The Gwinnett Town Hall is set for next Tuesday evening, February 17th at Hamilton Mill Golf Club.

In case you have not heard the big news, Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle is coming!
Here’s the complete press release.

We’re so honored that he will be joining us.
Lt. Gov. Cagle will make some opening remarks along with Senator Rene Unterman.
Other key business leaders will join Diamond Dwellings in an insightful & informative panel discussion about the national and local economy.

Diamond Dwellings Realty will provide an overview of today’s real estate market as well.

The event begins at 6pm. We hope you can join us!

If you are coming, please click below and fill out the form.

Please fill out our form!

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In the past month or so we have seen a number of homes go into foreclosure in Hamilton Mill which are now being marketed for sale in the local listing systems.

What is going on here? Life, that is what is going on. As the United States economy struggles to gain its footing and jobs are being eliminated in many sectors, tough times are falling on some of our neighbors and friends and you know what, you may not even know it is happening around you.

Just the other day I was talking to someone in Hamilton Mill and he made the comment to me that he was totally unaware of “John Doe’s” financial problems and wished that John had talked to him about it. He had a feeling something was going on. John always used to keep his home and yard very well kept and then 6 months or so ago he noticed things seemed to be a little different. John lost his home and now is looking for alternative housing and a decent paying job.

Here is something to think about.

The real estate market struggles as well as the mortgage crisis is hitting so many different areas of our economy that most of us do not even think of, but take a look at who is being effected.

If new or resale homes do not sell:

Loan Officers do not write new loans, Appraisers do not appraise homes, closing attorneys do not close loans, moving companies do not move you into your new home which means furniture stores do not sell furniture which is sold to them by salespersons for the factory, lighting stores do not sell lights, painters do not paint and landscapers do not put out new landscaping products which they buy from the nursery who hire people to plant and care for the beautiful plants you planned to landscape with. Also, since you will not be doing all the home projects you wanted to, Home Depot and Lowes and other stores are not selling the products they were a couple of years ago. If sales are down there, what about all the people that were selling their products to them.

Wow, that seems like quite a little list do is not. Wait there is more.

If new homes are not selling then the Builders are not selling homes which means that they are cutting back on their Project Managers and of course they are not buying building products like wood, brick, sheetrock, lighting, paint, and so on. By the way, all the homes that are not being built effect the plumbers, electricians, roofers, masonry guys, framers and so on. Also the builders cannot hire the grading companies to move the dirt which means a loss of jobs and if that is the case then the tractor companies do not sell new equipment which means that the factories have no orders which means they do not need to hire people, rather they need to lay them off.

Need I go on. I could for a very long time but I won’t. Know why, I am optimistic we are getting out of this mess and will be a better, smarter people for it. I hope we save more (I know I need to), are smarter with our buying decisions (do we really need the biggest of everything or most expensive this or that), and realize that this mess can and probably will happen again and we need to plan for it.

Now go out and make it a great day. I plan to.

By the way there are a number of really great deals in Hamilton Mill right now. Prices have never been better. Give me a call and I will email you a list of Hot Properties. Gotta go show one now.

Matt Hermes

Have you been by the new Gwinnett Braves stadium lately? I drove by today and things are starting to come together. If you are not aware, the Richmond Braves, the AAA farm team of the Atlanta Braves is moving to Gwinnett County to open play on April 15, 2009. This is a very exciting time for baseball fans in the Gwinnett County area. Personally I cannot wait. I have been to numerous minor league baseball games and there is just something different watching the minor leaguers play versus the big boys.

The site is being prepared for the baseball field as well as restaurants, shops, residential living and more. If you know anyone that is looking for a “hot” place to open a business give us a call to get additional information on what is coming available.

There is a lot going on in preparation for the upcoming season. Take a look at the following links for more information.

Name the mascot: http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/Formlayout.asp?formcall=userform&form=31

Merchandise: http://gwinnettbraves.com/4951cap.html

Season Tickets: http://gwinnettbraves.com/tickets.html

For more information on the new Gwinnett Braves, give us a call and we look forward to seeing you at the ballpark

Diamond Dwellings is pleased to welcome a new neighbor to Hamilton Mill. We just sold another Hamilton Mill home yesterday. This home is located in the Ashebrooke section and sold for 98% of list price.

Why did the home sell? It was priced right ($299,900, Five bedroom, four full baths). The home was in immaculate condition, and word of mouth was important in the sale of this home as well as our internet marketing were all key factors to getting this home under contract and sold.

There are over 120 homes for sale in Hamilton Mill as of this writing, and to get the traffic and ultimately offers that get homes sold all of the above mentioned items are crucial to selling success.

Why are these factors important to you as a seller and buyer?

1. Pricing: With so many homes on the market in this local area of Hamilton Mill, the buyers have numerous choices and if your home is overpriced both buyers and agents will not even look at the house. We get a lot of Sellers that say they want to price their home at a price over and above the current “market value” and tell us that they will sell at a lower price and they want someone to make them an “offer”. Well this is a good thought process but it is not realistic in the current market conditions. Buyers look at homes in specific price ranges and if a home is priced above market they will go by them without even looking. You need to price a home properly from the start to get the activity needed to sell. Showing traffic is usually highest in the first three weeks of listing a home. After that point, if the home is in good condition more than likely you have a price issue. You have to price the home properly to get Buyers in the door.

2. Immaculate Condition: When we were sitting at the closing table yesterday the Buyer made a special point to tell our Seller that one of the things she liked about the home was that it was in “move in condition”. A buyer in today’s market does not want to go into a home and have to do any work to it. This client said that she is a neat freak and wanted a home that was well taken care of.

Exterior condition goes a long way to Buyers impressions as well. The first impression of a home or person for that matter is crucial. If the yard and home are well maintained it gives the Buyer the sense that the home has been well taken care of. Make a great first impression and you have a great shot at selling your home if the price is right. Price it wrong and first impressions do not mean a thing because no one will come inside.

3. Word of Mouth: They say that word of mouth and referrals are one of the keys to business success. At Diamond Dwellings we are constantly being called on as a resource from Buyers, Sellers and other agents who are looking for homes in the area. Why are they calling us? Well, one reason is that they know we are a local, highly trusted resource for real estate. We know what is on the market, what is coming on the market, and where the good deals. I am currently working with a number of clients that came from word of mouth and referrals. As a seller, help yourself and get the word out to friends and co-workers to let them know you are looking to buy or sell a home. You never know what you might find.

4. Internet Marketing: Over 80% of all Buyers start their search for their new home on the internet. Of those 80%, 92% look for homes with multiple pictures on the internet listing. We as a company post 25 photos on Realtor.com, as well as numerous photos on the local listing services. We also have over 100 internet sites that Buyers can find our homes. Why is this important. See above. The internet has changed the way we as Realtors do business. Blogging (you are reading one right now), internet listing services, video marketing, podcasts are all a vital part of our internet marketing program.

If you have any comments or questions please feel free to call on me to answer any additional questions you may have.

We’ve been working on this Hamilton Mill website for about 9 or 10 months now. It took about 6 months worth of hard work, but after the first 6 months, we found that we consistently ranked at or very near the #1 or #2 spot in the Google search results for “Hamilton Mill”. We’re very proud of this accomplishment, but it’s actually only step one in the process of helping clients sell their home (or buy one).

This site (like all our sites) is designed to provide comprehensive real estate information about this exact area. It’s pretty obvious why we do this. We know that providing lots of great information to potential home buyers (and sellers) in the area will ultimately lead to more sales for Diamond Dwellings.

One of the key elements to internet marketing is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is kind of hard to define — yet the results are very easy to define. The #1 goal of all SEO work is to “win the search results” on Google, Yahoo and other search portals. Since most people only look at the top 3 or 4 results from a typical search, you basically don’t exist unless you rank at the very top for the key search terms on a specific subject.

I recently hired a new franchise attorney to help with the Diamond Dwellings franchise agreement. I hired him for 2 reasons. Both reasons are essential.

#1. He was easy to find online.

#2. He had “the right answers” when I contacted him

So, I started with a simple search for “Franchise Attorney”. Google gave me 436,000 results (no, really) Then I called 3 or 4 of the top ranked attorneys (ranked by Google). Then, since Google said they exist, I evaluated those 3 or 4 based on response time to my inquiry — and most importantly based on what they actually said when we talked (how well they represented their expertise, etc)

Search results are the critical 1st step in the process of finding the right buyer for your home (assuming the buyer is searching online for this area). Step two involves true salesmanship & experience to close the deal once the lead has been acquired.

Cirque du Soleil is coming to the Gwinnett County area early in the New Year with a new show called “Kooza.” The signature blue-and-yellow Grand Chapiteau (Big Top) will be erected at Atlantic Station from Jan. 2-Jan. 18.If you did not get a chance to see the show last time, (I did not) this year is a must see. I am planning on bringing the Bride. Hmm, maybe a great Christmas present.

Tickets are on sale now on the Cirque website.

“Kooza” is described as the story of The Innocent, “a melancholy loner in search of his place in the world.” It will emphasize the Montreal-based company’s love of clowning and acrobatic traditions.

Let’s hope “Kooza” will be as impressive as “Corteo,” which played Atlantic Station during the 2006 holiday season.

If past experience is any indication of the shows success, you can bet that Cirque will extend its Atlanta run beyond Jan. 18. Stay tuned for more details later.

Home sales contracts signed in June unexpectedly rose across the country, but still were well below year-earlier levels, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday.

The trade group for Realtors said its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in June, was up 5.3% to 89.0 from a downwardly revised 84.5 in May.

It was the highest reading for the index since October 2007, when it was at 89.8. But the index was 12.3% below year-ago levels.

The pickup in June signings was sharply contrary to forecasts by economists polled by Reuters, who had expected home sales contract signings to decline 1%. This news comes as a surprise to some but there are numerous reports that the overall market has eased and sales will continue this upward trend.

The association’s senior economist, Lawrence Yun, said the swings in monthly signings “indicates a housing market in transition.”

“This is welcome news, because a rise in contract activity is necessary for an overall housing recovery,” Yun said.

Contract signings rose in June by 9.3% in the South, by 4.6% in the West, 3.4% in the Northeast and 1.3% in the Midwest.

The realtors said the improvement in contract signings “appears to be broadening” and expressed hope that housing legislation signed into law last month will further encourage buyers. The legislation offers a tax credit to first-time home buyers and aims to ward off some foreclosures.

For more information on this article or discuss the current real estate market please contact me at 678-279-4717.

Matt Hermes

Gwinnett County Schools Back in Session August 11th.

Well, another summer has passed and the kids will be heading out bright and early Monday morning to start another year of school in Gwinnett County. My wife Carmen, headed back to school this Monday to get her room ready for the arrival of students and there is a sense of excitement in the air as school approaches for our Gwinnett County Students.

With the start of school, there is a lot to look forward to. Numerous new schools in Gwinnett County are set to open. The newest school closest to my subdivision, Hamilton Mill, is Puckett’s Mill Elementary. As many know, this past spring there was a huge debate as to how the Hamilton Mill neighborhood would be effected by the new school. At one point, the neighborhood was to be divided and half the kids would continue to learn at Duncan Creek Elementary and the other half travel to Puckett’s Mill. This sent the neighborhood into action and after a few months of negotiations, letter writing, and presence at the school board meetings we were able to get all of Hamilton Mill into the new school.

On a personal level, for me the start of school means I can get back to working on a more productive level out of my home office. Can anyone say “peace and quiet”. Ahhh, I can start to think again without the constant interuptions from my the elementary school age kids. For those stay at home mom’s it is a chance to get back into the gym, play some tennis, relax and have some well deserved free time again.

Have a great school year Gwinnett County, and keep us in mind if you or someone you know is looking to buy or sell real estate in Gwinnett County.

Matt Hermes

One of our goals at Diamond Dwellings Realty at Mill Creek is to provide Hamilton Mill homeowners accurate information on the current real estate market in our Home Town.

We have compiled the following data for the Hamilton Mill Subdivision from the Atlanta FMLS listing system (some data may also be from Georgia MLS) as of August 4, 2008. These are the current active and sales data for the month of July 2008.

Recap: We are still in a VERY competitive market and pricing, incentives and flexibility are key factors in getting homes sold. Our Team at Diamond Dwellings continues to be the market leader in both closings and pending sales. We are your choice for all yor real estate needs.
Current Homes listed for sale in Hamilton Mill: 118 (Down from 128 as of July 4, 2008)

Highest Price Home: $1,250,000 / 2048 Bakers Mill Road (New Construction)

Lowest Price Home: $215,000 / Lake Heights Circle

Average List Price: $408,381 – Down $3,000 over July

July 2008 Hamilton Mill Real Estate Sales: 5 (same as May and June 2008)

Diamond Dwellings Realty Participated in 20% of these closed sales. Market leader in this area again for the Fourth month in a row.

Highest Price Home: Sale Price: $520,000 / 3414 Mill Place Court (Original Asking Price: $625,000)

Lowest Price Home: Sale Price: $289,000 / 3361 Walkers Ridge Road (Original Asking Price: $324,900)

Current Pending Hamilton Mill Real Estate Sales: 9

DIAMOND DWELLINGS IS PARTICIPATING IN 33% OF THESE SALES – MARKET LEADER IN THIS AREA!!!

While the July sales are not what we’d hoped for in Hamilton Mill — Or all of Gwinnett County, the activity level has picked up as compared to Q1′08 and we have seen an improvement in the “pending/under contract” homes that are scheduled to sell. If you or someone you know is waiting for the market to level out to find that “deal” now is probably the time to take a hard look at your purchase opportunities. Do not wait and miss the bottom.

If you would like additional listing information on any home in Hamilton Mill email us at mhermes@diamonddwellings.com or call me at 678-279-4717. We will be happy to email a list of available homes for your review.

We’ve just about completed our move to the new office location for Diamond Dwellings at Hamilton Mill in Dacula, Ga. We’ve literally just moved a few steps down Hwy 124 from our old location. Now, we’re located in the new Hamilton Mill Station complex (12Stone Church is at the front of the complex). To find our office, head down the hill toward the back of the complex (it’s only one street). We’re in the last building on the right.

We moved over here to be part of the new Mill Meeting Place “business club” concept. It’s a place where small business can really thrive. Can’t wait to see it all come together here.

Our new street address is: 2078 Teron Trace, Suite 250, Dacula, Ga. 30019

Here’s a few pictures of the complex:

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

If you need any additional directions, just call us anytime at 678.279.4700