No Paws Left Behind

As a proud owner of a schnoodle (part poodle, part schnauzer) rescued from an illegal puppy mill, I was very happy when I read this article on REALTOR.org about No Paws Left Behind. According to their web site, No Paws Left Behind "is a focus driven not for profit organization, designed to bring awareness to all communities the silent victims of foreclosure who have no voice or rights to implement change."

With the rise in foreclosures across the country and here in Cherokee and Cobb county, it is good to see people thinking about the impact that this can have on our pets. If you know of any animals that have been displaced by a recent foreclosure, please give me a call or visit the No Paws Left Behind web site for more information about how you can help.

Michael Bradford
Southern Prime Realty
770-862-8002

Existing homes sales up!

According to this article on REALTOR.org, pending home sales in April were higher than expected. This is good news you certainly won't hear on the nightly news and if you do, it will be qualified with the dreaded word "but...". Good news just doesn't sell these days so you have to look for it. Great homes are available at excellent prices. Mortgage rates are stable and inventories are leveling out.

If you are looking to buy a new home, now is the time. Call me today and let me help you find the home of your dreams.

Michael Bradford
770-862-8002

Brad Pitt: Importance of Green Housing

If nobody listened to me before yesterday about the need for more environmentally friendly construction, maybe they'll listen to Brad Pitt. (Ladies, do I have your attention?)



Brad, an avid student of architecture, has put his skills (and $5 million of his cash) towards rebuilding homes in the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans. And not just any homes, but homes that were constructed with sustainable materials, have effiecient use of energy/water, are safe and finally, affordable.



Brad's organization, Make it Right, is collecting donations to help witht he construction and supply costs to get this project off the ground. Their goal is a minimum of 150 new houses to be completed by the end of next summer.



If you are interested in eco-freindly, green housing -you are not alone. I am a conservationalist and have taken a keen interest in seeing more housing like this come to Cherokee County. I also want to help homeowners to modify their housing to use less raw materials and become more effiecient. If you would like to get some help in this area, thus adding value to your home, please call me today at 770.862.8002 and we'll talk about easy things that you can do to help us all.



Michael Bradford
Southern Prime Realty

DON’T WAIT UNTIL SPRING TO SELL YOUR HOUSE!

As an active agent in Cherokee County, I talk to people everyday whose house did not sell the first or even the second time they listed it. Almost everyone I talk to that had not re-listed their house after a couple of weeks of it expiring tell me they are going to wait until spring before they try again. I know the market is soft now, but will it be that much better in the spring? I wish I had a crystal ball but I don’t. What I can tell you is when spring comes in Georgia, not only will the Dogwoods and Tulips start popping out but there will probably be hundreds more houses for sale signs popping up as well. Many economists say that it will be 2009 before we see a substantial turn around in the housing market. My point is you should take your chances in today’s market instead of speculating on what the market could do in the future.

Here is a case in point: A homeowner wants to move to a bigger house. They have been in their house for awhile now and want to take the equity they have built up and put it into a new, bigger house. The problem is they couldn’t sell it for what it was worth last year in today’s market so the listing expired. Let’s say as an example that the house was worth $200,000 last year but in today’s market they have been or would be selling for $180,000. They don’t want to “lose” $20K so the house sits on the market until the listing expires and they are trapped in a house that is too small.

What are they to do? My advice would be to price the house to sell today, take the perceived “loss” and move on. Why would I call it a “perceived” loss? Because the opportunity to buy the bigger house now, while prices are flat, will more than offset any loss they may have in selling their current home.

Let’s say they are able to buy that new, bigger house last year for $450,000. Today that same house could be bought for $410,000, a savings of $40K! They are already starting $20K ahead. If you also consider the appreciation which may start to climb late next year or early into 2009, getting the appreciation on a $410,000 house would be more than the appreciation on the $180,000 house. Plus you get to enjoy your new, bigger house now! Next year or even 2009 when your $180,000 house will be worth $200,000 again, the $410,000 house will be worth $450,000. Do you want to "save" $20K only to "lose" $40K when you buy the next house?

If this makes sense to you, please call me and let’s talk about your specific situation. If you still want to wait until spring, please keep my contact information and when spring comes, let me show you my internet marketing system that will have sold houses all winter long. I will do my best to make your house stand out against the hundreds of others available then and we can take our chances.

I do hope you will reconsider waiting until spring and call me today. Let’s face it, the market has slowed down but it has not stopped. Everyday people have to move for one reason or another. Let me put your house in front of hundreds of people a week online, holding a “virtual open house” 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Let’s sell your house now so you can move on with your life!

Michael Bradford

770-862-8002

Pawcasso art show to benefit Cherokee Animal Shelter

I wanted to let you all know that today, an art show/sale called "Pawcasso" will be opening at the Cherokee Arts Center (located in historic downtown Canton behind the Justice Center). An excellent variety of animal art by several local artists will share the gallery space with art created by the very talented paws of some of The Cherokee Animal Shelter residents. Each original ‘Pawcasso’ painting will be matted and will have the picture, name and story of each animal artist attached to the back of every painting. Proceeds will benefit the Cherokee Animal Shelter. A must see for all animal lovers. If you can only attend once, try to go on Saturday, October 13th for a "Meet the Artists" from 1-3 pm.

Over 600 property views in 1 week!

The real estate market has changed. We have all heard that and for those of us involved with it on a daily basis know it to be true. As with any business, when your market changes, you have to change with it or risk the chance of being left behind. With that said, I was amazed at the response of a new marketing tool that I have been using with one of my listings. It is called the "Featured Home" on Realtor.com, the worlds' largest real estate web site.

When someone does a search on Realtor.com, they usually start the search by city or zip code. The results of the search "30188" are detailed on this page. It then asks you to choose a search option - either a map or a list. But before you see the list or map, there are 4 homes (of the 8 spots for the zip code) with pictures on the left side which are the "Featured Homes" for this zip code. One of these spots is now mine which I rotate my Woodstock, Georgia, 30188 listings in and out of. But as a test for this first week, I left only one listing all week to see what kind of response I would get. My listing at 204 Whistle Wood Court got 612 property views in the week ending 9/23/07!

Even I was impressed with the results! I may be easily amused, but I am not easily impressed:)

I plan to use the "Featured Listing" on Realtor.com for all my listings. In the age of the Internet where 80% of all home buyers start their search for their next home, it only makes sense to use the tools that will reach this massive audience. If you would like to see your home get this kind of exposure in a "slow market", call me and let's get lots of people seeing your home in a whole new "Featured Home" light.

Call me today and let's talk about real estate. It's one of my favorite things to do! Michael Bradford, 770-862-8002