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With all of the new development throughout the Atlanta region, communities are more commonly governed by homeowners associations (HOAs). But what does it mean to move into a community with an HOA? What should you be looking for? What questions should you be asking. In this post, we go through the top eight things you need to know about an HOA before buying a home in a planned community. HOAs are common among planned communities. Whether you decide to buy… Read More
It’s the middle of summer, and families all across Atlanta are looking for ways to beat the heat. Does your family love to escape to the beach? What about a cool mountain retreat? Maybe you like to take a week every summer to visit friends or family up north. Wherever you travel, we know that finding comfortable, affordable accommodations can be a struggle. That’s why more and more Atlantans are choosing to invest in vacation properties. Not only does a… Read More
If you are a homeowner in the State of Georgia, you probably just received your Property Tax Notice of Assessment. If you haven’t received it yet, it’s likely on its way to you right now. But, what do you do with it once it arrives in your mailbox? Don’t Just Throw it in the Trash Although your annual Property Tax Assessment Notice is not a bill (not yet!), it provides you with some pretty meaningful information. It’s important to take… Read More
You may have heard investing in real estate can be a smart financial move. Buying and selling property is a popular investment these days, and for good reason. Every day people are starting and growing wholesale real estate businesses across the Atlanta area. Purchasing real estate wholesale to sell to property flippers is a great opportunity for first-time investors because it doesn’t require a lot of experience or capital. The process of wholesaling can be profitable if you know the… Read More
If you have been in the home buying market in recent years, you may have had this very thought. After all, home buying is more high-tech than ever, and, contrary to popular belief, millennial homebuyers make 34% of all home purchases (that’s the largest share of homebuyers out there). If there is one thing I know about millennials: it’s that they love to do research, and homebuyers are doing a lot of the legwork themselves that would traditionally be done… Read More
What does your home say? Not just what does it say about you, but what does it have to say on its own? If you were to take photograph or a video of your home, does it set a certain mood? Evoke particular emotions? Is it spooky? Grand? Elegant? Eclectic? Historic? Run-of-the-mill? If so, your house might be ideal for a movie set. Location scouts are always on the lookout for locales that evoke a certain feeling or match a… Read More
You know Airbnb as the company that revolutionized travel around the world by making home-sharing easy. You have probably also heard about the big waves the $38 billion company has caused in the hotel industry, sparking legislation and regulation throughout the US. But have you heard about Airbnb’s latest project? There could be big things coming in 2019. Airbnb: Home-Sharing AND Home-Building? In November, Airbnb’s co-founder Joe Gebbia announced a new project called Backyard, “an endeavor to design and prototype… Read More
If you are a first-time homebuyer, you probably have noticed that there is a whole language that you have to learn as a homeowner. We promise, it gets easier, but it can be a huge help to get some background information on the lingo you’ve been hearing. To that end, Brian M. Douglas & Associates wants to help get you started on the right foot with a little Homeowner 101. Today’s lesson: what is an escrow account? Escrow, Defined The… Read More
Selling your home can be a stressful time. The pressure is on and it feels like any small hitch could derail the whole process. In fact, it often can. Twenty-five percent of all home sales are delayed during closing due to an unexpected obstacle. Your real estate agent may have seen it all before, but they don’t necessarily have the legal expertise to resolve some of the tougher issues. If you are in the process of selling your home, likely… Read More
As we near the end of the year, we draw closer to another tax season. If you are a homeowner in the State of Georgia, you are likely very familiar with the season of property assessments and taxation. However, you may not know as much about your homestead exemption. In the State of Georgia, there are special benefits conferred to properties that qualify as homesteads. We have written extensively about the Georgia Homestead Exemption here, but we wanted to provide… Read More