South Metro Atlanta Real Estate Blog

Letter from Fayette Co. Commissioner Steve Brown to Atlanta Business Chronicle About Regional Transportation

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 03:00:00 GMT

From: Steve Brown, Fayette County GA Board of Commissioners stevebrownptc@ureach.com

Doug:

Here are the points, as native of Metro Atlanta and a long time student of land planning and transportation that I think we need to consider. Most of the 2012 TIA is feel good posturing and few are taking a serious look at the problems.

“Transportation” and “water” are not the problems. They are the symptoms of irresponsible land use where development runs rampant and we try to figure out the infrastructure problems later.

Gwinnett County was a developer-driven county and that situation has become a very expensive proposition in terms of infrastructure. Go look at ARC records over the past couple of decades and you will see that Gwinnett has devoured a significant portion of our region’s federal highway dollars and the problems are not being resolved.
If the region follows the development patterns in Gwinnett County, we are doomed to failure as a region.
We have known about our lack of water since the mid-1980s and the fact that we are so far behind today amounts to governmental negligence. It took around 25 years for Fayette County to work through the “process” of state and federal hoops to get our newest reservoir, Lake McIntosh, built.
There is a new political faction in the state legislature: MARTA Republicans. These are Republicans living in Fulton (and some in Gwinnett who want to tie into the MARTA system) who are appealing to move the 2012 referendum to November to give Democrat voters more leverage. Obviously, the MARTA Republicans are upsetting a lot of the party’s core faithful. They are literally bending over backwards for Mayor Kasim Reed, a man would never get elected by Republican voters.
Transportation infrastructure has always been a problem for the last three decades. Let’s not pretend this is something new. Strain on the system is a sign of growth. Just look at Cleveland, OH and Detroit, MI for a less attractive way to lessen traffic.
There is nothing wrong with mass transit as a method of transportation, but expanding the MARTA system, already hemorrhaging red ink now, is not an intelligent answer. The data does not justify further expansion without a serious re-evaluation of the MARTA system.
Most of the outer non-MARTA counties in the 10-county Atlanta region do not want to be part of a regional transit system where they will be forced to pay for MARTA’s 80-percent revenue subsidy and it’s huge losses.
The truth is the Atlanta Public Schools are not going to attract significant family-oriented residential development, causing most families to live in the outer suburbs. The school system along with crime in Atlanta is exacerbating our regions traffic problems. My wife and I moved from downtown Atlanta to Peachtree City once we started having children.
Back in 2002-2003, I tried working with GRTA and ARC on recognizing the harmful effects of certain large scale developments (any type) on our transportation infrastructure. The Development of Regional Impact (DRI) process created. Unfortunately, special interests put significant loopholes in the process which allowed the harmful development to proceed anyway.
Former ARC Director Harry West made no secret of the fact there was little cooperation in the Atlanta region and efforts were not being made to solve our current problems. He resigned out of frustration.

Ten Tax Tips for Individuals Selling Their Home

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 09:49:00 GMT

IRS Summertime Tax Tip 2011-15, August 8, 2011

The Internal Revenue Service has some important information to share with individuals who have sold or are about to sell their home. If you have a gain from the sale of your main home, you may qualify to exclude all or part of that gain from your income. Here are ten tips from the IRS to keep in mind when selling your home.

In general, you are eligible to exclude the gain from income if you have owned and used your home as your main home for two years out of the five years prior to the date of its sale.
If you have a gain from the sale of your main home, you may be able to exclude up to $250,000 of the gain from your income ($500,000 on a joint return in most cases).
You are not eligible for the exclusion if you excluded the gain from the sale of another home during the two-year period prior to the sale of your home.
If you can exclude all of the gain, you do not need to report the sale on your tax return.
If you have a gain that cannot be excluded, it is taxable. You must report it on Form 1040, Schedule D, Capital Gains and Losses.
You cannot deduct a loss from the sale of your main home.
Worksheets are included in Publication 523, Selling Your Home, to help you figure the adjusted basis of the home you sold, the gain (or loss) on the sale, and the gain that you can exclude.
If you have more than one home, you can exclude a gain only from the sale of your main home. You must pay tax on the gain from selling any other home. If you have two homes and live in both of them, your main home is ordinarily the one you live in most of the time.
If you received the first-time homebuyer credit and within 36 months of the date of purchase, the property is no longer used as your principal residence, you are required to repay the credit. Repayment of the full credit is due with the income tax return for the year the home ceased to be your principal residence, using Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyer Credit and Repayment of the Credit. The full amount of the credit is reflected as additional tax on that year’s tax return.
When you move, be sure to update your address with the IRS and the U.S. Postal Service to ensure you receive refunds or correspondence from the IRS. Use Form 8822, Change of Address, to notify the IRS of your address change.

For more information about selling your home, see IRS Publication 523, Selling Your Home. This publication is available at www.irs.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

To buy or sell real estate, call me. Leslie Edwards 770.460.9448 leslie@leslieedwards.com www.SouthMetroAtlantaMLS.com RE/MAX

If you don't vote, you can't bitch

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 11:48:00 GMT

Only a small percentage of voters go to the polls for an off year election coming up this November. The election is for the Town and Cities. No Senators, Representatives or Presidents are voted on during an off year election. If you fail to vote, you have no right to complain when the candidate you thought did not have a chance, get's elected, while you stay home on election day becaue you thought your guy was a shoe in.

If you are registered to vote, it is your responsibility to vote. Not just for President but also for the people that run your towns and cities. Off year elections are important because these are the people who will make decisions regarding your taxes, development, how they spend your money, your safety and so much more.

All politics are local. In addition to voting this November, you can help by encouraging your friends and neighbors to go to the polls. You can get informed about the local issues because there is so much more going on than most Citizens are aware of because the are not paying attention.

If you want to get involved, call your local Tea Party or your local Republican or Democrat Party and ask how you can help.

You can't act surprised or bitch if you don't vote.

leslie edwards Politically Active Real Estate Agent Fayetteville, GA 770.460.9448 leslie@leslieedwards.com www.leslieedwards.com

Bin Laden is Not Dead

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:24:00 GMT

When I was in the 6th grade, my english teacher told me I had a talent for writing. Although I don't have the discipline to write a book, I am constantly thinking of plot lines.

The deaths of the Seal Team 6 soldiers seems like a suspense novel in the making. If I were writing the story, the death of Ossama Bin Laden turns out to be a lie that the President negotiated with Muslims to increase his standing in the US and deflect attention from the economy and the suspicion that he is really a Muslim.

The rushed burial at sea and the refusal to release any pictures are part of the plan. The fact that the Seals cannot give interviews while serving, gave the bad guys time to arrange for their deaths.

The members of Seal Team 6 that supposedly killed Bin Laden were on a helicopter together when it was shot down. Who sent them on the mission? The so called informant who led them to Bin Laden was murdered soon after the raid. The downed helicopter insured that no eye witnesses remain so there is no one left who can expose the truth, that Bin Laden is not dead.

After hundreds of pages of intrigue, in my story, the bad guys get busted and are sent to prison. If more than one person knows a secret, one of them is bound to tell.

A great plot for a novel. Not so great for the US.

Leslie Edwards, real estate agent and frustrated writer 770.460.9448 leslie@leslieedwards.com www.leslieedwards.com RE/MAX Around Atlanta Serving South Metro Atlanta

The More You Owe, The Longer You Can Stay For FREE

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:41:00 GMT

The foreclosure process is inconsistent and favors some homeowners over others in the same situation. The amount of money & number of man hours spent on Government programs to help people stay in their homes, far exceeds any benefits of these programs. While banks are taking months to respond to requests for loan modifications, short sales or deeds in lieu, the same banks foreclosure departments are proceeding with the foreclosure process. It is like a game of Beat the Clock.

This latest study shines a light on the inequity of actions of banks and the government.

New Foreclosure Study Finds the More That’s Owed, the Longer the Defaulter Can Stay

By Steve Cook Print Article

RISMEDIA, July 13, 2011—Homeowners living in houses worth over $417,000 can live in their homes mortgage-free without fear of foreclosure for more than a year, but those in the less valuable homes are getting thrown out in 300 days or less.

Moreover, those with a second mortgage can stay in their home, on average, longer than those with just one mortgage. Those with a second mortgage currently are staying mortgage-free an average of 393 days compared to those with just one mortgage, who are losing their homes after 291 days.

According to an analysis of more than 150,000 foreclosures over the past three and a half years by the CEO of one of the nation’s leading foreclosure sites, ForeclosureRadar, lenders wait as long as they can to put losses from foreclosed properties on their books.

The study found that the deeper underwater you are, the longer you will be able to live in your home without paying a penny on your mortgage. “The truth is that the larger the loan balance you have, the more upside down you are in the home, and the bigger the loss for the lender, the better your chances are of not being foreclosed on for a very long time, says Sean’Toole, CEO of ForeclosureRadar.

O’Toole found that currently, in July 2011, the average loan balance on foreclosures with a loan balance greater than $417,000 is $616,000, and the average current market value is $404,000, resulting in an average loss of more than $250,000 per loan after sales costs. He compared that to loans with a balance less than or equal to $417,000. On those loans the average loss was closer to $115,000 on an average loan balance of $274,000 and with an average current market value of $176,000.

“So while we still think foreclosure roulette is the bank’s game of choice, we now also believe that the number of chambers in their gun, and your likelihood of being quickly foreclosed on, is directly tied to the size of the potential loss that the bank might face. Perversely, this means those who took the biggest loans, on the nicest houses, with the largest lines of credit to buy lots of shiny new toys will also get the most free rent when they strategically default,” he says.

O’Toole analyzed 153,956 foreclosure sales on first mortgages from January 2008 through July 2011 for which ForeclosureRadar had all the necessary data. This includes properties that were sold back to the bank and became REO, as well as properties purchased by investors on the courthouse steps at foreclosure auction. He divided all the loans into two groups: those with balances over $417,000 (the conforming loan limit) and those below.

‘Specifically we were wondering if banks took longer to foreclose on larger loans, where there tend to be larger losses, than on smaller loans. The answer is clear: yes, the size of the potential loss absolutely matters. Not only that, but time to foreclose doesn’t diverge until the government intervened in the foreclosure market in early 2009, with, for example, changes to the Federal Accounting Standards Board rules on mark-to-market,” he says.

“The basic idea behind mark-to-market accounting rules is that if an asset that you have on your books drops in value, you should recognize that loss on your books and write down the value of the asset on your books. When Treasury Secretary Paulson announced TARP in September 2008, he made it clear that he didn’t think banks should have to write down these assets to or be forced to sell them at what he believed were distressed prices. After that announcement, considerable pressure was put on the supposedly independent Federal Accounting Standards Board (which writes the accounting rules these companies must follow) to ease the rules that require companies to mark assets to current market values. I think there is little doubt that the changes to these rules were necessary in order for the banks to pass the stress tests that were undertaken shortly after this accounting change was pushed through,” he says.

To Pee or Not to Pee

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 03:00:00 GMT

Someone sent me this today and it was worth reposting. The government is not helping when they continue to provide financial rewards to people who do nothing to earn it. Generational welfare is sucking the life from our country and there has to be a better way to figure out the difference between someone truly in need from someone who is too lazy to work.

To Pee or Not To Pee

I have a job.

I work, they pay me.

I pay my taxes & the government
distributes my taxes as it sees fit.

In order to get that paycheck, in my case,
I am required to pass a random urine test
(with which I have no problem).

What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes
to people who don't have to pass a urine test.

So, here is my question:
Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check
because I have to pass one to earn it for them?

Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet.
I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their BUTT
----doing drugs while I work.

Can you imagine how much money each state would save
if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?

I guess we could call the program "URINE OR YOU'RE OUT"!

Pass this along if you agree or simply delete if you don't.
Hope you all will pass it along, though.
Something has to change in this country - AND SOON!

P.S. Just a thought, all politicians should have to pass a urine test too!

Selling Your Home in a Down Market

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 09:24:00 GMT

Even in a down market, the best homes sell. Read this USA Today Article for ways make sure your home gets SOLD.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2011-07-02-home-sellers-down-market_n.htm

If you are ready to sell, or just want to talk about it, call me.

leslie edwards 770.460.9448 leslie@leslieedwards.com www.SouthMetroAtlantaMLS.com RE/MAX Around Atlanta

The 7 Worst Things You Can Do to Your Credit Score

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 03:00:00 GMT

This Article Was Written by Broderick Perkins and Reposted
Because it is Great Information About Your Credit Score.

John Ulzheimer, president of Consumer Education at SmartCredit.com, the credit blogger for Mint.com, is an expert on credit reporting, credit scoring and identity theft.

Formerly with FICO, Equifax and Credit.com, Ulzheimer is a rare editorial source -- a recognized credit expert who actually comes from the credit industry.

He often references in his writings the "Seven FICO Deadlies," credit score deflating actions, but only recently identified them in one consolidated list.

Your credit score, from about 350 (poor) to 800 (excellent) is a numerical rendition of your credit report. The higher your score, the more likely you'll get approved for credit and the more likely you'll get the best rate and terms. Negative actions posted to your credit report, take a bite out of your credit score.

Here's what Ulzheimer says are the seven worst things you can do to your credit score. And speaking of "seven," that's how many years these black marks can stay on your credit report.

Deadbeat behavior. Frequent, significant and late payments 30 days, 60 days, 90 days late. Don't believe a 30-day-late payment won't hurt. It may not ruin your credit but it's not helpful and can remain on your report for years.

Collection activity. When the lender gets tired of your deadbeat behavior it will call out the dogs -- a third-party collection agency. The collection agency will report collection activity to the credit bureaus and again, seven years of bad luck.

Charge offs. If the lender gives up on your collection case, acknowledging you'll never pay the bill, it charges off the debt and puts your credit report on notice for seven years.

Public recordings. Bankruptcy, tax liens, judgments and the like are killers for your credit rating. Judgments are good (or, from your viewpoint, bad) for seven years, even if you pay them off. Bankruptcies can dog your credit report for 10 years and unpaid tax liens never go away.

Settlements. If you pay a portion of a debt to your lender in a settlement, say a some of the mortgage in a short sale, you can get a settlement notice on your credit report card for seven years. Credit cards and other debts, likewise can be settled, with negative impact to your credit report.

Foreclosures. If you can't or won't pay your mortgage the lender will eventually foreclose and relieve you of your home. Another seven year negative notification will drag down your score. The same applies when you give the home to the lender in a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure.

Repossession – When you don't pay your vehicle loans a bounty hunter will be coming your way. He or she is not coming after you, but your vehicle, and that's often without notice, after you've been dunned for a while. It's all legal. The repo man can take your property down and your credit score will follow.

Although getting a mortgage is more difficult today than it was a few years ago when the real estate market was hot, qualified buyers are getting approved everyday. Call me and let's discuss your situation and see how I can help you. Your information is always confidential and as always, there is no obligation to do business with me. Let's talk.

leslie edwards Environmentally Aware, Socially Conscious, Politically Active Real Estate Agent 770.460.9448

CDPE Certified Distressed Property Expert CRS Certified Residential Specialist Epro Certified Internet Professional ABR Accredited Buyer Representative GRI Graduate of the Realtor Institute Dave Ramsey Endorsed Local Provider Selling South Metro Atlanta including:Clayton, Fayette, Henry, Coweta, Merewether, South Fulton & Spalding Counties. Call me now tow buy or sell in all the towns and cities south of the Atlanta International Airport, including, but not limited to:Brooks, College Park, Fairburn, Fayetteville, Jonesboro, Locust Grove, McDonough, Newnan, Sharpsburg, Stockbridge, Palmetto, Peachtree City, Tyrone and more

Moving Families Since 1978 Let My Experience Work For You 770.460.0739 Fax See All the Lisings in The MLS At www.SouthMetroAtlantaMLS.com www.leslieedwards.com/blog leslie@leslieedwards.com RE/MAX Around Atlanta

Save your credit, relieve the uncertainty, and most of all, help your family. Call me for Short Sale and Pre-Foreclosure Solutions and let's get started on the path to recovery.

http://www.leslieedwards.com/Blog/What-is-a-Short-Sale-and-Why-You-Might-Want-One

That is Not The Definition of Insanity

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 03:00:00 GMT

lack of reason or good sense: extreme foolishness, or an act that demonstrates such foolishness

psychiatric condition affecting legal circumstances: legal incompetence or irresponsibility that results from a psychiatric disorder

These are real definitions of insanity. There are many others. The one we hear the most is, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." The definition we hear most often is not even a definition of insanity. Every time I hear someone say that, I want to stop them and say "No it's not". When I see it in print, I am tempted to call or write, but I don't. But I really want to. Ok, sometimes I do. I cannot help myself. It is not the definition of insanity. It is a phrase that someone said years ago that has been repeated since.

Most people credit Albert Einstein or Benjamin Franklin with being first to utter the phrase but in fact, no one knows for sure. There are actually several other theories as to the origin of "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result", including a Chinese Proverb. The first quote is slightly different from the second because there are several other versions of the quote.

It has become such a common phrase that as each generation passes it will become the accepted definition. The mentally ill are not well served by those words as they do not reflect the reality of mental illness. It is not just the insane people who repeat their mistakes expecting a different outcome. Like the people we choose, our behavior style, spending habits, the way we treat people. If that were the true definition, a lot more of us would be classified insane.

The next time you start to say it, stop yourself because you know it isn't true. We have to stand up when we see or hear the phrase used and let others know it is wrong so we do not perpetuate the error. So, that's what I was thinking about today.

Clark Howard is Dead Wrong About ARM's

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:13:00 GMT

Clark Howard a Consumer Advocate with a syndicated radio show host based here in Atlanta. Yesterday his advice was that if you are moving within the next five years, you should consider an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM). What that means is a buyer can get a lower interest rate set for 5 years. Clark mentioned 2% but I have not seen any lender offering a rate that low. The buyer is only required to be qualified at the lower payment, which may sound like a great deal. Never believing that I have seen it all, I have certainly seen a lot in my 33 years as a REALTOR. What I know is that adjustable rate mortgages or interest only mortgages are a terrible idea. Eight years ago I sold a new home to a soldier and his wife. The loan officer gave them payment options for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage and a three year adjustable rate mortgage. Against my advice, they chose the adjustable rate mortgage with the lower payment, fixed for three years. Their rationale was that he was military which meant they would be moved within two years. Fast forward two years, they get a divorce and he gets transferred. After three years, the monthly payment started to adjust and the wife could not make the higher payment. She tried to refinance but did not qualify on her own income. She lost that house in foreclosure because plans change and she could not afford the new adjusted payment so she and her son moved to an apartment. The sales pitch for the ARM's is often the promise that the borrower can refinance at the end of the low payment period. Borrowers who expected to refinace were surprised when home values dropped and their homes would not appraise for the amount they owed. Another problem is when one of the breadwinners no longer has a job so they no longer qualify for a new loan in the amount they owe. What they don't tell you is that when you refinance a loan, the closing costs are added back to the amount you owe so your mortgage balance goes up.

Plans and options change. The ongoing distressed real estate market has left a trail of foreclosures across the country, a large portion were adjustable rate and interest only loans. Clark Howard is wrong to encourage people to choose an adjustable rate mortgage. The lowest payment is not always the best deal. My advice is to always go for a 15 or 30 year fixed rate loan. If you need an adjustable rate mortgage to qualify, buy a lower priced house. Years ago, buyers would buy every bit of what their lender told them they could qualify for because housing values would go up and they would make money on the sale. There is no guarantee values will increase. One in every four homeowners owes more than their house i worth. Their options are to stay in the house, rent the house, do a short sale or give it back to the bank. Two co-borrowers should consider buying a home they can afford on one income.at you can afford if one is out of work. Because things change. If you need help buying or selling, call me, leslie edwards at 770.460.9448 direct. I will not only help you buy or sell, I will guide you through the process and help you stay out of trouble. Homeownership is still the American Dream.

Why are these things in the Federal Budget?

Mon, 30 May 2011 10:39:00 GMT

These are all the programs that the new Republican House has proposed cutting. Read to the end.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting Subsidy. $445 million annual savings.
Save America 's Treasures Program. $25 million annual savings.
International Fund for Ireland . $17 million annual savings.
Legal Services Corporation. $420 million annual savings.
National Endowment for the Arts. $167.5 million annual savings.
National Endowment for the Humanities. $167.5 million annual savings.
Hope VI Program.. $250 million annual savings.
Amtrak Subsidies. $1.565 billion annual savings.
Eliminate duplicative education programs. H.R. 2274 (in last Congress), authored by Rep. McKeon, eliminates 68 at a savings of $1.3 billion annually.
U.S. Trade Development Agency. $55 million annual savings.
Woodrow Wilson Center Subsidy. $20 million annual savings.
Cut in half funding for congressional printing and binding. $47 million annual savings.
John C. Stennis Center Subsidy. $430,000 annual savings.
Community Development Fund. $4.5 billion annual savings.
Heritage Area Grants and Statutory Aid. $24 million annual savings.
Cut Federal Travel Budget in Half. $7.5 billion annual savings
Trim Federal Vehicle Budget by 20%. $600 million annual savings.
Essential Air Service. $150 million annual savings.
Technology Innovation Program. $70 million annual savings.
Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program. $125 million annual savings.
Department of Energy Grants to States for Weatherization. $530 million annual savings.
Beach Replenishment. $95 million annual savings.
New Starts Transit. $2 billion annual savings.
Exchange Programs for Alaska , Natives Native Hawaiians, and Their Historical Trading Partners in Massachusetts . $9 million annual savings
Intercity and High Speed Rail Grants. $2.5 billion annual savings.
Title X Family Planning. $318 million annual savings.
Appalachian Regional Commission. $76 million annual savings.
Economic Development Administration. $293 million annual savings.
Programs under the National and Community Services Act. $1.15 billion annual savings.
Applied Research at Department of Energy. $1.27 billion annual savings.
FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership. $200 million annual savings.
Energy Star Program. $52 million annual savings.
Economic Assistance to Egypt . $250 million annually.
U.S. Agency for International Development. $1.39 billion annual savings.
General Assistance to District of Columbia . $210 million annual savings.
Subsidy for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. $150 million annual savings.
Presidential Campaign Fund. $775 million savings over ten years.
No funding for federal office space acquisition. $864 million annual savings.
End prohibitions on competitive sourcing of government services.
Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act. More than $1 billion annually.
IRS Direct Deposit: Require the IRS to deposit fees for some services it offers (such as processing payment plans for taxpayers) to the Treasury, instead of allowing it to remain as part of its budget. $1.8 billion savings over ten years.
Require collection of unpaid taxes by federal employees. $1 billion total savings.WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Prohibit taxpayer funded union activities by federal employees. $1.2 billion savings over ten years.
Sell excess federal properties the government does not make use of. $15 billion total savings.
Eliminate death gratuity for Members of Congress.
Eliminate Mohair Subsidies. $1 million annual savings.
Eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. $12.5 million annual savings
Eliminate Market Access Program. $200 million annual savings.
USDA Sugar Program. $14 million annual savings.
Subsidy to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). $93 million annual savings.
Eliminate the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program. $56.2 million annual savings.
Eliminate fund for Obamacare administrative costs. $900 million savings.
Ready to Learn TV Program. $27 million savings..
HUD Ph.D. Program.
Deficit Reduction Check-Off Act.
TOTAL SAVINGS: $2.5 Trillion over Ten Years

My question is, what is all this doing in the budget in the first place?

Take a Minute on Memorial Day

Sat, 28 May 2011 12:01:00 GMT

Memorial Day is a day to remember those who died in service to our Country so that we can continue to be free. We live in the greatest nation in the world.

Unlike Veterans Day which honors all the men and women who have served and those serving in our military now.

Enjoy this weekend with family and friends.

At 3 pm on Monday, in whichever time zone you are, please take one minute in silence to remember our fallen soldiers. Please watch and listen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFcuR34Gg-o

leslie edwards environmentally conscious, socially aware, politically active real estate agent Serving South Metro Atlanta GA 770.527.1983 RE/MAX Around Atlanta

The Housing Story Keeps Changing

Tue, 17 May 2011 09:36:00 GMT

Today's housing news 5.17.2011:

Housing starts fell 10.6% in April to a 523,000-unit rate, missing economists' estimates of a 568,000-unit rate. Permits to build new homes fell 4% in April to a 551,000-unit rate, lower than the 585,000-unit rate economists were expecting.

What does this mean? Every week there are conflicting news reports of studies and polls related to the economy and the housing market. One week new starts are up and the same week some poll says housing starts are down. It makes it difficult to understand what is really happening.

These numbers are useless when you consider that all real estate is local. What is supposedly happening across the country may be different from what is happening in your city, county or even your neighborhood.

If you want to know what is happening in your area, call me for a FREE consultation with no obligation.

leslie edwards 770.460.9448 leslie@leslieedwards.com RE/MAX Around Atlanta 33 Years Experience Isn't Expensive, It's Priceless

Dear Governor Deal

Mon, 02 May 2011 10:39:00 GMT

Dear Governor Deal,

During your campaign, you promised strict illegal alien enforcement for Georgia. You have a bill waiting for your signature and I am not sure why you have not signed it Illegals stand outside the Capitol announcing that were illegally here & refuse to leave, yet none were detained.

If a man stood out there yelling "I robbed the bank branch across the street 20 minutes ago", he would have been arrested on the spot. Being here illegally & robbing a bank are both illegal.

Show your support for the bill that Matt Ramsey wrote & the House & the Senate approved so the world knows that we will enforce the laws & arrest those here illegally. It is not just about Mexicans. Thanks to the internet & cable news, terrorists from around the world know if they can get to Mexico, they can walk over to the U.S. undetected.

Sign the bill & send a message that GA is not a safe haven for illegals.

Government Programs are Ruining the America Dream

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 03:00:00 GMT

The Government likes to talk about how many Americans are living in poverty when this is not poverty. Real poverty is in Haiti, Africa, Darfor and other places in the world where people are actually starving to death and have no water.

I heard about a welfare recipient who still gets welfare and food stamps even though she lost all of her children.

Had an investor who paid over $200,000 for a house in downtown Atlanta. Section 8 was paying him $1,400 a month for rent, paying the occupant welfare, food stamps, medicaid, free school breakfast and lunch & child care (although Mom did not work). As I often see, there was a man living in the house (against the rules), a new car in the driveway, a really big TV and surround sound. Many of my hard working clients cannot afford $1,400 a month. The system makes it too easy to collect money for doing nothing. It is hard to convince someone to go to work for less, worry about medical care, child care & groceries, all of which they get for free if they don't work.

It is interesting how unemployed people often find a job just as the Unemployment Insurance runs out. Again, free money for doing nothing does not encourage people to give it up to go to work for not that much more money.

Friend had a new baby in Walmart and a customer walked by her and said, "You can get a check for that baby".

The system is broken. Food stamp recipients are at an all time high after soaring over the past two years. The number of students in the Free school lunche program continues to multiply.

These give away programs should be temporary until the family gets back on their feet, not a generational entitlement. My father's generation taught my generation about working, doing a good job, raising and providing for a family, moving up on the socio economic ladder and being proud of yourself for your accomplishments. My father was in a serious car accident that put him in intensive care for several days. It was the only time he had ever missed work in the 20+ years with his company. Now jobs give employees sick days????

Sold a house once using the combined income of Mom, Dad, grown Daughter and her Husband. Each of the four was receiving a disability check and they all looked perfectly capable of working.

They talk about changing & cutting Social Security which is for people who actually worked, while the so called "poor" and "disabled" are paid not to work. This is not the way to help people be independent of the system.

Free money entitlement programs increase every year. Meanwhile the American Dream is alive and well for those willing to work. Many immigrants from India, Thailand, Viet Nam, Korea, Japan and China succeed here because it is so much better her than where they came from and they see the opportunities to better themselves. I have never known one of these immigrants to be on any public assistance. There may be, but if there are, it is rare.

We are ruining it for the next generation and the one after that because all the rhetoric about reform is just that, rhetoric. The only real change is that the welfare rolls continue to climb and nothing ever gets better. Is the system so broken that it cannot be fixed?

leslie edwards, RE/MAX around Atlanta 770.460.9448 leslie@leslieedwards.com www.SouthMetroAtlantaMLS.com

Fayette Ranked Healthiest County in Georgia

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 03:00:00 GMT

Fayette County Georgia is known for great schools, first or second highest income per capita in the State, one of the top places to retire, low density housing and now ranked as the healthies county in Georgia. Another of the many good reasons to move to Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone, Woolsey or Brooks. Read all about it.

http://fayetteville.11alive.com/news/fayette-county-ranked-healthiest-county-georgia/55379

If you are thinking of moving, call me. I can help. Last year, I closed 62 properties which is more than 10 times the local average and I would like to close one for you this year.

leslie edwards Environmentally Aware, Socially Conscious, Politically Active Real Estate Agent 770.460.9448 CDPE Certified Distressed Property Expert CRS Certified Residential Specialist Epro Certified Internet Professional ABR Accredited Buyer Representative GRI Graduate of the Realtor Institute Dave Ramsey Endorsed Local Provider Selling South Metro Atlanta including:Clayton, Fayette, Henry, Coweta, Merewether, South Fulton & Spalding Counties All the towns and cities south of the Atlanta International Airport, including:Brooks, College Park, Fairburn, Fayetteville, Jonesboro, Locust Grove, McDonough,Newnan, Sharpsburg, Stockbridge, Palmetto, Peachtree City, Tyrone and more

Moving Families Since 1978 Let My Experience Work For You www.SouthMetroAtlantaMLS.com www.leslieedwards.com/blogleslie@leslieedwards.com RE/MAX Around Atlanta

Save your credit, relieve the uncertainty, and most of all, help your family.

Call me for Short Sale and Pre-Foreclosure Solutions and let's get started on the path to recovery.

http://www.leslieedwards.com/Blog/What-is-a-Short-Sale-and-Why-You-Might-Want-One

The Dalai Lama is a Really Smart Guy

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 15:30:00 GMT

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered "Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."

By: Altered States

Is it "Me", "Myself" or "I" ?

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 03:00:00 GMT

95% of the time when I hear someone use the word "myself" in a sentence, I cringe. The word "myself" is rarely used correctly. More often than not, the correct word is either "I" or "me".

Below are two explanations of when to use "Me" "Myself" or "I"

"In the old days when people studied traditional grammar, we could simply say, "The first person singular pronoun is I when it's a subject and me when it's an object,' but now few people know what that means. [. . .] The misuse of I and myself for me is caused by nervousness about me. [. . .] But the notion that there is something wrong with me leads people to overcorrect and avoid it where it is perfectly appropriate. People will say, 'The document had to be signed by both Susan and I' when the correct statement would be, 'The document had to be signed by both Susan and me.'

Trying even harder to avoid the lowly me, many people will substitute myself as in 'The suspect uttered epithets at Officer O'Leary and myself.' Myself is no better than I as an object. Myself is not a sort of all-purpose intensive form of me or I . Use myself only when you have used I earlier in the same sentence: 'I am not particularly fond of goat cheese myself'" (Brian’s, Common Errors in English Usage). *** I wanna be, all by myself. le

When do you use "me"?

The craziest rule of all, to my ear, is the rule that governs the use of "myself" and "me". Which of these *sounds* correct to you?

1. The Captain handed the medals to my partner and myself.

2. The Captain handed the medals to my partner and I.

3. The Captain handed the medals to my partner and me.

The correct version, of course, is the 3rd. The word "me" is always a direct or indirect object (never a subject) and "I" is *always* a subject--that much doesn't sound too far-fetched, and it rules out the 2nd example.

"Myself" is a special object (direct or indirect), to be used only when the subject is you (note I didn't write "...when the subject is yourself"). I can give a gift to *myself* since I am the one doing the giving. The Captain can never "give a gift to myself" since the subject is the Captain.

Part of the confusion comes from the two-part indirect object in the examples above ("my partner and me") but the same grammar rules apply whether or not the object is compounded.

leslie edwards, Realtor 770.460.9448 leslie@leslieedwards.com see all the listings at www.SouthMetroAtlantaMLS.com As a Certified Distressed Property Expert, I help families avoid foreclosure. If someone you know can't pay their mortgage, ask them to call me.

Why Do Labor Unions Contribute So Much $ to the Democrats?

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 03:00:00 GMT

Union leaders apparently do not like or support Republicans. They are heaping millions on the Democrats. The Unions support the Democrats and in exchange the Democrats agree to protect the Unions who are now atempting to unionize the TSA. Conservative Republicans see the growing list of unfunded liabilities every time the Government approves new defined benefit plan guaranteed to bankrupt cities, counties and states all over the country. It was the Union that demanded more than Eastern Airlines could give and when the Unions would not agree, it literally drove Eastern Airlines out of business. I will bet that most of the former Eastern Airline employees who lost their jobs would do things a lot different if they could turn back time. The United Auto Workers made huge demands that sent car manufacturers in to bankruptcy that caused a ripple effect across the country. Do you think the UAW workers might have voted different if they had to do over again? The average American is more concerned with who the Bachelor picked or who got sent home on American Idol than they are about how the Unions are going to bankrupt this country. But there is hope. Hopefully, now that the players are planning to strike which could cancel the football season, some citizens will understand that unions are out for themselves and are willing to end a season, cancel school, close down plants and pay people to demonstrate so they don't have to compromise.

Click on this link to see how mcuh the Unions are paying for Democrat support

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib.php?cycle=2010&ind=P

Oil

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:09:00 GMT

Where are the oil refineries? Politicians and citizens continue to urge the Adminsitration to reopen oil drilling sites and approve some new sites. It is not clear why the administration continues to refuse. The US has plenty of oil if we drilled here but we do not have the processing facilities to turn the oil into gas and other products. This is an issue we don't hear discussed in the larger conversation about drilling in the United States.

There hasn't been a new refinery built in the United States since 1981 and the current capacity could not handle the increase that would come from more drilling. Because it is very expensive to build refineries, perhaps the US and local Governments can provide tax and other incentives to encourage construction and operation of refineries. Without new refineries, all the drilling in teh world will not lessen our dependency on foreign oil.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pnp_cap1_dcu_nus_a.htm