Keller Williams Realty Highest Ranked in Home Buyer Satisfaction

Keller Williams Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Home Buyers for a Third Consecutive Year

According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM, Keller Williams Realty, Inc., the third largest real estate company in the United States, has received the highest overall satisfaction ratings from home buyers among the largest full-service real estate firms for the third year in a row. The company also ranked second among home sellers in the study for the second year in a row.

“We are incredibly proud of our associates for earning this distinction and want to thank them for their commitment to their clients and communities,” said Mark Willis, CEO of Keller Williams Realty. “We see this honor as demonstration of our company philosophy that it is the agent’s brand that matters most and no amount of money spent on advertising can replace the influence and reputations our agents have in their local communities. Our associates have earned this on their own, by building relationships in their communities.”

The study was produced by J.D. Power and Associates to measure home buyers and sellers customer satisfaction. The results of the home-buying experience were determined by three factors including the buyer’s experience with their agent, the real estate office and a variety of additional services. Keller Williams Realty performed particularly well in the agent and office factors. And, overall satisfaction of buyers for the industry was up over last year.

Additionally, the study noted that the importance of real estate agents has increased substantially in the past year, with buyers and sellers relying on the negotiating skills of their chosen agent and help in navigating the market.

“It is thrilling to see our firm, once again, get public recognition for its incredible focus on customer satisfaction from such a prestigious group. Our associates continually demonstrate that it is possible to deliver the highest level of customer service in one of the toughest real estate markets on record,” said Mary Tennant, president and COO of Keller Williams Realty. “We feel incredibly fortunate to be in business with them, and want to congratulate them on their hard work and dedication.”

In the past year, Keller Williams Realty has continued to grow despite the well-publicized turmoil in the real estate industry. In addition to becoming the 3rd largest real estate company in the U.S., surpassing RE/MAX®, Keller Williams Realty was ranked as the No. 1 real estate franchise on the 31st Annual Franchise 500 list by Entrepreneur magazine and was voted the Most Recognizable Brand of Real Estate Franchises and the Trendsetter of the year for 2009 in an industry-wide survey for the Swanepoel TRENDS Report.

We at Keller Williams are obviously excited about this award because it supports our efforts to be leaders in the real estate industry by providing unparalleled customer service and local market expertise. Please contact us if we can be of assistance with your Roswell real estate needs.

100 Roswell Condos and Townhomes Sold

Time for a little mid-year recap for the Roswell condo and townhome market. We covered Roswell homes previously. For the first six months of 2010, 100 Roswell condos and townhomes sold, with the highest price being $493,000 for a great townhome in Wisteria Parkside to $46,000 for a Roswell condo in River Mill.

Of the 100 Roswell condos and townhomes that sold this year, the average sales price was $194,000 and took an average of 103 days on the market to sell. This compares with 59 Roswell condos and townhomes sold in the first six months of 2009, which equates to a 69% increase over the same period in 2009.

The top selling Roswell townhomes and condos so far in 2010 are:

• Creekside At Mansell

• Heritage at Roswell

• Holcomb Crossing

• Overlook at Centennial

• Views at Coleman Village

• Orchards Of Roswell

We’ll be back next month to update you on the Roswell real estate market in July. In the meantime, if you’re thinking about buying a Roswell condo or townhome in the second half of 2010, be sure to email your Roswell real estate team or call us at 770-874-6383.

In the meantime, you can search for all the Roswell homes for sale right here.

466 Roswell Homes Sold

Time for a little mid-year recap for the Roswell real estate market. First up, will be single family homes. For the first six months of 2010, 466 Roswell homes sold, with the highest price being $1.4 million for a lovely riverfront estate in Horseshoe Bend to $57,000 for a 2 bedroom/1bath fixer-upper home.

Of the 466 homes that sold in the first half of 2010, the average sales price was $353,571. Average days on market was 87 days, which is actually great compared to many parts of metro Atlanta. During the first half of 2009, 365 Roswell homes sold, which equates to a 27.7 % increase when comparing the first six months of 2010 with 2009. That’s obviously great news.

The top selling Roswell neighborhoods so far in 2010 are:

• Barrington Farms
• Brookfield Country Club
• Edenwilde
• Heatherton
• Horseshoe Bend
• Martins Landing
• Saddle Creek
• Westchester
• Willow Springs

We’ll be back later this week to cover the top-selling Roswell condos and townhomes for the first six months in 2010. In the meantime, if you’re thinking about buying a Roswell home in the second half of 2010, be sure to email your Roswell real estate team or call us at 770-874-6383.

In the meantime, you can search for all the Roswell homes for sale right here.

Roswell Homebuyers – Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended

Roswell home buyers, you may yet get that homebuyer tax credit after all. This week, the Senate passed a bill to extend the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit until September 30th. It now goes to President Obama, who is expected to sign the bill. The bill was overwhelmingly approved by the House on Tuesday. The deadline had been June 30th to close on the property.

After a close brush with the deadline, Congress passed an extension of the Homebuyer Tax Credit closing deadline, the Homebuyer Assistance and Improvement Act (H.R. 5623). The extension applies only to transactions that have ratified contracts in place as of April 30, 2010 that have not yet closed. The legislation is designed to create a seamless extension and the new closing deadline for eligible transactions is now September 30, 2010. There will be no gap between June 30th and the date the President signs the bill into law.

Before you get too excited, the bill doesn’t help anyone currently shopping for a home. Buyers must have signed a contract by April 30th to qualify for the tax break. At issue is when the deal must be finalized.

Repeat home buyers also have until September 30th to close on new homes and receive a tax credit of up to $6,500.

Congress has been trying to pass the extension for the last month, but it got caught up in the usual Washington politics. The extension is estimated to raise the deficit by $9 million.

An estimated 200,000 people have missed out on the tax credit because they wouldn’t have been able to close by the end of business Wednesday. Many are trying to take advantage of short sales, which are complicated deals to complete.

Contact us for all of your Roswell real estate needs. We are local market experts and continue to find great deals for our clients.

Three Weeks Left for Homebuyer Tax Credit

Roswell home buyers have been taking advantage of the current $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit and the $6,500 repeat home buyer tax credit, but time is running out for other Roswell home buyers who haven’t found a new home and for some who haven’t even started looking.

In order to qualify at a minimum, you must have a binding contract to purchase a home by April 30, 2010. So time to stop dawdling and start shopping.

There is certainly time to find a great home and get the home under contract in less than 30 days, but it will require working with a local, knowledgeable Realtor to guide you through the process and in particular identify the best homes currently available.

Wanting to take advantage of the tax credit? Here are some tips:

1. Dust off the books and become knowledgeable about the area: In reality, leave the books on the shelf. Buyers can do this simply by searching for homes here at AllAboutRoswell.com. Our home search provides all the homes in metro Atlanta currently on the market. Or better yet, contact us and we’ll do a buyer consultation to identify what areas and homes best fit your needs and can even notify you of hot new listings before they even come on the market.

2. Talk to a lender about financing: This is critical. A lender can advise you on how much you can qualify to purchase and with a pre-approval letter the seller of the home you want will actually take your offer seriously. At today’s extremely low interest rates, that amount may be more than many buyers imagined. But either way, the process will help buyers determine how much they are willing and able to spend on the home.

3. Narrow your search: Metro Atlanta is a huge area and you need to determine where you want to live to narrow down your options. By identifying specific criteria of the home you want, you will be able to filter out homes that aren’ t the right fit. Prioritize your criteria such as schools, proximity to work, church, family and friends. Proximity to work is clearly a huge point to consider in Atlanta. Afterall, we’re not really known for having good traffic.

4. It’s all about Perspective: While it may be great to get the tax credit, don’t let the desire to do so completely control your home search. If you feel rushed to make a decision just because of the tax credit, then don’t worry about it and just remove that deadline from the equation. In the grand scheme of things, it’s much more important for you to be comfortable with the pace at which you find your home to ensure you are comfortable in your decision.

5. Watch out for Short Sales: If the home you want to buy is offered as a short sale, qualifying for the tax credit may become more difficult. A short sale must be approved by both the seller and the sellers’ lender(s) and the process is generally not short. While banks have improved on response time considerably, you are definitely pushing your luck pursuing a short sale at this time if you want to qualify for the homebuyer tax credit. But back to point #4, the short sale deal might be worth more to you than $8,000 in your pocket.

Contact us today to get your Roswell home search started today and help you find your new dream home.

Homestead Exemption for Roswell Homeowners

Deadline quickly approaching for Roswell homeowners to file for their homestead exemption. You can apply for exemptions year-round by mail or in person; however, you must apply by April 1st to receive the exemption for that tax year.

If you purchased a Roswell home in 2009 or earlier, you have just a few days to file for the Georgia homestead exemption in Fulton County. If you purchased a home in Roswell this year, you can file at any time this year, but the homestead exemption won’t take effect until 2011.

Applications not filed by the deadline constitute a waiver of the exemption for that year. Your closing attorney does not apply for you.

Fulton County Homeowners will receive a $25,000 exemption for tax year 2010 and by 2011 the basic exemption will increase to $30,000. For those homeowners currently receiving a homestead exemption, no further action is required to get the increased exemption, unless there is an ownership change or if you become eligible for an additional exemption.

First time Fulton County homeowners or those applying for an additional exemption, have until April 1st to file. You can access the application at the Fulton County’s Tax Commissioner site.

To qualify you must own, occupy and claim the property as your legal residence on January 1st of the year for which you apply. The applicant’s name must appear on the deed to this property in order to qualify.

Exemptions are automatically renewed and you need not reapply if you refinance your home.

Roswell Foreclosure Alert

With two months left until the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit and the $6,500 move-up homebuyer tax credit expire, it’s time to get serious about your Roswell real estate shopping list. Now while the tax credit is a nice little incentive, you’d also like a great deal as well, right?

So we’ve compiled a list of the hottest new Roswell foreclosures for you. We have some high-end luxury foreclosures in neighborhoods such as Chatham Park, Cambridge Walk and Stonewyck priced anywhere from $600,000 to $1.6 million.

In addition, we have some foreclosures priced perfectly for the Roswell first-time homebuyer in neighborhoods such as Magnolia Walk, Foxhall, Brookfield Country Club and Horseshoe Bend.

Click here to see a complete list of Roswell foreclosures available right now.

Our team specializes in Roswell real estate and we’ll be glad to meet with you to get you started toward owning the perfect Roswell home. Contact us today to get started.

Top Selling Roswell Neighborhoods in 2009

Time for a little recap of 2009 for Roswell Georgia real estate. You probably hear more chatter at the office water cooler about how bad the Roswell real estate market was in 2009. Seems for fun to talk about bad news. But in reality, Roswell homes still sold in 2009, in fact 800 homes sold.

It’s always interesting to see which neighborhoods buyers were attracted to during their Roswell home search. Where were people buying Roswell homes in 2009? Well, let’s find out. Here are the Top Selling Roswell Neighborhoods in 2009.

Please hold your applause until all winners are announced and let’s hope that there aren’t any long-winded acceptance speeches. Just can’t stand those long acceptance speeches.

Top Selling Roswell Neighborhoods in 2009

• Martins Landing
• Horseshoe Bend
• Brookfield Country Club
• Willow Springs
• Barrington Farms
• Saddle Creek
• Wildwood Springs
• Crabapple Lake
• Westchester
• Wexford
• Edenwilde
• Litchfield Hundred
• Loch Highland
• Mountain Creek
• Crabapple Walk
• Foxhall
• Roswell Green
• Whitehall
• Centennial
• Chickering
• Habersham Woods
• Hadfield
• Highland Colony
• River Terrace
• Spring Ridge
• Elgaen Place
• Hembree Grove
• North Point
• Pine Valley Estates
• Stonebridge

So there you have it. Our 2009  Top Selling Roswell neighborhoods. If we can be of assistance in your Roswell home search, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Keller Williams Most Recognizable Brand in 2009

Exciting news for Roswell real estate. The 2010 Swanepoel TRENDS Report details the Top 20 largest real estate brands based on agent count as of December 2009.

In addition, RealSure, the publishers of the Swanepoel TRENDS Report and the Swanepoel SOCIAL MEDIA Report launched a nationwide online survey on December 3rd to determine the “Most Recognizable Franchise Brand in Real Estate.”

According to this survey, the Top 10 real estate franchises, most recognized by the real estate industry as quality national brands are:

1. Keller Williams Realty
2. Coldwell Banker Real Estate
3. RE/MAX International
4. Century 21 Real Estate
5. Prudential Real Estate
6. Sotheby’s International Realty
7. EXIT Realty
8. ERA Real Estate
9. Weichert Real Estate Affiliates
10. Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate

The brands that made it to the Top 5 were to be expected and are also the five largest real estate franchises in the country. The Top 5 also comfortably attracted more votes than the second five on the list, strongly pointing to the industry’s own internal belief that these are the top five brands that agents would like to work for.

Keller Williams Realty’s surprising #1 ranking was most likely due to the strong, above average online and social media presence of their agents and the fact that during 2009 KW surpassed RE/MAX in agent count according to a widely published REAL Trends survey. Click here to read the article in it’s entirety.

Contact us today to learn about the benefits of working with Keller Williams Realty for all of your Roswell real estate needs.

Roswell Chickens Squawk at new Ordinance

On Monday, the Roswell City Council voted 6 to 2 to ban all roosters and restrict the number of backyard chickens subject to lot size. In what turned out to be a shock, the attempt to loosen Roswell’s backyard chicken law resulted in a much tighter law.

Under the most recent version, residents could have kept up to 25 birds in some sort of enclosure at single-family homes, no matter what the lot size. People already keeping more than 25 chickens could have obtained a permit for up to 15 more birds.

However, under the new ordinance, no chickens are allowed on residential lots of 1/3 acre or less. Homeowners with 1/3 to 1 acre can keep six chickens. Homeowners with more than 1 acre can have 12 birds per acre, up to a maximum of 36. The ordinance does not regulate lots larger than 2 acres.

The council debated over roosters, but in the end there wasn’t enough support to allow roosters to be included in the ordinance, which resulted in total ban on those early morning noise makers.

The law takes effect right away, but residents were given a 90-day grace period to comply.

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