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Leslie Edwards

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Displaying blog entries 131-136 of 136

Fayette County 2007 Market Report

Saturday, January 05, 2008
by Leslie Edwards

January 1, 2007 to December 31,2007 Fayette County 12 month home sales report

1538 single family homes SOLD with an average sales price of  $313,529

1383  homes EXPIRED UNSOLD with an average list price of  $387,633

53% sold while 47% did not sell.  The homes that sold averaged $74,100 less that the homes that did not sell.  The average price difference indicates that most of the 47% that did not sell, were substantially overpriced.

There are currently 1225 homes on the market is Fayette County

Based on last years sales total of 1538 sold for the entire year, we have a 9.56 months supply of home on the market now.

In the last quarter of 2007, 281 or 38% homes sold while 62% or 456 expired unsold.  The average sale price in the last quarter of 2007 dropped to $294,730.

It is more important than ever to choose the agent with the most experience in challenging markets and the best  track record of success. Call me for a FREE consulation. 

leslie edwards the name you know in real estate  770.460.9448   RE/MAX 

 

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Raise Your Credit Score

Saturday, January 05, 2008
by Leslie Edwards

1. Pay your bills on time

2. If you have missed payments, get current and stay current.  The longer you pay on time the better your credit score

3. Even if you pay off a collection it will remain on your credit report for seven years. 

4. If you cannot make your payments, contact your creditors or see a credit counselor

5. Keep balances low on revolving credit

6. Maintain fewer open accounts

7. Don't close unused credit lines.  Closing accounts will not help your score

8. Don't open new lines of credit

The best credit score is between 760 to 850

General loan guidelines will consider scores in the low 600's and sometimes even in the high 500's with compensating factors.

If you need help finding a loan, call me.  I work with some great mortgage people and would be happy to give you names.  It is always good to shop rates, but don't be fooled.  Often the lowest rate does not have the lowest costs and the difference in costs can make the lowest interest rate, the most expensive program for you. Get and compare all the costs, not just the interest rate.

Call me for a FREE, no obligation consultation regarding your real estate needs and dreams.

leslie edwards  sell real estate  770.460.9448 direct  RE/MAX  See 100,000+ listings for sale at www.leslieedwards.com

 

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It's Only A Feeling

Friday, January 04, 2008
by Leslie Edwards

Even though I don't have any real data to prove it is true, I FEEL like the market is finally starting to move again. 

Since January 1, 2008, Buyer calls have increased.  Today, we finalized negotiations on two properties.  It feels like it is getting better and I hope you feel it too.

 I was selling real estate when Jimmy Carter was president and mortgage interest rates were as high as 17%.  Sellers couldn't sell if buyers couldn't afford the payments.  Agents were dropping out of the business in droves, just like they are now. 

Instead of dropping out,  I sold 38 houses that year I was terrified that I would have to get a job I did not love when I knew real estate was the perfect job for me.  So I worked hard to find creative ways to help buyers and sellers in a stagnant market, just like now.

Call me if I can help you - leslie edwards

The difference between the one who made it and the one who didn't is that the one who made it hung in there longer.

See 100,000+ properties for sale and get lots of FREE Buying and Selling Information at www.leslieedwards.com

leslie edwards sells real estate 770.460.9448    leslie@leslieedwards.com   RE/MAX

 

 

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Aluminum Linked to Alzheimer's Disease

Wednesday, January 02, 2008
by Leslie Edwards
 When my mother was diagnosed with Alzeheimer's years ago, I began researching the disease and have long been convinced that there is a connection between aluminum and Alzheimer's.  Here is part of an article I read on Rense.com by Dr. John McDougall, MD of the McDougall Wellness Center 5-25-3.  There is a lot more information on the internet about the subject. 
I have not used aluminum pots and pans for over 25 years substituting stainless steel and glass.  I don't use plastic containers either, but that is a whole different issue.  I use a hard to find deodorant that does not contain aluminum and avoid anything with aluminum as an ingredient.  You will probably be surprised to learn all of the ways we are subjected to aluminum.  While it is impossible for any of us to do everything to avoid exposure to aluminum, by understandings the hazards, we can make better choices. 
This is one of things I have been thinking about...
Alzheimer's Again
Linked To Aluminum
In patients having Alzheimer's disease the brain is somewhat shrunken and, on postmortum examination, a definite loss of nervous tissue is noted. Examination of the brain tissues under a microscope reveals small bundles of material called senile plaques, scattered throughout the tissues. The more plaques that are present, the worse is the mental condition of the patient. Chemical analysis reveals the presence of the metal aluminum at the core of each plaque and within many of the cells found in the plaques. Evidence is accumulating to indicate that aluminum may be involved in the formation of the plaques, and it is therefore a prime suspect as the initial cause of the disease.
Five population studies now link Alzheimer's disease to aluminum in drinking water. As early as 1885, aluminum was shown to be toxic to the nervous tissues of animals. Aluminum can also produce a degeneration of the nervous tissues in cats and rabbits that resembles in some ways that seen in the brains of human patients with Alzheimer's disease. Patients with diseased kidneys accumulate large amounts of aluminum in their bodies from medications and from kidney-machine solutions that have been used until recently. This accumulation results in a severe mental deterioration.
Aluminum is the third most common element in the earth's crust. "Normal" dietary intake of aluminum is about 3 to 5 mg per day, of which only a very small amount is absorbed by the body's tissues. The aluminum to which we are exposed comes from many sources, and most of these are under our control. Dust, water, and even unprocessed foods contain aluminum that may be difficult to avoid. But aluminum in cosmetics, many medicines, food additives (for example, some brands of baking powders, and highly absorbable aluminum maltol used in instant chocolate mixes), cans, kitchenware, and utensils can be easily avoided. A very popular antacid, Amphojel, consists of aluminum hydroxide.
Most of this daily intake is eliminated by healthy kidneys. However, some individuals seem to absorb aluminum more readily, or are less able to eliminate it; these people, who cannot be identified before symptoms begin, are most likely to suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Certainly not every one of the multitudes of us who have been fed for a lifetime on foods cooked in aluminum pots and pans will end our days in this world as severely mentally deficient patients. Aluminum is only one strongly suspected culprit. Scientists believe that other factors, yet to be identified, are involved in the interactions that allow the body to suffer this form of degeneration.
Some scientists are particularily worried about inhaled aluminum because autopsy studies have shown a high proportion of senile plaques in the olfactory (smelling) lobes of the brain. Spray antiperspirants would be a likely product for this concern.
Your choice of cookware is important. Glass and porcelain are relatively nonreactive with foods. Metal cookware does react with the acids in foods and the metal ions thereby released gain access to your body. In the case of copper, iron, and stainless steel cookware the metals are actually essential trace elements, and therefore make a valuable nutritional contribution if they are not absorbed in excess. Aluminum, on the other hand, not only has no recognized function in the body, but is toxic.
My Recommendations: Based on present information prudent action would be to avoid all sources of ingestable and inhaled aluminum. Those who fail to heed this advice will serve as "guinea pigs" for the human experiments that may eventually prove the presence or absence of serious health effects of aluminum.
Two years of investigation were reported in the Lancet in 1991 using an aluminum chelating agent, desferrioxamine, to slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease. Between 1979 and 1987 there has been a thirteen-fold increase in the number of deaths from Alzheimer's disease in the United States. To me this represents the increase in exposure to aluminum that has happened to people in our society.
See entire article at rense.com
Call me to buy or sell real estate in South Metro Atlanta Georgia. 
leslie edwards the name you know
770.460.9448
see 100,000+ Georgia properties for sale at www.leslieedwards.com
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What Makes Up Your Credit Score

Wednesday, January 02, 2008
by Leslie Edwards

Credit scores are used by most lenders for mortgages, car loans, credit  cards, furniture financing and more, to determine the level of risk they are taking when they loan you money.  Credit scores can affect how much and what loan terms a lender will offer. Often the higher the risk, based on a low credit score, can mean a higher interest rate to the borrower while the higher scores are offered the lowest rates.

Credit Scores are calculated based on the following percentages

30% on the amounts you owe

35%  is based on payment history

15%  on the length of credit history

10%   on the types of credit

10%   on the amount of new credit

Unless you are paying cash, you should get preapproved prior to looking at properties.  Sellers might be more likely to negotiate and accept offers accompanied by a PreApproval Letter.

If you want to buy or sell real estate in Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone, Brooks, Newnan, Sharpsburg, McDonough, Stockbridge, Locust Grove, Hampton, Jonesboro, Lake Spivey or any place in South Metro Atlanta, call me.  leslie edwards direct 770.460.9448  RE/MAX advantage

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I Have An Opinion About Everything

Monday, December 17, 2007
by Leslie Edwards

The blog is a perfect forum for me to say what ever is on my mind, since I do have an opinion about almost everything.  After 30+ years as a REALTOR, I think about real estate a lot.  But real estate is not all I think about.  Stay Tuned.   

leslie edwards, sells real estate, 770.460.9448

South Metro Atlanta GA, 

 

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Displaying blog entries 131-136 of 136

If you hear of anyone who wants to buy or sell in any of these areas, please mention me and then call me so I can contact them. I appreciate your referrals!