There is a simple way to increase the health of your yard…  Allow water to get to the soil in the right amount.  The magic word is permeability.  Permeability is the measure of how much water can permeate (soak through) the material.

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Back in February, 2008, I attended an event for agents at Legends at Parkview. At that time I was impressed with the quality of the homes offered in the community. I was also impressed with the philosophy of the builder, Sean Mayfield of Mayfield Homes. I also liked the style of the homes, and the layouts were quite nice.

The problem was that they launched the community just as the market was collapsing around them. And while they were strong at the time, it didn’t last…

This premiere community has slid into foreclosure. The remaining homes (there were 8, now there are 4 left) and the lots are all for sale by the bank. So, now is the opportunity to buy into a luxurious community at fire sale prices… bank-owned prices.

Three of the properties are built on a basement, all have 3 car garages. One is a 5 bedroom/4 bath, and the others have 4 bedrooms/3.5 baths.

The properties that are currently available are priced at:

• The Waterford on a basement – $563,400 $489,900 5br/4ba
• The Addison on a slab – $589,900 $439,900 4br/3.5ba
• The Addison on a basement – $614,900 $479,900 4br/3.5ba
• The Victoria on a basement – $735,000 $524,900 4br/3.5ba

As an aside, I really like the Addison. It has an exceptional garage. Aside from the spaces for 3 cars, there is about an 8′ wide area along one side that would be perfect for motorcycles and/or tools.

Obviously the prices are pretty well discounted for the remaining units in the Legends at Parkview. There aren’t that many opportunities to jump into this level of luxury in a bank-owned new home community. The foreclosures have really pushed the prices down here… They have sold 4 homes since June. These will sell before long… There were several buyers coming in to visit while I was there… on a Wednesday afternoon.

from Lane’s Active|Rain blog.

Tags: buyers, deals, financial crisis, foreclosure, gwinnett, investment, lilburn, news, real estate  |  Posted under all posts, buyers, foreclosure, gwinnett, investment, lilburn, news, real estate  |    View Comments

The year would have been around 1981.  I was looking to buy a car… my second car.  I had and sold a 1973 Ford Mustang… I was 17 years old.  I found a car I liked, but didn’t have the money to buy it… couldn’t talk my parents into helping me with it, even with my best game…

It was red, sounded like burlap ripping when it accelerated, had a wood dash and wore a set of Mini-Lite wheels.  And it was red…  Italian Racing Red… Guards Red.  RED.

It was an Alfa Romeo GTV.  Specifically, a 1972 2000GTV.  I drove it a couple of times and it was a wonderful car to drive.  It just felt good, and was quite tossable in the turns.

Fast Forward to the mid 1990s.  My Shelby Charger was gone and I wanted a rear drive coupe to autocross.  I wanted something unique, but couldn’t afford something terribly expensive.  I settled on a red 1983 GTV6 2.5.  the sound was completely different (V6 instead of an I4).  But it was tossable, gripped well and looked magnificent.  I couldn’t talk my wife into it…

One day…

iPods do NOT make this sound…

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Not too far from Lilburn is Discover Mills.  It sits in a triangle bounded by I-85, GA120 and Sugarloaf Parkway.  And of course the firs tthink one thinks of when talking about a mall is shopping…  But honestly, there are a lot more fun things to do there. It is a hidden gem in Gwinnett County… hidden in plain site.

Let’s look at some of the cool things that we can do “at the mall”…

• Let’s go racing…

Really.  Slingshot Speedway has the longest permanent indoor slot car track in the country.  For $3-$5 (speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?) you can take on up to 5 other drivers on the track… bring your own car, buy a new car or just rent…

• Somebody need to be shot…

With an Airsoft weapon…  At Goldeagle.  They have a few thousand square feet dedication to Airsoft combat. Kind of like paintball… without the paint.  I wasn’t able to get the pricing, but it would be WAY less that getting something from Prada.

• Be a Builder…

Ok, this IS  a store… but my son has spent hours building without actually purchasing anything.  The Lego Store has a great build area for kids.  I wander the store and he builds stuff.  My wife takes away my credit cards before I go in or I would have the Ferrari model…

• Ticket to Ride…

Train or Carousel… Spiderman Jump or simulator?  You pick…  They are all there, and they don’t cost THAT much…

• Be an Extreme Sportsman…

Get you bike vertical…. or your skateboard.  Spaha/Woodward Skate Park is several thousand square feet of ramps, half pipes and street skating…  And even if you aren’t going to get extreme, it can be fun to watch… and free…  And pretty cool or dry on a hot or rainy day. 

Of course there is a lot more that you can do there, from making pottery (great gift for Grandmas…) to glow in the dark mini-golf, movies and food… and even a Tournament (Medival Times is in the mall…).

Normally, we think of shopping at the mall, but it can actually be entertaining.  Whether it is walking, people watching or engaging in some of the unique offerings, Discover Mills offers some great fun opportunities in central Gwinnett County, near Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Duluth, Suwanee and several other areas in the county.

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I held an open house today in Lilburn, on 590 Baltimore Ave.  During the open house I had the opportunity to speak with several first time home buyers.  The conversations with first time home buyers in Lilburn, GA, were certainly enlightening…

Keep in mind that the home I as holding open was priced at nearly $400,000.  In this area, that isn’t the normal territory for first time home buyers.  And these folks were no exception… looking primarily in the $150k-$200k range.

Of course we talked about properties that were available in their price range, and Lilburn has some really nice properties for sale in that range, but we talked about something else.  The something else was the tax credits that are currently available.

Basically, there are two tax credit propgrams currently available:

• the Federal First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit of (up to) $8000 that expires after November 30th
• the Georgia Home Buyer Tax Credit of (up to) $1800 that is slated to expire at the same time

All of them were well aware for the federal incentives… but none knew about the state incentives.  I know that a lot of us real estate agents are writing about it, and I also know that we are talking about it to our clients… but the word still isn’t out to everyone.

I should also mention that the Georgia Tax Credit is NOT limited to just First Time Home Buyers…

On the other hand, all of them were quite aware of the deadline for the Federal First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit.  In fact, they had all started their search to specifically make sure that they had time to get everything together before the deadline.  Some were also not considering short sales because of the timeline… and the emotional rollercoaster of waiting for third-party approval.

Each of these First Time Home Buyers had also chosen the Lilburn, GA, area for specific reasons… and cost wasn’t the primary motivator.  Convenience was…  Only a few years ago the primary motivator of location for many was how far out they would have to go to get the house and yard they wanted.  Now more buyers are taking into consideration things like commute time, commuting costs, taxes, schools (none of them had kids yet, but schools were a consideration) and convenience to services and amenities.

Finally, of note, is that the majority were not aware that the buyer’s agent was generally paid by the seller and that the buyer’s agent’s comensation wasn’t likely to affect the seller’s fees.  One thought that if they didn’t have an agent they would be in a better negotiation position.

It was both fun and educational to spend the time primarily listening to their impressions and opinions.  Working with First Time Home Buyers in the Lilburn, GA, area is both fun and rewarding.  After all, I am placing new neighbors, not just random buyers.  I live where I prefer to work.

from Lane’s Active|Rain blog

Tags: business of real estate, buyers, financing, gwinnett, lilburn, taxes  |  Posted under all posts, business of real estate, buyers, gwinnett, lilburn, news, real estate, taxes  |    View Comments