IF YOU TRY TO "TEST" THE MARKET YOU WILL FAIL

If you are serious about selling your home it is imperative that you price it correctly right from the beginning, the first 30 days are make or break for the seller, the reason is that buyers and agents are watching the new listings like a hawk, in fact the Internet has made the data so easy to get that buyers are educated like never before.
In the "old days" sellers could go in a little high on their asking price and negotiate their way to a deal that is equitable for everyone, this is what "testing" the market means, today in a market that is so top heavy in favor of the buyers that luxury is no longer affordable. The smart seller will actually price the property a little in front of the curve, this gives them an advantage over other sellers in being that they will get more showings and the listing will have a longer shelf life because it will actually remain relevant long after comparables are overpriced by thousands.
When you are in the process of interviewing listing agents and its time to identify the listing price, in reality all agents get their data and comps from the same source, so the listing price among multiple agents should be very similar, you must know that there are lots of agents that will tell you anything they think you want to hear and inflate the listing price in order to get you to sign, if a particular agent comes in with a listing price thats way higher than the others, you need to quiz them on how they arrived at that price, if they do not have the figures on paper to show you how they came up with that price....well you know the rest of the story.

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.

Atlanta Real Estate for May 2008

May was a very good month for home sales for this part of Georgia, next month looks to be on par to be even better, with kids getting out of school up north we are expecting many vacation visitors that will be looking for homes in our area. Summer weather is mild to hot and enjoyable all year round. Check out my fishing buddies website at South Florida Fishing