Walton and Barrow Counties' Upcoming Basketball Games...

Everyone loves watching a sporting event, right? Well, come on out and support your local high school basketball games...only 1 more game left until the tournaments start. Here's the line-up for the high schools in both the Walton and Barrow counties...

Photo by: laffy4k

WALTON COUNTY:

Loganville High School:

*Varsity Girls:

• Next game: Today, February 3, 2009 6:00 p.m.
• Playing away at Heritage High School
• Location: 2400 Granade Road SW, Conyers, GA 30094
• Current statistics: won 17 games out of 24

*Varsity Boys:

• Next game: Today, February 3, 2009 7:30 p.m.
• Playing away at Heritage High School
• Current statistics: won 14 games out of 24

*JV Girls:

• Next game: Today, February 3, 2009 4:30 p.m.
• Playing away at Heritage High School

*JV Boys:

• Next game: Saturday, February 7, 2009 Noon
• Playing away at North Oconee High School
• Location: 1081 Rocky Branch Road, Bogart, GA 30622

Monroe Area High School:

*Varsity Boys:

• Next game: Today, February 3, 2009 6:00 p.m.
• Playing at home against Salem High School
• Location: 300 Double Springs Church Road, Monroe, GA 30656
  

Photo by: Doug L

BARROW COUNTY:

Apalachee High School:

*Varsity Girls and Boys:

• Next game: Today, February 3, 2009 6:00 p.m.
• Playing at home against Madison County High School
• Location: 940 Haymon Morris Road, Winder, GA 30680

*JV Boys:

• Next game: Today, February 3, 2009 4:15 p.m.
• Playing at home against Madison County High School

Winder-Barrow High School:

*Varsity Girls and Boys:

• Next game: Today, February 3, 2009 6 p.m.
• Tonight is SENIOR NIGHT!
• Playing at home against Clarke Central High School
• Location: 272 North Fifth Avenue, Winder, GA 30680

*JV Girls:

• Next game: Today, February 3, 2009 4:15 p.m.
• Playing at home against Clarke Central High School

Thanks for Reading!

If you are in the market to buy or sell your home in the Bethlehem or Dacula area, I would be happy to assist you! My passion is helping people find their dream home and stepping them through this exciting journey. I serve the Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett county areas. Call or text me today!

Part II: What You Get for the Money--$200,000

Okay, today's edition of What You Get for the Money is a home that sold in the price range of $200,000 to $299,000. In case you missed Part I of this series, you can view it here: Part I: What You Get for the Money-$100,000

As we all know, home sales have been way down, so I only had two homes to choose from that had sold in the past two months in this price range. One was a rustic log cabin built in 1983 on over 14 acres in Bethlehem, Georgia. And when I say rustic, I mean it! The inside walls were logs, the columns and ceiling were wood beams and the floors were hardwood. Nothing was painted, no color, just brown wood everywhere. If you really want your privacy, I guess this would be the place for you.

I decided to show y'all the second home instead. So here's what you can get in Barrow county, Georgia for $200,000:


This bank-owned and never-been-lived-in property was built in 2006 and is in the city of Winder, Georgia. It's a ranch-style home with hardi-plank and stone accents. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. You get 1.23 acres, a 3 car garage and a full basement. In the kitchen there are granite countertops, black appliances, cherry cabinets and hardwood floors. The master is on the main level and there's a bonus room above the garage.

It closed November, 2008 for $217,900, although it was originally listed for $284,900.

*Based on information provided to and compiled by GAMLS.com GAMLS.com does not guarantee or is in any way responsible for its accuracy.

Okay, tag...you're it! I want to see what you can get for the $200,000 price range in your part of the country! Check back on Monday for the next installment of this series--the $300,000 price range.

Thanks for reading!

$7500 Tax Credit for First Time Homebuyers

First-time home buyers are now eligible to receive a tax credit of up to $7,500 when buying a home sometime within April 9, 2008 and June 30, 2009. Here are the specifics:

1. First-time Home Buyer is: A buyer who has not owned a principal residence in the prior 3 years of purchase. For married couples, this rule applies to both the buyer and their spouse. It is okay if you already own rental property or a vacation home, as long as it is not your primary residence.

2. Types of Homes that Qualify: As long as the home will be used as a primary residence, almost any type of home will qualify; this includes: single-family detached homes, townhomes, condominiums, manufactured/mobile homes and houseboats.

3. Income Restraints: First-time home buyers are eligible for the full tax credit as long as their income is less than $75,000 for single taxpayers and $150,000 or less for married couples. A partial tax credit may be available for people with an income greater than the limit, for more information on this please visit: www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com.

4. Payback Provisions: The tax credit is essentially a zero-interest loan and must be paid back over the following 15 years or when they sell the home, whichever comes first. However, the homeowner does not begin making payments until two years after they have bought the home. Say they bought the home in 2008, then the first $500 payment would be due in 2010. If the homeowner sells the home before all the payments have been made, the rest of the credit would be paid back from the profit of the sale. If there was a loss on the home, the remaining credit payback would be forgiven.

I hope this information has helped you better understand this first-time homebuyer program offered by the federal government. If you have any questions or would like to buy a home, especially in Walton, Barrow, or Gwinnett county, I hope you will contact me. I would love the opportunity to help you through the journey of purchasing your first home. With incredible amount of inventory for sale and the incentives the government is giving, now is the time to buy!

*The information for this post came from www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com. Please reference that website for more in-depth information.

Attention Sellers: Open House Tips!

In order to have a successful open house, sellers need to make sure their house is looking its best and standing out from the rest. Here are 11 tips to help your house look attractive to potential buyers:

1. The Outside Must Shine: Curb appeal is so important when selling your home, because it's the first impression a potential buyer gets of your home--it is what makes them want to take a deeper look at the property. Some ways to increase your curb appeal are: mow the lawn, trim the bushes and put out fresh mulch in the flower beds. Also, spending a couple hundred dollars on fresh exterior paint can increase the sales price by thousands. Make sure the trim is touched up too.

2. The Inside Must Look New: Okay folks, paint is cheap, so if a room is looking dingy--go ahead and give it a fresh coat of paint.

3. Make Cosmetic Repairs: Windows that are cracked, holes in the walls and tiles that are chipped send the wrong message to buyers--they figure if there are several minor flaws they can see, then there must be more serious flaws that they can't see. You may tend to overlook these things on an everyday basis, but buyers tend to be very critical and will use the little things as reasons not to make an offer; your home will sell much faster if it's in tip-top shape.

4. Let in as Much Light as Possible: Turn on all the lights, you may even want to increase the wattage, even if it's in the middle of the day. Open all the curtains. Doing so will make your home feel warm, inviting and cheerful.

5. Get Rid of All the Clutter: I don't mean stash all your extra things in a closet--get it off the property! Potential buyers have the right to inspect every room, closet and storage space in the home...and you need to give off the impression that there's plenty of room for all of their things.

6. Set the Dinner Table as if You are Getting Ready for a Dinner Party: It's time to bring out the china, the best glasses and the candles--set the table as elegantly as possible. Help your potential buyers imagine what it would be like to live in this home--how easy and fun it would be to entertain here.

7. Kitchens and Bathrooms Must be Absolutely Spotless: Shelves and countertops should be well organized and clean. Assume that people will be looking through your drawers and medicine cabinet--if there is anything you don't want people to see, remove it from your home.

8. Remove Some of Your Possessions: Spaciousness is key--you want every room of your home to look open and roomy. To achieve this, remove extra pieces of furniture, especially big, bulky pieces. Take down some of the family photos. Make your home a blank canvas, allowing your potential buyer to picture how they would live there.

9. Put Your Pets Somewhere Else: Dogs especially can be a real problem--you don't want them barking when someone comes to look at the home, this could interfere with the buyers looking at your home. Also, don't just put them next door either--dogs can sense when strangers are around and they very well could start barking then too, you wouldn't want a potential buyer to be turned off by the possibility of a loud dog next door, do you?

10. Bad Smells Kill Deals: It is important to make sure your home is clean and odor free, smells that you probably don't even notice anymore will be noticed by visitors. Use air fresheners and carpet cleaners if need be to get rid of pet odors, urine on carpets, cigarette smoke, etc. Baking cookies or lighting cookie-scented candles can send an inviting aroma throughout the house.

11. Leave: As soon as your real estate agent arrives, (do you need an agent? how about contacting me?) you should pack the kids in the car and leave the premises. Potential buyers need the opportunity to freely walk through your home without you standing anxiously by.

Okay, now you know all the things you should do to get your home ready for an open house or to put it on the market. If you have questions, feel free to contact me today or write a comment below!

New Fitness Center for Bethlehem

The Riverwalk YMCA in Bethlehem opened this past summer and is another great asset to the growing community of Bethlehem. It is part of the Riverwalk neighborhood and is a beautiful craftsman-style facility. The fitness center features a swimming pool, playground, 4 tennis courts, beach volleyball court, fitness classes and plenty of cardio and weight machines.

We are members there and really like it, especially because of the current competition they have going. During the month of September they have a football themed competition where teams of 4 people can do exercise for yardage...basically the team with the most touchdowns at the end of the month wins a prize. For example, if you spend 30 minutes doing cardio you get 5 yards and if you do 3 sets of 10 on eight circuit machines you receive 10 yards. I am ashamed to admit that I've never made exercising a priority in my life, but for the first time ever I've been motivated to go to the gym frequently....I kinda wish they would just keep extending the end of the competition...maybe a year long competition would be better?!

The staff members are always friendly and the equipment is nice and new. They offer plenty of different group exercise classes and also there is free childcare while you are exercising. All in all, it is a great place to workout...and yet another reason for you to contemplate a move to the Bethlehem area. If you are wanting to move to Bethlehem, Loganville, Athens or any other city within the Gwinnett, Walton and Barrow counties, please contact me today--I would love to help!

If you have any questions about the YMCA or real estate in general...you know what to do, comment below.