Add Zest to Your Address! Why You Should Make Marietta Your Home!

By: jcowan,
Posted: November 27th, 2007
Discussion: Comments




In 2006 the National Civic League named the city of Marietta one of the nations 10 best communities!  The City of Marietta, it is located conveniently just outside the Perimeter and is just minutes away from I-75, Cobb Galleria  , downtown Atlanta, and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

My husband and business partner, Tim Cowan, and I live and work in this great All- American City!  As proud residents of Marietta, we are so excited at the new growth that is developing around us!

 As I was reading the quarterly issue of Blue Print, the official publication of the City of Marietta that is sent to all business owners and residents that live and/or work within the city limits, I decided I needed to share my enthusiasm on the upcoming improvements and growth that is coming to our great city!
Here are some of the highlights!
 
1. Progress Made on Roswell Street near Marietta Square
 As stated in the latest issue of Blue Print, they are doing quite a bit of construction along Roswell Street. Along with improvements being made to the street, brick sidewalks, decorative lights, and landscaping, Roswell Street is the new home of the largest mixed-use developement, Meeting Park, near the Marietta Square. 
 
"We’re excited by the progress being made at Meeting Park" city manager Bill Bruton said.  "The developement is a natural extension of our downtown and will provide housing that will add vitality to our existing restaurants and businesses on the Square."
 
Meeting Park is located just steps from the Square, and boasts townhomes that have a classic brownstone feel and range from 1,000- 3,000 square feet featuring a deck and garage.  Meeting Park  has great amenities such as optional elevators, rooftop gardens and a rooftop pool.  As stated in Blue Print, the walkability of Meeting Park was a primary factor during the planning and design process of the community. " We believe that the simple act of walking in your neighborhood helps the environment and creates a stronger sense of community," said Bill Marsh, vice president of Winter Properties, which is developing the project.  "We wanted to create an environmentally-responsible neighborhood that would feed into the existing fabric of Marietta."
 
Meeting Park is just one of the many great new developments that are coming to the City of Marietta.  To see all the new housing developements coming to the City of Marietta visit http://move2marietta.com/newhousing.html
 

2. Improvements to the Powder Springs Street Area

Here are some of the major changes coming to Powder Springs Street

A. $150 million mixed-use developement announced for Powder Springs Street- located between Garrison and Sandtown Rd.

B.  Several transportation improvements projects, such as streetscape improvements, and constuction of a westbound right turn lane on Gramling Street at Powder Springs Street are scheduled to begin this fall.
C.   A new Wal-Mart Supercenter store planned, located on Powder Springs Street near Bellemeade Drive in the former Ingles grocery store shopping center.
 
3. Do you love Starbucks?  Well, we have a new Starbucks location coming to Marietta.

You can get your caffenine fix at the new Starbucks Coffee Shop that will be located in the newly approved small retail center at 811 and 825 Church Street, north of Tower Rd. near Vann Street and WellStar Kennestone Hospital. Construction should begin late fall.
 

4. Master Planning Process for parks and recreation for the City of Marietta.

As stated in Blue Print, Marietta broke ground this fall on a redesign and renovation of Henry Memorial Park near Reynolds and Wright Streets off Powder Springs Street.  The revitalization will include a large playground, pavilion, lighted walking track, basketball courts, new parking, and new landscaping when drought conditions improve.
 

5.  Enjoying the Entertainment, Restaurants, and Shops at the Historic Marietta Square.

One the things that my husband, Tim, and I love the most about living in Marietta is the Marietta Square.   The Square offers a great social scene, that encompasses great entertainment, restaurants, and shops.  There is always something to do at the Square. 

There is always a festival, concert, or some sort of event going on at the Square.  Our favorite thing to do is go to the Friday Night Summer Concert Series that is held in the heart of the Marietta Square.  Just bring a picnic and your favorite beverage and enjoy the evening lisitng to great music!  This is great for families of all ages!


Another exciting developement that is under way is the renovation of The Strand Theatre. 

 
 
As stated in Blue Print, final stages of demolition and the first stages of construction kicked off last summer. "This is the beginning of a 12-13 month process," said Earl Smith, chairman of the Friends of the Strand, the group raising funds to renovate the theatre.  "We have set our sights on summer of 2008 for a very grand opening."
 
I am very excited to soon be able to add "catching a movie" to the list of many things I enjoy doing at the Square!  
Marietta, crowned as a 2006 All-American City, is a great place to live!  if you are moving to Georgia, or looking to move within the metro-Atlanta area, take a look at these reasons why you should add some zest to your address! Live in this All-American City! Here is more information on why you should Move to Marietta!
 

Here is the latest issue of Blue Print, the official Publication of the City of Marietta.

Learn more about:

Marietta Schools

Marietta High School

Marietta Police Deptartment

Marietta Fire Department

Local Marietta Real Estate

FMLS Helps Keep Housing Market In Perspective

By: Brad Nix, Managing Broker
Posted: November 19th, 2007
Discussion: Comments



As a member of FMLS (First Multiple Listing Service), I receive their monthly email newsletter (e-news).  Most of the time it includes information about system upgrades, employees charity events, and training opportunities.  However, this month it included a very interesting article about "Keeping Perspective".  I found it as a good reminder to many agents, buyers and sellers.  Here an excerpt from FMLS e-news:

"The truth is, there is still plenty of good news on the Georgia real estate market.  When we hear consumers echoing the negative media reports, let’s also consider sharing the following facts:

  • Interest rates remain at historic lows; today’s consumers are not battling the interest (or inflation) rates of the 1970s and 1980s.
  • Conventional financing remains available to many, and FHA loans are on the rise.
  • The value of a home typically doubles every 10 years, on average.  How’s that for a return on investment?
  • Over the past 30 years, homes have appreciated an average of 6.6% per year, more than any savings account interest rate, and more than most CDs or other investment vehicles.  And the return on the actual initial investment is even more significant when you consider that most homeowners invest only a small fraction of their home’s total value in their down payment.  That’s the power of leverage.
  • The average homeowner today holds 36 times the wealth of the average renter.  Why?  Keep reading below…
  • 60% of the average homeowner’s wealth rests in their home’s equity.  Homeowners who look at home ownership as a long-term proposition are the homeowners who most reliably build equity.  So putting down roots with home ownership can be the most important step in building your financial foundation.
  • Home equity is the largest single source of wealth for most Americans.
  • A house becomes a home… and that’s more than an investment: it’s a way to enjoy your life, and provide a stable environment for your loved ones."

Good points and stats for all of us to consider while being constantly bombarded with negative media reports.  Remember the old adage in reporting…"If it bleeds, it leads!"

LoopNet Continues to Make the Right Moves

By: Brad Nix, Managing Broker
Posted: November 14th, 2007
Discussion: Comments



  Maxsell readers know what a huge LoopNet fan I am…. LoopNet Needs Love, LoopNet Love Triangle, LoopNet Commercial, so it will not come as a surprise when I sing their praises once again.  LoopNet continues to deliver quality exposure for commercial properties for an excellent value and now they have partnered with over  100 online newspaper partner websites, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News and Miami Herald. 

Pat Kitano pointed out the new partnership in his blog Transparent Real Estate and had this point to make: "The quid-pro-quo: Loopnet gives their Showcase Property advertisers more bang for their buck and the newspapers receive commercial listings content."  He goes on to point out that this may be the future for newspaper classifieds and real estate.  There is a good reference to the Inman News article about the blurring of print and online ads.

LoopNet had this to say about the partnership, ""Showcase Property Listings now deliver up to triple the exposure of Premium Listings and 10 times the exposure of Basic Listings. These newspaper website partnerships continue to expand the unparalleled exposure and results available for LoopNet members." Showcase Property Listings are available exclusively to LoopNet Premium Listings.  You can read the entire Press Release at prnewswire.com

Maxsell Real Estate is proud to be a Premium LoopNet member and I just upgraded one of my best value investment listings to be featured ont he 100 plus newspaper websites.  I will give everyone feedback on the results and leads generated from this Premium Listing:

Sharp Residential Announces Lakestone in Woodstock

By: Brad Nix, Managing Broker
Posted: November 13th, 2007
Discussion: Comments



Sharp Residential is now accepting pre-sales in it’s newest development off Hwy 92 in Woodstock.  I have been watching this project develop from my office window for months now and it’s good to see things are progressing.  LakeStone is located directly behind Weatherstone Office Park (home of Maxsell Real Estate) and I had first-hand account of the lake being preserved with roads and infrastructure being added around it.  It’s nice that they kept the natural feature as an amenity and I expect many buyers will appreciate the cozy feeling of neighboring trees and lake while still having the convenient access to Hwy 92 and all the dining and shopping options nearby.

Ginny Bishop, Director of Marketing at Sharp Residential posted this update on Atlanta Real Estate Forum:
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Sharp Residential is pleased to announce LakeStone - a new single family home community in Woodstock which is now accepting presales. The community surrounds a beautiful lake and is in a convenient location near Hwy. 92 offering easy access to Roswell and East Cobb County. LakeStone will offer 203 homes from Sharp’s New Traditions Series upon completion which are priced from the $300,000s to $400,000s.

The community has already experienced steady presales, and interested new home buyers are encouraged to visit soon to pick out their favorite new home in the first phase of the community. Within the first phase of LakeStone, 46 homes will offer basements and there are numerous lake lots available. Interior features found throughout all the homes at LakeStone include vaulted ceilings, heavy trim packages and granite countertops throughout. Along with a wonderful lake setting, community amenities include a swimming pool, tennis courts, tot lot and sidewalks throughout.

Children at LakeStone attend Little River Elementary, Woodstock Middle and Woodstock High schools.
LakeStone is located off of South Cherokee Lane. Take GA 400 North to exit 7B (Hwy. 92). Follow Hwy. 92 for approximately eight and one-half miles to a left on South Cherokee Lane. The entrance to LakeStone will be on the right.
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Maxsell Real Estate has scheduled for Sharp to give a presentation at our next sales meeting and we look forward to becoming the experts on their new Woodstock location, LakeStone.

Atlanta Housing Market to Rebound in 2008

By: Brad Nix, Managing Broker
Posted: November 11th, 2007
Discussion: Comments




The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports the following trend predictions for Residential Real Estate in Metro Atlanta:

Residential real estate trends for 2008

1) Housing inventory will begin to drop off in the second half.

2) The mortgage industry will be back to normal — and healthier than before — sometime around mid-year.

3) The pace of new home-building will continue to slow, especially for condos, and some proposed projects will be put on hold or cancelled.

In an article that quotes several Atlanta real estate veterans, here are two of my favorite quotes:

"I don’t believe 2006 was a sustainable real, free marketplace in that underwriting guidelines had been relaxed to the point that it created a false-buyer marketplace," said Kevin Levent of Metro Brokers GMAC.

"It cycles all the time … it will come back around," Giannoni says. "We got very spoiled because we were all so used to the boom that when the boom stopped everyone got into a panic; but the reality is that it got back to what everyone else was experiencing."

Both of these quotes illustrate my opinions about our current real estate market in Metro Atlanta.  All markets have cycles and Atlanta is set to rebound quicker than most other markets because we never saw inflated appreciation rates.  Atlanta has averaged 4% to 10% inflation while some markets saw 20% to 40% over the past 6 years.  Atlanta’s problems are mostly in the new home industry where supply outpaced demand.  There may be some price corrections, but most areas of Atlanta will see continued appreciation throughout this downturn.

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