Ryan Ward's Blog: Atlanta, Georgia

About 15 changes have been made to the Purchase and Sale Contracts for residential real estate in Georgia for 2007. Some of the changes are more significant to parties involved in the transaction so we will cover the important changes here.

The biggest change that was made is in the method of payment section of the contract. Under the old sales contract, a buyer had until up to the day of closing to qualify for the loan and this did not provide any protection for the seller if the buyer could not qualify at the last minute. Sellers could have moved or purchased another home and been left to clean up the mess. The new contracts have a financing contingency period. This places more responsibility on the buyer to obtain a loan in a negotiated time period. If…

The North Fulton cities of Alpharetta, John's Creek, Milton, Roswell and Sandy Springs may find themselves in a new (old) county by 2010. Legislation has been introduced in the Georgia General Assembly that would begin the process of reviving the County of Milton from Georgia's past. During the Great Depression, when the area to the north of Atlanta was mostly rural farmland and Milton County was having financial troubles, Milton County merged into Fulton County. Now that all unincorporated areas have been either annexed into existing cities or incorporated into new cities, legislators and many residents believe that the future of North Fulton will be better served with a more responsive local county government. The biggest complaint voiced by residents…

If you are considering partnering with a real estate agent to buy or sell a home, I strongly recommend that you ask your agent if  they are a member of the National Association of Realtors. Ensure that your agent is also a Realtor so that you will have the best representation for your real estate transaction. Realtors are required to complete additional education to help protect consumers and they also are required to abide by a written code of ethics.

The National Association of Realtors represents over one million Realtors nationwide and has one of the largest political action campaigns in Washington D.C. The NAR is constantly working on behalf of Americans by lobbying congress for personal property rights and against eminent domain abuses by…

The Atlanta Real Estate market, like many around the country, has seen several years of above average home appreciation. Sellers have enjoyed steep profits from selling their homes and using the revenue to upsize, pay off debt, pay for college or enhance their retirement options. Following traditional economic cycles, this trend has now shifted in favor of the buyer. If you have been sitting on the fence, undecided, waiting for the right time to buy a home, now is the time. Here are 5 reasons why.   Inventory – Supply and demand mandates that on a whole, when supplies go up, prices come down. The supply of homes competing for buyers has been on the rise all year. Home sellers have offered more incentives to attract buyers from other… Read Full Post

Midnight December 1st, John’s Creek and Milton officially became cities in North Fulton County. John’s Creek, which lies geographically to the east of Alpharetta and Milton to the west of Alpharetta and north of Roswell, passed the final hurdle earlier this year when residents of the unincorporated areas voted overwhelmingly to form new cities rather than to be annexed into the City of Roswell. Remaining residents in small pockets of North Fulton petitioned for and were granted annexation by the cities of Alpharetta and Roswell to complete the stated desire of Fulton County to eliminate all unincorporated areas.   Legislation is already being drafted for the next legislative session in Georgia to change the state constitution to allow for an additional… Read Full Post

Welcome to your Atlanta, Georgia Real Estate blog. You will find helpful information here to have your real estate questions answered, search the Atlanta MLS for homes for sale in Atlanta, Alpharetta, Roswell and Sandy Springs and you will find relevant news and information regarding real estate in Atlanta. Feel free to post your comments regarding any topic being discussed.