4 Reasons To Buy an Atlanta Area Home before October 1st, 2008!
Posted: August 16th, 2008
Category: Atlanta Real Estate, Marietta Real Estate, Roswell Real Estate, Woodstock Real Estate, real estate news, tips, tools & tech
4 Reasons to Buy a Home before October 1st, 2008!
$7500 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit
Atlanta First Time home buyers can receive a $7500 credit on their 2008 returns for purchasing a home between April 2008 and July 2009. So, in addition to your itemized deductions you will receive for being a homeowner, there is another $7500 to reduce your income just by purchasing a home.
Sunset Date for Nehemiah Down payment Assistance is September 30, 2008.
The Nehemiah Downpayment Assistance program is one of the few ways to have a seller pay for part of your down payment. Sellers have always had the ability to pay closing costs. However, the ability to actually make part of the down payment has been a questionable practice where many of these amounts were paid after closing or POC (Paid Outside of closing). At any rate, this program ends on Sept 30, 2008 so if you need help with a down payment you should get moving.
Call me if you have any questions!
FHA Free-Money
The FHA has set up a 5 to 1 matching down payment grant up to a total amount of $10,000. This program is based on family income level and is reflective of the county that you live. However, if you want to purchase a home, this may be the best way to get FREE MONEY. Government Grants!
Change in FHA Down payment Requirement
Though most of us are not familiar with FHA loans, today (post mortgage meltdown) these loans tend to be the most available mortgages. The US government has raised the lending limits of all government sponsored mortgages which makes the FHA very useful for home purchases of $200,000 to $400,000. However, most FHA’s in the past required a 3% down payment. Though you now know that sellers can pay this for you or even the government, the rate will now change from 3% to 3.5% for all loans after October 1, 2008.
If you have questions about these programs as they relate to Atlanta Real Estate you can call or e-mail me. Even though I do specialize in commercial, I do locate and represent residential properties.
Just ask!
My mortgage broker, and friend, is one of the most knowledgeable originators in the country and so any questions you may have will answered ASAP! According to the FHA, a “First Time Homebuyer” is anyone who has never owned a home, or has not owned a home in 3 years.
Discussion: Comments
Small Business is what makes Small Towns…GREAT
Posted: August 6th, 2008
Category: Canton Real Estate, Marietta Real Estate, Woodstock Real Estate
Small Businesses and the value they add to the US Economy is often overlooked and under-appreciated. Entrepreneurship is an American Dream, to start your own business and make a difference in your life as well the lives of others. It’s too bad that the government regulations make it difficult to start a company.
Time Magazine Names You Person of the Year
Mark Cuban, of whom I’m a big fan, recently had an idea to jump start the economy…
If you want to see an immediate re invigoration of the economy, open the door back up for individual entrepreneurs to enter the real world without fear and without an immediate financial burden that pre empts their ability to be successful.
If we really want to stimulate job creation in this country, take the same approach to small business with 25 or fewer employees that we take to Internet taxes. Outlaw them.
No taxes of any kind on small businesses with 25 or fewer employees. No employer payroll tax. No state or local taxes. No taxes on earnings. Nada. The business owners will pay income taxes on their personal income they pay themselves, but not corporate earnings.
Mark goes on to make some really great points…
Not only would we see hundreds of thousands of new businesses started seemingly overnight, with millions of new hires, but from those new businesses would come new ideas that hopefully would give us our next “Internet”, an engine for economic growth that super cedes today’s ideas.
In today’s climate, its politically expedient to volunteer taxpayer money as a solution to all problems. That’s wrong. Instead, we should open the door to our country’s Intellectual capital and the entrepreneurial energy that separates us from the rest of the world. Make it easy for entrepreneurs to do what entrepreneurs do, and great things happen. Voters and politicians alike seem to have forgotten what has made this country an economic powerhouse.
Here at Maxsell Real Estate we believe in supporting local businesses first. In fact, we believe so strongly that local businesses and their owners are what makes our local small towns great! So, in order to help promote local businesses, we have created a way for each small business owner to advertise to our subscribers and weekly visitors by completing our BizMax questionnaire. We will take these results and create a story featuring your company on our website for FREE.
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Lassiter High School- “A Tour of Cobb County’s Finest Schools”
Posted: July 23rd, 2008
Category: Atlanta Real Estate, Marietta Real Estate
The first stop on the tour of Cobb County’s finest schools is Lassiter High School.
Lassiter High School is located at 2601 Shallowford Rd, Marietta, GA. 30066 in East Cobb County.
With a population of over 2,000 students, Lassiter High School has a reputation for being one of the best high schools in the Cobb County School District and in the state of Georgia. According to Principal, Chris Shaw, stated in a message from the Princpal, “Our mission is to educate each and every student and to better prepare him or her for the world beyond Lassiter High School. ” He also boasts that “The variety and level of our course offerings are without fail the most impressive aspect of Lassiter High School. Our emphasis is to encourage all students to take courses that challenge them to push their academic limits. Because of this and more, Lassiter was recognized in 2007 as an Advanced Placement Demonstration School in Cobb County. We offer more than twenty Advance Placement courses for our students and therefore
better prepare our students for the rigor of college. “ See more of Principal Shaw’s message.
Here are some important facts about that make Lassiter shine:
* Advanced Placement Certified Demostration School
* A”Distinguished” school- making adequate progress for 3 or more consecutive years.
* Received the 2007 Gold Award for Highest Percentage of Students Meeting and Exceeding Standards.
* Average 2006-2007 Total SAT Score for High School Seniors (Reflects Most Recent Scores for Verbal, Math and Writing)
at the School, System, State, and National Levels
School- 1636
System- 1534
State- 1458
Nation- 1495
See All Georgia/National Test Results
* 2007 Hope Scholarship Stats- 492 graduates, 275 graduates eligibal, 55.9% eligibal
* 2007 Graduation rate for all students- 94.6%
Not only are academics a priority at Lassiter, but so are Athletics and Student Activities. Lassiter offers 12 interscholastic sports for boys and 13 interscholastic sports for girls, including competitive cheerleading. Lassiter is also widely known for it’s award winning marching Band! You also cannot forget about the newly re-energized football staudium, which has renovated artificial turf and one of the largest jumbo tron scoreboards in the country. These improvements were all accomplished by private funds from the Lassiter Foundation and SPLOST II.
If you are looking for a great school for your family to attend, make sure to think about Lassiter High School. Your children will receive a well rounded education in an environment that is productive for future success. Remember, not only is Lassiter a great school, but so are Lassiter’s feeder schools.
If you would like more information on Marietta Real Estate, East Cobb Real Estate, Cobb County Real Estate, or East Cobb Swim/Tennis Communities, please contact me!
Helpful Links:
Lassiter Athletic Championships
GOSA (Governor’s Office of Student Affairs) 2006-2007 Report Card
East Cobb Swim/Tennis Communities
Local Available Marietta Real Estate in the Lassiter High School District
Discussion: Comments
A Tour of Cobb County’s Finest Schools
Posted: July 18th, 2008
Category: Marietta Real Estate
After a series of blog articles on swim/tennis communities in East Cobb County, I started to think about doing another series of articles that would coincide nicely with my previous work. I began to think about what criteria buyers find to be most important when starting their initial home search.
I have found that in my experience as REALTOR, the schools play a major factor on your decision to purchase a home in a certain area. For some people, that is all that matters to them and some may be looking at the future resale value of the home as well. All in all, the prestige that comes along with living in a good school district can weigh very heavily on a home buyer’s decision to purchase a home.
According to facts published by Cobb County School District, the Cobb County School District is the second largest school district in the State of Georgia and expects to educate more than 107,000 students for the 2008-2009 school year. Facts also state Cobb students consistently score above national average on norm-referenced tests, 80% of 2007 seniors took and scored a combined average score of 1534 on the SAT’s, compared to the national average of 1511 and a state average of 1472. Cobb currently has six Magnet Programs- Campbell High School, Kennesaw Mountain High School,North Cobb High School, Pebblebrook High School, South Cobb High School, and Wheeler High School. The 2008 Advanced Placement Certified Schools that encourage participation in advanced course work at the Demostration level are- Harrison High School, Kennesaw Mtn. High School, Lassiter High School, Osborne High School, Pope High School, Sprayberry High School, Walton High School, and Wheeler High School.
I have decided to start my focus on Distinguished schools located in East Cobb County and work my way around to the remainder of Cobb County’s Distinguished Schools. In order to have received the Distinguished School status The school must have made adequate yearly progress for three or more consecutive years.
As a resident of Cobb County and a REALTOR that primarily works in the Cobb County area, if you are considering a move to the Atlanta- metro area, Cobb County is definitely the place to be! With the great schools and great location, what more can you ask for?
Stay tuned for the first school on my list in “A Tour of Cobb County’s Finest Schools”…. Lassiter High School
For more information on Marietta Real Estate, Cobb County Real Estate, East Cobb Real Estate, or East Cobb Swim/Tennis Communities please feel free to contact me!
Discussion: Comments
Highland Pointe- “East Cobb Spotlight” Swim/Tennis Community
Posted: July 9th, 2008
Category: Marietta Real Estate
Highland Pointe
Welcome Home to Highland Pointe
Located in East Cobb off of Sandy Plains Rd. and North Mountain Rd. in Marietta, GA., Highland Pointe is a sought after swim/ tennis community that is convenient to I-75/I-575 and Hwy 92! You will find all the conveniences of home within minutes of the community. Publix, The Home Depot, Target, Office Depot, movie theatres, restaurants, nail salons, and much much more located right around the corner!
Homes in Highland Pointe range in price from the low $300’s to the high $700’s. If you are interested in living in a very family oriented swim/tennis community, you will not want to miss out on all the amenities that Highland Pointe has to offer! Not only does Highland Pointe have an very active swim/tennis community, it is located in one of the most sought after school districts in Cobb County! All in all this community is a winner!
Quick facts about Highland Pointe:
Number of Homes Currently on the Market: 17
Homes Currently Listed Priced At: $319,800- $799,800
Number of Homes Sold since July 2007: 8
Annual HOA: $125
Annual Swim/Tennis Fee: Has two Tiers- Visit Highland Pointe
Schools: Davis Elementary, Mabry Middle School, Lassiter High School
Highland Pointe Bylaws and Convenants
Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in buying or selling real estate in Marietta! Contact me if you want to buy or sell a home in Highland Pointe or in any other East Cobb Swim/ Tennis Community.
Homes For Sale in Marietta GA
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