Cobb County New Home Community Welcomes Special Visitor

Left to Right: Kirk Ricketts, New Home Specialist at Traton Homes, Donna Mungin, 2012 President Cobb Women's Council of Realtors®, Angela Barner, 2012 President of the Cobb Association of Realtors®, and Ronald Phipps, 2011 National Association of Realtors® President and 2012 National Association of Realtors® Leadership Team

Traton Homes' Cobb County new home community, Rockford Township, recently had a special visitor stop by and take a tour. Ronald Phipps, 2011 President of the National Association of Realtors and current member of the National Association of Realtors Leadership Team, toured this intimate gated community earlier this month following an event with the Cobb Association of Realtors. Phipps received a firsthand look at why this beautiful community has became a favorite among Atlanta homebuyers. 

With Atlanta luxury homes priced from the $260,000s, Rockford Township is the perfect representation of a Cobb community that is alive with activity, construction and sales. These spacious single-family homes feature rich exterior designs with brick, cedar shake, stacked stone and carriage-style doors, as well as beautifully designed interiors with desirable elements such as stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and hardwood floors.  

This unique community is situated on 27 acres of the Smith-Manning antebellum estate and includes a fantastic selection of community amenities such as a pool with cabana and outdoor fireplace, a playground and sidewalks throughout. Located in the vicinity of vibrant Marietta Square and historic Kennesaw Mountain, residents of our Rockford Township enjoy close proximity to excellent dining, shopping and entertainment. 

Children at Rockford Township receive a top education attending Burruss Elementary, Marrieta 6th Grade Academy, Marietta Middle, and Marietta High schools. 

Only nine opportunities remain for you to call Rockford Township home! For more information on this fabulous community or to schedule a tour of our award-winning decorated model home, call 678-355-9978. For more information on all of our Atlanta new home communities, visit the Traton Homes website today!

Purchasing a New Chicago Home is Cheaper than Renting

A new study by  Trulia has found that purchasing a home is 45 percent cheaper than renting. This percentage applies to every single one of the 100 largest metros in the country, which includes the Chicago new homes market.

The main reasons for the 45 percent savings are rising rents and low lending rates. Homebuyers will be pleased to discover that the average savings from owning a home total $771 per month.

This number is based on a couple of factors. First of all, it assumes that buyers qualify for a 3.5 percent mortgage rate, plan on staying in their home for seven years and are in the 25 percent tax bracket and have taken advantage of homeowner benefits. Lastly, the amount of savings also assumes that buyers put down 20 percent on their new home.

Yet homeowners will be happy to learn that they don't have to be in all of the above categories in order to save money.

Yet homeowners don't need to fall into all of the above categories in order to save on housing costs. Even if buyers stay in their homes for less than five years or only qualify for a 4.5 percent mortgage rate, buying will still turn out to be cheaper than renting.

The cost savings of buying versus renting can easily make one wonder why home sales aren't even higher. Due to the recession and unemployment, many renters who wish to own a home are struggling to put away money for a down payment.

However, the housing market will continue to stay more affordable than renting for quite some time. Even if mortgage rates were to rise, buying would still be cheaper than renting in most large urban areas.

Alderwood Opens Stunning Atlanta Townhomes

Come one, come all! It is the grand opening of the new Atlanta townhome community of Alderwood by Ashton Woods Homes. Nestled in the beautiful Sandy Springs area, these energy efficient townhomes are priced from the high $200,000s and offer three unique floor plans to homebuyers. By October, six of these lovely three-story homes will be move-in ready!

One of the gorgeous floor plans available, the Brighton, is priced from $322,005 to $340,951. This home features three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and a two-car garage. The Brighton also boasts fine details such as hardwood on the main floor, a marble gas fireplace in the family room, upgraded kitchen and other wonderful elements like trey ceilings in the master suite and more!

The elegant Lenwood floor plan is priced from $310,608 to $319,341. This amazing design allows for many optional design changes on every floor, even the basement. On the first floor the lovely dining room has the option to become a third bedroom with bath or a study with tech area. The spacious master suite on the second floor has a mega shower option. Even the bonus room in the basement has an optional light well and guest retreat with full bath.  

For the active resident or nature lover the Alderwood townhome community is located near many great Sandy Springs recreational activities. The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Sandy Springs Tennis Center, Dunwoody Country Club and Lenox Mall, among others, are just minutes away from this great community.

Residents with children in Alderwood attend excellent schools like Woodland Elementary Charter, Ridgeview Middle Charter and Riverwood International High Charter.

For more details on these stunning Atlanta homes please call 404-236-2024.

The Pointe at Kirk Farms Selling Out Fast

Traton Homes, a top Atlanta new home builder, is proud to say that all but one home remains at The Pointe at Kirk Farms. This wonderful community is located in Cobb County next to Paper Chase Farm, another quickly sold out Traton community.

Priced at $466,800, the award-winning Providence home design is the final luxury home left in this picturesque community. Features of this floor plan are a beautifully designed gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances, gorgeous cherry cabinets, hardwood floors and a large island perfect for preparing meals. Other appointments such as a guest suite on main, spacious rooms, bonus room and lovely family room with fireplace, all make this home perfect for the family. For more information on the final home at The Pointe at Kirk Farms, call 770-792-0261.

Traton Homes has been honored five years in a row with a Guildmaster Award for excellent customer service and has been recently published in The Atlanta Business Chronicle on the Top Homebuilder list. Come take a tour of The Pointe at Kirk Farms and the stunning Providence home that is still available. These homes sell out quickly so act fast!

Traton Homes has built new Atlanta homes for over 41 years, creating an impressive tradition of striking architectural design and quality in all of its homes. Currently selling in seventeen lovely communities, Traton Homes offers new homes in Cobb, Cherokee, Dekalb, Fulton and Paulding counties. These beautiful homes rang in price from the $180,000s to the $800,000s.

To learn more about Traton Homes, visit www.tratonhomes.com or call the corporate office at 770-427-9064. 

The Orchards Group Proudly Introduces The Hawthorne

The simplified life is really closer than you think with The Orchards Group. As part of their work to make the home building and buying experience easy and affordable for active adults, The Orchards Group has introduced the Hawthorne plan at its East Cherokee and Brannon Oak Farm communities.

Priced from the mid to upper $200’s, the new Hawthorne plan is a downsized version of the popular Haverford single family detached home plan. In the plan, the builder has eliminated the Haverford's large formal dining room, which reduces the plan's size and price by as much as $25,000. The design transforms the spacious breakfast room into an informal dining room. 

“We were comfortable with this design variation because many of our Haverford owners have actually used the breakfast room as their dining room, it’s that large," said Craig Smith, on site sales counselor.

In addition, homeowners will enjoy the change that moves the fireplace in the living room from the corner to a more traditional end of room wall setting. This new placement has allowed the builder to add optional built-in bookshelves flanking the fireplace. However, residents can still enjoy many perks of the old Haverford plan because the Hawthorne plan retains its two bedrooms plus den, two bathrooms, large gourmet kitchen, 10 foot ceilings and grand foyer.

The Hawthorne is currently being built on homesite 16 at TheOrchards of Brannon Oak Farm  in Cumming, and will be complete by the end of August. Additionally, TheOrchards of East Cherokee in Woodstock will have a completed Hawthorne home with optional screened-in porch on homesite 139 by the end of September. Active adult buyers will love the maintenance-free living, amazing amenities and beautiful locations of both communities!

For more information, please visit www.OrchardsGroup.com or call 678-513-8879.

Four New Atlanta Homes Sold at Highlands at Johns Creek

Atlanta new homes are going fast at Highlands at Johns Creek! In just one week, Ashton Woods Homes sold four homes! With 23 estate-sized homes sites, the community is located near the best restaurants, shops, schools and recreation. Starting in the low $400,000s, these homes will continue to sell at an accelerated sales pace.

“Highlands at Johns Creek not only offers buyers a superb location but also stable home values,” stated Dwayne Hill, vice president of sales and marketing for Ashton Woods Homes. “The community has done very well since its opening in April, and we anticipate that these top-quality new homes will sell out soon.”

Home buyers will have a variety of floor plans to choose from. Highlands at Johns Creek offers four floor plans: the Kingston, Wesley, Cambridge and Kentwood. Home sizes range from approximately 3,000 square feet to 4,000 square feet with four to five bedrooms and three-and-a-half to four baths.

Priced at $554,051, the Cambridge will be move-in ready in August. The beautiful home features five bedrooms and four baths with a dramatic entrance foyer and winding stairway. The gourmet kitchen includes granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and plenty of storage. Owners will love the huge master suite featuring a separate sitting area and private bath with dual vanities, garden tub and walk-in shower. The home also has a three-car garage.

The community is close to GA-400, North Point Mall and Lake Lanier, as well as numerous country clubs and parks.

Children residing in Highlands at Johns Creek will attend top ranked schools: Findley Oaks Elementary, River Trail Middle and Northview High.

The model home and sales center is open until 6 p.m. daily and opens Tuesday through Saturday at 10 a.m. and Monday and Sunday at noon. For more information on these Johns Creek new homes, call 770-495-8901.

Are your Homeowner’s Insurance needs covered?

Remodel your homeowner's insurance to
match your remodeling plans to stay safe!

Quick – when was the last time you updated your homeowner’s insurance policy? Was it before you renovated your kitchen? Before you finished your basement? Was it when you first bought your home? If you answered yes to these kinds of questions or you don’t know, you could be in for a world of hurt. The Equifax Finance Blog shares why in the recent article, “Renovating Your Home? Renovate Your Insurance Policy.”

With lowering home values and rising costs of construction, it’s important to update your homeowner’s insurance policy because rebuilding after a disaster could easily cost more than the market value of your home. Including the costs and value of your upgrades, this means that you won’t be trying to recover and rebuild with a fraction of the funds that you put into your home.