Archive for the 'Johns Creek Real Estate' Category
The BIG Number: August
categories: Alpharetta Real Estate, Crabapple, Johns Creek Real Estate, Milton Real Estate, Roswell Real Estate, The Big Number
72
The number of homes in all of North Fulton that are on water (river or lake).
On the last day of each month I post a “Big Number” or interesting figure related to real estate in our area.
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 3 Comments »
The BIG Number: April
categories: Alpharetta Real Estate, Johns Creek Real Estate, Local Market Conditions, Milton Real Estate, Roswell Real Estate, The Big Number
2.8
Months worth of inventory of Bank Owned properties in North Fulton. 91 currently active, 385 sold over the past 12 months. People sitting on the fence, can you hear your train pulling away from the station?
On the last day of each month I post a “Big Number” or interesting figure related to real estate in our area.
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently No Comments »
North Fulton West of 400: Sales Prices Push Higher
categories: Alpharetta Real Estate, Johns Creek Real Estate, Milton Real Estate, Roswell Real Estate
Pulling market statistics together for North Fulton County is always a little strange, there is really an odd mix to that part of the county. North Fulton County is physically split just about down the middle by Hwy 400. The east side is made up of a portion of Alpharetta, Roswell, Johns Creek and Duluth. The west side consists of a portion of Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell and Mountain Park. What is interesting is that it’s more than a physical or geographical divide. There are other differences between to two sides.
The east side has a higher density, due to access to sewer, and more commercial / shopping. The west side in turn has more horse properties, more communities with a requirement of 1 acre or more and a population that is more adverse to getting sewer and higher density. They both have a great selection of schools in common, which is why both areas are sought-after and have done a little better at surviving the recession than some other parts of Atlanta. But there is another new difference that is happening. It appears that North Fulton West of 400 may be recovering sooner, as noted in the following chart:
As you can see, both areas show a significant increase in units sold year-over-year but what is most noteworthy is that sellers on the west side of Hwy 400 have pushed the envelope on average list prices and are even showing a small increase for average sales price. On the east side of Hwy 400 sellers have been able to maintain prices and I think it’s safe to say that North Fulton as a whole is fairly stable despite the past troublesome two years.
So, why does it seem like one side of North Fulton may be recovering faster than the other? Is it demand for a specific school? Is it a higher demand for lower density development? Could it be congestion? Honestly, I’m not sure myself but I’m interested to hear your ideas.
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 8 Comments »
Why We Need to Become Milton County
categories: Alpharetta Real Estate, Johns Creek Real Estate, Local Information, Milton Real Estate
Another hurdle was cleared last week when the bill, HR 21, passed through the State Planning and Community Affairs Committee. The next step is to clear the House Rules Committee and the House of Representatives - a two-thirds majority required. Jan Jones, a Milton resident and the House Speaker Pro Tem has been a driving force in re-creating Milton County and has been instrumental in getting the issue this far to date.
I won’t go through the history of how Milton became part of Fulton county, if you’re familiar with the issue at all you’ve read about it already. What I do want to discuss is why I believe we should become Milton County again. There are two main issues that drive the decision, those are: Tax dollars and Services. However, I think the School System and Property Values are other important reasons for Milton County.
The Funding of Dysfunction
Tax dollars and Services are linked and the return on our investment is inadequate. For far too long our tax dollars have helped to fund mis-managed Atlanta services that continue to get worse rather than better. Water systems in shambles and a tax assessment process that is incapable and incompetent. How can they operate for 15 years without updated assessments on commercial property? Jan Jones pointed out in a recent AJC article that "In 2008, audits showed the county had no asset inventory, no oversight of purchasing and tracking and an inability to locate roughly $160 million in asset purchase".
Fulton County has seven commissioners managing a county 80 miles long with a population larger than six different states. There is a reason that the cities of Sandy Springs, Johns Creek and Milton formed - greater local control. There is no local control within Fulton. I want to see business locate in Atlanta and to see the city thrive, but not by extending it’s reach further out into the suburbs to for more tax dollars.
Head of the Class
It’s been all over the news, massive layoffs and budget cuts for Fulton County Schools. Certainly, the budget issues aren’t limited to Fulton. Gwinnett, DeKalb, Cobb and others are all facing budget shortfalls from the State. But there are some counties that have been able to mitigate the impact of those cuts, Forsyth County for example. While they will also receive fewer funds from the State, Forsyth County Schools won’t be laying off hundreds of teachers and cutting school programs.
As a Realtor who lives and works in North Fulton, I can attest to the high demand that home buyers have for North Fulton Schools. Our school system would only be better if we had more control, increasing higher demand and increasing property values.
The Rub
There is just one issue that hasn’t been discussed out there and it has to do with the cities in North Fulton. Would we need to have city services for Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell, Mountain Park, Johns Creek and Sandy Springs if the county of Milton were re-created? Should some of the cities merge? No doubt there would be overlap in services and costs could be contained. So, here is my question to you: If we become Milton County, should Alpharetta annex Milton? Should there be a Johns Creek? Do you even agree that we should become Milton County again?
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 15 Comments »
Nine Reasons to Buy a Home in North Fulton
categories: Alpharetta Real Estate, Johns Creek Real Estate, Milton Real Estate, Roswell Real Estate, Schools
There are several considerations buyers take into account when moving. The right home, the commute, community, access to shopping and entertainment. But one of the biggest reasons home buyers choose a particular area is for good schools. So here are nine reasons for buyers to search for a home in North Atlanta, because nine Fulton County High Schools were named AP Honor Schools.
Of the nine schools, eight were named AP Merit Schools for having at least 20 percent of students taking AP exams and with at least half of those exams receiving a score of 3 or higher. One of the nine, TEACH Charter High School, was the only Fulton County school to be named an AP Challenge School for having fewer than 900 students and offering AP classes in core areas. Here is the list of schools:
· TEACH Charter High School
· Alpharetta High School
· Centennial High School
· Chattahoochee High School
· Milton High School
· North Springs Charter High School
· Northview High School
· Riverwood International Charter School
· Roswell High School
The eight AP Merit Schools have made the list for the third year in a row. The College Board administers AP exams each spring, with scores ranging from 1 to 5. Students who receive a 3, 4 or 5 on AP exams are eligible to receive college credit or may be exempt from some introductory college courses.
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently No Comments »
Alpharetta Real Estate Market Stats: It’s local
categories: Alpharetta Real Estate, Johns Creek Real Estate, Local Market Conditions, Milton Real Estate, Roswell Real Estate, Schools
I just wanted to put a few numbers together to illustrate that we have to temper what we hear on the news about the housing market. Lately a lot of people have been pointing out to me that the number of homes sold for January 2o10 has gone down, unexpectedly, from units sold in December 2009. It’s true, January wasn’t as good a month in our industry as a lot of people had anticipated. However, just like other markets, we shouldn’t pay too close attention to gyrations that happen over a short period of time, but rather look at trends year-over-year.
The local part
In all of North Fulton (which includes Alpharetta, Milton, Johns Creek and Roswell), across all price ranges there were 202 homes sold in December 2009. That number a month later in January 2010 was 109 or 54% less than the previous month. But looking at the year-over-year figures, the number for January of this year was up 25% over the January 2009 figure of 87 sales.
It doesn’t mean we’ve arrived, but the gloom and doom on the national news isn’t necessarily the case either.
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Best Schools in North Fulton (Says Atlanta Magazine)
categories: Alpharetta Real Estate, Johns Creek Real Estate, Milton Real Estate, Schools
Atlanta Magazine came out with their Best Schools issue , listing what they have determined is the best Elementary, Middle and High School in each metro Atlanta county. The criteria they used to determine the best was based on the percentage of students who exceeded expectations in the most recently available CRCT results. High schools were selected by SAT scores.
Fulton county runs from Milton, through the city of Atlanta, to south of the airport. It is a very large school system, however it’s no surprise that the top schools were in North Fulton where a high level of parental involvement is the norm.
CRABAPPLE CROSSING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
12775 Birmingham Highway, Milton, 30004
770-740-7055
Grades K-5
Total Students: 757
Founded 1992
CRCT scores exceeding standards: Math: 71.5%, Reading 67.6%
Teachers avg. years of experience: 11
Homes for sale in this school district: Home Search
WEBB BRIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL
4455 Webb Bridge Rd., Alpharetta, 30005
770-667-2940
Grades 6-8
Total Students: 1357
Founded 1996
CRCT scores exceeding standards: Math: 63.7%, Reading 62.3%
Teachers avg. years of experience: 12
Homes for sale in this school district: Home Search
NORTHVIEW HIGH SCHOOL
10625 Parsons Rd., Johns Creek, 30097
770-497-3828
Grades 9-12
Total Students: 2133
Founded 2002
SAT: 1722
Graduates going to college: 99%
Students scoring 3+ on AP exams: 88%
Teachers avg. years of experience: 10
Homes for sale in this school district: Home Search
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It’s Homestead Exemption Time for New Homeowners
categories: Alpharetta Real Estate, Crabapple, Johns Creek Real Estate, Milton Real Estate, Roswell Real Estate
You’re an excited homeowner who purchased a home in 2009. You just spent your first Christmas in your home and the new year is kicking off. Now is the time for all those new homeowners in Alpharetta, Milton or the rest of Atlanta to file their one-time Homestead Exemption. And what exactly is the homestead Exemption? Simply put it is an exemption for some of the property taxes you would owe on your primary residence and it remains in effect for the entire time you live there. So, if you own the property, reside on that property, and are a legal resident of the County, all as of January 1st of the tax year, you may qualify for homestead exemption.
The exemption amounts differ by county. For instance, in Fulton County the exemption for 2010 is $25,000. That will go up to $30,000 in 2011. In Forsyth County the Homestead Exemption is $8000.
The appropriate forms to file can typically be found on the county website page for the Tax Assessors Office, here are phone numbers and links to a few of those:
- Cherokee County – 678-493-6120
- Cobb County – 770-528-8600
- Forsyth County – 770-781-2106
- Fulton County – 404-612-6440
- Gwinnett County - 770-822-8800
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