Gas Prices!

I almost always find gas prices lower in Forsyth.  Check out today's prices, and go somewhere this weekend!

Gas Prices

HERE'S SOME RATES TO GO WITH THOSE OPEN HOUSES...

Open Houses This Weekend in Forsyth County

Looking for open houses to go to this weekend?  Did you know this weekend, April 28 & 29, is National Open House weekend?  This means there will be open houses galore this weekend in Forsyth County!  Open houses are an excellent way to get out there and see what is available in the neighborhoods you are interested in, or a specific house you are interested in.

You can find out about open houses for this weekend in Forsyth County in many different places.  Many agents post this information on Realtor.com, Trulia, Craigslist, GeorgiaOpenHouse.com, among others, or they'll make a note in the public comments on their MLS listing.  Or, if you're more of an impromptu type person, you can just head out on Saturday and Sunday and follow the Open House signs you see posted in front of subdivisions or homes.

When you go into an open house this weekend, you should expect to be greeted by the agent hosting the open house (ordinarily, the homeowner should not present).  This agent should be fully informed on the home and community, so utilize their knowledge to get all of your questions answered.  They are there to assist you.  However, it is okay if you'd rather not engage with them at length, and you just want to quietly walk through the home on your own.  Most agents are understanding and not offended by hearing this, and are glad to oblige.

Open houses are also a great way to "interview" different agents, if you are thinking of buying or selling a home and don't already have a real estate agent.  You will get to see first hand how they are supporting their current clients, and whether or not you feel you would work well with them.

So, if you are interested in looking at real estate, no matter what the reason or circumstance, take advantage of the open houses this weekend in Forsyth County.

CLICK HERE TO SEARCH FOR HOMES IN FORSYTH COUNTY

Homes Sales: Don't Believe Everything You Read...

In our office, the ongoing advice is "don't watch the news or read the paper".  At least when it comes to the real estate market.  In general, those blanket statement, negative headline stories just don't apply here in Forsyth County.  Sure, the Forsyth County home sales market has been greatly impacted over the past 4 years; there has been a significant adjustment in home sales prices.  But Forsyth County had one of their busiest winter selling seasons, and spring is proving to be no different.  Inventory levels are down, and sales and pricing is up.  Check it out:

FORSYTH COUNTY YEAR-OVER-YEAR SALES/INVENTORY STATS
Measure	Month	2012	2011	% Change
Closed Sales	January	109	83	31.30%
(Units)	February	131	127	3.10%
	March	168	165	1.80%
Measure	Month	2012	2011	% Change
Closed Sales	January	$25,590,038	$19,530,553	31.00%
(Volume)	February	$31,690,386	$28,677,748	10.50%
	March	$41,147,276	$35,536,764	15.80%
Measure	Month	2012	2011	% Change
Average Sales Price	January	$234,771	$235,308	-0.20%
	February	$241,911	$225,809	7.10%
	March	$244,924	$215,374	13.70%
Measure	Month	2012	2011	% Change
Active Listings	January	1,227	1,723	-28.80%
	February	1,197	1,709	-30.00%
	March	1,248	1,783	-30.00%
Measure	Month	2012	2011	% Change
Average Days on Market	January	142	146	-2.70%
	February	117	132	-11.40%
	March	108	145	-25.50%
Measure	Month	2012	2011	% Change
New Foreclosures	January	34	50	-32.00%
	February	24	55	-56.40%
	March	42	46	-8.70%

There are a lot of great things about living in Forsyth County, and the stabilizing home market is one of them.  

If you want more detailed or specific information, please don't hesitate to contact me. 

CLICK HERE NOW IF YOU ARE READY TO LOOK FOR HOMES IN FORSYTH COUNTY

Beautiful Forsyth County Parks...Help Keep Them That Way!

Whenever I go to one of the many gorgeous Forsyth County parks, I am struck by nature's simplistic, but amazing beauty.  Currently there are 17 Forsyth County parks, with seven new parks in progress (see map below).  And it's all there for us to enjoy for free!

But they don't magically appear.  There is a whole group of community members that make this all happen for us - the Forsyth County Parks Foundation, Inc (www.forsythcountyparks.org).  Their mission is to enhance the recreational, educational and cultural life of Forsyth County by encouraging and soliciting support for the county’s parks system.

Want to help beautify and support our community and have fun at the same time?  This next Sunday, April 28th, you can participate in the 3rd Annual Boulder Dash 5K Fitness Run/Walk and Corporate Challenge.  All of the proceeds will benefit the Forsyth County Parks Foundation.  The race will be held at Lafarge Quarry and Northside Hospital-Forsyth.  For more information and to register visit www.boulderdash5k.com.

See you there!

Let's Talk Good Schools!

One of the most popular reasons to select a particular area to live in is their good schools.  Forsyth County offers good schools....well, great schools.  Actually, Forsyth County offers some of the highest ranked schools in the entire state of Georgia!  Check out what SchoolDigger.com has to say about Forsyth County schools:

·         Forsyth County school district is ranked second highest (tied with #1) in the entire state of Georgia

·         Forsyth County has 4 elementary schools in Georgia's top 10 elementary schools - more than any other district

·         Forsyth County has 3 middle schools in Georgia's top 10 middle schools - more than any other district

·         Forsyth County's own Lambert High School is among Georgia's top 10 high schools

Awesome stuff.  Forsyth County is a great place to raise your family.

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REDUCED PRICE ON GREAT FAMILY HOME IN CHAMPIONS RUN - COME SEE!

Before You Buy Or Sell

Whew!  What a night!  We are fostering a puppy for the Humane Society of Forsyth County, and last night was our first night of crate training.  We initially tried a couple of things that failed miserably, and left the entire household crabby and exhausted from the puppy’s crying, whining, and screaming echoing through our home.  So my son and I set out on the internet, searching for that perfect article from Cesar Millan or some other puppy guru, who would know just the right thing to do.  Let’s just say there are a lot of opinions out there on how to crate train your puppy; most of them wildly conflicting!  But we settled on an opinion we felt made sense, and puppy and cheese in hand, I set out to the back bedroom where we keep her bed, determined that we would all sleep that night.

Victory!  I’ll admit, I threw in a couple of my own techniques that no one but the puppy will ever know about.  But it worked, and she (and everyone else) slept soundly until 6:40 this a.m., all happy and rested.

So goes the process of buying or selling your home.  It’s something you don’t have to do very often, but when you do, you want to do it in a way that eliminates all the crying, whining, and screaming that comes along with diving into to it ill equipped with necessary information.

Buying and selling a home isn’t rocket science; there’s no universal “right” way.  But there is definitely a process that can be tweaked to fit your own personal situation.  So before you attempt to sell or buy your home, save yourself some money, time, and headaches.  Educate yourself, or enlist some expert assistance. 

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