Alpharetta is a very forward thinking city, not reactive like many other municipalities. This forward thinking vision allows for better planning for future development and costs taxpayers less money in the long run. The proactive approach to government results in a safer, more efficient and less expensive government for residents of Alpharetta. A perfect example of proper panning in action is demonstrated on newly annexed areas of Alpharetta. The city puts its money and its resources where it... Read Full Post

Memphis has a very high percentage of HUD loans as compared to the rest of the nation, so this news is a very welcomed one. The Department of Housing and Urban Development will not seek a zero-down payment option as part of its Federal Housing Administration reform package, HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson has told a congressional panel. "We will remove from the legislation the zero down payment," Secretary Jackson told House appropriators. The HUD secretary noted that there is resistance in th... Read Full Post

NEW ECONOMIC NEWS ALLOWS MORTGAGE RATES TO SLIP FOR SECOND WEEK IN A ROW Nationwide, 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.18%, for the week ending March 1, down from last week's 6.22%. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.24%. The average for the 15-year FRM this week is 5.92%, down from last week’s 5.97%. One-year “T”ARMs were unchanged at 5.49% and five-year “T”ARMs averaged 5.93% down from last week’s 5.96%. "Mortgage rates drifted lower this week largely on th... Read Full Post

I could just cry looking at the damage to my home, wrote one landlord as she surveyed the damage done by a good tenant. She never complained about anything, and always paid her rent on time. This landlord discovered that the tenant had inflicted $5,000 in damage to the property, including trying to steal fixtures and the central air unit, plus operating a meth lab upstairs. Many landlords define a good tenant as one whose rent arrives like clockwork on the first of the month and who doesn't b... Read Full Post

Real Estate Myth: Real Estate Agents are all Filthy Wealthy FALSE: Some are. And they earned it by being the best of the best in an occupation where more than 90% drop out within 5 years (most in the first year). As for the vast majority, they are at best making a living, or are just flat out struggling. Most people don't realize what comes out of the commission at the end of a transaction. Many people have their hands in the pie of the total real estate commission. For example, a $200,000 ho... Read Full Post

[for the latest version of this article click here: Latest Overpriced Condos in Clarendon, Ballston, Courthouse and Rosslyn -- Part V] And here is the Ultimate Guide for Buying a Condo in Arlington in the Clarendon & Ballston area real estate corridor. After reading the article feel free to view the current active listings in our area for these "hot searches"--and you'll find the other articles in the overpriced category to be much more humorous and biting so check out the menu bar to the... Read Full Post

One of the most important factors relating to the housing market is called the absorption rate. The absorption rate tells us how long it would take, based on statistics, for all homes to sell, if no new homes came on the market during that time. To find the absorption rate you must divide the number of homes available by the number of homes that have sold. Currently there are 5,400 homes for sale in the city of Atlanta and, according to the Atlanta MLS, the FMLS, 486 homes sold during the mon... Read Full Post

Bizjournals.com, the Web site of American City Business Journals Inc., identified 100 cities nationwide where the number of residents over 65 has increased rapidly in the last five years. The business-newspaper chain compared 938 markets in eight statistical categories, to come up with a list that includes communities all over the country, from the beaches to the mountains and everywhere in between. EIGHT (8) Tennessee markets made it into the top 100 list: Crossville, TN - 4th in the nation!... Read Full Post

Approximately 100,000 builders descended upon Orlando, Florida, recently for the International Builders Show! [If you're keeping track of numbers, that's FOUR TIMES the size of NAR's recent 2006 Convention in New Orleans!] For the first time in 24 years, TWO official showcase homes were unveiled at the how. In addition to The New American Home, which has been a traditional showpiece since 1984, the 2007 show also featured The Renewed American Home. The homes were built on adjacent lots in a h... Read Full Post