Remember, your real estate values are local to your area.  If you have any questions about what your home is worth, please go to www.GAHomePrices.com, fill in the requested information, and I will be happy to put together a report especially for you.

If you find yourself in an “upside down” situation on your mortgage (you owe more on your mortgage than what it’s worth) and you are not sure what your options are, go to www.GAMortgageHelp.com, submit your information and I’ll be glad to send you free information regarding your options.

Have a Great Week!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, JoanRealEstate1@gmail.com

Remember, your real estate values are local to your area.  If you have any questions about what your home is worth, please go to www.GAHomePrices.com, fill in the requested information, and I will be happy to put together a report especially for you.

If you find yourself in an “upside down” situation on your mortgage (you owe more on your mortgage than what it’s worth) and you are not sure what your options are, go to www.GAMortgageHelp.com, submit your information and I’ll be glad to send you free information regarding your options.

Have a Great Week!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, JoanRealEstate1@gmail.com

Remember, your real estate values are local to your area.  If you have any questions about what your home is worth, please go to www.GAHomePrices.com, fill in the requested information, and I will be happy to put together a report especially for you.

If you find yourself in an “upside down” situation on your mortgage (you owe more on your mortgage than what it’s worth) and you are not sure what your options are, go to www.GAMortgageHelp.com, submit your information and I’ll be glad to send you free information regarding your options.

Have a Great Week!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, JoanRealEstate1@gmail.com

Remember, your real estate values are local to your area.  If you have any questions about what your home is worth, please go to www.GAHomePrices.com, fill in the requested information, and I will be happy to put together a report especially for you.

If you find yourself in an “upside down” situation on your mortgage (you owe more on your mortgage than what it’s worth) and you are not sure what your options are, go to www.GAMortgageHelp.com, submit your information and I’ll be glad to send you free information regarding your options.

Have a Great Week!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, JoanRealEstate1@gmail.com

However, experts speculate the proposal—which is expected to cost up to $10 billion and would be paid for by imposing a fee on major banks—could have a difficult time getting Congressional approval.

This proposal follows a string of government-initiated programs that have had mixed success, including the Making Homes Affordable Program. The difference is, Obama’s latest plan would assist borrowers with private (non-government backed) loans.

Under the current proposal, to be eligible borrowers must:

• Have not missed a mortgage payment in the past six months, and have no more than one late payment in the six months prior;
• Have a credit score of 580 or higher;
• Have a current mortgage balance within loan limits for FHA-insured loans in their communities; and
• The property must be their primary residence

This proposal is already getting a lot of attention by the media, and distressed homeowners may view this as a viable solution to their problems.  However, it’s important to remember that this program would require Congressional approval, which may never happen. If you know anyone who is on the edge, if they are facing foreclosure and desperate for help, don’t let the media talk of this proposal distract them from finding a real solution.  For more information to your alternatives, go to www.HelpingHomeOwnersInGA.com.   Joan Boudreau 770-356-4656

It’s important to note: This applies to Freddie Mac-owned or guaranteed loans only. There is ACTION required. The homeowner must contact the servicer to request the forbearance. Delinquent borrowers in an existing short-term forbearance plan can be evaluated for an extended forbearance term under the new policy. Again, homeowners will need to contact their servicer to apply.

For more information, watch Alex Charfen’s (CDPE founder and CEO) latest Video Blog Post!  If you would like to discuss your options, please give me a call at 770-356-4656.

Remember, your real estate values are local to your area.  If you have any questions about what your home is worth, please go to www.GAHomePrices.com, fill in the requested information, and I will be happy to put together a report especially for you.

If you find yourself in an “upside down” situation on your mortgage (you owe more on your mortgage than what it’s worth) and you are not sure what your options are, go to www.GAMortgageHelp.com, submit your information and I’ll be glad to send you free information regarding your options.

Have a Great Week!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, JoanRealEstate1@gmail.com

Remember, your real estate values are local to your area.  If you have any questions about what your home is worth, please go to www.GAHomePrices.com, fill in the requested information, and I will be happy to put together a report especially for you.

If you find yourself in an “upside down” situation on your mortgage (you owe more on your mortgage than what it’s worth) and you are not sure what your options are, go to www.GAMortgageHelp.com, submit your information and I’ll be glad to send you free information regarding your options.

Have a Great Week!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, JoanRealEstate1@gmail.com

If you have any questions about what your home is worth, please go to www.GAHomePrices.com, fill in the requested information, and I will be happy to put together a report especially for you.

If you find yourself in an “upside down” situation on your mortgage (you owe more on your mortgage than what it’s worth) and you are not sure what your options are, go to www.GAMortgageHelp.com, submit your information and I’ll be glad to send you free information regarding your options.

Have a Great Week!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, JoanRealEstate1@gmail.com

Remember, your real estate values are local to your area.  If
you have any questions about what your home is worth, please go to www.GAHomePrices.com, fill in the requested information,
and I will be happy to put together a report especially for you.

If you find yourself in an “upside down” situation on your
mortgage (you owe more on your mortgage than what it’s worth) and you are not
sure what your options are, go to www.GAMortgageHelp.com, submit your
information and I’ll be glad to send you free information regarding your
options.

Have a Great Week!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, JoanRealEstate1@gmail.com

Remember, your real estate values are local to your area.  If you have any questions about what your home is worth, please go to www.GAHomePrices.com, fill in the requested information, and I will be happy to put together a report especially for you. 

If you find yourself in an “upside down” situation on your mortgage (you owe more on your mortgage than what it’s worth) and you are not sure what your options are, go to www.GAMortgageHelp.com, submit your information and I’ll be glad to send you free information regarding your options.

Have a Great Week!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, JoanRealEstate1@gmail.com

Remember, your real estate values are local to your area.  If you have any questions about what your home is worth, please go to www.GAHomePrices.com, fill in the requested information, and I will be happy to put together a report especially for you.  Have a Great Week!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, JoanRealEstate1@gmail.com

http://gwinnettassessor.manatron.com/eFileSystem/AppealPT311.aspx        

Due to the decline in property values in recent years every property owner is being given the opportunity to appeal the value that the county has placed on their property. This is the value that the county uses to determine your property taxes.  If you think your property value is lower than what is stated on the notice, follow the instructions on the notice to begin an appeal. The deadline for submitting your appeal is May 31, 2011.

You will be asked to state what you think your property is worth. If you recently re-financed, you may be able to get an estimated property value from your lender. If you recently purchased your home, the purchase price is probably your best indicator. If you are not sure, go to www.GAHomePrices.com  or give me a call @ 770-356-4656, and I’ll be happy to provide you with a Market Analysis of your neighborhood and help you determine the current value of your home.

Please check with your county’s assessment procedure, as mail out dates and response times may vary from county to county.

I encourage you to contact Gwinnett County Tax Assessor’s office @ 770-822-7200 if you have additional questions. If your property is not located in Gwinnett County, please check with your county’s assessor’s office.

I, personally, have had success with this appeal process and had my property taxes reduced last year and I submitted an appeal again this year.

Please remember that I am here for you to assist with ALL of your real estate needs! If you know of anyone who is considering buying, selling, or investing, please be sure to let me know, so that I can provide them with exceptional customer service.

Thank You. Joan Boudreau-Alexander, JoanRealEstate1@gmail.com, 770-356-4656

Remember, your real estate values are local to your area.  If you have any questions about what your home is worth, please go to www.GAHomePrices.com, fill in the requested information, and I will be happy to put together a report especially for you.  Have a Great Week!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, JoanRealEstate1@gmail.com

I had someone send me a question that I thought was definitely worthy of noting and attempting to answer it.

On our Annual Notice of Assessment, it tells you at the time of filing your appeal, you must select one of the following:

(1)   Appeal to the Board of Equalization (BOE)

(2)   Do an arbitration

I think it’s best to do the BOE rather than arbitration and here’s my reasoning.   Arbitration is final, no appeal, the end of the road, so to speak.  At least with the BOE, you have an appeal route, not that many of you will use the appeal route, but at least, it’s there.  If you don’t like what the BOE has said, you have that option to take it to the Superior Court.

 If you do want some help estimating your market value, go to www.GAHomePrices.com to fill out your information.  Have a great day!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, joanrealestate1@gmail.com

 Step 1: File appeal with Board of Tax Assessors within 45 days of Annual Notice of Assessment. State explicit grounds for basis of appeal.   Feel free to contact me for sales data in your neighborhood.

All property is valued on January 1 of any given year. Only sales prior to January 1 of the given year will be considered in the Board of Equalization hearing.  In addition, recent legislation in Georgia now requires county officials to consider foreclosures and bank sales in their calculations for tax assessment purposes.

Step 2: The Board of Tax Assessors will review your appeal. If changes or corrections are made by the Board of Tax Assessors, the taxpayer shall be notified.

Step 3:  If the appeal is not resolved in Step 2 and if the taxpayer is not satisfied with the changes or corrections, the taxpayer shall, within 30 days of the date of mailing the change notice, institute an appeal to the Board of Equalization.

Step 4: Within 15 days of receipt of the notice of appeal, the BOE will set a date for a hearing within 30 days of the notice date.

Step 5: There will be a hearing in front of BOE where a decision will be made at the conclusion of the hearing.

Step 6: If you are displeased with the result of the hearing from Step 5, you can appeal any decision by the BOE to the County Superior Court within 30 days.

 Providing this type of value-added service is both an honor and a privilege and thank you for allowing me to serve your real estate needs. If you know anyone that is interested in buying, selling, or investing in real estate, please be sure to let me know.  It is my goal for you to feel comfortable in sharing my services with your friends and family.

 If you would like your neighborhood sales data, go to  www.GAHomePrices.com.  Thank You. – Joan Boudreau-Alexander

The following table has been updated with March figures for Gwinnett County.  Sales are down 12.9% from last year. 

Remember, your real estate values are local to your area.  If you have any questions about what your home is worth, please go to www.GAHomePrices.com, fill in the requested information, and I will be happy to put together a report especially for you.  Have a Great Week!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, JoanRealEstate1@gmail.com

In a recent study, the Chicago Booth/Kellogg School Financial Trust Index found that a full 36% of Americans would consider “strategic default”—another term for walking away from your mortgage—if they were underwater (owed more on their home than what it was worth).

Now that more than one in four American homeowners is “underwater,” I feel that it’s important for the community to know the truth about strategic default.

The truth is the foreclosure process carries with it credit issues, current and future employment challenges, issues with security clearance and possible debt collections.

That’s why it is vital to explain the 3 reasons why the term “strategic default” is misleading:

1. There’s nothing strategic about defaulting on purpose, especially when you have options like short sales, mortgage modifications, and refinance (just to name a few) that may keep you from foreclosure.
2. The waiting periods to apply for a new mortgage loan are at least five years less in a short sale vs. a foreclosure.
3. A foreclosure will show up on your credit report every time you apply for a home loan, car loan, new job, etc., and will affect your financial situation for many years to come.

If you are underwater and can no longer afford your mortgage payments, you need to create a genuine strategy to avoid foreclosure, helping to provide stability for you and our community.

If you have any questions about what steps you or someone you care about should take next, contact me today at 770-356-4656 or go to my website and download free information at www.HelpingHomeownersInGA.com.

IMPORTANT GOVERNMENT DISCLOSURE: You may stop doing business with us at any time. You may accept or reject the offer of mortgage assistance we obtain from your lender (or servicer). If you reject the offer, you will not have to pay us for our services. The above brokerage is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.

Homes sales were up from last month, but still down from a year ago.  Average sales price really dropped in February.  This average sales price tells us that the lower priced homes are what are selling.  And, in fact, to support this, I looked at the months of inventory in Gwinnett County for different prices ranges. 

For example, homes priced at less than $100,000, there is only 7 months of inventory.  What that means is that if no additional homes came on the market, it would take 7 months to absorb the inventory currently on the market.  A balanced market is typically 4 – 6 months of inventory.  Anything over 6 months is considered a “Buyer’s Market”.  In the $450,000 – $500,000 range, the months of inventory stands at 20 MONTHS!  Again, that means that the higher priced homes are not selling as well as the lower priced homes.

If you have any questions about what your home is worth, please go to www.GAHomePrices.com, fill in the requested information, and I will be happy to put together a report especially for you.  Have a Great Week!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, JoanRealEstate1@gmail.com

In the Atlanta area, prices were down only -0.2% for December/November 2010; down -1.5% in November/October 2010.  I know none of this sounds good, but I still see the “rate” of decline slowing, which means our prices may be stabilizing in our area.

Please remember that real estate is local, local, local. So, just because the Metro Atlanta Geogia numbers are still showing a decline, that doesn’t mean that it’s still declining everywhere and in every neighborhood.  It really depends upon how many foreclosures and short sales are happening around you. If you are interested in your home values in your neighborhood, call me or go to www.GAHomePrices.com.   Have a Great Week!  – Joan Boudreau-Alexander, 770-356-4656, Realtor, CDPE