102 Estates Way - A Piece of Paradise in Warner Robins, Ga

The WOW factor!! This home has it all. 

 

All Brick Contruction...

4 bedrooms...

3.5 Baths...

Spacious Kitchen...

Master Bedroom with Sitting Area/Office...

Large Bonus room(4th Br) with Full Bath...

2 Back Patios...

18X36 Inground Pool...

Oversized 2 car Garage...

Additional 1 car 544 Square Feet wired Garage/Workshop. 

You have to see this house to appreciate everything it has. 

This one deserves to go on your short list.

Click on either link for more info:

102 Estates Way - Warner Robins, Ga - INFO LINK

102 Estates Way - ONLINE VISUAL TOUR

Joe Barbee

Associate Broker

Elite Realtors of Georgia

478-978-3428

A Warner Robins Foreclosure Can Sometimes Be Avoided

Even though national foreclosure rates have continued to drop, the threat of becoming another Middle Ga Foreclosure statistic is still very real for some homeowners. It’s at least somewhat reassuring to understand that most banks don’t really want a foreclosure — so for homeowners who take an early proactive approach with their lender, losing their home does not have to be inevitable.

Mortgage Restructuring

For anyone who has fallen behind on payments, Job One is to discuss the situation with your banker. If a mortgage restructuring is possible, you may have an opportunity to refinance at a lower rate with more manageable payment amounts. In some cases, it may be possible to alter other terms of your agreement — for example, you might arrange to postpone any delinquent payments to the end of the loan’s term. You have to ask.

Payment Deferral Options

If payment failure has been caused by losing a job, a medical condition one of the other more common causes, some banks will work out payment deferral options. If you have prepared documentation to back up your hardship claim, it is more likely that the lender will be able to offer an agreement to defer your payments while you get back on track. 

Short Sale

If the financial situation is such that you know you can no longer sustain regular payments, it may be best to consider a short sale — the option where the bank agrees to accept sale to a third party for a sum that falls short of the loan’s balance. It means loss of the property, but results in a better credit history than does a local foreclosure.

A foreclosure in Warner Robins becomes inevitable if the reality of a tough financial situation isn’t recognized and addressed. If you take positive steps as soon as you realize you’re going to miss a payment, you put yourself in the best position to open options that are less problematic than full foreclosure. If you find you could benefit from a strictly confidential price evaluation on your home, call me ­— sometimes a property can be worth more than you think!   

www.WarnerRobinsHouseHunter.com

Joe Barbee

Associate Broker/Property Manager

Elite Realtors of Georgia

478-978-3428

TheBarbeeTeam@gmail.com

Unconventional Wisdom for Beating Out Cash Offers

   Conventional wisdom dictates that home sellers prefer cash offers. So what is a typical would-be buyer in Warner Robins to do when the competition comes forward with an all-cash offer? Cash offers may come from any of a variety of deep-pocketed parties: institutional investors, foreign investors, wealthy families or individual investors.

   Beyond doing basic due diligence — gathering as much intel as you can about the property and the seller’s needs — if you’ve found the perfect home and are convinced it is the best property for your family, consider one or more of these tactics:


Bidding over asking — even by as little as 2% or 3% — can sometimes win the day, according to Noah
Rosenblatt, founder of Urban Digs, a real estate analytics company. Cash buyers typically factor in opportunity costs, making it less likely that they will go beyond a certain price threshold. No one wants to pay more for a property than necessary, but going “over asking” may be the only way to secure an ideal property when cash offers are competing.


Removing any contingencies from your offer will help strengthen your position and may well convince a Middle Ga seller that you are the party most likely to close successfully. The downside is that you will be assuming whatever risk had been the subject of the contingency in the first place. For example, if you were to submit an offer less any inspection contingencies, you might have to pay more than budgeted down the road if undiscovered repairs crop up.



The seller’s goal is maximize net return, so any term you add that puts more money in the seller’s pocket can sway the decision in your favor. Creative thinking pays. You might offer to pay the seller’s closing costs, cover your own Home Warranty policy, or any other add-on that has the desired effect.



While cash may be king in most cases, there are ways to compete with cash offers in Warner Robins. If you are looking for an agent with constructive solutions to help you find and secure the right property, why not call me today to take advantage of this winter’s inventory?

www.WarnerRobinsHouseHunter.com

Joe Barbee

Associate Broker/Property Manager

Elite Realtors of Georgia

478-978-3428

TheBarbeeTeam@gmail.com

NAR Pushes Homeowner Facts versus Fiction

   The sun rises in the east and, almost as dependably, someone in Congress comes up with the bright idea of chipping away at the mortgage interest rate deduction. Think of all that money Washington could spend!



   The National Association of Realtors® is one of the main reasons that idea doesn’t get much traction – nor many of the other threats to the traditional benefits Warner Robins homeowners enjoy. The reason homeowners (even those without mortgages) shudder at attacks on the interest rate deduction is that the result would be to abruptly X-out a great chunk of the home-buying public. That includes most young couples and many other groups, including many retirees who are currently just squeaking by. Home values would necessarily drop; jobs in the new home-building industry, dry up. The disruption of the real estate market (the largest part of the national economy) would spread mayhem through many other sectors. If the damage were widespread enough, total tax revenues might even drop!



   Every year, the National Association of Realtors funnels local members’ dues into providing a strong bulwark against the forces that threaten homeowners. The NAR spends over $40 million annually on campaigning and marketing public service messages about the benefits of homeownership.

   During the recent world financial debacle, they countered the doom-and-gloom headlines. The underlying good news never changed: owning a home is still one of the most attainable ways average Americans can build long-term wealth.


Facts:


*  Over the past half century, median home values have increased by an average of more than 57% every 10 years


*  Home prices typically beat inflation by one or two percentage points


*  Housing sales in 2012 were the best in five years




   When you have owned your home for only a year or two, you may still be waiting to confirm all that wealth-building potential the National Association of Realtors is always championing. Nevertheless -- for Middle Ga homeowners who have 10 years or more under their belts – the equity they are likely to have accumulated is at least partly due to the efforts of the NAR.



   We all know that real estate is a supremely local thing. But sometimes it’s nice to know that REALTORS in town are doing their part to look out for us all at the national level.

www.WarnerRobinsHouseHunter.com

Joe Barbee

Associate Broker/Property Manager

Elite Realtors of Georgia

478-978-3428

TheBarbeeTeam@gmail.com

Worthwhile Tips for Local First-Time Homebuyers

The price tag that goes with buying a home is hefty enough to give anyone pause. After the fact, anyone – perhaps especially Warner Robins first-time home-buyers — can come away wondering if they have could have nailed down a better deal. Preventing any such nagging doubt is easy to do: it just takes a little forethought and preparation. Here are a few tips to bear in mind when buying a home.



After you have submitted an offer, be mentally prepared to respond in case a counteroffer follows. Along with the improvement in the Warner Robins market, we've seen a rise in sellers’ confidence levels, so it’s best to be ready for some negotiating. Try not to let your emotions intrude — but always know the maximum amount that you are willing and able to spend.



Major athletes have bargaining agents to go to bat for them. Your local real estate agent is your bargaining agent whose very presence strengthens your position. Some of the legalities in real estate can seem ambiguous though they actually aren't, so allowing a professional to do most of the talking is good practice. An inadvertent comment or slight change in the agreement between you and the seller could result in problems securing a mortgage from your lender. Real estate agents are trained to help you through the process of buying a home as smoothly as possible. Especially if you’re a local first-time home buyer, use your agent to the fullest advantage.

Being armed with knowledge can save you thousands. The best way first-time home buyers can see if an offer is competitive is by scouting the most recent prices paid for comparable properties. The second part of being prepared is to be sure that a proper appraisal is conducted. Smaller details are easy to brush off in the excitement of buying your first home — but having done all your homework beforehand is the way to make first-time home buyers know they've struck a great bargain.



Whether you’re a seasoned seller or one of those first-time home buyers in Warner Robins,  I’m here to help make sure you stay on top of your game. Call me!

www.WarnerRobinsHouseHunter.com

Joe Barbee

Associate Broker/Property Manager

Elite Realtors of Georgia

478-978-3428

TheBarbeeTeam@gmail.com

Part 2— Top 6 Mistakes For Middle Georgia Sellers to Avoid

   Previously, we cited three of the most common mistakes sellers make after listing their local property for sale. Here are three more:


Proper Insurance

  When you have a Warner Robins property for sale, it’s more important than ever to see that your homeowners insurance is up to date. It is highly unlikely that someone will have an accident on your premises, but the increase in the number of visitors makes it prudent to be well covered. Of course you will want to mitigate obvious potential hazards like broken glass or exposed nails — but should also have a foolproof system for making pets a non-issue during showings.


Contractual Terms

  With your Mid Ga property for sale, it’s only natural for your primary focus to be on the bottom line: the sale price. When an offer arrives with the right number, it’s tempting to sign on the dotted line and be done with it. But there is more to a purchase offer than just the price. An offer is a contract, and as such, all its terms are equally binding. For instance, there is the matter of the closing date: sellers who accept an offer without paying enough attention to it can be left scrambling for temporary housing when that date arrives.

Contingency Removal

  Removing the inspection and loan contingencies on time are key events in the buy/sell timeline – yet these deadlines can easily slip by unnoticed. The wording of the clauses is important, too, because a buyer can have the right to withdraw an offer if he or she is not satisfied with the outcome of an inspection or a loan rate they deem acceptable. Failure to make sure a buyer removes contingencies on time can turn a ‘sold’ property into a property that’s still for sale.

  Aligning yourself with an experienced agent is the simplest way to remain aware of these and other common legal miscues — and how to avoid them. With your property for sale, you become a single-purpose business enterprise, and your agent’s knowledge should be a key business asset. Contact me anytime for that kind of assistance!

      www.WarnerRobinsHouseHunter.com

Joe Barbee

Associate Broker/Property Manager

Elite Realtors of Georgia

478-978-3428

TheBarbeeTeam@gmail.com

Warner Robins Mortgage Rates Are Not the Whole Story...

                            
Good Faith Estimates — anyone actively comparing mortgage rates in Houston County receives them. Yet GFEs seem full of the kind of fine print that we don’t necessarily spend time worrying over: a glance at the bottom line would seem to suffice. Sort of like the kind of golf rule (26-1) that cost Tiger Woods his shot at a 5th green coat.



     Like Mr. Woods, even if we do everything else right, not paying close attention to the fine details can cost us. But quite unlike Rule 26-1, the details in GFEs aren’t there to limit our options —  they’re there to point the way cutting our costs!



     To get that readout, you need only provide the standard details required by all lenders. Once that’s done, they are obligated to send you a GFE quickly: within three days. Mortgages are all about your obligation to the lender: so this puts the shoe on the other foot.



     The key to GFEs’ value lies in their uniformity. The line-by-line detail makes them ideal vehicles for cross-comparing what your mortgage costs from each lender will be —  and where discrepancies lie.

     Some of the costs (like taxes and government fees) should be the same for every lender, but others will be different. You are entitled to know what third party fees you will incur, what loan charges are applied by your lender, and any other costs associated with your loan. Beyond the mortgage rates being quoted, such comparisons will be sufficient to show you who is offering the  best deal.



     Another nice thing is that you do not have to pay outsized fees for a GFE; at the most, your prospective lender can ask you to cover the costs of your credit check.



     Today, mortgage rates in Warner Robins remain at the historically low levels we have been pointing to for a while. If for no other reason than the virtual certainty that they won’t stay there forever, now continues to be an unusually opportune time for buying or selling. If you agree, contact me for an up-to-the-minute market assessment anytime.

   www.WarnerRobinsHouseHunter.com

                                               

Joe Barbee

Associate Broker/Property Manager

Elite Realtors of Georgia

478-978-3428

TheBarbeeTeam@gmail.com