OWNER FINANCING: Tips On How to Make It Work

Whether you are a Buyer with less than perfect credit, a Buyer with not enough down-payment funds or just a Seller eager to sell, owner-financing maybe a viable option.  Banks generally are willing to accept rent credits for an option to buy as an acceptable down payment, but both buyers and sellers must follow these guidelines for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to sanction the transaction.

Places To Love: THE VIEW AT CHASTAIN

Looking for a luxury high-rise community in Metro Atlanta with discounted prices just minutes from all the shops and restaurants of Buckhead?  Then The View at Chastain is a must see. 

Places to Love: City Walk Heights

It you have been looking for a great deal in the Metro Atlanta real estate market, you will find one at Sandy Springs’ City Walk Heights townhomes.  Situated conveniently behind Sandy Springs’ City Walk Shopping Complex and a across from Heritage Green, City Walk Heights features townhomes that have high-end finishes for a fraction of the cost.  These brick, 3-story townhouses have gated parking, an outdoor waterfall/park area, and are in walking distance to all of the shops on Roswell Rd., Hammond Dr., and Johnson Ferry Rd.

How To Get Money For Your Mortgage If You Lose Your Job

There is something that has been around for years that is seeing more popularity in these times that can help you pay your mortgage if you were to loss your job or possibly even become disabled.   Job-loss mortgage insurance (or unemployment mortgage insurance) is an option that homebuyers can request when purchasing real estate and really sellers should offer.  There are different terms and costs associated with this insurance depending on the company offering it but in general the fee is small but can give Buyers added peace of mind in their real estate transactions.  Job-loss mortgage insurance is great especially when Buyers deplete their savings making the downpayment on a home purchase.

Stop Foreclosure!

The American Dream should not become a nightmare.  But with the ups and downs of the economy, what is a homeowner to do?  Whether you or someone you know is in danger of losing your home, American Homeowner Preservation (AHP) maybe able to help.  AHP has options, such as short sales, lease & repurchase programs, available that may help you pay less a month and even keep your home. 

PLACES TO LOVE: Tiller Walk Estates

Are you looking for classic European Architecture in the south’s foremost metropolitan area, Atlanta?  Whether you are searching for a French Chateau, Italian Palazzo, Swiss Alpine Villa, or New England Estate, Tiller Walk will satisfy and supersede your dwelling needs.  TIller Walk, located in one of the finest areas of Sandy Springs and just minutes from downtown Atlanta, is a controlled community comprised of 57 new construction homes. beginning in the low $2 Million range.   Several of Tiller Walk’s homes have won the prestigious OBIE award for best homes in Atlanta, including what you may have heard referred to as The Castle of Sandy Springs, which is Lot 17 that features a true depiction of a French Chateau.

ALTERNATIVES TO THE TAX CREDIT: Receive Up to $8,000 for Purchasing a Home in Dekalb County

If you are searching for a home in Dunwoody, Decatur, Chamblee, Doraville, Tucker, Stone Mountain, or in any Dekalb County city, outside the city limits of Atlanta, there maybe money waiting for you!  Dekalb County’s Homebuyer Program offers eligible buyers who have not owned real estate in the last 3 years up to $8,000 to use towards their down payment, closing costs, or other prepaid expenses.  Displaced homemakers and single parents may also qualify. 

ALTERNATIVES TO THE TAX CREDIT: Employers That Can Cause You to Get an Extra $7500

You may feel like your occupation and the hours you spend working are undervalued and unappreciated.  Well, here in Georgia, your labor is not in vain! Although the federal tax credit has expired, there actually are numerous programs throughout Georgia that will give those that work in some of the most undervalued occupations down-payment assistance for their next real estate purchase.  (For other programs besides this one, please click here.)  If you are employed with any of the following (and in some cases even if you are a volunteer), you may qualify to receive $7500 towards your home purchase through Georgia Dream’s PEN (Protectors, Educators, Nurses) program:

ALTERNATIVES TO THE TAX CREDIT: How to Get Up to $7500 For Buying a Home in One of These Georgia Counties

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has yet another new down payment assistance option to its Georgia Dream Homeownership Program to help revitalize and attract home buyers to the several counties affected by the 2009 Georgia floods.  The Georgia Dream Recovery Program offers down payment and closing cost assistance for all home buyers in the following Metro Atlanta counties: Carroll, Cherokee, Cobb, Dawson, Dekalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Heard, Newton, Paulding and Rockdale. For those desiring to purchase a home in these counties, the real estate qualifications to receiving the Recovery Program funds are that it maybe any home within one of these counties (it does not have to have been personally affected/damaged by the floods) with a purchase price of no more than $300,000.  The DCA’s recovery program is also available to counties in other parts of Georgia including: Catoosa, Chattooga, Crawford, Dooly, Houston, Peach, Stephens, Taylor and Walker.  For those desiring to purchase a home in these counties, the real estate qualifications to receiving the Recovery Program funds are that it maybe any home within one of these counties (it does not have to have been personally affected/damaged by the floods) with a purchase price of no more than $250,000.

AVOIDING BUYER HEADACHES: Lesson 1-”Yes, You’re Approved… Just Kidding”

Okay, you have done your homework by watching HGTV, reading various blogs and even consulting a real estate agent on what you need to do to purchase a home.  Among the prerequisites you were given, you were told to get a lender to pre-qualify you and you did.  Now you are excited and ready to look for some real estate.  But wait, not so fast!  To avoid any headaches after you have found the home of your dreams, you should help your lender examine if you are really ready to shop for a home.  “What are you talking about, Lee?” you maybe wondering.  Well, believe it or not, with the restrictions that have been placed now on the mortgage industry to curtail the number of future foreclosures and distressed homeowners, what you think is your income may not really be. 

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