Brian Vanderhoff's North Fulton Real Estate Blog

646-home gated community phased in over 10 years


JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – If you were wondering if the new-home market has rebounded, developer Warren Jolly just sent a resounding yes with his plans to build a 224-acre gated community at Bell Road and Medlock Bridge Road just south of Technology Park.

It is easily the largest residential development in several years for Johns Creek, and will be a "development of regional impact," which means it will have to get clearance from the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority. Final say will come from the Johns Creek City Council.

Jolly, president of the Providence Group of Georgia LLC, said he plans to build 646 homes in a phased development called Bellmoore that will take 10 years to complete. The homes will range in price from the mid-$400,000s to more than $800,000, with an average price in the $500,000 to $750,000 range.

The homes themselves will be 2,500 square feet to 5,000 square feet with lot sizes of 4,000 square feet to 15,000 square feet.

"We will build about $30 million a year in new homes," Jolly said.

The plan was previewed March 14 to the Johns Creek Community Association Community Zoning Information Meeting, which had about 25 homeowners in attendance including HOA officers from the surrounding communities.

Real estate attorney Nathan V. Hendricks, speaking for the project, said it is a community unit plan (CUP) that has been submitted to the city for analysis. The project will have a density of 2.88 units per acre. The city Comprehensive Land Use Plan calls for a maximum of three units per acre.


The property is part of the Deen-Day family acreage that is on the north side of Bell Road and directly behind the Johns Creek United Methodist Church.

Hendricks said key qualities the development will have include:

• A mandatory homeowner association that will be responsible for all landscaping and grounds maintenance.

• Two pools and an eight-court tennis amenity.

• A 10,000-square-foot clubhouse.

• A 5-acre natural park.

• Around 70 acres of green space throughout the property.




The two greatest concerns of the public were the effect on schools in the area and traffic, with traffic being the greater of the two.

Almost all of the questions centered on morning commuter traffic worsening and traffic safety at Medlock and Bell Road, and at Bell Road and Boles Road.

As for schools, Jolly said the target buyer would be downsizing older homeowners whose children are grown. While this did actually placate concerns, the neighbors moved on to traffic issues.

Perhaps the one element that Jolly had the most control over was the proposal by the city to create a secondary road that would connect Bellmoore on the northwest edge of its property and the Methodist church to Technology Park via Technology Circle.

This would provide Bellmoore residents access to Medlock Bridge without getting on Bell Road. It would also provide an alternate route for parents bringing their children to the church's preschool.

"We want to provide that connectivity because we know it will be as important to our future residents as it is to you," Jolly told the homeowners.

To that end, Jolly revised the location of the tennis courts to allow for dedication of right of way for the proposed road.


But that road is just a proposal. Residents wanted to know what would be the effect of another 1,200 cars potentially pulling out onto Bell Road at 7:40 a.m. Bell Road at Boles Road is a nightmare in the mornings especially and has an F traffic rating.

Jolly's traffic expert John Walker of Kimley Horn and Associates said the city's plan to put a roundabout in the intersection should more than solve the congestion there.

"I love roundabouts, both as a driver and a traffic planner. GDOT [Georgia Department of Transportation] has finally caught on. Any intersection where they get a request for a signal, they say first must be modeled for a roundabout."

The intersection at Medlock and the church can be eased after the 9 a.m. peak by a retiming of the interval of the light to allow Abbotts Bridge-Bell traffic more time to move through the intersection. The north-south traffic on Medlock is greatly reduced by then as rush hour wanes. That makes the longer interval feasible, Walker said.

Margot Vetrovsky of Sugar Mill community said Jolly "had done a lovely job" in planning the project, but she still remained unconvinced that the traffic situation would be tolerable.

"I just want what's best for Johns Creek, and traffic is the biggest issue," she said.

Catherine Bonnet said Highway 120 (Abbotts Bridge) was still affected. She has school-age children she either drives or puts on the bus, and that is a worry to her.

Labels: Johns Creek, johns creek arts center, johns creek city hall, Johns Creek Election, johns creek fire department, johns creek high school, New Homes

The Providence Group announces five new home designs at Crabapple Crossroads in Fulton County. Featuring single-family Garden and Manor homes priced from the low-$300,000s to the $400,000s, this community is known for its luxurious, low-maintenance living. New construction is underway on four of these Atlanta new home designs with estimated summer move in dates.

“With its convenient location, just a short walk to the downtown Crabapple historic district, wonderful community amenities and luxurious interior home features, Crabapple Crossroads is a popular choice among Atlanta home buyers,” said Kelly Fink, vice president of sales and marketing for The Providence Group. “To accommodate all of our interested buyers, we’ve added five new floor plans to the expansive home offerings at this amazing community.”

Three of the plans are brand new for the metro Atlanta builder and include the Lancaster, Chesterfield and Langley designs. The Lancaster is a five bedroom, four bath home with 2,733 square feet, and the Chesterfield is a four bedroom, 3.5 bathroom home with 2,850 square feet. Both homes are under construction and are scheduled to be completed in June.

The Langley is also a new design for The Providence Group. This home features four bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and 2,585 square feet. These three new plans are Manor-style homes, adding additional style offerings at Crabapple Crossroads.

The other floor plans are two of The Providence Group’s best selling homes from other communities, the Devonshire and the Amberton. Both homes are under construction with a July completion date and offer Garden-style designs with four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. The Devonshire spans 2,815 square feet, and the Amberton is a spacious 3,000 square feet.

Nestled in highly sought after Milton, Crabapple Crossroads features upscale, spacious plans and boasts 12 home designs with two elevation options per plan. Buyers may chose from Garden homes with rear-entry garages and private, fenced courtyards and Manor homes with front-entry garages that feature carriage-style doors. Homes range from 2,585 to 3,464 square feet, and offer four bedrooms and up to four bathrooms.

Homeowners enjoy beautiful amenities that include a swimming pool, community clubhouse, parks and a future playground with picnic pavilion. Also, residents are within walking distance to the Crabapple historic district and award-winning schools. The Homeowners Association provides lawn maintenance including front and back yards.

Children residing at Crabapple Crossroads attend top-ranked Fulton County schools including Crabapple Crossing Elementary, Northwestern Middle and Milton High schools.

In addition to the four homes under construction, presale opportunities are available as well as two move-in ready homes, the Crabapple priced at $425,900 and the Glenridge priced at $384,900.

Labels: Crabapple, Crabapple Crossroads, new homebuyers, New Homes, new listing

Dreaming of the picturesque communities of yesteryear where children could play freely in a safe environment and Saturday afternoons consisted of leisurely strolls down to the local ice cream shop? Well, now you can make that dream a reality by visiting the Atlanta new homes at Crabapple Crossroads by The Providence Group.

Located in the heart of the historic Crabapple District in desirable North Fulton, Crabapple Crossroads is a fantastic new home community where residents are within walking distance to everything including restaurants, an ice cream shop, bakery, boutiques and medical facilities, as well as award-winning Milton schools.

When you do have to leave Milton, you’ll find that you have easy access to GA 400 for quick drives throughout Atlanta.

Crabapple Crossroads is composed of spacious new Garden-style homes with up to five bedrooms and 3,000 to 3,500 square feet of living spaced priced from the mid-$300,000s. Homes offer spectacular features such as rear-entry garages and private, fenced courtyards.

Inside you’ll find amazing finishes such as owner’s suites on the main level, large sitting rooms, 10-foot ceilings, hardwood floors, finished third-level retreats, lofts and gourmet kitchens with granite countertops, oversized islands, stainless steel appliances and beautiful stained cabinets.

Although historic Crabapple District has fun just a short walk away, you’ll find that you don’t have to even leave the community to have a little quality time with your family. Crabapple Crossroads has many wonderful amenities including a pool, clubhouse and parks; and a new playground with pavilion and picnic area is on schedule for a spring completion date.

Plus, the community offers low-maintenance living with lawn maintenance provided for the front and backyards.

Labels: Crabapple, Crabapple Crossroads, Foreclosures, milton, Milton Georgia, New Homes

Traton Homes is helping homebuyers achieve their dreams of home ownership this year with incentives on move-in ready homes at Westminister Place. Conveniently situated in Milton, a location that was recently recognized as having the best quality of life in the state of Georgia according to an “On Numbers” study, Westminister Place features new price reductions up to $75,900 plus $5,000 in closing cost bonuses.

“Milton is a highly desirable area for home buyers, and the city has seen a lot of recognition lately including being distinguished as having the best quality of life in Georgia,” said Kimberly Garwood, marketing manager for Traton Homes. “In addition to its rich culture and suburban charm, Milton is further distinguished as having one of the finest high schools in the country.”

Westminister Place is an intimate enclave of only 14 full-acre, basement home sites, priced from the $500,000s. Buyers may choose from three move-in ready homes including the Inglewood, Providence, and Lexington designs. These featured homes each offer five bedrooms and 4 to 5.5 bathrooms with popular interior finishes such as granite countertops, deluxe trim, coffered ceilings, hardwood flooring, gourmet kitchens, fireplaces, three-sides masonry exteriors, 10-foot ceilings, iron balusters, media rooms, three-car garages and more. In addition to the great move-in ready opportunities, buyers may choose their plan and build with new presale pricing.

Children in Westminister Place are served by Summit Elementary, Northwestern Middle and Milton High schools.

To visit this Traton community, travel GA 400 North to Exit 8 (Mansell Road). Turn left off ramp and stay in right lane. Continue approximately 2 miles (crossing Atlanta Rd/Hwy 9), following signs to GA 140W (140W/Houze Road and Arnold Mill Road are all the same Road —it changes names as you travel). Turn right on 140W/Houze Road. Continue 3.2 miles and bear right (at Fire Station) on New Providence Road. Continue on New Providence Road for approximately 2 miles and Westminster Place will be on your right.

Labels: Milton Georgia, New Homes, Traton Homes

If you’re finally ready to purchase a new Atlanta home, start your search with Pulte Homes. We have communities throughout metro Atlanta that offer a variety of plans and pricing. Don’t settle for a resale – now is the perfect time to get the home you’ve always dreamed about. Here are some of the reasons why now is the time to buy a new home from Pulte.

Best Plans – We’re always searching for ways to improve the design of our homes to meet the needs of today’s homebuyers. Concepts that worked even a few years ago are now being altered to keep up with the ever-changing demands of families. From interior design to building materials to environmentally-friendly building processes, each Pulte home is Life Tested™ – built from the idea up.

Best Pricing – Regardless of your price range, we’re sure to have a community with affordable options. For example, our new Barrington community in Sugar Hill, Ga., has brand new single-family homes priced from the $130’s. All of our homes include modern features, which means you won’t have to sacrifice style for affordability. Qualified buyers can also take advantage of the Pulte Mortgage program, which offers several financing options that can be tailored to your specific needs.

Best Locations – Each of our community locations is carefully selected. We understand that today’s homebuyers place a premium on convenience. Our neighborhoods offer easy access to job centers, major roadways, shops, restaurants and more. Ferncliff at Lenox is located just steps from Lenox Square Mall. Sterling Brooke is minutes from North Point Mall, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater and Big Creek Greenway. Overlook at Westbury is close to Smyrna Marketplace Village, West Village and Vinings Jubilee. These are just a few examples of the convenience found at each Pulte Homes community.

Now that you know about all the benefits of buying a Pulte Home, here’s one more: When you purchase a new home in January, we’ll cover your closing costs, an upgraded gourmet kitchen or upgraded hardwood floors.*

Labels: lenox, lenox square, New Homes, North Point, Pulte Homes

To celebrate the New Year, KM Homes is rolling out fantastic promotions at several communities. At Evans Farms in Forsyth County, the builder is offering homebuyers up to $12,000 in savings. From now until Jan. 31, 2012, you can take advantage of the following offer for the Home of the Month:

$5,000 flexible spending cash to spend any way you choose!
Move-in package featuring free blinds, a free refrigerator and free washer/dryer
$3,500 in closing costs when using a KM Homes preferred lender
Evans Farms offers a Home of the Month, allowing you to save even more on a new Forsyth County home. Homesite #158 features a beautiful two-story house with 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, 3,004 square feet of space and a full basement. This home has a beautiful brick and siding exterior with a welcoming front porch. The two-story family room opens into the breakfast area and kitchen. The kitchen offers everything you could want: upgraded cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and tile backsplash. The 1st floor also features a study and separate dining room. This home offers upgrades throughout, including a granite fireplace surround, master bath package, trim, door hardware, lighting and colonial stair railing. There are hardwoods featured in the kitchen, breakfast area, powder room and dining room. This home is available for just $272,568.

Evans Farms is a wonderful community for active families. It boasts an impressive array of amenities, including an open air cabana with outdoor fireplace; junior Olympic pool with colorful tumbling water buckets; tennis courts; and community pocket parks with playgrounds. Evans Farms also features a two-acre community playfield that is great for outdoor sports.

Children in the community attend Sawnee Elementary, Vickery Creek Middle and West Forsyth High schools.

For more information on Evans Farms, please contact 770-331-1206

Labels: Foreclosures, foreclosures for sale, Forsyth, Forsyth County, KM Homes, New Homes

Neighboring communities happy with end-of-year construction numbers


MILTON/FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – Two neighboring communities are finishing the year in the black when it comes to residential construction permitting.

Forsyth County and city of Milton planning and development officials say their area has seen an overall positive outlook when it comes to new home permits.

"We will permit a few more homes, more homes than last year," said Tom Brown, director of Forsyth County Department of Planning and Community Development.

Commercial permits are a bit harder and a bit more misleading, Brown said.

"You could have a commercial permit for a Walmart and a commercial permit for someone doing a dumpster enclosure," Brown said. "A residential unit is pretty comparable."

In the case of a residential construction, one may be taking about a detached home, an apartment or a townhome.

"You're talking about a new household coming online," Brown said.

Percentage-wise, it may seem like a small increase, but it's still more than the previous year.

"The good sign is that people still find this area attractive, people want to move here," Brown said. "Compared to other counties, we are doing much more activity. Regardless of people's opinions, people want to be here."


In Milton the picture is a little different. While commercial numbers for building permits dropped off significantly from 2010 to this year, residential spiked. New homes got a small bump, but the real jump in construction came from additions and extensions of current homes, including pools and garages.

"Not a lot of commercial businesses are spending money right now [in Milton]," said Wade Greene, chief building inspector with Milton. "Instead we're finding people are adding on to their current homes. They decided they can live with their home for another couple years."

Green said the numbers are a far cry from the boom of 2007, but still not as bad as 2008 or 2009.

Labels: Forysth, Forysth County, milton, Milton Georgia, New Homes

Some builders offer newly constructed homes available for immediate delivery. These homes are usually ready to move into within 30 days. That means some builders are eager to sell- but don’t expect them to say so.

Immediate-delivery homes often are available for various reasons:
• The community is nearly complete so the builder went ahead and had the on-site contractors build “spec” homes on the last lots, or the model home is for sale.
• The contract fell through.
• Builders purposely build homes for immediate delivery for buyers who are relocating or who have sold their old home and need to move quickly.

An immediate-delivery home may be specifically priced, although builders sometimes add financing incentives or free options rather than dropping the price. Recent buyers understandably don’t want the last homes o the street to sell for less than they paid for their home.

If you need to move quickly, or prefer seeing and walking through what you’re buying before you sign a contract, and immediate-delivery home could be the right choice for you.

Labels: Alpharetta, buying advantages, city of milton, City of Roswell, Cobb, Cumming, duluth, Fulton, Georgia, New Homes, wood

Almost half of all new-home buyers use a real estate agent to help them. Those who go it alone may not realize there’s no cost to the buyer, and builders are happy to cooperate with agents. If you’re considering a new home, call us! We can help you understand how new homes are built and the fine print of builder and manufacturer warranties.

Labels: Alpharetta, builders, city of milton, City of Roswell, Cumming, duluth, georgia. woodstock, New Homes

Vanderhoff Real Estate specializes in First Time Home Buyers. They take the time to work with you and have no time frames and no pressure tactics.

Also 100% Financing is now available.

So if you are tired of renting and would like to own your own home, please email or call us anytime.

Brian Vanderhoff
Associate Broker
Vanderhoff Real Estate
t. 770-331-1206
f. 770-783-6812
homes@400n.com
www.400N.com

Labels: First Time Home Buyers, homes, New Homes, Real Estate, Rental, renting

WASHINGTON -- Sales of new homes posted an unexpected gain in September although the improvement came after sales had fallen to the slowest pace in more than a decade.

The Commerce Department reported Thursday that sales of new homes rose by 4.8 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 770,000 units. That level of activity was still 23.3 percent below a year ago, indicating that housing remains in a steep downturn.

Analysts had been expecting sales would fall by 2.5 percent last month from an August sales pace that had originally been reported as 795,000 homes. However, that figure was revised sharply lower in the new report to show a sales rate of just 735,000 in August, the slowest sales pace in 11 years.

Meanwhile, orders for big-ticket manufactured goods dropped an unexpected 1.7 percent last month following an even bigger 5.3 percent plunge in August. The first back-to-back declines in factory orders in more than a year raised new worries about how much harm would be inflicted on the economy from a severe housing slump and credit crunch.

In a third report, the Labor Department said that the number of newly laid off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell by 8,000 last week to 331,000.

The report on home sales showed that the median new home price in September -- the point where half the homes sold for more and half for less -- rose to $238,000, up 2.5 percent from August, which had seen prices fall to the lowest level in nearly a year.

The rebound in home sales was led by a 37.7 percent surge in the West. Sales were also up 0.5 percent in the South. But sales of new homes fell by 19.5 percent in the Midwest and 6.6 percent in the Northeast.

The September drop in orders for durable goods reflected weakness in such areas as autos, fabricated metals, computers and electronics products, and electrical appliances.

That decline followed several other reports showing economic weakness, including continued steep slides in sales of existing homes and reports from banks and investment houses that they were having to take big write-offs due to losses in such areas as mortgage-backed securities.

Losses that began in investments on subprime mortgages, where deliquency rates are soaring, had caused a severe credit crunch in August as the market for many kinds of investments nearly dried up.

The concern is that if the economic disruptions become serious enough, they could drag down overall economic growth, which has already slowed under the impact of the steep downturn in housing.

Many analysts, however, believe the economy will still be able to avoid an outright recession because the Federal Reserve, which cut a key interest rate for the first time in four years, will keep cutting rates to stimulate economic growth. The Fed meets again next week.

In a new report released Thursday, the congressional Joint Economic Committee estimated that 2 million subprime mortgages could go into foreclosure over the next 18 months as initially low introductory rates reset at much higher levels. The JEC report said that states will lose $917 million in property tax revenue as housing values are depressed by the wave of foreclosures.

"State by state, the economic costs from the subprime debacle are shockingly high," Sen. Charles Schumer, chairman of the JEC said in a statement. "From New York to California, we are headed for billions in lost wealth, property values and tax revenues."

Schumer called on the Bush administration to more more aggressively to help families find ways to avoid going into default on their home loans.

The report on durable goods showed that orders for transportation equipment fell by 6.3 percent last month after an even bigger 12.3 percent fall in August.

Demand for commercial aircraft did rebound, rising by 18.2 percent in September after a 40.2 percent plunge in August as demand picked up at aircraft-maker Boeing Co.

But orders for autos fell by 2.9 percent after an even bigger 8.2 percent drop in August, reflecting the continuing troubles for domestic automakers struggling with foreign competition and consumers' shift away from gas-guzzling vehicles.

Orders for military aircraft were also down a sharp 37.3 percent in September after having surged in August.

Excluding transportation, orders for durable goods would have risen by 0.3 percent following a 1.8 percent drop in orders outside of transportation in August.

Labels: Home Sales, New Homes, Real Estate