Get Off The Fence!!!

Here's the scoop about what's really going on in the Atlanta Real Estate market...

--Foreclosures are down 11% in the city in the month of August
--Rates have fallen to historical lows...Fixed rate loans under 6%
--85% of the foreclosure debacle occurred in 5 states:
California
Florida
New York
Arizona
Nevada

I recognize that this past week has been a financial and emotional roller coaster. It's scary to see the fundamentals of our country shaken! Even money market accounts, all thought of as 100% safe investments, have been raided by un-sound decisions made by these financial institutions.

One thing if for certain...real estate is still the most sound investment available. The best part about real estate is that it's tangible...you can see it and touch it. And...it's not going to disappear into some CEO's golden parachute!!!!

Now is a great time to buy when the market is soft. If you're looking to sell, just make sure the house is staged very well and that all inspection issues are address before listing the property.

Atlanta Is THE TOP SPOT For SINGLES

According to Forbes.com, Atlanta is THE place to live if you're single.
Atlanta received this ranking based on the city having a hopping nightlife, relatively high number of singles and sizzling job growth. “In the eight years that we have been ranking America's largest urban areas in terms of their friendliness to the nation's 74 million single adults, only once did Atlanta place outside the top 10.”

"The list ranks 40 of the largest urbanized areas in the U.S. in seven categories, including a city’s 'cool factor', cost of living alone, culture, job growth, online dating, nightlife and the number of singles."

The remaining rankings are as follows:

San Francisco fell to second place on this year’s list, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth and Minneapolis-St. Paul (tied for the No. 3 spot) and Washington, D.C. (5). Rounding out the Top 10, are Seattle, Boston, New York City, Orlando, Fla., and Phoenix.

Great New Restaurant in Inman Park Village

Looking for a great restaurant to take out of town guests or just enjoy an evening out? Try Parish restaurant located in the bustling Inman Park Village. Parish occupies a gorgeous 1890’s building whose space has been transformed into a New Orleans-style restaurant straight out of an Anne Rice novel. The restaurant has high ceilings, chandeliers, antique mirrors, and a beautiful well-stocked bar. The food is definitely New Orleans with a little Carribean flair. Think of sinking your teeth into N.O.-style barbeque shrimp, sopping up the spicy juices with fresh french bread, and complementing it with a cold beer.

The downstairs at Parish is a wonderful bakery with decadant pastries, and beignets available on the weekends. Louisiana specialties can also be purchased from the market area, along with a selection of wines. You cannot go wrong with a visit to this restaurant /market even if you’re just stopping in for a drink at the bar.

The area around Parish has come alive with activity. There are many types of new condos and lofts such as Brickworks and Inman Park Village and as always the beautiful Victorian and Craftsman homes in Inman Park. This is a great area just to walk around and take in the scenery, and drop in to Parish for a bite.

Sunday Fun At Piedmont Park

For those of you who haven't been to Piedmont Park in a while...perhaps due to the venue changes for Dogwood Festival, The Peachtree Road Race or Gay Pride...you really must check it out. I was there this past Sunday playing volleyball with friends and had a blast. The volleyball courts are amazing! They are beach volleyball style courts that are immaculately maintained. There are also several baseball/softball/kickball fields where lively games were in full swing!
The area is within what's called the "Activity Oval". There is an oval path that is the perimeter of this area with distance markers provided by the Atlanta Track Club.

There are so many other activities in the park to enjoy: a number of outstanding play areas for the kids, the always entertaining doggy park and the phenomenal people watching! For a detailed list of ongoing park activities...check out http://www.piedmontpark.org/

Go check out Piedmont Park this Sunday...I promise you won't be disappointed!!

A Night in Inman Park

Just the other evening I had the pleasure of taking in some of the offerings in Inman Park.

The evening began with dinner at Fritti (http://www.sottosottorestaurant.com/) ... a casual, very open and airy restaurant specializing in Italian small plates and yummy pizzas. The atmosphere is so great at this time of year because the entire restaurant is open to the outdoors and there's tons of patio seating.

After dinner we strolled over for a show at Dad's Garage (www.dadsgarage.com . We saw the show called FWD>>, in which my friend Alison Hastings is cast in a leading role. It's a kookie comedy about a data entry, cubicle dwelling office worker who goes completely nuts at the office. Very entertaining!

After the show we strolled around Inman Park looking at all of the growth...so many new bars, restaurants and great places to live. A couple of great new buildings are the Inman Park Village Lofts and townhomes in Inman Park Village.

Go enjoy a night in Inman Park...you won't regret it!!!

Condo of The Week

We have just listed a fantastic condo at the Tuscany in the heart of Midtown. This condo has it all. The condo is a spacious one bedroom /one bath. It has a great open kitchen with plenty of cabinets and beautiful granite counters, hardwood floors and large windows . The condo is a corner unit with french doors leading out to a covered balcony with amazing views of Midtown skyline. Great place for an adult beverage at the end of the day. The master bedroom is large with a great walk in closet. Master bath also has granite counteres and tiled floors.



You can walk out of your door and a block away is Piedmont Park and some really great restaurants ,such as, Nikimotos,Flying Biscuit and Zocolos. This is a great place to live and get to enjoy all of what Midtown has to offer.

Latest Scoop on the BeltLine

While out showing property in Grant Park this past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting to gracious volunteers with the Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. These dedicated folks were out pounding the pavement to ensure Atlanta residents understand what the BeltLine is and what the process will look like.

Apparently, the West End Trail will be the first of the 33 mile BeltLine trail system to be completed. The West End Trail construction will include an arbortoreum amd upgrades to Gordon White Park. The trail itseld will be 12 feet wide, 2.3 mile trail from Westview Drive (South of I-20) to Brown Middle School on Peoples St.

The first phase of construction was set to commence on January 22, 2008 and should be completed within 6-8 months.

A Place Where They Know Your Name

Looking for a great spot to stop into after work in Midtown? Marlow's Tavern fits the bill. The tavern is located in the bottom of Plaza Midtown on West Peachtree. This is a great neighborhood joint. The tavern has a good selection of wine (including my favorite, Sonoma Cutrer) and beer as well as a full bar. My friends and I shared the crab and shrimp nachos, which are really cheesy and tasty. I had the buffalo chicken wrap which I will definitely order again. One of my friends had a burger and was very happy.

If you live at Cotting Court, Plaza Midtown or Midcity Lofts you can easily walk to Marlow's Tavern. This restaurant is an asset to the local community.

Marlow's Tavern will be a place I can see going on a regular basis. Hope to see you there

http://www.marlowstavern.com

Selling in Today's Market

Someimes turning on the news is just too depressing. Well ,what I can tell you is the news about the real estate market is not the real picture of the market we currently have in Atlanta. In the Atlanta market we have been very fortunate.In most cases the property values have increased over last year.The cases where we see some loss in value or just stagnate is the case of someone owning a newer construstion home that is in an area where there is ongoing construction.Unless the construction in the area is much higher priced it is difficult to sell the house that has been lived in unless it is priced much less than the never lived in new construction.

In the intown market, such as,Midtown,Virginia Highlands and Morningside we are seeing good sales.What we advise our sellers is to prepare the property for sale by pricing it right,staging the house or condo to sell, and get an agent that will market the property.

Keep in mind Atlanta is the number one city for young professional to move to for jobs. This will keep the real estate market in Atlanta strong for a long time to come.

2008 Real Estate Market Forecast....Good News!!!!

Finally....what we've all been waiting for!!! Some positive news regarding real estate, the Atlanta market specifically.

Atlanta real estate guru John Adams, whose been heavily involved in this market for nearly three decades, says that the Atlanta market has been and is healthy and expects 2008 to be a fantastic year. Mr. Adams bases his opinion on the following facts:

--That Georgia has dodged "the real estate meltdown" that other states have experienced.

--The cost of borrowing money is at or near historic lows, with a 30 year, fixed rate loan at 6%.

--Atlanta's growth has been much more steady and consistent than those markets that were wrought with speculation.

--That "real estate is local and that what's happening in New Mexico is not relevant to what's happening in your neighborhood".

--"Home prices in Georgia have not slipped and, in fact, are still rising though modestly. The average home in Georgia is worth more than it was a year ago."

--The expectation of Atlanta adding 2-3 million new residents over the next 20 years will continue to drive demand.

Mr. Adams prognostication continues: "I am willing to go on the record as predicting that 2008 will be seen as the year of the real estate turnaround in the Atlanta metro area".

Thank you so much, Mr. Adams, for shedding a realistic and positive light on a healthy market!