Berkeley Lake City Council Lowers Tax Rate

City leaders of the Gwinnett city of some 2,000 residents announced recently it has reduced its property millage rate by almost 50 percent.

When homeowners of Berkeley Lake open their property tax bills this year, they will be presently surprised. City leaders voted to reduce the millage rate by nearly 50 percent. An announcement on the city's website states: "At a special called meeting on July 6, 2012, the Berkeley Lake City Council set the millage rate for 2012 at 2.8 mils, down from the 2011 rate of 5.386." The new rate represents a 49.77 percent reduction from last year. Tax bills will be mailed out in the first half of August and are due October 15, 2012. In other news: In her Mayors Message to the citizens of Berkeley Lake dated June 29, 2012, Mayor Lois Salter pointed out several other highlights the city has accomplished this year. "The city has won battles over the …

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Weekly Real Estate Market Report

Who Represents Whom in Real Estate Transaction

Listing agents and buyer's agents! Who works for me?

In a real estate transaction who represents whom can sometimes be confusing. You have buyer’s agents, listing agents, and attorneys who all are involved in getting your home to closing. The listing agent is the one who has the sign in the front yard. That person represents the seller and is the person marketing and promoting the home. Buyers may call the listing agent for information about a home but they should be aware that the listing agent is working for the seller. The listing agent as well as the buyer’s agent owes all parties fairness and honesty. Buyers have two choices on representation. They may choose to be represented by a buyer’s agent. This is the preferred choice of most buyers. Representation by a buyer’s agent cost the …

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Weekly Real Estate Market Report

Real Estate Market Year-To-Date Report

Sales are up but prices continue to be pushed down by foreclosure and short sales.

We are currently experiencing the best first half since 2007 in the Peachtree Corners real estate market. No, prices have not rebounded to 2006 levels but we are seeing good homes priced at or just below market that are experiencing showings, offers and sales. We hate to get too excited but buyers and sellers are out in mass. We are listing homes and seeing multiple offers in some cases. Despite all the good news, foreclosures and short sales are still a large part of the local real estate market.  It has been said that in Metro Atlanta every short sale on average means a home sold 20 percent below market price and every foreclosure means a home sold at 40 percent below market. By market price, we referring to 2012 market prices not those …

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Debbie Timm

11:37 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012

It is great to see homes selling again! Prices will come back steadily as the market improves. Thanks for the update, Nancy!   more ›

Weekly Real Estate Market Report

Plenty of Open Houses This Weekend

This weekend is National Realtor open house weekend.

Once upon a time the number one way of marketing a home was the weekly open house. Driving around on the weekend looking for open house signs was the way home buyers found homes. But the growing popularity of the Internet has changed all of that. The weekend home seeker often searches for homes day and night on the Internet. Knowing this, why do we continue to have open houses and why participate in a National Realtor open house weekend? The reason we have the open houses is because people want to see the home in its setting and check out what they have seen on the Internet. It also provides a comfortable welcoming environment for the buyer to visit homes. It is fun to be part of the energy across this country. Over 31,000 homes nationwide…

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Berkeley Lake Dam Repairs Underway

Work began on March 19 to repair the 64-year-old dam which was damaged during the 2009 historic floods. Repairs are expected to take nearly a year to complete.

  The long-awaited work has begun in earnest on repairing the City of Berkeley Lake's dam which was damaged in the historic floods of September 2009. On March 19, North Berkeley Lake Road was closed while repair work to the dam is complete. The project is expected to be finished February 2013. The ordeal began shortly after the rains subsided. Cracks were discovered on the top of the dam by a maintenance crew that was mowing the area after the historic rainfall. The earthen dam, built in 1948, is one of the largest in the state. Berkeley Lake's city leaders applied to FEMA for disaster relief in early 2010 for the $3.55 million estimated repairs needed but it would take two years before funds were released. Now that the FEMA funds have …

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Weekly Real Estate Market Report

Finding Open Houses in Today's Market

A look at the what, when and where to locate open houses by sellers, buyers and agents.

Once upon a time Open Houses were the way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Home buyers would search the newspaper for the list of homes that were going to be open. This was their chance to view the inside of homes they thought might work for their family. Of course, this was before the computer became a way of life for most of us. Many times they would make a day of it. The family would pile in the car and head out for burgers and then off they would go in search of their dream home. Fast forward to 2012. Over 90 percent of the people buying a home are now finding them on their computers. Realtor.com, Trulia.com, Zillow.com and KW.com are some of the sites they use to search. They have searches their buyer’s agents have set up and that are …

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Gwinnett Police Release Crime Stats and Trends

2011 statistics have seen most crime down, but homicides were up from 2010 figures.

  Gwinnett County has released its crime figures from last year, reporting that the county’s crime rate dropped in 2011 compared to the previous year in nine major categories. In addition, the Gwinnett County Police Department, which patrols Peachtree Corners, reported that the average response time to emergencies in the first six months of 2011 dropped from almost seven minutes to less than five and a half. In a press release, the following drops in crime were reported: Homicides, however, were up from the previous year. There were a total of 24 homicides last year, up from 20 in 2010. Of the homicides, 10 were domestic-related, five were drug-related, five involved robbery, three were police-involved shootings and one was an unknown …

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Berkeley Lake Receives $2.6 Million FEMA Grant

Friday the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the federal funds, which will be used to repair the city's earthen dam damaged in 2009, is on its way.

  The check is in the mail - well, so to speak. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regional Administrator Phil May announced on Jan. 20, 2012 that the City of Berkeley Lake would receive $2,607,750 in grant funds to repair the city's earthen dam which was damaged after historic flooding in September 2009. The total projected cost of repairs is estimated to be $3,580,558. FEMA provides the money to the state, which then relays the funds to the city. "This grant will help the city of Berkeley Lake recover financially from one of Georgia's worst natural disasters and at the same time help to make it safer against any future one," said May in a press release. "Disaster, flooding in particular, can really debilitate a community's …

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Gwinnett Goes Leaner To Balance 2012 Budget

Commissioners thank county staffers for finding additional cuts to avoid using reserve funds.

  It will require leaving open positions unfilled for awhile, and not filling some public safety jobs at all. But Gwinnett County officials were feeling a sense of accomplishment Tuesday when they adopted a balanced budget for 2012 that did not require dipping into reserve funds. "The credit goes to the staff and officials throughout the county," said Charlotte Nash, chairman of the Board Of Commissioners, at the business meeting where the budget was passed. Various department officials kept whittling away and prioritizing even after the proposed $1.32 billion budget was unveiled in November. At that time, officials projected using about $5 million in reserve funds. But since then, officials identified savings that included: Still, the …

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Berkeley Lake Vote Update

City voters to decide whether to approve Sunday alcohol sales.

The City of Berkeley Lake's 1,184 registered voters decide today whether to allow Sunday alcohol sales. Although the city currently has no businesses that sell alcohol in its borders, the city leaders are preparing for the future. The city of some 2,000 residents has just recently annexed 25 parcels, including businesses, several banks and a private school. However, city leaders have reached out to a number of other businesses on the east side of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard to be a part of the city and if those annexations are approved, it could possibly include one or more businesses that do sell beer and wine. By early afternoon approximately 100 voters had cast their votes at city hall. The city also accepted 82 absentee ballots …

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