Charlie Ragonesi Big Canoe Realestate's Blog: Georgia: Jasper: Arbor Hills

Why use a Realtor and not a Real estate agent? Here is why.

Both can be qualifed and good. But the National Association of Realtors is a strong property lobby. You as a home owner have a lobbist in Washington fighting for your property rights. Being a Realtor means that I pay dues  from my earnings. Those dues in part go to fighting for your property rights.

Yes we have additional traing and a code which places us on a higher standard of ethics. but a Real estate agent can be equally ethical and take the time to get training. In one case you know a Realtor must do these things. In the other you hope that the agent does these things.

I think one big reason you as a property owner should weigh when choosing a real estate professional is the fact that Realtor money goes directly into efforts and supports legislation that directly supports you. A recent example is NAR's stand and voice in opposing the end of the home mortgage tax exemption. If you are a home owner this has a direct effect on your wallet.

So if you are thinking about buying or selling ask your real estate professional, "Are you a Realtor?" If they are then you know that the person you are dealing with has paid out of their pocket to support your rights as a proerty owner and has earned your business.

In our mountains today we are seeing more and more first time buyers come out. We do have somewhat of a shift from vacation buyers and second home buyers to folks looking to take advantage of this market. Many renters are singing the same song. The home I am renting is going in to foreclosure.  We still have 100 percent financing available for veterans and as part of rural development. Now is a great time to consult with your local expert here at All Mountain Realty and own your first home.

There are many posts here about now is the time to buy. But I think if you are contemplating selling, Now is the time to Sell your home.

There are 2 factors you have under your control that are super important.  One is price, and the other is the condition of your home. This post is mainly about the number of factors not under your control that lead me to believe now may be a good time to sell.

1 Interest rates. We are still at historic lows for interest rates. So buyers are motivated to buy while the price of money is so good. If buyers are motivated to buy, they have to find homes with sellers motivated to sell right !!!

2 Re-locations. On of the facts of life in this economy is that businesses are relocating to areas that make them more competitive price wise. As business relocate in our county workers who are moving with them need a place to live.

3 Loan programs. Much has been said about how tough it is to get a loan. But there are some great programs available. FHA still is 3.5 % down payment program. VA is 100 percent financing. If you are in an area that  has USDA then you can go up to 102 % of value. There are a lot of State and local programs also available that make it attractive to buy.

Bottom line is if you were afraid to put your home on the market because of everything negative you have been hearing fear not. Consult your local Realtor for a market analysis. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Looking for some tips if you are a seller? Or are you unsure how to start the process of buying a home if you are a buyer. Then this weeks Mountain Real Estate Report is for you. Linda and I cover the ABC's of buying and selling. The Mountain Real Estate Report is heard every Thursday on WYYZ Radio in our North Georgia Mountains. If you are interested in some of our past shows with some great guests you can always hear them on our web site www.allmountainrealty.com. Enjoy the show.

This weeks show focus is ,Why should I get prequalified? I talk about the need to get your finances in order Before you shop. Now more than ever you need to be able to know what you can afford. We also talk about some great mountain opportunities as well as discuss the challenges buyers have when trying to buy land. Hope you all enjoy the show. Your comments and topic suggestions as always are greatly appreciated .

This is a show for first time buyers. In fact we interview a first time buyer whose first name is John. He is an actual buyer who worked through us. John talks about the steps he took and the direction he got . He and his fiance got a great deal and because they worked so well with us and followed the steps needed the process went smooth for them. So this show is aimed at helping folks who are looking to buy. We talk about what should eb done with John in order to make things go smoothly and have a happy result. In addition we talk about some great mountain buying opportunities in homes and land. Enjoy the show!!

The Old Fashion Barber shop is exactly what it says it is. A small building on South Main Street in Jasper Georgia.

The Barber poll works and is the traditional advertisement. There is a bench outside where you can sit if you do not want to wait inside. This shop has many things that make it a wonderful experience.

It is not called a boutique, a salon, or a hair emporium. It is a Barber shop. And it really is a barber shop in the many ways that some of us who have gray hair can remember.

Yes that is right they have the old time Barber chairs. I am almost 6'4" and love the fact that I do not have some plastic seat cutting into my back about 1/2 way up. You can see the old sinks mirrors and paraphernalia in this picture.

The 2 Barbers are Becky and Mary. They own this shop and are each wonderful to have cut your hair.

I am a Barbers kid so I grew up around a shop my father had in Woodside Queens where there were big chairs, men smoking cigars, opera on the radio, and always good talk. The Old Fashion Barber shop has Oldies playing and folks talking about crops as well as local events. It is really a community hub. It is a place to go chat and learn. If any of you have seen the movie Barber shop you get the idea.

Becky and Mary give great haircut's and if you really want the full experience you can even get a shave from a straight razor.

The Old fashion Barber shop is a complete hair cutting experience. They do great work, and oh by the way, at  the end they have electric  back Massagers for when you are done!!! Even my father did not have that !

In my opinion this is the best hair cut you can get North of Atlanta

In theory one can use the 8k tax rebate as a down payment. I say in theory because I have not found a lender yet who will process this way. But assume this will work out should you  use the money as a down payment? I think it depends.

If you are using USDA or VA I say no. Here is why. Assume the 8k as a down payment will save you about 10-15 dollars a month on a 30 year fixed.  So at the end of year one you will have saved 120-180 dollars. But if you take the 8k at year end you could put it in a CD and make 10-15 dollars a month and HAVE 8k in case something comes up.

For FHA this may be the way to get to your 3.5 percent down and if that is the case this is a good thing. At the end of the day a Realtors role is to point out  these things to you and maybe direct you to your accountant. With all the programs out there our role has become even more important

A friend of mine from Florida called me and said , "Hey I have a friend who is buying in Georgia. " I said. " good send him to me and I will help him. " My friend called me back and said , " Oh, sorry he is working with another agent." "No problem" I said." thanks for thinking about me."

About a month later I was talking to the same friend and asked him about the guy who was buying. Oh, the story was he really had a tough time. "Was he a first time buyer?" I asked. "Yes" was the answer. "So he got the 8k" ? Yes he got that. "What did he buy?" " He bought a foreclosure out in the country." "Oh did he go USDA for his loan?" "No he didn't know about it he put money down and went FHA." Did he go to the class and get 14k in Georgia money to rehab the property or use the money as a down payment?" "What 14K?" "What was his agent doing for him during this time?" Nothing the agent worked for the seller," (Bank)

.

So this buyer lost 14k from the state and put 3.5 percent down which in this case made his mortgage payment 124 dollars a month MORE than the no money down option would have.  Did the selling agent do anything wrong. Absolutely not. Did the buyer make a mistake? Absolutely. If you are buying and not working with your own agent look at this story in this case , as I know the purchase price , not working with an agent cost this buyer 19000 !!!!

NUF SAID.

I was searching for information and came across some interesting statistics about our market. Over the last 8 years housing prices are up. Over the last 2 years they are relatively flat. In terms of numbers of sales this is where we see the greatest swing. As numbers of units sold over the last 2 years are down.

What this means , and I believe it is true all over the mountains not just in Jasper is that since mountain property is the second most sought after  behind water front, our values are holding. So if you are looking to buy now is a good time. As we come out of this recession and housing mess I think you will see a big increase in demand and a corresponding increase in price.

The strength of the price numbers surprised me. The reduction in units sold did not. We are your mountains Realtors. Visit us on line at www.allmountainrealty.com