The rumors are circulating that the Obama administration is trying to throw more money at underwater homeowners.  The Obama plan, which may be revealed on August 17, would help those owners’ whose home is worth less than what they owe on it.

An estimated 15 million U.S. mortgages – one in five – are underwater with negative equity of approximately $800 billion!  Will this plan help the politicians or homeowners?  read the entire article  

Tickets are now available for the 5th annual Taste of Brookhaven. The event will take place on Saturday, September 18, 6-10pm; tickets are $40 per person. Billed as a neighborhood dinner party, the evening will also feature a silent auction.

The Taste of Brookhaven is sponsored by The Brookhaven Arts Alliance and Fifth Third Bank. The Alliance is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, formed to enrich Brookhaven communities, by providing arts education and cultural events for residents and visitors. For more information, visit www.BrookhavenArtsAlliance.org or call 404-266-3426.

On April 30, 2010, mortgage rates were 5.125%.  April 30 was the last day to write a contract and be eligible for the $8000 first time homebuyer tax credit offered by the IRS. Today, mortgage rates are 4.375%.

For Atlanta homebuyers who purchased after the tax credit expired, the difference in these rates, for a $300,000 loan, would be a savings of $135/month!  Over a 5-year period, today’s homebuyer would save $8,100 in interest payments, versus the homebuyer who received the tax credit, but closed on a higher interest rate.  

In effect, the market/banks are providing an amazing stimulus to the economy!

Here are 5 great business commandments that a loan officer just sent me:

1. The sale is made on what the client says, not what I say.
2. My clients want a trusted advisor, not a salesperson.
3. Adversity and opportunity are joined at the hip.
4. Never tell a client something I can ask him/her/them.
5. I don’t need twenty ways to close a sale; I need one good way to open a relationship.

If your Atlanta real estate agent does not live by these commandments; I do!!!! Give me a call or send me an email and let’s start a relationship!

The Sons of Confederate Veterans have sponsored a clean-up of a worn patch of land along Peachtree Road in Buckhead. It’s looking good! The group owns a patch of land along Peachtree Creek, where Union and Confederate soldiers fought a major battle in the Civil War. The Buckhead clean-up project, headed by Brent Brown of Buckhead, includes improving the whole entrance to Peachtree Hills, off Peachtree Road.

For $25 or $35 per person, you can get a 3-course meal at some of the best Atlanta restaurants! It is from July 26 through August 8. Check it out!

Starting August 1, Georgia will launch a thirty (30) day speeding ticket frenzy!  The state  of Georgia estimates that $9 million will be generated in speeding tickets. $1 million will go to pay state troopers’ overtime pay; the balance will go to dwindling state budgets.

There will be 50 Georgia state troopers on-duty at all times patrolling the 7 main intersections and highways of:

I-20 east and west
I-75 north and south
I-85 north and south
I-675 north and south
GA-985 north and south
GA-316 east and west
GA-400 north and south

If you live and work in the Atlanta area, you will probably drive on one of these highways. It’s up to you, how fast you are going when they clock you.

• State troopers have been instructed to pull a car over and write a ticket every 10-20 minutes;
• Five (5) MPH above the limit can, and will, justify a ticket;
• The state of Georgia has issued 30 brand-new, unmarked Dodge Charger police cruisers and are bringing in all of their part-timers for full-time.

WSB (ABC affililate), WXIA (NBC affiliate) and WGCL (the CBS affiliate) have confirmed this report.

Be safe and slow down: speeding tickets are expensive and add points to your driving record. The points, in turn, add dollars to your car insurance.

Look for city and county governments to adopt similar polices in the near future.

The gun maker, Glock, wants to open a firing range behind its headquarters in Smyrna.

Nearby residents say that the problem with Glock’s plan, is gunfire too close to their homes and backyards. They are also worried that the Smyrna firing range would be built on a large plot of vacant, undeveloped land, which sits behind Glock’s manufacturing facility on Highlands Parkway. The residents say that the previously untouched land will be replaced by concrete, a few shrubs and flying bullets.

Lawyers for Glock say that the firing range would create jobs, but a group of residents are fighting the plan. Smyrna’s City Council was scheduled to vote on the request on Tuesday, July 20, but Glock wants the vote delayed until late July/early August.

Want fresh veggies, fruits and flowers? Check out the new Chamblee Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning, from 8:30 – 11:30am. It’s located at 5435 Peachtree Road (that’s the portion of Peachtree Road, in Chamblee, that runs parallel to Peachtree Industrial Bouldvard), near the Lowes store). The market features local vendors and serves the Brookhaven and Chamblee neighborhoods.