Atlanta Real Estate

This is a ‘right now’ tip.

When you are pre-qualified to buy, it means that someone has asked you a few questions but has not checked out any of the information.  In reality, this means that if you told the truth, then you are well qualified to look at homes.  Also, it means that it will be okay for you to follow through when you find one that you like.  Pre-qualification is an effective tool for honest people to determine whether or not it is realistic for them to look to buy.  This is great for a very busy housing market.

It is not as powerful as pre-approval however.  What happens when one is pre-approved is that all the pre-qualifying information has been checked.  If you are pre-approved, you already know that you can get the loan for a home within a certain budget.  It is not like having cash with you, but in relation to loans instead of ‘up front money’, pre-approval is as good as having a check book or credit card with you. 

The bottom line is, when you get pre-approved you will be protected from exceeding your limit.  Not only that, but you will know what your budget really is, instead of having only a vague idea. This will save you and the professionals time.  You won’t waste energy on houses or condos that are out of your range.  Hence, you will hone in on what is going to work for you.

For more information visit atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta real estate agent.

So, you want to buy a house without being too afraid. Here’re some tips for you.

You need to know that the right way to go about buying is not 100% the same all the time.  The changes in the housing market really do alter what some of the best ways to behave are.

Nevertheless, there is still a lot that you can count on.  First off, you will be in a stronger position when you know what you want.  Knowing what you want in a house is best written out at least once to clarify it for yourself and, if you have them, partner and offspring.

Write out qualities of the home itself: of course it can be ‘loft with a fireplace and Southern exposure’ of ‘large single family dwelling with large yard.  The industry standard is to pick 9 main characterisitics of the house itself.

Make a separate list for other qualities, including local schools and price of house, as well as the length of any commute.

If you are looking for Homes for sale in Marietta , visit us at atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta homes real estate agent.

To get idea about Atlanta homes visit atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta real estate agent.

As promised, today let’s get to the suburbs.  At least one of Atlanta’s suburbs has already come up.  It is Decatur.  It is just East of Atlanta, in Dekalb county.

There are a few other nearby surrounding suburbs.  These are Roswell, Alpharetta, Marietta and Kennesaw. 

Greater Atlanta spreads out rather broadly. If you browse casually for homes, there is a good chance that you will find a decent price in a place that is not really very close to Atlanta.  Of course, it is one thing if you already know where you are going.  It is another when your boss tells you that you are relocating to Atlanta and you need to find out where there you are going to live. A little thing like this can prevent you from wasting time on a potential deal that is ‘wrongly located’.  After all, you don’t want to relocate just to feel dis-located.

Visit Atlanta Homes Guide for more information.

To get idea about Atlanta homes visit atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta real estate agent.

So there they are, a bunch of homes.  What you also noticed was a lot of well trained real estate people.  This can be a bit intimidating.  You may feel like a child again, in a sense, because you feel naive.

That’s perfectly okay.  So, today, we’re going to address beginner basics for people first developing an interest in home-buying. 

Your anxieties are not entirely unfounded.  For example, there is only a $50,000 difference between a $100,000 loan and a $150,000 loan. However, you may well discover that one agent will tell you that you can get payments of $330/month while another tells you it will more than twice that- $688/month for a home that costs only $50,000 more.  Now, that sounds just crazy!  You feel defensive: who is about to rip you off?  You cling to your pocket book and glower at the agents with cuss words in your mind.

If you were a nervous child, now is when you receive the comforting hug from someone you can trust.  Relax.  We understand why it’s scary.  In truth is that there are many reasons for these differences.  Your agent knows all about all of ‘those other reasons’ but you don’t.  It’s okay for you to know a bit more about it ahead of time. 

There are main differences.  These have to do with how much you can put down towards the home, the rate of interest that you will dealing with and the length of your mortgage.  This is not too much information for you at all, but if an agent hits you with it all at once when you don’t even know what any of it means then you could just feel ‘beaten up’ afterwards, or just hopeful and afraid…”I just bought a house, but I don’t even know what hit me.”

Here’s the bottom line advice: ask those who’ve done it before and done it recently.  If you have five people tell you what happened to them, then when you walk with the agents you’ll be able to tell more easily the ones who are helping you out and the ones who are out to sell you beyond where you really want to go.

For more information visit atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta real estate agent.

If you are like many people you would prefer to find a home in the city, without ‘paying through the nose’ for it.  Yesterday, we looked briefly at one way of doing this.  Today we will address this issue a little more closely. 

This may sound crazy, but the first step is to believe: believe in the possibility.  Next, come to a place just like this.  No, come here and only here.  That’s better!

Here’s a tip for you:  there’s a street in Atlanta called Milton.  It’s a long road, divided into sections by direction.  Right along Milton Ave. SW there is giant housenfor an incredible price.  Do you think I’m joking?  How does 7 bedrooms sound to you?  That’s a big house, no matter how you slice it.

This massive house, right in the city, is only $190,0000.  Those of you out there who only have warm hearts for bargains will warm up to this one!  This one is the deal for the hard customers. 

Again, please believe me.  I have been told by sales professionals that I myself am ‘a hard customer.’  So, if I tell you this is a good deal; this is a good deal!  This is coming from a woman who makes some salesmen cry; others just get angry.  Still others get there way with me, but often not without hard feelings and a struggle.

Tommorow we’ll take the next baby step; we’ll begin to address mortgage payment sizes for all you first-timers out there.

If you are looking for Homes for sale in Midtown, visit us at atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta homes real estate agent.

You may wonder whether or not there are any inexpensive homes in Atlanta, if you were hoping to spend under $100,000.  The truth is, that this is a realistic possiblity. 

The first thing you should do is ask your real estate agent about these.  Next, take a calming deep breath.  Many of the cheaper homes are in the suburbs.  If you can handle the commute, or if you can be content living on the outskirts of town, then you have better chances of being ablt to buy.  This is exactly what happened to my mother as a matter of fact.  It is the very reason that I grew up ‘a little out past suburbia’ where the prices were low for a good neighborhood and an okay house.

Most of the really inexpensive homes have been around for a while.  You will have to find the special pockets of low priced homes.  If you are part of the African-American community you might be in luck in this particular area.  It may seem peculiar to you, but there are many ‘hidden gems’ in ‘black neighborhoods’.  Instead of paying $200,000 or more for three ‘white people’ bedroomed homes, you can get 4-6 bedrooms for less than half that price. 

If you’re like me, then you have also seen this.  I noticed where I live to.  There are not so great homes, and then you can feel the ’special ones’.  There’s some family with a married couple and grandchildren and a well tended garden.  It is the ‘most posh’ house on the street.  What it is is filled with love, and the people put a lot of energy into keeping it up on the outside to.  Did you know that there is at least one of this type of fantastic home in Griffin, Georgia?  Six bedrooms and four bathrooms and a beautiful yard for the bargain price of $79,900!  You can just ‘feel the bargain’ energy.

Luckily, not all the inexpensive homes are reserved for the racial minorities!  Still, its great to know they’re out there.

Meanwhile, if you want a spanking new home, then yuou can go for a ‘built community’ regardless of your skin color.  There are ‘cottage’ homes  available in subdivisions, nice and new, for between $200,000 to $300,000.  Most of them have two or three bedrooms but only two baths.

Decater is close to the North/South highway divide of the Greater Atlanta are.  For this reason, when kids go to public High School in that area, they attend in Druid HIlls.

This is a middle class area, with a variety of types of available homes.  The prices here are moderate.  One can find a townhome, with at least 2 bedrooms for under $150,000.  For many, this will come as a relief.  There are single family fully detached houses in the neighborhood to.  Most of these have history and are not the latest in architecture.  You can get you and your family a good solid 3-4 bedroom home for somewhere around $300,000.

Truth be told this is a good location for those who are willing to commute, but want little more than a very rapid brief jaunt on a highway.  At the point of Decater, residents are on the ‘outskirts of the inside of town’.  Not long ago, it was only an out-of-town of suburb, but after the highway was built in the forties, population seems to have filling it in as if the highway were the lines of a coloring book image.  “Obviously fill this in.”

If you are looking for Homes for sale in Snellville, visit us at atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta homes real estate agent.

If you live in Midtown or Downtown the largest local public park is Piedmont.  The park is one of several, but this is one that hosts year long activies for children.  As mentioned yesterday, the park, and downtown are both accessible by MARTA, the public transit system.  MARTA covers both rail and bus.  Tickets can be purchased that include both types of transit in one journey.

The Loft has been growing in popularity during the past two decades.  It seems they have become part of urban renewal schemes.  Often they are sold by the square footage.  Although they can be home to small families, they are built more for individuals and for couples or a pair of friends.  Two bedroom lofts can be had, however, so don’t give up if ‘that’s your thing’.

There are relatively giant lofts, such as a 4000 footer I saw where you buy the entire building.  In other words, it’s a ‘house-loft’ based upon the original warehouse architecture and placed gloriously close to downtown.

If you can catch one for under $300,000 realize that you have found a bargain!  For first time buyers this might come as a shock, whereas for others this may be boringly obvious.  The good news is, that a loft may be a relatively inexpensive way to access Buckhead, for those who want to.

For those on the opposite end of the spectrum, you don’t have to cringe: you can easily spend a “Mill” on a fantastic loft in a prestigious neghborhood..

Coming up in future articles: landmarks, DeKalb county, and way cheaper homes…and ultimately, suburbia.

To get idea about Atlanta homes visit atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta real estate agent.