Archive for the ‘Atlanta’ Category

An Atlanta man, George Daylin Houser, has been convicted for conspiring to defraud the Medicare and Medicaid programs with his wife by billing them for “worthless services” in three nursing homes throughout July 2004-September 2007. For that period of time, Medicare and Medicaid paid Houser $32.9 million for food, medical care and other services that Houser did not provide to residents of his homes.The case is being investigated by the FBI.

Houser was also convicted for eight counts of failing to pay employees payroll taxes–over $800,000. He also failed to pay his own taxes in 2004 and 2005. The Atlanta movers are appalled at the actions that have taken place and at the attempts to take advantage of government programs that seek to help citizens who need financial aid and medical care.

The Atlanta Foreclosure Bus, which begin in 2010, is coming back to the Atlanta area in April. Haven’t heard of the bus? The Atlanta movers are hear to tell you more! For homebuyers looking to purchase in Atlanta, the foreclosure bus is a great way to see what’s on the market, and for how much.

The foreclosure tours are a great way for investors and home buyers to kick back and enjoy a “sightseeing” tour of the Atlanta real estate market. The tours take place the 2nd Saturday of each month, and a complimentary lunch is included. Considering the fact that 1 in 4 Atlanta homes is on the foreclosure market, this 2 hour bus tour of the Alpharetta area is a great way to cover a lot of ground with a guide.

Recently, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group shared news that they will be taking over The Mansion on Peachtree luxury hotel & residence and renaming it the Mandarin Oriental, Atlanta. The hotel, which has been a Buckhead fixture since its opening, is a 42 story mixed-use building. The hotel offers over 100 guest rooms, and amenities such as a ballroom, spa, and indoor pool are accessible by the 25 private residences as well.

The Mandarin Oriental brand is one recognized worldwide, and to have a branch of the chain put roots in Atlanta is certainly a positive sign for the people who visit there and the business opportunities that Atlanta holds. Here at the Atlanta movers, we’re excited about the new Mandarin location and the prestige it brings to Atlanta.

For the seventh month in a row, January’s figures saw residential property sales rise, according to a RE/MAX housing report. In comparison to early 2010, real estate sales are now 3.4% higher.

Along with the sales rising, there is noticeably less inventory, as new construction has remained stalled in places like Atlanta. If the trends continue with sales picking back up, it’s quite possible that we could see home prices begin to rise again. The Atlanta movers are excited to share that Atlanta was among the areas that saw the highest jump in sales, with sales up 26.3%.

Hopefully soon we will see new construction pick up, so that not only will there be more housing available to balance supply & demand, but to also offer work to contractors, builders, architects and other careers that were negatively impacted by the collapse of the real estate market.

According to recent reports, home buyers in Atlanta can breathe a sigh of relief in regards to the local economy. The Federal Reserve recently announced that interest rates will stay at their low level through 2014. In keeping with the interest rates, there is also the unemployment news–rates are down! But that isn’t all–here in Atlanta, the home price index has increased (though slightly) over the last 3 months. While it may be premature to say, it seems a go that the Atlanta market is on the road to recovery.

The Atlanta movers want to encourage potential home buyers to strike while the iron is hot and take advantage of the low interest rates. Though they’ve been extended through 2014, that doesn’t guarantee the volume of inventory available today!

Here at the Atlanta movers, we love keeping our readers informed of local events and happenings. This March, the 24th Annual Hunter Hotel Conference will be coming to the Atlanta, Georgia Marriott Marquis Hotel. The Hunter conference is one of four major annual hotel industry conferences.

The Hunter conference focuses on hotel owners, real estate and finance. Keynote speakers include Tom Corocran, chairman of FelCor Lodging Trust, which currently owns 76 hotels. There will be a total of 100 conference speakers throughout the entirety of the event.

If you’re interested in attending the conference, visit www.HunterConference.com.

The real estate market keeps taking blows, and the most recent is from the mortgage industry. The new record low for 30 year fixed mortgages, 3.87 percent, is the ninth “lowest” rate in the past year. Basically, the numbers keep dropping. And for a 15-year fixed mortgage? Another record low, at 3.14 percent.

Here in Atlanta, we are no exception to the trend. With loan qualifications increasingly difficult, job loss increasingly common and an abundance of foreclosed homes permeating the market, it seems the condition of the real estate industry is steadily getting worse. The whole industry is suffering in terms of value. So what to the Atlanta movers feel about it? We need a way to inject faith into homeowners, buyers and builders. Who knows how long it could take to re-instill hope in the industry, but we feel 2012 just may be the year that everything falls back in to place.

While the entire country has been battling with a floundering real estate market, cities notorious for poor real estate investments didn’t take the cake in 2011 for the weakest real estate market. In fact, the “winner” in that department is right here–Atlanta. The Atlanta movers hope we can get our local economy turned around in 2012.

Residential real estate took a blow, and the price of homes was down about 12 percent compared to 2010 figures. That make Atlanta the biggest decline in the nation. Paired with the housing market is the significant Atlanta unemployment–an above average 9.2 percent.

The Atlanta movers hear that there has been a new sale of commercial property in downtown Atlanta. The Imperial Hotel has long been inhabited by the homeless and low income families of the Atlanta metropolitan area. The last 15 years have seen the hotel house homeless and advocates at low costs–a far cry from the hot spot that it used to be back when it was one of Atlanta’s leading hotels.

Recently, the building was purchased by Columbia Residential and National Church Residences, and will remain a safe haven for the needy. Initial fears were apparent that the property might be remodeled and flipped as luxury condos, however, the goal is to provide high quality affordable housing for the needy. The current residents will be displaced while renovations are underway, however.

Buckhead has long been noted as an upscale and prominent area of Atlanta–but also one that had potentially jumped the gun and built too many new developments too quickly, such as expansive condo and apartments and also a plethora of office space. With the recession, many of these new and beautiful luxury buildings were left vacant.

However, with a new year seems to be a new turn for Buckhead. At it’s vacancy peak for offices, Buckhead was at 23% open units. Currently, that number has dropped to 18.7% vacancy. While the change may not seem significant, the Atlanta movers are hoping its a positive step in the right direction.

While residential real estate is staying busy with buyers, landlords, and renters; the commercial site isn’t doing as well–but it’s getting there. Hopefully in the first quarter of 2012 we will see some positive movements in the Atlanta market.