Atlanta At Home

Neat Video About The City Of Lawrenceville, GA

I came across the neatest video about the city of Lawrenceville, GA.  If you want to know more about the history of the area or the future I recommend this quick watch.

Click here to view the video of Lawrenceville, GA brought to you by GBC

Sellers Prepare For Your Home Inspection

Sellers...you have your home under contract, now here are threetips to get your home ready for the home inspection.

1. Start with General Home Maintenance

Get out those pruning shears, paint brushes, and caulk gun.  Small home maintenance items such as trimming shrubbery, doing touch up paint, and caulking any gaps that could allow for moisture is the perfect place to start.  Buyers will feel more comfortable on the home inspection if your home has excellent curb appeal and shows well. These small items can really add up- so get them done before the inspection.

2. Beware of Water

Okay sellers it's time to think like an inspector.  What causes much of the damage around our homes?  Water!  A great place to start is by cleaning out your gutters.  Clogged gutters can keep water from running away from your home and could cause a number of water related problems.  Also check your windows.  Improperly sealed windows can allow moisture into your home causing rot around your window seals. Painting and caulking can help prevent damage to your windows, just beware that you don't paint your windows shut.

3. Heating and Air Condition Systems Maintenance

The heating and air conditioning issues are frequent in inspections and can usually be fixed very easily.  Before listing a home, have a certified HVAC service done by a licensed HVAC contractor and change all your filters.   Keep the service receipt in a readily accessible place to show the home inspector and purchaser. This should help you create a cleaner inspection report.

 

Fulton Board Adopts Anti-Tethering Resolution

On Wednesday, March 4, 2009, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners Voted unanimously in support of a resolution to ban the tethering of dogs in Fulton County.

The resolution was sponsored by Commissioner Robb Pitts, District 2, At-Large.
      
The resolution makes it unlawful to restrain or anchor a dog by means of a tether, but allows for a temporary tethering while the dog is attended by its owner or custodian.  This resolution and code amendment will become effective September 4, 2009, allowing a six-month period to educate the public about the change.

Upcoming Atlanta Events: Boutique Warehouse Sale

Calling all shoppers and clothing fanatics! 

What: Boutique Warehouse Sale featuring Atlanta Boutiques

When: January 23-24

Hours: 10am to 6 pm

Where: Atlantic Station

This weekend you will want to find yourself at the Boutique Warehouse sale held at Atlantic Station this Friday, January 23 and Saturday, January 24.  Come and view clothing, shoes, and accessories from Atlanta's favorite boutiques including Almanac, Emly Benham, Jac, Pella, and Tulipano, and many more all discounted up to 80 percent off! 

The sale is held at Atlantic Station above the Z Gallerie from 10 am to 6 pm.  This year there are bigger dressing rooms, more parking, and more space!

Click here for additional information and driving directions

ENERGY STAR- Helping you save money

Many of our customers ask, What is ENERGY STAR?

ENERGY STAR is a joint program between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

Many of you have seen the very recognizable logo or symbol on your household appliances or systems.  This logo means that the appliance or system has met the energy efficency guidelines that were created by the EPA.  Items that carry this logo help to reduce your energy costs by about one-third, and also have similiar savings on greenhouse gas emmissions.

We also see the ENERGY STAR logo when buyers are shopping for a new home.  New construction homes today have features such as effective insulation, high-performance windows, tight construction and ducts, and efficient heating and cooling equiptment.  Homes that have earned the ENERGY STAR are 15% more efficent than homes built with the 2004 International Residential Code.  These homes are about 20-30% more energy effiecent that standard homes. In order to earn the ENERGY STAR, homes are inspected by a third-party.

If you are a current homeowner and looking for ways to make your home more energy effieicnet you can take simple steps like sealing leaks where air enters or exits the home, addition additional insulation, and sealing duct work throughout the home. The ENERGY STAR website offers multiple tips, instructions, and videos on how to do these simple steps. While on the site also check out the cooling and heating quiz to see if your heating and cooling systems are operating to their potential.

Click Here To View the ENERGY STAR Website

Let It Snow...in Georgia?

  It is not often that metro-Atlanta area sees snow, but it looks like Stone Mountain really got hit with a blizzard!  Well, a blizzard of man-made snow that is.

Although this week we are experiencing frigid temperatures, we are still excited to go out to Snow Mountain at the Stone Mountain Park!  Snow Mountain is open from New Years Eve through the first of March.

The snow is generated thanks to state-of-the-art technology which takes water from the lake, filters the water to make it potable, and then runs it through the snow machines right on the front lawn of the park. No water is wasted, as the snow melts it is directed back into the lake through specialty drainage systems.

Actives at Snow Mountain include tube racing where the young and old alike take a tube ride down the Lazer Lawn in a race toward the finish.  Other actives include a special snowball fight area complete with targets and an area to build your very own snowman.  There are even special supplies to bring your snowman to life like jackets and caps.  For children 3 and under there is Snowflake Hill which allows the youngest members of your family to exercise their creativity and create snow angels.

So for a unique family experience make your reservations for Snow Mountain today.  Park guests are advised to make an reservation and to arrive 45 minutes in advance to take part in this neat snow day adventure.

For additional information visit the Snow Mountain site by clicking here.  

Christmas Pet Delivery!

Are you looking for a new pet for a Christmas present but don’t have anywhere to keep it until Christmas morning? Well, the Humane League of Lake Lanier is encouraging people to adopt a homeless pet for Christmas, and they will even deliver it to your house on Christmas morning!

All you have to do is adopt a pet before December 23rd, and on Christmas morning, you will have a new friend at your doorstep!

You can go check out some of the animals available for adoption at PETsMART in Alpharetta (across from North Point Mall) this Saturday, December 20th from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. Also, you can go to their website at www.lanierpets.com and see some of the animals they have for adoption.

So, make your family very happy on Christmas morning and give a homeless pet a home for the holidays – you won’t regret it!!

Written by Renee Fouquet

The 10 Habits Billionaires Have

Set your goals high for your real estate career by mirroring habits of the truly elite few. According to Forbes magazine’s annual list of “The World’s Richest People,” which ranks billionaires, 46 out of the world’s 691 billionaires made their fortunes in the real estate industry. Here’s what you can learn from their habits, lifestyles and business styles:

 

• Go commercial. Billionaires who make their fortunes real estate don’t do it by selling one home at a time. They do it by owning and operating office buildings, shopping centers, apartment complexes and luxury hotels.

• Do more than invest. Buying a piece of property and sitting back and waiting for it to appreciate in value is not the way to make billions. You need to enhance its value. J. Paul Getty did just that after he bought New York’s Pierre Hotel for $2.35 million in 1938 and turned it into a hub for New York society by convincing a prominent socialite to stay there. He increased the value of the investment by more than eight times.
• Be able to see the property for what it could be. Just because you buy a shopping complex doesn’t mean that’s the best use of the property. Recognizing that real estate will have a greater value with an alternative use is what helped billionaire Laurence Tisch achieve success when he acquired controlling interest in the Loew’s Theaters chain and converted prime Manhattan property in to the Summit Hotel. Know the zoning laws in your area and apply to have the properties rezoned if needed.
• Be tenacious and relentless. Billionaires don’t let obstacles or pitfalls keep them from achieving their goals. Just because you fail doesn’t mean you can’t succeed in the end. Kirk Kerkorian, who headed Chrysler Corp. and other companies, has made and lost millions in many investments, but he refuses to give up and always gets back in the game and continues to make deals.
• Have a thick skin. People are by nature resentful and jealous of successful people. Don’t let criticism of your work deter you from your goals.
• Have superior information. If you do more research than your competitors, you’ll have an advantage in any transaction.
• Don’t accept the cards you’re dealt. Although one-third of the world’s 46 billionaires who make their money in real estate inherited and then grew their fortunes, two-thirds are self-made, according to Forbes.
• Live in California. Of the 21 U.S. billionaires who made their fortune in real estate, according to Forbes, more than one-third live in Atherton, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Palo Alto, or Stockton.
• Get, and stay, married. Of the 43 real estate billionaires whose marital status is known, according to Forbes, 37 are married, while only three are divorced and three are widowed.
• Go back to school. Of the 26 real estate billionaires whose educational attainments are known, 20 have a college degree or higher. Five made it on high school diplomas, and one is a high school dropout.

 

Sources: Martin Fridson, Leverage World, an investment research publication, and author of How to Be a Billionaire (John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2000); Forbes magazine’s “The World’s Richest People,” March 2005; Realtor Magazine, “The 10 habits billionaires have,” March 2006.

 

Holiday Giving

The Holidays are a great time to give to those in need. In this economy, almost everyone is struggling to make ends meet but remember that there is always someone worse off then you!
 
Here are some great organizations for you to donate time or money too. Please check them out!

www.midtownassistancectr.org.
www.atlantachildrensshelter.com
www.emptystockingfund.org
www.wonderroot.org

The following site is maintained year round with various volunteer opportunities and suggested organizations to donate to.

http://dogood.ajc.com/

Whether you donate money or time, just remember:

“It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little - do what you can.”  -Sydney Smith

Written by Renee Fouquet

Lifestyles of the Rich (and Famous): Metro Atlanta Edition

Everyone is a little curious to see how much the big house down the street is going for, and just exactly what you would get for your money. Well, below you can take a sneak peak into some of the most luxurious houses for sale in Georgia.

5706 Kennedy Road NW, Suwanee GA 30024
$7,500,000
6 bedrooms, 6 full baths, 4 half baths

What you get: full guest house, pool with pool house, media room, wine room, recreation room, tennis courts, exercise room, library, 7 fireplaces and a 6 car garage.

               

 

 

10 Valley Road NW, Atlanta GA 30305
$7,950,000
6 bedrooms, 6.5 baths

What you get: renovated home by owner Kenny Rogers with elevator, pool, exercise room, library, media room, master suite and bath with heated marble floors and auto blackout shades, home comes complete with furnishings.

                

 

3750 Tuxedo Rd NW, Atlanta GA 30305
$9,900,000
6 bedrooms, 9 full baths, 3 half baths

What you get: a ballroom, four-stop elevator complete with lobbies, movie theater, wellness center, oval dining room, exercise room, 9 fireplaces, two acres, and a four car garage.

         

             

 

20 Providence Way, Alpharetta GA 30004
$10,500,000
7 bedrooms, 8 full baths, 2 half baths

What you get: equestrian estate with over 30 acres, 2 master suites, music studio, two offices, media room, library, recreation room, loft, 6 fireplaces, covered outdoor kitchen, heated spa pool, guest house, tennis courts, stalls and barns, two riding rinks, caretakers brick ranch house and 4 car garage.

             

 

 

2015 Trammel Road, Cumming GA 30041
$45,000,000
7 bedrooms, 12 full baths, 11 half baths

What you get: “Le Reve” is a world-class estate sitting on 72 acres, it has its own golf course, lake, tennis courts, pool, stables, guest house, home theater, library, exercise room, 10 fireplaces and MUCH MORE! If you can imagine it, this home probably has it.

                   

 

So, if you are ever in the market for a home, whether it costs $45,000 or $45,000,000, you know who to call – Tonia Mann & Associates at 678-268-3300!

Written by Renee Fouquet