Excited about your first home? Here are some tips to make the process smooth and successful:

DO

• Hire a knowledgable and professional real estate agent to work with
• State your communication, responsiveness, and timeframe expectations to the realtor
• Sign a Buyer Brokerage Agreement so you can be fully informed
• Find a lender and get financially qualified immediately!
• Once qualified, explain your home needs and wants to your realtor
• Drive around to check out areas, traffic patterns to/from work, shopping, & schools
• Ask your realtor to send you homes that he/she feels meet your needs - review the data
• Give your realtor 24-48 hours leadtime to make viewing appointments
• Eventually make a decision - partner with your realtor and submit an offer to purchase
• Pay attention and meet all deadlines as stated in your contract
• Always have a termite and home inspection
• Remember to schedule utilities to be on the day of closing
• Arrive to closing on time with driver's license, funds, and the required paperwork
• Have money in reserve for incidental expenses that might surface

DO NOT

• Start your search until you have been pre-qualified by a lender
• Buy anything of substantial material value until after your home closes
• Go back and forth on your home requirements - try to stay the course
• Don't call a listing agent from a sign if there's a home you like - let your realtor work for you (the listing agent represents the seller)
• When you decide on a home, don't wait to make an offer - time can be of the essence

Casey Fauscett, Buyer's Agent, The Komar Team

It was after 27 years of marriage and about 45 vehicles later that my Cindy announced she's always wanted an El Camino. Name a category - SUV, family sedan, convertible, Corvettes, and even two Dodge Vipers, and we've owned them. And now the inevitable - locate an El Camino that still runs, and add it to the fleet.

Well, we got lucky in Gainesville, GA one day in September. My son spotted a red El Camino with white stripes at a small car lot off HWY 53. One glance an we were hooked - this 1972 SS beauty was in mint condition, sporting a big block 502 with headers, racing cam, B/M shifter, and kicking out over 550 hp along with real muscle car fumes! The owners of the car place said it's a show car from California.

Already possessing a perfect paint job in Keller William's colors, we decided to logo the back window. Meanwhile, it's turning heads and generating a ton of compliments - a true throwback to the 70's and the muscle car generation! Enjoy the ride!

The Media is full of misleading information about foreclosures in Georgia! They give the impression that all these homes can be bought for pennies on the dollar, and so many people are homeless from losing their homes. Fact is - I find nothing could be further from the truth. As I study the individual postings in Forsyth County for example, 50% of the foreclosures in dollars relate to developers and builders who can't meet their expenses, resulting in unfinished homes or sub-divisions. The majority of the remaining 50% applies to homes under $300K in value. Most of those homeowners have large second or third mortgages with little or no equity in the home, brought about by past loan products that required no money down and little to no money in the buyer's bank account.

Attend an auction on the court house steps and you'll see that very few private homes in Forsyth County actually make it to that point. Usually a sale is worked out before the auction. In October 2007, with 102 properties listed for auction, only 28 were brought to the court house steps. Of those 28, only 5 had any one other than a bank bid on them. A potential buyer must stand outside in the weather with cash in hand from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. just to see if the home they are interested in will be offered. Where do all these homes go, and why don't the banks make it easier to buy them?

Bottom line - it's a great time to buy a home! Consider a foreclosure if you have a lot of patience and all cash. Otherwise, interest rates are near record lows, loans are available to buyers with decent credit and some money in the bank for a down payment, and the selection is probably the best it's been around Atlanta. It's a super buyer's market!

Tom Riess
Buyer's Agent

Vickery Village in Cumming, GA offers a lot of everything to the visitors and residents of this marvelous self-contained community! Four wonderful restaurants grace center square. Children can enjoy a safe outdoor park while adults parade through the marvelous retail shops. There's even a YMCA if you're a physical fitness buff.

But living in Vickery is special and home buyers of all ages are appreciating Vickery's mystique and appeal - not to mention its resale value! Pick from multiple home styles - from town homes, cottages, flats, to a mega range of single family residences. People walking and riding bikes to one of many outdoor recreation areas or parks is a frequent scene. It seems like Vickery home owners get away, relax, and enjoy the outdoors better than most of us!

Our real estate Team lists, markets, and sells aggressively in Vickery. On Sunday, November 18 from 2:00-5:00 pm, we're opening all three of our homes for a "Visit Vickery Open House". Stop by to see these 3 gorgeous resales, two of which are located on Vickery Creek Road, and the other on Will Allen. You won't miss the large red Komar Team/Keller Williams signs!

Visit Vickery - list your current home with us - and start packing!

This is a great time to invest in that second home or primary residence on Lake Lanier. We have seen the prices plunge as the water levels go down. Presently, many homes on the market have landlocked docks due to Atlanta's historic drought. As in the past, however, the water will again rise and today's conditions will be forgotten, until the next drought cycle. Meanwhile, many sellers have significantly reduced their asking price - super opportunities for buyers who haven't wanted to pay the rising prices of the past for lake property.


Cindy Komar
$3 - $5 million Lake Lanier sales annually

I want to say how proud I am of my wife Penny. Penny participated in the Atlanta Heart Walk to raise money for the American Heart Association just days after completing the Breast Cancer Charity Walk. Penny had lost her Dad to a heart attack and her Mom suffers from a heart condition, so she was determined to make them proud. Her goal was to raise $500 in donations in 3 weeks - she ended up being the top fund raiser for her team with $1,100. Her walking team was the Fox 5 PM News Team. She got to walk with several anchors from Fox 5 - Russ Spencer, Lisa Rayam, Amanda Davis, and Suchita Vadlamani! They mentioned that Penny's story had touched several in the news room, and motivated them to do more. They have graciously invited Penny to join their Fox team again next year.

Penny stated, "initially, I thought the walk would be easy because it was only 3 miles, but I never anticipated the emotional elements. When I got to the 2 mile marker, a little girl (about 6 year old) handed me a jingle bell to thank me for walking for her Dad. The tears filled my eyes. I told the little girl that I had also lost my Dad, and I was walking for him, too. The walk was very rewarding for me in many ways".

Penny would encourage anyone who is interested to "walk for a great cause" next year!

Casey Fauscett
Buyer's Agent
The Komar Team
Keller Williams Realty