"Why Should I Own My Home Rather Than Rent?"

Looking to buy or sell a home in Cobb County? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (678) 631-1812 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer your real estate questions.

A recent Harvard study found that there are behavioral factors that play a role in people's home buying decisions - as opposed to financial factors being the sole motivator. Here is a list of 15 benefits of home ownership that take both into account:

1. Paying rent is not a good investment.
   
2. Motivates you to become a better citizen and engage in important civic activities.
3. More living space.
4. A good place to raise children and provide them with good education.
5. It's a good financial opportunity.
6. You can select a community where people share your values.
7. Symbol of success and achievement.
8. Start building your family wealth.
9. It's an investment in your retirement.
10. Owning a home provides tax benefits.
11. The landlord doesn't have the final say on pets.
12. Gives you something you can borrow against if needed.
13. It's a safe place to raise your family.
14. You don't want to be told how you can decorate your home.
15. It allows you to live in a nicer place.

Do these benefits sound like something you would be interested in? If so, give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love to sit down and discuss your options. Hope you enjoyed the tips - thanks, and have a great week!

The 2nd Quarter Market Analysis Shows it's a Good Time to Buy or Sell in Cobb County

Looking to buy or sell a home in Cobb County? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (678) 631-1812 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer your real estate questions.

In today's blog, we take a look at the results of the 2nd quarter market analysis for this year. According to the chart, the availability of homes has changed over the last year. For Atlanta homes under $750,000, we are currently in a seller's market, as there are more buyers than sellers in the marketplace. However, we are moving toward a more balanced market, which is achieved when there is between 6 and 7 months of available inventory, according to the National Association of Realtors.

If you have a luxury home in the area, now is a great time to sell. There are a lot of buyers out there, making now a good time to get top value if your home is in good condition and priced right.

But is now a good time to buy in Atlanta, since sellers still have a slight advantage? It is, in fact, a great time to buy. We recently worked with a young couple who were able to secure a 3.87% interest rate! That is unbelievably low and we don't know how much longer rates will stay there. If you want more details from the 2nd quarter analysis, don't hesitate to call. We would be happy to go over some of the finer points with you!

How One Meeting Can Take the Stress and Confusion Out of Buying a Cobb County Home

Looking to buy or sell a home in Cobb County? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (678) 631-1812 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Recently, we attended a Q&A panel consisting of 7 recent home buyers in Cobb County who purchased homes over the last year. They were being interviewed by Realtors about their home buying experience. 

As they went through a list of questions, a lot of similarities started to pop up. One curious similarity was that their agents were sending them random listings that weren't in their price range or target area. They were confused as to why their agents would do this. Another similarity was that once each of them purchased homes and went under contract, they had no guidance and had no idea what the next steps were. They felt lost and confused about the home buying process after experiencing these things.

Once more questions were asked and we went deeper into the problem, we found out that only 1 of the 7 had a formal buyer consultation. A formal buyer consultation is a meeting in which the buyer comes into the real estate office where the agent explains everything they can do to help, what happens when you go under contract, and go through all the listings that match your criteria to figure out what you are looking for as a buyer. 

All 7 of these buyers had successfully purchased a home, but they felt lost and confused the whole time. We think having a a buyer consultation is very important and will help make the home buying process much clearer for you. We can provide this important consultation so that purchasing your next home is a fun and enjoyable experience.

If you have any questions regarding Cobb County real estate, or would like to schedule a buyer consultation meeting, please give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help.