Getting Ready for the Party!!

We are getting ready for a great time tonight!  Here is command central where Jeff is going to work his magic!

Grand Opening Celebration for H & H Residential - TONIGHT!!!

Tonight we celebrate the grand opening of H & H Residential, sister company to H & H Realty with a ribbon cutting and low country boil!  Everyone here is excited and we have been working hard all week to get ready for this big event.  All are invited but I will post pictures next week for those of you who aren't able to make it.  Just in case you missed the details - the party is from 4:30pm-7pm, here at the H & H offices - 700 Douthit Ferry Rd, Cartersville.   Hope to see you tonight!!

 

Today's Cartersville Real Estate

The economy is on everyone’s mind these days and many look to the Realtors as a measure of the local market’s health.  Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t ask “How is your business?”   Now, I like to think this is out of love and concern for me personally but I know they are as anxious as I am to know when things will get better and I am their local indicator for that. So, let me tell you about my business here in the Cartersville/Bartow County area…

H & H Residential opened just over a month ago and I must admit, my partner Leah Woodall and I, have been working non-stop ever since.  We even added a new agent to our company, Ashton Norrod, to help with the load.  I am finding these days that I am working harder than I have ever worked; showing more houses, negotiating longer, making more phone calls, but these things are slowly paying off.  People eventually find that certain property they are looking for at the price they want.  And this seems to be true for the metro Atlanta area, as well.  According to First Multiple Listing Service, the closed units are increasing.  Prices of those units, however, are remaining at one of the lowest points in the past decade. 

Rentals are in high demand right now.  People are choosing to rent for a variety of reasons.  Some are working on their credit in hopes of buying in the future.  Many are able to buy but prefer to wait before purchasing in order to watch the market and house prices to see if they are going to drop further. Available rental houses are going on the market one day and are being rented the next.  I recently had to compete for a high end rental property on behalf of my tenant.  The rent was close to $2000/month and two applications came in at the same time for the house.  Investors are having a great time with this market.  They are constantly on the lookout for another house to add to their inventory. 

Traditional buyers are beginning to resemble investors.  They want to make sure that when they buy they have enough room between what they spend and the current market price to protect them against future declines.  Buyers are offering low and negotiating hard.  They aren’t afraid to walk away from a house and continue searching for another good deal. 

Sellers are the hardest hit today, often losing money on their sales and many times paying out of their pocket to close the deal.  The good news for them is that they are able to make it up on their next purchase when they move into the buyer’s seat and start looking for that great deal where they get a much larger house for a fraction of the price. 

I went to a new member breakfast at the Cartersville/Bartow Co. Chamber of Commerce yesterday and was amazed at the number of new members.  Some were from established businesses just joining the chamber while others were start ups, like H & H Residential, just wading into today’s market waters.  The Chamber reported their membership was up with a net of 80 more new members this year than all of last year combined.  I guess you could say we are all a little bit crazy for starting something new when the nation is facing a double dip recession.  But, I say that maybe, just maybe, things are a little brighter here in our neck of the woods. 

Blogging

Guess who has been approved to be a blogger on cartersville.patch.com? I'll give you a hint, her name starts with Leigh Anne and ends with Shepard. Yep, that is right, me! I will be posting articles about real estate, anything from buying and selling tips to spring cleaning tips (although looking at the state of my house, I might have to do a bit of research on that one). As I write, I'll be sure to add a copy here too.
If you haven't surfed patch yet let me encourage you to check it out. Www.cartersville.patch.com. It is filled with local news and info. They also post updates on facebook and twitter so you can follow them easily.
I would love to know your topic ideas so if you have a suggestion, please leave a comment and I will try to accommodate article requests!

Our New Billboard

We are off and running here at H & H Residential and beginning our marketing campaigns.  I had to share this picture of our new billboard.  We are so proud!  I have had a lot of positive feedback and am thankful for the support and well wishes! 

517 West Main Street Cartersville GA 30120 - $59,200

Bartow County at 100,000 residents

Did you know that December census data has counted Bartow county as the fastest growing county in the 9th most populous state in the nation? We now have over 100,000 residents. I have linked this to the Daily Tribune article published a few days ago.

Free Government Money...Have you seen the sign on Main Street

I was driving down Main Street the other day and saw the new sign that Southern States Lending has put out. I wanted to comment on it...

Free Money from the government IS possible - believe it or not!! Here is the little bit that I know...

The program that I am most familiar with gives a $10,000 (or is it $5000) grant to first time buyers purchasing a home in the city of Cartersville. If you live in the home for 5 years the debt is forgiven and the money is yours free and clear. If you move before your 5 years are up then you pay them back the grant money. (I'm not sure of the repayment terms) There is only so much money available and it runs out quickly so you have to be first in line for it and you have to purchase a house that qualifies for the grant. I've known several buyers who have used this money and it has meant the difference in their being able to purchase a property or continuing to rent.

There are other loan programs out there similar to this that are not necessarily money from the government but are still worth checking out - Here are a couple that quickly pop into my mind...

Down payment assistance programs (Nehemiah is a popular one) help give you the money you need for a down payment so you don't have to come out of pocket with the money.

Rural development loans (that most all of Bartow County qualifies for) help in purchasing homes in less developed areas.

These programs are still out there (as far as I know) and can be used by buyers so be sure and ask your lender or Realtor about them!!

For your information and to double check my facts (as well as other loan options) - I'm forwarding this post to some of my lender friends for their comments. After all - I'm just a Realtor - I know houses not loans - I leave the money to the experts!! So stay tuned and see who all posts and what great advise comes back because in this economy FREE MONEY is always a GREAT thing!!

Leigh Anne

Rain

Asa and I were out grocery shopping during the downpour the other day (yes, I have wonderful timing). I snapped this shot as we were leaving. Did you all know we had a waterfall on Main Street? That is a lot of water! A few more days like this and maybe Allatoona will look a little more like a lake and a little less like a river!

Leigh Anne

FelonSpy - a website worth checking out

I received this link in a forward and had to check it out. Under "who we track" this is what they say -
"We track virtually everyone with a criminal record including sex offenders, ex-cons (felony and misdemeanor), and those guilty of some of the more serious traffic infractions. You have the right to know who your neighbors are. We hope to track persons accused of crimes but acquitted in the future, but at this time we do not have sufficient funding to expand our database that far."
I ran my address and was surprised at what I found - it isn't going to cause me to move but it is nice to have a heads up about who lives around you!
Leigh Anne

Update from Leigh Anne

I've posted 5 new subdivision tours today. I was a bit behind. But, caught up now! I will continue to tour subdivisions and add photos and maps to my website in order to help you learn more about the subdivisions in and around Cartersville and Bartow County. Be sure to check out my subdivisions link on my website www.leighanneshepard.com for more information on each of these slide shows as well as maps to each of them. If you would like to see a particular subdivision sooner rather than later, please let me know and I'll try to get it "toured" ASAP!

Notes from Leigh Anne

I went cruising around Cartersville yesterday with my Girlfriend and fellow Realtor Deborah Hall. We toured a lot of subdivisions and saw a lot of construction that is coming out of the ground. I took pictures for all of you to see what we covered on our tour.

As of today, I've posted slide shows on my blog and my website. My website contains a bit more information about each subdivision than the blog so if you want more info and/or directions check out the subdivision tab on my website http://www.leighanneshepard.com/.

Remember, if you have a certain subdivision you would like to see on here - please let me know!

Hamilton Crossing Slide Show

McCaskey Ridge Slide Show

Cold Weather has come to Bartow County

I was out riding around yesterday previewing houses and subdivisions and snapped this picture. We might not be able to have snow but here is our ice!!

City of Cartersville Citizen Survey 2007

I found this survey on the Internet as I was doing a bit of research and thought I would post it here. It is current - responses were made after I-hop opened but before Chili's. It is rather interesting. The questions posed are where would you like to see Cartersville in the year 2030. Each response is written out. Many people ask for malls, more shopping, even free wi-fi in the downtown area. While others want to keep Cartersville small with the small town atmosphere, lots of green space. All seem to agree on the fact there needs to be a solution to the traffic problem! Click on the Title and it will take you to the survey so you can read it yourself.

Estates at Ponders Mountain Slide Show!

Bryson Estates Slide Show!