5 Bed / 6 Bath Home in The River Club

4834 Elkhorn Hill Drive

Suwanee, GA 30024

$3950000
Welcome Home to your Elegant Rustic Style Lodge with unique custom finishes and high quality Craftsmanship throughout the home. A splendid setting where elegance meets nature. This 5BD/6.3 BA home (2 of the BD's are master Suites)has private view of the Greg Norman Golf Course, a pond and mature woods. Backyard features pool w/hot tub,waterfall and Firepit for your everyday enjoyment. 2 Cooks kitchens, 6 FP's,Spa area on terrace level w/Sauna,Steam shower,massage room, work out room & Aerobic room.3 Laundry rooms, Elevator, Wide plank hand scraped walnut floors.

Summary

MLS #5650314
Price3950000
Bedrooms5
Bathrooms (Full)6
Square Footage10185
Square Footage SourceTax Record
StatusActive

Features

7 Bed / 7 Bath Home in THE RIVER CLUB

4745 Cuyahoga Cove

Suwanee, GA 30024

$3790000
ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE FRENCH PROVINCIAL ESTATES TO REACH MARKET IN N. ATLANTA, BOASTING UNPRECEDENTED DETAIL & ARCHITECTURAL CUSTOM CRAFTSMANSHIP.... SITTING ON A LEVEL CUL-DE-SAC LOT YET PERCHED TALL ABOVE THE GREG NORMAL GOLF COURSE, WITH PANORAMIC VIEWS AND 380 FT OF LAKE FRONTAGE, THIS HOME TOOK ALMOST $1 MILLION IN HAND-CUT TENNESSEE STONEWORK ALONE. ENJOY WIDE-PLANK HEART OF PINE FLOORING, LARGE AND ENTERTAINING OPEN FLOOR PLAN. ABSOLUTELY STUNNING GOURMET CHEF'S KITCHEN WITH DOUBLE SUB ZEROS- AND VIRTUALLY EVERY CONCEIVABLE OPTION. 4 FIREPLACES. 5-CAR

Summary

MLS #5718436
Price3790000
Bedrooms7
Bathrooms (Full)7
Square Footage11738
Square Footage SourceTax Record
StatusActive

Features

6 Bed / 6 Bath Home in The River Club

4695 Whitestone Way

Suwanee, GA 30024

$2599000
Custom Home in The River Club. 6 Bedroom 6.5 Ba on double lot backing golf course. 1st floor features large 2 story foyer overlooking LR with handsome study and large entertaining DR. Gourmet kitchen overlooks oversized Family Room and covered porch. Master on main and 2nd bedroom on main. Upstairs features 3 bedrooms all with private baths and large dressing area. Terrace level features bedroom and bath, Bar area, game room and theatre.

Summary

MLS #5751567
Price2599000
Bedrooms6
Bathrooms (Full)6
Square Footage8412
Square Footage SourceAppraisal
StatusActive

Features

6 Bed / 6 Bath Home in The River Club

4605 Whitestone Way

Suwanee, GA 30024

$2500000
Exquisite estate home with the finest attention to detail throughout. Overlooking 4th green, home features marble inlayed foyer, Liv Rm, Office w/FP, opulent Great Rm w/FP, state of the art Kitchen, Stunning Keeping Rm w/beamed ceiling & FP, Romantic Master on main, elevator, World class terrace Lvl w/Rec Rm w/FP, Bar, Billiards Rm w/FP, Humidor, Home Theater(all equipment stays!), 2nd master suite & most beautiful finish work in the River Club. Pool & spa w/stone surround, stunning outdoor living areas. WOW!

Summary

MLS #5722910
Price2500000
Bedrooms6
Bathrooms (Full)6
Square Footage9476
Square Footage SourceTax Record
StatusActive

Features

6 Bed / 6 Bath Home in The River Club

869 Big Horn Hollow

Suwanee, GA 30024

$2450000
Welcome home...you've earned this! Enter an innovative floor plan built for entertaining & family enjoyment. Delight in vaulted wood beamed ceilings throughout, wood, brick & travertine floors, wide baseboards, stained doors throughout. The chef of the family will revel in the showcase kitchen of granite and brick. Master on main, separate his & hers baths/closets with car wash shower for both to enjoy. Terrace level is filled with customized features including media room with built in show cases for memorabilia, bar, wine cellar, game room, cozy rec room with fireplace

Summary

MLS #5713023
Price2450000
Bedrooms6
Bathrooms (Full)6
Square Footage9663
Square Footage SourceTax Record
StatusActive

Features

6 Bed / 6 Bath Home in The River Club

912 Little Darby Lane

Suwanee, GA 30024

$2099000
Old world European inspired master piece, indescribable detail thruout,in private setting, 2 story grand foyer w/spiral staircase, pecky cypress paneled study, gourmet kitchen views to fireside keep rm ,Private master suite on main level w/spa like master bath, his/hers closets w/custom built-ins, whole house audio system ,cover porch w/outdoor fireplace/Terrace level features: Pub style bar,w/1800 bottle wine cellar, theater seats 8 features concession stand, billiard rm,card rm,spa rm w/sauna, salt water pool & spa w/cascading waterfalls & outdoor fire pit.

Summary

MLS #5693604
Price2099000
Bedrooms6
Bathrooms (Full)6
Square Footage9755
Square Footage SourceBuilder
StatusActive

Features

6 Bed / 6 Bath Home in The River Club

811 Flathead Pass

Suwanee, GA 30024

$1975000
Exquisite stone home. Quiet cul-de-sac. 1+/- acres. Impeccable detail + finishes, motor court w 6-car garage. Dormer windows w diagonal panes, peaked arches accent old world architecture. Entry offers views of dining rm + 2-story fireside great rm w 16' windows + flanking bookcases. Arched 8' French doors + 14' ceiling in fireside library. Chefs kitchen w generous counterspace, walk-in pantry, opens to fireside keeping rm w walls of windows + coffered ceiling. Owners suite w 14' ceiling, fireplace, luxury closet 'for her', spiral stairs to 'his closet' + exercise space,

Summary

MLS #5756560
Price1975000
Bedrooms6
Bathrooms (Full)6
Square Footage8200
Square Footage SourceTax Record
StatusActive

Features

6 Bed / 5 Bath Home in The River Club

962 Little Darby Lane

Suwanee, GA 30024

$1849999
Exquisite details with superb finishing mark this amazing River Club home! Formal DR w pecky cypress walls, rustic aged exposed beams, handkerchief ceiling in foyer w built in bookcases. Kitchen built for 2 chefs w island feat all Viking appl & custom inlay cabinetry. Owners suite on main. Barn door leads to pool bath, mud rm w laundry & hammered copper sink. Junior master w spa bath. Finished terrace level& outdoor living at its finest. Complete w private 1 Bdrm Guest House w kitchenette & screened porch overlooking saltwater pool w spa.

Summary

MLS #5645985
Price1849999
Bedrooms6
Bathrooms (Full)5
Square Footage7603
Square Footage SourceBuilder
StatusActive

Features

5 Bed / 5 Bath Home in The River Club

878 Crescent River Pass

Suwanee, GA 30024

$1799999
Stunning Brick & Stone Manor home w good golf course views. Outdoor living rooms on multi levels w fireplace overlooking pool & waterfall spa. Chefs kitchen w mixed woods. Working island w veggie sink, warming drawer, Wolf gas coooktop, dual dishwashers, subzero and wine chiller. Main floor boasts study w fireplace, living room w fireplace & stone walls, formal dining room, & owners suite on main. 3 generous ensuite bedrooms upstairs. Terrace level finished w media, billiards area, custom bar, wine, office, & guest bedroom w full bath.

Summary

MLS #5758623
Price1799999
Bedrooms5
Bathrooms (Full)5
Square Footage7316
Square Footage SourceTax Record
StatusActive

Features

6 Bed / 5 Bath Home in The River Club

5212 Boulder Bluff Way

Suwanee, GA 30024

$1789900
A cul-de-sac lot, this 6 bed home offers an abundance of outdoor living spaces,spa pool & fire pit backing up to natural woods. Foyer flanked w/a large DR & study.The kitchen has it all: island w/serving bar,walk-in pantry & counter space for the home chef.The vaulted kitchen-family room is accented w/ truss beams. Main floor master has spacious his/her walk in closets. A finished terrace w/ theater, family/billiards & game rooms,full kitchen, weight room, guest suite & BA completes this home.

Summary

MLS #5687744
Price1789900
Bedrooms6
Bathrooms (Full)5
Square Footage7553
Square Footage SourceTax Record
StatusActive

Features

6 Bed / 6 Bath Home in None

2915 Southers Circle

Suwanee, GA 30024

$1680000
Peaceful estate with all the amenities-an entertainer's delight! Enter through the iron gate & follow the drive through the trees to your new dream home. A must see with no detail forgotten! Gorgeous Chef's kitchen open to keeping room & breakfast area. Master on main. Finished basement w/full kitchen, custom walnut bar, theater room & more. Saltwater pool/spa with auto cover & outdoor fireplace. HUGE shop w/14' RV door & second 12' door, foam insulation, wired 220 w/gas lines run. Enjoy the convenience of the Chattahoochee Recreation Area out your back door.

Summary

MLS #5740199
Price1680000
Bedrooms6
Bathrooms (Full)6
Square Footage5385
Square Footage SourceAppraisal
StatusActive

Features

4 Bed / 4 Bath Home in The River Club

4870 Hanalei Hollow

Suwanee, GA 30024

$1599990
Home must be sold with a 18-24 month lease back. Fabulous Arthur Rutenberg Custom Home siutated in the River Valley at The River Club. This stunning home features an open floor plan for entertaining, gourmet chef's kitchen and owners suite on the main floor. Upstairs are 3 additional on suite bedrooms and a bonus room. Home has amazing view of 16th fairway and is walking distance to the club. This home is sold furnished.

Summary

MLS #5765916
Price1599990
Bedrooms4
Bathrooms (Full)4
Square Footage4333
Square Footage SourceBuilder
StatusActive

Features

6 Bed / 6 Bath Home in THE RIVER CLUB

4732 Blackwater Way

Suwanee, GA 30024

$1599900
Sitting beautifully on the 6th hole, this home has all the extensive trim/finishes any discriminating buyer will appreciate! Filled w natural light w features to include solid teak flooring, true hand crafted masonry frpl, planked walls in FR, waterworks faucets throughout, custom interior trim & built ins, calcutta gold marble counter tops, & custom hardware. Home is accented w hand baked brick, stone foundation & slate roof for welcoming appeal. Owner suite up w frpl & bath w waterworks tub, steam shower & bidet. Terr lvl w kitchen/bar & bath. 4 car garage too!

Summary

MLS #5566477
Price1599900
Bedrooms6
Bathrooms (Full)6
Square Footage7800
Square Footage SourceTax Record
StatusActive

Features

7 Bed / 8 Bath Home in Belmore Estates

4994 Price Drive

Suwanee, GA 30024

$1599000
Stunning brick & stone estate on over 1 acre in private gated community. Resort style pool featuring waterfall,slide,hot tub, & fire pit plus covered porch w fireplace.4car garage, 8 fireplaces, 3 laundry rooms. Huge owner's suite w private balcony, spacious secondary bedrooms & lofts. Gourmet kitchen well-equipped w high-end appliances opens to spacious keeping room & breakfast room overlooking pool.Terrace level has 2nd kitchen/bar, theater, fitness, steam sauna, game room, den, & guest suite. MANY details and UPGRADES! Luxurious Lifestyle!

Summary

MLS #5765505
Price1599000
Bedrooms7
Bathrooms (Full)8
Square Footage11592
Square Footage SourceTax Record
StatusActive

Features

6 Bed / 6 Bath Home in The River Club

4505 Whitestone Way

Suwanee, GA 30024

$1550000
Tuscan columns and a wrought iron railing greet you at the covered porch of this brick & stone estate, inviting you to step inside. The gracious interior includes 12' ceilings, panelled study, sunny solarium with brick walls & soaring arched windows, a chef's dream kitchen w/ honed granite counter tops, soapstone apron sink, top of the line appliances. Tremendous entertaining space with covered outdoor living space including an outdoor dining porch. Guest suite on main lined by leaded glass windows w/ access to the covered porch.

Summary

MLS #5634131
Price1550000
Bedrooms6
Bathrooms (Full)6
Square Footage8187
Square Footage SourceAppraisal
StatusActive

Features

5 Bed / 5 Bath Home in The River Club

932 Chattooga Trace

Suwanee, GA 30024

$1490000
Modern Day CHIC nestled in the ultra exclusive River Club. Every detail was carefully selected and quality crafted; Reclaimed wood beams & finishes, shiplap & birch walls, Luster Stone walls & ceilings, rich moldings. Master suite on main offers serenity & privacy. Open 2 story family room w/ stone fireplace & T&G ceiling adjacent to the modern renovated chef's kitchen. Enjoy alfresco dining on the covered porch or enjoy smores by the fire on the amazing renovated Trex deck that overlooks the pristine gardens. Full daylight terrace level awaits your finishes.

Summary

MLS #5760185
Price1490000
Bedrooms5
Bathrooms (Full)5
Square Footage5780
Square Footage SourceAppraisal
StatusActive

Features

7 Bed / 6 Bath Home in The River Club

4508 Lochsa Lane

Suwanee, GA 30024

$1490000
Lovely custom brick & stone home in THE RIVER CLUB. Fantastic floor plan W/2 story foyer & LR, executive office, volume ceilings, curved staircase + rear stairs. Beautiful kitchen w/Wolf/Subzero/Bosch/Double ovens & Walk in pantry integrated into cabinetry - overlooks keeping rm w/FP & wood plank ceiling. Guest Suite on Main Level, 4 ensuite BR's up, and 2 BR/1 BA on terrace level along with bar, theater rm (includes equipment) & rec rm. Rear grounds are stunning w/large brick & stone patio, FP, stone pizza oven, grill, sink, stunning hot tub spills over into pool.

Summary

MLS #5743797
Price1490000
Bedrooms7
Bathrooms (Full)6
Square Footage8116
Square Footage SourceAppraisal
StatusActive

Features

4 Bed / 5 Bath Home in The River Club

878 Big Horn Hollow

Suwanee, GA 30024

$1488888
Superb craftsmanship reflect in the River Club brick/stone home. Welcoming foyer feat inlaid floors & flanked by gentleman's Study w custom builtins & formal DR. Natural light fills the GR w fireplace & wet bar. Gourmet Kit feat dual Dishwashers, Subzero, Thermador 6 burner cooktop & dual convection ovens, large island & 2 pantries! Main level owner ste w sitting area & spa bath. Stained Canadian Maple hardwood flooring, 2 ensuite bdrms up & junior owner ste w jetted tub & dual vanities. Fin terr includes billiards/game room & gym w rubber flooring w full bath.

Summary

MLS #5758524
Price1488888
Bedrooms4
Bathrooms (Full)5
Square Footage7133
Square Footage SourceAppraisal
StatusActive

Features

5 Bed / 5 Bath Home in The River Club

5108 Coosa Court

Suwanee, GA 30024

$1475000
Located in a Private setting,home has been meticulously maintained paneled study, gourmet kitchen views to fireside vaulted keep rm,hardwood flooring throughout,master suite on main level w/spa like master bath, his/hers closets w/custom built-ins,second master suite upstairs,large secondary bedrooms w/private baths & great closet space,laundry on main & upstairs cover screen porch w/outdoor fireplace amazing backyard w/stone paver patio that views cascading waterfall & outdoor fire pit.Home backs up to nature preserve,prefect lot for pool walk out from your main floor

Summary

MLS #5765721
Price1475000
Bedrooms5
Bathrooms (Full)5
Square Footage6603
Square Footage SourceTax Record
StatusActive

Features

5 Bed / 4 Bath Home in The River Club

4971 Roaring Fork Pass

Suwanee, GA 30024

$1426000
Stunning J. Patrick O'Donnell brick & stone masterpiece brimming with character in The River Club. Situated on wide lot with preserved forest area, this 5BR, 4 and 2 half BA home is loaded with high-end features, including custom closet system in elegant master retreat on main. Chef's kitchen with pot filler, beverage refrigerator, warming drawer, farm sink, sliding barn door and Wolf range opens up to vaulted, beamed ceilings in family room and screened porch with fireplace. Perfect for entertaining! Full daylight lower level is framed, roughed in for lg in-law suite.

Summary

MLS #5706779
Price1426000
Bedrooms5
Bathrooms (Full)4
Square Footage5000
Square Footage SourceBuilder
StatusActive

Features

business of real estate | Garage with a Detached Home | Gwinnett County GA

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Tag Archives: business of real estate

Garbage In… Garbage Out…

Garbage Only

Garbage Only (Photo credit: Peter Kaminski)

It is an axiom among data types… Garbage in = garbage out.  you can’t derive good data from bad.  If you put garbage into the system, you are destined to get garbage back out.

MLS (Multiple Listing Service) data is the same way.  Real Estate Agents have to use strange and unique search patterns to overcome the bad data put in by other real estate agents… in some cases because the inputting agents are lazy, in others because they are incompetent… or a combination.  Mix in some “over-confidence” because they “have been doing this forever and don’t you dare think you can tell them what’s what” for good measure.

In this case, I’m talking about school district data.

Some of Butte's School Buildings (1915)

Some of Butte’s School Buildings (1915) (Photo credit: Butte-Silver Bow Public Library)

One of the main motivators people have in looking at a certain area will revolve around picking the best schools they can find.  In fact, the last areas to go down in value and the first to begin to rise are those with solid schools.  And the areas with solid schools had less of a slide to begin with.

Getting the schools right is a BASIC part of our jobs.

Unfortunately, we can’t rely on the seller (home owner) to know which schools serve their area.  Unless they currently have children in all of the schools, their data may be out of date.  Sometimes, even when they DO have kids in school.

In the case of one local area, there was a re-districting that went into effect in June, 2010.  A new High School, Middle School and Elementary School were added in the area.  But, we are almost 3 years into this change.

You’d think that agents would have a handle on it…

Wheelwright's tools

Wheelwright’s tools (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Well, you’d be wrong.  In fact, you’d be wrong 30% of the time.  Yep, out of 210 listings in this High School cluster, 64 of them had bad school data.  Usually one wrong school out of three… sometimes two.  I didn’t look to see if they were in the wrong cluster totally…  The one area that really surprised me was that 2 of them were new construction.

One of the tools that EVERY agent needs to use is the online data from school systems.  Granted, some school systems are a decade behind the times on getting districting maps online, but that is NOT the case here in Gwinnett.

But often, agent think they know the schools (since they have been an agent in this area since it was farmland) or the look to see what other agents have put in for the neighborhood… or worse yet, they look at the schools listed by Trulia (which can even be in the wrong county).  So, they don’t spend 10 minutes checking online.

I expected that with the agents listing bank-owned properties over the last few years.  They were churning their listings, not caring about serving the needs of buyers.  But as we have moved back into an era of private sellers again, I’m a little surprised at how few agents have the right info…

And Where Does This Go?

WRONG WAY

WRONG WAY (Photo credit: CarbonNYC)

First… as a seller, how many buyer searches are you missing out on because your agent doesn’t have basic information like schools entered properly?  Buyer search by school…  And they BUY based on schools they search.

Second… if they aren’t paying attention to things like schools, what other details are they not noticing?  I run across poor descriptions, bad pictures and other faulty data all of the time.

Third…  how much actual money or time are YOU wasting, as a seller, while buyers skip past your home because the data isn’t correct?  The average days on market for homes listed in this cluster over the last year with the RIGHT info is 86.  The average for homes listed with the WRONG data is 108.  Do YOU want to spend an extra 22 days on the market… almost an extra full house payment?

Fourth… and this is the one I don’t have the ability to find data for… how many times were homes put under contract, only to fall out of contract when the buyers discovered that they weren’t in the school system they thought?  How much missed market time was there?

Want to know more? Give Lane a call…

 

 

 

 

 

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Atlanta Home Prices up 40% From Last Year?

According to the AJC, Metro Atlanta home prices shot up an amazing 40% between March, 2012 and March, 2013.  This is looking at the median prices for “metro Atlanta”.  Unfortunately, they don’t give us a breakdown…

But, I am going to tell you that the news isn’t quite that rosy.  And here’s why:

Licensing

Licensing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This looks at the median value of properties that closed during each time period (March, 2012 and March, 2013).  It doesn’t look at neighborhoods, zip codes or cities.  This becomes a problem with what I call “market creep”.

Last year, we were seeing a LOT of investor sales.  Many of these were foreclosed properties, being unloaded by banks, at firesale prices.  Not only that, but they were VERY often at the extreme low end of the market.  These are houses that in a strong market might sell for under $60k or $70k.  Granted, their prices were SUPER cheap… sometimes as low as $25k or $30k.  But, they were insufficient numbers as to push down the overall market.

*** A quick note about “median” and “average”***  Many people use one or the other, sometimes as if they were interchangeable, but they are quite different.

Average is derived by adding everything up and dividing it by how many there were to add up.  So, if you had $1, $2, $10, $37 and $100, it would add up to $150.  Divide that by 5, and the average would by $30

Median is derived by looking at the middle value.  With our numbers above, half are above $10, half below.  The median would be $10.

This year, we are seeing more expensive homes going on the market.  Also, they are less frequently foreclosures or short sales.  So, the “normal” listing prices are higher.  In effect, houses could be selling for similar prices, but the mix could have changed.

Map of Georgia highlighting Gwinnett County

Map of Georgia highlighting Gwinnett County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Going back to our previous numbers…

This time we had sales of $25, $26, $30, $34 and $35.  Our average sale is still $30, but our median sale has now also jumped up to $30

The sales aren’t really comparable to the previous group, but, it appears that there has been a HUGE increase in the median value.  In real estate, these exact numbers aren’t realistic, but the concept is still true.

Here in Gwinnett, we have seen a solid 10% appreciation over the last year.  There are pockets where it could be argued higher, and others where it is lower, but 10% is a defensible increase.

In order to REALLY get to the bottom of it, we have to look at subdivisions, and maybe even sections of a subdivision (in the case of the larger ones).  Even then, we need to make adjustments for condition and even intangible changes (distressed v non-distressed sales).

The bottom line is that there are VERY few home owners that have seen their properties appreciate even close to 40% in the last year.  But there is a reasonable chance that they have seen 10% appreciation.

Going after statistics with a shotgun, like this article did, seeks to erase the differences with a large volume of properties.  The problem is that it is misleading to most consumers… buyers AND sellers.  About the only thing it does is make some sellers feel better about their homes… but it doesn’t really do that honestly.

If YOU want to find out about YOUR Gwinnett home’s value, give me a shout.

AJC link

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It’s Even In the BAD School Districts Now…

And no, I am NOT going to volunteer which ones those are…

Gwinnett County, Georgia

Gwinnett County, Georgia (Photo credit: Dougtone)

Today during our weekly brokerage meeting, my broker was talking about builder activity.  South Forsyth County has been going nuts for a few months now.  And since inventory has been so low and demand so high, he mentioned that it’s even spilling over into bad school clusters…

Frankly, I got a kick out of that.

 

But, it is also VERY true.  We’ve been seeing inventories drop like a rock in a lot of pockets.  Interest rates are trolling along at unbelievably low levels and prices are still suppressed by short sale and foreclosure activity.  Gwinnett is moving in a strong direction…  Forsyth has been there for a while and we have watched as the builders moved further up-market… now it seems like there is a LOT of activity in the $500k range.  A year ago, it would have been suicidal for a builder to put up anything at that price… now they are pre-selling half of their lots before getting a model built.

In fact, one community opened in the last few days and had people CAMPING out over night to be first in line to reserve houses…  Real estate is such a deal right now that it is getting BLACK FRIDAY attention.

 

Rural public high school, Walkertown, Forsyth ...

Rural public high school, Walkertown, Forsyth County, NC (Photo credit: Government & Heritage Library, State Library of NC)

I need to be quick to point out that Gwinnett isn’t quite as far along as Forsyth in that regard… GREAT if you are a buyer, and not too bad if you are a seller.  Forsyth had a little advantage in that there weren’t as many foreclosures as in Gwinnett.  Gwinnett is also a much larger market, so it takes more to turn it.  But we are seeing dramatic decreases in “wholesale” activity (foreclosures) as well as distressed properties like short sales.  At the same time, “retail” sales are surging and inventories are dropping.

 

So, while prices are still struggling a little, they are much stronger than the last few years, and often, well prices homes are pulling in multiple offers… even over listed price.

 

If you want to have a conversation about YOUR Gwinnett County home, give me a call.

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Sugar Hill, GA, Market Report, February 2013

This map shows the incorporated and unincorpor...

Image via Wikipedia

Market stats for Sugar Hill, GA , Febuary, 2013 indicates that there were 111 homes on the market. Flat from last month. Overall, there is about an 4.8 month supply (4.3 last month). There were 25 sales, compared to 16 last month and 19 last February. Of course, then there were 150 listings on the market.

For Sugar Hill homes priced under $200k, there were 69 listings, with about 4.4 months supply. There were 16 sales this February, a little below last year for the same time (18). There were 13 sales last month. Inventories have been fluid, rising and falling. This time of year we often see a slight decrease in listings… but we are already very low. In fact, sales may be stifled by lack of inventory. Christmas slowed things down, as usual, but it’s about time to pick up again.

Sugar Hill Listings between $200k and $400k, there are 37 listings for sale, and about 5.6 months of supply. Last February there was a 12.3 month supply. There was 1 sale then, this year there were also 8. Last month had 2 sales. That makes two of the last three months look pretty strong. We are in a slight Seller’s Market here again when the Holiday slowdown is over.

For listings in the $400k to $600k range, there were 5 homes on the market. The absorption rate was around 5.0 months, but with 1 sale this month, it is tough to calculate accurately. Obviously, a sale or two could make a BIG difference. I’ve finally started to see some consistency here. Hopefully we’ll have a little more action during the Spring selling season.

In the $600k to $800k, $800k to $1m and Above $1m (combined), the sales are too inconsistent to have a solid read on, but there were 0 homes listed for sale in these price ranges. No sales have been recorded in the last 2+ years.

Sugar Hill, GA is a suburb of Atlanta in Gwinnett County. The population is 2000 was 11,399, but that only included the area inside the city limits. The name comes from a bag of Sugar that spilled on a hill while in transit between Cumming and the railroad in Buford. And while it is actually a big market, it is in the shadows of Lawrenceville, Duluth and Suwanee… which all are nearby. That also makes it a great location, as it is close to everything that Gwinnett County, GA has to offer.

I have a page dedicated to Sugar Hill Market Data.

Atlanta Metro Zillow Home Value Index

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The Appraisal Came Back Low… aaarrgghh!!!

Commonly heard, especially from sellers right now…

Let’s get a couple of things out of the way.

  • Back during the “boom”, it was almost unheard of for an appraisal to come back too low.  The banks wanted them high, and the appraisers were getting paid by the banks.  The thought was “real estate will always go up, so if the value is a little out of line, it’s OK”.
  • Around 2007/2008, that stopped.  There were a lot of big changes in the appraisal world…
  • Appraisers NOW are all but forced to be VERY conservative.
  • Appraisals are based on “comps” sold within the last 6 months… sometimes 12 months.

 

1939 United States Appraisers Stores Building,...

1939 United States Appraisers Stores Building, 7300 Wingate, Houston, Texas 1205201547BW (Photo credit: Patrick Feller)

So, where we find ourselves in the current real estate climate is with price appreciation happening, most noticeably at the entry level end of the market.  Homes are OFTEN drawing multiple offers and selling over listing price.

 

As a byproduct, values are outstripping appraisals.  It isn’t always that the prices are out of line with other homes in the neighborhood… it is often because the appraisal process almost demands that appraisers work with information that is out of date.

On average, after a buyer and seller agree on a price, it may take from 30-60 days for the sale to close.  After that, it may take another 30-60 days for the sale to be recorded with the county.  The local MLSs are a bit faster, generally having the sale information within a week or so of closing.

So, the Appraiser is working with sale prices that reflect where the market was anywhere from 1½ to 4 months ago… at best.  And in the market we are in, there has been about a 10% increase in pricing, dependent on location, price segment, etc.  But much, if not most of that appreciate has been more recent than the 6 months an Appraiser is looking at.

The next issue that we run into relates to condition.  Many of the properties that sold last year, or the year before that were in pretty rough shape.  Much of the foreclosure and short sale inventory has been worked through, but a year, and even 6 months ago, it accounted for a large chunk of the sales.  Now, with constrained inventories, that isn’t the case.

 

Housing

Housing (Photo credit: james.thompson)

Appraisers DO adjust values based on condition… but the problem is that often the adjustments are based on a limited amount of information available in an MLS listing for a bank-owned property.  Sorry, but many of the “REO Agents” left minimal information for the appraiser to work from.  It wasn’t uncommon to see a bank-owned listing with 4 pictures, and NO details about condition of the property.

 

Subsequently, the Appraiser might not know that the house that sold a year ago in the subdivision for $75,000 less than the house you are dealing with also happened to need $50,000 in work to bring it up to where it is now.  And his adjustment for that house might have only been $10,000…

The result is that we see neighborhoods with homes that sold for $100,000 last year, with homes that could (and do) sell for $175,000 this year.  Seems like a HUGE increase in value, but the reality is that the $100,000 house needed a tremendous amount of work to get it up to where the current houses are.  Coupled with the reduced inventory and increasing prices… the current price is NOT out of line with reality.

But then…

The appraisal hit.  And it hits HARD.

The buyer either freaks out and thinks that he wants a MASSIVE price cut because of the low appraisal, or starts freaking out that there is no way they can buy the house.

The seller either freaks out because he has to take that much more of a loss, or becomes despondent because he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to sell his house.

Nobody wants to return anybody’s call…

Solutions…

AP of Large Residence under construction for u...

AP of Large Residence under construction for use in an appraisal article (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Actually, there are some things that can be done…

  • Buyers – You have to realize that the appraisal is an opinion of value, often based on out of date information.  It is NOT the Appraiser’s fault that it is low… the Appraiser HAS to work within very specific guidelines.
  • Sellers – Same thing.
  • Both – Don’t yell at your agent.  We aren’t picking the appraisers.  Neither is your Mortgage person.  But, we WILL try to help.
  • Sellers – One of the best ways to start is to buy (yes, spending money) an appraisal PRIOR to listing your home for sale.  Forewarned is forearmed.  It is better to know well in advance that there could be a problem than to get slapped by a shocker appraisal just when you think you are on Easy St.
  • Agents – Do your homework.  Is the CMA for the Seller (or the Buyer) “real” or is it manufactured just to tell them what they wanted to hear?  If it is based in reality, give the Appraiser the comps you used.  You can NOT tell them what to value the house at, but you can help them get to where you are.
  • Sellers & Seller’s Agent – If you get a pre-listing appraisal, talk with the Appraiser about helping to fight the low one.  They speak the same language and might have an easier time working everything out.

There is one other tidbit.  If the appraisal is done for an FHA loan, it sticks with the house for 90 days… that mean ANY subsequent FHA loan from another buyer for the next 3 months will use the same appraisal.  And if you think it is out of whack now, think how out of whack it will be in 3 months…

 

The bottom line is…

Don’t freak out.  Work with the professionals that you hired and see if they can get everything worked out.

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