This video from the Today Show is a worthy view.

This woman from San Diego thinks that she can blame her real estate agent for the fact that she paid too much for her house. I’ll just say this: there are 36,000 real estate agents in Atlanta and you can choose to work with any of them. Some of these agents are the reason why we have a messy real estate market.

Caveat emptor, y’all.

I completed a Sales Analysis this week for Single Family Properties in Grant Park. Less than 32% of all so-called “Grant Park” listings sold last year. That is a percentage that holds up for most Intown Atlanta and Decatur neighborhoods right now, but when I realized that there is also a significant downward trend in prices, I decided that I needed to keep an eye on things in 2008.

I love Grant Park. Some of the coolest houses in Atlanta are in Grant Park. The park itself is just gorgeous, and the Summer in the Shade Festival in August is among the best of Atlanta’s festivals. Add a Zoo, a swimming pool and a Cyclorama, and you have a uniquely wonderful neighborhood. Add The Cooperative Preschool and the Charter School and the value really goes up. Add Six Feet Under, and a few other terrific restaurants, and the neighborhood provides a huge value, dollar for dollar, over Intown Atlanta neighborhoods to the north.

The data below is compiled in the following manner: Date range of recorded sales, total number of units SOLD, average type of house sold (always a 3 bedroom, 2 and a half bath) average Original List Price (OLP), average altered List price (LP) and average number of Days on Market (DOM). All dollar amounts are in the thousands. Here’s the data. Read the rest of this entry »