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Alpharetta and Cumming, GA Real Estate

Smith-Reese Group can help you find your perfect home. We serve the Alpharetta, Cumming and North Metro Atlanta communities with complete real estate services for buyers and sellers.

Featured Properties

720 Hawks Ridge

Offered at $1,100,000 - 720 Hawks Ridge Drive, Ball Ground

Estate Home, Huge Private Wooded Lot, 4.58 Acres In Exclusive Hawks Ridge Golf Club. Very Open Floorplan, Arches & Intricate Trimwork. Library, Offices, Media Area, Gorgeous Private Backyard with Inground Pool, Waterfall And Spa...

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Neighborhoods in Alpharetta & Ball Ground

HAWKS RIDGE

Hawks Ridge is one of Atlanta's finest golf course communities. The award-winning Bob Cupp designed golf course was voted one of America's top 100 golf courses in 2005. This breathtaking neighborhood located in Ball Ground, Georgia, just minutes from Cumming and Alpharetta features luxury homes and beautiful estate lots from 1-14 acres. Homes prices start at $1,500,000, building lots start at $200,000. Hawks Ridge is the ultimate in gated, golf course, estate living.


WOODHAVEN BEND

Woodhaven Bend on the Etowah is a unique gated community of over 300 acres of unspoiled land featuring 28 estate size lots and custom homes in a national park like setting with spectacular unspoiled views from every angle of each piece of property. The developers of Woodhaven Bend wanted to make this a true nature preserve; they left a 2 mile by 150 foot buffer around the entire riverfront area to preserve the habitat of the native wildlife on this magnificent piece of property. River access and views, trails, pavilions, and covered swings are located throughout this park-like community offering access to this sensational ecological haven. Homes prices in Woodhaven Bend start at $1,700,000 and building lots start at $250,000. Woodhaven Bend is located just off Hwy 369, minutes from Alpharetta and Cumming. Woodhaven bend is the ultimate for nature enthusiasts.


CHAMPIONS VIEW/CHAMPIONS OVERLOOK

Champions View might be considered one of Alpharetta's most stable neighborhoods; with a large majority of the homeowners the original owners. This community features large wooded lots, many with golf course and lake views. In addition there is an active homeowner's association with oversized pool and lighted tennis courts. Champions View homeowners have the great comfort in knowing that their children will attend some the best schools in the state like Cogburn Woods Elementary and Milton High School. Many homes in Champions View are located on The Trophy Club Golf Course. The Trophy Club was designed by D.J. Devictor and Steve Melnyk, and is an 18 hole, par 72 semiprivate golf course, tee options range from 5,471 (white) to 6,774 (gold). You can be assured that when a home goes on the market in this Alpharetta neighborhood, it won't last long! Homes in this neighborhood are priced between $500,000 - $1,200,000.


WHITE COLUMNS

White Columns is located in Alpharetta offering a popular golf and country club community. The homes are situated on large lots with incredible architectural details making each home unique. While containing some of Atlanta's finest luxury homes White Columns offers a very comfortable atmosphere with sidewalks throughout the neighborhood. White Columns is known for its award winning schools, like Summit Hills Elementary and Milton High School, is located near many award winning Equestrian facilities and is also close to shopping, GA 400 and Windward Parkway. The Tom Fazio designed golf course at White Columns Country Club features a challenging yet enjoyable round of golf. With tee options ranging from 5,100 to 7,300 yards, the gold course is sure to motivate and reward players of all skill levels. Homes for sale in White Columns range from $500,000 - $2,000,000+.


THE MANOR

The Manor is one of Alpharetta's newest communities known for its outstanding amenities. The Manor features an 18-hole Tom Watson designed golf course, and indoor-outdoor tennis facility. The Manor's Aquatic facility includes an expansive outdoor swimming pool with competition area, and children's play area. To complete the package the club (under construction) offers a state-of-the-art Fitness Center including, a full weight and aerobic facility, private exercise training, health and wellness seminars, fitness and yoga instruction, outdoor jr. Olympic-sized pool an indoor heated pool and Jacuzzi This private gated community features luxury homes with beautiful architectural styles from a wide range of local builders. Homes for sale in The Manor range from $800,000 - $2,500,000.

Neighborhoods in Cumming

WINDERMERE

Windermere is one of the most popular subdivisions in Cumming, Georgia encompassing a Davis Love III Signature Golf Course. This 18-hole, championship course takes full advantage of the spectacular settings. In addition Windermere offers an aquatic center featuring a lap pool, beach-entry pool, waterslide, fountain, and kiddie pool, fitness center, 12 lighted tennis courts, basketball court, children's play park, childcare facility, sidewalks, and a community park including fenced off leash Dog park. The homes for sale in this Cumming neighborhood range from town homes, active adult, young family and high end luxury. Windermere truly has something for everyone. Homes for sale in Windermere range from the low $300,000s- $1,000,000+.


LAUREL SPRINGS

Laurel Springs is a beautiful golf community located in South Forsyth County just north of the popular Johns Creek area.. The Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course is just one of the great amenities that Laurel Springs has to offer its homeowners. This private, gated community truly feels like an escape with beautiful views of the golf course and lakes. Laurel Springs is located close to the award winning South Forsyth schools as well as a local private school, Pinecrest Academy. Homes for sale in Laurel Springs range from the mid $500,000s-$1,000,000+.


CHESTATEE

Chestatee is Lake Lanier's foremost Golfing Community located in Dawsonville, Ga. just north of the Ga, 400 Outlet Mall. The Denis Griffiths' signature links-style course rolls through carefully groomed grounds and offers a clubhouse featuring the Heron Grille, seven lighted tennis courts, Junior Olympic swimming pool, miles of trails for walking or bicycling, a lake pavilion and bandstand, a 160 slip boat dock, home sites overlooking the lake, course or mountain side. Homes for sale in Chestatee range from the high $300,000s-$1,000,000+.


VICKERY

Vickery is not just another subdivision, Hedgewood Properties has created a unique Town Center complete with restaurants, specialty retail, fire station and permanent YMCA. Vickery features gorgeous craftsman style homes, recreational areas, 75 acres of parks, ponds, green space, walking trails, playgrounds, pool, tennis, and is comprised of 431 single family homes & 125 town homes and lofts. Experience this fantastic new planned community concept where you almost never have to leave home. Prices in this neighborhood range from $400,000s-$1,000,000+.


Short Sales


Thinking of Making an Offer on a Short Sale?
What You Need to Know.

Are you looking to buy a new home? Are you thinking that now's a great time to find bargains? That's true, but it pays to know a little about the seller's situation before you make an offer.

If a home is being sold for below what the current seller owes on the property—and the seller does not have other funds to make up the difference at closing—the sale is considered a short sale. Many more home owners are finding themselves in this situation due to a number of factors, including job losses, aggressive borrowing against their home in the days of easy credit, and declining home values in a slower real estate market.

A short sale is different from a foreclosure, which is when the seller's lender has taken title of the home and is selling it directly. Homeowners often try to accomplish a short sale in order to avoid foreclosure. But a short sale holds many potential pitfalls for buyers. Know the risks before you pursue a short-sale purchase.

You're a good candidate for a short-sale purchase if:

  • You're very patient. Even after you come to agreement with the seller to buy a short-sale property, the seller’s lender (or lenders, if there is more than one mortgage) has to approve the sale before you can close. When there is only one mortgage, short-sale experts say lender approval typically takes about two months. If there is more than one mortgage with different lenders, it can take four months or longer for the lenders to approve the sale.
  • Your financing is in order. Lenders like cash offers. But even if you can’t pay all cash for a short-sale property, it’s important to show you are well qualified and your financing is set. If you're preapproved, have a large down payment, and can close at any time, your offer will be viewed more favorably than that of a buyer whose financing is less secure.
  • You don’t have any contingencies. If you have a home to sell before you can close on the purchase of the short-sale property—or you need to be in your new home by a certain time—a short sale may not be for you. Lenders like no-contingency offers and flexible closing terms.

If you're serious about purchasing a short-sale property, it's important for you to have expert assistance. Here are some people you want to work with:

  • Experienced real estate attorney. Only about two out of five short sales are approved by lenders. But a good real estate attorney who's knowledgeable about the short-sale process will increase your chances getting an approved contract. Also, if you want any provisions or very specialized language written into the purchase contract, a real estate attorney is essential throughout the negotiation.
  • A qualified real estate professional.* You may have a close friend or relative in real estate, but if that person doesn’t know anything about short sales, working with him or her may hurt your chances of a successful closing. Interview a few practitioners and ask them how many buyers they've represented in a short sale and, of those, how many have successfully closed. A qualified real estate professional will be able to show you short-sale homes, help negotiate the purchase when you find the property you want to buy, and smooth communications with the lender. (All MLSs permit, and some now require, special notations to indicate that a listing is a short sale. There also are certain phrases you can watch for, such as “lender approval required.”)
  • Title officer. It’s a good idea to have a title officer do an initial title search on a short-sale property to see all the liens attached to the property. If there are multiple lien holders (e.g., second or third mortgage or lines of credit, real estate tax lien, mechanic’s lien, homeowners association lien, etc.), it's much tougher to get that short sale contract to the closing table. Any of the lien holders could put a kink in the process even after you’ve waited for months for lender approval. If you don’t know a title officer, your real estate attorney or real estate professional should be able to recommend a few.

Some of the other risks faced by buyers of short-sale properties include:

  • Potential for rejection. Lenders want to minimize their losses as much as possible. If you make an offer tremendously lower than the fair market value of the home, chances are that your offer will be rejected and you’ll have wasted months. Or the lender could make a counteroffer, which will lengthen the process.
  • Bad terms. Even when a lender approves a short sale, it could require that the sellers sign a promissory note to repay the deficient amount of the loan, which may not be acceptable to some financially desperate sellers. In that case, the sellers may refuse to go through with the short sale. Lenders also can change any of the terms of the contract that you’ve already negotiated, which may not be agreeable to you.
  • No repairs or repair credits. You will most likely be asked to take the property “as is.” Lenders are already taking a loss on the property and may not agree to requests for repair credits.

The risks of a short sale are considerable. But if you have the time, patience, and iron will to see it through, a short sale can be a win-win for you and the sellers.