News / Features

Metro Atlanta’s 10 safest suburbs in 2016

Johns Creek is the safest community in the Metro Atlanta area, according to a ranking from SafeWise. Basing its analysis on FBI statistics of violent and property crime, along with research on local initiatives in public safety, public health and educational

Why FICO is facing challenges – and how the mortgage landscape could change

In use for more than 25 years and the preferred credit scoring system for 90 percent of top lenders, the FICO Score has long been the dominant metric of creditworthiness for auto lending, credit card decisioning and, of course,

This demographic could have a big impact on Atlanta’s future

It’s not news that millions of Baby Boomers are planning to move over the next several years. But when those Boomers do start moving, their effect on local markets will certainly be newsworthy, and one that Atlanta agents should

Metro Atlanta’s 10 best suburbs to buy a house

The suburb of Big Creek Township is Metro Atlanta’s best place to buy a home, according to a new analysis from Niche. Basing its research on a myriad of factors, including home values, property taxes, homeownership rates, demographics and public education, Niche

The 10 Metro Atlanta school systems with the highest graduation rates

The Forsyth County school system boasts the highest graduation rate in the Metro Atlanta area, according to numbers from the Georgia Department of Education. Running through 2015, the GDE found that the four-year cohort graduation rate in Forsyth was

HARP gets extension and FHFA announces new refinancing offering

The Home Affordable Refinance Program will not expire at the end of this year, as previously thought. The Federal Housing Finance Agency says it will continue through Sept. 2017. FHFA’s announcement comes alongside news that Fannie Mae and Freddie

The smart home gap: An opportunity for sellers

Many buyers want their homes to be outfitted with smart technology, but most homes don’t have it, according to a consumer survey from The Demand Institute. It’s an opportunity for sellers. Seventy-three percent of consumers agreed that having home automation

Atlanta’s booming startup economy a good omen for agents

Not every real estate agent wants to retire an independent contractor, and not every homebuyer wants to live in a city that doesn’t foster entrepreneurs. Those things are easy to avoid in Atlanta, ranked in the top 20 of

Mortgage activity surges by double digits in Metro Atlanta

Mortgage activity in the Metro Atlanta area is growing strongly in 2016, according to ATTOM Data Solutions’ Q2 2016 U.S. Residential Property Loan Origination Report. Based on analysis of publicly recorded mortgages and deeds of trust from more than 950 counties, ATTOM’s

Why Metro Atlanta is ranked in the top 3 places to own a home

The Metro Atlanta area is the third-best place in the country for homeowners, according to a new analysis from Bankrate. Basing its study on a myriad number of factors – including affordability, maintenance costs, property taxes, appreciation, foreclosure rates and energy

Pending home sales rise to second-highest level since 2006

July marked the second highest reading in over a decade for pending home sales, with the Midwest being the only area to see a decline in contract activity during the month. The Pending home Sales Index (PHSI), which tracks the

Atlanta home prices continue strong growth in new Case-Shiller

The Metro Atlanta housing market continued its strong pace in the most recent Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, which covered home prices through June. Per S&P’s computations, home prices in Metro Atlanta rose 0.8 percent from May to June and 5.8 percent from June

Home start gains projected into 2018

There aren’t enough homes, and that’s a problem in multiple markets. But it might not be for too much longer. “As most real estate professionals know, housing costs are still climbing,” National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun wrote

Are McMansions finally going the way of the dinosaurs?

McMansions – the mass-produced, over-the-top, poorly appreciating eyesores that became the poster children of the housing bubble – seemed to be on the way out. Average and median home size had fallen considerably during the market downturn, as builders trimmed their ambitions

This Week in Atlanta Real Estate: Messy garages, the most admired CEO, and more

The final full week of August brought a treasure trove of interesting real estate stories, including: •More and more homeowners are looking to clean up their embarrassingly messy garages, and are downright giddy at the possibilities. The Wall Street Journal documents

10 Metro Atlanta school districts on the rise in 2016

The Social Circle City district in Walton County is the most improved school district in Metro Atlanta, according to a new analysis from Trulia. In a partnership with SchoolDigger.com, Trulia analyzed test scores from the past five years to find which

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