Are You Ready For Real Estate?

NAR (National Association of Realtor) has come out and said that it's a great time to buy and sell real estate.  As cliche' as this is, it is uniquely true in some markets.  In my home market of Atlanta Real Estate this is definitely the case.  

What would determine this statement?  

Prices are low, interest rates are low, so it's a good time to buy.  However, inventory is low so it's a good time to sell, assuming you have the equity to do so as prices are at a premium.  

So the question is, "are you ready for real estate?"  Meaning are you ready to do what it takes to take advantage of this market?  This means getting approved before you look at homes, having your finances in order.  This means knowing what you want, but also knowing what you can live with.  It might mean setting your expectations lower in some area.

Take for instance Hamilton Mill homes.  If you want live in this neighborhood you might have to accept what you can get as it pops on the market.  The upside is that the homes are in many cases lower priced than they were when they were originally built and with the interest rate being what it is, your payment will never be lower than right now. 

So it's a good time to buy and sell in this market but you need to have some facts and be prepared before you go out.  

When you are looking for a home you might just start looking or you might be like a lot of folks and have one of the many "wrong" ways to figure this out.

For many folks, they grew up thinking that the amount they qualify for is related to some number multiplied by their annual income.  For others, it might be credit score based.  The real way to determine this number is to come up with a budget.

Turns out that determining how much to spend on a home comes down to good ole' business practice of a profit and loss statement or in the mortgage world, debt to income.  Once you know how much "profit" you have you can determine your budget.

Basically you want to figure out how much you want to spend.  Unlike buying a car, basing your decision on the monthly payment is nearly the perfect way to buy a home.  It's also the first thing you may want to do.  If you were looking in many markets, like the Atlanta Real Estate market, you'll have to be quick to put your offer in sometimes the day the home is listed.   So knowing exactly what you can afford is crucial. 

The Most Important Person In A Real Estate Transaction

The Most Important Person In A Real Estate Transaction

If you're reading this and you are looking for a Georgia home to buy, you might be wondering who the most important person in your move is?  Of course, the answer is simple, YOU.

Cheesiness aside, who is really the most important person after yourself in a real estate transaction.  You might think it's the seller, or maybe the real estate agent.  Maybe it's the home inspector or surely it's the attorney, right?

Well in this author's opinion (and I'm an Atlanta Real Estate agent), it's the lender, and here's why.

1. You'll never know what you can buy or whether you can afford it without talking to a reputable lender. 
2. In our market today you might not even be able to see the homes without being qualified. 
3. You lending "team" has to navigate appraisals, in some cases inspections, attorney team, titles and the red tape that comes with giving you money that they intend to package together and sell to someone else.  (Which is why they can lend you money). 

Now your agent helps you find a home and navigate this as well, but without a good lender all you are doing is house hunting. 

If you are Searching GA Homes For Sale, then you'll need a good lender, we suggest:

Access National

Craig Berry

404-642-6700

Joshua Jarvis Joins Luxury Team

News Release

JARVIS ATTENDS SPECIAL TRAINING,

BUILDS EXPERTISE IN LUXURY HOME MARKET

(Duluth, GA, March 22nd) -- Joshua Jarvis with Jarvis Team Realty at Keller Williams recently completed a luxury home marketing training course offered by The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing.

The course - which covered such topics as demographics of the affluent, lifestyle segmentation, trends and amenities in today’s luxury home product, and creating a marketing plan for the multi-million dollar property – was taught by Laurie Moore-Moore, President of the Dallas-based Institute for Luxury Home Marketing and author of the book, Rich Buyer, Rich Seller! The Real Estate Agents’ Guide to Marketing Luxury Homes.

“The course is a step towards earning the prestigious Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) designation which The Institute awards internationally to sales professionals who meet performance standards in the upper-tier residential market,” said Moore-Moore. Joshua Jarvis is an example of a sales associate who works to hone the special skills and competencies necessary to provide exceptional service in the fine homes and estates marketplace.”

Jarvis is an award-winning sales associate who has been in real estate since 2003 and specializes in the MillCreek Area including Chateau Elan, Hamilton Mill, Hidden Falls, Hedgerows, Trilogy Park and down to Sugarloaf Country Club in the Duluth market. The Jarvis Team finished up 2012 with 102 homes sold and ready to take their unique approach of market dominance and internet mastery to a new level.

“The training provided new insight about the upper tier market, helped me polish my skills, and provided valuable networking contacts with other agents across the country who specialize in luxury properties,” said Jarvis. “In addition, I discovered new and creative tools for promoting expensive homes and estates and new resources for finding buyer prospects. Home buyers and sellers will benefit from my new knowledge.”

For insights into the current state of the luxury market, contact Joshua Jarvis at Jarvis Team Realty and 770-374-4667 or email JarvisTeam@KW.com.

Joshua Jarvis

Owner, Realtor

Jarvis Team Realty

1960 Satellite Blvd, Suite 1100

Duluth GA 30096

770-374-4667

Fax: 888-214-0644

Email: JarvisTeam@KW.com

#####

Jarvis Team is Now Hiring A Home Buyer Specialist

Now Hiring!

Looking for our next Rockstar!  The Jarvis Team is looking for it's next great team member.  We're looking for someone who is ready to take their career to the next level.

The Jarvis Team had their best year ever and sold over 102 homes last year.

Was your last year in real estate your best ever? 

Did you have more leads and support then you had time for?

If not, read on!

An average candidate might earn $50,000.  A typical candidate will earn between $75,000 and $100,000.  However, an outstanding candidate will have no problem earning north of $200,000.

You will be provided with a minimum of 60 warm home buyer leads every month and up to as many as you can possibly handle.  It will be expected that you help 4 or more homeowners a month find their dream home within the first 90 days. 


Job Description

Buyer Specialist is an individual who is highly sociable, draws energy from working with people, and is optimistic and outgoing. He/she is an excellent leader within the organization.  They have a strong sense of urgency, but not at the expense of quality.

In addition, he/she demonstrates on a daily basis the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and habits of a high-achieving buyer agent who is committed to putting clients first, to doing the right thing, and to seeking win-win agreements.

Buyer Specialist follows up with leads DAILY, closes those leads to appointments, closes for agreements, and then conducts a high-level fiduciary needs analysis. Buyer Specialist will negotiate the offer, write the contract, and oversee the deal through its close (with support from the administrative team).   Our team will handle your contract to close process for you!

Key Result Area

• Follow Up With buyer leads (90% of which will be provided), convert leads to appointments, close for agreements, and conduct high-level fiduciary needs analyses
• Consult with clients to ensure fiduciary service of the real estate transaction from initial contact through contract to close
• Effectively negotiate, or oversee negotiations, for all buyers
• Develop expert knowledge regarding mortgage financing, neighborhoods, schools, and all homeownership issues
• Oversee all aspects of buyers' transactions from initial contact to writing the offer
• Negotiating for buyers

Key Skills

• Excellent at building rapport
• People oriented
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Good organizational skills
• Learning based
• Able to build and lead a team
• Willing to learn scripts and dialogues

Compensation  - Commission Based
Profit Share, and other employee benefits.

REQUIREMENTS

• High School graduate or GED
• Real estate license * (willingness to get a license)
• Reliable Transportation
• Cell Phone 
• Gmail Account
• Ability to work full time. 
• Non-smoker

To Apply For this Position - Please e-mail us the following information:

• E-mail explaining why/how you got into real estate or why you want a career in real estate
• Your LinkedIn or Facebook Profile Link
• If you are experienced, please include your production for the last 2 years. 

All applicants that copy and paste will be deleted and not responded to. 

Announcing Mill Creek GA Homes

Announcing Mill Creek GA Homes Site

The Jarvis Team is proud to announce Mill Creek GA Homes (http://MillCreekGAHomes.com), a site dedicated to the home owners in the Mill Creek area.  This area includes Buford Homes, Hoschton Homes, Dacula Homes all in Gwinnett County.

Additionally, the site, Mill Creek GA Homes, focuses specifically on house values in Hidden Falls, house values in Hamilton Mill, house values in Chateau Elan, and initially house values in Trilogy Park.

The Jarvis Team wanted to set out to give real hard facts to the homeowners due to the discrepancy they uncovered.

• 90% or more home buyers start their search online and research up to 8 months before buying a home. 

VS

• 80% of home sellers list with the first real estate agent they meet and never do any market research on their own. 

The site itself won't likely draw out sellers to it, but the Jarvis Team is starting a door to door campaign to let seller's know about this site. 

Home buyers may find the information interesting but can still search for homes in GA from GAHomesDigest.com.

Where Are The Suwanee Homes For Sale?

Check out Suwanee Homes For Sale!  Amazingly, there's 63 available homes under $300K.

If you've been searching in Suwanee for homes, then you know that's there's just not that many to choose from.  The most plentiful options are between $200K and $300K.

Search all of Suwanee Real Estate Here (all the homes for sale).

In addition, you can search some popular neighborhoods.

• Aberdeen
• Baxley Ridge
• Edinburgh
• Grand Cascade
• Highland Station
• Lansfaire
• Laurel Springs
• McGinnis Reserve
• Morningview
• Olde Atlanta Club
• Richland
• Riverbrooke
• Rivermore Park
• The River Club
• Three Bridges
• Turnberry
• Wyndham Park

Attention Atlanta Investors

For the past 10 years the Jarvis Team has always worked with investors in real estate.  Whether it was flips, or long term buy and hold strategies that maximized ROI.  After closing a record of 100+ homes last year with investors, we have added on additional staff and resources to help a specific group of investors.  

With the biggest challenge in Atlanta Real Estate being "winning" properties, we're creating a team specifically to win the most properties.  This "team" concept won't work for every investor or every scenario but we feel we'll be able to increase our win percentage of homes, edge out other investors and create win/win scenarios for Atlanta Investors. 

If you are interested in investing in Atlanta Real Estate, please sign up below. 

Thanks!

2 Acres in Dacula under $200K? What?!

Check out this Dacula Home For Sale ...

This home is located in Mill Creek High School cluster sitting on 2 acres!  A 3 Car Garage all for under $200K, that's just plain... insane!  It's a brand new listing so be sure to check it out now.  To see all the homes in Dacula, click here. 

All Dacula Short Sales

All Dacula Short Sales

Can you believe that there are only 9 short sales available in all of Dacula, GA! Check them out and search for more homes on the MLS.

There is even one on a golf course with this description for less than $200K:

BEAUTIFUL RANCH ON FULL BASEMENT, ON GOLF COURSE! THIS METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED HOME HAS LOTS OF UPGRADES INCLUDING BAY WINDOWS FRONT & BACK

Note: Advertised property was believed to be available at the time of the ad posting, but may be under contract.  

All About Dacula Homes For Sale

4 Bedroom Homes In Lawrenceville For Less Than $800 A Month

4 Bedroom Homes In Lawrenceville For Less Than $800 A Month

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: Although this property was available at the time of this ad creation, it is very possible that an offer has been submitted or even accepted since that time. This ad was created with the intent to sell THIS property. If you are interested in this property, Please call  to check on its current availability 678-948-5515

View FULL DETAILS and additional PHOTOS here:
SEE FULL PROPERTY DETAILS

Search the MLS like a Realtor and never miss the newest listings or the latest price changes. Search using criteria used by Realtors and brokers with multiple photos, satellite images, FULL MLS Descriptions and more. Easier than the MLS. Search Lawrenceville and the surrounding areas.

Most Popular Dacula Homes For Sale

Joshua Jarvis | http://GAHomesDigest.com | 770-406-6123

When it comes to real estate and homes for sale, it's hard to compare to the charm of Dacula GA. The homes in and around Dacula GA are among the finest in GA, and the homes & real estate around the communities are often grand masterpieces. Check out the most popular Dacula Homes For Sale, with inventory this low, you better act quickly if you want to be in a home! 

If you have a home for sale in Dacula, you'll be surprised to see what the Dacula Home Values are! Check Them out! 

Dacula Real Estate Market Update

Dacula Real Estate Market Update

If you are looking to buy any of the Dacula Homes For Sale or perhaps you are thinking of selling your home, this information is crucial.  The average median listing price only tells half the story, but the story is a good one.  (You'll have to click here to actually find out the other half, the median sales price)  The story goes something like this, there are less homes on the market than were on the market on year ago and while you can still see Hamilton Mill Homes For Sale in the low 200's overall the prices are going up in Dacula.

Want to be the first to know what's going on in your city?  Become a Dacula Market Insider.

Duluth Real Estate Taxes Going Up?

Duluth, GA - After the county said, "no new taxes," they promptly adjusted the millage rate - the percentage used in calculating your property taxes - to increase tax revenue. Following in line appears to be the city of Duluth. An increase in taxes won't necessarily impact the residents greatly but could push some over the edge and force them to look at doing a Short Sale, like the proverbial straw.

In its fourth 2 1/2-hour meeting Thursday night, committee members debated before agreeing to a tax hike of up to 1 mill to help stem an expected $2.27-million revenue shortfall for fiscal 2011.

A one-mill increase would equate to $60 a year on a $150,000 house and would provide a boost of $1 million to the city's coffers. Duluth's rate is 5.191 mills, compared with Suwanee's 5.77 mills and Norcross' 6.104 mills.

"Duluth's taxes are minuscule," resident John Bell argued. "I don't understand the problem. No one's going to notice."

What most residents don't realize is that 3 years ago, the property tax rate could be estimated to be between 1% and 1.5% of the value of the homes. Now that number is closer to 3% in many cases.

"The person who consumes the service ought to pay for it," retired businessman Harry Andrews, who opposed the tax increase, said after the meeting. "The truth of the matter is I can pay the taxes. Some can't."

Andrews favored pulling more out from the city's reserves. However, city leaders noted that doing so would put the fund in jeopardy for fiscal 2012. The city's policy is to maintain a minimum of four months in reserves.

Source: AJC

Buford Gets Competitive with Suwanee and Duluth

Buford, GA …by inking a deal on a new Community Center designed to out do Suwanee’s own city center.  This development should also keep more locals, well, local instead of feeling like they need to go to Duluth’s Gwinnett Center to host reunions, conferences or just large birthday parties.

"It'll be something similar to Suwanee's Town Center, but we hope to improve on it and make it bigger and better," said Phillip Beard, chairman of Buford's City Commission. "We've got the old downtown and now we're going to have the new downtown."

The 40,000-square-foot, two-story community center will feature a ballroom, playhouse theater and public meeting space to rent for events such as birthday parties and anniversaries. The seven-acre site also will include walking trails, a park and children's fountain.

Buford isn't the only Gwinnett municipality investing in downtown development. Sugar Hill this year will break ground on a new 19th century-style, half-mile district. Suwanee continues to grow its Town Center, a mixed-use development envisioned in 2002 to embody a live-work-play-shop environment. And Lilburn has plans to overhaul its urban core.

All signs are point to a revitalization of all things local

Search for Buford Homes For Sale

Buford Homes For Sale Real Estate Market Conditions

As January 2010 came in it'd be useful to look at what sold and what's for sale. I can tell you when you look at the numbers, everything comes into perspective, for better or worse.

Currently there are 598 Homes For Sale in Buford. 66 of these are Short Sales. The average home for sale in Buford is priced at $281,997 with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths.

There's 110 properties identified as "Under Contract" with an average price of $264K

Finally, for the most important number, the number of buford homes for sale that sold in January. 29 Buford homes for sale sold in January 2010, with an average list price of $179k and an average sale price of $175K. They all featured about 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths.

If you want to find out about community news, please head over to the Buford facebook page.

Dacula Homes For Sale & Real Estate Market Conditions

November, 2007
As Winter marches toward us it's easy to make comparisons to Georgia's weather and Real Estate.

Much like the past few weeks with fluxuations in temperature from almost freezing to weather hot enough for shorts, the Dacula Real Estate market has been equally hot and cold. With a flurry of activity that dies out as quickly as the fall colors come and go, the Real Estate market has been a interesting one this year.

Currently there are 741 Dacula homes for sale with an average price of $331,743. Although Dacula is certainly known for it's luxury homes, the most expensive home in Dacula is only $1.5 million.

That $331,743 is almost $100k over the average price of a home currently under contract. At $259,663 owners are having to wait roughly 100 days to get their homes sold. Currently every 100 days sees about 10% of the market sold.

October saw 48 homes for sale close at an average price of $262,963. These homes for sale sat on the real estate market for an average of 122 days.

Bottomline, price and condition are still king. Most homeowners should be able to sell within 100 days if they price their home accordingly and make sure it shows like a model
Search All of Dacula Homes For Sale on the MLS

Remax Greater Atlanta to acquire Remax Horizons

RISMEDIA, May 2, 2007-RE/MAX® Greater Atlanta announces its agreement to acquire RE/MAX Horizons. Their three offices, located in Gainesville, Buford, and Braselton, all reside in Hall County and house approximately 120 RE/MAX® professionals.

"We are extremely delighted to enter one of Georgia's fastest growing counties," said Steve Graham, President and CEO of RE/MAX Greater Atlanta. "[RE/MAX] Horizons agents' dedication to real estate excellent is a perfect fit for our organization and I believe the transition will be quite seamless."

Hall county, with access to the popular Lake Lanier and the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, has seen a near 25% increase in population since the year 2000. RE/MAX Greater Atlanta sold more than 16,700 homes in 2006 equating to nearly $4.4 billion dollars in sales. Honored as the nation's 18th largest real estate brokerage by RISMedia's 2007 Power Broker Report, RE/MAX® Greater Atlanta will comprise 15 offices and more than 1,300 agents once the acquisition is complete.

Local Product Stays In Town

In a previous post I mentioned Kenny Irons going to the Bengals, but his brother David landed in the Falcon's Nest as well. A late round pick, David will likely be called upon for nickel coverage, special teams and some practice team duties.

Tour de Georgia, Hoschton Art Trax and Braselton Bash all merge this Saturday

As temperatures warm and spring blossoms, children and adults are flocking outdoors, looking to get out of the house and have a little fun in the sun.
The coming weekend should provide ample opportunity for outside escapades — three separate outdoor events, the Tour de Georgia, Art Trax and Braselton Bash, are merging in the West Jackson area to bring out a bevy of crowds and maybe a little traffic, too. The following is a weekend guide to the events:Art Trax, downtown Hoschton, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Artists from across Georgia have been “juried,” or screened, before being allowed to show and vend their wares at this new downtown event, one that organizers hope will stick around for years to come.

“How many [attendees] would I like to see? I’d like to see 1,000,” said John Schulte, city council member and Art Trax organizer. Check out the various booths and exhibitions crowded into the downtown square and depot from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attractions will include an on-site potter’s wheel, music, food, children’s entertainment and even a wine tasting at Vinny’s Restaurant in the nearby Towne Center.

Directions: Downtown Hoschton, on Highway 53, just south of Braselton. Parking will be available in nearby streets. Admission: Free Tour de Georgia, 12:30 to 1 p.m., northern Gwinnett County, northern Barrow County: Take a break from Art Trax and arrive early to catch a glimpse of the field for one of the nation’s premier cycling tours, a warm-up of sorts for the prestigious Tour de France, later in the summer.

Pick one of three roadways in the stage six route: Cyclists will enter Highway 124 from Spout Springs Road, ride east past Mill Creek high school, merge into Old Hog Mountain Road, and turn into Highway 211 to continue south into Bethlehem.Also, be sure to look for Braselton resident Nathan O’Neill as he vies for a top spot in the Tour. This is the fifth Tour de Georgia for the Australian-native. He rides for the Health Net team.Directions: Parking should be available in nearby shopping centers and on road shoulders. Arrive early, before the roads are shut down in anticipation of the field. Check www.tourdegeorgia.com for more information on the Tour and the stage six route. Admission: Free Braselton Bash, Year One parking lot, Braselton, 3 to 9 p.m.: After the excitement of the Tour de Georgia and a brief return to Art Trax, get ready for an evening of muscle cars, hot rods and cool classics at the monthly Braselton Bash in the YearOne parking lot. The restoration auto parts manufacturer invites car owners and enthusiasts to cruise the company parking lot, talk shop and enjoy the atmosphere from 3 to 9 p.m. Participants can also vote for the top 25 cars in the show.Admission for car exhibitors is $10, all of which goes to this month’s charity recipient, the YearOne Children’s Charity.All other attendees enter for free.Directions: YearOne parking lot, Cherry Drive off Highway 53, just south of Interstate 85. Admission: Free

Source: Jackson Herald