Any Forsyth County home sale, like everything else, tends to go better when preparation has been carefully thought out—and then acted upon. For homeowners who suspect that they will be selling sooner or later, there are some planning steps that can be taken long ahead of time.

Some Forsyth County real estate planning is the long-range variety. The first thing the canniest new homeowners do is to take a look at the property with an eye to improving its landscape design, and plant trees. Even if they take a decade to mature, that’s an action that can pay huge dividends later.

There are other real estate planning actions that don’t take years to start bearing dividends. Take the example of household utilities. The issue here is the bills that begin to appear in the mailbox (or computer’s In-box) within a month of moving in. What might seem to be a background irritant at first may rear its ugly head with greater impact later, when a sale is impending. Particularly if and when energy prices escalate—a not-unlikely possibility.

Any Forsyth County real estate plan takes buyers’ concerns into account—and today, many prospective buyers are mindful of the real impact operating costs have on a family budget. They ask to see a year’s worth of utility bills before making an offer. Since those bills are a matter of record, it’s not an unreasonable request. But if the energy and water expenses are sky-high, they are bound to reflect in the size of the offer. If they’re off-putting enough, they can even result in the worst offer: none at all!

The takeaway is simple but important. Where utilities are concerned, the best real estate planning is to minimize the chunk they take out of the family budget. That may involve the financial pain of making a non-emergency upgrade (like investing in a smart thermostat when the old-fashioned one works perfectly well)—but acting now rather than later will not only shrink the size of next month’s checking account outflow, it begins what later will become much more substantive: an admirably efficient household with provably minimal operating costs.

For more real estate planning help (short- or long-term), 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

For a lot of parents, the whole notion of charging a child rent for their lodging in the family’s Cumming, GA house seems like an all-but-unthinkable miserly idea. It might seem like an elevation of finance over family—something that crosses a basic societal norm. How in the world could a self-respecting parent place a price tag on providing shelter for their offspring? The issue is real for many Cumming, GA families—especially right now, the peak season for high school and college graduations.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal’s Beth DeCarbo provided a thought-provoking commentary on that subject. Its timeliness was framed by her rueful observation that a whole lot of this year’s graduates are “ready for their next big move…back home.”

It could be argued that the statistical support has grown less valid this year because even if “more than one-third of young adults lived at home in 2015,” the current job outlook is considerably brighter than it was (recent Unemployment Claims were down another thousand). Still, it’s never been uncommon for young adults to need to return to the parental Cumming, GA nest while assessing prospects for their first steps into the real world. But what if employment is not a problem? How long is long enough?

The point of the article is that many financial advisers counsel that charging rent to longer-term returning progeny is the preferable arrangement—especially for the returning children themselves. One private wealth adviser points out that the practice teaches kids “to budget, to prepare for life.” The reverse would seem to be logical. Not charging rent to working progeny delays their entry into the real world where landlords and mortgage companies require punctual payment, or else.

A nice sweetener of an idea for soft-hearted Cumming, GA parents who would feel terrible about charging rent to the grownup kids came from one mother who regretted not charging “everybody” rent: “I wish we had…and given it back to them after they left!”

Charging rent to other-than-family members is also a possibility for some empty-nesters—although downsizing is more common.

For all your Cumming, GA real estate prospects, I hope you’ll 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

According to an educator in NYU’s finance department, if your South Forsyth County house has experienced the kind of growth that’s been typical over the past couple of years, your Facebook friends will be more likely to buy a home themselves. Improbable as it sounds, Dr. Johannes Stroebel says that his research shows this as a measurable probability because “friends’ experiences…influence personal behavior” when it comes to their housing decisions.

The results of Dr. Stroebel’s study emerged from a panel discussion held this month. The conversation took place in Washington, DC, as part of the annual Realtors^® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. Most of the headlines from that gathering centered around the midyear forecast by National Association of Realtors chief economist L. Yun. He sounded the kind of optimistic note that will be music to local homeowners—particularly if they are planning to sell their own South Forsyth County house anytime soon.  After several years of wage growth that exceeds home price growth, the two are now aligning more rapidly than heretofore.  The bottom line is that “home sales should be much stronger.” The continuation of low mortgage interest rates adds to that probability.

NAR optimism aside, the announced Facebook effect prompted further discussion. It was shown that renters whose Facebook friends experienced a 5% growth in their house prices over the past two years have a 3% greater chance of buying their own home within the next two years. The effect is more pronounced in “socially-connected counties,” where positive experiences “were even shown to increase the size of a home” that was purchased.

Whether or not you believe yourself to be sufficiently “socially connected,” it’s hard to quibble with Dr. Stroebel’s finding that “individuals do discuss property value with their friends, and this changes behavior.”

For an up-to-the-minute update on South Forsyth County home sales in today’s market, you don’t need to consult your Facebook friends—just 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

When you are getting ready to sell your house, there’s nothing like a sunny day to spur you into last-minute readying. The final curb appeal-enhancing projects, springtime yard and landscaping spiffing-up activities, window cleaning and the like are readily dispatched when the weather is balmy.

But when it’s dreary outside (it does happen in Forsyth County, unfortunately), there is at least one home selling activity that doesn’t call for fair weather.  In fact, it doesn’t call for anything else either, save for a pen and paper (or the computer equivalent) and access to the household records. It’s a necessary part of any Forsyth County home-selling, too—something that’s best dispensed with before moving day.

The rainy-day activity in question is Contact Sheet Preparation. When finished, it will comprise an invaluable resource to be presented to your home’s new owners—one that will be greatly appreciated by them. Depending on how much detail is included, its creation can occupy most of a rain-soaked afternoon.

At minimum, the contact sheet should include:

• Forsyth County Community Emergency Phone numbers

• Utility Companies

• Household resource providers (plumbers, electricians, septic service, chimney sweeps, etc.)

The most detailed contact sheets also can include “Once in a Blue Moon” details, which identify long-ago resources like the guy who fixed the garden shed lock or the web address for the company that supplies the extra garage door opener when it gets lost.  It can also include warranty information—for instance, some roofing company warrantees require notification by a new owner.

Forsyth County home-selling success requires attending to many details. Some are best provided by the homeowner—but most benefit from the experience of a real estate pro. 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

Whenever the U.S. economy is booming, there are naysayers who view it as terrible news. It’s not surprising since economists can disagree about just about anything and point to statistics that prove their point.

One CNBC report provides a golden example. It’s one that, if you’re inclined to think it’s time to sell your Forsyth County house anyway, would reinforce that thought. It ran under the gloomy headline “Housing is providing another in a line of troubling signs”—the signs were those “pointing to an economic downturn.”

The report elaborated on a finding that compared home sales statistics from a recent period with those that preceded coming recessions. To the analyst author (Fed economist William Emmons), the result indicated that an economic downturn is likely. Although the trend looked “much less severe” than the one that preceded the Great Recession, he thinks December of this year is a plausible month for “peak growth.”

In other words, 2020 real estate market, look out!

For anyone who believes Professor Emmons, it means that, for Forsyth County homeowners who are going to sell anytime in the near term, NOW would be a logical time to put their homes up for sale. That is, before the economy weakens—usually, a trigger for buyer’s market conditions to prevail.

Whether this (or any other) economic prognostication is to be taken seriously is anybody’s guess. But it IS true that if your own plans include selling anyway, the current optimistic mood provides ripe conditions for selling your Forsyth County house.

Giving me a call to discuss is a great way to start!

 

 

 

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

If Hollywood action-adventure movie writers have figured anything out, it’s that after the bad guy has been defeated and the hero and heroine are relaxing, ANOTHER bad guy should suddenly appear to pose an unexpected, even nastier, threat! By now, audiences have learned to expect this (but if the filmmakers are clever enough, we can still be taken by surprise).

Selling your Forsyth County home may not seem analogous to an action movie, but there can be some parallels—particularly at the last minute, when the sale seems in the bag and you’re all but packed up and “outta there”.

The danger here comes in the form of communications from the buyer. No matter how amicable the buyer and buyer’s agent may have been in the course of negotiations, as the deal nears completion, there is always the possibility that an unexpected sticking point might crop up. There are many possible reasons that this happens.

For one, the act of moving is recognized as one of life’s major stressful events—and people can react to stress in unexpected ways. A failure to fix some relatively minor household maintenance issue that was agreed upon might trigger a deal-threatening misunderstanding (even if the reason for the failure was unforeseeable and can be quickly ameliorated). Since selling any Forsyth County home necessarily involves many details, their sheer volume means that some misunderstanding or another is always possible—and misunderstanding can easily lead to distrust. Given the size of the transaction and accompanying elevated stress levels, the danger of a deal-breaking misunderstanding is always a possibility.

The solution isn’t the one a movie screenwriter would devise, because the object is to prevent drama. It’s one of the best reasons to rely on an experienced Realtor^® to represent you when selling your Forsyth County home. We’re expert at recognizing miscommunications at an early stage, while it is still easy to head them off. It’s also a tried-and-true way to minimize stress levels and keep a successful closing on track.

In other words, one good way to avoid drama: 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

If you page through this month’s Forsyth County listings, you’ll find a collection of homes that embody all kinds of structural styles. There is no single “Forsyth County architecture”—although some homeowner associations are aimed at preserving a pleasantly homogeneous neighborhood look.

Now, from out in Southern California, comes word of a small but impressive architecturally conscious project—one noteworthy on a number of fronts. Appropriately, a recent national rollout came from the Business Insider magazine. It’s appropriate when you consider that the price tags attached to residences in the project—“The Case”—will prohibit buyer interest from all but heavyweight business titans.

At $40 million – $100 million per, the five houses being built by developer Scott Gillen easily fall into the self-described “super-luxe” category. Once completed, the five will find themselves nestled within one of the few gated communities in Malibu. Since it took Gillen eleven years to get his 24-acre project approved by the notoriously fussy California Coastal Commission, it’s a good bet that “The Case” may be the last.

The astronomical price tags are easy to understand when you consider the exclusivity of the enclave, its security provisions, and its architectural bona fides:

Exclusivity:  Not debatable. Come on! The humblest neighbor’s house costs $40,000,000.

Security:  Since The Case is sited atop a 200’ bluff with a 360-degree outlook, the place is strategically similar to what ancient kings demanded when deciding where to build their castles. No moat, maybe, but the head of security is Gavin deBecker, who will be in charge of keeping everything “paparazzi-proof.” He’s the fellow Jeff Bezos tapped to find out who leaked his text messages. As a final measure of security, each house is fitted with a water cannon “that rises from the ground to fight fires.” Private firefighting personnel are also envisioned. Security: check!

Architectural pedigree: “The Case” development is to be an homage to the famous “Case Study” houses—iconic experimental homes designed by Eames, Neutra, and Saarinen in mid-20^th century. The first six of those houses were recognized as “Blueprints for Modern Living”—visionary examples of modern design and efficiency. They attracted more than 350,000 visitors to Los Angeles.

“The Case” houses are promoted as updated versions of the Case Study’s mid-century modern architecture—but with at least one notable difference. The Getty Research Institute says that the originals “promoted economical construction concepts.” That feature is clearly missing from these updates.

Today’s typical Forsyth County architecture is most definitely more economically grounded. To find some notable examples for yourself—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