Local Charities Need Last Minute Help

• Papa's Pantry & Family Ministries needs donations of gift cards and gas cards. You can call them at 770-591-4730 for more information.


• Woodstock Jaycees need a variety of donations. Call 770-926-8336.


• MUST Cherokee needs packages of new socks, underwear, peanut butter, jelly & canned pasta. You can call them at 770-479-5397.


• Cherokee Child Avocacy Council needs gift cards. Call 770-345-8100.

Cherokee/Cobb Servants

According to this article in REALTOR Magazine-Daily.com, Atlanta has again made the list of most afordable cities in the US. And where is the best place in Atlanta to call home, why it's Cobb and Cherokee county of course!

This article made me think of the many reasons why I love this area. All of those reasons boiled down to one thing: the people! They are so generous in giving back to their communities with their time, talents and treasures. I would like to share with my blog readers all that I can about various civic charities and services that highlight the work and giving being done in our great area.

If you would like to tell me about your charity, non-profit or service related group, please give me a call at 770-862-8002. You can also send an e-mail to me at michaelbradford@comcast.net. I would like to do some features in the near future and want to hear from all of you in Cobb & Cherokee counties.

Michael Bradford

Know when to hold 'em?

Here is a great article from Real Estate Insights on REALTOR.org about pain that some investors are "feeling". I'm not sure exactly why (other than my age:) but it made me think of the Kenny Rodgers song "Know When To Hold 'Em". The article make a great analogy about investing in the real estate market versus the stock market. This is a must read for anyone who is currently renting! Lawrence Yun, Vice president of NAR Research, has some excellent statistics to counter the argument that people who own and invest in real estate are feeling "pain" now because of the current market.

Mr Yun reports that someone who invested $10,000 as a down payment on a typically priced house in the US that appreciated at 5% per year would have a return of $110,000 after 10 years. Compare that with a $10,000 investment in the stock market at 10% that would yield a return of only $23,600. This could also explain the next statistic. "A typical homeowner had $184,400 in net worth versus only $4,000 for a typical renter." Wow, what a huge difference!

NAR reports that "only the recent buyers (flippers) who bought last year in few specific markets would have encountered a loss" which of course is what the main stream media is reporting on. If you want to buy houses and "flip" them for a quick profit, be careful. It can still be done in today's market but you must do your homework and know what you are getting into.

Investing in foreclosures is also a tricky business and needs to be approached with caution. If you have the nerves for this kind of investing, give me a call. I can offer you some tips that I have picked up along the way.

But if you want to invest for a great return over time, now is the time to enter the world of home ownership. Interest rates are low and inventory is plentiful. Don't let the sensationalism of the media scare you away from increasing your net worth today.

Call me today and I will help you meet your goals.

Michael Bradford
770-862-8002

Holocaust Survivor Tom Reed Speaks at Reinhardt

As part of Reinhardt College’s “Year of Eastern Europe and Russia, the public is invited to to hear a first-hand account of the Holocaust from Thomas Reed, a native of Poland who now lives in Milton, Ga. On Oct. 15, at 11 a.m., on the top level of the Hill Freeman Library and Spruill Learning Center, Reed will speak about his experiences as a Holocaust survivor.

“I will tell people what I have lived through,” Reed said. “I will say, ‘Think about what it would be to be a 12-and-a-half year old boy. Close your eyes and let’s get going.’ Then I tell them my story, what I saw and experienced.”

In 1944 when the Germans occupied Hungary, Mr. Reed was the oldest of five children in his family. They were forced into a local Ghetto along with the 500 other Jewish inhabitants of their small town of Mezocsat. They were then transported to a central Ghetto and sent to Auschwitz in Poland. There his family, except for him and his father, was immediately murdered. Reed pretended to be 17 years old and, along with his father, was selected for work in Germany. He and his father survived the concentration camps of Munchen-Allach, Mulhdorf-Mettenheim and Mittergars and a massacre in Poing, Bavaria.

He was liberated by the U.S. Army at Tutzing, Bavaria. He lived for several years in a displaced persons camp in Bavaria and for a short while in Munich prior to coming to the U.S. in 1949. He served in the U.S. Army, married an American girl, and they have three children and five grandchildren. He earned a B.S.E.E. and J.D. and retired after 42 years in the defense industry.
For more on Reinhardt's Year of Eastern Europe and Russia, please see www.reinhardt.edu/Yeer/index.htm

Good Morning

The first day of a new year at college, the Dean came in and said "Good Morning" to all of the students. When they echoed back to him, he responded "Ah, you're Freshmen."

He explained.

"When you walk in and say good morning, and they say good morning back, they're Freshmen. When they put their newspapers down and open their books, they're Sophomores. When they look up so they can see the who's talking over the tops of the newspapers, they're juniors. And when they put their feet up on the desks and keep reading, they're seniors. "And when you walk in and say good morning, and they write it down, they're graduate students."

Workout in Cherokee County, GA

I was recently reading THIS ARTICLE about how many people who live in neighborhoods where it's not easy to walk are not getting enough exercise. This got my mind turning - thinking about a lot of places and neighborhoods in my part of town that people can exercise, play and support the healthy lifestyle that they want to have. I thought, "I'll do a blog about the great places to go in Cherokee where you can workout, walk, take classes and live a healthier lifestyle."

This will be the first of several posts on health and fitness in Cherokee County, Georgia. Without further ado, today's post will be on health clubs and personal trainers.

Gyms

Gold's Gym has several locations in Cherokee County. There is THIS ONE in Canton and THIS ONE in Woodstock. Both have fantastic, modern facilities and a reputation for body-building excellence.
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Fitness 19 at Towne Lake is another great place to workout in Cherokee. They offer month to month memberships and encourage whole families to participate in exercise. I love the concept of taking your children with you to work out because you can set a good example for them about making time to care for your body.
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Curves has 3 locations in Cherokee county and 3 more very close to the county lines. This is a special place for women to work out. They offer a 30 minute workout, weight loss classes and a lot of fun along the way.

Anytime Fitness is a new breed of gyms that cater to very busy people. They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days per year. They also offer personal training and tanning and a staff that wants to see you succeed in your fitness goals.

BodyPlex Fitness is located near I-575 and Hwy. 92. They offer several different fitness classes, including one especially for senior citizens. They have personal trainers and registered dieticians to help you meet your personal health goals. They provide free childcare while you work out.

All About Bodies is a personal training gym/health club in the Towne Lake area. They have a newly rennovated facility, personal training, a smoothie bar and a free e-newsletter.

I found that all of these facilities offer some sort of free trial membership so you can find the one that's right for you without risk or obligation. If you live in Cherokee County or are thinking about relocating to Cherokee County, please visit these sites and check out what they all have to offer. As always, if I can help you with any real estate questions or needs, I would love to serve you. My number is 770.862.5042.

-Michael Bradford
Southern Prime Realty

Homeschooling in Cherokee County

One of the questions that I am often asked about people who are reloacting to the area is if Cherokee County has good schools. Yes! Many of the county public schools are very good. We also have a great charter school and a few really good private schools.

What we also have in Cherokee county are loads of resources for those families, like mine, who choose to take the responsibilty for educating their children themselves. We homeschoolers are a very diverse bunch, but one thing we all have in common is the ultimate goal of providing our children with an excellent education. Cherokee County is rich in opportunities for such families.

Living Science, located off of North Arnold Mill Road, is one such treasure. This is a hands-on study center, not a school. As a Study Center, it is designed to support parent directed education.

The Timothy Ministry is a lay ministry of the First Baptist Church of Woodstock. They partner with the home school parent who wishes to supplement their home education with enrichment classes. The Timothy Ministry is a home school support ministry -- not a full-time school. They meet on Tuesdays for (2) 14-week sessions per year.

Crown Athletics is a a not-for-profit organization created for the benefit of home educated students living in the north metro area of Atlanta who are interested in participating in competitive athletics. They offer ten quality sports programs: football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, soccer, golf, tennis, cross country, cheerleading, and swim, and they have also recently begun a drum corps!

TLC Church Homeschool Classes offer a variety of classes similar to the Timothy Classes. They also offer annual standardized testing and other classes for parents including building and maintaining a portfolio, record keeping and more.

Homeschool Hangout is an excellent store with loads of curriculum and resources. Run by Mr. Hanno Berg, this store is not in Cherokee - but very close. And for families who live in the north end of Cherokee, he also has an Alpharetta location. My wife does all of our school-related shopping here. Not only do they sell anything a homeschooler could want or need, but they also offer classes. You can visit their website to find out more.

The King's Academy is a 2 day per week school that offers teacher-guided lessons and a full curriculum to follow on the other 3 days per week that the students do not meet at the school. This school is a very popular choice with parents and they usually have a waiting list to get in.

There are many other resources, private teachers, tutors for a variety of subjects and classes. This is just a taste of what Cherokee has to offer to the homeschooling family. For more information on homeschooling in Georgia, you can visit either www.ghea.org (a Georgia organization) or www.hslda.org (the Home School Legal Defense Association) to learn more about laws, curriculum resources and opportunities.

What do they think of my house?

This is the questions that I always hear after another agent has shown one of my listings. And in most cases, it is a fairly easy question to answer. I used to have to call the other agent and ask them what their client thought about the house and relay that information to the owners at which time it becomes a comment twice removed from the person who made it.

Welcome to the age of the Internet and technology! For a couple of months now I have been using a new service called HomeFeedback. What a difference this makes in getting first hand information from potential buyers into the hands of owners.

When an agent uses the GE Supra electronic key to access one of my listing, I get an email telling me who, what, when and where. I then add that agent into the Homefeedback system which then emails a list of questions about the property and request feedback from the potential buyers. It only takes an agent a couple of minutes to complete and voila! instant feedback that I can send to my owners.

'What if the agent doesn't respond?' you ask? Well, the system tries three time and after the third request for feedback, it emails both me and my clients and informs us that the feedback has been requested and the agent did not respond.

What does it really mean to a seller to have this information? Higher response to feedback request means sellers will have access to information as to what the market really thinks about their property, price and terms - thereby enabling them to make timely decisions about any modifications they need to make to get their home sold.

That can make the difference between "for sale" and "SOLD"! Call me today and let me put this powerful technology to work for you. Michael Bradford 770-862-8002

Investors: Now's The Time To Buy!

According to a recent article in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, saavy investors are taking advantage of the ability to buy low in today's slow market.

When interest rates were at all-time lows and mortgage companies were offering creative packages to get people into houses, many people got loans that offered the first 1-2 years as interest only loans. The idea was that people could go ahead and get into a house with low payments, and after a year or two, the payments would increase. Boy, did they increase!

I received calls from many owners who had payments double! These owners, despite their best efforts, were not able to keep up with the payments and they lost their homes. As a matter of fact, Georgia is leading the nation right now in forclosures.

The deals - they are really everywhere. But what would you do with an investment property?

You rent it out. There will be a big market for rentals in the next 3 years because so many people who lost their homes will be renting while they rebuild their credit. And you will have a nice property that they would love to live in.

I can show you a very specific formula that will help you know what kind of cash flow you can expect from your rental property. I can find a perfect property for you to buy as an investment and I can share with you my very best tips on attracting and keeping a perfect tenant. Give me a call today and let me show you how to get someone to pay your mortgage for you while your property increases in value. 770.862.8002

Michael Bradford
Southern Prime Realty

Cherokee County Opens $19.9 Million Elementary School

By CLINT WILLIAMS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/06/07

The start of classes today in Cherokee County marks the grand opening of Avery Elementary School, a $19.9 million schoolhouse packed with state-of-the-art technology.

The 20th elementary school in the county is the first in which every classroom is equipped with a ceiling-mounted projector and interactive screen. The system can be used to show movies or television programming piped in through a fiber-optic cable network. It can also be used to display screens from the World Wide Web. A teacher, for example, could show the class how to conduct a Google search while doing research for a class project.

Read the rest of this article by clicking HERE.

Cherokee County schools by the numbers:
36,899 — expected system-wide student enrollment
1,903 — additional students for the 2007-08 school year
103 — first-year teachers hired
36 — schools in the system
16 — new school buses

Is where your child goes to school a concern for you? I can tell you where the best schools are and find the house of your dreams in that district. Give me a call today at 770.862.8002.

Michael Bradford
Southern Prime Realty