Posts made by author 'Jess Barron'

If you were in or around Coweta County this summer, you probably heard about the rezoning of the Caldwell Tanks property, off of E Broad St, in downtown Newnan. While this rezoning was ultimately voted down first by the Newnan planning commission then the Newnan city council, it was "the talk of the town" all summer long. You may have seen the "City of homes, not apartments" yard signs. You may have even seen a few "Well actually, apartments are homes" yard signs as well. This was the polarizing topic of Newnan this year.

So, how did it all begin? Kurt Alexander, with the Residential Group, submitted an application, for the rezoning of more than 6 acres located on East Broad Street for the purposes of renovating the Caldwell Tanks Site. The Residential Group, an Atlanta-based developer, was hoping to create 340 luxury apartment homes and an accompanying parking deck there. The developer was seeking to rezone the property from Central Business District (CBD) to Mixed Use Deve...

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The Coweta County Real Estate Market is still strong. This market can be considered a seller's market, especially in the lower to middle price points. When taking my clients out to search for homes, it is extremely competitive from the $100,000's to $300,000 price point. We constantly encounter multiple offer situations. It is very frustrating when you make an offer on a property and lose out to another buyer. To counter this, we Realtors are trying to find off market options (properties that are not listed) for our clients. The speed at which you move to find a home as it hits the market, or sometimes even before, makes a huge difference. Buyers must also have their financing in order and be ready to make an offer on a home quickly. Being pre-qualified and having good communication with your lender, is essential if you are a buyer in today's real estate world.

The good news for buyers is that it is still a good time to purchase a home as interest rates are still low. I am c...

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The "Slow Season" of Real Estate

The Holiday Season is a time for being with your family and friends and celebrating. You would think real estate is the furthest thing from someone's mind. It is not uncommon, in our business, for a homeowner to take their listing off for the holidays or wait to list a property until after the first of the year. The general opinion is that buyers will not be focused on a home search around the holidays. Most corporations will not relocate an employee this close to the end of the year either. Many people believe that properties take a longer time to sell and average sale prices drop, during the holiday season, but is that true?

The spring time is considered our busiest time in real estate...

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Why Is Newnan Called the "City of Homes"?

Have you ever wondered why Newnan is called the "City of Homes"? Is it because of the number of beautiful antebellum homes inside the city limits? Yes, but there is more to the story.

In the early 1800's, the western part of Georgia was still Indian territory. The Creek Indians, named by the Scotch-Irish settlers because of the area's numerous small creeks, inhabited the area from the Ocmulgee River to the Chattahoochee River and were led by a chief named General William McIntosh (ci.newnan.ga.us)

During the 1820's, the Creeks ceded their land to the State of Georgia and five counties, including Coweta, were formed. Coweta County, named for the Cowetas or Lower Creek Indians, was officially created by Legislative Acts of June 9, 1825 an...

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One of the most common questions I receive is what happens if we have a low appraisal? Most real estate contracts are contingent upon the property appraising for the sales price. The appraisal is ordered by the lender but typically paid for by the buyer, unless negotiated otherwise. A low appraisal can be common in a hot market where home values are rising faster than the comparable sales can keep up. The good news is that a low appraisal does not mean the deal is over. In fact, we are able to work out most low appraisals.

One option you have is to appeal the appraisal. This is when you need to lean on your Realtor to find suitable comparable sales that will support your contract price. Appraisers can make mistakes and overlook sales. Make sure you or your Realtor look at off-market sales and not just transactions on the local MLS. Once you have some transactions that you think will support the value, the buyer's lender will send these to the appraiser to see if they warrant...

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