Why Forsyth County, GA Sellers May Benefit from Listing Early
If this is going to be a year of upheaval, the rules for when Forsyth County, GA listings are best initiated might be primed to fly out the window. There’s no guarantee that 2022’s Forsyth County, GA listing performance will bend the rules, but if the National Association of Realtor® is right, it’s a definite possibility.
History has long demonstrated that the most opportune time of year to add your home to the Forsyth County, GA listings is during the peak spring and summer seasons. And, when you look at the volume of home sales through most years, results in those months do look impressive. There are exceptions, but for the most part, spring and summer regularly excel in sales volume.
The Realtor® website ran an article in their Trends area headlining that “This Year, Sellers May Benefit from Listing Early.” Their reasoning was short and sweet—citing recent facts, then drawing a conclusion that’s the opposite of what they seem to indicate. Here are the facts:
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Supply. It’s a fact that from one end of the country to the other, the residential inventory (supply) is starkly reduced. According to the NAR, “Inventory levels at the beginning of the year are at multiyear lows.” Thus, homeowners who list now “face very little competition.”
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Demand. Even though the late fall and winter months have traditionally shown weak demand, the threat of mortgage rate hikes—then the actual rises—may have been all that was needed to instill a growing sense of urgency among buyers. Early results reflect buyer demand that’s “abnormally strong” for this time of year.
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Optimism. With consumer confidence at a 15-year high, once the spring buying season gets going in earnest, Forsyth County, GA buyers might find themselves in “buying competition” that will “get fierce.”
These trends are all well-documented. Yet at first blush, they seem to argue against listing your home now. After all, wouldn’t it still make sense for to follow the traditional dictum—to hold off until that fierce competition takes hold? The answer that flips such a conclusion is found in the fourth fact:
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Sellers Will be Buyers. Overwhelmingly, national surveys suggest that the homeowners behind most Forsyth County, GA listings will also become buyers once they have sold. In fact, an estimated 85% of American home sellers plan to buy another home! If that’s correct, it’s not surprising that they’ll be grateful if they are quick to sell into this winter’s market. That will not only help them get a jump on the crowd come springtime—it will also lengthen the odds that they can cash in on mortgage rates before they rise substantially. All of a sudden, the net advantage to listing early could be substantial!
The short takeaway is that simply accepting the old common wisdom warrants a second look in 2022. If you are one of our Forsyth County, GA homeowners who automatically presumed the wisdom of waiting a while longer to join the Forsyth County, GA listings, it might pay to reassess. Give me a call if you’d like to discuss how your plans fit into today’s broader residential picture—and how to take maximum advantage.
This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.
I specialize in Real Estate sales in the following Forsyth County and North Fulton County cities: Cumming, Suwanee, Alpharetta, Milton and Johns Creek. Other north metro-Atlanta suburbs are serviced by request, so please call.
Gayle Barton Forsyth County Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate | Mountain Crest Homes For Sale
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | Forsyth County Real Estate
Don’t Forget to Apply for the Forsyth County Homestead Exemption
If you purchased a new home in Forsyth County, GA which acts as your primary residence, you won’t want to forget to apply for your Homestead exemption before April 1st.
The Homestead Exemption allows for a partial exemption on a portion of the assessed value of your primary home which lowers the amount of property tax you owe. If you do not apply before April 1st you will wait a full year before your application is processed.
TO FILE IN PERSON YOU WILL NEED:
· DRIVER’S LICENSE OR STATE ISSUED ID: Address on your license must match the address of the property. (If the address on your driver’s license does not match the property address, you must supply your Forsyth County motor vehicle registration or voter registration.)
· COPY OF RECORDED WARRANTY DEED
· IF YOU MOVED HERE FROM ANOTHER STATE OR COUNTY AND STILL OWN YOUR PREVIOUS HOME, YOU MUST PROVIDE PROOF FROM THAT JURISDICTION STATING THAT YOUR PREVIOUS EXEMPTION HAS BEEN REMOVED.
Link to Forsyth County Information Page
WHERE TO FILE:
FORSYTH COUNTY TAX ASSESSORS
110 E. MAIN STREET, SUITE 260
CUMMING, GA 30040
Click here to FILE ONLINE
OFFICE HOURS:
8:30 – 5:00
MONDAY – FRIDAY
770-781-2106
NOTE: Regular and Floating homestead application are available for download On Tax Forms link. Please note: The application must be notarized, and required documents as shown above must be attached. A notary is available in the county office at no charge.
This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.
I specialize in Real Estate sales in the following Forsyth County, North Fulton County and East Cobb cities: Cumming, Suwanee, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Duluth, Milton, and Roswell. Other areas are serviced by request.
Gayle Barton South Forsyth Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | South Forsyth Real Estate
History of New Year’s Resolutions Hard to Find
Forsyth County New Year’s Eve partygoers will be taking part in one of the most ancient of human rites—one that dates back thousands of years. New Year’s resolutions probably started about the same time, but there aren’t any traces of them (not surprising, when you consider that all traces of most New Year’s resolutions disappear entirely before Groundhogs Day).
If one of your own resolutions is to become a more knowledgeable New Year’s Eve partygoer (or even just to be better prepared to break awkward silences), the following New Year’s historical facts could come in handy:
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Ancient Babylonians hosted the first known New Year’s Eve parties (back around 2000 BC).
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The Romans celebrated New Year’s Day on March 1.
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Auld Lang Syne is Scottish for “times gone by.”
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The Times Square ball drop features Waterford Crystal triangles that change every year (for 2020, the pattern is called “The Gift of Goodwill”).
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The last place to celebrate the New Year is Baker Island (it’s in the South Pacific).
On the other hand, if you’re one of those Blue Ridge New Year’s Eve partygoers whose New Year’s resolution is to be less of a know-it-all, keeping these New Year’s trivia to yourself could get you off to a better start.
In any case, on a much more serious note, this Wednesday marks the opening of a whole new decade—one that bears multiple signs of a decidedly prosperous future. If your year will include Blue Ridge real estate dealings, I’ll be here to ensure they follow through on the promising beginning. Do call!
This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.
I specialize in Real Estate sales in the following Forsyth County and North Fulton County cities: Cumming, Suwanee, Alpharetta, Milton and Johns Creek. Other north metro-Atlanta suburbs are serviced by request, so please call.
Gayle Barton Forsyth County Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate | Mountain Crest Homes For Sale
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | Forsyth County Real Estate
Scary Home Décor that isn’t a Halloween Stunt
Forsyth County neighborhoods are already boasting their traditional pre-Halloween decorations. Like ‘mums and pumpkins, the appearance of mannequin goblins and ghosts is, after all, some of the first signs of autumn. Perhaps by way of getting into the spirit of the coming holiday, the editors of last Friday’s Realtor® Magazine dispensed with its list of “Horrifying Decorative Trends” as chosen by professional designers.
The survey results are, for the most part, amusing—unless your own Forsyth County décor happens to include any “horrifying” inclusions. In fact, you can argue that some (vertical blinds, inspirational quote art, wood paneling) may be considered less than current high style, but well short of horrifying.
Other of the décor items making Realtor’s list are less controversial—like artificial fruit (the illustration showed a slightly dusty grape cluster), wallpaper borders (illustrated by a tediously repetitious border featuring particularly busy sketches of Tuscan basketry), and—following a similar theme—eye-confounding bedroom ruffles and florals.
The list of stand-out “horrors” was filled out by the old favorite, popcorn ceilings, and the ever-puzzling round beds (which mercifully disappeared in the 1960s).
The Number 1 horror was a touch deemed “the worst offense of all.” In fact, in the United Kingdom, at least, it was the décor element “most despised…over the past 50 years.” The horror was toilet seat covers. Now, at first blush, the shag-carpet style covers might seem scarcely significant enough to have earned Number One horror item status—but the accompanying fluffy pink example (against the deep blue tiled background) did give pause.
When the time approaches for your own house to join the local listings, I’ll be on tap to offer ideas on how any of your own possibly dated Forsyth County home décor details can be rendered less than horrifying—even to home design professionals. Just call!
This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.
I specialize in Real Estate sales in the following Forsyth County and North Fulton County cities: Cumming, Suwanee, Alpharetta, Milton and Johns Creek. Other north metro-Atlanta suburbs are serviced by request, so please call.
Gayle Barton Forsyth County Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate | Mountain Crest Homes For Sale
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | Forsyth County Real Estate
5 Simple Cumming, GA Appraisal Readiness Tips
You’ve probably heard the wry old saying: “Nothing clears the mind like the prospect of being hanged at dawn.” For some homeowners, you could add an equally wry modern Cumming, GA real estate version: “Nothing clears the mind like having a real estate appraiser drop by for a look-see.”
I’d like to counter that notion—with proper preparation, there’s really not much to worry over when the Cumming, GA real estate appraiser is scheduled to make an appearance. The stress level can be lowered by keeping a few simple ideas in mind:
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Appraisals aren’t showings: However, appraisers are people too and will have normal, human reactions in the same way buyers do. While experienced Cumming, GA appraisers aren’t looking for a 100% clutter-free, immaculate show-stopper of a home (they will be concentrating on physical details like square footage and structural and mechanical features), they will likely “feel” more value in a beautifully presented home than in a filthy cluttered one. Prepare your home for the appraiser in the same way you would any buyer showing (lights and all!).
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Paperwork is a plus: If they are available, dig out any floor plans or location plats you may have filed away. Also, the age of your home is one thing, but updated features can boost the end appraisal value. If you prepare a list of improvements and the years in which they were completed, it will make the appraiser’s job that much easier—and if you had a pre-listing appraisal completed on your Cumming, GA home – share that as well.
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Curb appeal is no exception: Appraisals aren’t showings, but no one—even the professional who prepares your Cumming, GA appraisal—is immune to the “first impression” effect. Condition is a factor in any appraisal, so it will be worthwhile to be sure the front lawn is mowed and plantings trimmed. If the front doorway is in need of a paint refresher, it will be effort worth making.
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Consideration helps: The appraiser’s job is part physical, so being considerate of that part of the appraisal process will be appreciated. Be sure that obstructions are cleared, that rooms are appropriately heated and cooled—and that Lassie and Garfield aren’t allowed to pester.
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New good news is good news: If there have been positive changes in the neighborhood, it can’t hurt to let the appraiser know about them. Cumming, GA may be part of a rising market, but appraisers don’t speculate on future values. Supplying some positive neighborhood developments can be persuasive.
If you are setting out on your own Cumming, GA house hunt, I hope you’ll give me a call to help focus your search. And if you’re readying to sell your own Cumming, GA property (which puts you in the soon-to-be-visited-by-the-appraiser category) the same applies. Please don’t hesitate to give me a call!
This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.
I specialize in Real Estate sales in the following Forsyth County and North Fulton County cities: Cumming, Suwanee, Alpharetta, Milton and Johns Creek. Other north metro-Atlanta suburbs are serviced by request, so please call.
Gayle Barton Forsyth County Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate | Mountain Crest Homes For Sale
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | Forsyth County Real Estate
Forsyth County GA Real Estate Market Update Video
Video – Forsyth County Real Estate Market Update. Just click the video below for the latest real estate market update for Cumming, GA. You may also view additional real estate market reports for Cumming, Suwanee, Alpharetta, Roswell, Milton, Johns Creek and many other markets in the metro area.
See your home’s current value – Quick, Easy and FREE!
Click here to view Homes for Sale in Cumming, GA or Forsyth County.
This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.
I specialize in Real Estate sales in the following Forsyth County and North Fulton County cities: Cumming, Suwanee, Alpharetta, Milton and Johns Creek. Other north metro-Atlanta suburbs are serviced by request, so please call.
Gayle Barton Forsyth County Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate | Mountain Crest Homes For Sale
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | Forsyth County Real Estate
Disclaimer: Information contained in this post is deemed reliable on the date of publication, but it is not guaranteed and it is subject to change without notice. All content, including text, original art, photographs and images, is the exclusive property of Gayle Barton and may not be used without the expressed written permission.
Gayle Barton South Forsyth Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | South Forsyth Real Estate
Spectacular Savings For Today’s Forsyth County Homebuyers
As Forsyth County homebuyers arrive at their final choice, it’s impossible to ignore how greatly their decision will influence their future. Five, ten, twenty—or more— years from now, the purchase will likely have shaped a lot of what’s to come. Buying a home in Forsyth County at this point in time may be seen to have been a great move for the family. Or not. It’s a truism that puts most homebuyers in a thoughtful state of mind.
A prime facet of what will come to be seen as a successful purchase is whether it will later be seen as a financially shrewd decision. On that score, today’s Forsyth County buyers have little to worry about—particularly if they will be financing with a typical 30-year home mortgage. Everyone knows that home loan interest rates are low right now—but the real impact of how that fact will actually play out is informative.
Checkout the average interest rate over the past half-century is 7.75%, according to Freddie Mac’s official records. By decade, that breaks down as
1970s: 9.35% 1980s: 12.34% 1990s: 7.91% 2000s: 5.10% 2010s: 4.03%
For the average homebuyer during the past 50 years, that means a typical monthly payment for a $300,000 mortgage has been (principal and interest only) $2,149. Contrast that today’s buyer—when offered a 3.75% home loan, the monthly P&I will be only $1,389. Over the course of a 30-year loan, that’s a difference that works out to a savings of more than $273,600!
Back in the ‘80s, when interest rates were ballooning, buyers could only shake their heads when they heard stories about earlier generations who had financed their homes for what seemed like pennies. Those earlier mortgagees might as well have been lottery winners. It’s no stretch to foresee that years from now, future buyers facing historically average (or worse) rates may hear what today’s buyers are being offered and think it’s some wild exaggeration.
Your own envy-worthy home purchase begins with finding the right Forsyth County home—one you’ll enjoy living in for years to come. Get started by giving me a call!
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This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.
I specialize in Real Estate sales in the following Forsyth County and North Fulton County cities: Cumming, Suwanee, Alpharetta, Milton, and Johns Creek. Other north metro-Atlanta suburbs are serviced by request, so please call.
Gayle Barton Forsyth County Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate | Mountain Crest Homes For Sale
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | Forsyth County Real Estate
Scientifically Speaking, What’s the Real Value of “Curb Appeal”?
The importance of “curb appeal” as a factor for selling Forsyth County, GA homes has never been questioned. It’s as important as packaging is to breakfast cereal makers—or to any manufacturer whose products compete for shelf space in a supermarket. “Curb appeal” produces a potential homebuyer’s first impression—and that has a way of influencing a lot of what follows.
Yet just exactly the degree to which curb appeal determines any Forsyth County, GA home’s sales success is—like most of the other factors that go into the art of selling—not something that you’d think would lend itself to scientific study.
Not so, as the slogan on the masthead of the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics proclaims. The editors of that periodical take an opposing view: namely, that recent advances in the “theoretical and empirical research using the paradigms and methodologies of finance and economics” can be applied to real estate.
That promise made some headway in a recent article authored by two college professors: “Valuing Curb Appeal.” The academics used newly developed Artificial Intelligence advances (“a deep learning classification algorithm”) to rate Google Street View photos, then combined that with sales data from nearly 89,000 properties. The result was a determination that homes with excellent curb appeal “sold for 7% more than similar houses with poor curb appeal.” Furthermore, in slow markets, that figure rose to as high as 14%.
As a Wall Street Journal reviewer acknowledged, the idea that buyers prefer a nice yard isn’t exactly surprising. Still, the way the researchers came up with the results could be important—at least in terms of putting numbers to what has until now been impossible to measure with any precision.
Practically speaking, what it means to Forsyth County, GA homeowners thinking about listing their properties this spring is less earthshaking. The WSJ’s takeaway was concise: “Mow the lawn.” Even more important (in my opinion): call me!
This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.
I specialize in Real Estate sales in the following Forsyth County and North Fulton County cities: Cumming, Suwanee, Alpharetta, Milton, and Johns Creek. Other north metro-Atlanta suburbs are serviced by request, so please call.
Gayle Barton Forsyth County Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate | Mountain Crest Homes For Sale
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | Forsyth County Real Estate
Can Steamy Listing Features Boost Your Cumming, GA Home Sale?
The selling price that any Cumming, GA home brings depends on any number of factors, the most critical of which is most often how it stacks up alongside its neighborhood comparables. If its comps are in line, the property is virtually certain to attract interest. If overpriced, it’s likely to attract little interest; if bargain-priced, it’s sure to draw a crowd.
Studying the significance of the many other factors that contribute to how a home sale fares is a tricky business. Predicting what an “expected sale price” for any Cumming, GA home would be is a necessary starting point—yet that figure would have to depend on any number of factors, all of which combine to create how the house shows.
That being said, it’s still interesting to see what the researchers come up with when they cull through the hundreds of thousands of national home listings, looking for listing features that coincide with better-than-expected final sales prices. Zillow Research does this from time to time—most recently coming up with a “top 10” list that offers few surprises, except for one: that’s a “steam” thing.
The top ten listing features include “professional appliance” (meaning at least one quality brand name appliance), “outdoor kitchen,” “prep sink,” “waterfall countertop,” “wine cellar,” and “heated floor.” It’s not surprising that the majority are features found in gourmet kitchens and well-designed bathrooms. One feature you might not predict is “Pot filler”: that’s the faucet located on the backsplash behind a range or cooktop. Pot fillers are relative newcomers in popularity. Non-kitchen features listed were “shed/garage studio” and “heated floor.”
Especially interesting was the presence of two “steam” features—“steam shower,” and the leading feature, topping the list with a 34% premium over “expected price”: “steam oven.” This surprising finding might be explained by its unexpectedness. Like “pot filler,” it could well trigger curiosity—and therefore, showing traffic.
Though more showings don’t automatically result in premium sales prices—to achieve those, real value is required, you must suspect that any Cumming, GA home with a built-in steam oven has a number of other distinctive features, too.
When your own Cumming, GA home is soon to go on the market, I hope you will give me a call. We’ll create a listing that brings premium results!
This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.
I specialize in Real Estate sales in the following Forsyth County and North Fulton County cities: Cumming, Suwanee, Alpharetta, Milton, and Johns Creek. Other north metro-Atlanta suburbs are serviced by request, so please call.
Gayle Barton Forsyth County Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate | Mountain Crest Homes For Sale
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | Forsyth County Real Estate
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