Just Sold after only 6 days on the market! 2750 Wynelle Drive, Gainesville, GA, $550,000, if we can help you with a Lake Lanier property please give us a call at 770-235-6907! We are the Lake Lanier Specialists and sell everything from Cottages to Estates!
Happy New Year!
We wish 2018 to be a very healthy, prosperous and happy year for you. If we can help assist you with buying your dream home or selling a home, please give us a call. Sheila Davis 770-235-6907, Cindy Ballard 770-355-6777, Nicole Columbo 678-858-0265 and Stephanie Gillespie 770-654-4161 http://www.lakelaniersfinest.com/
High-end housing market picks up on Lake Lanier
Hall County claims title of most-expensive mansion on the lake
nbowman@gainesvilletimes.com Updated: Sept. 2, 2017, 9:49 p.m.
Pull out those checkbooks: The most expensive house currently on the market on Lake Lanier is in Hall County.
The palatial property at 4890 Serene Shores Drive checks in at $8.5 million. For that, a buyer will get six bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, six half bathrooms, a couple of kitchens, 26,797 square feet of living space and some stout gates.
It was built in 2003 and comes with a two-slip dock, deep water and an annual property tax bill of almost $80,000.
And with the stock market booming, somebody might just buy the place.
Always a spot for retired couples or people looking for a second home, Lake Lanier’s high-end home market has seen significantly more activity in the past 12 months as Americans become more optimistic with their money.
It’s a welcome change for those doing business around the lake, where the 2007 housing market collapse was a sopping wet blanket over one of local real estate’s hottest high-dollar markets.
“They got hit bad,” Lake Lanier appraisal expert Mary Thompson told The Times. “If they were below the million-dollar mark, it was on average a 30 percent hit. If they were over a million, it was worse.”
The Lost Decade is over: Lake Lanier values on the upper end are about where they were in the price peak of 2006, and that hasn’t stopped people from buying homes.
Sales of homes valued at more than $1 million are up 20 percent in the past 12 months, according to the Norton Agency’s Sheila Davis, who specializes in lake sales.
She credits the boost to an improving economy and low interest rates, but the economy has been the shining star — half of the people who bought homes at $1 million and up paid cash.
The lake still gets its business executives, who each day mingle will the folks filling up Ga. 400 on their way to and from Atlanta, but more and more the people buying big around Lake Lanier are entrepreneurs.
“It seems like at least half of our buyers own their own companies, their own businesses,” Davis said. “They can spend a lot of office time at home.”
About 20 homes worth more than $1 million have sold in the past 12 months. Most of those are being bought by the people you’d expect: empty-nesters and older Americans looking for an easier quality of life than they were getting in their choked metropolitan areas.
“However, we are seeing younger buyers,” Davis said. “My last million-dollar sale, the buyers were in their 30s and they were buying a full-time home.”
Another new experience for lake realtors: Talking to men about kitchens. The Norton Realtor said she’s seeing that the “men are all about the kitchen” in the high-end homes being sold around the lake.
They’re looking for large kitchen islands and — this one is popular no matter your tax bracket — open floor plans.
While the south end of Lake Lanier is the most populated, high-dollar homes are dotted around the lake in either luxury neighborhoods or behind gates on a spur road, like the home on Serene Shores Drive, Davis said.
The Hall County mansion is a top-notch collection of what deep-pocket buyers are looking for in their lake homes post-recession.
“They want covered porches, covered decks, patios — all of that outdoor living,” Davis said. “And that’s expensive. They’re major add-ons to these properties.”
Outdoor living means outdoor entertaining: Many of the most expensive lots around the lake have expansive terrace levels to get guests out of the house and closer to the lake.
Because at the end of the day, they’re paying for lake. Case in point: 6010 Chimney Springs Road in Buford.
In 2004, a pair of doctors bought the lot and its 1970s cottage with a plan to build a new home around the cottage.
When they finished, the lot had a pool, in-home bar, a pair of patios and 6,000 square feet of space. It was featured in “My Big Amazing Renovation” on HGTV.
They bought it for $437,500. Seven months ago sold for $1.25 million.
Just Sold: 6061 Overby Road
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Just listed on South Lake Lanier in Buford: 6329 Lakeview Drive
Enjoy Views Everyday from this this outstanding South Lake home! The Buford, GA location is the perfect setting for this adorable just updated 3 bedroom and 3.5 bath cottage. Enjoy views from every room! New granite kitchen, hardwood floors, master bath, windows, exterior paint and roof. The Master is on the main level and there are two masonry fireplaces. This grass to water gentle lot leads to a sandy beach and a newer low maintenance aluminum twin slip dock. Enjoy the always in deep water and beautiful rip rap shoreline. Just minutes to marinas, restaurants and Sunset Cove and Lake Lanier Islands. FMLS# 5830337, $595,000, Call Sheila @770-235-6907 to view this lake home before it’s gone!
Planning on selling a home this spring? It’s time to get ready.
While mortgage rates have risen in the last year, experts say 2017 will still see strong home sales as job growth continues and people who’d been waiting to enter the market take the plunge into home ownership.
To attract buyers in any season — and sell for a good price — sellers need to show their homes in the best possible light. That means cleaning up the interior and exterior, removing personal items that could distract potential buyers, adding a fresh coat of paint, and deciding which upgrades and repairs will deliver the best return on investment.
But for those hoping to close in the next few months, there are some more specific things experts say sellers need to know: Low housing inventory is driving demand, but buyers are still being more selective than sellers might expect. Millennials are finally buying their first homes, and that means starter properties are selling faster than in recent years.
Of course, real estate is a hyper-local industry, so national trends may not hold true in all markets. A real estate agent can help you understand what buyers in your area are looking for and how to appeal to them.
This season is expected to be an extremely good time to be a seller, said Lawrence Yun, chief economist and senior vice president of research for the National Association of Realtors.
“This year in the spring buying season, things have intensified with more buyers and fewer sellers than last year,” he said.
This high-demand, low-supply environment means sellers will see a lot of foot traffic from eager buyers and, if the home is priced correctly for the local market, they could get multiple offers.
This trend looks like it will continue despite rising mortgage rates, Yun said, as job growth and the U.S. economy as a whole remain strong.
One reason for the increased housing demand this year is that millennials — many of whom have been reluctant to dip their toes in the real estate water due to fears about their job security, high levels of debt and other factors — are now ready to become homeowners, said Svenja Gudell, chief economist for Zillow.
“We’re seeing a lot of demand for entry-level homes and things that are a little less expensive, as many millennials and first-time buyers are very active,” Gudell said.
While starter homes are in high demand and will likely sell more quickly, Yun said pricier homes are selling more slowly.
“Inventory on the upper price ranges — $500,000 and over — these are staying on the market longer than other price categories,” he said.
When you decide to list your home this spring can impact how quickly it will sell. Zillow conducted a study of listings in markets across the country and found that, nationwide, homes listed between May 1 and May 15 sold an average of nine days faster and for an average of 0.8 percent more than homes listed at other times. In most markets, listings posted on a Friday or Saturday performed best.
“These times differ from one market to the next,” Gudell said. “It’s spread over March, April and May, and warmer markets will start earlier. Markets with deep, snowy winters tend to start a bit later.”
Skyrocketing home prices in coastal metro areas like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, combined with rising mortgage interest rates, are making those areas less appealing to homebuyers, Gudell said.
“It used to be in San Francisco that something came on the market and buyers would just throw money at it, but that’s not happening anymore,” she said. These buyers are now turning to areas Gudell referred to as “secondary markets:” smaller cities such as Nashville, Tennessee, Tampa, Florida, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where lower starting prices mean homebuyers can afford to pay higher mortgage interest rates.
Just because buyers are ready to snap up low-priced starter homes doesn’t mean they’re willing to settle, said Realtor Mary Dykstra, owner/partner at MKB Realtors in Roanoke, Virginia.
“They’re unwilling to buy anything that needs too much work, so you have to put out a good product” when marketing your house, Dykstra said. This means making small improvements to help your house stand out to potential buyers.
Homeowners, especially those with more dated decor, often feel that they’ll need to do a big renovation before they put their homes on the market, but these projects may not generate enough of a return to be worthwhile.
“You can do a lot through smaller projects,” Dykstra said. “You don’t always have to do something big like redoing your bathroom.”
According to a recent National Association of Realtors report, sellers only recoup about 58 percent of their investment on a bathroom renovation. However, those who put a new roof on their homes recouped 105 percent of their investment.
Dykstra said that new windows and other smaller, energy-efficient upgrades also make great selling points.
A fresh coat of paint can be a quick, easy and inexpensive way to update your home and push up the sale price, Gudell said.
Zillow found last year that certain paint colors can have a big impact on how much you get for your home. For example, the study found that homes with yellow kitchens sold for about $1,400 more than homes with white kitchens. While a mauve, eggplant or lavender dining room raised sale prices by $1,122 on average, a dark gray dining room lowered it by $1,112.
While smart-home tech is trendy, it may not be worth the investment, Dykstra said.
“It hasn’t caught on yet in a way where we can quantify its value to the home with a dollar amount,” she said. “It’s still in the gadget stage where people go, ‘Oh, that’s nice,’ but not everyone is ready to have internet-connected everything.”
Save the smart-home upgrade for your new home, where you’ll be able to appreciate your own investment.
Dykstra stressed that the most important thing for sellers to do in any season is to present a clean, tidy home where buyers can really envision themselves living.
“Younger buyers are more zen-like in what they’re attracted to,” she said. “They want something out of Pottery Barn or other modern catalogs, so give them a clean palate by putting your personal things away.”
Dykstra recommends removing personal trinkets — which can make a room look cluttered — and tidying up your exterior too.
“Spring shows properties at their best when trees and flowers are blooming, so make sure your lawn is tidy and you don’t have any fall leaves blown up against your door,” she said.
written by MONEYWATCH March 13, 2017, 6:00 AM http://www.cbsnews.com/media/9-things-to-know-about-selling-a-home-in-spring-2017/ CBS
selling a home this spring? you had better get ready.
Opening New Doors: 9160 Bay Point Drive, Gainesville, Ga 30506
Are you looking for privacy and tranquility on beautiful Lake Lanier? Perhaps this is it! Please check out the newest Lake Lanier home for sale listed by Sheila Davis & Company. It is an adorable waterfront home on a fabulous, gentle lot with beautiful lake views. It has been in the family for a while and is now being sold “as is” with many new improvements, including a new roof, new paint and a new HVAC system. The basement is partially finished with a lovely stone fireplace and just needs flooring and ceilings that can be finished with your own design ideas. There is a single slip boat dock on deep water with room to be expanded! It is a three bedroom, three bath home that has an upstairs bonus room that could easily be made into a fourth bedroom. This great home is just waiting to welcome you in and is listed for $549,000. Don’t miss a chance to make it your own! Please contact Sheila Davis & Company to schedule your showing soon. sheiladavis.turnkey.hosting, sdavis@gonorton .com, 770.235.6907