SmyrnaBlog.com

This year’s Atkins Park St. Patrick’s Day Festival in the Smyrna Market Village has no cover charge!  The festival will be held Wednesday March 17th from 4 - 11 PM in the Smyrna Market Village.  The event promises live bands and DJs, a Redhead contest, and Max Bacon will be dying the fountain green.  Atkins Park will have special menu items including Corned Beef & Cabbage as well as Traditional Shepherd’s Pie.

I combined the 2009 FMLS sales data from the Single Family category and the Condo/Townhome categories and then broke it out by zip code.  I then created the following graphs based on what was reported to FMLS by the listing broker for each sale.  Hopefully the following brief definitions will help you if you are not familiar with some of the financing types:

• FHA - loans that are insured by the Federal Housing Administration (currently the lowest down payment requirement offered to the general public with a minimum of 3.5%
• Conventional Insured - a loan originated by a conventional lender that is insured through private mortgage insurance also known as PMI (down payments of 5% or more but less than 20%)
• Conventional Uninsured - a loan originated by a conventional lender which did not require private mortgage insurance (down payment of 20% or more)
• VA - loans that are guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (veterans can borrow up to 100% loan to value without being required to purchase PMI)

While the Georgia Association of Realtors’ Purchase and Sale contract commonly used for home sales puts the responsibility of paying closing costs on the Buyer, it is very common for buyers to request that the seller contribute a specified sum to help cover the buyer’s closing costs.  Many sellers don’t end up paying any of the buyer’s closing costs while others pay up to 6% of the sales price (FHA loans allow up to 6%).  In a buyer’s market, financing concessions on the part of the seller are more common.  I’ve aggregated data from First Multiple Listing Service (FMLS) and came up with the following statistics for 2009:

30080 Single Family - 293 sales ranging from $25,000 to $1,490,000.  On average, sellers contributed 1.45% of the sales price toward their buyer’s closing costs.

30080 Condo/Townhome - 257 sales ranging from $25,000 to $711,500.  On average, sellers contributed 2.17% of the sales price toward their buyer’s closing costs.

30082 Single Family - 259 sales ranging from $19,900 to $765,000.  On average, sellers contributed 1.92% of the sales price toward their buyer’s closing costs.

30082 Condo/Townhome - 104 sales ranging from $27,000 to $765,000.  On average, sellers contributed 2.19% of the sales price toward their buyer’s closing costs.

30126 Single Family - 404 sales ranging from $10,500 to $1,850,000.  On average, sellers contributed 1.84% of the sales price toward their buyer’s closing costs.

30126 Condo/Townhome - 100 sales ranging from $22,000 to $365,000.  On average, sellers contributed 2.67% of the sales price toward their buyer’s closing costs.

Thanks go out to Bryan for sending me the following question through the ASK US page:

“Tried to go to Firehouse Subs only to find a sign saying they are going to reopen in January. January is almost over. Are they gone for good? What’s the scoop?”

The Firehouse Subs was located on the East West Connector in the small retail strip just west of South Cobb Drive and the Publix Shopping Center.  It appears that Firehouse has met the same death that the Starbucks in the same location met last year.  I just checked the Firehouse.com site and used the restaurant locator to try and find one in our area…see below, nothing popped up.

I wanted my readers to be the first to know about this amazing deal on a recently constructed 4 Bedroom 3.5 Bath Earthcraft Certified home located at 3232 King Springs Road.  I just received signed listing paperwork on this property and it will officially hit the listing service on 2/5/2010 for the amazing price of $450,000!

Built in 2006 by Hatcher Homes, this home is the builder’s personal home and has every detail and extra feature.  A few of the amazing features include:

• His & Her Master Baths with heated tile floors
• 10’ deep double front porches
• 5” wide site-finished hardwood floors on the entire main level
• Gourmet kitchen with maple cabinets, granite counters, GE Profile Stainless Steel appliances & large island
• Automatic remote controlled driveway entry gate
• Whole-house audio system with 6 independently controlled audio zones & in-ceiling speakers
• Permanent stairs to a large unfinished attic (plumbed for a full bath)
• 1/3 + acre professionally landscaped lot with fenced-in front and back yards

This home is within walking distance of the Smyrna Market Village, located across the street from the new Brinkley Park ball fields, and just a few blocks down the street from Tolleson Park and Community Swim/Tennis center.  View photos and panoramic scenes of this home on the virtual tour, view the list of upgrades, and view a floor plan.

Expand into the 17′ x 34′ unfinished attic to add 550 +/- more square feet and a full bath.  The entire space has floor decking down and makes provides a tremendous amount of storage space.

This turnkey home is in immaculate condition and is move-in ready.  This is not a short sale or a foreclosure!…you won’t have to wait around for months to find out if the bank will accept your offer.  Be one of the first to see this home before it is gone.  Call me at 404.964.9257 or email me at mason@smyrnablog.com to schedule an appointment.

I’m not sure if any of you are still subscribed to my blog’s feed.  I imagine those of you who checked the site regularly for updates have quit doing so…I am sorry for the inactivity over the past year.

I did want to write to you to announce that I have survived…I am not a casualty of the real estate downturn.  In fact, I’ll emerge with more knowledge than before since I’ve taken the opportunity to go back to school and further my education.  Since August of 2008, I’ve been an evening MBA student at Georgia Tech’s College of Management where I’ve focused my studies on the areas of Marketing and Organizational Behavior.  Over the past twelve months, I actually took a full time course load while continuing to sell real estate.  The result is that I will complete my degree in two years instead of the three it normally takes an evening student but I’ve also had less time to keep up with this site.

I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel and I’m happy to be back to taking a part-time course schedule with a graduation date of May 8th well in sight.  My real estate business has a renewed focus and I’ve made it a goal to post to this site at least twice a week.

After thoroughly evaluating my business, I also recently made the decision to affiliate with Keller Williams Realty’s Cityside office located at 3350 Atlanta Road in Smyrna.  Many factors played into my decision but the three biggest ones included:

• A brand that resonates well with my target market (that’s you Smyrna)
• I wanted to be a part of the office that dominates the Smyrna residential market
• Access to top training, the area’s top agents, and an inspirational leadership team

If you have any questions regarding Smyrna or real estate, please send them to me via email (mason@smyrnablog.com) or through the Ask Us link above and I’ll do my best to answer them and share the information with everyone.  I’m excited about growing my business in 2010 and beyond and appreciate you being a loyal reader of SmyrnaBlog.com!

Thanks,

Mason

Atkins Park Tavern & Sam Adams Presents….
7th Annual Crawfish and Shrimp Boil
Saturday April 25th (1PM-11PM)
$5 Cover
Proceeds benefit the Mustard Seed Foundation
Live music from Andrew Black, The Squirrelheads & Almost Blue
Cornhole Tournament hosted by 3 Vodka.

www.atkinspark.com

The live music series is back!
April 19th thru May 24th.
Every Sunday from 4pm-7pm
This Sunday come see Francisco Vidal & Nic Cowan.
Sponsored by Blue Moon & Coors Light.
For band lineup & more info go to www.929davefm.com

Invitation To A Spring Fling

St. Benedict’s Emerges As Local Focal Point  Smyrna/Vinings, Ga. (April 13, 2009)—St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church and St. Benedict’s Episcopal Day School are getting ready for a Spring Fling that will mark St. Benedict’s emergence as major community and educational focal points in Oakdale, Smyrna, and Vinings. On May 2, the historic church and school property will be teeming with activity, as families, neighbors, friends, and visitors gather for a full BBQ and a range of fun-filled events.  

St. Benedict’s vicar, the Rev. Lang Lowrey, says the Spring Fling is becoming quite a tradition. “Even though our church community is just over 17-months-old, this will be our third annual event and the second time we will congregate on our new site to hold a joint celebration with our school.

There is a lot to celebrate right now. St. Benedict’s Episcopal Day School is about to undergo a significant growth spurt, timed to coincide with the completion of the first phase of renovations of the school and church buildings. Head of School Janet Rau can hardly contain her excitement about how well the community has embraced the school, its inclusive philosophy, and its rigorous curricula.

“We’ve been mailing out lots of acceptance letters for the upcoming school year, and still more applications are flowing in now that we are expanding through 2nd Grade,” Rau says. “Our teaching staff is also growing to meet the upsurge in enrollment, and I’m happy to say the majority of our teachers have advanced degrees—something that really pleases parents.”

Rev. Lowrey says the Spring Fling will give church and school families a chance to meet each other and to see how the building renovations are coming along. “It will be a perfect time to build and renew relationships and to find out about our summer programs,” Lowrey said. “Some parents are still scrambling to find safe, structured summer activities for their children, and we’re ready to do what we can to help.”

St. Benedict’s Spring Fling

Date:  Saturday, May 2, 2009

Time:  11:00 am to 6:00 pm      

Location: St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church & St. Benedict’s Episcopal Day School
 at the intersection of Atlanta Road and Cumberland Boulevard/East-West Connector

Rain Date:  Saturday, May 9, 2009

About St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church
St. Benedict’s Church of Smyrna/Vinings is a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta.  Our mission is to come together as a community to grow in faith and share Christ’s love with an ever-changing world.  As a reflection of our namesake, St. Benedict, we are founded on a belief in the traditional liturgy of the church coupled with the need to develop contemporary relationships that recognize the real-world challenges facing today’s faithful. St. Benedict’s congregation worships at Campbell Middle School, 3295 Atlanta Road, Smyrna, GA 30080 and our parish office is located at 2900 Paces Ferry Rd., Building D, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30339.

Hi everyone,I wanted to share updates on several items of interest to Ward 3. Please feel free to pass these on to your neighbors, and if anyone would like to be added to my email distribution list, please send me an email at tlippincott@ci.smyrna.ga.us. Be assured that the emails will be used only for Ward 3 updates.* Town Hall Meeting - The City of Smyrna will host a town hall meeting on Tuesday, April 21 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Smyrna Community Center. City officials, including City Administrator Wayne Wright and department heads, will present updates and give a citywide overview of issues and actions related to economic development, parks, financial/budget issues, citizen services and public safety. Reporter Marc Pickard of WXIA-TV 11 Alive will be the moderator for the event. The presentation will include updates on Belmont Hills and Jonquil Village. In order to streamline the Q&A process and allow as many questions as possible to be addressed, and to allow for enough time for a complete overview of Smyrna¹s current situation, all questions will be held until intermission, which will take place following the presentation. At intermission, attendees may submit written questions that will be addressed immediately following intermission. Questions that are not answered that are of citywide interest may be considered for follow-up communication to those who have provided contact information. Additionally, the overview presentation will be available on the City of Smyrna website http://www.SmyrnaCity.com  following the Town Hall Meeting.* Taylor-Brawner Opening Please join us for the dedication of the Taylor-Brawner Park this Saturday, April 18, at 10:00 a.m. The park is expansive and fun, and the hospital renovation is truly impressive. Plus, Smyrna¹s own Pat Terry is performing in a free concert in the park¹s amphitheater at 7:00 Saturday night.* Silent Railroad Crossing Update Be still my heart, there¹s been progress on this project. CSX and the Georgia Department of Transportation have reached a contract agreement and I am told that wait for it! we should begin to see work begin within the next five months. The project will happen, the funds are there, and as those funds were federally allocated, they cannot be used for anything else besides the silent crossing zone.* Belmont Hills / Jonquil Village First, yes, Publix is still committed to this project. The most recent projected opening date I have is Summer 2010.I hope to have good news to share on Jonquil Village by the Town Hall Meeting on April 21. I have spoken with the developer about trying to improve the look of the site in the interim, but I am optimistic that work will resume shortly. Halpern is ready to begin demolition work on Belmont Hills as soon as possible and is working to resolve one remaining tenant issue before demolition can begin, which is anticipated to start sometime in the next few months. To answer another common question, I don¹t know when Monterrey Restaurant will reopen, but I will spread the word as soon as I learn more on its fate.* CobbWorks Mobile Career Center The CobbWorks Mobile Career Center (a very large RV) will be in the Smyrna Library parking lot on Wednesday, April22 and Wednesday, April 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The CobbWorks bus provides access to computers for resume writing and researching jobs.Professional job counselors will also be available to help plan job searches, write cover letters, and answer career development questions.This is a great resource and I hope that you will spread the word to anyone who might benefit from the service.* Windy Hill Hearing There will be a public hearing on proposed Windy Hill improvements on Tuesday, May 19 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Room 1 of the Smyrna Community Center. The improvements include adding a median on Windy Hill Road between South Cobb Drive and Atlanta Road.There are many other happenings in Smyrna this spring, and you should have received an events brochure in your most recent water bill. I hope to see everyone soon, and please let me know if you have any questions.ThanksTeri Anulewicz404-931-8374