Gordon Street Realty

Will the $25 Billion Foreclosure Settlement Help You?

kgordon — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:50:13 +0000

An investigation, headed in part by 49 state attorneys general and the federal government, found that employees at Ally, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo routinely signed foreclosure-related documents without even verifying the information. Other violations include lost paperwork and improper documentation. In short, some borrowers should never have lost their homes to foreclosure. What does the $25 billion foreclosure settlement do to right those wrongs?

Of the $25 billion settlement, $17 billion is dedicated to modifying mortgages for those behind on their payments; around 1 million homeowners could see reductions of as much as $100,000 off their principals. Click here to read more.

Deck Trends for New Decks and Makeovers

kgordon — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:19:07 +0000

Decks have become a summer staple for the American back yard. In keeping with the trend towards outdoor living spaces that mimic the indoors, decks are dressing up. From decorative railings to drainage systems and a greater variety of building materials, today’s decks go way beyond simple wood platforms for a portable grill and some patio furniture. Click here to read more.

5 Things that Will Make Potential Buyers Lose Interest in Your Home

kgordon — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:16:52 +0000

If you are selling your home, then you probably have read all the tips for staging a home. However, you should also evaluate your home for things that could make a potential homebuyer leave your home quickly.

1. Not–so-nice DIY projects.
You may have saved thousands by remodeling the kitchen or adding on an entire new room yourself. Click here to read more.

“Changing Atlanta Real Estate” – May 2012 Newsletter

kgordon — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:29:49 +0000

In our May Issue:

5 Things That Will Make Potential Buyers Lose Interest in Your Home
Choosing Easy Care Plants For Curb Appeal
FHA Fee Increases and Decreases
Will the $25 Billion Foreclosure Settlement Help You?
Deck Trends for New Decks and Makeovers
Mortgage Market Watch

Click here to read the stories above and more.

Do you get a kick out of helping kids?

kgordon — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:12:09 +0000

As a volunteer soccer coach for the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), I definitely do! Why? Because I feel like it’s a great way to give back to my community, I’m a former collegiate player at Michigan State, played on the US under 17 National team and played semi pro for a few seasons. Soccer has always been my passion and given me a lot to be thankful about, so I’m trying to pass some of that along to my kids.

Using the platform of soccer inside Atlanta’s roughest neighborhoods, we bring the word of Christianity to kids. We provide male positive influences to children ages 6-10 in areas where there are few men and very few positive influences.

If you’re passionate about serving youth and would like to be a volunteer coach, please contact Adrienne Saxon at 404-578-0483 or asaxon@fca.org Soccer experience is helpful, but not required.

The program runs from June 4- July 20 (6 weeks total) on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4-6 pm at The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club Bellwood Center, 777 Hollowell Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia

Thanks,

Keith Gordon, Gordon Street Realty

Home renovations: Where to spend and where to save

kgordon — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:10:13 +0000

Some home improvements are smart investments, and some will only cut into your profits when it comes time to sell your home. To help you distinguish the good renovations from the bad, The Remodeling Cost Vs. Value Report 2011-2012 ranked home improvement projects based on how much of the initial investment they recoup at resale. When it comes to renovations, it seems the bigger the budget, the smaller the payoff.

Not all materials are created equal.
High-end materials might look beautiful, but they don’t always make financial sense. A steel door that costs around $1,200 will recoup 73 percent of its value on resale, but a fiberglass door that costs $2,300 more will only recoup 56.3 percent. A wood deck that costs $5,000 less than a comparable composite deck will recoup around 70.1 percent, 8 percent more than composite. Wood windows are a more expensive upgrade compared to vinyl, yet they both recoup roughly the same amount at resale—67.5 percent and 68 percent, respectively. Potential buyers seem to value the functionality of an upgrade more than high-end materials. Click here to read more.

Festival Fever hits the ATL this weekend

kgordon — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:03:30 +0000

Art. Food. Music. Comedy. Running. Beer. If ever there was “a” weekend to celebrate the spring weather, beauty and abundant cultural offerings of Atlanta, this one just might be it.

Piedmont Park brings back its famous 75 year old Dogwood Festival. Complete with everything you expect from a great city fest including artist market, international village, crafts projects for the kids, roaming performers, music and more. Catch an outdoor concert with Roberta Flack Saturday night in midtown’s crown jewel - 189 acres of grass and dogwoods and flowers and fountains and paths in the heart of Atlanta. Plus, this fest is also going to the dogs with the 20th Annual Disc Cog Southern Nationals USDDN Qualifer.

Walk on down the road (or take Marta) to Candler Park and you’ll find the SweetWater 420 Fest. Put on by Atlanta’s own craft brewery fav’, the fest salutes Earth Day. According to their website, ” The SweetWater 420 Fest is more than just music and fantastic beer, it’s about making positive changes in the way each and every person affects the earth.” We’ll drink to that!

Both festivals run today through Sunday. Click on the links above for more info.

A spring cleaning checklist

kgordon — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:13:26 +0000

Spring cleaning sounds like an annual event, but these once-a-year tasks can be scheduled throughout the calendar year. These are the chores you think of when your mother-in-law is coming to visit, or when you put your home on the market and strangers are about to view it very closely. Keep this checklist handy any time you are ready to tackle a whole-house scrub down.

Banish the Dust Bunnies
Dust holds odor, feeds dust mites, and provides breeding ground for mold in dark, damp places. Get rid of dust bunnies on all the forgotten surfaces of your home: inside closets, under furniture, light bulbs (unscrew first!), under and behind all major appliances, and on top of the refrigerator. Click here to read more.

Proposed city charter for the City of Brookhaven passes the State Senate

kgordon — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:43:07 +0000

House Bill 636, the proposed city charter for the City of Brookhaven, passed the State Senate on Monday, March 26, by a vote of 36-14. It received final passage 104-57 in the House of Representatives on Thursday, March 29. The bill now awaits the Governor’s signature.

According to Mike Jacobs, State Representative of District 80 in DeKalb County, the new cityhood will reduce your overall property tax burden as compared to what is paid in unincorporated DeKalb County. “Becoming a city does not add new taxes to your property tax bill. Instead, it shifts two line items – one known as the Unincorporated Tax District (labeled “UNIC TAXDIST”) and one for Police Services (labeled “POLICE SERVC”) – from the county to the city, ” said Jacobs.

Stan Segal, a board member of the cityhood advocacy group BrookhavenYES also cites positive reasons for the cityhood including improved services, parks maintenance, increased voting power and decreased tax burden.

Click here to read the final version of HB 636 that passed the General Assembly.

Contingency Sales Contracts 101

kgordon — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:29:51 +0000

You want to buy a house, but first you need to sell your house. You’d like to sell your house, but don’t want to be left without any house at all. Or, maybe you want to sell your house and don’t want to get stuck with the first offer that comes along. These are seemingly catch-22 scenarios, but there’s a special tool to help you out of such struggles: the contingency sales contract.

What Are Contingency Sales Contracts?
“Contingent” simply means that one thing will happen dependent upon another event taking place first. A home inspection is an example of a contingency contract, in that a buyers’ completion of a home purchase is contingent upon the property in question passing inspection. If the property fails inspection, the buyers are freed from their purchase obligation and get their deposit monies refunded. Click here to read more.