New Home SalesTraining.com: Home Builders in Atlanta Buying Lots

Home Builders in Atlanta Buying Lots (post courtesy of Atlanta Real Estate Forum)

There have been quite a few positive signs for the real estate market in the recent weeks; could we possibly be at the beginning of a turnaround? Well, we don’t know for sure, but, according to a recent article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, some of the largest new home builders in metro Atlanta are getting ready to start building again. Centex Homes, Pulte Homes, D.R. Horton and Ryland Homes are a few of the builders that have already purchased or are looking to purchase lots in the metro market. Their interest in new home sites would suggest that they are out of inventory homes and plan to start building again.
Out of inventory homes! We’ve been reading for years that our biggest problem was there were too many inventory homes on the market, which was a major contributing factor to the slowing economy. We also have been told that once the inventory homes are absorbed, it would signal a turnaround in the housing market. So, has the real estate market bottomed out? Well, we can’t answer that question - only time will be able to confirm. But, we can say with absolute certainty, that metro Atlanta builders buying lots is exceptional news. And, it would not be a bad idea to buy a new home in Atlanta now and take advantage of the homebuyer incentives while they are still around.

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678.391.9136 info@newhomesales-training.com

Landlord advice: Hownowners, Avoid Foreclosure Rescue Scams

(source: Ga government)
Foreclosure scams come in many forms, but at the heart of each is a false promise that the firm will save the consumer's home. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urges consumers who are looking for foreclosure prevention help to avoid any company that:

• guarantees to stop the foreclosure process --- no matter what your circumstances
  
• instructs you not to contact your lender, lawyer, or credit or housing counselor
• collects a fee before providing you with any services
• encourages you to lease your home so you can buy it back over time
• tells you to make your mortgage payments directly to it, rather than to your lender
• tells you to transfer your property deed or title to it
  

The FTC says that consumers having trouble paying the mortgage or who have gotten a foreclosure notice should contact their lender immediately. They may be able to negotiate a new payment schedule. Legitimate help is available through the Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF), a nonprofit organization that operates the national 24/7 toll-free hotline (1.888.995.HOPE) with free, bilingual, personalized assistance to help at-risk homeowners avoid foreclosure. To learn more, visit www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre42.shtm

Common Scams

Scam artists follow the headlines, and know there are homeowners falling behind in their mortgage payments or at risk for foreclosure. Their pitches may sound like a way for you to get out from under, but their intentions are as far away from honorable as they can be. They mean to take your money. Among the predatory scams that have been reported are:

• The foreclosure prevention specialist: The “specialist” really is a phony counselor who charges outrageous fees in exchange for making a few phone calls or completing some paperwork that a homeowner could easily do for himself. None of the actions results in saving the home. This scam gives homeowners a false sense of hope, delays them from seeking qualified help, and exposes their personal financial information to a fraudster.

• The lease/buy back: Homeowners are deceived into signing over the deed to their home to a scam artist who tells them they will be able to remain in the house as a renter and eventually buy it back. Usually, the terms of this scheme are so demanding that the buy-back becomes impossible, the homeowner gets evicted, and the “rescuer” walks off with most or all of the equity.

• The bait-and-switch: Homeowners think they are signing documents to bring the mortgage current. Instead, they are signing over the deed to their home. Homeowners usually don’t know they’ve been scammed until they get an eviction notice.

Visit the following links for more information on "Foreclosure Rescue Scams" and how to avoid becoming a victim:

OCC Consumer Tips to Avoid Foreclosure Rescue Scams

Federal Reserve Board: 5 Tips for Avoiding Foreclosure Scams

National Consumer Law Center, Inc.’s Tips For Consumers On Avoiding Foreclosure “Rescue” Scams

Freddie Mac: Avoiding Foreclosure and Beware of Scam Artists

HUD: How to Avoid Foreclosure and Foreclosure Prevention Companies

Federal Trade Commission: Mortgage Payments Sending You Reeling? Here’s What to Do - Be Alert to Scams

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Atlanta Home Show

Come make your home new again
and find out why now is the best time
to remodel your home.

The 31st Annual Spring Atlanta Home Show is coming to its new location, the Cobb Galleria Centre, March 20-22, 2009! Take advantage of one-stop shopping for everything for your home, inside and out and talk face to face with over 300 participating companies offering you the latest home remodeling products and services. Whether you are selling a home that could use that competitive edge in today’s crowded market, buying a home that needs updating or remodeling, or if you just want to enjoy your home to the fullest, you will find what you are looking for at Atlanta’s largest and longest running consumer home show. For 31 years the Spring Atlanta Home Show has been improving home lifestyles and adding value to your largest single investment, your home. We’re proud of our ability to produce a family friendly environment and welcome you to our home.

Three days only in its new home at the Cobb Galleria Centre, the place to go for quality consumer shows!

Visit the photo galleries and check back often for updates as we continue to plan and add to the show!

Click here for the Viking Cooking Stage Speaker Schedule and Highlights including Chef Will Rece, Next Food Network Star finalist, Chef Hans Rueffert, Sugar artist Karen Portaleo, and more!

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Click here for the Home Show Stage Speaker Schedule and Highlights including Joe Washington and Walter Reeves, Coach Vince Dooley, Tonya Williams, and more.

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Click here for a complete list of show highlights including the SEE-THRU House, Home For the Ages, Joe Washington and Walter Reeves, Camp Jam's Rock U Lounge, and so much more.