Historic Troy Chastain Memorial Park, located near inside the Atlanta perimeter near Buckhead and Sandy Springs, was designed and created in the 1940’s to be a world-class park with state-of-the-art recreational facilities.  Within the park setting, is North Fulton Golf course, Chastain Horse Park, Chastain Amphitheater, Chastain Arts Center, Chastain Pool, tennis courts, a park trail for jogging, bicycling and walking and a new state-of-the-art playground for children across from the baseball field. In 2000, Chastain Park was rated one of Atlanta’s Best Places for a Romantic Picnic by Atlanta magazine readers.

Chastain Horse Park occupies 13 acres of Chastain Park and is one of Atlanta’s finest equestrian facilities. The Chastain Horse Park includes four barns, four arenas and a Clubhouse which houses offices, banquet facilities, a tack shop, and photography studio.

One of Atlanta’s favorite outdoor concert venues, Chastain Park Amphitheater is home to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Classic Chastain summer series. The Classic Chastain season features top acts in jazz, rock, folk, rhythm & blues, country and pop music, some appearing with the Grammy Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Chastain Arts Center has provided exceptional art classes and exhibits for over 35 years, making it one of Atlanta’s oldest community arts centers. Chastain Park Pool re-opened in 2002 and became the home of The Chastain Park Athletic Club. In addition to golf and swimming, Chastain Park also offers tennis and little league sports.

The Chastain Park area offers a variety of exceptional public and private schools. Atlanta Public Schools of Excellence include Sarah Smith Elementary, Esther Jackson Elementary and Sutton Middle School. Private Schools in the area are Holy Spirit, Schenck and Galloway.

Currently the largest public park in Atlanta, Chastain Park consists of 268 acres and is encircled by many neighborhoods, Belle Isle & Spruell, Blackland, Broadland, Hillside, Brookside Walk, Cherokee Park, East Conway & Jett, Interlochen, Laurel Forest, Long Island, Millbrook & Twin Springs, Parkside, Pineland & King, Tuxedo.

If you are interesting in buying or selling a home in the Chastain Park area, call us. Experience True Experience!

Last week, I went to an ornament swap and came out a wiser Realtor.  Everyone’s ornament was beautifully wrapped, but I was busy that afternoon and wrapped my pretty ornament in tissue paper with no ribbon. I really thought that I had one of the prettiest ornaments, but it was, literally, the last one that was selected. Several of my friends laughed and said that I should have known better, as it’s all in the presentation.

And this started me thinking: what if you have the prettiest Atlanta home for sale but it isn’t “wrapped” very well? It won’t matter what price you list it, as it won’t be shown (and selected), because no one will look inside.

Times are tough. When you put your Atlanta home up for sale, it has to be the prettiest home in the neighborhood, both inside and out. Clean and spruce up the front door; plant seasonal flowers; don’t leave your trash cans in front of the house. Inside, clean your home (physically and aromatically) and reduce the clutter. De-personalize the home; box up personal items, such as photos, and take the drawings and magnets off the refrigerator.

Don’t  “wrap your home in tissue paper” and hope that someone will see through it. Make your for-sale-home shine like a pretty holiday ornament.

This past week, we were given the opportunity to represent one of Atlanta’s finest banks, listing many of their REO (REO=Real Estate Owned or aka foreclosed or bank-owned) properties. This particular bank has loaned many of Atlanta’s new-home builders the money to start new-homes construction throughout the Atlanta area. Atlanta’s REO homes range in price from $5,000 (yes they do exist!) to millions of dollars and are all over the city: Dunwoody homes for sale, Chastain Park  homes for sale, Marietta homes for sale, Woodstock, Buckhead homes for sale, Brookhaven homes for sale, Snellville, Vinings homes for sale). Unfortunately, there are thousands of brand-new homes throughout Atlanta in trouble, with interest on the loans over-due.

The good news for Atlanta’s home buyers, however, is that most banks want to get out of the real estate business. Most of them are willing to take a “hit” on these properties and homes for sale and they’ve literally slashed the listing prices.

If you are interested in buying one of these Atlanta homes for sale, keep in mind certain things:
1. Reasonable offers get reasonable counters. If you come in with an offer that is well below the asking price, expect your offer to be either rejected or countered at full price;
2. Make sure you are pre-approved and not just pre-qualified;
3. Banks usually will not take “contingency” offers. If you cannot pay cash or get a loan without selling your property, don’t make an offer. Just as in certain areas’ of the country’s politics, REO loans are a “Pay to Play” situation;
4. Pick a reasonable closing date. Remember that the bank wants to get this property off the books and a fast closing will help your offer. But, make sure that you have enough time to inspect the home and research the title. Know what you are buying, as REO properties don’t come with money-back guarantees.
5. Act quickly. Good deals do not sit around for long; the longer you wait, the more competition you will have. Many Atlanta REO homes for sale are seeing “multiple offers”. The listing agent will then ask for your “highest and best” offer and you may get into a bidding war.

If you’d like help in finding an REO home, call us. Or, looking for a specific area? Click here: Atlanta Foreclosures and Bank-owned Properties. We’ve already done the searching for you!