Will the upcoming presidential election improve the real estate market? Most of the nation is wondering. Based on a new survey by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Move, Inc.. here’s what people think:

Nearly half of all home buyers (44%) believe the housing market will improve once the new President takes office in January, 2009.

Despite any reservations, the survey indicates underlying demand for homeownership is healthy. While nearly half (41%) of current homeowners do plan to purchase a home again, 80% of all renters plan to purchase a home someday with 47% planning to purchase a home within the next five years. More people who plan to move will do so for space-related (26%) and life-stage change reasons (17%), such as having children (2%) or downsizing to a smaller residence (9%), not financial ones including an increase in rent (2%) or an expensive mortgage (less than 1/2%).

Most home buyers (78%) are also willing to make sacrifices to save and earn extra income for down payments and will compromise on neighborhood features and residential amenities in order to buy a home in the current market. Many of their choices may reflect changing values, including a growing concern over the environment, the importance of community features and the rising cost of fuel.

While about four out of five home buyers (81%) say they face barriers to buying a home in the current market, the greatest single barrier to homeownership today is high home prices (31%), a concern that was much higher in the West (39%), than in the South (27%) or Midwest (26%).

Four out of five adults (84%) say there is something about buying a home that is intimidating, and one out of three (34%) say money-related issues being a concern. Finding the right home is the most intimidating part of the home-buying process for about one out of five (19%). About two thirds of adults (62%) have visited an online real estate web site and once on the site, 23 percent are looking to purchase and 52 percent are looking at what’s on the market.

Source: Harris Interactive. Move Inc. Real Trends.

Home to more than 5.2 million people and several corporate giants, Atlanta is the economic hub of the Southeast and a thriving cultural center with attractions such as The Georgia Aquarium and The World of Coca-Cola. Forecast to become the sixth largest metro area in the country by 2020 with more than 7 million residents, Atlanta is also widely recognized as one of the nation’s top job markets.
The Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Fact Book ranks Atlanta #1 for Great Places to Live, Best Place to Buy a House and Smart Cities for Young Couples and Families. Atlanta ranks #2 in Population Growth and #4 in Best Cities for Jobs and Best Cities for Singles. Click here to check out more stats from the ABC’s Fact Book!

We are blessed to announce the arrival of The Suits Twins! Madalyn and Jeff welcomed twin girls on Wednesday, July 9th. Mallory McGovern Suits and Abigail (Abbey) May Suits arrived a few weeks ahead of schedule. Both girls are healthy and got to go home with Mom on time. Mallory weighed 6 lbs 10 oz and Abbey weighed 5 lbs 3 oz. Hunter and Lindsey are overjoyed with their new siblings! Thanks to everyone for the prayers and precious gifts! Here are some pictures that we wanted to share with all of you.

Keller Williams helps real estate agents gather vital quarterly statistics to better serve their clients. The attached spreadsheet contains information from first and second quarter of 2008 compared to first and second quarter of 2007. The information is taken from an Atlanta metro market viewpoint that encompasses areas inside the perimeter and outlying surrounding counties. The information is broken down by single family homes vs condo/townhomes and more specifically by price range. You don’t want to miss this great information! Click here to view the market report: