Well it’s back to work after the long Fourth of July holiday weekend that is of course unless you are on vacation this week. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with family, friends, a cookout and last but not least a firework show.

This year for the first time my wife and I went to The Mall of Georgia to take in the fireworks show there. It seemed as though it started a bit late…almost 10:00 but it was well worth the wait. I’ll let you be the judge…Mall of Georgia Fireworks.

Let me know what you think.

Independence Day in The United States is the annual celebration of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The day is typically celebrated with parades, fireworks displays, ceremonies, barbecues, family gatherings and in Atlanta, The Peachtree Road Race. With the heat of the summer days I thought it would be a good idea to publish a Top 10 list of safety items for the Fourth of July:

•    Stay Hydrated – Drink plenty of water. Sorry but alcohol and sodas do not count
•    If you drink alcoholic beverages – Don’t Drink and Drive
•    Use Sunscreen – Especially during the hottest part of the day
•    Always fully cook all meats on the grill
•    Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold – Foods with mayo or dairy products can go bad quickly
•    If you will be doing any outdoor exercise do it early in the morning or late in the day
•    Use only legal fireworks for your area.
•    Adults should supervise all fireworks activities
•    If boating – Always wear your flotation device
•    Think of your pets – The heat can be hard on them also. Make sure they have plenty of water

No more 100% financing… No more First Time Buyer Tax Credit… No more move up buyer tax credit… What is a buyer in the Atlanta market to do? Currently there are several different programs that offer grant funds that can be used for down payment assistance. The nice thing about these grants is that they do not have to be repaid as long as certain criteria are met.

Why don’t we get together and see if you qualify to take advantage of one of these programs. Either call or email and see how easy it can be to get the ball rolling.

Yesterday I was visiting a property and the trip took me through downtown Duluth GA. As I was driving along I saw the many American Flags lining the street with the names of service personnel along with the war they served in. What a tribute! My thoughts then ran to what is the history of Memorial Day. I thought I would do a little research and share it with you.

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. It was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic and was first observed on May 30, 1868. The initial celebration was to place flowers on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Up to 1971 Memorial Day was observed on May 30 of each year. At that point The National Holiday Act of 1971 changed the holiday to the last Monday of May, ensuring a 3 day weekend for Federal Holidays.

The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South however refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I. At that time the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war. Several southern states still have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis’ birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

The importance of Memorial Day has seemed to have diminished over the years. Some may consider it the official start to the summer vacation season, others may just enjoy a day off, and all of us however should find time to Honor Our American Heroes!

Take a few moments this Memorial Day Weekend and remember those who gave their all for our freedom this Memorial Day. Here is a short video of Downtown Duluth with the American Flags proudly displayed.

Happy Memorial Day Everyone! If you have served our country, Thank You Very Much!

January 2010

January 2010 stared a little slower than the experts anticipated. As fact would have it in January 2010 there were 2604 total closings, a decline of 8.9% in the number of properties sold compared to January 2009. The decrease came from the Single Family Detached properties which were down 11.5% while Single Family Attached properties (Condos and Townhomes) were actually up 9.8%.

Now let’s look at the good news… Single Family Detached properties increased in average sale price by 5.4% compared to January 2009. During the month of January 2010 there were approximately 1,500 more homes under contract at the end of the month verses at the beginning of the month. These two variables represent positive growth for the Atlanta Real Estate market however I think we are still in a position for a slow steady recovery.

February 2010

February 2010 shows that there were 2,763 Single Family Detached properties closed compared to 2,411 in February 2009, an increase of 12.8%. For Single Family Attached properties there were 432 properties closed which represents an increase of 20.7% compared to February 2009. The average sale prices also seem to be increasing for Single Family Detached properties while the Condo/Townhome market is still struggling. The average sale price for detached properties was $184,688 an increase of 5.5% versus February 2009 and attached properties was $145,211 or a decrease of 5% over the same time period.

In Gwinnett County there is currently a short supply of homes in the under $160,000 price point. Looking at the statistics there is approximately a 3.7 months’ supply of homes in this price range which means that this price point is turning back to a seller market. This is not the case with the more expensive homes. With homes priced in the $200,000 to $500,000 range there is 7.24 months supply currently on the market and this remains a buyer’s market.

March 2010

The final statistics for March 2010 show some encouraging news for the Atlanta Real Estate Market. There were 3,793 Single Family Detached closings in March, an increase of 5.2% vs. March of 2009. For Single Family Attached properties there were 711 properties closed which represents an increase of 18.9% vs. March of 2009. Now for some more good news. The average price for Single Family Detached properties rose by 9.4% vs. March 2009 to $197,433. The average price for a Single Family Attached property remained constant at $151,550 vs March 2009 however it was up by $6,339 over February of 2010.

First Quarter 2010 Observations

During the first quarter of 2010 there were 10,303 properties closed in the Atlanta Real Estate Market. With interest rates remaining at historical low levels, there is no reason for this recovery not to continue.

Comparing building permits issued in the first quarter of 2010, new construction is beginning to rebound. While not as robust as in the real estate hay day of 2004, the over 1900 building permits issued during the first quarter of 2010 represent an approximate 50% increase vs. the first quarter of 2009.

As is the case in most real estate markets throughout the United States, there remains a large volume of foreclosure and short sale properties in the Atlanta Market. These properties represent some excellent bargains for investors, first time buyers and conventional purchasers. The economy may not be as strong as we would like to see but it has helped to generate these steals of a deal.

Feel free to let me know what you think!

In an unexpected move, Congress announced that the $8,000 first time buyer tax credit and the $6,500 move up buyer tax credit have extended until the end of 2010. This program has been extremely beneficial in helping to turn the housing market around. As fact would have it, with homes priced under $150,000 there is actually a very short supply in the Gwinnett County, GA area and this price point is turning into a sellers market again.

Recently there has even been evidence that builders were starting construction on new homes again, another sign of the return to better times in the Greater Atlanta Real Estate market.

I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone that reads this article a Happy April Fools Day. The first sentence of the first paragraph is not factual. However everything else in the article is true. To qualify to participate in the home-buyer tax credit program, buyers must be under contract by April 30, 2010 and close on the property by June 30, 2010. If you are considering purchasing real estate don’t get left out of this program…Don’t Be An April Fool!

Yes its that time of the year again…Spring Forward. Check out the Top Ten Things to do for the Time Change. Scroll down on the right side of the card for the top ten list.

Why would you think the County Commissioners wanted to wait until after they voted on the Gwinnett County Solid Waste Collection and Disposal Services Ordinance of 2010 to publish the ordinance? Could it be that they have realized that the lawmakers in Washington D.C. actually got it right by not being transparent? Could it be that they really do have something to hide? Could it be that they are afraid of the confrontation that would have occurred once the educated citizens of Gwinnett County read this 37 page document. Could it be all of the above? After printing out the ordinance and going through it, several things stand out; Minimum Requirements and Service Levels for the Residents of Unincorporated Gwinnett County, Fees for Service, Settling the Existing Lawsuits and Penalties.

Minimum Requirements

There are 4 pages of the ordinance that talk about the Minimum Requirements for Service Providers. Let’s see if we can figure out from these 4 pages what the Commissioner’s intent is for Minimum Requirements the residents of Gwinnett County.

As you can well see, the County Commissioners really had the interests of the citizens of Gwinnett County placed high on their list of priorities. Weekly Collection…WOW!

Fees For Services

Now that the ordinance has been made public, let’s look at what it says about fees. First off the fees will be collected on the tax bills with 18 months being collected on the tax bill coming out starting in the summer of 2010. The tax bill coming out in the summer of 2011 will include 12 months of trash service. Actually that makes sense. Wait a minute, no it doesn’t there is no amount for monthly trash service. Is this whole thing coming back to Gwinnett County Government looking for an additional revenue stream? As with everything else regarding Gwinnett County Government, It’s All About The Money!

Settling the Existing Lawsuits

It is old news that Gwinnett County has been served with several lawsuits regarding the previous Solid Waste Disposal Plan. The new ordinance states:

WHEREAS, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners has determined that, in the best interest of the residents of Gwinnett County, the legal actions referenced above should be settled; and

WHEREAS, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners has determined that, in connection with the settlement of the referenced legal actions, the 2008 Ordinance should be deleted in its entirety.

The question is how do the Commissioners intend to settle these lawsuits? Will the Plaintiffs be given preferential treatment in regard to the Service areas? I see nothing in the ordinance that is specific as to how the Residential Service Provider will be selected for the Residential Service Areas. Will it be via a sealed bid process or just the County assigning a particular provider (preferential treatment) to a particular area?

But Wait There Is More…Penalties

Section V A iii States that beginning 7-1-2010 each Owner of a Residential Service Unit shall Dispose of Residential Municipal Solid Waste, White Goods, Bulky Waste and or Yard Trimmings with the Residential Service Provider that has been issued a service agreement by the County for the Residential Service Area in which the Owner’s Residential Service Unit is located. What if I wanted to collect aluminum cans and then sell them myself? Damn It, I would be in violation of this ordinance. Well what would the consequences be? That would fall under Section XXIV Penalties. Any person violating any provision of this ordinance may, upon conviction, be punished by a fine not to exceed $1,000.00 for each offense and /or incarceration or community service not to exceed 60 days. Each day a violation occurs shall be considered a separate and distinct violation.

I thought the previous ordinance was stupid with its $500.00 fine. It even made national news on the Drudge Report. How stupid does this make our county commissioners look? I’m guessing it doesn’t actually do them justice.

So what do you think?

Just how deaf are the Commissioners in Gwinnett County? Well let me see is I can help everyone understand. Last year I served along with a group of volunteers on The Gwinnett County Trash Advisory Committee. We held 6 public meetings throughout the county and the one thing we heard at every meeting was that the citizens of Gwinnett County wanted to be able to choose who their trash hauler was to be. The citizens wanted to have the right to fire a trash hauler that did not perform up to the citizen’s expectations.

The county then paid $131,000 of our tax dollars to R W Beck, a consulting firm, who also conducted public meetings to obtain citizen input regarding trash collection in Gwinnett County. The overwhelming result of the citizens input during these meetings, at least of the ones I was able to attend, once again was that the citizens of Gwinnett County want to choose their trash hauler.

Fast forward to March 2, 2010 Board of Commissioners meeting and the vote to approve the New Gwinnett County Trash Plan. Below is from the Gwinnett County Website:

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners adopted a new solid waste ordinance for unincorporated Gwinnett County during the board’s business session on March 2, 2010. You may read the ordinance as drafted and also view this brief video clip of discussion among commissioners during the meeting that reflects a slight change made to the ordinance before it was adopted. The ordinance as adopted will be posted as soon as possible.

Gwinnett County’s Solid Waste Information Center – 770.822.7141 – is open for callers Monday through Friday between 7:00am and 7:00pm.

Now I don’t know about the rest of you but I don’t think that 5 districts with only one hauler per district equals choice. My parents always told me not to make fun of the handicapped and I have adhered to that policy up until now. This Board of Commissioners is handicapped. They have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are DEAF. They have no desire to represent the wishes of the citizens of Gwinnett County in this trash matter. So here is my recommendation for the Board of Commissioners… RECALL THESE DEAF IDIOTS NOW!

A Picture is worth a thousand words!