By Patty Tarver
President of the Fayette County Board of REALTORS

Winter is often considered a relatively slow time of year when it comes to buying and selling real estate. In colder regions, trekking through snow and ice to visit open houses isn’t the way most people tend to spend their free time.

DES Consultants, Inc. (DES, Inc.), a leading provider of environmental training and consulting services to builders, developers, and contractors throughout the United States, today announced their upcoming course schedule for Erosion Control Training & Certification in the Metro Atlanta area.

By JOHNNY BOLTON
President of the Fayette County Board of Realtors

Thanks to Uncle Sam and some temporary tax credits, it pays right now to go green. Although a lot of attention has been paid to the $8,000 home buyer tax credit that was established earlier this year by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, that legislation also established a number of tax breaks for current homeowners who want to improve their home’s energy efficiency.

Home buyers seeking a new home under $200,000 and low maintenance lifestyle in Peachtree City - with bright open living areas offering granite counter tops, custom kitchen cabinetry, stainless appliances, and hardwood floors - will find all this at The Village at Lexington Circle across from Peachtree East Shopping Center on Hwy. 54.

If you are thinking of buying your first home, plan to attend a free homebuyer seminar at The Home Source Realtors Fayette office to learn what it takes to help make your dream of home ownership a reality.

Jánat L. Fletcher is a new sales associate with the Peachtree City/Fayette County office of Coldwell Banker Bullard Realty.

Fayette County High School graduate and University of Georgia alumni Kate Bailey (Kathryn) was recently named a “Top Gun,” for the second consecutive year, by the Georgia Association of Mortgage Brokers (GAMB).  

Ann Hargraves of The Home Source Realtors Fayette office in Peachtree City now holds the Real Estate Owned (REO) designation following an intensive course of study and examination. Hargraves joins fewer than one percent of real estate licensees to have earned the designation.

Tonya Anderson with Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Partners has been awarded the Accredited Buyer Representation (ABR) designation by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council, Inc. (REBAC) of the National Association Of Realtors (NAR).

Karen Lewis is now with The Home Source Realtors Fayette General Brokerage office in Peachtree City. A licensed Realtor since 2003 with experience in general brokerage and new home sales, Karen specializes in residential real estate in Fayette and Coweta counties and surrounding areas.

The federal government gave many potential home buyers a big incentive to become homeowners earlier this year with an $8,000 tax credit for qualified home purchases through November 30, 2009. Now the Federal Housing Administration has sweetened the deal. Instead of waiting to file their taxes to receive the $8,000 credit, qualifying buyers who use FHA loans can access the funds immediately through short-term bridge loans.

Mary Watts of The Home Source Realtors Fayette General Brokerage office continues her real estate advanced education by earning the Green designation, the only green real estate professional designation recognized by the National Association of REALTORS (NAR).

RE/MAX of Georgia is proud to announce once again that RE/MAX is the number one organization in closed volume in Fayette County according to the Georgia Multiple Listing Service, the recognized industry source for calculating all local industry statistics.

Barbara Pearson, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Around Atlanta Results is proud to announce that Mark Darby has received the Top Agent 2008 award.

Barbara Pearson, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Around Atlanta Results in Peachtree City, congratulates Mike Robinson & Associates on being named Top Team 2008. You probably recognize Mike from The Real Estate Book where he has had exclusive rights to the back cover of The Real Estate Book for over 20 years.

By Chuck Fister,
Realtor and
GA Real Property Appraiser
Special to The Citizen

Fayette County single-family listing data available as of January 1, 2009 for 2008 clearly show that the Fayette County home sales market is surviving, but lacks the vitality to thrive. The loss in sales vitality from significant historical milestones is staggering. 2008 ended with total sales of 1,085 single family listings. From 2007 with total sales of 1,552 to 2008, Fayette County lost 30.1% of sales volume. The peak year for historical sales was 2005 with 2,107 units sold. Compared to that milestone, 2008 sales were down a whopping 48.5%.

By Johnny Bolton
President of Fayette County Board of Realtors

Owning a home is still one of the best long-term investments you can make, according to Fayette County Board of Realtors. In fact, in a recent Baylor University study, eight out of 10 economists agreed that home prices will rise again in the next 5 years. Taking advantages of today’s buyer opportunities is a smart move because these incentives won’t be around forever, but the American dream of homeownership will endure.

Vince Rossetti was raised in Baltimore, MD which is also where he started his family and building career. In 1964 he worked with Jim Ryan at Ryland Homes in the nation’s first planned community in Columbia, MD. He later moved his family to Houston, Texas to help Ryland Homes start up The Woodlands, another planned community type development. When he found out about Peachtree City he decided he would strike out on his own and move his family to Fayette County. The year was 1974. Richard Nixon was President and interest rates hit almost 10 percent that year. Since then we have had seven more Presidents and interest rates as high as 18.5% in 1981.

Longboat is a new lake community one mile east of Peachtree City on Hwy 54. If you are searching for an exceptional lake lot, or an upscale lake community, this is an ideal opportunity to select your lot before construction begins.

Twelve high school and college students were awarded scholarships from the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia Thursday evening in an awards banquet held at Fayetteville First Baptist Church.

Dot Bosworth with Keller Williams Realty Professionals has been awarded the Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR) designation by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council, Inc. (REBAC) of the National Association of REALTORS. Dot joins more than 32,000 real estate professionals in North America who have earned the ABR designation. All were required to successfully complete a comprehensive course in buyer representation and an elective course focusing on a buyer representation specialty, both in addition to submitting documentation verifying professional experience.

Longtime South Metro Atlanta Realtor, Leslie Edwards has announced that she and her team are going green. You may have seen the little red SMART car around town with Leslie’s logo, “leslie edwards sells real estate 770.460.9448”, RE/MAX logos, and “SMART Realtor, SMART Car” on front back and sides.

David Weekley Homes at SummerGrove offers an investment advantage to home buyers with a new Green Home program that reduces a home’s energy consumption and the resulting environmental impact. The new energy efficient features, focusing on heating and air conditioning, are offered at no additional cost to home buyers.

Historical Concepts, a multi-discipline architectural firm with offices in Peachtree City and Atlanta, Georgia, was recently recognized for its residential and commercial architecture by the Southeast Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America (ICA&CA). Named for Atlanta architect Philip Trammel Shutze, who is regarded as one of the 20th century’s most devoted classicists, The Shutze Awards recognize excellence in classical and traditional design and craftsmanship.

Presented by the Fayette County Board of REALTORS
President, Dawn Scarbrough

April is Fair Housing Month. HUD will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act's signing by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1968.The National Fair Housing Policy Conference will be held in Atlanta April 8 – 11.

Coldwell Banker Bullard Realty has moved upward one step to the No. 12 position in the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s annual listing of “Atlanta’s Top 25 Residential Real Estate Companies”. In addition, the company was ranked No 10 in the publication’s listing of “Atlanta’s Top 10 Residential of Real Estate Organizations.”

Exit Encore Realty is proud to announce that Barry Christiansen recently joined our office.
Barry was a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Texas during his twenty five year history with a large manufacturing company before “semi” retiring. Barry was a Realtor in Texas while in College. He holds a Master’s degree in business and is also a Certified Management Accountant.

Century 21 Scarbrough Properties is delighted to announce the addition of several new faces to its firm. “Although new to our company these professionals are not new to the real estate business and we are very enthusiastic about their joining our team. Each one has something unique and special they bring to our company ” says Beth Johnson, managing broker.

The Prudential Georgia Realty Fayetteville office, located at 834 S. Glynn Street, recently honored its top sales associates for 2007.

Cathy Gailey, RE/MAX Around Atlanta Results REALTOR, was one of four Breast Cancer Survivors honored at the RE/MAX International Convention held recently in Las Vegas. Prior to the convention, a film crew interviewed Cathy, her family, and Broker Barbara Pearson for a piece to be used at the Susan G. Komen Luncheon and Fashion Show.