Tag Archives : Roswell GA real estate

The Curtin Team’s CEO, Tom Curtin and Director of Sales, Christy Smith explain the benefits for first time home buyers in today’s market. One of the biggest advantages of buying a home today is the stability and equity you get. Waiting a year or two can cost you tens of thousands of dollars in equity loss. And as rental rates continue to rise, a fixed rate mortgage payment stays the same. Also, many sellers and lenders are now offering to pay closing costs and buy downs on rates. Large down payments often scare off first time homebuyers, but some loans require as little as 3.5% down. As an example, the down payment on a $400,000 house can be as low as $14,000. And there are many ways to get that down payment including finding places in your budget to cut back and save, loans from family, or loans against a 401K to cover some or all it. The news of interest rate hikes shouldn’t scare off potential home buyers either. If rates go down, refinancing is available and if rates go up, you’ll be glad you locked in a lower rate.

The Curtin Team’s CEO, Tom Curtin and Director of Sales, Christy Smith explain the benefits of mortgage rate buy downs for buyers and sellers. Like many practices in the world of Real Estate, mortgage hacks depend on Buyer/Seller goals, timelines, and preferences. Buy-downs are unique, though, because they offer direct benefits to both Buyers and Sellers in the short term and long term. They allow houses to be sold more efficiently, less stress with high monthly payments for Buyers, and less interest payment over time. If you are in the market to either buy or sell a home, don’t forget that there are ways for you to save money during the process.

Raise your hand if you know what a 1031 Exchange is.
Anyone?

If you’re a real estate investor, we’re betting YOU’RE raising your hands. Both of them.
We always say that there’s no greater investment than real estate. That’s true whether you’re buying a home in which you can live or whether you’re buying homes to hold as actual investments, not unlike buying stocks or bonds.
Investors—just like The Curtin Team—know that homes are great sources of equity, not to mention boons for their tax returns, paths to greater cash flow, better diversification of their portfolios, and great ways to counter the effects of inflation.
Real estate is a GREAT investment.

But what happens when it’s time to sell an investment property?

That’s a tricky question and if you don’t have a REALTOR who’s well-versed in how to handle these transactions, you could be left holding the bag (which could be woefully free of money).
When you have a REALTOR who understands real estate investment, however, and the intricacies of a 1031 exchange, you’ll be sitting pretty when all is said and done.
With a 1031 exchange, an investor can sell a property, reinvest the proceeds, and defer ALL capital gains taxes. That’s right, ALL. To give an example, if you sold a property and had $200,000 in capital gains, you’d be subject to taxes of around $70,000, meaning you’d only have about $130,000 left to invest in a new property. After making a down payment and assuming an LTV (loan-to-value) ratio of 75%, that means you’d be able to buy a new property worth about $520,000.
But with a 1031 exchange, you’d be able to use the entire $200,000. If you had the same down payment and LTV as we cited in the previous example, you could buy a property worth about $800,000.

If you think the 1031 exchange sounds like a great idea, you’re right.
But it’s crucial—CRUCIAL—that your REALTOR understands the rules and regulations related to these exchanges. If they don’t, you could find yourself in financial hot water, and nobody wants that. There are dates and deadlines to which investors must adhere, or they’re forced to pay penalties.

The Curtin Team is well-versed in 1031 exchanges and understands their ins and outs; we know that when your investments are on the line, there’s no room for error, no time for dilly-dally. We make sure that your investments—your hard-earned money—are protected.

If you’re interested in investing in real estate and have questions, or if you’re thinking of selling an investment property, talk to us. We’re experienced with investors and will make sure your dollars are working as hard as they can for you, and that they’re kept safe.

The real estate market is constantly shifting. Do you know how to position yourself for success as a buyer or a seller? Our team of real estate experts will be available to answer your questions on August 10 at 10am (Eastern Time). Dial into our Zoom call and join us for an informative Q and A.

Register Here
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Are higher interest rates going to cause a real estate market crash? We’ve been getting some variation of this question a lot lately. The reality is no one knows exactly what will happen yet there are some fundamental truths to consider. I once heard someone say that an economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn’t happen today. With that, let’s start with some facts.

This year, the Federal Reserve raised its interest rates by half of a percentage point. This is its largest rate increase since 2000 and the first time since 2006 that the Fed has increased rates in back-to-back meetings.
It’s important to understand why interest rates are rising. Primarily, raising interest rates is one of the most powerful tools the Federal Reserve has to control the economy and inflation. During a recent news conference, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell explained “inflation is much too high and we understand the hardship it is causing. We’re moving expeditiously to bring it back down.”
Bringing down inflation without causing a recession is a difficult task that requires careful precision. By raising rates, the Fed hopes to cool the housing market without stopping it altogether – quite the balancing act.
As rates increase for borrowers, some buyers are forced out of the market because they can no longer afford homes that have appreciated so much in value. But interest rates will have to go up significantly to soften housing prices and curb inflation. We don’t expect to see prices go backwards, but they also can’t keep appreciating at 20% per year.
Serious buyers view rising rates as a reason to buy sooner, not to wait any longer. When house hunting, budgeting with a higher rate in mind can be greatly beneficial. For example, base your expected payment assuming that it will eventually have a ½ percentage higher rate. If rates go up, you’ll be in budget, and if they don’t move, you’ll have a cushion built in.
Rental rates have increased, too, so first-time homebuyers are still looking to buy because purchasing a home is less expensive than renting in most cases. The most reliable hedge against inflation is a fixed housing cost in the way of a fixed mortgage. As a renter, there is no protection against rising costs of rent because of very few rent-control laws.
These factors lead many to wonder: Will rising interest rates cause an eventual price crash? With the financial crisis of 2008 still fresh in our memory, it’s easy to see why people might expect home prices to fall. This time, however, there are many differences. I remember back in 2006 when banks were handing out “no doc loans” that asked for your personal finances with no written proof. This created artificial demand by making it easy for just about anyone to “qualify” for a home loan or refinance their current home. Today, purchasers and those refinancing homes face much higher standards and stricter guidelines from mortgage companies. Because of this, purchasers can afford the mortgage they’re taking on and there are less defaults. The speculative buyers who were purchasing homes and reselling them six months later for quick gains are not as prolific as they were in 2005-2007. The price drop seen during The Great Recession was caused mainly by the financial crisis, which led to a foreclosure crisis. When foreclosures flooded the market, prices dropped. The fear of another huge foreclosure event in today’s market is just not as realistic as it was a decade ago.
There’s still a very real housing inventory shortage that is driving demand. Even with higher interest rates, buyers are relocating away from big cities and are viewing Northern Atlanta as valuable. With continued demand, supply issues delaying new construction for the foreseeable future, and relative affordability in housing in our area, we expect rising rates to slow real estate sales somewhat, but they will not be stopping completely any time soon.

Mortgage rates rose today, but rates overall are at historical lows. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is 4.47%, according to Bankrate.com, and the average rate on a 15-year mortgage is 3.64%. On a 30-year jumbo mortgage, the average rate is 4.48%, and the average rate on a 5/1 ARM is 2.96%. These rates are just averages and subject to change daily. For current rates contact your preferred lender.

During the pandemic we had historically low rates. The factors that most affect the rate increases today are inflation and economic growth. But rates can change for various reasons. Overall though, rates are expected to continue to go up this year.

Does this mean you should cancel your home buying plans? Absolutely not! Even though rates are higher than in 2021 they are still very low. 30-year fixed rates were in the high 5%’s just a few years ago.

Buying a home isn’t just about interest rates though, it’s also about making a lifestyle choice. It’s best to find right house for you when the time is right for you. Home values have historically risen and now is a good time to get in to your dream home.

Kanani Briggs, Realtor, and Cheri Bartlett, Space Strategist, discuss the ways you can start organizing your home in preparation of a Spring sale. Cheri offers tips on tackling difficult areas to organize as well as the services she offers homeowners to help them move items out of their homes.

For more information, contact Kanani Briggs at kbriggs@curtinteam.com or 678-287-4848.

Happy New Year from the Curtin Team!

It’s not business as usual, but it’s still a great time to BUY. Whether you are considering down sizing, right sizing or buying for the first time, Melinda Nawn, Curtin Team Buyer Agent, will show you the path to WINNING in 2022 real estate market. She will separate fears from facts, explain the realities of the current market, various financing options and the next steps to take to be in your new home.

The workshop will be hosted at 1255 Canton Street, Ste. A, Roswell, GA 30075 on Tuesday, January 26th from noon to 1pm. Light refreshments will be served. If you are unable to attend in person, a Zoom link is available.

SIGN UP TODAY

If you’re thinking about putting your house on the market in 2022, now is the time to start cleaning, purging, and prepping. The holidays may be the ideal time to get started while kids are home from school and family is visiting. It’s the perfect time to open up SPACE for what this new year will bring. While it might be easy to let go of those clothes that are out of style or the gadgets you were so excited about, but are now sitting at the back of your closet…never used, many people struggle with what to do with sentimental items. Pictures, cards and artwork from kids, items you’ve kept from loved ones now passed, even your own childhood memorabilia can bring up so many emotions! That’s ok! We have some tips for taking that emotional ride, making it fun, and in the end loving the result!

The Curtin Team has been in business for over 20 years and in that time, we have helped hundreds of clients prepare their homes for sale. Here’s our favorite method for sorting sentimental items before a move. Create an EVENT focused on going through these precious items in your home. Whether it’s all the items from your children, or from passed loved ones or a combination, now is the time to get people on board to help you.

These are our top tips for making this event fun and productive!

1. Schedule a time
2. Invite family
3. Make a SPACE
4. Make it FUN!
5. Gather supplies
6. Explain process
7. Do it!

Schedule a time: If you have 5 small to medium sized boxes you will probably be able to get through them in about 4-5 hours. Larger or more boxes are going to take longer. Just keep in mind, that most people underestimate how long it’s going to take.

Invite family: As with any event you want to invite people so they can carve out the time in their schedule. You can send an evite, paper invitation or just call people. Do what feels best to you! Explain in the invitation that you are planning to put your house on the market and it’s time to make decisions about items you’ve been holding onto. Let them know that you wanted to include them in the decision making and why. For example: I have items from when mom/dad passed that you may want to keep. Or for your children: I have items from your childhood that you may want to keep. Keep it light and fun, more of a party atmosphere.

Make a SPACE: You may want to sit at the dining room table, or just sprawl on the floor. Again, do what feels best to you but plan ahead of time and get extra chairs for the table or pillows to sit on the floor. Whatever will make it comfortable.

Make it FUN: This is our favorite tip because this process does not have to be miserable! Depending on the time of day have some yummy food for everyone …coffee and donuts if it’s morning, sandwiches at lunch, etc. Definitely have beverages too! Maybe some hot chocolate or wine ;). Turn on some fun upbeat music, light some candles. You know what we’re going to say next…whatever feels good to you!

Gather supplies: First on the list is garbage bags. Have scissors for opening boxes if needed, and bins/bags for each person so they can take away whatever items they decide to keep.

Explain the process: Let your family know you’re going to open the boxes one by one so everyone can see everything. This can be the most fun way because as you are looking through the items invariably you will have memories of fun moments from the past. Occasionally, it could also bring up sad memories…that’s ok. Let it out and then let it go. These are not items you want in your SPACE and there will be plenty of items that feel good to you. Focus on the good because you want to create a new SPACE that is uplifting and feels good when you walk in the door!! It’s great to keep items that are useful and sentimental so that you feel connected to your loved ones. If you have recently lost a loved one you might find it more difficult to part with their items right now. It’s ok to keep them until you feel better about letting go. Be gentle with yourself keeping in mind you are never going to forget this person or the experiences you shared with them regardless of which items you decide to keep!

Do it: Go through all the items and let it unfold however it unfolds. Keep only the items that REALLY resonate with you and feel good to you. A special note about photos – only keep pictures that really capture the event and feel good! Even if they are blurry or off center but are fun and uplifting…those are the ones you want to keep! If you have multiples of the same picture …like school photos, just keep one. When your event is finished throw the garbage away and make sure everyone takes the items they chose with them.

Now you can look forward to making wonderful memories in your new home!

A special thanks to our contributor and friend, Cheri Bartlett, owner of CEO Space, Inc. She specializes in helping clients organize and renew their space.

Here’s her contact info
Cheri Bartlett
CEO SPACE, Inc
404-998-9334
Bartlettc1718@gmail.com
Instagram @claritywithcheri
Facebook: SPACE Simplify Purge And Create Ease

Tom and Joanne Curtin joined Mitchell Palm, President of Business Development, Smart Real Estate Data, and host Geoff Smith to talk about what’s working in property sales and purchases, what’s ahead for 2022, and much more. ATL Developments with Geoff Smith is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

ATL Developments with Geoff Smith covers all things economic development in the Atlanta Metro area. From everything inside the Beltline to Avalon and beyond, Geoff Smith interviews the movers and shakers making the ATL one of the best places to live, work and play.

Follow the link to listen to their entire conversation –

https://businessradiox.com/podcast/north-fulton-studio/atl-developments-smart-real-estate-data-curtin-real-estate-team/