“We’ve seen incredible success and growth in just five months,” said Susan Fessler who purchased Morris & Raper Intown last November and recently changed the name to Morris & Raper Real Estate Consultants. Change seems to be positive for the agency. Morris & Raper Real Estate Consultants has generated a large portfolio of bank owned property, secured on-site sales with developers and builders and has assembled a top notch management team along with a group of seasoned real estate agents.

Fessler comments on the early success, “We’ve strategized to capitalize on the current real estate market by putting builders back into business. We are working with hedge funds and capital groups to help builders get financing and collaborating with banks to market homes with reset pricing.”

Since November, Morris & Raper Real Estate Consultants has secured listings at a number of developments throughout the Atlanta area. The company has been assigned a large portfolio from a Bank of America trustee. With 91 homes and more than 600 home sites in this one portfolio alone, the phones are ringing!

Another big project is providing on-site marketing for the final phase of 31 townhomes at The Preserve at Fischer Mansion, a community created around a historic mansion on Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. The property is being developed by Waters Edge Group.

In recent months, the company has attracted nearly a dozen experienced real estate agents and is recruiting more agents to help maintain the company’s growth.“We are heavily recruiting experienced agents and we’re getting calls from agents who want to work with us because of all the activity,” Fessler said.

The company is working with Chandler New Hope Builders to market homes at White Horse Creek in Flowery Branch and Preserve at Briscoe in Snellville. (more…)

Buying foreclosed Atlanta real estate can be a risky ordeal that raises several questions. What if the house has costly, hidden repairs? If the house needs to be fixed, where do I start? How can I be sure I’ll be protected?

Homebuyers who want answers to all of these questions and more now have a new place to turn to. Custom Builders Atlanta’s new foreclosure inspection and warranty program is here to help homebuyers interested in foreclosed properties. The program provides peace of mind through a home inspection, a list of items that need to be repaired before the home is market-ready, an estimate for the repairs and a 5 or 10 year structural home warranty from StrucSure Home Warranty, LLC, which is ranked third among providers of warranty and insurance products in the homebuilding industry.

Buyers of foreclosed homes won’t be the only ones who benefit from the program. Investors, banks and other real-estate-owned property owners can use these tools to market homes better and sell inventory faster. And because the program can offer increased protection and value on foreclosed homes, neighborhoods with several foreclosures will see market prices rise. This, in turn, will help raise the neighborhood value.

For more information on how the foreclosure inspection and warranty program works, contact Dennis McConnell at Custom Builders Atlanta by calling 404-839-5323, emailing info@custombuilder-atlanta.com or visiting the Custom Builders Atlanta website. For more information on the 10-year structural warranty, offered by StrucSure Home Warranty, visit www.strucsure.com.

To celebrate success in the real estate industry, The Astoria at The Aramore is hosting a luncheon for Atlanta real estate agents, where – yes, it will be raining money. At the event, $1,000 in cash give-a-ways will be given away every 15 minutes to lucky winners. This luxury Atlanta condominium community will also be donating money to the KW Cares organization.

“We have sold 10 homes in the past two weeks bringing The Astoria to nearly the 50-percent sold mark,” Pauline Miller, with Keller Williams BRIGHTSTAR, said. “This celebration is our way of saying thanks and giving back to all the agents who made this possible.”

The luncheon is on Tuesday, April 12^th from noon to 3 p.m. at The Astoria, located at Peachtree Battle and Peachtree Hills in midtown. While previewing the penthouse model homes, guests can mingle with champagne and tasty treats from CamiCakes, a local Buckhead treat shop. Every 15 minutes, $100 will be given away and winners will be announced on Facebook and Twitter.

Additionally for every agent who attends, The Astoria will contribute $10 to KW Cares and will award a $500 donation in honor of the office that brings the most agents, so in total The Astoria will present around $2,500 to the much-appreciated KW Cares organization.

For more information on The Astoria condominium, call 404-355-6999 or visit www.theastoriacondos.com.

For more information on KW Cares, please visit www.kwcares.org

Atlanta homebuilder Acadia Homes & Neighborhoods recently announced the opening of Reece Farms, a community of 40 West Cobb homes nestled on estate-sized wooded lots in West Cobb. This Cobb County neighborhood has floorplans that offer four and five bedrooms with prices from the $170,000s to the low $200,000s.

Buyers can select from a number of plans including the Hamilton, a luxurious four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home with a two-car garage, a covered patio and many customizable options. The kitchen includes a breakfast area and a large pantry. A grand family room is perfect for large families and has an elegant fireplace. Right next to that, there is a study that can also be transformed into a fifth bedroom or a sun room. Upstairs, residents will find a huge owner’s suite with separate walk-in closets and a lavish master bath.

Reece Farms also offers floorplans with master suites on the main level, basements and side-entry garages.

The community is convenient to Barrett Parkway for shopping and dining. And since the Windy Hill-Macland Road limited access connector is schedule to open shortly, (more…)

Aaron and Gillian Ribner knew how great Atlanta was, having spent many weekends in the city over the years. But they also knew that their current residence just wasn’t close enough to everything Atlanta had to offer. For this reason, the couple and their two children recently closed on a luxury condo at  The Astoria at The Aramore in Buckhead.

“My wife and I spend two or three weekends a month in Atlanta, whether it’s attending cultural or sporting events, going to the High Museum or just having dinner,” said Ribner. “We also travel a lot for business and pleasure, so something that was maintenance-free was high on the list.”

After a bit of searching, the Ribners decided on The Astoria because of its low prices and fantastic location. Because they received such a great deal, the couple was able to combine two units into one 3,800-square-foot space. And thanks to the wide breadth of amenities, no one will mind leaving the exercise room and home theater behind. The Astoria offers residents a state-of-the-art (more…)

For residents of Intown Atlanta, there’s no better place to live – or to spend your money, for that matter. With the restaurants, the shopping and the events, you’re never lacking for a place to pull out the debit card.

The problem is, most Americans (and presumably those who live Intown) have less money to spend these days. According to the Equifax Personal Finance Blog, 55 percent of Americans have experienced a reduction in income. Earning more money may not be an option because of high unemployment rates. So if you want more money to spend on your favorite Intown activities, you’ll probably have to look at cutting back somewhere else.

The Equifax article, “How to Save Money at Home,” offers some good places to start. One idea is to contest your real estate taxes. With property prices (more…)

Looking for a break from your lunch routine? Well, thanks to the Midtown Alliance’s Summer Lunch Box Series, now  you can enjoy a delicious well priced meal along with entertainment. The summer series takes place on Wednesdays through July 28 in the Arts District Plaza at Peachtree and 15th streets right in the heart of Midtown Atlanta’s Midtown Mile. A different restaurant and entertainer will be featured each week.

Ahhh, and if you lived at 1010 Midtown you could walk to the Summer Lunch Box Series to mix and mingle, or just enjoy being outside during the Atlanta summertime. The Midtown Mile continues to be the center of where Midtown Atlanta lives, works and plays. The area of Peachtree Street that stretches from North Avenue to 15th Street is dubbed the Midtown Mile. Not only is it a major thoroughfare, but it is one of intown Atlanta’s most rapidly developing retail and residential developments.

Participating restaurants include Shout, F20, Little Azio, South City Kitchen, Nickiemoto’s, Ri Ra Irish Pub, Spice Market, Opera, Rising Roll, Evos, Livingston/Cafe Mims, Marlow’s Tavern and Gordon Biersch. Little Azio Pizza and Pasta will be serving lunch for $7 on Wednesday, May 19. Lunch choices include Asian chicken salad, Caesar salads, turkey panini or a lo cal hummus wrap.  with entertainment provided by Jay Memory.

Jay Memory is a  founding members of the beloved group Memory Dean. He has a new solo show that is creating quite a buzz and we hope you will come out for the Summer Lunch Box Series and make it one of your fondest memories from the Summer of 2010. For a complete line-up and more details, visit Midtown Atlanta.

Click for more news and specials from 1010 Midtown.

It seems that everywhere we look we see amazing deals on Atlanta Condos and Atlanta Real Estate Forum is showcasing many of these beautiful communities on video thanks to Atlanta’s Best New Homes TV.  If you are looking for a new home and want a fabulous deal, these are great sites to start with. Many condos are offering discounts on units from $25,000 to more than $100,000. Combine that with low FHA financing and the Federal housing tax credit for first time home buyers and it is a win-win all the way around.

Here are some of our favorites:

Castleberry Point

1010 Midtown

Gallery Buckhead

White Provision

Last week I had an amazing time at the 1010 Midtown Cocktail Hour Tweet Up. The event was filled with social media savvy Atlanta professionals who were there to network, tour condos and sample tasty morsels from restaurants close to this Atlanta live, work, play community.

Peachtree epitomizes the sights and sounds of the city and the stretch through midtown is my favorite. I was reminded of this pulling up to the 1010 Midtown building. After checking in with the concierge, I walked to the elevator which transported me to the 21st floor and the luxury of the condos in this building.

The 21st floor of the Atlanta high-rise contains the decorated models, each showcasing a different Atlanta decor store. Several restaurants of the 12th & Midtown development were set up in the models and the aroma of different foods wafted into the hallway. Standing on the balcony of a beautifully decorated condo, noshing on eggplant crostini from Noon and gazing over Peachtree at dusk made me feel on top of the world. (more…)