Athens, GA Real Estate Bloghttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/blogAthens GA real estate market news provided by Prudential Blanton PropertiesWed, 08 Feb 2012 03:00:00 GMTNew Listing in Athens - Custom Built Home on 8 Private Acres 196 Red Fox Run ~ offered at $645,000

This is a truly amazing custom built home on 8 private acres. You will be impressed from the moment you enter the Foyer and notice the 10 ft ceiling and slate tile flooring. This home offers a formal Living Room with chair rail; an open and spacious Family Room with fireplace, built-in Spagnoli bookshelves and french doors leading to the deck; gourmet Kitchen with granite counters, island, breakfast area and private screened porch; and a formal Dining Room with antique chandelier and access to the Sunroom. Split bedroom plan with the Owner's Bedroom featuring 2 walk-in closets, tiled Bath with shower stall, tub and marble vanity. Two guest bedrooms and guest bath can also be found on the main level. The finished basement can be accessed either by spiral staircase or elevator and contains a guest bedroom/bath, office, large recreation room, storage room and access to the 3 car garage. The entire home was created with a passive solar and energy efficient design and it shows in the utility bills which are quite low for the size of the home. The outside grounds were professionally designed and landscaped and you will find an array of hollies, birches, crepe myrtles and more. This is a very unique property and must bee seen to appreciate the full value.

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/New-Listing-in-Athens-Custom-Built-Home-on-8-Private-Acreshttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/New-Listing-in-Athens-Custom-Built-Home-on-8-Private-AcresWed, 08 Feb 2012 03:00:00 GMTAthens in 1947 For those of you who live in or are familiar with Athens - I thought this was a very interesting video that was shot in 1947.  Obviously a lot has changed but there are many familiar sights:

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Athens-in-1947http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Athens-in-1947Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:00:00 GMTAthens Yoga Spots Many people are discovering the benefits of yoga these days from all walks of life.  Athens has long been know for its cultural diversity and eclectic mix and offers many locations/studios to practice different styles of yoga.  Here are just a few if you live in the area and are interested:

Rubber Soul Yoga  http://www.rubbersoulyoga.com/

Five Points Yoga  http://www.athensfivepointsyoga.com/

Sangha @ the Healing Arts Center  http://www.healingartscentre.net/sangha.php

Chet Thomas Yoga  http://www.athensomtownyoga.com/

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Athens-Yoga-Spotshttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Athens-Yoga-SpotsThu, 26 Jan 2012 03:00:00 GMTFHA 203k Renovation Loan - Make Your Dream Home a Reality! Home buyers - have you ever found a house in a perfect location but it was missing a key feature that you need or was in need of more repairs than you would be able to handle?  There is a loan out there for you - the FHA 203k.  I attended a very informative class yesterday given by Brian Stephens of Wells Fargo on the FHA 203k loan and learned some valuable information.  Virtually any home can be purchased with an FHA 203k.  Minor repairs, missing appliances, or major renovations can be financed into your mortgage.  It is even possible to tear a home down to its foundation and re-build it using this loan!  For more information about these renovation loans visit:

http://renovationloanguy.com/

 

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/FHA-203k-Renovation-Loan-Make-Your-Dream-Home-a-Realityhttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/FHA-203k-Renovation-Loan-Make-Your-Dream-Home-a-RealityWed, 18 Jan 2012 03:00:00 GMTAthens, GA Foreclosures If you are curious about Athens, GA foreclosures, below is a heat map from RealtyTrac which shows a breakdown of the 65 homes that were foreclosed in December by zip code.  If you would like to receive new listing alerts by email when a new foreclosure hits the market in the Athens area, visit  http://www.findathensareahomes.com/ and enter "foreclosures only" in the comments section.

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Athens-GA-Foreclosures-2http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Athens-GA-Foreclosures-2Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:00:00 GMTBuying a Home in 2012 2012 will be a great year to buy a home as prices stabilize and interest rates are still low - here is a short video from CNN Money about the year ahead:

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Buying-a-Home-in-2012http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Buying-a-Home-in-2012Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:00:00 GMTConfidence in Real Estate Many of you may know Greg Rand who hosts the radio/internet show "Rand on Real Estate".  This is a clip worth watching from a recent show where Greg explains what went wrong in the last decade and why it is important to have confidence in the market going forward.  A caller also asks a question about a short sale and he gives some valuable info there as well:

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Confidence-in-Real-Estatehttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Confidence-in-Real-EstateTue, 27 Dec 2011 03:00:00 GMTCold Weather Preparation With Winter now upon us, here are some tips from local Athenians on how to prepare your home and auto for cold weather:

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Cold-Weather-Preparationhttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Cold-Weather-PreparationThu, 22 Dec 2011 03:00:00 GMTAthens Locally Grown This past Saturday was the last Athens Farmers Market of the season but if you are a locavore who wants fresh local produce throughout the winter and early spring you have another option.  Athens Locally Grown  serves as an online farmers market for the Athens area (in fact many of these growers also grow for the Athens Farmers Market).  Once you create an account you can order fresh veggies, dairy, meats, artisan breads and and many other items year round -try it out!  For more information visit:

http://athens.locallygrown.net/

 

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Athens-Locally-Grownhttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Athens-Locally-GrownMon, 19 Dec 2011 03:00:00 GMTUpdate on HARP 2.0 Last month I told you about the new government HARP 2.0 program which may allow you to refinance your mortgage (if it is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac) no matter how far underwater you happen to be.  Initially lenders were going to begin taking applications in December but that has now been pushed back to March 2012 which is when Fannie & Freddie's automated loan underwriting software will be updated.  So if you are considering refinancing with this new program - hold tight until March and then take advantage of this great opportunity.

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Update-on-HARP-20http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Update-on-HARP-20Tue, 13 Dec 2011 03:00:00 GMTGreen Mortgages Are you familiar with Energy Efficient Mortgages?  If you are an environmentally conscious home buyer or just interested in buying an energy efficient home to keep your utility bills low, then you should consider an EEM or "green" mortgage.  With an EEM mortgage, a home's energy savings is actually built into the mortgage and the buyer's debt to income ratios can be expanded so that they may qualify for a more expensive and energy efficient home.  For more information visit Energy Star's site:

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=mortgages.energy_efficient_mortgages

 

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Green-Mortgageshttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Green-MortgagesFri, 09 Dec 2011 03:00:00 GMTBrookfield Aquires Prudential Real Estate It has been an exciting week for Prudential Real Estate.  On Tuesday it was announced that Brookfield Residential Property Services has purchased Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services.  This addition to Brookfield's existing residential real estate franchising and employee relocation businesses establishes Brookfield as the 2nd largest employee relocation provider and 3rd largest residential real estate franchise business in the world.  

Prudential Real Estate affiliates will continue using the Prudential brand.  Prudential and Brookfield will operate as separate networks under the same parent company (Brookfield Asset Management).

It will be business as usual here at Prudential Blanton Properties but we are excited about the opportunities that this association will bring.

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Brookfield-Aquires-Prudential-Real-Estatehttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Brookfield-Aquires-Prudential-Real-EstateThu, 08 Dec 2011 03:00:00 GMTPearl Harbor Day This is a great video remembering the tragic events that happened 70 years ago today - never forget Pearl Harbor.

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Pearl-Harbor-Dayhttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Pearl-Harbor-DayWed, 07 Dec 2011 03:00:00 GMTInstalling a Programmable Thermostat Looking to save money on your heating bills this winter?  Installing a programmable thermostat could be a great way to do it - watch this video from Home Depot to find out how:

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Installing-a-Programmable-Thermostathttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Installing-a-Programmable-ThermostatTue, 06 Dec 2011 03:00:00 GMTHoliday Season in Athens This is such a wonderful time of year in Athens when there is an overwhelming sense of community.  There seems to be holiday events happening every day.  If you live near the Classic City here are a few events that are upcoming:

December 1 - Downtown Parade of Lights  http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/index.aspx?NID=2589

December 2 - "Overnight Christmas" @ the Morton Theatre  http://www.mortontheatre.com/

December 3 - Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa  http://www.athensindiecraftstravaganzaa.com/

December 10-11 Athens Symphony Christmas Concerts @  the Classic Center  http://www.athenssymphony.org/

 

 

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Holiday-Season-in-Athenshttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Holiday-Season-in-AthensThu, 01 Dec 2011 03:00:00 GMTAthens Rotary Club Plungefest On February 4, 2012 my Rotary Club will have the first ever Athens Rotary Plungefest at Lake Chapman in Sandy Creek Park here in Athens.  Participants will jump into the wintry water to raise money for 3 local charities:  the Foodbank of Northeast Georgia, the Red Cross of East Georgia and Shelterbox.  We could really use your help - click on the link below to donate or register to take the plunge yourself!

http://www.blueskycollaborative.com/athens/default.asp

 

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Athens-Rotary-Club-Plungefesthttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Athens-Rotary-Club-PlungefestFri, 18 Nov 2011 03:00:00 GMTVeterans Day Please take a moment today and give thanks to those who have sacrificed so much to defend and protect our freedom.

 

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Veterans-Dayhttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Veterans-DayFri, 11 Nov 2011 03:00:00 GMTHARP Last week the federal government announced that changes are being made to the HARP program (Home Affordable Refinance Program) which will hopefully make it easier to refinance at today's low interest rates.  Among other changes, home owner's may now be able to refinance no matter how underwater they are in their mortgage - previously you could not refinance if you were more than 125% underwater.  Watch the video below for more details:

http://youtu.be/RVNzS8exIqw

 

 

 

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/HARPhttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/HARPFri, 04 Nov 2011 03:00:00 GMTSolutions for the Housing Crisis

This is a good video from NAR with ideas on how to improve the housing market:

 

 

 

 

 

 

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Solutions-for-the-Housing-Crisishttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Solutions-for-the-Housing-CrisisWed, 19 Oct 2011 03:00:00 GMTBuy vs Rent This is a good calculator from the New York Times which shows that compares buying vs renting a home:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/business/buy-rent-calculator.html

 

 

]]>http://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Buy-vs-Renthttp://www.bbsellshomes.com/Blog/Buy-vs-RentMon, 10 Oct 2011 03:00:00 GMT