Looking For Something To Do This Weekend?

The Beluga whales are back on display downtown Atlanta at the Georgia Aquarium!

Maris returns to Atlanta after a brief stay at SeaWorld San Antonio, while the beluga whale habitat was undergoing cleaning and improvements. The 15-year-old female, who was born at the New York Aquarium, is 11 feet long and weighs more than 900 pounds. She will be joined by newcomer Beethoven.  Beethoven was the first successful beluga whale calf born at SeaWorld San Antonio and spent most of his life at Point Defiance Zoo. The 18-year-old male is 13 feet long and weighs more than 1740 pounds.

Tenants Rights. Roswell, Do You Know Yours?

I keep hearing these horrible stories of people who are renting a home and making their rental payments to their landlord in a timely manner.  Then, the tenant learns that the landlord hasn’t been paying the underlying mortgage on the home they’re renting.  Most likely, the rental payments went towards another obligation owed by the owner of the home.  Foreclosure ensues and you’d think that the tenant is out of luck, right?  So wrong!  Tenants have rights, and in this situation, if the tenant can show the foreclosing bank a copy of the lease and proof of their timely rental payments, the bank must honor the current lease.

Mortgage Rates Are Back Below 5%

Long-term mortgage rates are back below 5 percent, according to Freddie Mac’s weekly rate report.  The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 4.97 percent in the week ending Feb. 11, down from 5.01 percent last week. A year ago, 30-year mortgages were averaging 5.16 percent, said Freddie Mac, which has a regional office in Atlanta.  It is the third week this year that long-term mortgage rates have dropped below 5 percent.  The lower interest rate calculates to thousands of dollars in interest savings over the term of your loan.

Load Up the Car Roswell..It’s Time for Shredfest!

It’s that time again, time to gather all your sensitive documents and head to the Roswell Recycling Center to have them shredded before your very eyes.  And it’s FREE!  This popular event is scheduled for Saturday, February 13th from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon.

Examples of sensitive documents include old tax returns, junk mail and dated documents with personal information, old pay stubs, etc.  There is a limit of five boxes or 200 pounds of paper per vehicle.

Event is open to Roswell and non-Roswell residents.  The Recycling Center is located at 11570 Maxwell Road on the corner of Maxwell and Hembree Roads.                   

Roswell, Is It Time for a New Fridge?

Effective this Friday, February 12th, $8,642,490 in appliance rebates will be offered to Georgia residents.

Georgia residents who replace an existing appliance with a new Energy Star qualified appliance purchased after February 12, 2010 are eligible to apply for the rebate. Rebates are paid to the approved applicant in the form of a Visa Prepaid card.

Residents can apply for one rebate per category per address up to $1,200 total. Eligible categories are household appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, air conditioners, hot water heaters, etc.  You can get a $50 rebate for a refrigerator, up to $99 for a dishwasher and $199 for a gas furnace to name a few.  Since this is a first-come-first-served program, once the funds run out the program is over. 

Experience Roswell’s Magnolia Walk

Within a short walking distance to Historic Roswell’s shops and restaurants, is lovely Magnolia Walk.  This small, quiet community has just 52 houses.  Built in the late 1990’s by Ryland, the homes in Magnolia Walk are mostly traditional architecture.  

Prices in Magnolia Walk range from high $200,000’s for a home on a slab to mid $300,000’s for a home on a basement.   There were 3 sales last year in 2009.  Two homes on slabs sold for an average of $275,000. The other home was on a finished basement and sold for $330,000 in 17 days.  The seller received 99% of their asking price.

So Roswell, You Want to Buy a HUD home…

No, this property is a not a HUD home but for the longest time HUD foreclosures did have the reputation of looking like this.  HUD properties have become very popular for not only first and second time home buyers, but also with investors. HUD foreclosures come varying conditions.  I’ve seen some that are basically move-in ready and others that were barely habitable.  The overall consensus is that buyer’s can get a really good deal on a HUD property.  I am consistently asked about HUD homes, what they are and how does a buyer get one.  Here are a few general questions to hopefully shed some light:
What exactly is a HUD home?
HUD stands for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD guarantees mortgages made using the FHA loan program. When a FHA borrower defaults, the home becomes a “HUD” home, which you can buy.
How do I get a list of HUD homes for sale?
Go to www.newbidselect.com.  This site is very user friendly and you can look up homes by city, county or zip code.  Best of all, this site is free and you don’t have to register to search from properties.  Keep in mind that HUD adds new properties to this list all the time, so you have to keep checking for new properties being added
Who can I buy a HUD home?
Anyone who has either been pre-approved for a mortgage or a cash purchaser. HUD homes are initially open to owner-occupant buyers only. If they do not sell during that initial period, then they are open to all purchasers, including investors. If you will be obtaining financing to purchase a HUD home, a copy of the lender’s pre-approval letter must accompany the offer package.
How do I bid on a HUD property?
You place an offer on a property through a HUD registered broker (fortunately, I am one).  The earnest money deposit must be held by the Broker in the form of certified funds in order to submit the bid.  Earnest money rarely exceeds $1,000.

Small Projects; More Bang for the Buck! Part Two

With the current economy making it’s slow but steady recovery, many Roswell homeowners are opting for smaller remodeling projects.   Below is part two of a two part series.  The good news is that these projects will give you more bang for your buck when it comes time to sell. 

6.  Freshen up the basement – Homeowners with cement block or poured concrete walls can have a contractor fill in cracks with hydraulic cement and then paint them with waterproofing paint.  Adding a topcoat of paint adds color.  Painting the basement floor with a good heavy-duty cement floor paint, really gives your basement (and garage for that matter) a clean look.

Experience Roswell’s Bristol Oaks

Not far from Historic Roswell and nestled among mature trees, sits one of my favorite Roswell neighborhoods.  Bristol Oaks is just off of Pine Grove and Hightower, one of those neighborhoods you just can’t help driving through when you see the entrance.  Once you’ve entered through the 1st entrance closest to Pine Grove, you’ll see the tennis court and swimming pool enjoyed by the many families who have established residence in Bristol Oaks.  Not too many though, there are roughly 117 homes in Bristol Oaks, just the right size!

Roswell Construction Alert

Great news Roswell!  This coming Tuesday, January 19th, Roswell’s Department of Transportation will begin an improvement project at the intersection of Crabapple and Rucker Roads.  The improvements will include left turn lanes and sidewalks at all approaches, traffic signal upgrades and waterline and storm drain upgrades.

The even better news is that all the work will take place between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. so as to avoid morning and evening rush hours.
  
Construction is expected to be complete this summer.  But until then, expect delays along this corridor while the intersection improvements are being made.

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