Georgia Real Estate Voice

Sold Princeton Crossing Home in Tucker GA -

My buyer client just closed yesterday on a beautiful new construction home in Princeton Crossing.  Princeton Crossing is in Tucker GA just over the Dekalb County Line in Gwinnett County. It's right off of Lawrenceville Hwy past Pike's Nursery.  Ryland Homes is one of the metro Atlanta builders that is still actively building new homes.

6 months ago my client found exactly what she wanted at an amazing price. The best part for her was that she got to pick all the finishes, including exterior brick color.  We went to the Ryland Homes design center where we met with a designer to put it all together. We looked at exterior brick, exterior paint colors, interior paint, flooring options, cabinets, granite counters, tile, grout colors, carpet, etc. This was also where the decisions were made for wiring upgrades for surround sound, security systems and lighting options.  I let her know what options were worth putting in now and which could wait.  It was a fun process.

She had several inspections along the way. Yes, even on new construction, inspections are important.  On the pre-drywall inspection at Princeton Crossing we were able to see everything before the drywall went up. That's important so that you can make sure that duct lines aren't kinked and air flows easily. It also helps to see where the outlets will be and make sure you have them in the right places.  I used to work on site for new construction homes and learned a lot doing that. Ryland Homes did a really great job with smart planning and clean work.

The finished product is a beautiful 5 bedroom, 3 full bath home on a slab for just over $296,000. The open floor plan is perfect for entertaining.  There's a formal dining room with graceful arched doorways and great trim work.  A guest room and full bath are conveniently located on the main floor.  

The master suite upstairs has a built in window seat along an entire wall, adding a special touch.  The master closet is the size of many small bedrooms.  A frameless glass shower door and separate jetted tub complete the spa like master bath.

Princeton Crossing is a swim tennis community with $600 a year Homeowner Association dues. There is a junior Olympic pool, two lighted tennis courts, a tot lot, and a bath house/cabana. Princeton Crossing is just minutes from I-85, I-285, & Hwy 78. It's convenient to shopping, dining, and recreational parks, including Stone Mountain Park. Students at Princeton Crossing attend the schools in award-winning Parkview School district. Current new construction prices range from the mid to upper $200's.

If you are thinking of of buying or selling real estate in or around Atlanta, GA contact Realtor Jen Bowman, Broker Associate & e-PRO with Success Realty at 404-456-5024.

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3206 Mathieson Dr. Atlanta GA Short Sale - Buckhead Condo

This Buckhead condo is perfect for the busy person who doesn't want to deal with lots of maintenance.  This cozy condo has 2 bedrooms, 1 full bath, a living room and a kitchen.  It has beautiful hardwoods throughout, neutral paint and great natural light.

Listed exclusively by Success Realty, Jen Bowman. 404-456-5024.  See the Virtual Tour.

It has been used as a corporate apartment for an out of town client who was my buyer 4 years ago. Spending lots of time in hotels in Atlanta? This is far more comfortable and less expensive!

To get to Mathieson Court Condos, go South on Peachtree Rd from Lenox Mall -Turn Right on Mathieson Drive by the Wendy's. At the first stop sign, turn left into complex-unit is in the right building, 1st floor end unit. 

Mathieson Court is in the heart of Buckhead, around the corner from the Peachtree Rd United Methodist Church. It's so convenient to fabulous Trader Joe's Buckhead, shopping, bars and restaurants.

There are just 16 condo units in this small Buckhead Condo community.  Low monthly HOA dues of $130 a month cover exterior liability and fire insurance, exterior maintenance, trash pickup, pest control, water/sewer and the reserve fund.

3206 Mathieson Drive Unit 1, Atlanta, GA 30305 is listed at just $103,000. This is a short sale pending bank approval.

If you are thinking of of buying or selling real estate in or around Atlanta, GA contact Realtor Jen Bowman, Broker Associate & e-PRO with Success Realty at 404-456-5024.

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Appealing property tax in Dekalb County GA - This week I've been busy contacting all of my clients that bought a home with me in 2009. The purpose of my call is to make sure everyone has filed for their homestead exemptions. The deadline is March 1. It only needs to be done once and then it stays in force until the status changes.

A full 50% of the homes I sold in 2009 were foreclosures. My clients got great deals. What does that mean as far as their property taxes go? It means that they could be seriously overpaying!

One of my client's homes is assessed by Dekalb County at more than 30% over what she paid for it. So she was asking me how she can get that re-assessed. I pulled some info together and sent it to her.

Here's the same information for people who want to appeal their property tax bill. The following is from the Dekalb County Tax Assessor's office:

"How do I appeal?
If you wish to appeal the value of your property, you may file a tax return with the Property Appraisal Department between January 2nd and March 1st, at which time you may declare what you consider to be the fair market value of the property. This will generate a review of the value by the Property Appraisal Department; a notice of assessment change will be sent to you in late March or early April if the Board disagrees with your value. You will then have thirty (30) days to file an appeal if you continue to disagree with the assessment as set by the Property Appraisal Department. "

Here's a link to the forms for the real estate property tax return form.
For more information check out the Dekalb County GA Tax Commissioner's Site.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in or around Decatur, GA contact Decatur Realtor Jen Bowman, Broker Associate & e-PRO with Success Realty at 404-456-5024.

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9th Annual Oakhurst Wine Crawl - Tickets are now available for the 9th annual Oakhurst Wine Crawl in Decatur GA. Buy a commemorative tasting glass for $20 and sample 20 different wines from around the world at participating Oakhurst businesses. You must be 21-years-old or older to participate.  This event is coming up on Saturday, February 27th, 2010 from 4 to 7 p.m.

Tickets are limited to the first 750 people.  They are available at local Decatur businesses including:

• Kavarna in Oakhurst
• One Step At A Time in downtown Decatur in the CVS shopping center
• Steinbecks in Oakhurst
• Universal Joint in Oakhurst
• Wahoo

Tickets are $20 in adavance and $25 at the event. If you really want to go, I suggest getting your tickets in advance.

Oakhurst is a neighborhood in the city of Decatur. Currently there are 35 homes for sale in Oakhurst ranging in price from $137,900 for a home built in 1925 to $599,900 for a home built in 2008.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in or around Decatur, GA contact Decatur Realtor Jen Bowman, Broker Associate & e-PRO with Success Realty at 404-456-5024.

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Decatur for Haiti - Catherine with the Decatur Minute asked that we help to spread the word. Many of our Decatur GA businesses are stepping up to help the Haiti Earthquake victims. The following businesses in downtown Decatur and Oakhurst have agreed to donate a portion of their proceeds from Monday, February 1, 2010 to the American Red Cross.

• Brick Store Pub
• Cakes and Ale will be closed for a private party, but is still donating a portion of its proceeds.
• Chick-Fil-A from 5-8 p.m.
• Fleet Feet
• Fresche, 12-6 p.m., $25 haircuts with all proceeds going towards the cause.
• The Grange donating proceeds from their Saturday renaming party and on Monday.
• Heliotrope
• HairWerks is offering $25 haircuts and $10 brow waxings which will all be donated.
• Iberian Pig
• Little Shop of Stories will hold a special storytime at 7 p.m. about the importance of helping others.
• Matador Cantina
• Mingei
• Nectar
• Palate Cafe and Bar
• Pambili African Artworks
• Peggy's Boutique
• Saba during lunch and dinner.
• Steinbeck's
• Twain's
• UJoint

Come on out and support our local businesses. After all, they are a big part of what makes Decatur a great place to live, work and play. At the same time you'll be making a difference for the Earthquake victims.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in or around Decatur, GA contact Decatur Realtor Jen Bowman, Broker Associate & e-PRO with Success Realty at 404-456-5024.

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Wide Angle Magnetic Camera Lens Review - I'll start off by saying, I'm no expert when it comes to cameras and lenses. I just knew that I wanted to be able to take wide angles of rooms and real estate. I also knew that I didn't want to buy another camera.

My camera is a Canon Powershot SD1100 IS Digital Elph. I like that it's little and can easily fit in my pocket. I also like that it's easy to use.

Late Friday afternoon I started doing a google search for wide angle magnetic lenses. I found a company called Adorama that sold them online. For those that don't know what a magnetic lens is, it's a lens that attaches with a magnetic ring to the metal lens on your camera. No fancy equipment required.

I took a chance and ordered the large lens. It was $29.95 and shipping was $5.00. It's Tuesday and it arrived this morning by UPS. I thought that was pretty quick considering it was the weekend.

I tried it out today and these are the results. I am standing in the exact same spot with both of the following pictures.

Here is the picture with the wide angle magnetic lens attached.

There is some fuzziness on the bottom right. If needed that could be cropped out and it would still give a wider shot that what I could get without the wide angle magnetic lens. I also tested it inside and was able to get a whole room in the picture. That is going to make real estate photos so much better. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my purchase.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in or around Decatur, GA contact Decatur Realtor Jen Bowman, Broker Associate & e-PRO with Success Realty at 404-456-5024.

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Medlock Park in Decatur GA 30033 is comprised mainly of brick and frame ranch style homes built in the 1950’s and 1960’s. There are a few larger infill homes in the mix. Currently there are 3 homes on the market ranging in price from $218,000 to $249,000. Most of the homes are 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. Some of the homeowners have found additional space in their homes by finishing out the attic space.

Recap of 2009 in Medlock Park

• 9 homes sold in Medlock Park
• low price of $189,500 to a high of $290,000
• Average days on market was 98 days
• Average list price of $236K
• Average sales price of $229K

The Medlock Park neighborhood is on the north side of Decatur with Scott Blvd/Lawrenceville Hwy as its eastern boundary, North Decatur Rd as its southern boundary, Willivee Dr. as its western boundary and the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is its Northern boundary.

The Medlock Park community connects to University Heights and North Decatur Heights. The actual lines seem to be a little blurred because tax records show a different picture than the signs within the neighborhood.

The hidden gem in Medlock Park is a 28 acre Nature Preserve. The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve has interactive walking trails. You can find it on Pinebluff Trail at the end of Woodtrail Lane. (2580 Pinebluff Trail, Decatur, GA 30033). Take time to enjoy it on the next beautiful day we have.

DeKalb County’s Medlock Park is also tucked in the neighborhood by the same name. The park has 39 acres with ball fields, multi use courts, playground, picnic area and swimming pool.

Medlock Park students attend DeKalb County’s Medlock Elementary,Shamrock Middle and Druid Hills High School. Medlock Elementary is within easy walking distance as it’s in the neighborhood at the end of Medlock Rd next to the park.

Close by, at the top of Medlock Rd off of North Decatur Rd, you’ll find:

• Melton’s App and Tap bar and restaurant with outdoor seating
• Pet Supermarket
• Natural Buzz, an Aveda Hair Salon
• Retreat Nails Studio
• Laundromat with giant size washers (think comforters and sleeping bags)
• Maddy’s BBQ is just across the 6 way intersection (live music nightly)

For homeowners at Medlock Park medical care couldn’t be more convenient with DeKalb Medical Center less than ½ a mile and Emory University Hospital about 1 mile away. Need Milk? Publix and Kroger Grocery stores are also just about a mile away.

View Map of Medlock Park in Decatur, GA.  

For in town living, Medlock Park offers quite a bit. If you are thinking of buying or selling a home in Decatur GA call me, Jen Bowman, Realtor & Broker Associate with Success Realty at 404-456-5024.

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Getting Ready to Move? Get Organized First

If you are selling your Decatur GA home or plan to move within a year, get organized. It matters because the less you have to move, the better. Most of us have more stuff than we'll ever need.

First things first, if you haven't finished unpacking from the last time you moved, you really need to think about why you're taking that box with you again. Clear it out, sell it, donate it, just don't move it to your new home if you never use it or even bothered to unpack it. I was talking to a client who bought a home with me almost a year ago. She said that she was still unpacking! I figure that if I haven't needed it or bothered to unpack it in a year, I probably don't need it. (I'm excluding things like tax returns here.)

Some tips: 

Linen closets: If yours are overflowing, clear it out. It will make your home show better too. I have a dear great aunt, she told me years ago that she only had 1 set of bed sheets, which was completely opposite of my mom, who had a ton of sheets. Aunt Dot said that way, she never had to fold them or store them. Wash them and put them back on the bed. I love that idea and have summer sheets and my winter flannel sheets. It doesn't take up much space.

Bedroom closets: A friend of mine just moved. She was feeling overwhelmed and I went over to her new house to see what we could do. We went through every item in her closet and cleared out 3 big bags of clothes that she doesn't wear. It's my own version of the TV show "what not to wear". That stuff should have never been moved to the new house to begin with. Go through your closets, If you don't love it, don't move it.

Kitchen: If you haven't used it in 18 months, you probably won't use it. I went through one of my kitchen drawers the other day and found a bunch of utensils and tools that I have never used and probably never will. The same went for that bread machine that took up so much room in my pantry. Thanks to Craigslist, it was gone in 2 days and I had a little extra cash in my pocket.

Home Office: Use your shredder, if you don't have one yet. It's time to invest in a good cross cut shredder. That's the kind that makes little confetti pieces as opposed to just long strips. Start with one drawer at a time. Paper clutter seems to overwhelm a lot of people. Pick up that piece of paper and ask yourself why you have it. Make a decision, shred,  file, or to do. 15 minutes a day conquering paper clutter can go a long way.

Bathrooms:  Start to use up those lotions and hair products before buying more. Someone told me recently that she moved 5 boxes of hair products to her new place. What??? It's a lot cheaper and easier to go through and organize your products so you don't keep buying what you already have. Get rid of the stuff you will never use. Don't move it to your new home, clear it out first.

Whether you are moving now or in the future or just want to live an organized life, these tips will hopefully help. Plan for just 15 minutes a day and see what a difference it makes.

 If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in or around Decatur, GA contact local Decatur expert and Realtor Jen Bowman, Broker Associate & e-PRO with Success Realty at 404-456-5024.

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See My Series of Getting Your Home Ready to Sell: 

See Part 1 of Getting Your Home Ready to Sell in Decatur GA - Kitchens

See Part 2 of Getting Your Home Ready to Sell in Decatur GA-  Garage 

See Part 3 of Getting Your Home Ready to Sell in Decautur GA- Curb Appeal

See Part 4 of Getting Your Home Ready to Sell in Decatur GA- Floors and Walls

See Part 5 of Getting Your Home Ready to Sell in Decatur GA- De-Personalizing  

See Part 6 of Getting Your Home Ready to Sell in Decatur GA- Lighting

See Part 7 of Getting Your Home Ready to Sell in Decatur GA- Clutter

Getting Ready to List Your Home for Sale 

Get Ready to Move  Moving Tips 

The city of Decatur will test it's new Tornado Outdoor Warning Siren system for installation purposes on Friday, January 22, 2010 at 12 noon.   The test will last about two minutes. 

The first official monthly testing of the system will be held on Wednesday February 3, at 5 p.m.  If the weather is bad that day, the test will be postponed until Thursday February 4, at 5 p.m.

From now on the system will be tested on the first Wednesday of each month at 5 p.m.  The sirens will sound for about one minute during each testing.

While we don't have many tornados in Decatur and metro Atlanta, the one we had back in March 2008 was a big one. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. I took the photos shown here the day after the tornado hit as we drove down Dekalb Ave towards downtown Atlanta, GA.

If you are thinking of of buying or selling real estate in or around Decatur, GA contact Realtor Jen Bowman, Broker Associate & e-PRO with Success Realty at 404-456-5024.

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1113 McClelen Way Decatur GA 30033 for Sale at Tuxworth Springs

For Sale: 2 bedroom, 2 full bath end unit condo on ground level at quiet location in Tuxworth Springs Condos in Decatur, GA. $138,000 Listed exclusively by Success Realty, Jen Bowman 404-456-5024 

• Nice hardwood floors in dining, living room & kitchen.
• Galley kitchen with stainless steel appliances
• Kitchen has view to family room with masonry gas fireplace.
• Spacious bedrooms have walk in closets.
• Window coverings are 2" faux wood white blinds and they are included
• This condo has neutral paint and is move in ready
• Clean and neutral wall to wall carpet in bedrooms
• Tile floors in baths
• All appliances stay with unit, including refrigerator, washer and dryer.

There is a deck/balcony off the living room with space for relaxing with morning coffee or an evening drink. The storage closet is great for seasonal or extra items.

See the Virtual Tour.

Purchase this Tuxworth Springs condo by April 30, 2010 to be eligible for the $8000 first time home buyer tax credit. For people who have already purchased their first home, there is a $6500 tax credit available.

Tuxworth Springs has a swimming pool, hot tub, tennis courts plus separate boat and RV parking. It is convenient to Emory University, the CDC and Dekalb Medical Center.

Tuxworth Springs is an FHA Approved Condo. That means it can be purchased with just 3.5% down.

The other condo that I had listed for rent at Tuxworth Springs has been rented but will be available to purchase in January 2011.

From North Decatur Rd going east, make left on Scott Blvd, Tuxworth Springs is the gated community on the left across from the Old Ford Dealership. Unit is in back of complex on ground floor.

Looking for something else? Check out this penthouse loft in downtown Decatur for $399K.

If you are thinking of of buying or selling real estate in or around Decatur, GA contact Realtor Jen Bowman, Broker Associate & e-PRO with Success Realty at 404-456-5024.

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