On January 2, the new cities of Sandy Springs and Johns Creek hammered out an agreement to provide 911 service, effective August 1, pending approval by attorneys and other city officials.

The two cities have given notice to Fulton County, that after July 31, the 911 services will be operated by ChattCom, also known as the Chattahoochee River 911 Authority. Officials expect to pay at least $30 million over five years for the system.

The cities of Sandy Springs and Johns Creek sought to have their own 911 system because, in the past, Fulton County dispatchers sometimes misrouted emergency help.

If you’d like help in buying or selling a home in Sandy Springs or Johns Creek, call us. To see homes in these two cities, click Sandy Springs or Johns Creek.

Georgia’s newest city began operations on December 1, 2008, but it wasn’t until midnight on January 1, 2009, that the city took over its roads from Dekalb County. This marked Friday as the first work day to fix potholes, curbs, road signs and streetlights.

Just after dawn on Friday, six workers gathered in the parking lot of a vacant Dunwoody hardware store. The initial plan was to fill several major potholes on Dunwoody Club Drive and Mount Vernon Road. But with the rain on Friday, first drizzling, then pelting the city’s streets, the pothole repair was postponed. Crews can’t close lanes on major roads if they are wet, plus, the patching materials won’t hold in a steady rain. So instead of patching the Mount Vernon Road and Dunwoody Club Drive potholes, the road crews roamed the new city’s streets, verifying work orders for new lights at traffic signals and crosswalks. Another road crew went through Dunwoody neighborhoods, repairing road signs.

Sidewalks, not potholes, have been the main topic of Dunwoody residents asking for service. Councilman John Heneghan applied for a $500,000 grant to put in sidewalks near Dunwoody’s Kingsley Elementary, and the city is working on a long-term plan for potholes. Of course, those potholes will be filled as soon as the rain moves on.

If you are interested in buying or selling a home in Dunwoody, call us. Experience True Experience!

Does your Realtor know the market? The faster a Realtor figures this market out, the faster your world, and in fact, the whole world, changes.

In the last portion of 2008, 51% of all properties listed, had price reductions; more than 85% of all homes sold, needed price reductions in order to sell.  These are embarrassing and amateur results for Realtors, and we, as professionals, should commit to changing this. We Realtors must have the ability to price our listings correctly; it is the #1 opportunity our industry has to change our market’s environment.  

The wants and needs of sellers do not determine the value of their homes; only the market determines the value of homes.

It’s 2009 folks.  There’s a bus leaving for a better place, and to board it requires lessons-learned, will and determination, great relationships, the ability to communicate opportunity and value propositions, and an absolute understanding of the market and its proper pricing.  I’m driving.  Are you ready to board?

If you want to sell or buy an Atlanta home, call us. Experience True Experience!