Buying A Home In Atlanta Remains A Highly Personal Choice

Home prices in the greater Atlanta area are now as low as they were five years ago - and in some cases - ten years ago. Home mortgage interest rates are at near all-time lows. It is a buyer’s market, no question about it.

In spite of these factors, the economy is soft - and there is no evidence that the housing market is firming up. Home prices could continue to fall - or rise - in response to market forces.

What is the potential buyer to do?

If you are hoping I’ll say "Now if the best time to buy!" - allow me to apologize, as I can’t be your cheerleader. Many buyers are cautious and skeptical right now - and who can blame them? No one wants to catch a falling knife.

The real question is "are you right for the market?"

Many potential buyers are not good candidates right now. If you are not secure in your job or source of income, this might not be the best time for you to buy. Just because you CAN buy a home doesn’t mean that you SHOULD. After all, that’s what got us into this global economic mess.

If you are willing to buy and hold for the longer term, then your biggest hurdle will be finding the best property in the area of which you want to live - and paying the right price. In our current market, it is essential that you get into the property at the lowest possible price to protect yourself from potential loss.

In other words - you have to buy "below market".

So if you are secure, able to find a good suitable property and negotiate a below-market price - then I would say it’s probably a good time for you to buy a home in Atlanta right now.

If it is any consolation, U-HAUL has named Atlanta as the top destination for the second year in a row.

As always, if you have any questions regarding real estate in the greater Atlanta area, feel free to contact me here.

~~It’s Been Said…~~

We’ve been listening to a lot of our famous southerners lately, so today we’re gonna take a look at the one of our more common sayings. We southerners know that when someone begins anything by saying, “I’ll tell you how the cow ate the cabbage”, this person is fixin’ to tell us like it is. We also know that chances are, we’re not gonna like what we hear. But do you know where the phrase came from? Neither did I, until I began to research its origin.

Now, I’ve heard this familiar story before, but never as an explanation for this expression. All I can say is, if it’s not true, it should be—-and in the tradition of southern storytellers, that’s enough for me.

Once upon a time, a circus came to a small rural town. While they were putting up the big top, a baby elephant escaped and found his way to a little old lady’s garden up the road. The lady in our story couldn’t see very well, but she was alarmed enough to call the police and report a cow in her cabbage patch pulling up her cabbages with his tail. The policeman on the other end of the line listened patiently, “A cow is eating your cabbage, ma’am? We’ll send someone right out."

“I never said he was eating ‘em,” the lady said.

“No?” The policeman replied. “Then what is he doing?”

The woman hesitated and then exclaimed. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you!”

So, there you have it porchers, now you know why telling someone how the cow eats the cabbage can precede a very serious discussion.

~Shellie

So, when I tell you how the cow eats the cabbage - chances are it’s not going to be what you were hoping to hear… but it will be what you NEED to hear.

As always, if you have any questions regarding real estate in the greater Atlanta area, feel free to contact me here.