If you are a first time home buyer, this tax credit would be in addition to the $8000 federal credit. Eligible properties include single family residences including condos, previously occupied homes that were listed for sale before May 11, 2009 and are still listed, and bank owned properties. The bill did not include investment properties.

The goal of this bill is obviously to provide an incentive to move current inventory and to get would be home buyers back in the game. If you, or anyone you know, are ready to purchase a home, Signature Lending Group would love an opportunity to earn your business and to help you take advantage of the new tax savings. We are more than willing to hold your hand throughout the entire process. Call us anytime at 678-387-5580.

1)  I have reviewed key components of Obama’s Stimulus Package – and nothing in the plan guarantees 4% mortgage interest rates the media keeps talking about.  In fact, as Fed Chairman Ben Bernacke alluded in his March 15th “60 Minutes” interview, the Fed’s long term plan is to raise rates as the economy shows signs of recovery.

2)  Lenders are continuing to tighten guidelines, which means:

       a)  Credit scores needed to qualify have increased significantly in the last 30 days.  I expect this trend to continue.

       b)  Many lenders are asking borrowers for larger down payments than in recent years.  Fortunately, Signature Lending Group is still offering programs with as little as 3.5% down on FHA loans. 

Again, my message here is that we are very likely entering the late stages of our “window of opportunity”.  If you or someone you know are wondering if the time is right to purchase a new home or refinance an existing one, please call me immediately.  I promise to give you the straight answers that will help you make the most of these chaotic economic times.

Chuck Walden, President

Signature Lending Group, Inc

678-387-5580

Time is money and money = time.

Thereʼs only one way to get houses sold in a todayʼs tough real estate market and that is to offer your home for sale with a qualified real estate agent (hopefully a Diamond Dwellings Agent).

Just put yourself in the buyerʼs shoes. If you were going to be searching for a new home today, how would you begin your search? Youʼd probably go straight to your computer and type something into Google or Yahoo or MSN to find houses.  Youʼd probably search for something like “Gwinnett Real Estate” or maybe youʼd search Realtor.com or Zillow.com (or one of the many other real estate portals).

Did you know that 82% of all persons who are looking for a home start their search on the internet. Of those, 93% look at homes with multiple photos first. That is why we place homes on over 100 international websites. The FSBO websites that are out there are hard to find, offer little information and typically cost a pretty penny to get a home “listed” on.

Hereʼs the point…
“Great Internet Marketing is the only way to sell your house today” Diamond Dwellings is a local Gwinnett real estate brokerage with BIG, global internet presence. If you want your home sold, please call us today!
Weʼll get it done fast. Weʼll get it done right. Weʼll just get it done.
For more information, please visit www.GwinnettDwellings.com

The building’s award-winning “green” construction captures your attention immediately with its multiple roof surfaces covered with soil, grass and other plants.  The stone and timber construction is settled naturally into the varying slopes of the property with a stream and multiple water falls flowing beneath the center of the structure.  Native plants of Georgia make up the natural growth landscaping.  Inside the building the staff and exhibits are here to provide an enjoyable, interactive look into Gwinnett county’s natural and historic make up.  This is a great place for families and groups to visit for a wonderful learning experience.  The center sponsors periodic classes, field trip visits, boy and girl scouting programs, and also provide opportunities to rent the facility for special events such as weddings, birthdays, cocktail parties, grand galas and more.  Check it out!

Photos taken Aug 28, 2008
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

In the past month or so we have seen a number of homes go into foreclosure in Hamilton Mill which are now being marketed for sale in the local listing systems.

What is going on here? Life, that is what is going on. As the United States economy struggles to gain its footing and jobs are being eliminated in many sectors, tough times are falling on some of our neighbors and friends and you know what, you may not even know it is happening around you.

Just the other day I was talking to someone in Hamilton Mill and he made the comment to me that he was totally unaware of “John Doe’s” financial problems and wished that John had talked to him about it. He had a feeling something was going on. John always used to keep his home and yard very well kept and then 6 months or so ago he noticed things seemed to be a little different. John lost his home and now is looking for alternative housing and a decent paying job.

Here is something to think about.

The real estate market struggles as well as the mortgage crisis is hitting so many different areas of our economy that most of us do not even think of, but take a look at who is being effected.

If new or resale homes do not sell:

Loan Officers do not write new loans, Appraisers do not appraise homes, closing attorneys do not close loans, moving companies do not move you into your new home which means furniture stores do not sell furniture which is sold to them by salespersons for the factory, lighting stores do not sell lights, painters do not paint and landscapers do not put out new landscaping products which they buy from the nursery who hire people to plant and care for the beautiful plants you planned to landscape with. Also, since you will not be doing all the home projects you wanted to, Home Depot and Lowes and other stores are not selling the products they were a couple of years ago. If sales are down there, what about all the people that were selling their products to them.

Wow, that seems like quite a little list do is not. Wait there is more.

If new homes are not selling then the Builders are not selling homes which means that they are cutting back on their Project Managers and of course they are not buying building products like wood, brick, sheetrock, lighting, paint, and so on. By the way, all the homes that are not being built effect the plumbers, electricians, roofers, masonry guys, framers and so on. Also the builders cannot hire the grading companies to move the dirt which means a loss of jobs and if that is the case then the tractor companies do not sell new equipment which means that the factories have no orders which means they do not need to hire people, rather they need to lay them off.

Need I go on. I could for a very long time but I won’t. Know why, I am optimistic we are getting out of this mess and will be a better, smarter people for it. I hope we save more (I know I need to), are smarter with our buying decisions (do we really need the biggest of everything or most expensive this or that), and realize that this mess can and probably will happen again and we need to plan for it.

Now go out and make it a great day. I plan to.

By the way there are a number of really great deals in Hamilton Mill right now. Prices have never been better. Give me a call and I will email you a list of Hot Properties. Gotta go show one now.

Matt Hermes

In the past we have looked at the sales statistics for numerous subdivisions in the greater Atlanta area and in an effort to provide this useful information, Diamond Dwellings is pleased to provide the most recent Chateau Elan market report.

One of our goals at Diamond Dwellings Realty at Mill Creek is to provide Chateau Elan homeowners and potential buyers accurate information on the current real estate market.

We have compiled the following data for the Chateau Elan subdivision from the Atlanta FMLS listing system (some data may also be from Georgia MLS) as of August 19 2008.

Recap:  We are still in a VERY competitive market and pricing, incentives and flexibility are key factors in getting homes sold. Our Team at Diamond Dwellings continues to be a market leader in the Chateau Elan area. We are your choice for all your real estate needs.

Current Homes listed for sale in Chateau Elan: 138 (118 in Gwinnett County / 20 in Barrow County)

Highest Price Home: $4,200,000 / 5143 Legends Drive

Lowest Price Home: $374,900 / 2635 Muskogee Lane

Average List Price: $1,01,873

July 2008 Chateau Elan Real Estate Sales: Three (3)

Highest Price Home: Sale Price: $945,000 / 1865 Tee Drive (Original Asking Price: $1,000,000)Lowest Price Home: Sale Price: $659,000 / 2274 Northern Oak Drive (Original Asking Price: $659,900)

Current Pending Chateau Real Estate Sales: 6

While the July sales are not what we’d hoped for in Chateau Elan — Or all of Gwinnett County, the activity level has picked up as compared to Q1′08 and we have seen an improvement in the “pending/under contract” homes that are scheduled to sell. If you or someone you know is waiting for the market to level out to find that “deal” now is probably the time to take a hard look at your purchase opportunities. Do not wait and miss the bottom.

If you would like additional listing information on any home in Chateau Elan call me at 678-279-4717. We will be happy to email a list of available homes for your review.

The state’s composite ACT score rose to 20.6 in 2008, up from 20.3 in 2007. Nationally, the number fell to 21.1, down from 21.2 last year. Georgia’s scores increased in every subject area tested by the ACT and the state moved up three spots to 41st, up from 44 in 2007 and 47 in 2002.  Gwinnett, Cobb and Fulton counties led the state in schools with the highest scores, as each school district had at least five schools with scores above 22. 

The results of these test scores are welcome news to anyone who has children in the school system and we all should be extremely proud of all students, teachers and school administrative personnel. Congratulations to all. 

Wynterberry Parke is located in Lawrenceville at the corner of Azalea Drive and Highway 124.

The first completed homes in Wynterberry Parke are currently move-in ready.

Richardson Housing Group is one of only a few local builders that are stepping up and bringing new construction into the County at this point and I applaud them. I know Allen Richardson (played golf with him a couple of times. Good golfer as well) and they are a first rate company that continues to succeed in the local market and has won numerous awards, most recently they were awarded two OBIE Awards by the Sales and Marketing Council of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, recognizing the real estate and development company for its quality construction, design innovation and industry achievements.

The many awards and professional accommodations earned by Richardson attest its commitment to quality and value. The company was recognized by the US Small Business Administration as the 2007 Georgia Family Business of the Year. The company has also won multiple Professionalism Awards from the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and was named a Governor’s Small Business of Excellence in 2006. In 2005, Richardson Housing Group was a finalist for the Georgia Family Business of the Year.

For more information on this new development give us a call or email us and we will be happy to provide more information.

Matt Hermes