Foreclosures in Athens GA

The following article recently appeared in the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Georgia foreclosure rate ranks No. 5 in October

Georgia was in the top 10 for total foreclosure filings and foreclosure rates in October, according to Realty Trac's October 2007 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report.
The state had one foreclosure for every 332 households for a total of 11,352 filings in October. Georgia's foreclosure rate was up 37.8 percent from September and grew 64.6 percent over October 2006. Its rate was the fifth highest in the nation in October.
The United States had a total of 224,451 foreclosure filings in October, up 2 percent from September and up 94 percent from October 2006. The national foreclosure rate for the month was one foreclosure filing for every 555 households.
"Overall foreclosure activity continues to register at a high level compared to last year, but it appears to have leveled off over the past two months after hitting a high for the year in August," said James J. Saccacio, CEO of RealtyTrac. "Default notices were down nearly 9 percent in October, indicating that some of the efforts on the part of homeowners, lenders and advocacy groups to find alternatives to foreclosure may be starting to have an impact. On the other hand, bank repossessions were up nearly 35 percent, evidence that more homeowners who enter foreclosure are losing their homes."

Many homeowners are not aware of the options available to them. The first thing you need to do, if you can't make your payments, is to call the mortgage company. They are much more open to working out a plan with you. Possibilities include revising the terms of the loan and adding the past due payments to the end of the loan. If you can't get the mortgage company to work with you (or if you're just not comfortable asking) call us. We are happy to do whatever we can to help you.

If you are not going to be able to work out a plan to repay and just want to avoid foreclosure, we can help with that too. We will contact your mortgage company and discuss options to help you get the house sold and save you from having a foreclosure on your credit report.

So, the main thing to do is act right away when you realize that you're in trouble. Once the property goes in to foreclosure, there is nothing to be done. Even if the 4-week advertising period has started, call us. We will do everything we can to help. Jerri 706-296-4395 or e-mail us.

Paul's latest woodworking projects

Paul has been busy turning bowls (and a few vases) lately. Here are a few he turned with spalted maple, walnut, norfolk pine and cherry. I may not have the woods right but his work is beautiful.

Real estate market in Athens

The market has slowed a little here, but according to this report, we're still in good shape. It shows that housing prices haven't increased nearly as much as other areas of the country so Athens is still an affordable place to live. This MSN article shows statistics for areas all around the country.

Oconee County - Pottery Show and Sale

The 5th Annual pottery sale, Perspectives 2007, will be held at Rocket Field, starting September 1. It's a great time to buy gifts for yourself or someone else. You'll see the work of potters from all over the state.

5 Points in Athens

Five Points is a great place to visit --or live. Houses here are older, historic homes that have lots of charm. The shopping area has restaurants including the Five Points Deli and 5&10 Restaurant. Clarke County has built several new fire stations over the past few years but this is probably the most impressive one. Earth Fare is a great place for groceries and more, including gifts, books, cards and a cafeteria.

To search for homes, go to http://www.movingtoathens.com/ and click on "Athens Area Homes". then select Area 6 - Five Points.

Athens Real Estate Sales Statistics - 2nd quarter

Well, I think we're finally seeing a slow down in the real estate market in Athens. Not bad, compared to other parts of the country, but still --things seem to be moving a little slower. Based on statistics from the Athens ILS, there were 1170 residential sales in the 2nd quarter 2007. In the 2nd quarter 2006, there were 1317 residential sales. This is not a drastic drop and the 1st quarter was actually higher in 2007 (2007 1st qtr. 820 sales and 2006 1st qtr. 697 sales for residential sales).

I believe that all the good publicity about Athens has helped the market to continue at a steady pace. Hopefully, things will turn around for all areas soon.

But, in the meantime, this could be an excellent time to buy. If you're considering moving to Athens, see all area listings at http://www.movingtoathens.com/

Athens Locally Grown produce, dairy and more

www.Athenslocallygrown.net provides a great service for locally grown vegetables, eggs, dairy, plants and more. It's all organic (maybe not all certified) and supplied by local farmers. For the past few weeks, we've ordered tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, potatoes, garlic, leeks, milk, and a few plants. We are enjoying getting this food because it tastes good and it's helping to support the community farmers. You only get what you want each week and you're not committed to ordering anything you don't need. And, you pick up your food weekly at Gosford Wine store, next to the Kroger at Alps Road. There is wine available for tasting while you wait for your food order. They also sell cheese and fresh bread at the wine store.

Fourth of July

If you're looking for something to do in celebration of the Fourth of July, check out these options from a recent Red & Black article. Our family has enjoyed the fireworks at Bishop Park for many years.

Athens, Atlanta offer varied fourth of July celebrations

Have a fun and safe holiday.

Athens GA real estate - 1st Quarter 2007 compared to 1st Quarter 2006

2006/2007 Sales Statistics

1st quarter 2006, there were 844 sales reported in the Athens MLS. The average sales price was $174,778, average list price $172,109 and average days on the market was 169.

1st quarter 2007, there were 786 sales reported in the Athens MLS. The average sales price was $182,635, average list price $178,039 and average days on the market was 169 (same as 2006!)

Although total number of sales dropped slightly, the average list and sales prices increased during this period.

Number of Sales by County

2006/2007

Clarke 356 /380
Oconee 128 /94
Madison 68 /55
Jackson 70 /62
Oglethorpe 35/ 33
Barrow 101/ 94

Clarke County was the only county with an increase in sales for the 1st quarter.

Athen GA Real Estate Sales Statistics

Total sales for 2006 were about the same as 2005 but the 4th quarter of 2006 was slightly lower than the 4th quarter 0f 2005. It seems that houses are staying on the market a little longer and the inventory is a little higher. In 2006, there were 3,343 homes sold with an average sales price of $190,991.

In Clarke county, the average sales price was $189,924, Oconee County $312,076, Madison County $157,267, Jackson County $196,081, Oglethorpe County $166,159 and Barrow $147,069.

These statistics were taken from the Athens Area Association of Realtors ILS and do not include sales by real estate companies not in the local board of realtors.