All Blog Entries by Ryan Ward 
There are currently 48 blog entries published by Ryan Ward.
'Providence' - $11,500,000 - 67 Acre Lakeside Estate
Thursday, August 12th, 2010 at 7:05am. 265 Views, 4 Comments.
A Rare Opportunity to Own one of Atlanta's Finest Estate Homes - Providence
Providence - A Manifestation of Divine Care or Direction
'Providence' - 67 acre lakeside Monticello inspired estate designed by Stephen Fuller. Classic symmetry, attention to detail, proper scale and careful proportion combine to create a one of a kind, timeless yet comfortable home. 12 foot ceilings, 6 car garage, gated, 850 feet of lake frontage, walking trails, pool, tennis, basketball, multiple equestrian pastures and a guest cottage. There is an additional 3 bedroom 2 bath caretaker home with barn on 5 of the acres as well.
Proportion and Symmetry
The Jeffersonian era architectural styles often included careful consideration and design planning to incorporate proper proportion,…
2nd Quarter 2010 Atlanta Real Estate Market Statistics
Monday, August 2nd, 2010 at 10:17pm. 248 Views, 12 Comments.
ChartMasters creates a phenomenal quarterly market report that myself and our broker present to our office. A number of Keller Williams offices across Metro Atlanta are provided the same report - I presented it last Tuesday to our office. The presentation lasts for a couple of hours and gives all of us a pretty good leg up on other agents by providing us with a strong foundational base of the current real estate market.
If you have any questions, please either email me at ryan (@) premieratlantarealestate.com, call me at 404.630.3187 or post a comment and I will get back with you.
As with all YouTube video - make sure you switch it to 720p for the highest quality video...
How to Write and Sign PDF Contracts on an iPad
Monday, June 14th, 2010 at 9:04pm. 1978 Views, 52 Comments.
***If you aren't interested in an iPad or you don't need to manipulate PDFs and/or sign them, you can probably skip this post. On the other hand, if you are a real estate agent or any other person who may want to get an iPad, but thinks that it is only a toy because all you can do is read the web (without flash ((which turns out to be less of a deal than I thought))), you may find this post interesting.
I was a doubter. I thought that it was really just a toy, but I really wanted an iPad anyway. Besides, I have a weakness for new electronic toys and I like technology and I like being an early adopter so I really wasn't able to NOT get one.
Now that I have one, I need it to make it work for business - and it does. I can search the GAMLS via…
Do You Know Where Your Property Line Is?
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 at 12:44pm. 652 Views, 23 Comments.
This is my first attempt at a video and after coming back from REtechSouth, it became clear that I needed to make an effort to move into video. Although I am constantly reminded that video killed the radio star and might kill me too, I nonetheless have decided to slap my face up on the screen. I'm sure I will get over the stage fright soon :)
This one definitely isn't perfect, but I'll improve. I think it's an important topic and hopefully it will help convince you of why you need a survey.
The Importance of a Survey
More Survey Information
I'll write a follow up post with more information on why you need a survey this evening.
Not all Client Questions are Easy to Answer
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 at 10:49pm. 643 Views, 6 Comments.
Below is a question I received from a client I am working with so what I am writing is actually about answering the questions as best I can for my client, but it illustrates - at least to me - what one of the most significant differences is in today's market compared with the market of just a couple of years ago; regardless of price point, there is some reluctance to purchase now, whereas just a few years ago, there was almost a reluctance to wait for fear of losing the home to someone else who might also be interested in it. Here is the question from my client:
"I need an understanding of what price points are are likely to appreciate the most over the next 20 years. Much of the appreciation before the crash was due to a declining interest rate…
New Construction in Alpharetta Under $300,000 - Haynes Valley by Ashton Woods
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 10:29am. 933 Views, 9 Comments.
Haynes Valley Information
Driving down Haynes Bridge yesterday afternoon, I noticed a new sign. Haynes Valley has been sitting empty now for over a year as many partially built-out neighborhoods have, but, I bet these will get scooped up very quickly once they hit the market. I tried calling Ashton Woods this morning with the extension on the sign, but, they don't have info yet.
If these sound interesting to you, contact me and I'll be sure you get set up so that you can get in on what is sure to be an outstanding deal.
As of right now, information is extremely limited but I did find some information from the city of Alpharetta's website and yes, this is Alpharetta, not Roswell or Johns Creek. See the map below.
- There are 11 lots with a minimum 10,000 sq/ft…
Tax Assessment Reform May Be on the Way
Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 6:43pm. 285 Views, 3 Comments.
Partial Reprint from the Atlanta Business Chronicle. You can read the full article here:
"The Georgia Senate Thursday unanimously passed legislation aimed at overhauling a property assessment system thrown into disarray by huge market-driven fluctuations in property values.
The bill, which now goes to the House, would restore Georgia homeowners’ loss of confidence in the fairness of the property tax bills they receive from local governments each year, said Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, the measure’s chief sponsor.
Homeowners across the state are complaining that they’re being taxed based on assessments that no longer accurately reflect the declining value of their properties, said Rogers, R-Woodstock.
“The assessments are not keeping pace with fair…
Foreclosure Activity Increases 6% in February Nationally, Let's Look Locally Too
Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 7:51am. 306 Views, 9 Comments.
According to RealtyTrac, foreclosure activity is up 6% in February of 2010 compared with the same time period in 2009. This represents the smallest increase in activity in 4 years. To me, that doesn't mean we are seeing improvement and there isn't anything to indicate that we are heading towards consistent year of year decreases in foreclosures so in my opinion, this is still more bad news for home values.
Locally, foreclosure sales in February of 2010 were 1245 compared with 1430 sales for the same time period in 2009. Interestingly, non-foreclosure sales in 2010 totaled 1598 meaning that foreclosure sales made for about 44% of sales in 2010 while in 2009 non-foreclosure sales were 1512 or 48.6% of sales. In 2008, non-foreclosure sales totaled 2182 with an…
Georgia Ranked 10th for Foreclosure Filings in January
Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 11:13am. 387 Views, 9 Comments.
From the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
"The Peach State had 11,274 foreclosure filings -- default notices, scheduled foreclosure auctions and bank repossessions -- last month. This was down 13.1 percent from December 2009, but was 13.8 percent higher than January 2009. The state ranked 10th for foreclosures".
The report also says that 1 out of every 357 houses in Georgia got a foreclosure notice in January. This is in line with national numbers that have a decrease from December, but a year over year increase. Nationally, 1 in 409 homes received a foreclosure notice so we are performing worse than the total market. More from ABC:
“January foreclosure numbers are exhibiting a pattern very similar to a year ago -- a double-digit percentage jump in December…
Who Pays for Poorly Underwritten Loans?
Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 5:53am. 327 Views, 3 Comments.
Bank of America has filed suit against MGIC, one of the nations largest mortgage insurance companies. MGIC has rescinded many of its obligations to pay saying that they aren't contractually obligated to pay for loans that weren't properly underwritten. According to a Bizjournal story, MGIC cut 1.2 billion dollars in payments and Bank of America has filed a lawsuit as well as discontinued using MGIC for its mortgage insurance. Bank of America has also discontinued using MGIC to insure loans.
If you have a loan with less than 20% down, you or your lender has paid for mortgage insurance on your loan. If the loan goes bad, the mortgage insurance company is supposed to pay up. However, with so many bad loans, mortgage insurers are pointing the finger back at the…
My Account
Log in, to view your saved searches and add to your favorite listings.
... So You Can:
- View detailed property information
- Print detailed property flyers
- Save your searches & favorite homes
- Inquiry about a private showing
- Map individual property locations
- Share your favorite homes with friends