For Sellers

878 Peachtree St. # 814 – Classic Loft in Midtown – $95,000

878 Peachtree St. # 814 – Classic Loft in Midtown – only $95,000

This classic NY style loft has great views, amenities galore, walkability and of course location, location, location!!!!

Highly Desired Top Floor Unit

Gorgeous Midtown Views

Authentic NY Style Loft w/ High Ceilings & Exposed Ductwork

Wall of Windows Offer Great Sunlight

Open Kitchen w/ Breakfast Bar & Upgraded Lighting

Pristine Hardwood Floors

Upgraded, Tiled Bath

Jetted Tub w/ Custom Built Step-Up

Great Closet Shelving & Space

Deeded, Assigned Parking Space

24 Hour Concierge

Rare In-Town, On-Premises Dog Park

Swimming Pool & Fitness Room

Business Center

Fully Secure Building

Short Walk to Piedmont Park, Fox Theater, Museums, Publix, Starbucks, MARTA & Restaurants Galore

Enjoy the Virtual Tour:  http://www.propertypanorama.com/mls.asp?id=108715

If you or someone you know is looking for a home of this quality, in a neighborhood as vibrant as Midtown, please give me a call at 404-431-2117.

848 Sycamore Drive – 2 Bed/1 Bath – $249,000

This charming Decatur Heights 2 Bed/ 1 bath Cottage retains much of its historic charm: Classic fireplace & Mantle, Original Hardwoods, Picture Molding, Built-in Bookcase and more.  Its large relaxing sunroom is a great place to enjoy the GA sunshine regardless of the weather or mosquitoes.  It sits on an expansive lot which is over 255′ deep and features stone patio. The entire backyard is already fenced.

It sits in the Clairemont Elementary School District.  Walk to Downtown Decatur.  It’s a short 5 min. drive to Emory and the CDC.

Virtual Tour:  http://www.propertypanorama.com/slideshow/?id=154336

If you or someone you know is looking for a home of this quality, in a neighborhood as inviting as Decatur, please give me a call at 404-431-2117.

311 Ridley Howard Court – 2 Bed/ 2 Bath – $174,000

This top floor condo located in the City of Decatur has 2 Bedrooms Suites.   The suites have large bedrooms w/ closet space.  The open kitchen features lovely stained cabinetry, a breakfast bar, pantry and a view to both the dining area and family room.  The family room has a gas fireplace w/ mantle suitable for showcasing your finest artwork.  The balcony w/ retractable, motorized awning, allows you to enjoy the outdoors rain or shine.  Unit 311 comes with 1 assigned parking space its own additional storage unit on the 3rd floor.

This secure building also features underground parking, a swimming pool, a pet walk and so much more.  It’s a 5 min. drive to Emory & CDC and in 10 mins. you can be in Midtown and Downtown.  It also sits on Emory’s CLIFF bus line.

Virtual Tour: http://www.propertypanorama.com/slideshow/?id=154272

If you or someone you know is looking for a home of this quality, in a neighborhood as inviting as Decatur, please give me a call at 404-431-2117.

137 Lockwood Terrace – $339,000 – City of Decatur Listing

The home at 137 Lockwood Terrace feeds into acclaimed Winnona Park Elementary. http://winnonapark.csdecatur.net/. The City of Decatur has an independent school system in GA that is comprised entirely of GA Schools of Excellence.

This home is a 3 bedroom/ 2 bath Southern gem with the ice tea front porch to prove it.  You can walk to Downtown Decatur & the Avondale MARTA. It’s also a 5 min drive to Emory, CDC, the VA Hospital & Agnes Scott College.  In 10 minutes you can be in Midtown and Downtown Atlanta, while in 20 mins. you can be shopping in Buckhead or taking off at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

Enjoy the Virtual Tour: http://www.propertypanorama.com/slideshow/?id=143342

If you or someone you know is looking for a home of this quality, in a neighborhood as inviting as Decatur Heights, please give me a call at 404-431-2117.

Could the Tax Credit Be Extended Again?

The pressure is increasing on Congress to renew the homebuyer tax credits for a third time.

The first $7,500 tax credit was passed in 2008 and required first-time buyers to repay the credit over 15 years. A few months later in 2009, Congress expanded the credit to a maximum of $8,000 that didn’t have to be paid back.

At the end of last year, Congress extended the benefit again until April 30 with an extra two months on top of that to close. A new credit of $6,500 was added for move-up buyers, too.

Now representatives of the housing industry are lobbying for another extension. Some experts, including Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com, who supported the earlier credits, think the time has come to let it go.

“It’s worn out its benefit,” he says. “If you extend it again, it isn’t going to do much, and what you’re doing is providing a tax break to folks who bought anyway.”

Source: The Wall Street Journal, Nick Timiraos (02/22/2010)

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Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta
315 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Ste. 100
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 431-2117
Web: www.elliottyouragent.com
Blog – www.elliottonrealestate.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/elliottrob

IRS Clarifies What’s Needed to Claim Tax Credit

The Internal Revenue Service has clarified which documentation taxpayers need to submit to claim the first-time and move-up homebuyer tax credit.

While the IRS is still requiring the filing of Form 5405, it is not demanding that all parties’ signatures be on the HUD-1 settlement document in areas where requiring both the buyer and the seller to sign the document isn’t common.

The IRS clarification says: “In areas where signatures are not required on the settlement document, the IRS has clarified that it will accept a settlement statement if it is completed and valid according to local law. … The IRS encourages those buyers to sign the settlement statement prior to attaching it to the tax return.”

For repeat buyers, the IRS is seeking documentation that home buyers have lived in the previous property for a consecutive five of the past eight years. Proof can include property tax records, home owner insurance records, or mortgage interest statements.

Source: Washington Post (02/20/2010)

———————————————————
Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta
315 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Ste. 100
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 431-2117
Web: www.elliottyouragent.com
Blog – www.elliottonrealestate.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/elliottrob

World’s Most Beautiful Cities

Choosing the world’s most beautiful cities is a subjective enterprise. To identify urban areas where the architecture and the locale are both stunning, Forbes magazine turned to world-renowned architects. Here are their top choices:
•    Paris
•    Vancouver, Canada
•    Sydney, Australia
•    Florence, Italy
•    Cape Town, South Africa
•    San Francisco
•    Chicago
•    New York City
•    London
•    Cambridge, England
•    Tokyo

Source: Forbes, Tim Kiladze (01/22/2010)

———————————————————
Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta
315 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Ste. 100
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 431-2117
Web: www.elliottyouragent.com
Blog – www.elliottonrealestate.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/elliottrob

Shadow Inventory Unlikely to Hurt Market

Nearly 5 million houses and condos, of which the mortgages are delinquent, will go through foreclosure over the next few years, a new study by John Burns Real Estate Consulting Inc. concludes.

This represents more than half of the 7.7 million households now behind on their mortgage payments. The situation is worst in Arizona, California, Florida, and Nevada. Burns calculates that there is an inventory equivalent to 27 months of sales in Orlando, 24 months in Miami, and 18 months in Las Vegas.

Consulting firm CEO John Burns says there is strong investor demand for these properties, so as long as employment continues to recover and interest rates remain moderate, these sales won’t have much impact on overall prices.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, James R. Hagerty (02/16/2010)

———————————————————
Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta
315 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Ste. 100
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 431-2117
Web: www.elliottyouragent.com
Blog – www.elliottonrealestate.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/elliottrob

Luxury Homes in Foreclosure Go to Auction

An increasing number of homes with multi-million dollar price tags are going into foreclosure and that’s driving desperate owners to sell at auction.

In 2009, 18,817 properties worth at least $1 million faced foreclosure. That’s up 162 percent from 2008, reported foreclosure marketer RealtyTrac.

Prices of $1 million-plus properties are down about 25 percent since 2007 with an increasing number of desperate home owners choosing auction sales over waiting for years for the right buyer to come along.

“Any home owner selling in this economy is on the market because they have to be,” says John Brian Losh, CEO of LuxuryRealEstate.com, a Web site that specializes in high-end properties. “If they’re frustrated and they can’t figure out why they haven’t gotten any offers, they might think an auction will generate some interest.”

Source: Forbes, Francesca Levy (02/11/2010)

———————————————————
Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta
315 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Ste. 100
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 431-2117
Web: www.elliottyouragent.com
Blog – www.elliottonrealestate.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/elliottrob

Foreclosure Prevention Has Aided 116,000

The federal foreclosure prevention program has helped about 12 percent of borrowers who applied for help since the plans were announced a year ago, the Treasury Department says.

About 1 million borrowers initiated the application process, and as of January, about 116,000 home owners–12 percent–had their loans modified. But administration officials say another 76,000 applications have been approved and are awaiting signatures.

Another 830,500 home owners are currently in a trial modification review period during which banks make sure payments are feasible for the borrower and ensure the qualifications of the assistance program are met.

For those who qualify, the Home Affordable Modification Program brings monthly loan payments down to 31 percent of home owners’ pre-tax income.

Nearly 60,500 people have been denied permanent modifications.

Source: CNNMoney, Tami Luhby (02/17/2010) and USA TODAY, Stephanie Armour (02/17/2010)

———————————————————
Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta
315 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Ste. 100
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 431-2117
Web: www.elliottyouragent.com
Blog – www.elliottonrealestate.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/elliottrob

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