Planning To Invest This Year?

Here's a great way to start your search.  No, I won't point you to Google or some MLS server - although both offer great ways to explore your area of interest.  Many of my investors are looking at school districts first then houses.

A good place to start is: http://www.greatschools.org/georgia/atlanta/ Here you can look at the various highly-rated school districts and make decisions relative to how much house you can afford and what kind of rents you can expect.  The caveat: better school districts will typically have higher valued homes! Why? Because people WANT to live nearby.  Simple.

The next simple step is to look through a service like Listing Book.  It's a service connected to the local Realtor's MLS system.  If you're working with an agent, ask them if they are on Listing Book.  If they're not, either find another agent or ask them to register.  You have to have a registered agent on Listing Book to be able to use it yourself.  You're basically using his/her MLS system for your own customized search.

Armed with all this information, you can talk to your agent about seeing the properties, estimating repairs, making the offer and moving on to the closing.

Last but not least, please be prepared to provide your agent with documents showing you have the ability to purchase the property.  It could be something as simple as a copy of your bank statement, if you're buying with cash.  If you want to get a mortgage, speak with your banker about getting pre-qualified.  They will provide you with a pre-qualification letter that you give to the agent.  This letter will be included with your offer and actually helps when the seller has multiple offers on the table.  The stronger the buyer, the better the chances of getting the property.

If you have any questions about investing in Atlanta, please drop me a line. I'm available to assist you in any way.

Information contained herein is for informational purposes only.  

Please speak with your legal and/or tax advisor before making any investment decision.

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2012

It's the start of a new year and there are resolutions to make and try to adhere to and new goals to reach.  Personally, I'm quite happy with the way 2011 panned out.  Sure, there were economic hiccups felt around the world but here in the US, even with the bad news streaming through the media, real estate  continued to move - and it moved at every price point.  I suspect that even in 2012 we'll continue to experience bumps and dips and potholes along the way but I also feel that real estate will continue to be a favorite amongst investors - especially US residential real estate.  

Here in Atlanta the last quarter of the year, at least for me, was quite busy.  Lots of viewings, closings and all along the way the phones just kept ringing and email inquiries kept coming in.  I am hopeful and optimistic for 2012 regardless of what the naysayers proclaim.  I personally think we'll have an active, productive year and investors will continue to see very good returns on their investments

So if you've been sitting on the sidelines observing, take a look this year at Atlanta.  You might be surprised at what you find.  Call or write for more information.  I'll be happy to  answer any questions you  might have and even sign you up for a regular email update of new property listings throughout the area.  

Information contained herein is for informational purposes only.  Please consult your legal and/or tax adviser before making any investment decision.