POST ELECTION SELECTION

Lets get it over with already, the presidential election used to be kinda fun, the country came together to try to figure out who will do the best job in keeping America strong and steer her on the right path to prosperity. Now we just hold our breath and try to figure out which candidate has the least checkered past, the least amount of scandals and most importantly, who will do the least amount of damage.
The real estate market always gets sluggish right before the presidential election, granted, it has been sluggish for about a year now but we need leadership and direction to get us back on track, the congress is so awash in partisan politicking that they will not be effective stewards for significant change. The real estate market fueled the longest sustained economic growth that the country has ever experienced, mismanagement, malfeasance and sloppy banking practices caused the derailment.
The true American does not depend on the government to dictate their financial decision making ability, what we should be doing is trying to make November 4th just another day.

FEAR FACTOR : OVER ZEALOUS INSPECTORS

Home inspectors do the home buying public a great service, they are kind of like referees in a football game or umpires at a baseball game, however at times they can be a little too nit-picky. It's true that they are usually working for the buyer in a real estate transaction and their fiduciary duty is too alert the buyer of serious problems with a property, it's also important to point out some not so serious problems as well, it is never their duty to recommend whether the buyer go through with a purchase, they should just present the facts and offer solutions on how to address these problems.
Like sporting officials, they do their best work when they are "invisible" to the principles involved, a good home inspector will point out problems without alarming the interested parties, I have witnessed good home inspectors scare their clients unnecessarily over problems that were very easily fixed or negotiated, the great home inspectors are the ones that can prioritize the problems and help walk their clients through the reality of their findings.
As a Realtor I admire what I consider a "great" home inspectors services, this usually comes along with lots of experience and a true knowledge of their craft.

GENERAL SHERMAN PUT ATLANTA ON THE MAP

History is a great for teller of things to come, during the civil war Atlanta was the default capital of the south, the war was not fought to free the slaves, Lincoln recognized the will of the founding fathers and risked everything to keep the union together.
"One nation under God" is how the line reads, "a house divided cannot stand" is how Abe interpreted that thought. Unless you read some of the more obscure accounts of Sherman's' march, it's a little known fact that Sherman was hailed as a humanitarian and a hero by many of the southerners that he was ordered to slaughter.
General Sherman defied both Lincoln and Grant and disobeyed direct orders to murder any and all confederate soldiers and their families, pillage the plantations and farms and burn down every man made object from Chattanooga to Savannah in a 60 mile wide swath to the sea. Instead Sherman took a genuine liking to the southerners, he understood that their bid to succeed from the north had failed and technically all surviving confederates could be branded treasonous, as a soldier and a well educated man he understood that most of the confederates did not even know what they were really fighting for and in his eye of wisdom and compassion he knew that they should not persecuted further, he also grew to love the land and was quoted as saying "Georgia is a little bit of heaven on earth".
Sherman was instrumental in protecting the southerners from the roving bands of criminals made up mostly of army deserters from both sides, when he heard of an incident involving this type of crime or criminal element, justice was swift and decisive.
After Lincolns assassination Sherman made Atlanta his pet project, it was his insistence and dedication that helped bring the city back to prominence and recognition as the capital of the south.
William Tecumseh Sherman, West Point graduate, military tactician, man of letters and often quoted speaker "War is Hell" died on February 14, 1891, it should be noted that he did more to rebuild Atlanta than to tear it down.

TEAR DOWNS MAKE SENSE

Hi folks, Tom Sachs with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage back with you, after living in Florida for 6 years and after a visit to Chicago, where my best friend and my nephew are both brokers, you start to realize just how scarce land is. In Florida and the Chicago metro area the answer is to buy an older house that is in a good location and tear it down and put up a new house, its the only way to get within 30 miles of the downtown areas, well I have been doing research on the practice here in Forsyth & Gwinnett counties and IT WORKS.
There are bargain properties in great locations that are ripe for a tear down, some can even be updated and used as rental properties that can deliver a positive cash flow right off the bat.
I also believe that new houses can be built with either pre-cast concrete, poured concrete walls or the old reliable concrete block, energy efficiency and ranch style homes are going to be the houses of choice in the coming years and most of the good tear down properties are NOT in subdivisions, what a concept.
Please contact me and lets make an appointment to discuss the endless possibilities.

FORECLOSURES ARE A GREAT SOURCE OF REVENUE

Hi folks, Tom Sachs back with you again, the opportunities that foreclosures present are awesome, I'm talking about rehabbing homes that need updating and structural work. This type of endeavor is not for everybody, you really should be proficient in the areas of carpentry, plumbing, electrical and landscaping, this will allow you to maximize the profit that you can realize. Another key to this type of project is if you plan to resell the property, price it so it will sell quickly, don't get greedy, this foreclosure market has a narrow window of opportunity, make your money through quantity instead of trying to enhance the value of one particular house, keep it generic and neutral as far as colors for paint and carpet are concerned. I have access to hundreds of foreclosed and pre-foreclosed properties, give me a call and see what Coldwell Banker and I can do for you.

First time buyers bonanza

If you don't have a home to sell and you qualify for favorable financing, now is the time to get a fantastic deal on much more house than you could have bought in the last 10 years.
Hi, Tom Sachs back with you, 2008 will go down in history as probably the best year to BUY a house or condo in the last decade, please contact me and let me put the power of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage behind you, I'm sure that you can find exactly what you are looking for in the area you desire.