Coweta Fayette Real Estate & Newnan Homes for sale blog by Richard Weisser of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers

This is a question that I am often asked. And the answer really depends on a lot of factors, as there are many people involved in the process.

For the purpose of this article, let’s talk about a HUD home that has just been listed, and that the purchaser is an owner occupant.

No bids are opened for the first 10 days that the property is listed. So if you make a bid on the first day of the listing period, you will have to wait at least 10 days for an acceptance.

In some cases, it it taking an additional 2-5 days for the winning bidder to be notified. Once notified, the selling agent then has only 2 days to get the contract delivered to the HUD asset manager.

Then it takes an additional 7-14 days to get a fully executed contract. From that point, a buyer obtaining a loan has 45 days to close and a buyer paying cash has only 20.

So the final answer is, it can take anywhere from as few as 30 for a cash buyer a fast turnaround times days to as many as 75 days for a buyer getting a loan and  slow responses from all those involved in the process.

An experienced HUD selling agent can help guide you during the entire process and help you with the exact timelines in your transaction.

To locate HUD homes for sale in your area visit HUDHomestore.com.

As we plunge into 2011, it becomes increasingly apparent that “recent” history is now completely relegated to 21^st Century events.

With a full decade under our belt, (yes, the 21^st Century stated January 1, 2001 but that’s another debate) we are now deep enough into the Millennium to look back at the 80’s and 90’s as the “good old days!”

Where does the time go? It doesn’t seem all that long ago that the Y2K debacle needlessly paralyzed many a New Year’s Eve celebration. And we don’t see blanks for dates on paperwork anymore that have “19___ “ for the year.

As we burrow deeper and deeper into time, at some point the realization occurs that these are only numbers counting off the sands of time! And the only meaning that they have is the significance that we deliberately choose to attribute to them.

Time marches on. And every day is as important as we make it!

There has been a recent surge of both Internet activity over and phone calls over the last few days.

Even though I try not to read too much into these anomalies, I can’t help but wonder why the numbers suddenly surge into record high levels.

Instinctively, you want to believe that it is the harbinger of better times to come and an exodus from the current doldrums of depression.

But I have always noted an increase in activity this time of the year, and much of it can be attributed to the following reasons:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1)      <!--[endif]-->Many people do not work the week between Christmas and New Years, and spend a lot more time on the Internet.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2)      <!--[endif]-->People travel over the holidays, and many become curious about housing prices and availability in the regions they are visiting.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3)      <!--[endif]-->A lot of people get new computers for Christmas, and that always leads to a rash of activity as they enjoy flying their new machines across cyberspace.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4)      <!--[endif]-->The recent weather has many people homebound and bored, and they are simply getting on the Internet as a remedy for cabin fever.

I am certain there are a lot more reasons, but the numbers don’t lie and there are always underlying causes behind the statistics.

But one fact remains: People are interested in real estate and the market. It’s a hot topic that everyone is talking about.

And it’s a great time to buy a house!

Just ten short years ago Senoia Georgia was one of those sleepy little hamlets where they rolled up the sidewalks at 6 P.M.

But now, nothing could be farther from the truth. A major revitalization effort in the downtown area has brought new nightlife to Coweta County’s southernmost city.

There are new restaurants, new shops, and a whole new attitude about living in Senoia. It is still a small town, but now it’s also up and coming!

If you haven’t been to Senoia for a while, I encourage you to plan a visit soon!

It’s worth the trip!

Suppose you are driving to a distant destination and find yourself right in the middle of a huge Nor’easter. As the blizzard intensifies and the outside world narrows down to two gray strips in an otherwise all white landscape you have only two choices:

You can attempt to weather the storm and press on or you can seek safe haven until the storm passes and the roads are clear.

There is no clearly defined right or wrong choice until one has realized the consequences of their decision. Hindsight is always 20-20, and it always easy to know what we SHOULD have done after all of the facts are in.

But choosing a safe haven always buys time!

The same principle applies both to business and to life. There are times when we have to make the call and wait and see how our choice plays out in the long haul. But if we choose to play it safe, at least we still have all of our options available.

Sometimes it will turn out that we ultimately have made the right decision. If wrong, at least we will enjoy the benefit of an educational experience!

And hopefully we will learn from it!

The first “White Christmas” in Newnan Georgia history prompted me to leave the comforts of hearth and home and head out into the storm in pursuit of holiday magic!

While I was setting up for a shot of a local “light” house, a friend grabbed this shot of me braving the elements as I endeavored to capture as much Christmas cheer as I could.

My rapture was such that I didn’t even notice the cold or the blowing snow! As a matter of fact, the only feeling that I had was exhilaration!

And so Christmas 2010 will go down in history as the year that Newnan Georgia has a white Christmas.

And it was a lot of fun being there to chronicle the snowy event!

Now the Christmas has come and gone, it’s time for the next “big” holiday, which is coincidentally the last celebration of 2010 and also the first “red letter day” of 2011.

A new year is more than just a number. Every January 1 we have the opportunity for a fresh start. And it’s important to get out of the starting box running.

It doesn’t matter if 2010 was your best year ever, or your worst year, or somewhere in between. On next Saturday, it will be history.

I don’t think that anyone ever expects a New Year to be a miserable failure. Optimism is the order of the day. One looks forward with eager anticipation towards a better future in business and in life.

And if there anything that might prevent a prosperous New Year; fix it NOW!

Why wait until it too late to do something about it?

The much anticipated Christmas Day snow that was predicted for Newnan Georgia is here at last!

I have lived in the area for nearly forty years and this is the first “White Christmas” we have ever experienced.

It’s even stranger because a lot of my friends in the Northeast have told me that there is no snow on the ground in many places.

I guess it’s a numbers game. It does occasionally snow in Georgia, so it was just a matter of time before it happened on Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all!

The big day is finally here, and it's the time that we shift our emotions from anxious anticipation to the realization that “ready or not, here we are!”

Christmas Day always feels a little anticlimactic. The frenzy of preparation that crescendos through Christmas Eve is suddenly squelched as we finally get to enjoy the fruits of our pre-holiday labors!

And somewhere in the midst of the gift-opening, the family visits, and the holiday feasts comes the realization that all the time and effort leading up to the celebration was well-spent.

After the wrapping papers are discarded and the dishes are washed, it’s time to settle back and reflect on the day, the season, and the year.

I wish all of my family, friends, and anyone reading this the merriest of Christmases!

I hope that it is your best one ever!

Photo: C. 1934 Christmas in the Weisser household.

There is a buzz here in Georgia about the possibility of snow on Christmas Day. And while that may not be a big deal in much of the country, it’s pretty exciting news here in Newnan!

In the nearly thirty-eight years that I have live in the ‘Peach State,” there have been a few significant snowfalls, but never on Christmas Day. So if indeed it does happen, it will be a very special event.

Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, a white Christmas was always a possibility though it was not a certainty. Many years were certainly cold enough, but there wasn’t enough moisture to produce snow.

But there were plenty of Christmases with the white stuff, and a good snowfall always made the holiday more enchanting!

So while I don’t expect to hear “sleigh bells in the snow,” I just might get to see the “treetops glisten!”

And that would be make Christmas “just like the ones I used to know!”

Once again the big day is nigh upon us, and despite my most sincere efforts to the contrary, I have about a thousand last minute items that demand my immediate attention.

I know that the grocery store is going to be a madhouse, but it wouldn’t be Christmas without some of those very special once- a-year items. And although I do my best to exercise self-control and restraint, I always go overboard on the holiday fare!

It’s just another way that I connect with my past. When I was a child, the tables would be heaped with savory food of every type and variety and any other piece of furniture that could hold a plate or tray became a base for a mountain of Italian home baked cookies!

Although these days Christmas at home is a lot quieter, the echoes of the past ring loud and clear!

And the din that is syncopated in my memories is a very pleasant sound indeed.

Every year around the holidays, the lyrics of John Lennon haunt me. At the time the song was released in 1971, I was in my first year in college and was registered with “Selective Service” as eligible for the draft.

Military conscription was in full swing at the time, and the possibility of being called for mandatory service cast a pall of gloom over every eighteen year old male in the country.

There was little public support for the war in Southeast Asia. Anti-war protests tore the nation apart into factions divided by ideology that challenged the establishment of government and the fabric of society

And at the time of the year when we traditionally sang about decking the halls, jingle bells and silent nights, the groundbreaking tune penned by Lennon ignored the fantasy of the season and drove the harsh realities of war and political turmoil into the consciousness of anyone that would listen.

Nearly forty years later, the words still send a chill down my spine:

“War is over, if you want it, war is over now.”

God bless the brave men and women that are ever vigilant and defending our nation!

How long should a software program be used? When should it be upgraded or replaced with a completely different product?

The software programs that I use the most are all contained in the “Microsoft Office Professional 2003” suite. In the “good old days” of personal computing, I developed the habit of upgrading software as soon as a new version appeared on the market.

But there are some annoyances associated with upgrades. Obviously the major one is the expense, as some upgrade packages cost hundreds of dollars.

Another is the “learning curve” typically associated with new features. It is difficult to have an improved user experience if you don’t know that certain features exist, let alone how to use them.

But the worst part about upgrading, and the reason that I have NOT upgraded my Office suite is that some features that you actually use could be eliminated from and upgrade. It is possible to PAY to lose functionality, and that is maddening!

As a result, I stopped upgrading just for the sake of having the “latest and the greatest!” As long as my software achieved the purpose for which it is intended, I will keep it and use it.

And so the answer to the question “when is a software program obsolete” is a simple one:

When it no longer works for you!

The holiday season presents more than its fair share of distractions. There is a lot going on during the last two weeks of the year.

But somewhere in between the last minute shopping, the gift-wrapping and the travel planning the business of real estate must be tended.

Many buyers and seller want to complete the transaction “this year” for a variety of reasons, and it requires a little extra effort keep everyone on track to get the job done.

So try as I might to fully embrace the holiday mode, it will be necessary for me to push work to the forefront of my schedule.

After all, Santa works during the holidays. Why shouldn’t I?

As I was rummaging around the house looking for some holiday items, I stumbled upon my old watercolor paints.

I haven’t painted in a long time. The muse used to inspire me on a regular basis, but lately I haven’t felt the urge to wet any cold pressed paper.

Every year at Christmas, I would hand-paint a card for my mother and father. The painting illustrated here is from a Christmas card I painted around 1990. It’s hard to believe that was twenty years ago.

Both of my parents are gone now, and every year at Christmas I think about taking brush in hand again, but I haven’t been able to commit any pigment to media.

But today’s rediscovery of the little tubes have me intrigued. It may be time to give it another go!

After all, I have nothing to lose!

I love visiting small towns during the month of December. Although many of these municipalities have limited resources and small budgets, they always put their best face forward during the Christmas season!

Some might argue that the purpose of these holiday accouterments is to attract commerce to the businesses within the town’s boundaries.

I prefer to believe that there is still an underlying sense of tradition in America that demands some deference towards the season itself. It contributes to the spirit and well being of the community, and constructs continuity with the past.

As a child in the 1950’s, I remember the simple strands of bright incandescent lights hanging above the streets of the mill villages bordering the rivers of western Pennsylvania. For a least of few weeks in the year, these working class burgs were transformed into holiday oases.

Today, the civic displays always take me back to the days of my youth. It’s a comforting reminder that after all is said and done, some things have NOT changed in over fifty years!

And that’s a great feeling!

Early one morning last week, I learned that the Georgia State Patrol had the technological ability to clock your speed as the patrol car is driving towards you.

I also learned that these same patrol cars could make a u-turn very quickly on a narrow secondary road.

The officer was courteous and professional. During our conversation I mentioned that I had been careless about my speed because I had so much to do. He could see the signs and brochure boxes in my truck and offered this sage advice:

“Is it more important that you get these signs out quickly or that you get back home to your family safely?”

It’s a sobering thought. And one that should not be taken lightly. Often we allow the pressures of our jobs to override common sense as we continue push the envelope of safety.

It’s almost time for New Year’s resolutions. I think that I have a good idea of what one of mine will be!

Because there truly are some things in life that are more important than others!

As we approach the days of the year with the fewest hours of daylight, the darkness is often punctuated with the luminous glow of holiday lights.

I enjoy the festive displays. And I usually can tell if the same people live in the house as last year by making careful observations about their decorating schemes and the staging of their displays.

Leaving the office well after sunset presents the opportunity to absorb a little extra holiday cheer. I am so addicted light-looking that I often find myself driving through neighborhoods that “aren’t on the way home!”

The last week before Christmas is “peak” season for lights. And I will enjoy them until the dark days of winter set in for good!

Many years ago there was a television commercial about an employee that had invented his company’s top selling tire!

He was called before the board of directors where he received the accolades he expected. And after they concluded the kudos, they added one thing:

”Now, we want you to top it!”

There is never any comfort derived from resting on your laurels. Yesterdays achievements fade away like melting snow, and the “what have you done for me lately” attitude dominates the workplace.

And as the bar is raised ever higher, “topping it” becomes quite the daunting challenge!

Newnan HUD homes have always been attractive for buyers looking for value-priced homes with affordable financing options in Coweta County Georgia.

One of the best reasons for purchasing a HUD home is that owner-occupants may qualify for and FHA loan with only $100 down. It’s one of the best opportunities around for buyer with income and good credit, but not a lot of cash on hand.

Best of all, HUD employs a blind bidding process that gives all owner-occupant buyers an opportunity to make an offer during the exclusive period!

If you need more information about buying a HUD home in Newnan or anywhere in Coweta County Georgia, give us a call and we’ll be happy to assist you with your purchase!