Snapshot of Current Metro Atlanta Housing Market

Are you considering buying or selling a home this year?  If so, take a look at this summary of the current housing inventory for Metro Atlanta and surrounding counties, provided by Mark Lintz, real estate agent for Signature Properties.  These numbers, which were collected on July 28, 2011, reflect the average and median list prices for single family homes and condos/townhomes.

According to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), prices fell slightly in the second quarter of 2011.  Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, believes home prices have been moderating. "Median home prices have been moving up and down in a relatively narrow range in many markets, which shows a stabilization trend," he said.
Affordability remains high.  The national median price, which is currently $171,900, is down slightly (2.8 percent) from the second quarter of 2010.  In addition, interest rates are still fantastic, at 4.51% for a 30 year fixed, and 3.69% for a 15 year.
In a nutshell, if you are looking to buy a new home, you may want to take advantage of these favorable market conditions.  On the other hand, if you are planning to sell your home, holding off for the time being is probably your best bet, if possible.

Housing Inventory Snapshot
	Average List Price	Median List Price
Cherokee County, GA
Single Family under $500K	$214,632	$194,400
Single Family over $500K	$915,245	$679,000
Condo/Townhome under $250K	$132,447	$132,697
Condo/Townhome over $250K	$299,816	$289,900
Cobb County, GA
Single Family under $500K	$206,979	$184,900
Single Family over $500K	$911,455	$700,000
Condo/Townhome under $300K	$143,386	$137,000
Condo/Townhome over $300K	$533,877	$403,544
Dawson County, GA
Single Family under $500K	$269,155	$264,000
Single Family over $500K	$786,096	$650,000
Condo/Townhome under $200K	N/A**	N/A**
Condo/Townhome over $200K	N/A**	N/A**
Dekalb County, GA
Single Family under $500K	$187,014	$159,900
Single Family over $500K	$787,598	$650,000
Condo/Townhome under $300K	$133,410	$125,000
Condo/Townhome over $300K	$461,104	$365,000
Forsyth County, GA
Single Family under $500K	$261,720	$249,900
Single Family over $500K	$814,000	$684,500
Condo/Townhome under $250K	$163,341	$159,900
Condo/Townhome over $250K	$319,527	$325,000
Fulton County, GA
Single Family under $600K	$249,718	$230,000
Single Family over $600K	$1,405,260	$954,000
Condo/Townhome under $300K	$152,767	$149,900
Condo/Townhome over $300K	$646,357	$420,000
Gwinnett County, GA
Single Family under $350K	$160,224	$149,900
Single Family over $350K	$686,952	$495,000
Condo/Townhome under $200K	$102,066	$99,500
Condo/Townhome over $200K	$260,637	$249,900
Hall County, GA
Single Family under $450K	$193,616	$174,900
Single Family over $450K	$1,053,236	$663,600
Condo/Townhome under $300K	$143,649	$129,900
Condo/Townhome over $300K	N/A**	N/A**

Facebook Community Pulls Together to Raise Money for St. Jude

We'd like to give a BIG thank you to everyone who supported our fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital this past weekend!
In an effort to raise money for the organization and get the community involved, members of Pizazz Floors developed an idea where on a given Friday, for every new person that liked our Facebook page, we would donate $1 to St. Jude.  The fundraiser kicked off bright and early Friday morning, August 5th. Things began slowly, with only 6 new likes by 10:00 AM, and we were starting to get a little worried that we may not be able to get the fundraiser off the ground. But through a lot of determination and a lot of posting, things started to pick up as the day progressed. Followers of the page began spreading the word, encouraging their friends to support the cause, and posting messages about the fundraiser on their own walls. By the end of Friday, 103 people had liked the page, bringing the donation total to $103. Although the fundraiser was only supposed to go on for the day, we still wanted to raise more, so we continued our efforts through the weekend. The fundraiser ended Sunday night with $154 raised for St. Jude, and an increased awareness about the life-changing work of the pediatric cancer research center. We will present St. Jude with our donation this week, and we are looking forward to doing more fundraisers in the near future!

Fundraiser for St. Jude Hospital Starts Today

Each year, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Atlanta treats an average of 5,700 patients across the country, all with one thing in common- they all have a catastrophic childhood illness, usually cancer.   Through research and treatment, St. Jude's mission is to find a cure for children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.  St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance.  No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay.

This Friday, please Like our Facebook page and help us reach our goal of $250 to support the amazing work of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.