Georgia Foreclosure Listings Lead the Way to Lower Home Prices.

Whatever your reason for buying in Georgia this fall, Georgia foreclosure listings are your guide to the location of the better deal. The rate of foreclosure filings have ebbed a little but Georgia has been amongst the states most severely hit by repossessions and evictions by lenders throughout the past year. Any potential home buyer may be forgiven for assuming that most Georgia cities will yield the better deals of all buyers’ real estate markets; once on the ground commencing the search for a new home, an uninformed buyer is going to be unpleasantly surprised.

Many of the more desirable (from the point of view of job market and lifestyle), towns and cities remain sellers markets. North Atlanta, Augusta and Marietta are in general more sellers markets, price trends still up but with a good supply of available housing inventory in all price ranges. Days on the market (90 to 120) are more of a concern in pricier Smyrna and more affordable South Fulton. The latter is a buyers market, and Smyrna remains balanced. Average home prices vary widely, and in some areas (Augusta, South Fulton, Woodstock, Smyrna for example) prices are still up 5% or more compared to last year. The average home sales prices vary widely; in Atlanta in July were $331,000, in North Atlanta $225,000, in Woodstock $190,000, with Smyrna $400,000 and Augusta at $175,000. The unique historical city of Savannah is one of the few places in the US where affordable coastal housing exists and that local market is definitely in favor of the buyer. What a difference finding that foreclosure home at a great discount in any of these locations is going to make to your budget. Whatever your reason for buying in Georgia now or as winter approaches, you must not ignore this best opportunity to date to buy even better near the bottom of the price cycle. Expect your foreclosure purchase to yield more home per dollar in the areas where conditions favor the buyer, yet don’t overlook the impact that the slimmer discounts likely in more robust markets have on the higher priced home.

Still not convinced you will find a foreclosure home at a discount and in your area of choice where the lower home price is worth more to you than some of the more desirable features you had in mind? Make a list of the essentials; the basics such as number of bedrooms and commuting distance/time. Factor in all costs of your move and don’t be tempted to overbuy. Your first priority must be to make sure your mortgage payments won’t result in the fate of those before you. Plan to stay in your foreclosure home through 2010 and a little beyond, when experts are predicting the worst of the housing crisis is well over and your equity will build as prices rise steadily once more. And filter Georgia foreclosure listings to reflect your prudent requirements, you will be amazed at the effect of the potential saving on your longer term goals.

Philip Smith is the writer of http://www.ForeclosureListingsNationWide.com. Your Source of Georgia Foreclosure Listings online.