AROUND Atlanta indeed!

People often ask me if I focus in a specific area of town, to which I always reply "Nope, I'll go anywhere!" and point out that my company is RE/MAX Around Atlanta.  The only thing I specialize in is making lasting relationships and helping people realize their real estate dreams! So while I have never consciously focused in one part of town, I was curious to see if there was any sort of pattern to my business. I decided to pull up a map of all my sales to get a quick visual, and as you can see, I truly do work AROUND Atlanta! 

My furthest sale didn't even make it onto this map - it is one I have under contract right now in Byron, GA (south of Macon)!  I don't normally travel that far, but this is a longtime friend of the family that wanted my help navigating her first home purchase and I was more than happy to oblige. As you can see, most of my sales are in the Metro area and on the northern side of town. 

Out of the 130 homes I have sold in the past 8 years, 75 of them have been ITP and 55 of them have been OTP, so a fairly even split.  They have ranged in price from under $10,000 (yes, you read that right - 2009 was a really rough year for housing values in Atlanta and a lot of my investors took advantage!) to over $1M, and have been every type from an authentic loft conversion in the heart of the city to a working horse farm out in the country. I truly will go anywhere for my clients, because my goal is always to find them their dream home, wherever it may be!

If you are thinking about buying or selling, contact me - I'm happy to come to you, wherever that may be! 

8 Avoidable Mistakes 1st Time Buyers Make

Some good tips in this HousingWire article! In particular, I see first time buyers make mistake #5 quite a bit, which is why I always stress Location, Location, Location! It is a cliche for a reason: location is the ONLY thing you cannot change about a home after your purchase it, and it has the longest and most significant impact on both value AND consumer happiness down the road.

The last thing a first-time homebuyer wants to do is mess up the entire homebuying process by doing one of these common mistakes. 

Yet, they continue to make them.   

Listen, buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions a person will make,  and all it takes is one bad or misinformed decision to mess up the entire process. 

So, stop. 

Movoto complied a list of 10 common mistakes first-time homebuyers make.
After perusing the list, HousingWire condensed the mistakes into 8 things that could ruin the homebuying process: 

1. They don’t watch their finances before buying a home
This would include watching your credit, taking on too much debt right beforehand or making a big purchase right before closing. 

Debt-to-income ratio is a huge deciding factor on credit scores and it’s one of the first things that lenders look at when putting your mortgage together. Lenders want to know how much debt borrowers have already accumulated against their income. The more debt the borrower has, the less of a loan they will be able to get. 

Many people don’t realize that lenders look at all financial information again before closing occurs to make sure that nothing has changed. And that debt-to-income ratio that they used to create your mortgage in the first place is one of the first things they’re going back to check. So, hold off on any plans to buy a new car to park in that new driveway or furniture to fill the house. 

2. They don’t take the time to get pre-approved before house hunting
It’s easy for homebuyers to assume what they can afford and to just start looking without taking the steps through the lender first, but it’s not the smart move. Most real estate agents won’t show potential homes without a prequalification letter to in hand. And some won’t do anything without the pre-approval. 

3. They take on more than they can handle financially
Many first-time homebuyers make the mistake of assuming that just because they can afford the house that means that they can afford to live there. That’s not always the case. There are many extra costs associated with homeownership that often get overlooked by someone who is new to the game. 

4. They get into a fixer upper they don’t have time or money to fix
Fixer uppers can often seem like a great savings. Home renovation shows can do that to anyone. The problem is, though, that most people don’t have a production company budget and a huge crew behind them working around the clock to get the jobs done. Without money and time, fixer uppers stay fixer uppers. Not only can the novelty wear off fast, but what seemed like a huge savings quickly starts to look like a giant money pit. 

5. They prioritize the home over the neighborhood
When people start looking for that dream home in their dream neighborhood, many realize just how far outside their budgets dream homes can be, especially in big cities and affluent suburbs. It’s tempting to continue to look for that same dream home, just in a neighborhood that might not be as good. 

6. They put all their eggs in the online basket
The Internet has become an invaluable tool for home buyers. Searching through homes, researching neighborhoods, getting your credit score, and finding out what lenders are prepared to give has never been so easy. However, it’s still not as good as getting a reputable team of professionals who can physically meet with or at least speak with you in your corner. 

7. They spend all their money on the down payment
Putting down a 20% down payment on a home is often mandatory these days unless you’re interested in paying mortgage insurance. Many people save and scrape every last dollar they can get together for years in order to meet that 20 percent down payment figure and then as soon as they reach it, they go through the home buying process. Many people empty out their savings in order to meet the down payment, leaving themselves with nothing left over. 

8. They skip the home inspection
Skipping the home inspection might seem like a quick and easy way to save money for some people. The novelty and excitement of a new home make some people feel like there’s nothing that would possibly change their minds about wanting to buy it. That is until you’re moved in and realize that there are major and very costly maintenance issues such as mold, termites, a leaking roof, electrical issues or foundation problems

5 Tips for finding your new home online

The statistics show that 90% of buyers start their home search on-line. I'd argue that statistic and say that the only person NOT looking online is probably my mother. But with all the World Wide Web at your fingertips, how do you sort through all the information to narrow down your choices?  Here are 5 tips for using Remax.com's excellent search site to help you find your dream home:

When you’re ready to start your home search online, don’t let the sheer volume of listings overwhelm you. Below are some tips to help you narrow down your search results on remax.com and make it much easier to streamline the list of homes you want to visit. 

1. Be smart about pricing.

By now you’ve probably already contacted a lender to figure out exactly how much you’re preapproved to borrow for your new place – and then from there determined how much you’re actually willing to spend on a home. (What you can borrow oftentimes is higher than what you might be comfortable spending.) When you begin your search online, the absolute high-end of your budget isn’t the figure you should enter into your search criteria. 

In today’s competitive market, many buyers find themselves in the middle of a bidding war to secure their dream home. Houses can sell for several thousand dollars more than the original asking price. It might be a good idea to go into your online search knowing you could end up paying more for a home than it’s listed for online. With this in mind, set the price search filter lower than your true maximum price. This way you have some flexibility to compete and increase your offer if other buyers submit offers on your top pick. Another way remax.com helps in your search is to automatically show the newest listings at the top of your results, giving you the opportunity to get your bid in as soon as possible. 

2. Consult the map.

You’re looking at pictures of the perfect house. There’s a fenced-in yard for your dog. The garage has plenty of space to store your camping gear. Your kids will love the Jack-and-Jill style bathroom. But just as you’re about to contact the agent, you notice a deal-breaker – your commute to your new job would take twice as long as you wanted. 

Avoid the heartbreak of discovering the perfect home is in a less-than-perfect location by using the remax.com mapping functions. After you filter properties based on pricing, number of bedrooms, and other criteria you set, this function shows homes as pins on a map. You can zoom in to focus on homes within walking distance to your kids’ new school, for instance, and you’ll also get an idea of what restaurants and other amenities are nearby. Plus, you can create a My RE/MAX account to access additional features like INRIX Drive Time, which shows commute times to and from a property at various times throughout the day. 

3. Remember, photos and videos are only 2D.

Although it’s true that agents can do a great job of capturing a home’s character in photos and videos, there’s still only so much these images can convey. Maybe the neighborhood is described as “secluded,” but it’s still close enough to hear the train come through town. Or when you look closer, you’re unsure if the cabinets are maple or oak. 

These types of uncertainties are why it’s important to see a home in person before you make a decision to buy. Your real estate agent will happily schedule showings for you. But if choosing an agent isn’t something you’re ready to do right now, there is a way to see properties and start narrowing down your wants, needs and options: open houses. On remax.com, you can filter search results to see homes with an upcoming open house. The feature also posts the dates and times you can stop by to see the properties in person. 

To get an even better feel for the area, you also can view demographic data and browse a neighborhood overview. 

4. Search your top neighborhood choices.

Make a trip across almost any city and you’ll encounter several different pockets of culture and attitude. One part of town might pride itself on being the historic city center while another is all about modernism. Perhaps the reason you’re in the market for a new home is that you want to shift to the lifestyle a specific neighborhood offers. To search for a specific area on remax.com, type the name of the area you want to live in, followed by “Neighborhood” and the state you’re looking in. If the neighborhood you’re looking for is listed (many, but not all, neighborhoods will appear), you’ll see search results showing all available properties in that area. Now that’s convenience! 

5. Balance character with upkeep.

Another important search feature is the age of the property. Deciding whether or not you’re interested in purchasing an older home is a perfect example of how the wants and needs in a home differ for each buyer. You may have always wanted a home with exposed brick inside, but are you willing to pay to update the older plumbing that might come with it? Whether you’re open to taking on maintenance that may come with an older home or you’d rather avoid projects altogether and stick to brand-new homes, the “Age of Home” filter on remax.com can help you narrow down your search results. 

Just because you’re starting your search online doesn’t mean you have to go it alone! Contact me today to help me guide you in your home search – both online and off.