Johns Creek Ga | South Forsyth County Real Estate in Cumming GA

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 1^st you will wait a full year before your application is processed.

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.

WHERE TO FILE:

FORSYTH COUNTY TAX ASSESSORS
110 E. MAIN STREET, SUITE 260
CUMMING, GA 30040

OFFICE HOURS:

8:30 – 5:00
MONDAY – FRIDAY
770-781-2106

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

Was Your Home a Good Investment? Use this Calculator to See

I spend my days showing homes for sale in Cumming, GA in South Forsyth county GA and I speak to homeowners every week who are shocked to find out that their home is not worth what they thought it was.

“But I paid $…”

On the other hand, values in our local market have really held strong when compared to the national average so others are pleasantly surprised. It really just depends on a combination of location, date of purchase and updates/upgrades that have been made over the years.

Are you wondering if buying your home was a good investment? You can use this Calculator from CNN Money to find out.

Want an up-to-date market value analysis of your home? Just use this form to provide a bit of info and I’ll share my expertise with you for FREE!

Want to know why you need a CMA or market value analysis before you decide to sell?

This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.

Gayle Barton South Forsyth Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | South Forsyth Real Estate

Ariana Home Furnishings Cumming GA

Ariana Home Furnishings & Design
325 Brannon Rd
Cumming, GA 30041
(678) 807-7422

Sunday                        1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Monday                       10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Tuesday – Saturday   10:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Designing Dreams…..

Ariana is an upscale family-owned furniture store in Cumming GA, located at exit 13 off of GA-400 across from The Collection.

Their large, bright showroom offers a relaxing, friendly environment for you to search out that special piece you’ve been looking for. And, with numerous products available for immediate delivery, you may be able to take it home with you today. If you don’t see what you’re looking for just keep in mind that special order is always available, and their showroom offers fresh inventory on a regular basis which makes your “treasure hunt” all the more fun.

Know exactly what you want? Their online design center allows you to customize it online.

Not sure what you want? Their in-house designer will be happy to assist you in creating a piece that fits perfectly into your home and lifestyle. (Personalized in-home design services are also available.)

In addition to the friendly, relaxed shopping environment they have created and the high quality brands they offer (Bernhardt, Century, Henredon, Lexington…. just to name a few) the family also offers its clients over 30 years of experience in the luxury home furnishing industry.

The next time you find yourself in need of furniture, I recommend that you stop into their showroom for browse. If you want it, they know where to find it!

Importance of Visual Elements in Your Forsyth County Listing

We all know what shaggy dog stories are. They’re the jokes that go on and on and then peter out without much of a punchline. I think I found a scientific study about real estate that fits that description—but you can decide for yourself.

We remember that true “science” is only possible when a theory can be experimentally tested and then repeated by others. Since Forsyth County real estate’s market conditions are always in flux, controlled laboratory conditions don’t exist. The result is that marketing residential real estate here in Forsyth County is rightly classified as at least as much art as science.

Since that’s the case, whenever serious study is aimed at the field of real estate sales, it deserves consideration. Such was the case a while back when a professor at George Washington University published an “econometric” study about real estate transactions. It dealt with “The Effects of Pictures and Virtual Tours on Home Sales.”

Since it involved some heavy-duty mathematical analyses, a little introductory history might be in order. It wasn’t that long ago that Forsyth County “listings” meant Xeroxed pages quaintly carried around in Forsyth County agents’ 3-ring folders. Some of those pages may still survive in a museum someplace, but they went bye-bye as soon as online real estate sites gained access to the digital listing information. It took a while longer before the web was fast enough to regularly include pictures and videos as a matter of course, but by now we all know that Forsyth County listings almost always feature lots of pictures, sometimes a video, and sometimes both.

So when the GWU study promised to add insight into how those visual elements are influencing home sales, it attracted more than just academic attention. For those preparing their Forsyth County homes to go on the market, for instance, it would seem to be worth looking into. The paper is 32 pages in length, with six tables using things like the White Heteroskedasticity-Consistent Method to calculate the co-variances. True, I didn’t spend a lot of time examining the columns of numbers, but I’m glad they are all there in the tables (along with the 24 References naming the economic journals cited).

So here’s the punchline—what the Conclusions section tells us about the effects of pictures and virtual tours on home sales – and, you don’t have t0 be a scientist to understand this correlation: They help

To quote the findings precisely, they “suggest that pictures and virtual tours both increase the expected transaction price and decrease the average time on the market…”

When you get ready to list your Forsyth County home, I hope you’ll give me a call. One thing is for sure: we’ll make sure your listing includes terrific-looking visuals—the kind that don’t need “calculated co-variances” to pull in the prospects!

This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.

Gayle Barton South Forsyth Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | South Forsyth Real Estate

Thoughts on Cumming, GA Listings Featuring Saltwater Pools

what buyers thinks about buying a home with a saltwater pool
Riddle: What do saltwater pools and saltwater aquariums have in common?

Answer: Water. That’s about all.

When some house hunters see “saltwater pool” in Cumming, GA listings, the first thing apt to come to mind is that last trip to the ocean seashore or swaying palm trees—or perhaps some NatGeo TV show about endangered species on the Great Barrier reef. Visions of having their own playful pet dolphin in the backyard might flit through their consciousness before the practical questions begin to intrude— like having to rinse salt off after every dip, worrying about salt spray wrecking the lawn.

Ultimately, the question would probably be, who in their right mind wants a saltwater pool instead of freshwater?

The answer: some practical-minded Cumming, GA homeowners might.

Saltwater pools aren’t filled with seawater (sorry, Flipper and Shamu: you’d find the accommodations unsuitable). The “saltwater” moniker refers to the way the fresh water is filtered and recirculated. There is a slight amount of saltiness to the water, but nowhere near what’s found in the oceans.

In a way, it’s really a shame that the name is what it is—especially when it causes potential buyers to make the connection with saltwater aquariums. People who’ve dealt with one of those know how difficult they are to maintain. Dedicated fish fanciers go to the effort because most brilliant varieties of fish inhabit the world’s oceans rather than freshwater rivers and lakes. But the price hobbyists pay for having all those bright colors on display is having to keep all sorts of chemical balances in equilibrium—and that takes constant vigilance.

Saltwater pools sidestep that drawback. They use electricity to manufacture the chlorine needed to battle microorganism growth—then continually monitor the result. These systems automatically start the pool pump when needed, resulting in less demand for homeowner monitoring.

That same convenience has a downside, however, because pool pumps have to run longer than they do in manually chlorinated pools. The reason is a complicated technological explanation having to do with the difference between the filtration systems (electrolysis vs. added cyanurates)—the long and short of which is fewer expensive chemicals (traditional) vs. higher energy costs (saltwater systems).

Personally, I prefer a fresh water pool, but salt water pools are currently popular trend.

Any time a Cumming, GA homeowner is considering an improvement, I am happy help with advice regarding the impact on future resale value—even if that future sale isn’t an immediate prospect. The type of filtration system in a pool (or even the addition of a pool itself) is part of that equation.

If you are considering making a major value-building improvement to your Cumming, GA home, I hope you will give me a call. Let’s chat!

This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.

Gayle Barton South Forsyth Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | South Forsyth Real Estate

When is the Best Time to Buy a Home in South Forsyth County?

To end the suspense, the answer to the title question about when is the optimal time to buy a home in South Forsyth County has been officially answered. The answer is, more or less, “now.” All right, there’s an alternate answer, “as soon as practical”—but that is a less dramatic-sounding version of the same thing.

The official nature of that answer is due to its source, generally considered to be the apex of the residential real estate industry: the National Association of Realtors^®. The “®” is there after “Realtor” because the group literally owns the word “Realtor”—that’s how much of an industry leader the NAR is!

I’m a member because of all the resources it makes available for the benefit of my South Forsyth County clients. Among the raft of those is a steady stream of research about the market, new and proposed Georgia and national legislation, and a wide range of new information about selling and buying a home.

Since its pronouncements need to accurately reflect conditions throughout the country—informing more than a million brokers and agents—its words are (as you’d expect) carefully weighed. Which brings us around to the single best time for buying a home, which the Association shared on January 23: “before 2017 ends.”

Three “crucial” reasons were presented in Lisa Gordon’s presentation, each of which is hard to argue with:

Tick! tick! Mortgage rates are rising. No one can be 100% certain of future offerings by South Forsyth County’s home lenders, yet there has seldom been such unanimity in signals that the future points upward. That means that who lock in rates early should see meaningful savings when it comes to buying a home. To drive the point home, the article harkened back to 1981 and the 18% mortgages buyers had to face. Today it hovers above 4%.
Tick! tick! tick! Fewer homes on the market. This national trend has consistently moved in the same direction. By November, the number of homes on the market had fallen by nearly 10% from the previous year: a precipitous drop. The South Forsyth County listings aren’t always in lockstep with national trends, but the potential for even stiffer competition between buyers when spring and summer activity peaks is quite real.
Tick! tick! tick! tick! Prices are still rising. “We have yet to see a price ceiling,” is what one agent says—and the sales figures bear him out. After the 5% rise in 2016, even pessimistic projections anticipate higher prices.

For sure, neither the NAR nor I are neutral observers when it comes to selling and buying homes—so the hurry-up reasoning might warrant a degree of skepticism. But the changes in Washington have added a new factor barely touched on in the NAR piece: uncertainty. If you are among those planning on buying a home in South Forsyth County at some time in the future, that might be the most convincing argument of all. The current listings and South Forsyth County’s real estate environment are knowns—and they are, by historic standard, pretty terrific. You’ll be able to confirm that yourself when you give me a call!

This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.

Gayle Barton South Forsyth Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | South Forsyth Real Estate

5-Question Real Estate Quiz for Cumming, GA Homeowners

One reason why Cumming, GA real estate commentators like to offer quizzes is to make readers feel good about how much they know. Being that Cumming, GA homeowners probably do more than an average amount of reading about real estate matters, you would expect that any real estate-themed quiz would succeed in creating that kind of warm, positive experience.

This is not that kind of quiz.

I put it together because it’s a quick way to present some of the more surprising survey results. They are culled from recent National Association of Realtors^® informational articles. The quiz may not foster warm feelings of knowledgeability, but to compensate, it’s shorter than most of those web quizzes (who has time to answer 25 questions?).

Ready? Set! GO!

1) Which of the following features is likely to slow a home’s sale:

A) Swimming Pool B) Big backyard C) Small backyard D) All the above
E) None of the above

2) Which of these is likely to help a home sell more quickly:

A) More than one story B) Superior renovations C) Small backyard
D) Big backyard E) None of the above

3) Which of these is likely to be worthwhile for a new Cumming, GA homeowner?

A) Extended appliance warranty B) Gardener C) Shopping for insurance
D) Improving the yard E) None of the above

4) Which of these trends are widely predicted for 2017?

A) home prices will remain stable B) home sales will decline C) average days on market will increase D) the Midwest will lead in home sales E) none of the above F) all of the above

5) Which of these is recommended for first time home buyers?

A) Less closet space than you think you need B) More closet space than you think you need C) Dining room D) No dining room E) Add a koi pond E) None of the above

Answers:

1) D. Studies show small backyards can retard sales, as can swimming pools and overly large backyards, due to maintenance concerns.

2) E. More people don’t like the hassle of stair-climbing than appreciate the exercise; big, ambitious renovations seldom return the investment; big or small backyards: same as above.

3) C) Shopping around for the best insurance offer is always wise; but appliance warranties generally don’t return their cost; paying a gardener vs. doing yard work yourself is often a financial loser (I disagree with the NAR on this one—for many busy Cumming, GA homeowners, pro-gardeners are worth their weight in gold); big yard improvements should wait until you’ve experienced all four seasons

4) E this was the easiest to guess: A) expect home prices to rise B) expect 1.9% more homes to be sold C) the pace of sales is expected to quicken D) West Coast should lead in home sales

5) A and D. The most common first-timers’ regrets are paying for too much spare closet space and seldom-used formal dining rooms.

Thinking of a buying or selling a Cumming, GA home in 2017? You need a trusted professional to help you with your transaction. Feel free to give me a call with any questions you may have. I’m always happy to help!

This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.

Gayle Barton South Forsyth Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | South Forsyth Real Estate

Millennial Lifestyle Choice Could Create Real Estate Investment Opportunity

When you recall how thoroughly public confidence was shaken during that last financial meltdown, you probably also remember how reluctant most people were to presume that Cumming, GA real estate values would rebound anytime soon. Those who saw nosediving property values as nothing less than a great buying opportunity were in the courageous minority—even though a cool-headed review of the history of home values’ ups and downs made such a conclusion pretty safe.

Today there may be a similar Cumming, GA real estate opportunity—although, in truth, you have to look a lot harder to see it. It’s emerging in the realm of Cumming, GA rental real estate investments. Instead of resulting from a dramatic global financial shakeup, it’s the by-product of a less headline-grabbing phenomenon—namely, an emerging shift in American lifestyle and spending habits.

One piece of evidence can be found in the rapid adoption of “sharing economy” businesses like Airbnb and Uber. Forbes magazine points to their ascendency as evidence of a shift in Americans’ willingness to share goods and services with others—as well as a new attitude about ownership in general. It’s most evident among the younger set: “A fifth of Millennials would consider renting DIY products, clothing or sporting equipment,” one survey found—key drivers being affordability and convenience.

Forbes also looked at attitudes among Millennials about housing. Nearly a quarter who are not yet on the housing ladder said they were not concerned about owning a home of their own and would be content to rent for the rest of their lives. If offered lease terms of five or more years, they would be encouraged to “treat their rented property more like a home.”

Meantime, the widely-respected Pew Research Center found particularly that steep declines in homeownership are only partially due to the difficulty of coming up with a down payment. Even though mortgage approval rates are up, home loan applications are down.

This impact such an attitudinal shift could mean is underlined when you realize that there are 92 million Millennials. They make up the largest generation in American history. If they continue to place more value on the flexibility and convenience provided by the new business models, another outcome could well be the disappearance of the stigma that used to go with renting. Per the Urban Institute’s Laurie Goodman, the dip in homeownership among younger generations “is a permanent shift”—one evidenced by the rise in “lifestyle renters” (those who can afford to buy, but choose not to).

It could be part of why the rental market is booming across America—and lead to the conclusion that it will become, as Goodman stated, a permanent trend. If so, the long-term implications are certainly positive when it comes to Cumming, GA rental real estate investments. For anyone who has ever considered diversifying into a Cumming, GA real estate rental property investment, now would be a great time to call me to investigate further!

This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.

Gayle Barton South Forsyth Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | South Forsyth Real Estate

Why Forsyth County, GA Sellers May Benefit from Listing Early

If this is going to be a year of upsets, the rules for when Forsyth County, GA listings are best initiated might be primed to fly out the window. There’s no guarantee that 2017’s Forsyth County, GA listing performance will bend the rules, but if the National Association of Realtor’s^® news site is right, it’s a definite possibility.

The 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. When you look at the volume of home sales through most years, those months do look inviting. There are exceptions, but for the most part, spring and summer regularly excel in sales volume.

Last week, 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:

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 2017 are at multiyear lows.” Thus, homeowners who list now “face very little competition.”
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.
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:

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 2017. 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.

Gayle Barton South Forsyth Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | South Forsyth Real Estate

Asking Price Decision is Crucial for Cumming, GA Home Sellers

Gayle Barton Cumming GA real estate - Forsyth County Realtor — Gayle Barton Cumming GA real estate – Forsyth County Realtor

For more than a year, it’s been the happy trend across the nation for the average DOM (days on market) for residential properties to have been declining. It’s a “speed of sale” measure—one that most Cumming, GA home sellers hope will reflect that it won’t be long before they are handing the keys to happy new owners.

There are some ruling considerations that go into establishing a winning Cumming, GA asking price. One is psychological: thinking of a buyer’s frame of mind, most people don’t want to be the only ones who are interested in a house. When a slightly lower-than-comparable asking price is part of the marketing message, it draws a crowd. Another consideration is the search bracket. Knowing how buyers tend to bracket price range parameters for similar Cumming, GA homes is something I can help with. If comparable homes have been selling in a range that tops out at $400,000, asking $410,000 (so you can discount it in later negotiations) is a mistake: your property won’t even appear on search results you’re aiming for.

It is said that pricing is an ongoing discussion—something that holds true if the activity level is less than expected. In every dissertation, oration, article, comment, FAQ, and essay about successful house sales, the dictum is the same: if the place doesn’t sell, first check the asking price.

Sometimes that truism can seem indisputable. If the property in question has been listed at an asking price that’s higher than comparable Cumming, GA houses—other homes that have sold—unless outside factors have slowed all area sales, the asking price is probably the stumbling block. A homeowner can quite reasonably object that their property has unusual qualities that make direct comparisons with other Cumming, GA homes inexact, but that logic may not be powerful enough to counter the market figures that buyers can see (remember that they don’t want to be the only ones who are interested). Sometimes even for a home that shows spectacularly, lowering the asking price can be the simplest and quickest route to a “sold” sign on the front lawn.

In the case of those Cumming, GA homes where Cumming, GA asking price conformity isn’t the issue—as when there simply are no other properties that are at all similar—if lowering the asking price is not indicated, it will simply become a waiting game: waiting for the buyer who appreciates the special character of the property. The good news is that there IS a buyer out there for every property; the bad news is that unique properties attract unique buyers—as in, there are fewer of them. But there is some second good news: when they do show up, they are apt to fall in love with the place!

Pricing is part math and part skill, and since the market is constantly changing, it’s a skill that rewards experience tempered by consistent monitoring. I monitor Cumming, GA real estate full time so I can provide the most timely assistance and advice in all phases of selling and buying. I hope you’ll give me a call!

This Cumming GA Real Estate blog is hosted by Gayle Barton of BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HomeServices Georgia Properties.

Gayle Barton South Forsyth Real Estate | Cumming GA Real Estate
Gayle Barton Cumming GA Real Estate | South Forsyth Real Estate

Ariana Home Furnishings Cumming GA

Designing Dreams…..

Interesting Real Estate Story of the Day

Meet Gayle

Cell: 404 710 0204

I spend my days showing homes for sale in Cumming, GA in South Forsyth county GA and I speak to homeowners every week who are shocked to find out that their home is not worth what they thought it was.

“But I paid $…”

On the other hand, values in our local market have really held strong when compared to the national average so others are pleasantly surprised. It really just depends on a combination of location, date of purchase and updates/upgrades that have been made over the years.

Are you wondering if buying your home was a good investment? You can use this Calculator from CNN Money to find out.

Want an up-to-date market value analysis of your home? Just use this form to provide a bit of info and I’ll share my expertise with you for FREE!

Want to know why you need a CMA or market value analysis before you decide to sell?

Designing Dreams…..

Interesting Real Estate Story of the Day

Meet Gayle

Connect with Me