Winter Baserva Realtor Atlanta, GA Homes For Sale

Making Waves In Stone Mountain, GA Home Values

Its no secret that ALL of Atlanta has been affected by the foreclosure market. However, some areas are making come backs faster than others...Stone Mountain, Lithonia and Decatur have recently had an onslaught of investors coming in and making homes once dilapidated beautiful again.

In return, home values are starting to increase and current home owners are loving watching their neighborhoods become desirable again. Atlanta is making a comeback and for those smart enough to still take advantage will reap the benefits.

Lithonia/Stone Mountain is a cozy area Southeast of Atlanta. Mostly known for the National Attraction, Stone Mountain Park, the area boasts a slew of nature trails, parks, recreation centers, shopping malls and stellar neighbors with Southern hospitality.

The days of dilapation have now left and what's surfaced is a select few of some of the most GORGEOUS homes this area has ever seen at oh, so affordable prices.

For example, this was once a home in the very popular Saddlewood neighborhood in Lithonia, GA.

However, after some love and care was put into it, this home is the new and approved home JUST RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC almost for what it originally sold for, only THOUSANDS of upgrades have been put into making it the LOWEST-PRICED LUXURY home in the area....

STUNNING ARCHITECTURAL GEM w/ FULL FINISHED BASEMENT!!!

Reap the benefits of this TOTAL RENOVATION FROM THE STUDS IN for a fraction of the cost!

Perfectly situated in a natural, pristine setting, this home boasts the best Stone Mountain Views in Town!!

Other great features of this LIKE NEW HOME include. BRAND NEW EVERYTHING--Marble countertops, hardware, paint inside and out, carpet, appliances, custom tiles and too many items to mention!!!

ALSO, enjoy a FULL FINISHED BASEMENT with TONS of rooms great for theatre, study, gym, etc. THIS SPACE IS SO HUGE it could be its OWN HOUSE!!

Basement also has terrace level patio and private entry!!!

The master suite overlooks the refinished and rebuilt porch which overlooks nature at its best!!

Come be apart of this family community in one of S. Fulton's HOTTEST school districts!!!

P.S. THIS IS THE LOWEST PRICE LUXURY HOME IN THE AREA, HAS DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF SPACE YOU'LL SEE OUT THERE AND IS A STEAL at $128,999!!!!!

PROPERTY FEATURES
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Central A/C
Central heat
Fireplace

High/Vaulted ceiling
Tile floor
Family room

Living room
Bonus/Rec room
Office/Den

Dining room
Breakfast nook
Dishwasher

Refrigerator
Stove/Oven
Basement

Laundry area - inside
Balcony, Deck, or Patio
Yard

COMMUNITY FEATURES
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Garage parking
Covered parking
Guest parking

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES
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4 bedrooms/2 baths and over 11 ROOMS TOTAL

4 ADDITIONAL bonus rooms-theatre, media, gym, etc.

FULLY-FINISHED Basement Large Enough to Be ITS OWN HOUSE!!!

Unique, EXPOSED wood beams with 20 ft. VAULTED ceilings!!!

New Everything: Carpet, Marble Counters, Appliances, Hardware, Fixtures, Sheetrock, Paneling, ETC.
New Paint Inside & Out!

Tropical Paradise of Fresh Landscaping!

View of STONE MOUNTAIN From Your Back Porch!

Visit www.onewinter.biz to learn more or call me for a showing!!!

REDC Atlanta Auction-FINALLY, A Winner This Time Around....

Many of you know how familiar I am with the REDC Atlanta Home Auction. If not, I suggest you read my blog that outlines everything there is to know about buying an auction property.

Although, there are DEALS OF A LIFETIME, most of the time they are not found at an auction. I have detailed the process of what to expect at an auction and how not to "get your hopes up" because 99.9% of auction properties are still "SUBJECT TO MANAGEMENT APPROVAL" and because the prices are too low, are often rejected.

However, this blog is not about that. I actually have the two of the sweetest clients ever who won it BIG at the last REDC Home Auction.

I was contacted by them prior to them attending, as they had read all of my posts and understood the importance of having FREE representation, even at an auction. I walked them through the registration process, coached them emotionally about the process and came and represented them the day of.

As their property became available for auction, I helped them know when it was the "best" time to raise their bidder cards. On the first round, we lost it to another couple who bid over $50k of what our bottom line was. But, I told them "...don't leave yet, we need to wait and see if everything goes through, the property might come back up again..." So, they patiently waited another two hours and low and behold, our property showed back up again. This time, we got it!! And, we got it for almost $60k less than the last bidders.

When we started the paperwork, they knew from all of my posts that this number still needed to be approved and were very calm and collected. Imagine what it must of felt like to find out of the 4,000 homes being auctioned that day, their property was one of 15 that were sold ABSOLUTE (meaning the seller did not have to approve the sale and it must be sold at ALL costs). We were overjoyed...

This is a picture of them the day of the auction...

Now, the financing part that went behind all of it was a nightmare, but that's a discussion for a different blog.

The point of the story is that dreams DO come true at home auctions, but they DO come with a lot of patience, effort and time. But, more than anything, having a third party non-biased, professional on your side can truly make the difference on whether your dream come true can happen....

Here is the proud couple after closing...

Winter is an absolute MUST-HAVE when even thinking about purchasing property. No matter how many clients she has, she makes you feel like you are the only one and your property is the MOST IMPORTANT. While she can give unbiased opinions on a property, she also feels and shares in the excitement with you as if it were her own. She knows EXACTLY what questions to ask to facilitate the process and makes everything seamless. We will NEVER purchase or sell another property without her.

Winter--You really have been great. We honestly feel that without you, we would not have been able to get the home of our dreams. You are so great at what you do and it's obvious that you love your career!!! Thanks so much for everything!

E. & J. Bright

If you're seeking FREE representation at REDC Atlanta Home Auction on May 2-3 at the Georgia World Congress Center, then call me, so I can show you how to effectively use your time. Or better yet, if you're looking to find the DEAL OF A LIFETIME, then let me show you how to get that without having to bid against hundreds of other buyers.

Psychology 101....A Prerequisite to Becoming a Realtor!

The one thing that the pre-licensing realtor class forgot to mention in their syllabus was that if you intend to practice real estate, you MUST know Psychology 101.

As agents, we are known as the air of authority on the entire process of buying a home. With that comes finance questions, offer questions, inspection questions, closing questions, and every other question imaginable. So, it's important to understand the psychology behind the question. Your clients aren't calling at 11:30 p.m. because they want to intrude on your personal time, they are calling because deep down they have a fear about the process and they need the PROFESSIONAL to help them overcome it. I.E...Psychology 101!!

One of the things I love MOST about my profession is that I get the pleasure of living my purpose of helping myself and others grow by showing the truth in a graceful and honorable manner, to set new standards and lead by example. I'm fortunate enough to turn those late night calls into an opportunity to live my purpose.

So, when you get your next worried call, question or concern, remember they are looking to you to provide them with the best possible advise and turn it into an opportunity to COACH your clients, not critique them. Not only will you feel rewarded, but your clients will appreciate your dedication and compassion to an issue, no matter how big it really is, is REALLY important to them.

Thanks to a Fed announcement which exceeded all expectations, it was a big week for mortgage markets.*

Mortgage rates ended the week down significantly, falling near the lows reached in January.

The stock market and Treasury market also performed well during the week. Following Wednesday's meeting, the Fed shocked investors with an aggressive expansion of its mortgage-backed securities (MBS) purchase program. In addition to the previously announced $500 billion in MBS purchases which began in January, the Fed will buy an additional $750 billion this year, bringing the total to $1.25 trillion. To put this in perspective, $1.25 trillion represents more than half of the estimated total mortgage issuance in 2009.

Similar to its November announcement about the initial $500 billion MBS purchase program, the Fed achieved its desired reaction with an immediate decline in MBS yields. Since mortgage rates are largely based on MBS yields, mortgage rates moved lower as well.

The Fed has identified the stabilization of the financial system and the housing market as key elements of an economic recovery, and lower interest rates will help achieve these goals. Inflation data released during the week contained no reason for inflation to be a concern in the short-term. With yet another increase in government spending, though, investors will be keeping an eye out for signs of higher future inflation.

Simply put, mortgage interest rates have NEVER been lower! Can it REALLY get any better for Atlanta Home buyers???

*Thanks to Scott Lindon from ERA Mortgage for providing this quick summary of financial information!

Don't Be the Last of the Firsts!!!

Wow!! Can it get ANY better for first time home buyers?? The tax credit that USED to be a $15,000 credit deducted off your income taxes that was basically a LOAN to be repaid within 15 years, has now become an $8000 overall TAX CREDIT! What does that mean??? FREE MONEY! So long as you don't move within three years of the home purchase.

Furthermore, FHA loans have become so attractive and accommodating that buyers are crazy to not get off the fence right now. If you have an experience Atlanta buyers' broker (which is FREE) and they know how to negotiate the contract to have the seller pay for closing costs (this can happen even in foreclosures too if you are working with an agent that knows the Atlanta Foreclosure process) then all you need is 3.5% down.

So on a $275,000 house, buyers who are qualified for FHA will only come out of pocket $9625 and can get into a home. Do you know what kind of home you can get into for that price in today's market??

Obama's plan has already started changing buyers' perceptions and we are starting to see an influx of first time home buyers to the market. In turn, we will start to see a lot of the product get absorbed, which will cause the natural lifecycle of real estate to do what it had done for thousands of years---it will cause home prices to increase and economics of the real estate market will shift giving us higher demand and lower product.

So, to sum up just a FEW of the reasons why if you've ever considered buying a home, now is the PERFECT time:
1) $8000 Tax Credit
2) FHA Low Down Financing Options
3) Seller Motivations are at an all-time high
4) There is still ample product on the market (for now)
5) A new president is restoring the countries faith and their economic worries are lessening, causing an influx of buyers that will soon head to the market and if you don't get in it before it all happens, you will have a lot more competition.

So, don't be the LAST OF THE FIRSTS!! That will only put you in the "shoulda, woulda, coulda" group!