The Perfect Property Podcast: An Atlanta Real Estate Guide

In this episode of the Perfect Property Podcast, Juli chats with real estate pro Kenny Klaus and Galyn Ziegler of Keller Offers at Keller Williams about the iBuyer programs in the state of Georgia and across the nation. You will learn how it works and the benefits for both the consumer and as an agent.

Both Kenny and Galyn encourage agents to know the ins and outs. In turns they encourage sellers & consumers to explore the option with representation being a key component.

What You’ll Learn:

● Kenny sold $100 million in volume since 2016 and is entering his 11th year of having at least a home sold every single day.

● About iBuy programs such as Open Door, Offer Pad and Zillow.

● The benefits of using an iBuy program.

● The importance of being represented when using an iBuy program.

● About Keller Offers and how it is set apart from

● How iBuy operates for both the consumer and the agent.

Key Points:

01:00 Kenny Klaus

“The ‘i’ stands for instant, internet...wall street type buying.”

“The consumer has spoken and demands choice and options. It’s no different what Bezos has done with Amazon...it’s now hit the real estate business.”

“It’s a massive opportunity for the agent to run towards this and become the local expert in this space.”

“An iBuyer is a company who makes an offer on a home instantly using technology with the least friction and most convenience.”

“When buyers compete, the seller wins.”

“Most people don’t realize they can have an agent to present their home the way it should be presented through the iBuy process.”

“If sellers hire an agent for the iBuy process, the agent can work on their behalf..to negotiate comps, inspection...it’s a big benefit.”

“Going at it alone, the iBuyer doesn’t know they’re being shopped. To get the offers, you have to give accurate data. ”

“Going through an agent means you have someone working on your side.”

“Anytime one entity starts to control the market, it is nervous for the player.”

“Ultimately, consumer demands choice and we now have a choice.”

“As a real estate market, it’s important to be educated in the current market because it has become more of an advisory role...We need to shift with our changing marketplace to become more valuable.”

“To go unrepresented is a risk. The value is in the right agents so the consumer will get the best of the best.”

“We represent the client so we have fiduciary to them.”

39:35 Galyn Ziegler

“Keller offers ensures consumers have a fiduciary in their most equitable source. Most consumers don’t realize they equity they are leaving on the table. We want them to understand that fully.”

“The distinction is in the Keller Offers program is we value the consumer’s right to have representation.”

“Our program puts the agent at the center of the equation to benefit all consumers.”

“Since we’ve been operating, we’ve seen Zillow and OpenDoor’s offers increase for purchase price.”

“We see our program growing into other markets.”

“Zillow is having to push iBuyer marketing.”

“We are doing expansion cautiously keeping what is in the best interest of consumer in mind.”

“The 200K-300K range is where we’re seeing most iBuyer activity.”

“A large pool of these homes go to investors for rental purposes.”

“The relationship can’t be replaced through technology.”

“We encourage agents to lean into offering different programs and products.”

Contact Links:

Juli’s Email: [email protected]

Juli’s Phone Number: 404-668-8975 (call of text)

The Perfect Property Web

https://linktr.ee/julistgeorge

Summary: In this episode of The Perfect Property, Juli hosts two different guests to talk all about elder law and senior move services. These are important topics since the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that a good portion (20 percent) of Georgia’s population will be 60 and older by the year 2030 and this population faces unique challenges when it comes to moving and planning for the future.

The first guest, Kelly Napier, works with Brandon Napier Elder Law Firm. She explains the differences between two types of trusts: revocable living trusts and irrevocable trusts. She also goes into probate, estate planning, how to protect seniors from targeted scams, and reverse mortgages.

The second guest is Robert Kurth from Senior Transition Services in the metro Atlanta area. As a Senior Move Manager, he explains what someone in his role does to help a move go as smoothly as possible. He also gives listeners valuable advice when it comes to the correct steps to take when moving a senior, whether they’re moving into a community living facility or downsizing into a smaller house.

What You’ll Learn:

· Unique challenges that seniors face (1:00)

· Revocable living trusts (2:41)

· Irrevocable trusts (5:05)

· What is probate? (7:23)

· What is the typical age of elder law and estate planning clients? (9:02)

· Estate planning (9:41)

· The difference between guardianship and conservatorship (11:33)

· Protecting seniors from targeted scams (15:24)

· Misconceptions about asset planning and estate sales (17:05)

· Reverse mortgages (19:09)

· Top three reasons to contact an elder law attorney (21:49)

· Welcome to Robert Kurth

· What does a senior move manager do? (23:12)

· What unique challenges do seniors have when they move? (24:21)

· The average age of Robert’s clients (25:11)

· What are the steps of moving a senior? (26:04)

· Special certificates and training for Senior Move Managers (28:55)

· What area does Robert and his company service? (30:13)

· How Robert got started as a Senior Move Manager (31:24)

· Compassion and working with emotionally stressed people (36:04)

· What happens with pets? (36:59)

· Robert’s experience as a public speaker (37:25)

· Real estate agents and Senior Move Managers working together (40:52)

Key Points:
“As elder law attorneys, we help a lot with care transitions.”

“For our elder law work, our average age is around 80 and for estate planning, usually around 55.”

“When you set up a revocable living trust, you want to put all your real estate into it... You can name your checking accounts, you can name all your investment accounts. The only thing that doesn’t go in your revocable living trust are your retirement accounts.”

“Probate is the process where assets that are in the name of a person who is deceased are transferred to someone else. If you have a will, you get to name who that someone else is... If you don’t have a will, the state of Georgia gets to say where it goes. It doesn’t go to the state.”

https://linktr.ee/julistgeorge

Summary: In this special Halloween episode of The Perfect Property, you’ll hear from three different guests about their experience with creepy properties, haunted houses in Georgia, and ghosts. Whether or not you believe haunted houses and ghosts are real, they give us the creeps! While other states have different rules, Georgia is a “buyer beware” state. This means the buyer and buyer’s agent have to do all due diligence about a property — that includes if there was a murder or kidnapping and other scary events!

Our host, Juli St George, talks first with Keren Barr who discovered that her house is haunted after moving into it. She talks about the strange smells, noises, and movement that she and her family notice and, in the end, have grown accustomed to.

Next, we hear from Milt Thomas who intentionally bought a creepy house, complete with baby doll parts, knife marks in the doors, and creepy noises. He has turned it into a museum of sorts and holds special events at this unique property.

Lastly, Juli hosts Boo Newell, who runs Decatur Ghost Tours. Boo tells listeners how she sees and communicates with ghosts and explains the difference between haunted houses and houses with spirits. She also gives basic information about her ghost tours and finishes by offering advice for someone buying or selling a creepy house and anyone doing clearings.

What You’ll Learn:

· Keren Barr’s haunted house (2:52)

· A house with a mind of its own (3:10)

· Strange smells in Karen’s house (6:40)

· Would Karen have bought the house if she had known it was haunted? (12:23)

· Animal and spirit interactions (14:50)

· Milt Thomas’ 100-year-old house in Sparta (20:24)

· Why did Milt choose to buy a haunted house? (25:52)

· A writer’s retreat in a haunted house (29:29)

· Are some people more sensitive to the spirit presence? (31:07)

· Milt’s scariest story of living in a haunted house (39:35)

· Boo Newell runs Decatur Ghost Tours and is a published author (43:29)

· Does Boo believe in haunted houses? (43:53)

· Boo sees ghosts (44:41)

· Haunted houses versus houses with spirits (47:48)

· Advice for someone buying or selling a creepy house and doing clearings (1:03:35)

“My bedroom door is covered in hack marks from either a knife or a cleaver.”

“In California, for example, you have to disclose if someone has died in the house for three full years. In Georgia, specifically in Georgia, it’s a ‘buyer beware’ state and what that means is that the buyer has to do all of the due diligence to find out about the house. If there was a murder, if there was a crime scene, if there were deaths, if anything creepy was going on in the house, the buyer really has to find that out themselves.”

Links:

Juli’s Email: [email protected]

Juli’s Phone Number: 404-668-8975 (call or text)

The Perfect Property Website. www.theperfectproperty.com

to learn more:
www.frognolia.com - Milt Thomas's spirit filled Sparta GA mansion and guest retreat
www. decaturghosttour.com - Boo Newell's Decatur Ghost Tour
www.boonewell.com - Boo's website for medium readings
www.ThePerfectProperty.com for all things Atlanta Real Estate

https://linktr.ee/julistgeorge

Summary: This episode of The Perfect Property is part two of a discussion with Lisa Myers about cleaning up your credit score. Lisa has over 20 years of experience on the credit side of the mortgage industry and continues sharing tips, tricks, and information in this episode.

Lisa begins by explaining why it’s so important to have a good credit score, then talks about hard and soft credit inquiries and how many you can have without affecting your score. She also goes over some recent changes regarding medical debt and tax liens and how they impact credit scores. Finally, Juli and Lisa talk about the very important topic of identity theft and how to protect yourself by placing security freezes.

What You’ll Learn:

· Why is it important to have a good credit score? (0:15)

· What about Credit Karma and similar websites? (1:02)

· Hard and soft credit inquiries (4:09)

· How many credit inquiries can you have without affecting your score? (5:42)

· Changes in the last few years and medical debt (6:45)

· Tax liens removed from credit reports (7:48)

· Medical debts (10:04)

· Identity theft (14:58)

· What is a security freeze and how do you place one? (16:04)

· Does a security freeze cost money? (17:23)

· Will a security freeze stop soft pulls and hard pulls? (20:55)

· A real story of identity theft (21:53)

· What is the average range for a FICO score? (25:57)

· Summary of the important points (28:28)

Key Points:

“A good credit score can mean the difference between renting and owning a home. It can mean the difference between a higher interest rate and a lower interest rate on anything.”

“The only way to know what your FICO score is if you’re looking to purchase something like a home or an auto is to have a lender or a creditor from that industry pull your credit report and your FICO score with it.”

“One of the big changes that did happen... was that they removed all tax liens from credit reports.”

“They’re now saying that medical collections cannot be reported on your credit report until they have been charged off by the creditor for at least six months.”

“A soft inquiry has no impact on your FICO score.”

“A security freeze... provides a freeze on your credit. No hard inquiry can come through. That’s the key.”

“Once you place that security freeze, you will receive a piece of mail from that bureau in the mail that will have what’s called a PIN code that is for you, only for your eyes, and that allows you to unlock your file.”

“The highest that we’ve seen is 847. I’ve never seen an 850. I’ve never seen a perfect 850 FICO score... I think the lowest that we’ve seen was a 336 or something like that.”

“Just because you have some derogatory information showing up on your credit report, it is not the end of the world and is not going to haunt you for the rest of your life.”

Links:

Credit Report: www.annualcreditreport.com

Juli’s Email: [email protected]

Juli’s Phone Number: 404-668-8975 (call or text)

The Perfect Property Website. www.theperfectproperty.com

https://linktr.ee/julistgeorge

Summary:

On this episode of The Perfect Property podcast Juli invites Amanda Rhein, executive director of the Atlanta Land Trust, to share the inroads she has made in a career dedicated to improving Atlanta’s built environment. The community land trust model, which has found success over the years in 250 cities nationwide, is making home ownership attainable for people in lower incomes brackets. Although local real estate prices have increased dramatically, the ALT has managed to create affordable housing options in a market that would otherwise be out of reach.

Juli and Amanda’s conversation includes a step-by-step explanation of how leased home ownership differs from traditional, the financial profile required of prospective buyers and options for counseling to get on the path to qualifying for a mortgage. Amanda also walks through the process of re-selling a property, how accrued equity is distributed and options available to older family members who wish to pass their 99-year lease down to younger generations.

With roots tracing back to the 1960s, the community land trust model arose in response to the systematic deprivation of civil rights in southern Georgia. The effects of discrimination and intimidation are transgenerational but organizations like the ALT are providing a roadmap for would-be homeowners in need of a point of entry. Amanda shares success stories and acknowledges the ongoing challenge of lobbying for necessary private- and public-sector funding for the portfolio of 300 properties she ultimately hopes to establish. She paints a picture of the types of homes the ALT currently has under development (both single family and townhome communities) as well as her hopes for the future. Join Juli in learning about the Atlanta Land Trust’s mission and the ways in which it is delivering low-income individuals and families access to the American dream of home ownership.

What You’ll Learn:

· Amanda explains how the Atlanta Land Trust works and why it exists. (1:49)

· The community land trust model’s southern roots and evolution. (2:15)

· How the Atlanta Land Trust model specifically serves communities suffering redlining, food deserts, runaway rents/property taxes and other housing inequities. (6:16)

· Amanda explains the step-by-step process and time required to secure a land trust property. (8:38)

· Home valuations in Atlanta have increased in some cases by as much as $100,000, which makes a ground lease formula the best alternative for many families. (11:26)

· Amanda explains the resale process and ALT’s ongoing stewardship role. (12:10)

· Average sale price for ALT-leased homes in Atlanta is about $165,000, but there is a wide range depending on income and other factors. (13:32)

· Funding and land acquisition/development for ALT requires constant cultivation of public and private funding sources. (16:11)

· What about the homes themselves? Is there a “typical” ALT housing project? Some are scattered-site single family homes built on public land and others are larger planned communities of townhomes/condos (both new construction and renovation). (18:00)
· The ALT’s income limits are set based on Area Median Income (AMI), which for the majority of applicants means an income cap of $68,950 annually for a family of four and $48,000 for single individuals. (20:25)

· Other factors in qualifying for a mortgage include: credit score, proof of steady income and amount of household debt. For those who fail to qualify, ALT offers counseling to get on

https://linktr.ee/julistgeorge