing price is within the last sold comparable to your home-apples to apples-for instance, if your home is a 4BR, 2.5 bath with a basement and flat yard and the last one that sold like that 2 months ago sold for $190,000 then your need to be priced around $190,000 as well. Market data in Atlanta is showing that homes priced right are selling in 27 days or less at 97% of their list price. Adversely if your home is priced above market, data is showing that it is taking more than 200 days for that home to sell and finally at 78% of original list price.

Your home looks and smells like new or very close to new construction. You have listened to your agent and/or their stager and have done everything they have asked. You have trusted their advice and suggestions. You make your home extremely easy for the busy stressed agent who has shown their buyer over 60 homes in a weekend to get in to. You are serious about moving, it is not an option.

This market is a great one, for those that have the agent who will tell them the truth and for sellers that have guts and knowledge of their local market conditions, and treat that information wisely. Your home is a product and becomes inventory to the store that the listing agent has. If this agent treats that inventory like a product that they have to get off the shelf and if that agent knows their expenses, then your home will more than likely be priced right and will sell! Ask your agent what their carrying costs are for their inventory, if they don't know that number, they may be wasting your time and their own.

While 2009 ended on a decent note in Forsyth County, mostly because of the bump from the tax credit (which was extended until April 2010), there were 5 homes that made the top of the sales list, and surprisingly, only one had been listed for well over a year.

In 2009, 2076 homes sold in Forsyth County, down from 2388 in 2008. That being said, overall, the average sold price in FC is $291,646 and the average days on market is 104.

So how about the most expensive homes sold in 2009?? Well, it looks like SOME folks had money as 18 homes sold over $800K last year. And the winner is.....

Ford Lane on Lake Lanier for a sold price of $1,925,263 in just over one year on the market. This home originally listed at $2,395,000, has 4 bedrooms, 4 and 2.5 baths with huge sweeping views of deep water Lake Lanier. The panoramic views of this home are spectacular and the home was detailed with designer touches and upgrades throughout. Listed by Coldwell Banker, it was sold by a Prudential agent in August 2009.

Number 2 is...A home in St Marloon Derbyshire Court listed for $1,795,000 and sold for $1,600,000 in June 2009.

This builder's home featured 7 bedrooms and 7 baths, typical high end builder design and upgrades, golf course and lake setting in gated neighborhood, 4 sided brick and stone in golf neighborhood in South Forsyth. This home listed by Beacham & Co and sold by Coldwell Banker was originally listed at $2,675,000 and was on the market just over a year.

Also in Forsyth County in 2009, the number 3 highest sale was in Creekstone Estates for $1,500,000. Originally listed for $1,685,000 this home was only on the market 4 months (gee, was it priced right I presume???). Number 4 was also a Lake Lanier home in Holly Hills on Tamiami Trail for $1,265,000, originally listed for $1,650,000 and on the market for 1.5 years. Number 5, also a Lake Lanier home in Deer Creek Shores sold for $1,200,000 after 4 years on and off the market originally listed at over 2 million.

Currently there are 137 homes on the market in Forsyth County over $800K with the most expensive being Le Reve on Trammel Road near Windermere for $28 million-wow it was just reduced $17 million so get there quick....ok, ok, it does have it's own private golf course and is on over 75 acres.

Here's hoping 2010 will be a better year for high end homes! And as always, pricing it right is the key.

I love local newspapers. I receive them free in my driveway once a week for my area in South Forsyth county GA called the Forsyth Herald. The best part of it is looking at the DUI and drug arrests to see if you know anyone unlucky enough to be cited there. And there have been neighbors and neighbor kids in there. Ah.... THAT's why mom is driving juniors 'beater' to the tennis courts today.............

So this week in our local paper under the Police Blotter section( and here we go, this is funny..) Another case of drive-by 'fruiting' and the article is as follows:

'Forsyth County deputies were contacted by the security guard at Laurel Springs subdivision (my neighborhood and one of my farm areas)after he became another victim of a senseless drive by 'fruiting'.

The security guard said he was looking into a report of drivers being pelted with strawberries when his security vehicle was hit with a tomato. The wayward foodstuff knocked a sensor off his radar unit, which was located on the windshield, said investigators.

The guard told deputies later that evening a blue Jeep Cherokee pulled up to the entrance and exit gate. One of several teenage boys inside the car was overheard laughing and saying "You hit it" before they drove off, he said.'

SO my friends, do I tweet this, do I post it on Facebook, do I send a card out to my farm area with a coupon for free strawberries or tomato plant-I want to have FUN with this!!!!!! Market stats are so not as funto talk about, and are depressing too.

I wanted to be a journalism major in college, after interning at a paper doing obits and thinking up ways to make incidents like this sound interesting, I decided upon sales......

Remember the movie Mrs. Doubtfire?? That's where the phrase came from--

With over 74 middle school performers, Riverwatch Middle School is nearing the opening of their spring musical, High School Musical the week of March 18 at the Central Forsyth High School Performing Arts Center.

What a great and economical way to take the family to a quality production that everyone will enjoy! RMS Chorus Director Miriam Reynolds states "We had over 150 students audition back in November for this show. We have an incredible group of parents that have built sets, designed costumes, lights and sound. The kids have worked very hard and are ready to 'show their stuff!'"

TIcket information is available at www.RMSdrama.wordpress.com