Under contract in less than a week!

So excited for our sellers at 2146 Tanglewood Road!  This is the latest of our renovated ranch homes near Lakeside High School to hit the market... and go under contract in less than a week.  Our seller did such a fantastic job with the ranch renovation, with new roof, new water line, new kitchen, new electrical and a stunning master addition.  By following our proven marketing formula of staging and professional photography -- and with our guidance in pricing the home to sell... heads are turning for sure on the street.

We absolutely love the process of getting a home ready for market.  We love even more the excitement our sellers feel when they get that speedy offer!  Renovated ranch homes near Lakeside High School have become so popular... and the team is ready for our next challenge.

Click here to view other homes for sale near Lakeside High School.

2013 in Review & What's new for our Atlanta Real Estate Market in 2014?

2014 is approaching!  2013 was a transformational year for us in our Real Estate Market in the Atlanta Area.  It was an absolutely perfect storm of historically low prices, low interest rates, and the number of homes available plummeted.  Sellers are smiling again!!!!

2013 started out in a normal January kind of way but many Sellers were tired of having their house on the market and not being able to fetch the price they were wanting. Some gave up, others signed long term leases, and others "rock bottomed" themselves out of their homes.  As we went into our normally busy season for listing homes, around mid February, we saw fewer listings because the Sellers were just plain beaten up and tired.  Who could blame them?  They were losing money hand over fist for the past 5 years. 

Realtors were starting to get smart.  Pricing can be tricky in a declining market.  We needed recent sales to support appraised values and with very few sales in many neighborhoods, Sellers ended up pricing high and chasing the market down with price reductions.  With this evidence in a Realtor's hand, the smart Sellers who could afford to sell for a price that matched the area sales history, were actually working with their Realtors to price right and were selling!  What?  Houses are selling?  

We saw the number of homes available for sale in every price range and most every intown Atlanta neighborhood declining, but the Buyers were still out there in force because prices had come down, interest rates were low, and the word was out!!  BUY NOW or regret it later!  Also, many investors were seizing this very same opportunity as forecasters were saying the bottom was behind us so foreclosures dried up in many areas.
The panic set in for Buyers.  As we moved into April, May, and June, we couldn't keep a house on the market (if it hit the market).  The "right price" was now fetching full price or in some cases ABOVE full price!  JD and I worked closely with our Sellers to strategically price their homes to create that sweet spot...  A combination of price, condition, and online presentation that would make a Buyer WORRY that another Buyer might snatch it before they could get their contract together.  This scenario ticked prices up ever so slightly week after week until the appraisers put an end to our fun.  In any given neighborhood with this Buying frenzy going on, the competition was raising prices above appraised values and in many cases the Buyers who feared they might never find another house again, were paying above the appraised values.  

This news travelled fast amongst Sellers and their attitudes began to shift... an air of confidence, let's say.  Around the end of July, JD and I encountered many a seller that had heard that their neighbor had made out like a bandit in this new "Sellers Market" and were saying things like, "Well, if you can get me xxx amount for my home, then we'll sell it."  The gloves were off.  We worked very hard to get these houses in to tip top shape to try to help our clients get exactly what they wanted and it worked...for a time.  We were able to get the highest price in 7 years for a renovated ranch in Henderson Mill Elementary.  But it only took a few weeks to realize that "over pricing" was NOT working.  Buyers are WAY smarter than Sellers give them credit for.  They caught on quickly and dug in their heels.

So here we are standing in line for the roller coaster ride that will be the 2014 Real Estate Market.  After selling twice as many homes as our team did in 2012, we are ready for anything.  A relatively nice year in the market, 2012 was boot camp, 2013 was War, and we hope that 2014 is Peace.