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        <title>Atlanta Real Estate Blog</title>
        <link>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/</link>
        <description>Atlanta real estate blog. Consumer focused real estate information for Atlanta and information and insight into local and national topics. Areas of interest include; Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Roswell &amp; Alpharetta. North Metro Atlanta.</description>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/avalon-in-alpharetta-formerly-prospect-park.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/avalon-in-alpharetta-formerly-prospect-park.html</link>
            <author>ryan@premieratlantarealestate.com (Ryan Ward:  CEO of Premier Atlanta Real Estate - Keller Williams)</author>
            <title>Avalon in Alpharetta (Formerly Prospect Park) - an Update</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
We were fortunate to get a significant update on Avalon yesterday from Jim Costen (a commercial agent in our office) and the plan looks pretty good as of right now and it is scheduled to have a grand opening of October 26th, 2013. Directly below is the current master plan, a really cheesy youtube video and a flipbook with more details. I certainly hope the mixed-use development creates a community environment better than the video, but it's worth watching if you have some interest in what's coming.





The Video


Here is the video:







Download the Flipbook
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:05:19 -0400</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/land-values-continue-to-rise-in-north-fulton.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/land-values-continue-to-rise-in-north-fulton.html</link>
            <author>ryan@premieratlantarealestate.com (Ryan Ward:  CEO of Premier Atlanta Real Estate - Keller Williams)</author>
            <title>Land Values Continue to Rise in North Fulton</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Last October, I wrote that land values were on the rise in North Metro Atlanta and recent activity reinforces that article with more certainty. This is great news for all of us, but especially homeowners who had seen land values drop by about 40% from the highs of the market in 2007. This upward trend was inevitable, but it's been my experience recently with several other pieces of land available that many buyers are still quite reluctant to accept this upward trend as reality. I think there are a number of reasons for the uptick in values. What this means is that if you want to buy land, yesterday was better than today and tomorrow it will cost you more. This is irrefutable at this point and barring another major downturn (very unlikely), will in all likelihood continue. It does not mean however that your home is worth more - just the dirt underneath it. There are other factors in play affecting the values of the existing retail inventory of homes not the least of which is new construction.


Examples and Statistics


Earlier today, we closed on this 2.5 acre property with a small brick ranch that will be torn down on Hopewell just north of Redd for $140,000. That's a sale at 56K an acre for a property with frontage on a fairly busy road with a bit of road noise to boot. Couple that with the fact that a portion of the property was in a flood plain and it would be easy to make the case that an ideal setting would easily fetch over $70,000/acre in today's market. If that's not enough, there was another recent sale on Mid Broadwell that is even more exciting.


Mid Broadwell land sells for $84,000/acre


Barn image courtesy of NorthFulton.com.


If you are familiar with Alpharetta, you may recognize this old barn on Mid Broadwell. The barn is coming down and a new neighborhood called The Estates at Peyton Farm is on its way. I don't know how much the homes are going to sell for yet, but the old farm was 13 acres and it sold for 1.1 million dollars. That's a little over $84,000/acre. I know there are some who are sad to see it go (I am too), but it's a prime location east of the Crabapple Overlay and it was bound to happen eventually. Let's hope Brooks Chadwick Capital does a good job with the neighborhood. In my opinion, they got a really good deal for that location. Imagine getting some of the the feel of Milton without having to deal with the traffic to get to and from work caused by the bottleneck at that disaster of an intersection of Mayfield/Crabapple/Broadwell/Mid Broadwell/Birmingham Hwy!


The Estates at Peyton Farm Construction Site


This is an acitve site and with all of the surrounding new construction selling as fast as they are building them, expect these to go fast.





These two sales, along with a couple of others that I am aware of that are in the works show that there are buyers willing to pay more than the 30k - 35k/acre that prices had fallen to a year ago. Times have changed!


There is also nothing really available to buy for less than $50,000/acre. Sure there are couple of "B" locations for about $40,000/acre, but you get what you pay for now. There are also quite a few overpriced properties, but there are a lot more in the $60,000 - $80,000/acre range now that have some comps to support the asking prices.


Just a little good news to start off the spring :)


What About Home Prices?


Well, that's a little different and a little harder to predict - the new construction going up represents great value and they are increasing prices as they start new phases and that's a good thing. In the last week, I've talked with a couple of people who think that some of the new Wieland homes in Braeburn are overpriced. News flash - they are not overpriced for the market because they are selling. That's the way it works. One of our buyer specialists has one under contract in the the Ashton Woods neighborhood Oaks on Charlotte Drive. They are almost sold out.


It does mean that there we may begin to see more new construction and new homes are like new cars - they smell good and people are willing to pay more for a new home with less square footage than resale homes. Let's wait and see what spring and summer bring for us.


I think we've finally moved beyond "turning the corner" and have moved to a positive trending market in west Alpharetta/Milton.


Finally...
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 14 Mar 2012 22:05:19 -0400</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/why-should-i-use-a-realtor-when-buying-new.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/why-should-i-use-a-realtor-when-buying-new.html</link>
            <author>ryan@premieratlantarealestate.com (Ryan Ward:  CEO of Premier Atlanta Real Estate - Keller Williams)</author>
            <title>Why Should I use a Realtor when Buying New?</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
 Guest post by Andrew Hill @ www.NewHomeSource.com


At a time when cutting back has become the norm, it’s no surprise that many in the process of buying a new home might be asking themselves, “Why do I need a realtor?” This seems a natural question for those interested in buying a new home, while wanting to save all they can. After all, you can talk with the home builder or his agent and quickly be the owner of a brand new home- and you can do it all without ever having to sit down with those money-grubbing realtors. But what you may not realize is that the money you are saving by skipping out on the realtor isn’t really being saved at all. In fact, those who don’t use a realtor are costing themselves more in the long-run. Come again?


That’s right. Whenever you try to save yourself that 3% commission rate, you aren’t cutting the cost of your home at all, because the realtor’s sales commission is taken from the builder’s profit. Furthermore, the seller’s agent has no interest in helping the buyer. His job is to get the best possible deal for the builder, so don’t be fooled by their friendliness, whether well-intentioned or not. The seller will not give you a discount because you aren’t represented by an agent. By going into the transaction unrepresented, the builder is free to either pocket his savings or pay a higher commission to their sales representative.


Now that we’ve debunked the myth that you’ll be coming out ahead by skipping an agent, we’d like to point out all of the benefits that come with being represented in your transaction.


For starters, your agent is a licensed professional, meaning he or she has a wealth of knowledge and resources unavailable to the average home buyer. By hiring a realtor, you also save yourself the time and energy of doing quite a bit of legwork. Many buyers justify not using an agent because they figure they can do this legwork themselves and save some money. Seeing as we just debunked the agent-less money-saving myth, why not save yourself the trouble and let a professional do the legwork? Real estate agents are also your personal advocates. During the process they represent your interests and wants to get you the best deal possible- after all, their jobs and reputation depend on it! In some cases, an experienced agent can even negotiate with the seller’s non-negotiable prices to get you a better deal.


So instead of asking yourself, “Why should I use an agent?” the real question is, “Why wouldn’t you hire an agent?” At no cost to you, hiring an agent will save you time today and money tomorrow.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:42:11 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/1865-bethany-way-providence-a-reintroduction.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/1865-bethany-way-providence-a-reintroduction.html</link>
            <author>ryan@premieratlantarealestate.com (Ryan Ward:  CEO of Premier Atlanta Real Estate - Keller Williams)</author>
            <title>1865 Bethany Way - Providence, A Reintroduction</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 



We are excited to bring Providence back on the market after a break for the holidays! As you can see from the pictures below, there is nothing quite like this anywhere in North Fulton, or really, anywhere in Metro Atlanta quite like this.


Providence is a very sophisticated, classic American home custom designed by Stephen Fuller. The setting - your choice of either 30 or 60 acres (both with lake frontage), is private and peaceful and the home itself is a magnificent achievement of understated elegance and symmetry inspired by Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and George Washington's Mount Vernon estates.


If you are interested in viewing this home, please contact me directly and I will arrange a private showing. You can find more photos and a video at Providence's dedicated website, www.estatesinmilton.com. Call me directly at 404.630.3187. Enjoy the photos!






























































Property Information




FMLS# 4311684


$8,900,000 with 60 acres


$6,900,000 with 30 acres


Stephen Fuller design


Heated pool


Lighted tennis


Guest cottage


Caretaker house


Walking trails


gated entry


+/- 850 lake frontage




Exlusively Listed With: Ryan Ward - 404.630.3187
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:16:19 -0500</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/the-luxury-market-where-its-hot-and-where-its-not.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/the-luxury-market-where-its-hot-and-where-its-not.html</link>
            <author>ryan@premieratlantarealestate.com (Ryan Ward:  CEO of Premier Atlanta Real Estate - Keller Williams)</author>
            <title>The Luxury Market - Where it's Hot and Where it's Not</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Luxury homes in Atlanta are available in all of the most sought after areas, but the highest concentration of luxury homes (homes for sale over $1,000,000) are found in Buckhead, Sandy Springs and the areas north of the Chattahoochee River on the east or west side of GA 400. It stands to reason that the closer you get to the city, the higher the concentration of luxury homes will be, but Buckhead and other intown areas do not hold exclusive rights to all of the finest homes available and there are many reasons you might want to look to Sandy Springs, Alpharetta or MIlton (to name a few) if you are in the market for a luxury home. Other areas of note might be Sugarloaf in Gwinnett or Virginia Highland, Ansley Park and Decatur, but those areas are small and therefore not part of this market update.


Buckhead the Bright Spot in the Down Market


Sales and availability of luxury homes in Buckhead have rebounded faster than other areas of the market. Here are the numbers for the numbers through November:




228 active listings


27 under contract


10.5% of listings are under contract


20 sales over $3,000,000




That's pretty good for what is supposed to be a soft market especially when compared to the other areas.


Sandy Springs


Sandy Springs begins where Buckhead ends on the north side of Chastain Park and runs outside of the perimeter essentially to the river, but the highest concentration of high end homes are inside of the perimeter. Here are the numbers:




80 active listings


10 under contract


12.% under contract


No sales over $3,000,000




Here we see that the percentage of listings under contract is higher than anywhere else including Buckhead, but there are no sales of homes above $3,000,000.


Alpharetta/Johns Creek


This is the area nort of the Chattachoochee River east of GA 400 and includes the exclusive neighborhood of Country Club of the South and other very sought after communities like Windward. Here are the numbers for this area:




62 active listings


4 under contract


6.5% under contract


1 sale over $3,000,000




The sale over $3,000,000 here was in Country Club of the South and the previous year saw the sale of Dean Gardens for land only of $7,600,000.


Roswell/Alpharetta/Milton


This is the area north of the Chattahoochee west of GA 400 and includes neighborhoods in Roswell like Heatherwood, The Manor Golf and Country Club in Milton and large estate homes on acreage. It's truly one of the most beautiful areas in Metro Atlanta with a less dense population than the other areas where you are more likely to find luxury homes on larger tracts of land like this estate we have for sale at 1865 Bethany Way. It is also slightly farther away from interstates, the airport and downtown than the other areas so it stands to reason that there will be a little less demand, but if you don't need the airport or downtown, your money will go farther and you are better able to find something with privacy by way of larger tracts of land than anywhere else. Here are the numbers:




73 active listings


3 under contract


4.1% under contract


0 sales over $3,000,000




This is an area that is still growing though and some numbers here are harder to quantify. For example, a lot was just sold in Crabapple Brook where there will be a new home built for over $1,000,000 and the area has a younger inventory than any of the other areas. In some ways, the luxury market here is still growing if you can say that in this market - maybe it's better to say that it was still growing before the downturn and will rebound with the market.


Summary


On a whole, the luxury market is still depressed, but has shown real signs of recovery - especially in Buckhead and Sandy Springs where the inventory levels are more balanced with demand. Because the intown markets are returning to balance, prices are reasonably stable and you are less likely to steal a home. In the northern markets, obtaining a qualified buyer is more difficult and prices are still depressed making your buying power stronger, but as can be seen by the numbers, there are fewer people who want to buy luxury homes in the northern suburbs at current prices - the reasons vary, but if you are looking for a luxury home in the northern areas, you will find that your money will go farther than it does in the city.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:04:03 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/land-values-up-in-north-atlanta-sales-to-prove-it.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/land-values-up-in-north-atlanta-sales-to-prove-it.html</link>
            <author>ryan@premieratlantarealestate.com (Ryan Ward:  CEO of Premier Atlanta Real Estate - Keller Williams)</author>
            <title>Land Values up in North Atlanta - Sales to Prove it!</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Last Tuesday the bar was raised on the north side of town for land values with a sale that took place on Clarity Rd just across the border from Milton in Cherokee County. The $2,600,000 sale was a nice home, but it was the amount of land that sold with the home is what gets me excited. I've been in the home - I showed it to a buyer and the home with it's 33 acres represents the best sale this year to set a new floor for pricing in this market. based on the the size and quality of the home, the land would have had to be valued at or above $50,000/acre. Given its location in Cherokee County, this should set the prices higher for North Fulton for hopeful sellers.


Property Details




6,100+ square feet according to the tax records


Small Stable


2 ponds


Numerous acres in the food plain


Pool


33 +/- acres


List price - $2,900,000


Sales price - $2,600,000


On the market at that price for less than 30 days before going under contract




It goes to show that once you get the price right, the market will always respond (provided there are people buying at that price point - and there are).


This is great news for many of us in the industry including myself as we have been looking for stabilization for some time. I think intuitevely many of us felt like this is where the market should be. Now we have the proof.


If your out there and have been hesitant to make a move it is certainly understandable. There are many other great properties to consider like mine at 1865 Bethany Way that is being offered with either 30 or 60 acres.


Now can be the right time to buy. A few more sales like this and prices may move from stabiliing to up. There isn't a ton of inventory of good homes like these so maybe it's time to get back out and see what's available!
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:41:12 -0400</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/pricing-a-home-in-a-down-market.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/pricing-a-home-in-a-down-market.html</link>
            <author>ryan@premieratlantarealestate.com (Ryan Ward:  CEO of Premier Atlanta Real Estate - Keller Williams)</author>
            <title>Pricing a Home in a Down Market - You Can't Underprice a Home</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
This is something that we (and I think many other agents) struggle with in the market today. We meet with a client and go over what we believe should be the list price of a home and it's seldom a pleasant conversation. Typically, sellers know it's worth less than it was a few years ago, but getting the price right today really is more important than it used to be.


A home gets it's most activity from potential buyers in the early part of a listing period - the first 2 weeks. If it isn't priced for the market, it won't get an offer. Still, seller's feel they need to leave room to negotiate because they feel they need to squeeze every penny they can out of their sale. It's a fair enough idea, but it isn't grounded in what the data says they should do.


First, I'd like to discuss an important concept that regularly gets overlooked by both seller's and agents: It's impossible to underprice a home. Let me reiterate - you can't underprice your home. In a free market, it doesn't matter if you underprice by $1,000 or $50,000. It will sell for as much as the market will pay. Not more, not less.


So let's try to do a better job of recognizing the understandable objection about pricing and do a better job of explaining how the market works. If you list your home for the correct price, it will sell and it will happen fast regardless of your price point. It's not like homes aren't selling (see chart).





As you can see from this chart which shows home sales during this declined market, home sales are actually quite consistent. It's just that only the ones that represent exceptional value sell. If you price it at the right number, it's impossible for it not to sell. So the obvious question is that if you list it low and it sells fast, doesn't it meant that you could have listed it a little higher, waited and got a higher offer? The answer is of course no. Emphatically. If you overprice your home and need a price reduction to sell, it will sell for less than it would have had you priced it correctly to begin with (see charts below).








This second chart is very telling. If you price high and reduce, it will sell for less than it would have had you priced it correctly to begin with.


It is possible however to have missed the mark by pricing it a little bit too low. Guess what happens next...you get multiple offers and the price will be brought up to the highest possible price.


Still not convinved? Look how long it will take if you overprice your home instead of pricing it correctly (pay special attention to the fact that it doesn't matter at all at what price point your home is in).





Red is the time to sell of homes that did not get a price reduction. Yellow is homes priced correctly at the start.


So, don't fear low pricing. It's your best chance to get the highest amount for your home.
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            <pubDate>Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:23:05 -0400</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/short-sales-1011.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/short-sales-1011.html</link>
            <author>ryan@premieratlantarealestate.com (Ryan Ward:  CEO of Premier Atlanta Real Estate - Keller Williams)</author>
            <title>Short Sales 101 - HD Video</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
This is a 3 minute video introduction on what a short sale is and who might be a good candidate for one. The transcript of the video is below.







Transcript


Hi, my name is Ryan Ward with Premier Atlanta Real Estate and Keller Williams. Thank you for your time with me today to learn about short sales. For too many reasons to go into today, the term short sale has become one of the most talked about types of transactions in the real estate market. So first, let’s make sure we get our definitions correct. A short sale happens when a lender agrees to accept a contract on a home when the sales price is less than the amount needed to pay off that mortgage. The bank is allowing the owner to sell the property “short” of the full payoff. So that’s the technical definition of a short sale.


Because of the downturn in the economy, most homeowners here in Atlanta and in other parts of the country who purchased their home after about the year 2000, have little to no equity in their homes. If you don’t need to sell your home you don’t need to worry about a short sale. If you have the money to bring to the table to make up the difference or if you do have equity, you also do not need to worry about a short sale. However, if you have lost your job, or you qualified for your home with 2 incomes and one of you is no longer able to work due to some specific reason - this could be health related, divorce, inability to find new work or many other problems facing Americans today, you might be a candidate for a short sale.


If you can no longer make ends meet and you are behind or it is imminent that you will fall behind in your mortgage payments, you need to talk with a specialist to see if you may qualify for a short sale and you need to do it as soon as possible. Don’t wait until you get a foreclosure notice to start looking for help!


Ok, so why may a short sale be better for you than a foreclosure?


Now, I do want to say that there are no guarantees when it comes to short sales. It’s an ever changing process, but it has greatly improved because lenders as well as their servicers are generally doing a much better job expediting the process than they did just a couple of years ago.


That said, it’s impossible to give specifics about how a short sale may impact your credit when compared with a foreclosure. Your credit standing with the 3 major credit bureaus and the methods they use to derive your credit standing are closely guarded secrets so I’m not going to stand here and say that a short sale with have less of a negative impact on your credit than a foreclosure.


I will say that if you can get back on your feet and begin repairing your damaged credit, you may be able to get back into a home faster by agreeing to short sale than you would if you went through a foreclosure.


So please - don’t wait - call me today. You MUST take action to help yourself. We will help.


Even if it means that we tell you that we can’t sell your home.


Our first obligation is to help. We are not going to try to sell you something or talk you into listing your home with us if it isn’t the right thing for you in your specific situation. You may need to speak with lawyer or a CPA before you can do your short sale as their are specific implications with the tax law, 1099’s and more, but we can’t help you you don’t call... There is no obligation - so please - do it today. Call now.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:38:32 -0400</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/110-dove-ct-featured-listing-video.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/110-dove-ct-featured-listing-video.html</link>
            <author>ryan@premieratlantarealestate.com (Ryan Ward:  CEO of Premier Atlanta Real Estate - Keller Williams)</author>
            <title>110 Dove Ct - Featured Listing Video</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
This is a great listing in Roswell located just a few minutes from the historic district.


Details: 5 beds, 5.5 baths, $725,000


#110-dove-video# 
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            <pubDate>Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:11:46 -0400</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/windward-video-what-do-you-think.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.premieratlantarealestate.com/blog/windward-video-what-do-you-think.html</link>
            <author>ryan@premieratlantarealestate.com (Ryan Ward:  CEO of Premier Atlanta Real Estate - Keller Williams)</author>
            <title>Windward Video - What Do You Think?</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
I know what I think - I'll never be a TV star, but I think it came out pretty good!

#windward-video#&nbsp;
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:12:48 -0400</pubDate>
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