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Lilburn, GA Real Estate News

By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
There are so many things going on in the world of finance right now.  I know that you are hearing about things like: Mark to Market Credit Market Freeze Derivatives Sub-Prime Mortgage Meltdown Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) And there are a hundred more...  I can't explain each of these in depth, but they are some of the things that NEED to be understood in order to know how we got to this point where the banks aren't willing to loan money to each other even overnight. The path that we took to get here, in part, goes back to an item called the Community Reinvestment Act.  Groups used it to force banks to make loans that were VERY shaky.  It has its beginings in the Carter Administration.  It really built steam in the Clinton years.  It kind of faded into the background in the early yea...
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
I wrote a post not long ago about about foreclosures, and how they aren't always the great deal people make them out to be.  That led to two things... People asking me how to get a good deal on a property if foreclosures are not the Grail... Agents that specialize in foreclosures complaining that foreclosures are always great for consumers... Let me start with the second point. It is faster.  No they aren't. In fact, they often are the worst deal.  The initial price might be more attractive, but that doesn't mean that the cost of ownership is lower, or the investment potential is greater.  Purchase price is only part of the equation.  There are costs of repairs, deferred maintenance and hidden damages to consider. Of course, sometimes foreclosures CAN be great deals... but don't assume....
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
I was talking with one of my mortgage brokers today...  We are planning on doing a few podcasts, and he is a pretty cool guy, so we like to jabber every once in a while anyway.  But there were a couple of things that Ken said to me as I was wandering around the store looking for birthday presents for a 4 year old and a 2 year old. Lane, I have money here and I can't find anyone to take it... I'm watching the news, and I'm reading about the real estate markets and the "credit crisis"... and from that I get the impression that there simply isn't any money available for buyers... and that isn't the case. There are sources of money... at good rates... for qualified buyers. If you are looking to buy a house, it isn't impossible, despite what you might hear on the news. Danger = Opportunity T...
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If you are either a seller or an agent one of the biggest nightmares for you is the 11th hour home inspection.  As a home inspector I see the nervous looks and the sweat on the brow of the buyers, sellers, and agents every time I do an inspection. Oh, what is he going to find!  Man he is going to KILL this deal! Well home inspections do not need to be a nightmare if they are done on the front side of the listing.  Have the inspection done at a more convenient time for the seller with the input to correct any omits or misstatements that might be on the report.  After the listing inspection the seller and listing agent will know needs to be repaired (if any) before the first buyer walks in the door.  You also have a report from an unbiased third party that you can use in marketing the lis...
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The following is a article from InterNACHI's Inspector's Quarterly from Fall 2008 reprinted with permission. 3 Deadly Mistakes Every Home Buyer Should Avoid #1: Thinking You Can't Afford It Today, buying the home of your dreams is easier than ever before.  Alittle harder with the tighting of the economy but it is still easier than one might think.  Many people who thought that buying the home they wanted was simply out of their reach are now enjoying a new lifestyle in their very own new home.  Buying a home is the smartest financial decision you will ever make.  In fact, most American home-owners would be financially broke at retirement if it weren't for one saving grace, the equity in their home.  Furthermore, mortgage rates are more flexible today than ever and tax allowances favor h...
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My name is Brian Chesser I am a local boy living in the Mountain Park community of Lilburn, Georgia.  I was born in Atlanta, raised in Decatur and Tucker.  After High School I enlisted in the US Army and served my country for the next 20 years before retiring.  I love working as a home inspector because of the people I get to meet on daily basis and, according to my wife, it keeps me busy and out of trouble. I will be happy to answer your questions as I write about life and helpful hint for buyers/sellers and agents in the future.
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
I have a hobby for my hobby...  I love to weld.  It is just fun.  For those that don't regularly melt steel, this is kind of how it goes... take two pieces of steel that need to really be one piece... mock them into position... fire up the welder... the welder feeds a wire that will melt with the juice...  kind of sacrificial... squeeze it in there like a glue stick... ok, there is a pattern and a rythm... let it cool... very important... I actually do enjoy it.  And there are two reasons.  The first is that it is cool to know that I have the power to take some electricity and melt a couple of pieces of steel together.  The second reason is that I can make things from metal when I need something made from metal.  Cool groovy things... like Jeep frames. That is my current project.  Why i...
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
Just off the wires in the latest housing news...  WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Construction of new homes dwindled to the second-lowest level in 50 years last month, as home builders sought to reduce the number of unsold inventories in an elusive quest to find the bottom of the historic housing collapse, according to government data Friday. Housing starts fell 6.3% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 817,000, the lowest since January 1991 and just 19,000 above the record low, the Commerce Department estimated. Starts of single-family homes tumbled 12% to an annual rate of 544,000, the lowest since February 1982 and the fourth-lowest ever. Read the full government report. Housing starts were also revised lower in July and August. Starts in August were revised to 872,000, d...
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
I am slow to bring a property to market.  And I am proud of that.  In fact, I think that more agents should be slow to bring a property to market.  There are a few things that NEED to be done, and should really be done before the property is listed in the MLS or anywhere else... Photos of the house and property Virtual tour Website Flyers or brochures Video tour Staging We all know that the absolute most important time to have everything right and in place for a listing is the first couple of days it is listed.  Not most agents... EVERY agent.  Every broker... and even most sellers. But instead of figuring out the marketing plan, buying the right pieces, getting the design done and then in place, most agents list the property and then start worrying about how to market it. There is a go...
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
I don't like to write about short sales, because people will find the post through Google... but this is important. While I was wandering through a neighborhood grocery store here in Lilburn, GA, I overheard a conversation.  I wasn't liking what I was hearing. Two folks were talking about a friend that was upside down on the home she bought a couple of years ago.  One of them then suggested to the other that she could "just make the bank settle for less on a sale."  There was a little more explanation, and then "get her to find a friend or relative to buy the house for a reasonably fair price and the bank will HAVE to take the write-down." Ok, that would be fraud. And I'm not kidding. If the transaction isn't "arm's length", then it has to be disclosed to all parties, including the bank...
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
Gwinnett County Real Estate Market Report 10 08 View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: market gwinnett) We live in interesting times. Last year at this time we were looking at the Sub-Prime Mortgage Meltdown. This year we are looking at a full blown credit crisis. Comparisons to last year deserve a giant asterisk. Of course, that is going forward. But at the same time, last year is what the market will be judged against. There is a good bit of pent-up demand, now we'll see if that can be unleashed by the "Rescue Package" or if it will remain pent-up. At some point there will be a rush back into the market. Right now I am seeing increases in inventory again and a slowing (seasonal) of sales.
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
I had to run out and pick up a few things this morning, and I saw more stations with gas and fewer with lines...  That is a good sign.  I'm also hearing on the news that RaceTrack is at 100%, QT is at 90% and that the pipeline is expected to be churing full capacity by Friday, Oct 3rd.  So, it seems that the news a few days ago that it could be two more weeks might have been a touch pessimistic.  Keep in mind that people going and filling up every hour isn't going to help.  It certainly isn't the time to panic...  You can still check out my post on looking for gas if needed.  It has a couple of tools that we can use to find stations that have gas in the holding tank.  Good luck... and don't wait in line.
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
I was with a buyer last week that wanted to look at a certain foreclosure home that they had seen listed.  The price seemed a little high, but they thought there might be room for the bank to wiggle...  It had been on the market for about 8 months. When we walked in the door, the odor of decay was overwhelming.  Literally.  We couldn't walk into the house for more than a moment. Of course, there was no power, the HVAC had not run for at least as long as it had been on the market, probably longer.  There was (probably) a roof leak... and the moisture had allowed mold to grow unchecked. Of course i called the listing agent, got a recording, left a message and... never heard back.  I know that I couldn't have been the first person in the house in eight months... this couldn't have been the...
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
Yep... we still have a problem around Lilburn and Gwinnett County finding gas. In fact, the whole Atlanta area is facing the problem. I have been searching for ways to find gas for my readers. I have found a couple of ways to keep up to date on where there is gas... The first way is Wright Express... Here is a link... Take a look at the right side, and you can see the date of the transaction. While I can't say for sure, it would seem that those with VERY recent transactions have gas. You can also see the price. This is also a good one to keep in mind later when looking for the best price nearby. Another option is to use Twitter Search... Here is a link... This isn't well organized, but folks all over town are reporting what they see and marking it with a hashtag to make the search easie...
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
Luckily, this hasn't been a problem for me... yet.  And hopefully things will be cleaned up before it is...  But it IS a problem for a lot of other people here.  My friends in the western suburbs and downtown have been complaining about stations out of gas since Ike hit.  Over here in the eastern burbs, the problems had been sporatic...  Until the last couple of days.  A few days ago I had to get gas for my wife's minivan.  At my usual haunt, the Kroger at Rockbridge and Five Forks, there hadn't been lines.  But, on Tuesday, there were about 30 cars in line.  Today, there were well over 100.  In both instances, the management were in the parking lot around the fueling center keeping the traffic moving and orderly.  And the lines were moving quite quickly on Tuesday... which is part of t...
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
There are a lot of Parkview football fans in Lilburn.  We visit some of the games, and the fans offer enthusiastic support.  There are quite a few like my family that don't yet have a Parkview student... some have a future Parkview student, others have alums in the family or are alums themselves.  If you are looking to keep up with Parkview Football, I'll keep the scores updated here and on Lilburn Dwellings. Aug 22 Mill Creek  30-10 Pre-Season Aug 29 @Collins Hill  9-30 Sept 5 Chattahoochee  49-12 Sept 12 @Berkmar  28-7 Sept 19 Meadowcreek  65-20 Sept 26 @Grayson 22-24 Oct 3 7:30 pm Central Gwinnett Homecoming Oct 10 7:30 pm @Dacula Oct 17 7:30 pm South Gwinnett Safari Night Oct 24 No Game Oct 31 7:30 pm @Shiloh Nov 7 7:30 pm Brookwood Senior Night Go Panthers...  Welcome to the Jungle...
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
I just got hoome from having some maintenance done on my wife's minivan.  Makes me a little crazy... I used to be a service writer for an Auto Center.  I also worked in an auto resoration firm, auto parts store and auto body shop at various times... I even owned a 4x4 shop for a period of time.  I know the auto service industry, if not completely, then at least much more than average.  There are good mechanics, crappy mechanics and incredible mechanics.  I've worked with all of them.  I know that the majority of them are stand-up folks that do a good job day in and day out, and suffer because of the stupid, lazy ones.  When I was in the automotive service industry, I never thought about the bad ones because "my guys" were good, and I knew it.  It was hard to step back sometimes and see ...
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
There are some fun and cool things coming up in Lilburn in the next couple of months. September Community Garage Sale on September 20th from 9:00am until 2:00pm. It will be in the overflow lot across from City Hall. Call 770-921-2210 for more info. Town Hall Meeting on September 30th at 7:00pm. It will be in the auditorium at City Hall. October Lilburn Daze on October 11th from 9:00am until 5:00pm. It is going to be in Lilburn City Park, behind City Hall. This is a pretty big craft show and event. Community Garage Sale on October 18th from 9:00am until 2:00pm. It will be in the overflow lot across from City Hall. Registration and a flyer are available at the City's website. 2nd Annual Car Show in Old Town... registration and information available online at the City's website. Old Town L...
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
I actually wrote this on my phone during Garrett's ice skating lesson yesterday.  I needed to play with it a little more before unleashing it on the public... Location, Quality of Life, Location It's time for Garrett's (mostly) weekly private ice skating lesson.  These are done during public skating sessions, so there is always lots going on...  Garrett always jokes about the figure skaters... girls without pants (remember, he's 4).  But, I digress... The point is that I drive 30 minutes or so to get here, twice a week, once for his lesson and once for hockey practice.  We also have season tickets for the Atlanta Thrashers, and drive about 30 minutes the other way go to games.  My wife goes into her office about once a week... also downtown, and about 30minutes away.  I visit my office ...
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By Lane Bailey, Realtor & Car Guy
(Century 21 Results Realty)
Sitting on the banks of the Yellow River, along US 78 in Lilburn, GA is the Yellow River Game Ranch. Rather than looking at exotic animals from afar, here the idea is up close and personal… occasionally VERY personal.  Here most of the animals wander the park with the visitors.  Of course the bears, bobcats, cougars, foxes and bison ARE separated from onlookers but deer, peacocks, chickens, rabbits and squirrels are quite happy to walk up and introduce themselves… especially for a cracker or a peanut.  In fact, they may remind you that they would REALLY like a peanut or cracker… The Yellow River Game Ranch is also the home of the Southeast’s most famous weather prognosticator… General Beau Lee… our Groundhog.  I guess it is good work if you can get it… one day a year… celebrities… free ...
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