New trend in living arrangements

According to this article on REALTOR.org, more and more people are sharing their house with family or friends. More and more, we find parents living with grown children and even grandparents living with their grandkids.

According to Donna Butts, executive director of Generations United, "It is evolving in some ways back to how families used to live. That is, they're living in multi-generational households".

Add the economic benefit and it is no wonder it is becoming more popular than ever to share your home with someone. Remember the old adage "Two can live as cheap as one?"

As a homeschooling family, we have been very sensitive to multi-generational relationships and encourage our kids to be able to relate to people of all ages, not just kids their own age. We believe this is very valuable in teaching our kids the wisdom that comes from age and experience.

If the thought of living with extended family is not appealing to you, re-think that. With today's houses, you can have two separate living spaces and never even see one another unless planned. In fact, my firm has a great example of a home used to care for an elderly parent. This home has 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2 full kitchens/family rooms and a handicap ramp all for $165K.

Click here to see it.

There are lots of options today. Please give me a call and let me find the right one for you!

Michael Bradford
Associate Broker
Southern Prime Realty
770-862-8002

The end of DPA?

With all of the news surrounding the end of down payment assistance programs, there still is a way for someone who has good credit and income to get 100% financing. And isn't that really the key? We want people who can afford a home to get one. We should do all that we can to help those who have the means and the desire to purchase a home be able to do so. After all, home ownership reflects a long term commitment to a piece of land at a specific place. When we have people committed to maintaining and improving a piece of property, it is good for our communities.

If you have decent credit and good prospects for a stable income, then you can still buy a home with little cash up front. There are several programs available today that can help you realize your dream of home ownership. Call me today and let me show you what your options are. There are limits and requirements but anything worthwhile takes effort. Let's work together to fill empty homes with people who will take care of them and be an asset to our communities.

Michael Bradford
Associate Broker
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

5.5% Interest Rates?

According to REALTOR.com, we could see 5.5% interest rates this year. Will that be enough to encourage the housing market and spark a rebound? According to this article, maybe not. Economist Brian Bethune said, "People are going to stay away from the market if they see instability, and lenders are going to have a hard time valuing properties and issuing mortgages."



This may keep some people away but then again, everyday people have to move for one reason or another. A new job, divorce or other life circumstances will always keep a certain portion of our population moving. Even though the market has slowed down, it has not stopped. If you find yourself in the category of people that have to move now, please give me the opportunity to make it as pain-free as possible. I can market your home to a very broad base of internet home buyers and help you strategically place your home prominently in the online community.



Over 80% of home buyers today start their search on line. Let me show you how we will leverage that trend to make your home stand out among all the others. Call me today and let's get started.



Michael Bradford

770-862-8002

Atlanta Garden & Patio Show

This weekend, the 14th Annual Garden & Patio Show will be held at the Galleria in Marietta. This show gives homeowners many ideas for their homes and gardens and puts them in touch with a variety of local companies that can help them with their projects.

The highlights will be the Gallery of Gardens, an Ikea Cooking Corner, hundreds of exhibitors, a pet pavilion, the See-Thru House, special workshops, demonstrations, samples, contests and more.

Ticket Prices:

Adults - $10

Children ages 6-12 - $3

Children ages 5 and under - FREE

Military with ID $5

Senior Citizens 65+ with ID FREE

Tickets are available at the Show Box Office, located at the top of the escalator. Regular tickets are only valid for one day of admission. Multi-day passes are available for $15 and allow attendees to return for a 2nd day of the show. There will be plenty of free parking.

Lowering Energy Costs

When it gets cold out and you are cranking up the thermostat, stoking the fireplace, increasing your gas usage and still feeling chilly, it's time to evaluate what you might be able to do to help your home retain heat and your wallet retain money.

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Energy Star, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's brainchild, is equipped to help every American consumer of energy to learn how they can use less. THIS SITE is an awesome little interactive place where you (and your whole family) can see what you can do to improve your quality of life and use less of our natural resources.

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Besides the money and energy you will save, another benefit is that if and when you decide to sell your home, you can show the potential buyers how inexpensive their monthly bills will be. If you would like more information on how to conserve energy, insulating your house or preparing it for the market, please call me today at 770-862-8002.

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Michael Bradford

Southern Prime Realty

Zip Skinny

I ran across this interesting website that allows you to enter a zipcode and will then bring up the latest statistics on that area. People call me wanting to relocate to Georgia and often ask questions about income, demographics and similar factoids. Here is the "skinny" on my personal zipcode: 30189

To enter your own zipcodes and get the "skinny" on the area, visit Zipskinny by clicking HERE.

Merry Christmas

We just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas today.

-The Michael Bradford Family

Buy Investment Property Now

Home prices nationwide are now at their lowest prices in over 25 years. Interest rates are low and expected to go down a little more. If you have ever thought about buying an investment property to add to your portfolio, I have several in mind right now that would generate a healthy monthly cash flow and increase in value over the years.

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If you would like to learn more about investing in real estate, I can teach you how to buy them (where you make the money), how to rent them out to reliable tenants and how to generate a monthly cash flow. I can also share tips with you about how to turn your property into a tax advantage. Give me a call today at 770-862-8002 and let's talk.

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Michael Bradford

Southern Prime Realty

Feds: Home Mortgage Proposal

The Feds have decided that people taking out new mortgages need more protection from predatory lenders. This article describes their plans to place new restrictions and limitations on lenders who make loans to higer risk borrowers.

The new proposal "would restrict lenders from penalizing risky borrowers who pay loans off early, require lenders to make sure these borrowers set aside money to pay for taxes and insurance and bar lenders from making loans without proof of a borrower's income. It also would prohibit lenders from engaging in a pattern or practice of lending without considering a borrower's ability to repay a home loan from sources other than the home's value."

Whenever government gets into the realm of making more laws and restrictions, there are always saavy people looking for loopholes to turn them into an advantage. I would like to see less regulations on what lenders can or cannot do but more disclosure to the borrowers about what type of loans they have and how they work.

If the idea of loan packages makes your head spin, give me a call at 770-862-8002. I can help you decide which product is right for you. I can also help you to decide what you can really afford to pay for a mortgage, NOT what the mortgage company tells you that you can afford. There are many affordable homes in Cherokee County right now. Woodstock, Acworth, Canton, Ball Ground and Waleska are all full of beautiful, affordable homes. Call today and let's find a place that's right for you.

Michael Bradford

Southern Prime Realty

Get Your Home Ready To Sell

In today’s real estate home buyers market, how can sellers make their home stand out among the others? Price is what will sell your house above any other single factor. But where is the threshold between pricing it to sell today and giving it away? Only someone who is on top of the market can really know that. There is a certain amount of subjectivity to pricing some properties but for the most part, it all boils down to comparable properties.

Someone once used this as an analogy, if you could buy a dollar bill for 90 cents on one side of the street and across the street they were selling them for 85 cents, which dollar would you buy? Now we all know it’s not that simple but the concept is the same.

REALTOR® Magazine Online has a great article giving 7 tips for selling your house today. They report the number one tip as “Don't overprice your property”. I wholeheartly agree! An over priced house will only help your competition. Overpriced houses are used by most real estate agents to sell the features or price of another property. I am as guilty as the next guy when I have said something like “remember the house on Elm Street? It had­­­ ______­­ and was $10,000 less than this house”. If you are serious about selling your house today, you need to be that house on “Elm” street, not the one being used to sell it.

The number 2 item was”Set your price to show up in Web searches”. This is such a key strategy that I am always trying to accomplish. Because over 80% of home buyers start their search online, you want your house to fall within as large a search criteria as possible. Location and price are the main search criteria that people key into and price is the only one you can control. Let me help you determine the best price that you can get today for you home. I will make sure that as large an audience as possible will see it in the best possible light.

Michael Bradford
770-862-8002
Cherokee County Georgia Real Estate Specialist

Increase the Resale Value of Your Home

One of the hardest questions sellers have to ask is “what do I need to do to my house to get it ready to sell that won’t cost me more to do than I will receive back when I sell?” In other words, what is the return on my investment (ROI) in the upgrades?

My first reaction is to look around the home and make sure it is clean, uncluttered and freshly painted. These things are non-negotiable these days. But after those have been addressed, which remodeling projects will give us the biggest bang for the buck, i.e. the highest ROI?

According to this article from REALTOR.org, three of the top four projects are exterior projects with upscale siding replacement being number 1 at an 88% ROI. So for every dollar you spend, you will increase the value of your home by .88 cents. The only interior project listed was a minor kitchen remodeling project which was 83% ROI.

Now most of us think that these kinds of projects should increase the value by more than we spent but in reality that rarely happens. If you have a working functioning kitchen, replacing it with a newer kitchen will increase the value, but ussually not as much as it cost. What it will do is get your house sold faster and for more money than if you had not done the project.

The best thing you can do to get your home sold fast for the most money is clean, clean, and clean some more. That doesn't cost a thing. When you clean, pack away the clutter and personal pictures and items and clean some more. Paint and some elbow grease will more than pay for themselves over any remodeling project.

If you would like help getting your house ready to sell, please click HERE to see my “Ready To Sell” plan. I have been doing this for years and would consider it a privilege to put my experience to work for you. Give me a call and let’s get started.

Michael Bradford
770-862-8002
Your Cherokee County GA Real Estate Specialist

Toilet Flow: Water Conservation Tip

Foreclosures: It Doesn't Have to Be This Way

I said it yesterday and I'll say it today: you can avoid foreclosure!

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Today's AJC has an article (Click Here) about how Atlanta has a record number of foreclusres. They are up 29% from last year.

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What does this mean?

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First, it means that there are a lot of very inexpensive homes out there ready for purchase. Many people lost their homes to foreclosure. These houses are empty and available to move in. You can buy a LOT of house for very little money right now. You can also enjoy low interest rates. Atlanta has a healthy economy and good jobs. There is no reason for you not to take advantage of the fantastic deals out there right now.

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It also means that there are people out there who do not know how to get the help that they need to stay in their homes. If you are struggling to pay your mortgage or about to default on your loan, please call me today so I can help you stay right where you are. I have a number of tips and helps that I can give you to try and see if you can save your home from being sold on the courthouse steps. Call me today - time is of the essence.

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Michael Bradford

770.862.8002

Southern Prime Realty

Avoid Foreclosure!

Over the past year, Georgia (as well as many other states) have seen a record number of foreclosures. The reasons vary, but are mostly due to the cheap money that was available when the market was peaking. A lot of people got loans for homes that they could not afford at a low introductory (but adjustable) rate. When the rates were raised after the first year or two, they skyrocketed and most buyers could no longer afford the payments.

I saw this interesting article in the Atlanta Journal & Constitution about how owners can avoid foreclosure. Georgia, along with Texas, are the states with the shortest window from the time of default until the time of sale at the courthouse steps. That window is 37 days. It is not much time at all for owners to find help.

Help is available but time is of the essence!

Because I buy investment properties, I often encounter owners who are behind on their payments and facing foreclosure. One thing that never fails to shock me is how few of them have a plan or are even open to finding a solution. They just bury their heads in the sand and wait until the day before auction to remove their belongings from the property.

If you are facing this problem, there are several things you can do to try to stop foreclosure. I can help you make a plan to either get yourself back on track with your mortgage company or find a buyer to take the house off of your hands so that you can have a fresh start.

If you need some help, please give me a call today. Together, we'll explore all of your options to find a solution that works for you. 770-862-8002.

Michael Bradford
Southern Prime Realthy

Humane Society Needs Volunteers

The Cherokee County Humane Society is looking for some volunteers. They need adults to help at their cat adoption centers in Marietta, Woodstock, and Acworth. Responsibilities include cleaning cages, washing bedding and assisting with adoptions. For more info, please contact the cat adoption manager at:

peanut_lg@yahoo.com

Retirement with Real Estate

CNNMoney.com had an interesting article on Monday about buying real estate inside of your IRA. It made me think of all the reasons why baby-boomers need to consider (if they haven't already) why they should own real estate as they enter into retirement. Here are a few that I can think of:

1. Buying real estate now, at rock bottom prices, you will have the opportunity to see your money grow as your equity grows. The huge amount of people facing foreclosure will keep them out of the house-buying market for about 7 years. That will be 7 years of a booming rental market where you should have few problems finding qualified tenants to make your mortgage payments for you.

2. You can always sell it if you need cash. When you buy real estate low enough, you have the comfort of knowing that you can always sell it quickly if you need to.

3. Tax deductions! There are a lot of ways to deduct taxes from investment properties. Did you know that you can write off DEPRECIATION from a rental property that produces an income?

4. Snag that smaller place just incase. You may be living in that big house and the kids are leaving for college. You want to downsize but now just isn't the time for you to move out. Take advantage of todays low prices and lock in that dream cottage! Go ahead and buy it, enjoy the tax breaks and the positive cash flow from a renter while you wait. When the time is right and you're ready to move, you already have plenty of equity in the house. You can either enjoy that in the form of a home equity loan, keep it where it is or even use it to refinance so that your monthly payments are much, much lower.

If you would like to discuss real estate investment strategies, whether you are just getting started or about to retire, give me a call today. As an investor myself, I can help you find the deals! 770-862-8002

Michael Bradford
Southern Prime Realty

Holiday Decorating

My wife and I are absolutely decorating impaired. We have never owned drapes/curtains, our carpets are always brown, our walls antique white and trim/doors glossy bright white. We don't own many knick-knacks and we can fit our holiday decorations into one or two boxes. We need today's post as much as some of you might. Here are some links to help you with your holiday decorating:

1. Amazing Christmas Ideas

2. Holiday Ideas

3. Holiday Decorating Planner

4. 10 Great Holiday Decorating Ideas on a Budget

If you'd like to share an idea or decorating tip, please send an e-mail to me at MichaelBradford@comcast.net and I'll be glad to post it. Happy Decorating!

"Cyber" Monday

Today has been officially dubbed “Cyber Monday” according to the National Retail Federation. Yahoo reports that today marks the start of the online shopping season. Internet research company comScore estimates that consumers will spend over $700 million online TODAY!

The internet has change so much about how we live our lives everyday. I only know a handful of people who are not online. The vast majority of people in the U.S. are plugged in and using the internet regularly. According to REALTOR.com®, over 80% of people looking for their next home start looking online. Even the way we shop for Christmas is changing as evidenced by today being named “Cyber Monday”. Retail buying has not been as dramatic a change as buying a new home but I believe that more and more of our shopping will be done online.

So how did the retail “brick and mortar” stores do over this past weekend? According to the article, ShopperTrak RCT Corp. reported late Sunday that sales on Friday and Saturday combined rose 7.2 percent to $16.4 billion from the same two-day period a year ago. "This was a really good start," said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak. "There seemed to be a lot of pent-up demand."

I thought the sky was supposed to be falling and we were heading for economic chaos, fascism and looting in the streets. That seems to be the news we hear lately.

I agree with Mr. Martin and believe there is a pent up demand and it flows into every area of our spending. We are only being prudent with what we have. The main stream media has us convinced that our future is in doubt and we have responded by not spending as much money. But at some point, when we all realize that “I’m doing pretty good”, we will start to spend our money and live our lives the way we can and want to. We will spend money on Christmas and also eventually buy the house or car we want or need. The problem with a pent-up demand is you never know when it will be released.

Currently within the real estate market, it is a buyers market. Interest rates are excellent and we have a diverse, reasonably priced inventory of homes available. When it will change back to a sellers market is unknown but, rest assured, it will. We live in a great area with lots of jobs and low inflation.

If you are one of those people who have a “pent-up demand” for housing, I would encourage you to at least look around and see what is available. I would consider it a privilege to help you find the home of your dreams.

Michael Bradford, 770-862-8002
Cherokee County Georgia Real Estate Specialist

Ready, Set, SHOP!

I know that today is the biggest single day of the year for shopping but I just can't bring myself to go. It's not because of the economy or the price of gas, I just don't like traffic. I can even handle the crowds of people once I get there, but not the traffic. Something happens to people when you put them behind the wheel of a car along with thousands of other’s all trying to go the same way at the same time.

When I use to commute to Smyrna for work everyday, the only way I got through it with my sanity intact (my wife and family may argue this point:) was the radio and cassette player (this was before iPods). I have listened to almost every kind of music and talk radio there is. I would go through phases of what I listened to. For instance, 1996-97 was my "country years". I can't tell you who most singers are now, but play me a country song from 96-97 and I can sing along with the best of them. For a while I gave up music all together and listened to only talk radio or tape series from my church’s library. I even listened to alternative stations and (this is hard to admit) National Public Radio for a while.

I guess my point to all of this is that we have much to be thankful for and one of the biggest is that we live in a country which will let us be who we are. If we don't like who we are, we have the freedom and for most of us, the opportunity to change. Commuting was one of the biggest reasons I left my job to start my own business. Oprah said it well when she said "We set our life up like we want it". If you don't like the way your life is now, change it. And of course, (you all knew it was coming) if you don't like the house you live in, let me help you sell it and find the one of your dreams. Don't settle for something that you don't want, have out grown it, or it has out grown you. Set your life up today the way you want it. You will thank yourself and everyone around you will also thank you.

Michael Bradford, 770-862-8002
Cherokee County Georgia Real Estate Specialist