4816 Hopeton Drive – Oakleigh Subdivision – Powder Springs, GA

A home is more than just 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. A home is an important part of your life. A place where special moments are shared with those we love the most and life-long memories are made. Are you curious to know what it is like living at 4816 Hopeton Drive in the Oakleigh Subdivision of Powder Springs, Georgia?  At The Connie Carlson Team we feel the best person to answer that question for you is the current home owner.  When asked what it was like living at 4816 Hopeton Drive, here is what they had to say.

Our highly esteemed subdivision, Oakleigh, is one of the best, if not the best, in the area. Oakleigh home owners have access to a stunning wrap-around porch club house, Olympic-size swimming pool, lighted tennis courts, baseball field, basketball court, beach volleyball, playground, shuffleboard and horseshoes.

Students who live in Oakleigh Subdivision can attend award winning schools such as Kemp Elementary, and the newly constructed Lovinggood Middle and Hillgrove High schools. This is the number one reason we moved to Oakleigh Subdivision and my kids have enjoyed it so much.

We love our home and have created so many wonderful memories here. From the moment we entered this home, we knew it was the one for us. The open floor plan, high ceilings and large windows make the living area feel airy. The fact that the family can be in the kitchen and family room, watching tv, doing homework and cooking and can all see and interact with each other is great!

The kids enjoy their large rooms, and the fact that the master bedroom is on the first floor makes them feel secure. The master bedroom features a huge walk-in closet, and the master bath has a large shower. The hot water heater was recently replaced, so there is plenty of hot water available for a long, luxurious shower. The second floor bonus room has its own full bathroom and makes a nice “man cave” for watching football or hanging out.

One of our favorite features of our home is the fenced back yard. It’s perfect for BBQ’s and parties with friends and family, or just playing with the kids, on a hot summer day. In the spring, it’s relaxing to sit on the terrace and read a book, with a gentle breeze blowing and birds chirping, in the background. The location of the house allows parents to see the school bus coming and know exactly when to pick up the children from the bus stop.

Although they love to cook in their large, updated kitchen, these homeowners hit the town on Friday nights! The Avenue – West Cobb is a great outdoor shopping center featuring restaurants such as Romano’s Macaroni Grill and Aspen Signature Steak House, as well as more casual restaurants. If you head toward Kennesaw, Barrett Parkway offers many restaurants and shopping destinations. No matter which direction you go, you can find something that the whole family will enjoy.

West Cobb is a wonderful area for families to raise their children. Besides the top-rated school districts and easy access to shopping areas, you also have peace of mind with low crime rates and wonderful people that make up the community.

An impressive number of retirees continue to make mortgage payments these days, and if you consider yourself in the same situation, you are probably wondering if it is worth to keep repaying the loan or not. Taking into account the incredibly low interest rates, deciding on what to do can be even more difficult.

For instance, if you keep paying for another eight years a mortgage valued at $75,000, with an interest rate of 5%, and with a growth of another 3%, in the next couple of years the sum can increase by 7%. Hence, in the following 59 months, your capital will be much higher if you pay off the entire mortgage. After that, it would be also greater if you could keep the mortgage; therefore, you should not pay off the whole mortgage if you believe that the interest rates are going to rise, and if you expect to keep living in that particular home to years to come.

When taking this decision, peace of mind is a crucial factor. Many people feel uncomfortable with having a mortgage in retirement, and for this reason it is advisable to try and pay off everything you owe before retirement. However, there are a series of factors you will need to take into account before you sign a huge check to your mortgage company.

First of all, you will need to review all your possessions along with your income streams. You shouldn’t reduce your cash flow mainly during an emergency, and all the people who are going into retirement ought to be extremely attentive when it comes to giving up their liquidities. Similarly, it is advisable to begin by paying all other debts that you may have, because the interest rates on those debts, like an auto loan, tend to be higher and they are not tax-deductible either.

Secondly, you should avoid using assets for a traditional IRA or 401(k). It is good if you pay Uncle Sam right when you pull the money out of a tax-deferred account, and if you are let’s say, in the 28% tax bracket withdrawing $50,000 in order to repay your entire mortgage, you will end up with a tax tab of $14,000. Also, a huge IRA withdrawal will instantly push you into a much higher tax bracket, and that $50,000 withdrawal, along with other taxable incomes, will situate you in the 35% bracket. Thus, you will need to pay taxes of $17,500, only for that withdrawal.

Thirdly, if you have already paid most of your mortgage, the majority of the remained payments will leave only a small interest to deduct. And, if you also consider the standard deduction for taxpayers who are over 65, you may notice that it is not worth itemizing.

Last but not least, you ought to cut down your costs. If paying off your entire mortgage is not a realistic plan, you should consider refinancing as long as you can beat your existing rate by a percentage point, or even more. Still, due to upfront fees, it is not advisable to refinance if you are going to sell your residence in the following years.

Searching for a new investment property in Cobb County, Georgia? Call Connie Carlson @ 678.631.1812 to schedule a free consultation. Connie will show you amazing homes in Acworth, Austell, Kennesaw, Mableton, Marietta, Powder Springs, Smyrna, Vinings Georgia.

The Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS) revealed on November 1st by Freddie Mac shows continued lowered interest rates, dipping below last week’s rates. This is good news if you are a Cobb County home owner hoping to sell your home.

Combining those low rates with news of Freddie Mac’s announcement that delegation agreements have been signed with mortgage insurance companies allowing Freddie Mac servicers to approve short sales more easily, may create even more sales than expected in the coming winter months and keep homes at risk of foreclosure available to Cobb County home buyers, too.

Senior Vice President of Servicing and REO at Freddie Mac, Tracy Mooney, is excited about the news as it will allow distressed Cobb County sellers to avoid foreclosure by making short sales a reasonable alternative. “We applaud the nation’s mortgage insurers for committing to work with us and our servicers to help more borrowers obtain short sales and other foreclosure alternatives,” she said. “By paving the way for more borrowers to avoid foreclosure, today’s announcement will support the housing recovery and help reduce taxpayer losses.”

Eligible buyers can currently lock in rates averaging 3.39% (.7 points) on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage or a 2.70% (.7 points) on a 15 year fixed rate loan as reported in the PMMS. The 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable rates averaged 2.74% (.6 points) and the 1-year Treasury-indexed adjustable rates logged in at 2.58% (.4 points), showing consistent downward trends across the board.  Interested?  Talk to one of my Preferred Lenders for more details.

If you are a Cobb County home owner looking for a way to avoid foreclosure and are interested in a short sale, now is the time to sell your home. Contact me to discuss the new options made available with these announcements. I’d like to help in any way I can.  To find out more about the Freddie Mac announcement on short sales, click here.

The West Cobb County housing market has seen tremendous changes over the last 8 months.  As usual, the media is slow to publish the positive trends that we are seeing in the market, and especially in the Cobb County housing market.  It used to be that I had houses for sale but couldn’t find buyers.  Now the tables are turned and we have buyers who can’t find houses.

Around the first of the year, buyers (including local, national and international investors) realized that a combination of historically low interest rates (4% or lower) and low home prices was too good to pass up.  As of the end of June, home sales in West Cobb County were up 18.8%.  In fact, West Cobb’s home sales have been up 6 consecutive quarters so it appears that this is sustainable growth.

Another great indicator of improvement is that we are seeing increased number of sales in all price ranges under $500,000 whereas in the preceding quarters most of the improvement was in the under $200,000 price range.

Despite the increase in number of homes sold, home prices continue to feel the downward pressure from sales of foreclosure properties and short sale properties.  This is especially evident in the under $100,000 price range where 77% of all homes sales were distressed and the $100k-$200k price range where 40% of all homes sold were distressed.  Overall, 47% of homes sold in West Cobb were distressed.  

The median homes sales price dropped 4% primarily because of the significant increase in number of homes sold under $100,000.  In my opinion, we will not witness substantial price appreciation until the market has fewer distressed homes for sale.

Another good sign that the market is improving is that it is taking fewer days for homes to sell.   On average, homes are going under contract in 84 days – which is a 29% decrease over last year.  And, when a home is listed at the correct price it is, on average, going under contract in just 24 days.  If the listing requires a price reduction to get an offer it takes, on average 187 days to get a contract.

Homes that are aggressively priced are experiencing multiple offers and, oftentimes, are selling for more than the list price.  In fact, in the second quarter nearly 1 out of every 5 transactions in Atlanta were for more than the list price.  I called on one listing last month that had 42 offers!  We have investors looking to buy homes that have to make up to 10 offers before the “win” the bid on a property.  There truly are some amazing deals in the marketplace but based on the current demand the window of opportunity is closing fast.

The Atlanta and Cobb County markets have seen significant improvement in months of supply.    According to the National Association of Realtors, when there is a 6 – 7 months supply of homes for sale it is considered a “balanced” market.  If there are less than 6 months of housing inventory (based on the current rate of home sales) then it is considered a seller’s market.  Essentially what this means is that there are more buyers than there are homes for sale.

As of the end of June, it is considered a “seller’s market” in all price categories under $500,000.

For homeowners who have been reluctant to list their home due to the slow market they may now want to try to list and take advantage of the current supply/demand shift while they have less competition and a better advantage.    Also, the effect of distressed properties on selling prices for all properties has been somewhat offset by the lower inventory, so this could be a better time to sell than in many recent periods.

For buyers, the supply/demand relationship has, at least temporarily, shifted to the seller’s advantage.  If that should continue, fast action and realistic offers will be necessary for buyers to capitalize on still low prices for available properties.  The good news is that prices are still historically low and interest rates are too, so the if the right properties is found, this is a very good time to be in the market.

Success Strategies for Sellers

• Choose to factor in the impact of distressed properties competing for buyers in your price range and location when setting initial listing price.
• Re-evaluate market trends continuously to re-assess pricing choice – avoid chasing the market.
• Choose to work with a REALTOR® that knows how to properly present your home in its best light through professional staging and photography and state-of-the art technology and Internet marketing.

Success Strategies for Buyers

• Evaluate the history of the listing to determine the motivation of the seller.  Making a low offer on a desirable property will most likely result in missing out on a great opportunity.  Conversely, making too high of an offer on a home that has been listed for a long period of time could result in paying too much.
• About 40% of the listings on most public websites (i.e Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com) are no longer on the market – and it takes up to 7 days for new listings to hit these sites.  Work with a REALTOR that can provide you up-to-the-minute new listing reports so that you don’t miss out on a great opportunity.
• Be prepared to move quickly.  Have a preapproval letter from a reputable lender or proof of funds letter.  Basically, “if you sleep on it…you might not sleep in it!”

For market information more specific to your home or your buying needs feel free to call Connie Carlson at 678-631-1812 or email her at Connie@LivingInCobb.com.

This report provided by:

Connie Carlson, Associate Broker

Keller Williams Realty

678-631-1812

eMail: Connie@LivingInCobb.com

On the web:  www.LivingInCobb.com

Market Data Provided By: Chartmaster Services, LLC

Don’t laugh…this is my lame attempt to impersonate an automobile commercial.  All joking aside…there are some SMOKIN’ hot deals in the housing market.  Give us a call if you are ready to take advantage of low prices and below 4% interest rates.

Meet Kayla and Brandon.  They just purchased their first home in Marietta, GA.  In this video they share their experience working with Lori Pugh, Buyer Specialist with the Connie Carlson Team.  Druing their home search they ran into some obstacles.  Take a look and see how Lori helped Kayla and Brandon overcome the home buying obstacles of today’s real estate market.

Be prepared to say “Wow” when you see this restored Contemporary home in the esteemed Vinings North Subdivision in the Smyrna/Vinings area outside of Atlanta.

Some of the features of the home include a three-level deck overlooking a professionally terraced and landscaping back yard that is perfect for relaxing with the family – tons of privacy.

The interior is equally impressive.  The great room has a vaulted ceiling, stone wood-burning fireplace, and new track lighting.  A separate dining room is perfect for entertaining.  The kitchen features floor-to-ceiling windows in the breakfast area, vintage cabinetry and stainless appliances.  The terrace level is finished and features hardwood floors, tongue-and-grove wood ceiling with beamed ceiling, entertaining bar, laundry room, and a large bedroom with full bathroom.  Upstairs you will find three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

If you are interested in seeing this Vinings North home before it is too late…Call Connie today at 678-488-9646!

We're sorry, but we couldn't find MLS # 4272538 in our database. This property may be a new listing or possibly taken off the market. Please check back again.

4921 Red Cliff Court, Powder Springs, GA

I am excited to announce that I have another wonderful home for sale in Oakleigh Subdivision in Powder Springs, Georgia.  And this one is Great! And it is PRICED-TO-SELL!!!

First of all, let me say that the street presence of this home is fantastic!!!  As an Oakleigh Subdivision resident, I have taken morning walks past this home for years and always admired the big Southern-Living style front porch and brick exterior.  Featuring a side entry garage and brick front this Oakleigh Subdivision home sits majestically on a corner lot.

The interior of this Oakleigh Subdivision home is just as spectacular.

Here is a list of some of the homes features:

• Large kitchen with island, double ovens, gas range, and huge walk in pantry
• Butlers cabinet between kitchen and dining room
• Oversized dining room with chair rail moldings and hardwood floors
• Formal living room with extra crown moldings (this could also make a great Library)
• Two-story great room with wood burning, stack stone fireplace
• 4 bedrooms upstairs with 3 full bathrooms
• Master on the main floor
• Another bedroom (a room with a window and closet) on the terrace level.  However, there are three other rooms that could be used as bedrooms on the terrace level.
• Custom built bar on terrace level
• Media Room on terrace level includes stacked-level seating, projector and screen and is wired for
• French doors into terrace level office room, large bedroom and media room

If you are not familiar with Oakleigh Subdivision, I highly encourage you to check it out.  Oakleigh Subdivision is one of West Cobb’s best kept secrets.  As an Oakleigh Subdivision resident, I can attest to the friendliness of the neighbors and the wonderful amenities we share.  Oakleigh Subdivision residents enjoy an Olympic size swimming pool (and an award winning OakAmber Swim Team) , a “straight off the pages of Southern Living” clubhouse, lighted tennis courts (and competitive ALTA teams), basketball courts, shuffleboard, children’s playground, and an active Oakleigh Home Owners Association.  In addition, Oakleigh Subdivision, is conveniently located near The Avenues of West Cobb shopping district and the Hiram Shopping District.  We even have a few pilots and Delta Employees who live in Oakleigh Subdivision and enjoy the easy access to Hartfield-Jackson International Airport via a back roads route (it takes about 50 minutes to get to the airport from Oakleigh Subdivision !)

Find more homes for sale in Oakleigh Subdivision.

We're sorry, but we couldn't find MLS # 4267378 in our database. This property may be a new listing or possibly taken off the market. Please check back again.

I welcome you to 4649 Oakleigh Manor Drive in the beautiful Oakleigh Subdivsion in Powder Springs, Georgia.   Located on a quiet cul-de-sac street this home is a Picture of Perfection.

Oakleigh Subdivision Home for Sale

It features an impressive carriage-entry garage with both an inviting front door entrance and a secondary entrance to the kitchen area.  Perfect for the busy family as they come and go and also perfect for entertaining.

This well-built home is loaded with great features including:

• Hardwood floors on most of the first floor
• Master on main with trey ceiling
• Luxurious master bathroom with dual vanities, jetted tub, separate shower and walk-in closet
• Open floor plan is ideal for entertaining because the oversized dining room is open to the vaulted great room
• Great room features gas log/or wood burning fireplace and double French doors to the screen porch
• Very neutral, light and airy color scheme
• Kitchen opens to a keeping room that features another wood burning or gas log fireplace
• Kitchen features cooking island, granite countertops, hardwood floors
• Upstairs you will find three bedrooms.  One of the bedrooms is nearly large enough to call a secondary master.
• The terrace level has been professionally finished and features a large recreation and media room, a bedroom, half bath, office or exercise room and a HUGE storage room.
• One of my favorite features of the home is the screened in porch.  It stretches nearly the entire back of the home and is accessible from the keeping room, great room, or master bedroom.  It provides a magnificent, and relaxing, view of the professionally landscaped backyard.
• This homeowner has a love for gardening and it shows in the perfectly manicured yard, multitude of flowering trees, and flower beds.

If you are not familiar with Oakleigh Subdivision, I highly encourage you to check it out.  Oakleigh Subdivision is one of West Cobb’s best-kept secrets.  As an Oakleigh Subdivision resident, I can attest to the friendliness of the neighbors and the wonderful amenities we share.  Oakleigh Subdivision residents enjoy an Olympic size swimming pool (and an award winning SWIM TEAM) , a “straight off the pages of Southern Living” clubhouse, lighted tennis courts (and competitive ALTA teams), basketball courts, shuffleboard, children’s playground, and an active Home Owners Association.  In addition, Oakleigh Subdivision, is conveniently located near The Avenues of West Cobb shopping district and the Hiram Shopping District.

We even have a few pilots and Delta Employees who live in Oakleigh Subdivision and enjoy the easy access to Hartfield-Jackson International Airport via a back roads route (it takes about 50 minutes to get to the airport from Oakleigh Subdivision !)

In addition to these amenities, residents can attend award-winning public schools.  These include Kemp Elementary, Lovinggood Middle School and Hillgrove High School.

We're sorry, but we couldn't find MLS # 4255096 in our database. This property may be a new listing or possibly taken off the market. Please check back again.

6th Reason Why Now is the Best time to buy a home. (stay tuned in the weeks to come for Five More Reasons)

Want to receive a Free eBook explaining all Seven Reasons to Buy a Home?  Click Here for details.

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FEBRUARY-2011 Newsletter Housing Trends eNewsletter

Welcome to the most current Housing Trends eNewsletter. This eNewsletter is specially designed for you, with national and local housing information that you may find useful whether you’re in the market for a home, thinking about selling your home, or just interested in homeowner issues in general.

The Housing Trends eNewsletter contains the latest information from the National Association of REALTORS®, the U.S. Census Bureau and Realtor.org reports, videos, key market indicators and real estate sales statistics, a video message by a nationally recognized economist, maps, mortgage rates and calculators, consumer articles, plus local neighborhood information and more. Please click here to view the FEBRUARY-2011 Newsletter Housing Trends eNewsletter.

If you are interested in determining the value of your home, click the Home Evaluator link for a free evaluation report.

In 1994, my husband and I decided that we were tired of the cold Chicago winters and that we would move to Atlanta.  That was one of the best decisions we have made in the last 18 years of our marriage.  We have been happy, Cobb County homeowners since 1994.  While I am currently very familiar with Cobb County, that was not the case back in 1994.

After deciding to move here we had no idea of where to move.  The Atlanta MSA covers ALOT of ground and we had friends giving plenty of advice on which part of Atlanta was best for us.

We chose Cobb County because we were ready to start a family and we liked the public school system in Cobb County.  We also both grew up in the midwest so we liked the open-feel of Cobb County.  We still have horse farms, pastures, and round hay bales dotting the landscape.  While we may have some agriculture, Cobb County is rich with business opportunity, shopping, dining and culture.

One service that I LOVE to provide to my clients is a FREE drive around Cobb tour.  Complete the form below and I will either send you my Cobb County Relocation package (maps, school guides, employment guides, attractions, etc) OR (better yet) we can meet the next time you are in town.

In addition, I will give you access to the Multiple Listing Service that I use to search for every home that is on the market.  Most public web searches do not have up-to-date or accurate information.  Go to the source – For FREE.

Welcome to Atlanta – I am looking forward to meeting you soon!

PS.  Make sure you indicate on the Contact Us form that you would like the Buyer Relocation Package.