The overall economy is doing well right now. Corporate profits are strong, unemployment is low and personal income is up.  Home values in Georgia have increased slowly and steadily over the past decade and now represent some of the best values available on a comparative nationwide basis and that is expected to continue. Owning a home continues to be one of the best investments made.
For Buyers in Today’s Market:
If your finances are solid and you can afford the home you want with a conventional  mortgage – and your settling in – the time is right.  There are markets where home prices continue to show steady growth, including Seattle, Atlanta and Dallas, according to Standard & Poor’s. You’ll find the best values if you prove yourself to be a qualified buyer who can quickly close the deal. Currently, the market is giving Buyer’s a variety of choices.  As a buyer, you have the time to view a house multiple times before making an offer.  Asking the seller for credits towards closing costs on the loan or home warranties is no longer out of the question.  The opportunity to make a well thought out decision for you and your family is now.  That means getting your mortgage pre-approved, where you have a written guarantee that you’ll get the loan for the amount you need.  Also it would help to avoid placing contingencies on the sale, such as the need to sell an old home before closing on the new one.
For Sellers in Today’s Market:
Selling in today’s market is not as easy as it was 6 months ago, but it is by far not impossible.  The two main ingredients to selling your home are pricing and staging.  Homes that are priced right, immaculately clean, and in move in condition are selling in the matter of only a few weeks and sometimes with multiple offers!  As mentioned earlier, there are a number of homes for buyers to choose from which means competition to YOU.  Buyers will choose a home that is exceptionally clean, with the most updates and the lowest price.  For you as a Seller, it is important to remember, everyone has different tastes in home decor. Neutralize your home as much as possible with colors and by removing personal items such as photos. A couple great update options are stainless appliances in your kitchen and/or lighting fixtures. Be as preemptive as possible by having your home
pre-inspected and any items repaired that are in need.  Also price competitively. Homes priced right WILL sell.  The name of the game is pricing and staging.
With interest rates still at an all time low, Buyers are still
Buying – and Homes are still Selling! 
Call us today to help you! 

By Tim Barnes, Capital City Mortgage
We’ve all heard about the so-called Mortgage Meltdown, hyped so widely in the news. And here in Atlanta, you would have to be in a shell to not hear about the handful of local mortgage companies that have closed up or filed for bankruptcy.  In order to get your arms around these seemingly linked happenings, you really need to understand how these things are linked together, and how they are completely unrelated.  Let’s start nationally and finish locally. The Mortgage Meltdown is overblown and the worst of it is over.   The marketplace will correct itself in due time by itself and with the help of the Federal Reserve to some degree.  Let’s face it, there were mortgage companies figuring out a way to close a deal with borrowers whom were not qualified to rent an apartment.  Loan Officers in a hurry for their next commission check, were doing stated income and stated asset loans for folks with the flawed idea that stated income meant “State the income so that the loan will be approved.” These people knew full well that these borrowers would not be able to afford to make even the first payment on their new mortgage.  As these loans were “packaged” with other loans to be sold off to investors, and too many defaulted, the investors said “Thank you very much but you can have these loans back!”   The originating companies don’t have the kind of deep pockets to buy them, hence the “meltdown”.  As a mortgage loan originator, some of these “lenders” would come into our office with their new more liberal guidelines and we would shake our heads and say, “are you serious? 520 credit scores, one month out of bankruptcy and you’ll do a 100% loan?”  No wonder this happened.The mortgage companies have seen the problems in the creative loans they were offering and are now doing loans that make sense.  Rates today for a 30 year fixed rate loan are 6% or under.  The shady lenders are being exposed and the cream will rise to the top.  The economy is strong.  Everyone needs to take a deep breath; things are going to be fine.  If you are sitting on the fence waiting for rates to improve, or for prices of homes and condos to fall, you may be missing an opportunity.  Prices will fluctuate in all real estate markets, but the Atlanta market seems to be a bit better insulated than most.  We have been in a steady growth mode for so long here in Metro Atlanta. that homeowners have gotten used to consistent gains in home valuations.  That may slow down a bit I think, but a collapse is not imminent.If you have good credit, equity in your home, and some money in the bank,  now is a great time to buy or step up to the next house.  There are great deals right now for homes and mortgage loans.  Don’t sit on the sidelines and let another wave pass you by. If your current rate is over 6.25% you may want to evaluate if a refinance make sense.