• 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)

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.

“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.

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 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

www.atkinspark.com

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.