Can I buy a house even though I declared bankruptcy? Believe it or not, there is financial life after bankruptcy. It will take some effort on your part, but you can rebuild your credit with careful budgeting and record keeping. A bankruptcy is a red flag that makes lenders leery, and it will stay on your credit report for 10 years. If you have a history of bad credit (e.g., a bankruptcy and numerous late payments) and don't take steps to repair it, most lenders won't take on the risk of giving you credit. If you find a lender willing to give you credit, you can expect a high interest rate (e.g., twice the going market rate). However, if you work to improve your credit rating by obtaining a line of credit and making all of your payments on time, for example, you may be able to obtain the... 10/04/2008

Market Update for St. Ives Country Club -  August 2008(per FMLS and office records, as of September 22, 2008)  As of today, September 22, 2008, there are 29 active listings in St. Ives Country Club, ranging in price from $429,900 to $1,599,900. Of those, 6 are priced at $1 million or above. Three listings are new construction. Two listings are listed as foreclosures. There are currently 5 pending sales (including those with contingencies), with list prices/pending closing dates of: $549,000 - proposed closing date 9/22/08 $513,000 - proposed closing date 9/29/08 (foreclosure) $669,000 - proposed closing date 10/17/08 $679,900 - proposed closing date 10/21/08 $889,000 - proposed closing date 10/27/08 For August 2008, 1 property sold in St. Ives Country Club (from August 1 - 31, 2008, pe... 09/23/2008

I recently blogged about Walmart pricing and its pitfalls over on my personal blog, but I wanted to talk about pricing your home strategically here and possibly see how many agents are using pricing as a strategy (remembering to price the home correctly as well). For example, as discussed on Trulia, would you ever price your home at $423,435?   I'm wondering about the validity of this strategy.  If done on purpose, with every listing at $XXX,123 then it could be a tactic to allow buyers and potential sellers browsing competition, find the agent's listing and possibly be impressed by the number of listings.  However, this strategy is as flawed as walmart pricing because it ignores the internet.  Search engines like Trulia and Realtor.com are based on 10's and 25's so a home seller who pr... 09/12/2008

THE INFORMATION BELOW IS PROVIDED BY THE CITY OF DULUTH GA. http://www.duluthga.net/eBlast/index.html City of Duluth eNews Duluth news you can use!  September 5, 2008 Edition   In this issue Red Clay TheatreFlicks on the BricksSave the DateNews from your MuseumDuluth Fall FestivalGwinnett's Most Talented Also this month September 08City Council(7:00pm)September 09Duluth MerchantsAssociation(6:00pm)September 15PlanningCommission(7:00pm)September 16DowntownDevelopmentAuthority(6:30pm) Important Dates March - SeptemberDog Days of DuluthSeptember 13Flicks on the BricksSurf's UpSeptember 27 - 28Duluth Fall FestivalSeptember 27SummerStageThe MustangsOctober 25Halloween on the GreenScooby Doo Improv Comedy Troupe September 5 & 12Time: 8:00 pmTickets $10 Playing In Traffic is one of the premier... 09/05/2008

St Marlo luxury homes for sale St Marlo - Duluth: country club homes, luxury real estate, gated golf country club community. Luxury properties - real estate in St Marlo in Duluth Georgia 30097. Welcome to St Marlo!  St Marlo is a planned gated country club community built around the acclaimed St Marlo golf course. St Marlo is located just north of Atlanta in Duluth Georgia, and is bordered by Medlock Bridge Road, McGinnis Ferry Road, and the Chattahoochee River. St Marlo has easy access to 141, I-85 and the GA 400 for easy commuting times. There are loads of great country club homes and private estate homes for sale in the St Marlo community!   Our 18-Hole Championship Golf Course designed by Denis Griffiths is a 24-hour Gated community in  the Atlanta Georgia Real Estate market. Amenit... 09/03/2008

Prudential Real Estate Ranked Highest for Seller Satisfaction in J.D. Power and Associates' 2008 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM. This is great news for sellers of Sugarloaf Country Club real estate.  Prudential is proud to have received this honor from such as respected organization.  Earlier this year, Prudential also received a Consumers' Choice Award for Executive Home Sales.   Our investments in our innovative Advanced Property Marketing System are producing real results for our clients.  Prudential has invested considerably in developing the systems, processes, tools and resources to create the most effective property marketing solution in the market.  In the last year, our company has increased our marketshare percentage more than any other aggregate broker in metro Atlanta (per Trendg... 08/30/2008

I've been given the wonderfully awesome opportunity to guest blog for Truliablog.  Rudy is going out of town or something and I, along with many other top community contributors will be guest blogging for Trulia.  I guess I get to go first.   I'm excited about the opportunity. There's a lot of discussion about Trulia's motives and I agree with some that question Trulia's practices, specifically the SEO practices.  However, right now, it's all about the consumer and Trulia has the best information and displays it in ways that I can use to educate my buyers and sellers.  Now with Trulia blogs, it stands to reason should I even be here or there or anywhere other than Trulia.   No, keeping a balanced portfolio of blogs is good.  I would say that I've gotten pretty specific about what I blog... 08/29/2008

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage declined in the week ending Aug. 21, falling to an average of 6.47 percent from last week's 6.52 percent, according to Freddie Mac. Last year at this time, the 30-year rate averaged 6.52 percent."Even with the current historically affordable mortgage rates, news continues to show signs of weakening in the housing sector," said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist. "For example, housing starts fell to 0.965 million units (annualized) in July, the slowest pace since March 1991. As a result, homebuilder confidence remained at an all-time record low in August since the series began in January 1985.The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage this week averaged 6.00 percent, down from last week when it averaged 6.07 percent, and last year when it a... 08/22/2008

This is the latest report that I wrote for the Sugarloaf Women's Club Newsletter.  It contains the latest facts and overview for Sugarloaf Country Club real estate.    The housing market in Sugarloaf has experienced significant changes during the first half of 2008.  Since most news headlines focus on the national market, estimating local home values can be confusing for both sellers and buyers. For a detailed perspective on the National market as well the Metro Atlanta market, please view AtlantaRealEstate2008.com. This video report features our very own neighbor, Dan Forsman (President & CEO, Prudential Georgia), David Cook (President, Equity Depot - publisher of the Atlanta Foreclosure Report) and David Ellis (EVP, Greater Atlanta Homebuilders Association). Real estate conditions and... 08/16/2008

I am so excited to share the news that Keller Williams Realty has been awarded the J.D. Power Award!  It is an honor to work for such an outstanding company!  To have earned such a prestigious award is truly gratifying. However, we know that it is our associates who have actually earned this award!  Our training, our culture, our standards, and frankly, our success are a product of our belief that our success is based on the success of others.  Our clients have spoken and they think Keller Williams agents are the BEST in the land! 08/01/2008

If you are looking for New Homes in Gwinnett or more specifically Duluth Ga Homes For Sale, you should check out this website that has every listing divided into an Atlanta Subdivision Search, by Subdivision name. once you find the development you are interested in just call Dwayne west with Solid Source Realty in Atlanta Georgia, and he will give you a private tour of the development, and provide you with superior service second to none.   We are your Homes For Sale In Canton Georgia Experts. Dwayne West Solid source Realty 07/30/2008

The headlines are everywhere for foreclosures.  The largest numbers are in the lower end of the market but we see foreclosures in all prices and in virtually all forms of mortgages.  In Sugarloaf Country Club, there have been around 20 properties that have gone thru the foreclosure process in 2008.  Is that an unusually high number of homes?  Actually not.  All luxury communities are seeing this trend.  Realty Trac recently published a report that said: "Until now, the foreclosure crisis was confined to a narrow niche of middle-class urban communities and outer-rim new housing developments where first-time homeowners and real estate speculators benefited briefly from favorable financing.  But increasingly there are signs that the foreclosure problem is spilling over into wealthier areas... 07/27/2008

Duluth Georgia Homes for Sale, Duluth GA Active Listings - Duluth Real Estate Market Report July 2008*.  As of today July 20 2008 there are currently 734 Duluth homes for sale in Gwinnett County GA.  Please keep in mind many of the Duluth pending sales are also new construction and have to be delivered - it could be this month or in a few months. Homes in Duluth that are in the status of Contingency other or CO- denotes inspections, due diligence, financing.  So many of these Duluth homes may come back on the market within the due-diligence period.  This is a direct result of the Georgia Association of Realtors GAR contract has just changed, and the new contract is quite different than the previous version.  It is a great time to buy a home in Duluth, there are many Duluth homes and fin... 07/20/2008

What does this mean for Sugarloaf Country Club Real Estate?   Contact Mary Floyd To Learn The Latest News PLUS insight into what this means for Sugarloaf.  Article by Stan AwtreyThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 06/10/08 For Atlanta golf fans, it's out with the old and in with the older. Because of an inability to find a sponsor in this challenging economy, the city Monday lost the AT&T Classic, a fixture on the PGA Tour since 1967. However, it will get a replacement -- a Champions Tour event that will be played at TPC Sugarloaf in 2009. The PGA Tour said it is completing the final details with a "U.S.-based global company" to host the age 50-plus event. Dave Kaplan, the AT&T Classic's tournament director, said the Atlanta Classic Foundation will meet Thursday to consider ho... 07/15/2008

I was running my Atlanta real estate hot sheet this morning as usual and I noticed a very interesting item.  It seems that there were only 40  pending sales since I updated the Atlanta real estate  hot-sheet from yesterday, and there were over 472 Expired listings.  That is massive.  I guess the listing term for many Atlanta homes expired on June 30, but 472 Expired listings in single family homes?  Ouch!  The most common reason for an expired listing is price.  The home is priced too high.  You cannot blame that all on the home sellers, it is also the fault of many inexperienced agents buying listings at any price and waisting everyones time for about 6 months.  A few years ago in Atlanta we had about 13000 agents, and that grew by 300% to over 46000.  The number of inthe Metro area is... 07/01/2008

Sugarloaf Country Club is one of the Atlanta area's most successful luxury home community.  Sugarloaf Country Club homeowners enjoy the privacy of a guard-gated golf community among some of the most traditionally built southern homes available.  Upon entering the gates you can feel the quality that encompasses the neighborhood on many levels. Homeowners have the opportunity to join the Tournament  Players Club (TPC) at Sugarloaf.  Memberships  are sold separately. Amenities of the membership include: The Main Clubhouse, offers 3 dining rooms, Golf Shop, locker rooms and open air dining options.  Wednesday "Family Night" buffet has been a hit for many years with the entire family.  Sugarloaf boasts many different size business meeting facilities for its members use.  It also houses many ... 06/26/2008

It seems that the Atlanta real estate market is starting to take toll on the weary.  Desperate homeowners are turning more and more to the lease purchase technique in order to sell their homes. For many metro Atlanta home sellers who have been relocated to other states by an employer, the task of getting their home sold in a timely fashion has become very difficult in deed.  Homeowners who have had homes listed for more than a year are reluctantly starting to look for renters to occupy their property, just to relieve some of the financial burden of having to pay for two homes. The very popular Atlanta-based real estate marketing website The Lease Option King.com has seen a huge increase in the number of builders, Realtors and private homeowners signing up to have their homes marketed on... 06/14/2008

Duluth Celebrates America Come out and celebrate Independence Day with Duluth. Our annual event –Duluth Celebrates America at Scott Hudgens Park off River Green Parkway will feature performances from Nick Pallas, the USSCOM Parachute Team, the Army Ground Forces Rock band, and an incredible fireworks display. The North Georgia Live Steamers will be offering train rides and food and drink vendors will be available. Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome!! Don’t miss this fun, FREE event. Festivities will begin at 6pm on Thursday July 3rd at Scott Hudgens Park, admission and parking are free. Please email events@duluthga.net if you have questions.   Don't miss the fun!   Deb Kirkbride Century 21 Findley 2862 Buford Hwy. Duluth, GA 770-476-5238   770-823-0502 Cell www.debsellsfast.com deb@de... 06/13/2008

The City of Duluth is the place to be on Thursdays this summer.  Bring your lunch and head down to the town green and enjoy the entertainment.  The Brown Bag Lunch starts at noon and ends at 1:30PM.  There are restaurants in downtown Duluth where you can purchase a lunch if needed.  Deb Kirkbride, Century 21 Findley 770-823-0502 The schedule for entertainment is as follows:     June 19 Brittany Bennett June 26 Nick Pallas     July 10 AA Juggling July 17 Duluth First Baptist Children’s Choir July 24 Lovespark July 31 Brittany Bennett     August 07 Nick Pallas 06/13/2008

    Lane Bailey ...and is just a down-to-earth nice guy, to boot. Readers of his blog here at AR "Looking Out from the Garage" already know that. ANd he has definite marketing chops we can all learn from. After taking a look around at his whole plan, I had to ask him how it works. ...And after reading this, you'll probably want to tap into some of his marketing kung-fu: Hey Lane, how many sites and blogs do you have and how often do you update them?I have two direct sites, http://LaneBailey.com and http://GarageHomesUSA.com .  I also used to blog on blogger, and there is "legacy" address there, but the site is no longer updated.  I also have a customer site at http://9010BrixhamCourt.com that is a single property blog.  I write 10 posts a week for Active|Rain, 7 posts a week for LaneBai... 06/05/2008