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Read this week's AJC article
Sunday, 08 January 2012
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Home Info Package Helps To Ease Buyer Fears
by John Adams


Let's just face it! This is a tough time to sell a house.

The weather is awful, it gets dark at five o'clock in the afternoon. It's cold and rainy and nothing is blooming. There are no leaves on most of the trees (they are in your gutters). And for whatever reason only you understand, you've just got to try to sell your house.

What can you do to help buyers see your castle in its best possible light?

Read more...
 
Return of Real Property - PT-50R
Monday, 28 November 2011
pdf Georgia Taxpayer Return of Real Property PT-50R 

Click above to download Georgia Taxpayer Return of Real Property. 

 
LEAD PAINT: The New World of Renovation, Repair & Painting
Wednesday, 31 August 2011


The new EPA "RRP rule" affects contractors, property managers and others who disturb known or presumed lead-based paint during renovation. The term renovation covers all activities done for compensation that disturb painted surfaces including most repair, remodeling and maintenance activities, such as window replacement, weatherization and demolition. The RRP rule applies to all renovation work performed in residential houses, apartments and child-occupied facilities such as schools and day-care centers built before 1978. Those affected by the RRP rule should read the complete rule, which is available on EPA’s Web site at:

EPA.GOV

Training, certification, and work practice requirements in the Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule are effective to any job in progress on April 22, 2010. Pre-renovation education requirements are effective now.

Requirements for Renovation Contractors Include:

Certification and Training Requirements

* Firms must have one or more “Certified Renovators” assigned to jobs where lead-based paint is disturbed. To become certified, a renovator must successfully complete an EPA-approved one-day training course conducted by an EPA-accredited training provider. To find the nearest provider in Georgia, call 404-997-2278 or toll free 888-373-0029 or visit Renovate99.com. Total cost of the training is $350 for a five year certification, less a $50 discount for your association membership.

* All renovation workers must be trained. Renovation workers can be trained on-the-job by a Certified Renovator to use lead safe work practices, or they can become Certified Renovators themselves. Many firms will choose to hire only Certified Renovators to satisfy this requirement.

* What About Landlords Working in Their Own Property or Property Managers?

Landlords receive rental payments and maintenance personnel in rental property or child-occupied facilities receive wages or salaries derived from rent payments. This is considered compensation under the RRP rule. Therefore, renovation and repair activities performed by landlords or employees of landlords are covered by the rule. Work performed by landlords or their employees in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities must be performed using lead safe work practices, if lead-based paint or presumed lead-based paint is disturbed.

Any landlord who becomes a Certified Renovator is educated and trained to perform lead-safe repairs, renovations and turn-key jobs on his own property, and can hire non-certified workers to performs tasks under his supervision. Also, as an EPA Certified Renovator, the landlord may be able to avoid or divert liability by showing “good faith” efforts at providing lead-safe housing. In other words, it’s cheap insurance.

 
John Adams
Sunday, 05 September 2010
John Adams - Atlanta's Most Trusted Voice in Real EstateDescribed as "Atlanta's most trusted voice in real estate," John Adams is a leading expert and consultant on issues of home ownership in the southeast United States.

He can be heard weekly on News-Talk Radio 920amWGKA Saturdays starting at noon.  He also has a bi-weekly real estate column in The Sunday Atlanta Journal & Constitution and can be seen on Tuesday mornings on Fox5's Good Day Atlanta.
Read more...
 

Upcoming Events

John Adams Presents


LANDLORD SURVIVAL TRAINING

with John Adams
Tuesday, February 28th

Being a landlord can be a rewarding experience. It can also be a difficult one if you don't have the knowledge and understanding of what the process requires.

Few schools offer degrees in property management, so most landlords learn "on-the-job" through acquired knowledge and on-the-job experience, essentially re-inventing the wheel. This is an expensive and depressing way to learn anything.

Whether you're a full-time landlord or just getting ready to purchase your first rental property, whether you are a licensed Georgia real estate professional or an accidental landlord, this seminar will help you improve your property's value, increase your cash flow and decrease your expenses, from attracting (and retaining) good tenants to maintaining your property to understanding your rights and obligations under the law.

For more details and to register click HERE

PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION WORKSHOP
with John Adams
Tuesday, March 27th

One of the significant annual expenses faced by any Georgia property owner is ad valorem property tax. Depending on where you live, it can be as high as three percent of the property's fair market value, and it must be paid year after year after year.

As a result, efforts to minimize this expense are not only worthwhile, they are encouraged by Georgia law. The phrase "ad valorem" means that each property is taxed based only on its value, and no one is required to pay a penny more than the minimum the law demands.

At the Property Tax Reduction Workshop, real estate expert John Adams will review the system he has used for over thirty years to reduce valuations and assessments in Georgia counties and municipalities, saving himself literally hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years.

In this 3 hour information packed seminar, John will teach you how to:

1. Understand the legal process of Property Tax Assessment
2. Meet the newly uniform Tax Deadlines
3. File your own Property Tax Return with a realistic valuation
4. Document your PT-50R with facts to support your case
5. Proactively meet with your Appraiser to reach an agreement
6. Protest your Notice of Assessment in an Intelligent manner
7. Give the Assessor an Opportunity to Save Face
8. Appeal to your Board of Equalization, in person or by mail
9. Make Your Case to the BOE
10. Take Your Case to Superior Court if necessary

If you are not doing all these steps now, you are likely costing yourself hundreds or thousands of dollars a year. If you own just one house, you could easily save over a thousand dollars over the next three years. If you own properties valued collectively over a million dollars, you are literally throwing away your profits year after year.

For more details and to register click HERE