Real Estate Kingdom

The term REALTOR? doesn't just refer to anyone helping people to buy or sell homes. It is a trademark, registered with the National Association of REALTORS? (NAR) , and can only be used to describe members of the NAR who have gone through accredited REALTOR? training. If you are looking for someone to represent you as a buyer or seller, you need to understand what sets a REALTOR? apart.

Membership in the NAR requires one to agree to the association's standard of business ethics, based on honesty and professionalism. They demand mandatory regular code of ethics training seminars. The NAR and its nine affiliated groups also promote professional development by offering a wide variety of training programs, courses and services that help their members keep up-to-date on any important changes or trends, and to increase their training in various specialized aspects of the real estate market.

While there are other real estate training programs, the NAR is a nationally recognized and highly professional institution. If you hire someone who isn't a member, you should wonder why not.

Buying and selling real estate is a complex process. For most people, their home is the biggest investment they will make in their lifetime. Would you give half a million dollars to a street dealer? Of course not. Similarly, you should trust your real estate transactions only to accredited professionals. The backing of the NAR is like a guarantee that you are getting quality representation. It is like an insurance package for the real estate transaction process, because it protects you from foolish mistakes that could cost you a lot of money.

To avoid an unfortunate loss and to have a stress-free experience buying or selling real estate, take my advice and work with a professional. Look for a REALTOR?, not just a realtor. There's a big difference.

Alpharetta is thought of by most Metro Atlanta residents as one of the more upscale areas in the city and it is true that there are high end homes. However, expensive homes are not one of the top reasons that Alpharetta is one of, if not the best place to live in Metro Atlanta. When considering where to live, it's important to consider of number of characteristics and expensive homes should be rather far down the list. More important is to consider what type of life you can have in the city based on more quantifiable traits. The city of Alpharetta has many of these quantifiable traits that allow the city to stand on its own and almost without support of the larger Metro area.

Here are the top 10 reasons why Alpharetta should be high on your list for places to live:

1. The local economy - The local economy is very strong with many fortune 500 companies and job opportunities are readily available. These corporations provide an tremendous boost to the tax revenues afforded the city.

2. Tax revenue - Due to the large employment center located off of Windward Parkway, Alpharetta runs a budget surplus and reinvests in the community. This tax revenue combined with fiscally responsible politicians has given them a AAA bond rating.

3. Emergency services - The emergency services department has an ISO rating of 2 which substantially reduces homeowners insurance costs thereby saving residents money. Only one other municipality in Metro Atlanta is rated as high.

4. Excellent School - The public education system regularly wins awards from elementary through high school and both high schools are among the 15 best in the state.

5. Low Crime - The crime rate is lower than Metro Atlanta, Georgia and the nation as a whole.

6. Cultural Activities, Shopping and Dining - This is where Alpharetta shines as a suburb compared with surrounding areas. The summer of 2008 will bring the opening of the much anticipated Encore Park followed by Prospect Park shortly thereafter. Combined with great dining and already excellent retail shopping, there is little left in the whole Metro area that can't be found in Alpharetta.

7. Cost of Housing - When compared with other Metro Atlanta cities with similar amenities, employment and activities, homes for sale in Alpharetta are often larger and newer so for many, their money spent gets them into a nicer, newer home.

Together, these reasons effectively propel the suburb of Alpharetta to a position where it relies very little on the Greater Atlanta area of which it is a part. Be it for education, crime, employment or cultural activities, everyone can find something in Alpharetta.

We have all just come through a historic year; 2007 was the first year in over forty years that home prices and sales dropped down instead of going up. Where does that leave us homeowners?

Surprisingly, for the majority of us, it is not quite as chronic as it sounds, as the lower priced homes only dropped by an average of $3,000. 00 on the purchase price over the year. The more expensive homes pushed the yearly figures up as the 'jumbo' mortgages on these were more volatile than on the average house.

The National Association of Realtors have been out there doing their homework, and they are predicting an upward trend in housing for the first quarter of 2008. Is this over optimistic?

Well, in many areas, inventory is down. Many people have been making the decision not to sell their homes. The reason for this is that interest rates have been dropping, making the existing mortgages of some home owners more attractive if they re-financed.

This means that fewer properties have been coming onto the market, so the choice of homes to purchase is more limited. Also, rents overall have gone upwards in price by nearly 2% which encourages more first time buyers to get out there and buy.

The penalty on a mortgage is often worth paying if the rate drops low enough. The rule of thumb on most drops in mortgage rates is this: if you have more than eighteen months to pay, it is most likely worth paying the penalty.

If this is the case with you, ask your lender to calculate it for you and make the decision. If you do not want to bother your lender, there are mortgage rate tables on line that members of the public can access.

Of course, the low interest rate is not tempting everybody into house buying - yet. Many people are waiting to see how low the house prices will go. Ironically it is only evident that the bottom is reached as they start to rise again, so the 'bottom' has been missed anyway!

Most home owners of experience know that if it is possible, then it is best to ride out the storm. Part of the storm in this case, has been a false inflation of realty prices that is simply re-adjusting. People who have owned their homes for more three years are probably still showing an increase in the equity of their homes.

Property is considered to be a safe bet as far as investments go. The monetary value of a home has almost doubled in the last ten years. This is not the type of interest rate you can hope to find for your savings account! Even the stocks and shares market does not offer such a risk-free return.

For first time buyers wondering if they should enter the market, the best advice would be to buy a home that does not stretch your budget to its utmost. Look for a home that needs a little TLC; if the price of your first home is low enough, you may have enough confidence to try renovating.

Many local hardware stores run free courses or workshops that teach many do-it-yourself skills. You have a better chance of remembering the procedures if you both attend the course. It can actually be fun to make-over a room, especially if there are two of you doing it.

There is an indescribable feeling when you have finally finished renovating a room and you stand back to admire your own handiwork. It is your choice of color and design and you realize that you have done a great job; it doesn't even matter that it's not perfect!