Georgia Housing Starts 2013 on a High Note!!!

Housing Indicators for January show a good start for Georgia in 2013. GAR just released the January report.  Some key findings include:

• New Listings decreased 9 percent
• Pending Sales were up 21 percent
• Inventory Levels shrank 32 percent
• Median Prices rose 28 percent
• Average Prices rose 18 percent
• Months Supply of Homes for Sale decreased 37 percent
• Days on Market decreased 13 percent to 89 days

I know this jives with my personal experience as well: inventory is down, prices are up, and houses are flying off the market!  All of my listings from the past 90 days have sold in under a week, most for list price (or higher!).  So if you have been on the fence about selling your house, now is the time and I would love to help!

It's that time of year again: Homestead Exemption

If you purchased a home in 2012 as your primary residence, it is time to file for your Homestead Exemption!

A homestead exemption is a reduction in homeowners' property taxes. Once granted, this exemption is automatically renewed each year as long as you continually occupy the home under the same ownership. The home must be your legal residence for all purposes including the registration of your vehicles and the filing of your income tax. You cannot file for homestead exemption on rental property, vacant land, or on more than one property.

*If you previously had Homestead Exemption on another property, you must also contact that county to remove it before you can apply for Homestead on your new property, even if you no longer own the other property*

Different counties have different deadlines for filing, but most are April 1st. CHECK YOUR COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR WEBSITE TO VERIFY YOUR DEADLINE AND FILING REQUIREMENTS.

Here are some links to counties in the Metro Atlanta area for your convenience:

Fulton County

DeKalb County

Cobb County

Gwinnett County
Walton County