Exquisitely renovated and expanded 3-bedroom, 3-bath 1920 Craftsman with period architectural details throughout will be open Saturday, April 28, from 2-4 p.m. and Sunday, April 29, noon-2 p.m.

452 Euclid Terrace is nestled on a quaint street in one of Atlanta’s most sought after neighborhoods — Candler Park and offered at $475,000,www.RealEstateTiger.com

678-595-4448
@RETigerATL

New record-low mortgage rates are helping keep homebuyer affordability high, according to a Freddie Mac survey.

The average for the 30-year fixed mortgage rate has been below 4.00 percent for six consecutive weeks, according to the recently released Primary Mortgage Market Survey®.

The survey concluded that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.89 percent, with an average 0.7 point for the week ending January 12, 2012. Last year at this time, the average 30-year fixed was 4.71 percent.

For more information, please visit www.FreddieMac.com

Deep discounts have helped Atlanta’s newer condominium complexes come close to being sold out.

* 22-story Luxe highrise in Midtown has one left out of 117 (prices lowered by 30 – 40 percent).
* 274-unit Horizon At Wildwood on Powers Ferry Road recently sold out.
* 150-unit Serrano in Sandy Springs has about a half-dozen left.
* 102 of the 219 condos at Brookwood in South Buckhead are under contract.
* 28 condos at the former Triumph Lofts in Reynoldstown were reportedly sold in a matter of hours last month. (Financial assistance programs brought the price of a $150K two bedroom down to $90K for some.)
* Castleberry Point, which broke ground on the southwest edge of downtown Atlanta in 2006, is selling two bedroom, two bath condos for half their original $300K price. The owners worked with the bank to avoid foreclosure, went on to sell 19, and now have only about 20 left.

Some builders/developers caught off guard by the market bubble bursting in Atlanta mid-2007 went under, enabling new groups to buy those projects at foreclosure pricing. Those that managed to weather the local economic downturn often focused on breaking even or selling at a palatable loss just to keep their doors open.

Following a few bumps in the lending world (when no money was being loaned to even the most qualified applicants), condo buyers finally started getting loans — and at record-low rates.

With no new large projects coming out of the ground, the condo market appears to be starting to stabalize. Individual foreclosures and short sales will no doubt continue to offer very attractive pricing for some time. That, combined with the added buying power of low interest rates, is expected to continue to make condos a very appealing option in metro Atlanta.

- This information was excerpted from media reports and includes my opinion and observations, but is supported by real estate market indicators

It’s time to apply for Homestead Exemption. If you purchased a home in 2011 or moved into a home in 2011 that you’ve owned for a while please make sure you apply for Homestead Exemption. This will save you thousands of dollars on your property taxes. Go to your county’s Web site and look for property taxes or the tax commissioner and it should tell you the proceedure and deadlines. You only have to appy for the exemption once the entire time you own and reside in the home. If you run into difficulty, just call me at 678-595-4448 and I’ll be happy to help.

Just Sold for $510,000 - in time for everyone to enjoy the holidays in their new digs

But I can still help you find the perfect home for you.

New HARP guidelines take effect today – if you or someone you know has not been able to refinance or sell in the past due to property values – please contact me at 678-595-4448.

There are numerous for-profit auction auction companies helping unload a massive housing inventory across the country.

But be careful, this particular method is definitely not for the faint of heart. For those willing to take the risk, there can be –and should be — a significant reward.

It’s hard to resist the lure of a $1,000 opening bid. But the reality is that unless you devote massive amounts of time and energy and have access to discounted repair services, you probably won’t be going home a winner. Six properties found new owners at the one I attended this morning (subject to seller approval). I do wonder how many walked away thinking they won, only to be told later that they didn’t.

I did bid — just not enough. But that’s OK. I offered what the property was worth to me and left with my head high.

If you’re curious, the winning bids ranged from $17,000 – $166,000 + auction fees.

Who can you trust? The list seems to grow shorter by the day. Just a quick note to whoever is paying attention: Fraud is rampant right now. It seems that the Internet, in particular, is becoming overrun. In the last week, I’ve seen two properties advertised for rent by scammers. Folks, if something seems off, it probably is. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you’ve confirmed something is illegal, please report it to the proper authorities and help lock the bad guys up. The number for the Atlanta Police Department Cybercrimes unit is 404-546-6911. Also contact local media and consumer protection agencies to pressure them to make consumers more aware of this widespread problem.

Attention House Hunters – Be sure to find out if you qualify for downpayment assistance. I’ve just listed two beautifully renovated homes in 30317 zip code on quiet, residential streets that could be purchased for as little as $1,500 with monthly payments running about $1,000. If you’re not sure what to do, call me at 678-595-4448.

Horses have been on my mind a lot lately. After all it’s that time of year, with the third installation of the Triple Crown series this Saturday.

So I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised when I got a call from a client who needs to bring her horses to north Georgia. They’re currently in South Carolina, so she doesn’t get to see them as often as she’d like.

I dive right in to this atypical real estate challenge and really get a sense of what will and won’t work for an equine estate. We’ve ruled out several, and have high hopes for a couple Barrow County locations.

No doubt about it, I’ve got a pretty cool job.