The Atlanta Real Estate Blog

By Robert Whitfield
I wanted to take a moment to address the current economic situation and reassure you that your Atlanta area home is still one of the best investments you could have made or own during these troubled times.

I watch Squawk Box on CNBC every morning and always note the latest DJIA current and year to year stats. Just before this writing - stocks were down 38+ % from the same time last year! I am sure many peoples investment/retirement portfolio has lost even more. Except for certain California and Florida “bubble” markets, nowhere have home prices dropped nearly as badly as stocks. For example, per the latest Case-Shiller index, Atlanta prices are off only 10.8 percent over the same time last year. Since early ‘07 Forbes and Business Week have ranked Atlanta in the top 15 most stable US housing markets.

The market will come back as it always does and you can bet future home prices will only rise. Why do I and so many others think buying real estate is the best investment of all time? For many reasons - the worlds population keeps growing and people will always need somewhere to live. I have personally made and helped others make more profit in one transaction in a short amount of time than they ever could have in the stock market with the same amount of money and time span. In addition, as my grandfather used to say and as we’ve all heard “they aren’t making any more land” - thats true and one of the fundamental powers of real estate, but in the context of this article I am referring to “developed or improved land”. I dont recommend investing/speculating in raw land ever - unless you’re a developer, a population trend expert, visionary, or gambler with deep pockets! Why, because the hold time can be decades! Sure, I know someone who made a fortune selling land in and around the Perimeter Mall area 25 - 30 years ago but that land was in the family for half a century and the area was essentially a cow pasture then! I dont personally know too many other people who have done very well in land speculation. I do know plenty of people who have made money with single family homes and for the more sophisticated investor, multifamily apartment acquisitions.

Investors are absorbing great deals right now which is advantageous to themselves and the market as a whole. (Let me rant for a moment.) I get disgusted when certain media refers to investors as “vulture investors” - as if buying an already foreclosed home is doing a disservice to the family who used to own it! If investors don’t “take advantage”, many markets will remain so flooded with deteriorating bank REO assets (foreclosures) that it will take much longer for thier housing markets to stabilize. Someone should ask these reporters, “Would you rather see a foreclosed home on your own street become a vacant (often vandalized) REO home - a neighborhood eyesore that only drives down prices the longer it is vacant, or be purchased ASAP by someone who will fix it up, rent it to a deserving family and sell it for the highest possible price when the time is right - thereby maintaining or even raising neighborhood values?” The answer is obvoius when you frame it in reality - investors play an important role in bringing this housing market back to some kind of equalibrium - and in my opinion, we should be thankful they have the money, intestinal fortitude, and vision to do what they do.

Couple all of the historical and forward looking benefits of owning real estate with some of the current advertised and unadvertised deals available, the cheap mortgage money, and our up to $10,000 Cash Reward and a reasonably well planned real estate transaction can be a great opportunity.

The Economic Downturn is a Huge Plus for investors, first time buyers, and even move-up buyers needing a larger home. Move up buyers? Yes, as an Atlanta area seller you will not get as much for your home as in ‘06/’07, but you can more than make up the difference when you buy, and if your credit is good, mortgage rates are really outstanding. Investors, you need a buy and hold strategy; flipping is tough unless you’re a pro at certian market segments or wholesale deals to other investors. Buyers, get with your lender before you even think about looking - rates are great but qualifying is harder - it’s a good idea to make sure you can get a loan! I have seen to my surprise a few deals not be approved or not be viable because of extra underwriter requirements this year (not subprime either) that would have been a slam dunk in 06 and even the first half of 07. One involved credit scores in the high 700’s, the other was a Physician making over $800K a year. Exceptional deals are there IF you have cash or can get a mortgage. This market will be looked back upon by buyers and investors who are making shrewd acquisitions now and in the comming months, as one of the golden opportunities of a lifetime!

Hi, I would like to welcome you to The Atlanta Real Estate Blog!

Robert Whitfield, Broker/Owner, Advantage Realtors

This site will provide relevant and useful information and insights about all aspects of Atlanta Real Estate, including market trends, mortgage info and rates, legal and technical subjects we feel would aid and better inform and protect the buying and selling public, not only from other parties, but sometimes even from themselves! Information on homes for sale will include areas The Robert Whitfield Team serves, including In-Town Atlanta, Buckhead, and the Greater North Atlanta area above I-20 including the Counties of Cobb, North Fulton, Cherokee, and Dekalb including the communities and cities of Atlanta, Alpharetta, Buckhead, Marietta, East Cobb, West Cobb, Kennesaw, Roswell, and Woodstock for Home Sellers, and for Home Buyers, we serve the same areas plus virtually all areas from 1-20 north, throughout the North Georgia mountain resort and second home communities to the state line.

The other purpose of this site is to showcase and describe the unique services, extra protections, cutting edge marketing, and diligent representation provided by Robert Whitfield and The Robert Whitfield Team. We will feature some success stories and actual transaction case studies to inform readers as well as to distinguish our unmatched services from the ‘industry standard’ services you can expect from other Atlanta agents/realtors. Weather you choose to work with us or another agent, we want to urge you to take an active role in evaluating and choosing the best agent to represent you in the purchase or sale of your Atlanta property. What we know after years in this business, working with agents from every firm in Atlanta, while representing clients from every walk of life from first time buyers, to corporate executives, entertainers, architects, and attorneys, Atlanta real estate agents are not all they same! On the surface, that doesn’t sound very profound, but when you engage people in any discussion of real estate, if you listen closely, people often talk as if agents ARE all the same! The very services and marketing systems agents provide are not all the same - and thier capabilities, competancies, and most important their client based (not agent based) performance measures are definately not all the same! We have enjoyed working with and become friends with countless well qualified and dedicated agents who we respect and who are a true asset to thier clients to the point that thier client often doesn’t even have a clue how well they were actually served! We have also worked on the opposite sides of transactions with poorly skilled agents (from the most well known national and local firm in Atlanta ) that should be barred from serving the public until thier skills improve! In most of those cases, we singlehandedly held the deal together for the benefit of not only our own buyer or seller client but the other party as well!  Moral of the story - its not the firm that matters - its the individual agent you choose that will make (or break) your deal! Fortunately you do have a choice - but its up to you to choose the best and most qualified expert you can find - and not just “another agent”!

Robert Whitfield is a licensed Broker and the owner of Advantage Realtors and serves clients in In Town Atlanta and all of Greater North Atlanta. Robert lives in the Roswell section of East Cobb with his wife and business partner Hania, and their 11 year old son Robert. Robert is a member of the Atlanta Board of Realtors, and the International Code Council and is the only real estate professional in metro Atlanta who is also an experienced ICC Certified Building Inspection Professional. Roberts unique talents and complete knowledge of home building, materials, and construction and repair techniques allow him to provide unmatched insight, repair, rehab, and alteration guidance, counsel, and protection to home buyers, sellers, and investors through his complementary structure and major system evaluations. Robert has used his extra qualifications as a construction expert to prevent deals from falling apart for seller clients while refuting bad calls from buyers inspectors and preventing unneccessary and costly repairs. While representing buyers as thier Atlanta Buyer Broker, Robert has saved his clients many hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years by helping them identify, isolate, and avoid homes with serious structural problems, costly defects, and/or poor construction on both new and existing homes!

Because Roberts due diligence process takes place BEFORE an offer is ever submitted, his clients, unlike the typical buyer, actually know what they are buying before they ever commit to a purchase contract. This unique approach not only assurs Roberts clients of making a sound investment, but they avoid the aggravation and lost time other buyer experience while trying to back out of deals AFTER a bad home inspection has revealed items of great concern! Roberts diligent process is unmatched in Atlanta Real Estate at both insuring a sound troublefree home purchase for Atlanta families, but it also ”rapidly sorts through the chaff” to identify the absolute best properties available for each clients individual needs and desires. By assuring clients can spend thier time seeing metro Atlantas best properties - while they are still available, clients who are lucky enough to be represented by Robert Whitfield, have the widest possible choices. 

The Robert Whitfield Team