The average sales price for 4 bedroom homes in Athens, GA is approximately $205,862, according to a recent study by Coldwell Banker. Their annual Home Price Comparison Index suggests that Athens ranks 40th in affordability, when compared to the top 120 college markets in the U.S.

Akron, Ohio was the most affordable market, and Palo Alto, California was the most expensive.

The study cites lifestyle, culture and economic stability among the list of reasons college towns so popular with buyers.

Most of us consider the upcoming holiday season to be a time for family, gift-giving and food. However, the Athens community has many families that dread the holiday season because they don’t have access to those same items that many of us take for granted.
I have a huge heart for kids when it comes to charitable giving, because kids are usually products of their environment and have no means to better themselves. So, each holiday season, I adopt “Angels” from the Salvation Army.
This program allows you to buy Christmas gifts (clothes, toys, etc) for a specific child that might otherwise not receive many, or any, gifts. The Salvation Army will provide their names and sizes, and you buy the gifts. If you enjoy shopping, you can sponsor a local child and dropoff at the local Salvation Army location. “I don’t have time to go shopping” is not an excuse, because you can adopt an angel and shop for them online. And, if you don’t like shopping in person or online, call us at Atlas … we will gladly volunteer our time and do the shopping for you, if you’d rather just make a monetary donation.
It’s a great program, and I strongly encourage you to participate. Help make a difference in the Athens, GA community and more importantly in the life of a child.

Both the house and senate have agreed to extend the $8000 first-time homebuyer tax credit through May 1st, 2010. In addition, ANY homeowner that’s lived in their home for 5 of the past 8 years can now also claim a $6,500 rebate as well.
This is big news for those of us in the real estate community, as this credit seems to be the driving motivation behind a large percentage of recent home-buying decisions. Please let me know if you’re interested in more specific info on this credit, or if you’d like to take advantage of this incredible opportunity in the Athens, GA real estate market.

For the first time since 2005, home prices are expected to increase in 2010, according to a leading panel of economic forecasters.

Appreciation will be slow due to lingering unemployment issues, but most are expecting gains in value of around 2%.

If you’d like a free market analysis showing your homes value, please call or email anytime.

Numbers in the Athens, GA Real Estate market are down, but it could be worse, according to a recent report by Forbes Magazine.

The study says that cities that are attracting the most new residents in this slow market are college towns because of the educated population and youthful nature of the area.

In contrast, the areas that were cited as being the least desirable were Detroit (the obvious) and a few less obvious selections – New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Everyone knows there are good deals in real estate right now.  But, who has the money, right?  Well, if you're considering a purchase in a rural area, you might not need as much money as you thought.

Buyers that are willing to live outside urban areas can still take advantage of 100% loans through government-backed programs, such as the USDA Rural Development program.  Through this USDA loan, buyers can still borrow 100% of the purchase price, plus some closing costs can be financed as well.  In a time where most lbanks are requiring 5-10% down on owner occupied properties, this is a really attractive option.

When combined with the government tax rebates, all-time low mortgage rates, and discount-pricing on homes, this financing option makes now a better time than ever to consider a purchase.

If you're a homebuyer in general, now is a good time ... if you're a first-time buyer, now is a GREAT time!

... from someone who's proud to be an American and grateful to be a small part of the greatest country in the world! 

HGTV has contacted Atlas Real Estate Advisors to help them find Athens-Area BUYERS for their popular TV show HOUSE HUNTERS!

They would like to feature energetic and outgoing BUYERS currently looking for homes to follow them through to closing.

If you or someone you know is "made for TV" and looking for a home, please contact Atlas Real Estate Advisors for more details and an application!

I just started using YouTube for marketing my listings ... what do you think about my first attempt? ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ediqanX4sFo

Athens, GA has been named the #5 best city in the country by Kiplinger.com, based on it’s “energy”, medical resources, manufacturing base and hospitality industry.

The median household income for Athens is $40,115, and the area has seen a 9.3% increase in salary growth since 2004.

This recognition is one of many recent national accolades for the Classic City.

For more on this, please visit:

Kiplinger.com 5 Best Cities

If you’re curious about why I haven’t been blogging lately, the answer is quite simple … PEOPLE ARE BUYING HOUSES AGAIN!

Somebody somewhere flipped a switch a couple of weeks ago, and we’re back to “normal”. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but 9 new closings on the books has me pretty excited about what the future holds.

With so much doom and gloom in the market lately, the last few weeks have brought about much optimism (in my local market anyway) about the turnaround being closer than many feared.

There are still deals around every corner, so keep sending your referrals. Busy is good, but there’s always time for more!

While the most significant increases are in areas where hurricanes are a risk, even homeowners in non-coastal areas are seeing increases in their home insurance rates. Here's a few tips on how you can save on your monthly premium:

• get a copy of your CLUE report - just like a credit report, this will give you a detailed list of every claim ever placed on your home. And, just like a credit report, this can contain errors. Insurers can justify increases based on your CLUE history, so it's worth checking it out.


• get a quote from several companies - most new homeowners just use "someone my family recommended". Sure, loyalty is honorable ... but, a 10-20% savings annually with another company would be worth a switch. If nothing else, a lower rate from a competitor will give you ammunition to ask your current company for a lower rate.


• make sure you're getting all discounts available - believe me, your insurer is not likely to remind you about these, but they can all save you big money on your annual premium ... install burglar and fire alarms ... combine home & auto policy ... install deadbolt locks ... update your plumbing & electrical ... these are just examples that you may already be doing, but your insurer needs to know!

If you'd like a recommendation on companies to compare your current rate with, please call or email me anytime - I have some great contacts in the industry.

Many of my local readers may not care, but housing sales are up in southern California by over 69% from this time last year. While it may seem insignificant to someone in north Georgia, I think otherwise.

You see, this is simple economics in action ... the median sales price for this area was down 39% from last year ... even though the # of sales were up. What this tells me is that there ARE still buyers out there, and they WILL buy once they feel the prices are reasonable.

What we experienced over the past few years was a bubble, no doubt. But, just like the case above, the # of sales will slowly come back around as buyers home prices adjust downward to correct the inflated values of a few years ago. The # of people interested in buying and selling real estate hasn't diminished ... we've just lost all the potential purchasers that were using real estate as a tool for big appreciation gains. Once investors and owner-occupied buyers alike get more realistic with their expectations of what a house will return (or lose), the market will rebound.

 In this ultra-competitive market, home sellers are constantly looking for that little something to give them an edge over their competition.  The curb appeal of your home ... it's "drive-by" appearance ... should be the first place you start.

For those of you that know me, you probably find that title a little surprising, coming from the guy that starts sending emails before the sun comes up and is still writing on his blog at 10:30 at night (like now) ... but, sometimes you have to put work down for awhile to keep from losing your mind.

Today, I had the pleasure of spending all day with Taylor, my 2-year old daughter, and I realized how little I miss work when I'm not there. After a breakfast trip to McDonalds, an hour at gymnastics and a walking through downtown on a beautiful Athens afternoon, I realized that there's a lot more to life than contracts and negotiating home sales.

If you're reading this, and I was supposed to be marketing your home or finding you a home today ... sorry! Believe me, I'm more energized now after a day off and will be much more productive than I would've been had I not taken a day. People think that Realtors are 24/7 on and never off, and that's sometimes true. But, in reality, we should all slow down and take time to enjoy life.

According to a recent NAR report, residential housing values in 31 of the 50 states have remained steady or have been positive in the past year. Have you heard that statistic in the news? Of course not.

Over 60% of the nation is stable, while a handful of states (California, Florida, Arizona, etc) have losses that are dragging down the market.

Part of the reason housing activity is down now is because of the public perception that it's not a good time to make a move, but in reality, real estate is regional ... and, unless your in the hardest-hit areas (and Athens, GA is not), now is as good a time as any.

It never fails ... every single day, someone will ask "where is the best place in Athens to invest?". Since we market our company as being Athens, GA investment property specialists, it's a question I've learned to be prepared for. But, the answer isn't simple.

If I knew what the future held, I wouldn't be working 10-12 hours per day selling real estate ... I'd be buying it all. But, my answer is always the same to these inquiries:

The old adage of "location, location, location" has proven itself over and over again, and I see no reason to stray from it when investing. Occasionally, real estate investments and developments off the beaten path are successful, but why take the risk when there's plenty of opportunities near already proven areas.

For example, the obvious attraction in this area is the University of Georgia. Reasonably priced real estate near campus is sure to maintain it's value, and will almost certainly appreciate over time. And, if you're willing to roll the dice just a little, look for areas where UGA is seeking expansion. For instance, the 58 acre Navy School Campus will be a UGA medical campus within the next 5-10 years ... think property values around that will go up? Of course they will.

In addition to location, it's important to match the real estate with the area. For instance, being near UGA does you no good if you develop a warehouse for industrial use ... just like putting a student-housing development in an industrial area would fail ... make sure your investments are oriented to your desired audience.

If you have questions about a specific property, or if you'd like advice on your next investment in this area, please let me know ... I'd love to help.

Having been in the business the past few years, I've heard first-hand numerous of why the real estate market is in a slump, as well as many suggestions for how to fix it.

There's no denying that foreclosures are at an all-time high, and the government, mortgage companies and individuals all share the blame. But, if we're serious about cleaning up this mess, my sales experience suggests that the mortgage companies should be more diligent in their efforts.

In all the foreclosure and short-sale transactions that I've worked on recently, the mortgage companies seem to lack a serious desire to get these repossessed properties off their books. The never-ending line of uninformed phone reps, inexperienced listing agents and out-of-town attorneys that one has to deal with to help these companies out of bad debt have no motivation to expedite the process. And, the "process" so is almost so tedious that it discourages owners from the process altogether.

I understand that these companies are overwhelmed with requests and bank-owned properties right now, but if they're serious about cleaning up, it would seem they would hire capable people to answer the phones, process the requests in a timely manner, and not make the same mistakes again.