Red Hot Atlanta Homes - Kathy Seger & Ben Staten

It's always exciting to help someone find their first home - a place they can call their own. Congratulations to Mavis, a first time homebuyer, on her new home. This family will be moving in over the weekend and look forward to showing off their new home.

The new home is located in Lawrenceville off I-85 and Old Peachtree Rd. It's a wonderful 3 bedroom townhouse with a fireside Great Room and eat-in Kitchen. A large storage closet off the Great Room will be the perfect place for toy storage and cozy place to play. Upstairs the bedrooms are nice-sized with lots of windows.

This homeowner qualifies for the $8000 Tax Credit as a first time homebuyer and chose a 30 year fixed rate FHA loan at 5% interest with 3.5% down payment. All it took was approximately $4000 for the down payment to get into this wonderful home.

This transaction is an example of the impact of the $8000 Tax Credit working to help the housing industry. When Mavis purchased this home, the Seller was able to move to their second home at a higher price range - that ripple effect is good for everyone.

If you are thinking about purchasing a home remember there are sellers wanting to sell and very reasonable interest rates. Check out homes for sale to see if you can find something that interests you.

Wondering how many homes are for sale in Woodstock? Here are a few facts from First Multiple Listing Service of Atlanta as oF 10.28.2009. There are currently 895 properties for sale in Woodstock. The break down is: 775 are single family and 120 are either a townhouse or condo.

Single Family Homes

• There are 775 homes for sale
• Minimum Price is $40,000
• Average Price is $250,522
• Maximum Price is $2,295,000
• There are 20 homes with contingencies
• There are 158 homes under contract closing soon

Townhomes and Condos

• There are 120 homes for sale
• Minimum Price is $83,000
• Average Price is $197,932
• Maximum Price is $409,000
• There are 6 homes with contingencies
• There are 12 homes under contract closing soon

What the numbers point out is that homes are selling. Not as many homes as sellers would like but properties are moving.

Wanted to tell you about a great neighborhood in with homes for sale in Woodstock- it's Bradshaw Park, a swim/tennis community on a quiet street just off of East Cherokee Drive. We've sold in the neighborhood and have also gotten to know several of the residents- it's a true gem in Cherokee County!

The short drive on Ranchwood Trail leading into the neighborhood is scenic and leads you to a beautiful stacked stone entrance monument letting you know you've arrived at your destination. There is a lovely swim, tennis and playground complex located in the back of the neighborhood. In addition to regular enjoyment of the amenities, the residents have several social functions there throughout the year.

Bradshaw Park has 136 traditional two-story homes that are a mixture of master bedroom up as well as a number of master on main floorplans.

The streets are meandering on gently rolling terrain and there is a wide variety of floorplans and exteriors to give the neighborhood a warm and comfortable feel. There are currently 7 homes for sale in the neighborhood with prices ranging from the mid-200s to mid-300s, some with basements.

The schools for the community are Johnston Elementary, Rusk Middle, and Sequoyah High. Numerous shopping areas and restaurants are located within a 5 to 10 minute drive. East Cherokee Drive also has easy access to I-575 and North Fulton, giving you short drives to work and play.

Many prospective homebuyers looking to purchase a home in metro Atlanta believe that there are no longer any down payment asssistance programs available to them. Or, they've been told that the guidelines are so restrictive as to make it impossible to qualify for the available funds.

Both asssumptions are wrong. Thru the GA Department of Consumer Affairs, $14,000 is available to any homebuyer looking to purchase a bank foreclosure in GA. The program is called GA Dream and while the guidelines may seem difficult to navigate, Georgia homebuyers have taken advantage of millions of dollars available thru this program since it's inception earlier this year.

Sensing a great opportunity for homebuyers with this program, we attended DCA training to become familiar with the ins and outs of the GA Dream program. Since then, we've worked successfully with homebuyers throughout metro Atlanta to find their "dream" homes. The guidelines are too complex to completely cover here, but there are income limits and education requirements, both reasonable, that the homebuyer(s) must meet in order to be eligible. These are government backed loans, either FHA or VA. If you meet these requirements and have saved $500 for your down payment (yes, $500!), you will receive a $14,000 mortgage from DCA, which has zero interest and zero monthly payments. That mortgage lien is released (written off) on a prorated basis over 5 years and 6 months from your closing.

Here's a list of GA counties where you can purchase homes (townhomes and condos too!) that are eligible for GA Dream downpayment assistance.

While this is a great program for homebuyers, funding is limited and once the available funds are gone, the program is suspended unless and until new funding is approved. So, look into the GA Dream Homeownership program if you are considering buying a home in GA soon!

Friday before Halloween, I ran into a past client at the Halloween parade at The Primrose School. It was thrilling to hear "they love their home" and "the neighborhood is terrific". It's the thing every REALTOR loves to hear and I was so glad to see them!

The Halloween parade was fantastic with the cutest kids you could find...however I am baised since one is my granddaughter and one was my clients' child. In fact, there is were we met - picking up the kids.

All the parents, grandparents, and family members attending were entertained with songs by each class. As you can see from the photos the kids made their costumes - cats and dogs, turkeys and pumpkins. They did a great job. Everyone had a wonderful time with the rain holding off until the kids were back in their classrooms.