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The Harbour Bar and Fish House in Decatur has a 15% Realtor discount!

February 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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That’s right – the owner is married to a Realtor, and they are showing love with a 15% discount if you are a licensed agent, when you present your business card. I’ve been twice and it’s definitely worth a visit. It’s becoming a busy restaurant and I expect to see it become a real sunny weather destination restaurant for happy hours and gatherings. From their site: “The Harbour Bar & Fish House is a casual seafood restaurant designed to give our customers a local place where they can come together to enjoy themselves with family, friends, and co-workers. Harbour Bar & Fish House feels like a Coastal Restaurant that you may have experienced while on vacation in Hilton Head, Charleston, Cape Cod or Newport RI. We want you to feel as if you are on a vacation in your own backyard. The interior decor is comfortable and relaxing, accented with natural woods and nautical tones of gray and blue. The exterior has outdoor deck/patio seating, two bocce courts and an … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ATL Culture and Events, Eastside, Food, Fun Facts, Greater Decatur

What exactly is “culture” in a real estate office?

January 24, 2012 By 1 Comment

Concentricity. Ever heard that word? It means “to have a common center.” I just learned that in the world of fiber optics, the definition of concentricity is about being “well-centered.” At any given real estate brokerage office with more than a few agents on staff, even the most free-wheeling and independent agents are part of the culture – the good, the bad, and the ugly. At my “market center” in Decatur, Georgia – we live up to the title of market center. We sit in the center of our core submarkets and we dominate the numbers in FMLS Area 52 – the “Greater Decatur” submarket. We also have significant market share in the nearby areas both inside and outside the perimeter. How do we do it? Well, pretty much just like other successful, mature Keller Williams market centers do it. 1. provide the The Best Technology tools to our agents As technology continues to transform the ways in which buyers search for homes and real estate professionals … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ATL Culture and Events, Cabbagetown, Candler Park, Druid Hills and Emory Area, East Atlanta Village, East Lake, Eastside, Edgewood, General Information, Greater Decatur, Inman Park, Kirkwood, Lake Claire, Midtown, Oak Grove, Oakhurst, Old Fourth Ward, Poncey Highland, Reynoldstown, Virginia Highland

A is for Atlanta, D is for Decatur and KW is #1

December 31, 2011 By 2 Comments

2011 ends with one or two real estate brokerage surprises that I did not see coming 365 days ago. Kind of a turbulent year for some in the real estate brokerage business. And 2012 is going to bring a big surprise to some real estate players, but to real estate business folks like me, we won’t be surprised. My company President, Mark Willis, claims that Keller Williams Realty is poised to be the #1 real estate company in the world next year. On 12/31/2010, I did not even speculate that one of the world’s largest Re/max franchisees, Re/max Greater Atlanta, would evaporate and scatter its agents far and wide by Spring 2011. A sad, broken business model. Ran out of money. I also did not consider that one of Atlanta’s most formidable boutique brokerages, Sanctuary, was struggling too. I got my real estate salesperson’s license in Georgia in 1999. Back in 1999, when I became a Charter member of Keller Williams Realty First Atlanta, I became a “blueprint buyer,” for Keller … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ATL Culture and Events, Eastside, Fun Facts, General Information, Greater Decatur, Inman Park, Market Analysis, Really Great Real Estate Marketing

One year later, in downtown Decatur

October 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Hearth, with Basho early January 2011

I bought my downtown Decatur townhouse one year ago today. My purchasing power was amazing - VA Loan, 100% financing and a 4% APR. Who was thinking that we would be seeing rates lower than that one year later? Not the Mortgage Bankers Association...but I digress. I completed the renovations months ago, but it is still a work in progress - Decatur is a fantastic place to live (and walk to work), my real estate agency business at Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta is terrific, and life is extremely good - in a world of complaint, misery, woe and confusion,  I know what I know and I know that I am blessed... My daughter is asleep upstairs, as I write at 700 this morning. She likes the fact that my townhouse is next to the dog park, and within walking distance of the Snoball Cafe'. I am going to use my townhouse as an example for the rest of this post - an example of advice that I offer to my clients everyday. I like to distinguish the fact that real estate purchases - … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Eastside, Greater Decatur, Inman Park, Market Analysis

The secrets to finding a buyer in the Intown Atlanta real estate market

July 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Many different features attract buyers to a real estate purchase, but the seller only has control over two of them. Sellers can still get the highest possible list-to-sell ratio and sell their homes as quickly as possible if they are willing to put their trust in two time trusted principles of real estate: condition and price. Since 72% of all sales transactions are “equity” transactions – not distressed, not some odd luxury transaction and not an estate sale, the chances are favorable for sellers who “get it.” Here are the the top ten features that attract buyers according to the Keller Williams Realty International survey conducted for our 2011 Market Navigator booklet. 1. Location – favored by 69% of buyers 2. Neighborhood – favored by 55% of buyers 2. Floor plan – favored by 37% of buyers 3. Updates to the house – favored by 36% of buyers 4. Curb appeal – favored by 30% of buyers 5. Square footage – favored by 28% of buyers 6. Back yard – favored … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adair Park, Capitol View, Sylvan Hills, Bankhead, Brookhaven, Buckhead, Cabbagetown, Candler Park, Castleberry Hill, Chamblee, Collier Heights, Downtown Atlanta, Druid Hills and Emory Area, East Atlanta Village, East Lake, East Point, Eastside, Edgewood, Fort McPherson Area, Fun Facts, Grant Park, Greater Decatur, Home Park, Inman Park, Kirkwood, Lake Claire, Lakewood, Loring Heights, Market Analysis, Mechanicsville, Midtown, Northside, Oak Grove, Oakhurst, Oakland City, Old Fourth Ward, Ormewood Park, Peoplestown, Poncey Highland, Really Great Real Estate Marketing, Reynoldstown, Riverside and Bolton Area, Sandy Springs ITP, Sandy Springs OTP, South Dekalb, Southside, Southwest Atlanta, Summerhill, Underwood Hills, Vine City, Vinings, Virginia Highland, West End, Westside

Decatur townhouse values abound

July 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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I bought a $152,000 2/2/1 townhouse last October with a 4% APR VA Loan and then I dropped about $40,000 in labor and materials in it over the course of about 9 months. It had vintage cocoa brown, two-tone appliances, lots of goldenrod wallpaper, and all original 1972 everything, pretty much. It’s an end unit on the park – we have a pool and lovely grounds and the HOA fee is only $210.00 per month. I intend to live there awhile and not only is it in a terrific elementary school district, it is also just a 5 minute walk to my office at Keller Williams Realty in downtown Decatur. Basho, the Sumo wrestling poet, is seen in this photo overlooking the rubble. New hardwoods, a new media wall, monochrome paint, demolished closets, super fresh bathrooms and kitchen – I’ll share more photos in an article or two soon, and I’ll even tell you about my Google TV. The reason that I’m telling this story is that today I could sell my place for about $175-180,000. Cost vs. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Eastside, Greater Decatur, Market Analysis
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