Athens Real Estate Video Blog with Justin Woodall

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Is the Athens Real Estate Market Healthy?

Looking to buy or sell a home in Athens, Georgia? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (706) 621-6085 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Hey there everyone, welcome back to my blog. Today I want to start off by apologizing to you all. I made a commitment a few years back to produce great, educational videos and send them out to you twice a month. I have not given up my goal, but I have failed you lately. I haven't produced anything over the last month, and the only excuse I have is that we have been busy.

Today, I am getting back on the horse, and I am back with some very useful info for you about the Athens real estate market. So far, 2015 has been a much busier year in the market than 2014 was. If you look at the numbers for Athens and Clark Counties, sales are way up. Last year, through June, we had 497 residential sales. This year, through June, that number was 612. In addition to this, the average sales price in Athens has risen from $162,000 to $177,000 in just the last year!

In Oconee County, the number of sales has been pretty consistent with what we saw last year, but prices are rising significantly. The average sale price has moved up from $296,000 to $315,000 in the last year. In Athens County as a whole, home prices are up by about 10%.

If you are thinking of buying or selling in the near future, now is a great time. If you have any questions for us, or need assistance buying or selling, we would love to help. Give us a call or send us an email, and we will talk to you soon!

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Can a Discount Broker Save You Money?

Hey everyone, today I want to talk about discount brokers. I want to make sure the people I know don't fall victim to what they think a discount broker can do for them, only to be disappointed in the end.

Now that the market is improving, we are seeing more and more of these discount brokers enter the market. A lot of them are offering specials, such as listing and selling your home for $999. You may think that is a great deal, but we want to tell you what you really get when you hire one of these guys.

You get a picture, an online listing, and that's' pretty much it. You write the check, they collect the money, and they're gone. The picture quality may be terrible. You are more than likely just paying somebody $1,000 to enter your home into a database and walk away. These companies make their money off that $999 investment and make little money anywhere else. They want to sign up as many people as possible and don't care about the outcome of the home sale. They actually have more incentive to take someone else's listing that hasn't paid yet than your own.

If they couldn't sell when the market was down, they aren't going to be able to sell for top dollar now. Our team has consistently outperformed the market, and our average sale price is $13,000 higher than the market average. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

For a free copy of our marketing plan, visit www.TheJustinWoodallGroup.com

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

When Should You Buy a Home in Athens?

Today we are excited to answer another one of your great questions. Our question comes from Sharon, who asks, "Should I wait until I've paid off all my consumer debt before buying a house?"

Honestly Sharon, in my opinion, it comes down to your financial philosophy. Some are conservative, some are liberal, and it depends on where you fit on that spectrum.

If you're a little more liberal, you can find the money and get a loan, sometimes with 100% financing.

I will caution you, though, often times you can get a loan for much more than you really need or are comfortable paying. Use what you are comfortable with as a monthly payment as a guide.

If you are more on the conservative side like Dave Ramsey, the advice is always to do a 15-year mortgage, and always do a 20% down payment. It's a good way to get that mortgage knocked out quick and put you in the place where you won't have to write a check when it comes to closing.

I hope this advice helps you when it comes to deciding for yourself what course of action is best. If you have any questions at all, feel free to give me a call or send me an email, and I would be happy to answer them. We may even answer your question on our next video!