Winter Baserva Realtor Atlanta, GA Homes For Sale

THE PRICE VS. VALUE GAME!!! HOW DO YOU WIN????

There is a game being played in the Atlanta real estate market right now and the players are buyers, sellers, and Atlanta realtors. Many are unaware of its existence and therefore Atlanta homes remain unsold, Atlanta home buyers with the funds to close are not buying, and more Atlanta realtors than ever are pursuing "other careers." The game I speak of is the PRICE VS. VALUE GAME!!!

The rules are simple: sellers want price, so their decisions are based on numbers, facts, and very often, emotion-the trump card that is sure to knock all players out of the game. The buyers want value; they want the best possible thing the competition will allow. Let me say that again, THE COMPETITION!!! And, right now, there's lots of it. So, why is it that the buyer who values competition so much end up paying more for a property than the one selling down the street?? The answer is VALUE. Buyers DO want a good deal, but they also want a property that is able to meet their needs: school district, location, square footage, upgrades, etc. AND are willing to pay more for it if its valuable enough to them. I mean would you buy a pair of shoes that don't fit just to save a few dollars??

I sell Dunwoody homes, Roswell homes, Sandy Springs homes, and homes throughout the Atlanta area and I sell them fast. How do you ask?? We'll for one, I don't take listings, I MARKET properties. With over 10 years experience in marketing, communications and public relations, I GET THE WORD OUT. Real estate isn't rocket science, but getting your property into the hands of the right target audience, we'll that takes SKILL. Furthermore, I play the VALUE game and I play it full on. I sell my buyers and/or all potential buyers on the value your home has, not just the price tag. Once buyers see the true value, the price goes away.

Since I primary work with buyers, I understand the necessary elements a buyer needs to make a decision and see the value your home brings. Not all agents understand the dynamics of buyers and therefore stick to old routines and tactics to sell homes. In Atlanta's real estate market, you have to be out-of-the-box, fresh, innovative, and most importantly understand the NEEDS AND MINDSET of buyers and be able to appropriately paint the picture for them, so as a seller, you get your ultimate result...PRICE.

For those who do not learn the rules of the game, you will lose (i.e., sellers and real estate agents). So, if you're ready to play and have the determination to master the rules, then call me, so I can show you how to WIN this game of buying and selling homes in Atlanta during a down market.

Ready for an out-of-the-box approach to buying or selling your home???

Winter Baserva
One Winter Real Estate & Investments of the Good Broker
www.onewinter.biz
678-463-3173

It's no secret that Georgia has a slew of great school districts. Understanding them and knowing how they contribute to selling and buying homes in Atlanta is crucial. Many Atlanta home buyers specifically base their buying decisions on what Atlanta school district the property resides in. So, it's up to you Mr. or Ms. Agent to do your research and know the answers to the many "school district" questions your client may have.....

I buy and sell homes in all over Greater Metro Atlanta, but I spend a majority of my time focusing on Roswell Real Estate, Sandy Springs Real Estate, Dunwoody Real Estate, Brookhaven Real Estate and Atlanta Real Estate. And, quite frequently, one of the most asked questions I get from my buyers looking to buy a home in Dunwoody is....."Is this home in the Vanderlyn district?"

Ummmm.....at $300,000, that answer is mostly likely "No."

Property values in the Vanderlyn district have a unique way of not only stabilizing during down markets, but actually increasing in value. Rarely are homes found under the low 4's, high 3's in that district.

So, what makes Vanderlyn so unique??

VANDERLYN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL UNIQUE ASSETS

• Vanderlyn consistently ranks in the top 10 schools in Georgia with regard to test results
• 80% of the certified staff members have a Gifted Certification
• Vanderlyn has 100% PTA involvement
• Parents are involved almost daily in the classrooms and in school-wide programs
• Vanderlyn has a very low student transient rate
• 80% of the student population is designated as High Achiever (75th percentile or better on standardized tests
• Vanderlyn is in the top 10% of elementary schools in Georgia on reading and math assessments.

Furthermore, Vanderlyn Elementary School is highly-recognized and awarded for its contributions. For example, Vanderlyn practices The High Achiever Program, which was devised to provide materials and instructional strategies for students who excel academically.

In addition, Vanderlyn was one of eight Georgia schools nominated for President Bush's Blue Ribbon Schools Program in February of 2003 because of the outstanding academic performance of the school.

Vanderlyn Elementary School serves Pre-K through 5th Grade Students From The City Of Dunwoody, Which Is Part Of Dekalb County.

So, in light of the recent Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac News, buyers looking for Atlanta Real Estate, yet again, are reaping the rewards of this historic time...So, what does Sunday's announcement that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will come under control of the government actually mean for buyers??

Well, this announcement came as the government felt both these institutions will no longer be able to meet their mission statement which is to provide liquidity, stability and affordability in the housing markets.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac both have issued many Bonds which over time mature, and Fannie and Freddie need to pay back the principal on the maturing Bonds. The way they raise capital to pay these maturing Bonds is to issue new Bonds. This happens every month. And as long as Fannie and Freddie can sell new Bonds this system works well. But the problems in the mortgage industry have reduced investor appetite to purchase these Bonds...and that's where the trouble begins. Without the ability to sell new Bonds, Fannie and Freddie are less able to meet the capital requirements to pay off the maturing Bonds. And that's the big fear. If Fannie and Freddie were to default and become insolvent, it would throw the beleaguered mortgage and housing markets even deeper into the abyss.

Additionally, the recent lack of appetite for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Bonds caused the two mortgage giants to have to do something to make their Bonds more attractive...so they offered their Bonds at higher yields to gain more investor interest. However, since they couldn't go back and raise rates on loans that had already been closed, it sucked even more profits out of Fannie and Freddie, reducing capital even further, and exacerbating the problem.

That's why the Treasury has stepped in and said that they will back the payments on these Bonds. This action has given investors a lot of confidence to step in and now buy Mortgage Bonds. And when mortgage bonds are soaring high, it means rates go low....Think about it. For a higher rate of return, investors can now buy Mortgage Bonds with the same guarantee as lower yielding Treasury Bonds. This is causing a nice rally in pricing this morning - which leads to attractive rates.

We'll see how this plays out in the weeks ahead, but for now, it means lower rates for buyers in Atlanta!!!

So, if you've been thinking about buying, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME ATLANTA REAL ESTATE!!! So, JUMP into the Atlanta Home market and get yourself several Altanta Homes if you need to. These historic rates, low-priced homes, plentiful inventory, and benefits such as the $7500 tax credit, will not be around forever!!!

Even if you're not ready to go shopping, I suggest you call a mortgage broker QUICK (I can recommend some) to lock in these remarkable rates.

Thanks to Tara Ryan at Primacy Mortgage for providing this information and always keeping me informed on mortgage market changes.

For more information visit Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

GREAT NEWS!!! According to Forbes.com, these are the 10 CITIES that Forbes projects to have home prices increase:

* Albuquerque, NM

* Charlotte, NC

* San Antonio, TX

* Portland, OR

* Austin, TX

* Salt Lake City, UT

* Colorado Springs, CO

* Minneapolis, MN

* ATLANTA, GA

* Oklahoma City, OK

And, WHY HAVEN'T YOU BOUGHT A HOME YET???

For great Atlanta Real Estate deals, Atlanta Foreclosures, Atlanta REO properties, and other useful information on buying or selling real estate in Atlanta, visit www.onewinter.biz.

According to a recent report on America's Most Distressed Housing Markets in Forbes.com, the "hardest-hit" home markets include Las Vegas, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix and Detroit, amongst others. In the article, Stan Humphries, vice president of data and analytics at Zillow.com, an online aggregator of real estate listings and public sales records states "Nationally, one-third of homes are underwater, and 20% of transactions happening across the country are foreclosures. That's what drives up the number of home sales for a loss."

It's no secret that the dreaded "adjustable-rate mortgage" is responsible for a large part of the foreclosures on the market, but other factors such as job-loss, inflation, and people who should have never probably been funded in the first place, have to be factored in as well.

Fool me once, shame on me; fool me twice, Shame on You!
Shame on you America!!

The days of where you could fog a mirror and get a loan approved are long gone and thank goodness for that. We want our economy to be stabilized and fruitful, not filled with empty promises.

The most promising thing for me in reading this report was Atlanta not being included as one of "America's Worst Housing Markets." As a matter of fact, the only mention of Atlanta real estate or the Atlanta home market at all was by the author Matt Woolsey who states "For markets like Phoenix or Atlanta, where prices spiked by double digits annually from 2002 to 2006, selling for a loss can be a positive sign that housing markets are actively correcting and that come-lately speculators are being flushed out."

Hmmm....Doesn't seem so doom and gloom to me, as a matter a fact, it looks like relief might be on the way for Atlanta's housing market. Yes, while there are a good number of Atlanta Short Sales and Atlanta Foreclosures still available, more and more investors are picking those properties up. For example, I had two REO deals that I submitted offers on last week that were already under contract by the time I got there. And, although I was disappointed for my clients, it shows an improvement to what is happening with Atlanta Real Estate.

Fact is Atlanta is the sixth-largest city in the Southeastern region, and known for its great weather, opportunity, nightlife, and overall robust flavor. As Atlanta has undergone a transition from a city of regional commerce to a city of international influence, it has been among the fastest growing cities in the developed world for over a decade.
So, what will happen with the Atlanta's housing market?? Well only time will tell.....With all of the global technology companies and international corporate headquarters such as UPS, Delta, Coca-Cola, CNN, TBS, the Center for Disease Control, or the historical recognition such as Gone With the Wind, the Braves, the 1996 Olympic Games, over 32 "Peachtree"-named streets, home of the world's largest aquarium, and good ol' sweet tea, Atlanta is constantly reinventing itself. With over 5.3 million residents, there will always be a need for "home." Whether you are looking for your next home or investment, there has NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BUY!!!

With a steady increase in expansion each year, Atlanta's growth is expected to continue. With all these attributes, it's only a matter of time until demand again exceeds supply and these prices are much higher. And, luckily if we can count on history to repeat itself, we will all look back in 10 years from now and wish we bought every home, lot and condominium we could possibly afford. So, stop procrastinating and START capitalizing on one of the greatest discount sales events Atlanta real estate has EVER seen!!