ALPHARETTA GA HOMES FOR SALE – Alpharetta, Ga Real Estate

There are more than 5 key factors that influence the sale of your home and the order is not as important as considering all of them when you are selling and pricing a home.

You have all heard the most important factor in selling a home is location, location, location, but there are four others to consider.

1. Price
2. Home Condition
3. Market Conditions
4. The Realtor

1. LOCATION – The location of a home cannot be changed. The better the location such as a quiet cul-de-sac, backing on to a greenbelt, or a view are more generally considered more desirable. Alternatively, a busy street, nearby power lines, proximity to a commercial or retail business or even too close to a school are often considered less desirable. It is important that you recognize the location and price and market your home accordingly.

2. PRICE – Pricing your home correctly is critical to the sale. The homeowner wants to sell their house for as much money as possible, but if your asking price is too high your house will only help sell other houses in your area. There are at least three negative outcomes you can expect from overpricing a property:

a. The time your home sits on the market will increase, making buyers think you are more likely to accept a lower offer than the home’s fair market value.
b. You will be missing out on buyers who should be looking at your house, but because it is out their price range they will miss it. This often happens when you price outside of a range such as choosing $ 765,000 instead of $ 749,000.
c. You receive low offers or no offers at all. A higher asking price does not always equal a higher sales price. The more you overprice a property, the more likely you are to eventually sell it at a price lower than it is worth.

So how should you price a home? Price your house to attract appropriate buyers for your neighborhood and location. The more buyers that come to see your home, the more they will compete for your house, which will drive your sales price up. Competition will result in receiving offers over and above your asking price. Don’t let Realtor buy your listing by agreeing to sell it for more than it’s worth as it will only be a matter of time before they are back suggesting a price reduction.

3. CONDITION – Buyers will pay more for a home that is clean, has great curb appeal and is in good condition. Few people can see past the purple paint and worn carpet and even fewer can get past the clutter. Most people find it hard to visualize what your home will look like as theirs so if you are not taking the necessary steps to stage your home to appeal to the widest number of buyers you will simply have to have more buyers come through until one can see them selves living in your home.

4. THE MARKET – The real estate market is always in one of three types of markets.
A. Seller’s market where there is low inventory and more buyers which, in turn, drives selling prices up.
B. Normal stable market where there is an equal number of buyers in proportion to the number of homes for
sale. The result is home prices remain stable.
C. Buyer’s market where there are more homes for sale than buyers who want to buy. This causes home prices
to decline.
Knowing the market conditions will help you price your home effectively and know what to expect.

5. The Realtor You Choose – Depending on where you live there are more Realtors than there are lawyers so sifting through them to find the right one can take time. I think it is fair to say any Realtor you contact will eagerly tell you they are the right Realtor to list your house for sale . But there is more to marketing a home than simply putting it on the MLS and if don’t interview a number of Realtors before choosing one you are definitely limiting the exposure of your home. Here are a few things to consider

• Their experience at marketing houses in your price range and in your area.
• Their presence on the internet through a web site and/or blog.
• Their demonstrated knowledge of home prices in your area.
• Their marketing plan for your home.
• Their track record.

• References.

Any questions? Feel free to call me on my cell 678-575-6735 or e mail huntforhouses@yahoo.com ”the best Realtor in Alpharetta”

* Thanks to Mike Blaney w/ Marketing Guy for the great info!

Alpharetta Facts

Fact 1: In 1932, Alpharetta was the county seat of Milton County and was a bustling center of local politics and culture. Following the Depression, the town was annexed into Fulton County, which is home to Atlanta. Until the late 20th century, Alpharetta remained a vibrant farming and cotton growing community but the rapid growth of Atlanta brought swift development and population growth northward.

Fact 2: Alpharetta’s original town charter gave the city the right to tax local businesses no more than $25 a year.

Fact 3: Alpharetta derives its name from the Greek terms “alpha,” which mean first, and “retta,” which means town, as it was originally the county seat for Milton County.

Fact 4: The Mansell House and Gardens is a treat for history buffs. Built in 1912 by Robert and Maude Mansell, the historic Queen Anne style residence now houses the Alpharetta Historical Society.

Fact 5: Although Alpharetta’s courthouse was burned during the Civil War, many of the town’s records were saved. Dr. O.P. Skeleton confiscated the documents and fled to Jackson County, later asking the town of Alpharetta for $30 in return.

Fact 6: Alpharetta’s historic town square draws visitors with its charming assortment of restaurants and shops.

Fact 7: Wills Park features a 50-acre equestrian center with 298 stalls. The center hosts frequent horse shows and special events including bull riding, rodeos and symphony performances.

Fact 8: Many leading technology companies such as IBM, Lucent, Verizon, Sun Microsystems, AT&T and Alltell have offices in Alpharetta.

Fact 9: Big Creek Greenway provides a peaceful retreat from the bustle of the highways. The six-mile path runs alongside the creek through serene wooded areas.

Fact 10: Annual events help foster Alpharetta’s community spirit. Each year, residents look forward to Main Street Markets, a spring-fall weekend gift market; Old Soldier’s Day Parade, a favorite August festivity; and the Mayor’s Challenge, a fall foot race.

Vacation Property Sales Increase

According to the National Association of Realtors, more than one million people bought vacation homes in 2006. Industry experts say the NAR data is good news for those considering purchasing a vacation home.

“Their data basically [reported] that vacationon-home sales rose in 2006 based on a 4.7 percent increase [over the previous year],” says Christine Karpinski author of How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner, 2nd Edition: The Complete Guide to Buy, Manage, Furnish, Rent, Maintain and Advertise Your Vacation Rental Investment (Kinney Pollack Press, 2007, ISBN: 0-9748249-9-2, $26.00) and Director of Owner Community for HomeAway.com.

Despite those results, is now really a good time to buy a vacation property?

“There’s a lot of talk about what the real estate market is doing and that this is the third worst time in the real estate market as far as things dropping but we haven’t seen a significant drop in the vacation market. As a matter of fact, in a lot of markets it’s still going up. Now that doesn’t mean that all of them are; some [vacation markets] have gone down a little bit or are normalizing,”

Vacation home sales and investment home sales together accounted for 36 percent of all existing and new residential transactions. Karpinski says, the survey results signal a “definite green light to anyone thinking of buying a vacation property.”

Karpinski says it’s important for consumers to understand that there are different segments of the real estate market.

“The general public tends to view the real estate market as a whole,” says Karpinski. But she says that not all real estate markets perform the same. The residential market is different from the investment, commercial or vacation properties.

“They really are two separate and distinct markets. So don’t let the doom-and-gloom sayers discourage you, and don’t let a sluggish real estate market in your area do so, either. You’re on a whole different playing field,” adds Karpinski.
There’s more good news for vacation-home shoppers according to Karpinski. She says that investment home sales are down by nearly 30 percent since 2005.

Fewer speculators in a market means less muddying of the water and perhaps less driving up of sales prices. “If you’re buying a second home for your personal use, you don’t want to compete with speculators. You want to take your time and make a thoughtful purchase you can feel good about,” says Karpinski.

If now is a good time to jump into the vacation home sales market, do you have to be wealthy to buy? Karpinski says not at all.

“Even if you can’t comfortably afford two mortgages, it’s not difficult at all to offset the cost of your vacation home,” says Karpinski.

She adds that you can rent it out part-time and enjoy it at other times and “As I point out in my books, if you rent out your home only seventeen weeks out of the year, you can still break even.”

An important consideration before buying your vacation home is to make sure that you have the ability to rent it out, even if you think you aren’t likely to do this at the time you’re buying the property.

“Having that safety net to be able to rent out your home is very important even if you’re sort of dead set against anybody renting your home now. The reason is that there are a lot of homeowners associations and municipalities that don’t allow short-term rentals,” says Karpinski.

So buying in an area that doesn’t allow short-term renting will not provide you with a safety net and Karpinski says it could hurt your resale value.

“Vacation homes that can be rented typically hold their value better because you’ve got that money to help off-set [the cost] and your pool of buyers then opens up,” explains Karpinski.

As with any real estate purchase, the best assurance for a good investment is acquiring an education about the area you’re buying in, researching restrictions, and hiring qualified industry experts to guide you through the process.
by Realty Times

For more information reagarding Real Estate and Lots for same e mail me at huntforhouses.com or call 678-575-6735

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POPULATION :
Since 1980 the City’s population has increased from around 3,000 residents to over 35,000. Alpharetta’s population in 2000 accounted for approximately 18% of the total population of north Fulton County. By April of 2005, the City of Alpharetta’s estimated population had swelled to 37,870. As of July 31st the estimated population for the City of Alpharetta is 53,919 residents. Alpharetta has added an estimated 5,679 residents through annexation since January 1st of this year.

HOUSING :
From 1980 to April of 2005 the total number of housing units increased by more than 1,000%, growing from 1,116 to 15,096. More than 67% or 10,203 of Alpharetta’s total households are single-family residential units. An estimated 4,893 multi-family households can be found in the city. Forecasts indicate that by the year 2010 approximately 17,286 homes will be located within the City, a number that will swell to slightly more than 21,500 by the year 2025.

HOUSE VALUE:
The median house value in Alpharetta in 1990 was $119,800, approximately 30% higher than the Atlanta Region’s median of $92,300, with 62.3% of Alpharetta’s housing valued at $100,000 or more. According to the 2000 Census, the median house value had increased to $226,300. As of June 2006, the median sale price of a home in Alpharetta climbed to $299,119.

FAMILY:
According to the 2000 US Census approximately 54% of the City’s households consist of married couples, with nearly half of that number having related children living at home.

AGE:
Approximately 34% of Alpharetta’s population is under the age of 25, while slightly less than 6% was age 65 or older. The median age is 33 years.

DENSITY:
The City of Alpharetta’s density increased from 1.08 persons per acre in 1990 to 2.69 in April 2005.

INCOME:
According to the 2000 Census, the average household income in Alpharetta is $71,209, up from $50,559 in 1990.

EMPLOYMENT:
By January 2005 an estimated 101,536 workers were employed by businesses within the City of Alpharetta, a figure that is forecast to swell to 109,937 by the year 2010 and to more than 130,000 by the year 2025. Over 77% of Alpharetta residents are employed in professional, managerial, technical, sales and administrative positions.

EDUCATION:
Approximately 63.29% of Alpharetta residents have earned a college degree; with approximately 13% holding graduate degrees. Over 92% of Alpharetta residents age 25 and older have at least a high school diploma. Public schools serving the City of Alpharetta are among the best in the nation. With approximately 89% of area high school graduates taking the SAT, as compared to 48% nationally, the average SAT score for our schools is 1092, which exceeds the national average of 1026.

Source: The US Census Bureau – 2000 Census, Atlanta Regional Commission, and the City of Alpharetta Department of Community Development

Traci Morreale Strub – “the best realtor in Alpharetta”

678-575-6735