If you are trying to sell your home or are considering putting your home on the market, one of the main questions in your mind is probably how long the process will take. What is the average time to sell a home, what are the relevant factors, and what can you reasonably expect from the selling process?

In the last several years, the average time a home spends on the market has increased rather significantly due to rising unemployment, a stagnant market, foreclosure and short sale rates, and the credit crunch. All these factors limit the amount of buyers on the market and therefore the amount of opportunities for a home to be successfully sold.

The housing market is now heating up, and heating up fast. Rather than sellers struggling to find interested buyers, in many areas it’s the buyers who are seeing a severely decreased inventory of homes up for sale. The average time homes are spending on the market is falling, but there are many factors that can impact each specific home.

Condition: One of the main contributing factors of how long your home will stay on the market is what condition you present your home for viewings, open houses and appraisals. If you want to sell your home quickly, make sure that for every occasion a potential buyer is in your home, your house is spotless, tidy and all visible defects repaired. To facilitate the buyer’s ability to see the home as his or her own, try to “depersonalize” the house as much as possible. Neutral colors are best, remove any evidence of pets, and get rid of clutter.

Listing Price: Probably the number one factor that will influence how long it takes to sell your home is where you set your asking price. Make sure you discuss numbers with your agent, who should be familiar with the local market and help you set a price that is neither too high nor too low. Overpriced homes will remain on the market much longer and may not sell at all. Try looking at comparable homes to help determine a suitable and appropriate price.

Location: The mantra “location, location, location” is more than a real estate cliché; it’s an undeniable fact, and it can be a significant factor in how long your home spends on the market before selling. Whether or not your home is in a desirable location is not something you can change or control, so anticipate its effect on how fast your home will sell.

In a broader sense of location, the region or city in which you live will also have an effect. Whether or not the broader market is healthy will be a significant factor in the average time homes in your region will spend on the market.

Your Flexibility: Whether or not you can manage to be flexible and accommodate random showings and viewings can affect how many buyers see your home. You also must be willing to discuss adjustments in price; compromise is necessary in any transaction as large as selling a home.

Looking for Cobb County Homes for Sale? Connie Carlson can show you the best homes for sale in Acworth, Austell, Kennesaw, Mableton, Marietta, Powder Springs, Smyrna, Vinings CALL 678.631.1812 or CLICK HERE to email for more info.

Showing properties 1 - 10 of 39. See more Marietta: Golf Course.
(all data current as of 5/19/2013)

1. $675,000 : 4727 Ponte Vedra Drive SE, Marietta
   
   3 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 3,158 sq ft

   Year built: 1979

   Parking spots: 2

   Square foot source: Tax Record
   
2. $575,000 : 4488 Chattahoochee Plantation Drive SE, Marietta
   
   5 beds, 4 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 3,985 sq ft

   Year built: 1995

   Parking spots: 3

   Square foot source: Tax Record
   
3. $405,000 : 3310 Indian Hills Drive, Marietta
   
   4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 3,048 sq ft

   Year built: 1978

   Parking spots: 2

   Square foot source: Tax Record
   
4. $335,000 : 4060 Clubland Drive, Marietta
   
   3 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 2,357 sq ft

   Year built: 1970

   Parking spots: 2

   Square foot source: Tax Record
   
5. $289,900 : 255 Birchfield Drive, Marietta
   
   4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 2,961 sq ft

   Year built: 1974

   Parking spots: 2

   Square foot source: Tax Record
   
6. $225,000 : 651 Creekwood Drive, Marietta
   
   4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 2,347 sq ft

   Year built: 1974

   Parking spots: 2

   Square foot source: Tax Record
   
7. $450,000 : 3429 Clubland Drive, Marietta
   
   4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 2,794 sq ft

   Year built: 1971

   Parking spots: 2

   Square foot source: Tax Record
   
8. $375,000 : 826 Fairfield Drive, Marietta
   
   4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 2,438 sq ft

   Year built: 1973

   Parking spots: 2

   Square foot source: Tax Record
   
9. $510,000 : 2129 Whitekirk Street NW, Marietta
   
   4 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 3,947 sq ft

   Year built: 2004

   Parking spots: 2

   Square foot source: Tax Record
   
10. $475,000 : 3820 Creekview Drive, Marietta
    
    4 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

    Home size: 3,087 sq ft

    Year built: 1975

    Parking spots: 2

    Square foot source: Tax Record
    

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

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.

2011 Home Affordability

Last week at the Keller Williams Realty Family Reunion Convention in Orlando, Florida, 9000 real estate agents gathered to hear the founder of Keller Williams Realty, Gary Keller’s Vision Speech.  Each year, Gary and his highly trained support staff, present an in-depth analysis of the current real estate trends.  This particular chart blew me away.  Most of us have heard that “home affordabilty” is at an all time low.  Home affordability takes into account home prices and the cost of money (i.e. mortgage rates).  In this chart, you can see the increased cost of common household needs.   In the last 22 years, the cost of bread increased 314%, the cost of a car increased 95%, and gasoline increased 193%.  However, although the price of homes increased 76%, because mortgage rates are so much lower, the monthly payment over the last 22 years for the same type of home only increased a mere 1.4%.

So what does all this mean!  It means that it is a really good time to buy a home.  Financing options are opening up and interest rates are still very low.  At the Vision Speech they mentioned that predictions are that interest rates will begin to creep up to maybe 5.5% this year.  Don’t look back years from now and wish you had taken advantage of this great opportunity.  Call Me to find out how to take advantage of today’s real estate market.

865 Hickory Drive, Marietta 30064

Wow! You will say it to when you see this SPECTACULAR home in the esteemed area of WHITLOCK HEIGHTS in Marietta. Little did I realize when I first visited 865 Hickory Drive, Marietta, GA, that I would be in for some very pleasant surprises. First of all, the home is much larger than it appears from the street.

The original home was built in 1962, however, the current owners have lovingly expanded and RENOVATED to keep the home current and modern to today’s standards. There is an oversized dining room that could easily seat 20 or more guest. The brick, wood burning fireplace and lighted built in cabinetry give the dining room a cozy and elegant feel.

The kitchen features a unique architectural Brick arch-way over the solid surface range, new granite countertops, glass door cabinetry, and butler serving room. A huge great room features a brick, wood-burning fireplace and opens to the oversized four season room.

865 Hickory Drive, Marietta, GA also features a large master bedroom that has sliding glass doors opening to the Pool Veranda. On the other side of the home there are 4 bedrooms on a split level plan. There are two bedrooms and a full bath upstairs on the upper level and two bedrooms and a full bath on the lower level.

But it doesn’t stop there…from the lower level bedrooms you can go down another level of stairs to a finished 900+ basement. This is an ideal place for entertaining because it features a wood burning fireplace and plenty of open space for a pool table, media room, etc…

Wait until you see the BACKYARD OASIS that features an in-ground gunite pool, fenced yard, and separate workshop garage.

Located in the HISTORICAL MARIETTA area known as Whitlock Heights.   Whitlock Heights is known for its meandering roadways with established hardwood trees and established executive homes. 865 Hickory Drive, Marietta, GA is located in the Hickory Hills Elementary, Marietta 6th Grade, and Marietta High School.

Whitlock Heights is conveniently located near downtown Marietta Square so you’ll be able to enjoy easy access to shopping, theater, restaurants, and local events.

Schedule a Showing

We're sorry, but we couldn't find MLS # 4312390 in our database. This property may be a new listing or possibly taken off the market. Please check back again.

Horseshoe Creek Foreclosure, Marietta Receives 40 Offers

The Marietta Foreclosure Housing Market is HOT! Today I called on a listing at 2742 Owens Avenue, Marietta, GA in the Horseshoe Creek Subdivision. I wanted to see if the home, which was showing “active” in the First Multiple Listing Service (FMLS) was still available (for some reason it seems that FMLS is not able to keep up with changing the status of the homes that are under contract in Marietta and the surrounding Atlanta markets).

The reason I was calling was to respond to an online request from a buyer in Arizona who was relocating to Marietta, Georgia and wanted to make an offer on this Marietta foreclosure home – sight unseen!!!

The home in Horseshoe Creek Subdivision is listed for $44,197 on July 6, 2011 (just 7 days ago). When I spoke to the agent she told me the home Horseshoe Creek Subdivision, Marietta is available, however, they have 40 offers on it!!! They are taking the “highest and best” offer and the price is already up to $65,000!

If you are like me, this should surprise you in a number of ways.
1) It’s amazing that you can buy a 4 bedroom home in Marietta for $65,000!
2) The had 40 Offers!!!!

Folks, the market is shaking loose….especially in the below $150,000 price category. In a couple weeks I will blog about the statistics showing the average sales price to list price ratios that we are experience here in Marietta, West Cobb and also in Atlanta. Stay tuned for the 2nd Quarter Atlanta Housing Market Update.

In the meantime, if you are on the fence about buying a home in Cobb County I suggest you get down and get to business. Here are some helpful links to find great deals. Of course you can also Contact Me for a more tailored list to suite your specific needs.

Cobb County New Foreclosure Listings – Updated Daily
Cobb County Most Significant Price Reductions This Week
Customized Hot Deal of the Day List
Cobb County Short Sale Opportunities

Cobb County Housing Has NEVER Been More AFFORDABLE

5th Reason Why Now is the Best time to buy a home in Cobb County or Atlanta or anywhere. (stay tuned in the weeks to come for Four More Reasons)

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

Search For Great Homes in Cobb County, Georgia

Find Foreclosures in Marietta, Georgia

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.

Search For Great Homes in Cobb County, Georgia

Find Foreclosures in Marietta, Georgia

7th Reason Why Now is the Best time to buy a home.

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

Search For Great Homes in Cobb County, Georgia

Find Foreclosures in Marietta, Georgia

Find out What  Living In Cobb County is Like?

So you have a vacant home that you need to sell and you are considering a home manager.   One of the best in Atlanta is Showhomes of Atlanta.  During the last 24 years Showhomes of Atlanta have assisted over 10,000 homeowners convert vacant properties into beautiful Showhomes.  As a result, these homes have usually sold for quicker and higher prices. Showhomes of Atlanta carefully selects individuals who have qualified to become Home Managers by owning beautiful quality furnishings and accessories.  Showhomes professional interior decorators help place their items in the home to create a model-home like atmosphere.  The Home Managers help with utilities and lawn/pool cost, while keeping the home “ready to show” Seven Days a Week!  When the home sells, Showhomes transfers the Home Manager prior to closing, leaving the home clean and fresh for the new home owner. While your home is on the market for sale, Showhomes of Atlanta will do the following – At No Charge To You!!

• Beautifully furnish and professionally decorate and stage the property like a model utilizing our professional interior decorators
• Help reduce holding cost
• Pay partial lawn maintenance cost: ie. mowing, edging, blowing, trimming
• Pay monthly pool cleaning cost during the marketing cycle
• Help protect the home from vandalism
• Help present the property daily from 9 am  to 9 plm in an appealing manner.

Showhomes of Atlanta www.ShowhomesofAtlanta.com 770-391-0852