basements in georgia (Tucker, Lawrenceville, Snellville: sales, foreclosures, house)

[Billdemartini]

Originally Posted by janette moss

I was laughing about you and your wife thinking about pulling up the whole thing and moving. When I finished writing to you last night, I was laughing to myself thinking "if we pulled the house up, the basement would still be sitting in the ground and then we would be at square one -- paying someone for excavation costs to dig a new basement and then pay to have it finished." I was telling my husband maybe we should go to the "sale by owner" route, but I think it's more than a notion. Have to do more investigating on that. We have good computer exposure and the realtor said that he thinks it's a waste of time putting it in the "real estate books" in Krogers, etc. He would have to pay for it and said it doesn't work that well for his co-workers on his "realtor team". I always see signs that say "will buy houses even ugly ones". Jury still out on that -- can't trust it (but laugh to myself when I see it thinking hmmmm). The realtor said the "open house" situation can be rough also. He said he works for a new sub in the northern part of Michigan, and he might get 1 person/couple coming through each week. He also said that sometimes the neighbors may come in just to see what your homes looks like inside or for decoration ideas. Since you really don't know everyone that lives in your neighborhood, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference of who is who -- could be a waste of time. The "old money" term is when you know a home was once the "bomb" in it's day and was built in the early 60's, 70's (maybe earlier) by people who were "well-to-do" that are now elderly/estate property and could have some problems. I know there are inspectors; but an old car can look great and well-cared for until you start driving it. Trust me, the way the economy is here in Michigan, the Jaguar situation was not here. It was in the Maryland area. I hope I am not taking up too much room in the forum. Tell me how to change my "user name". As I said, I like the cute names people use.

Yeah unfortunately Open Houses don't usually sell listings. They are good for bringing in traffic which is good for the agent manning the house but doesn't really help the seller. Those advertisements aren't really the best either although some do work actually.

What sells a house is pricing and staging it right, getting it into MLS and advertising it where people look for listings.

Unfortunately I have no idea how to change your user name.

[sandykayak]

newbie here...another Floridian (Miami!), hoping to retire next year but can't afford to stay here, and then the increase in hurricanes is scary.

Looking at the Blue Ridge/Ellijay area. Enjoyed many of the comments in other threads, especially Prichard, Half-Back, and ...yankee.

janette. top left where it says My Settings..click on that and look at the options. should be able to change your user name.

what i haven't found out is whether there is a pre-set signature we can input.

[janette moss]

Originally Posted by sandykayak

newbie here...another Floridian (Miami!), hoping to retire next year but can't afford to stay here, and then the increase in hurricanes is scary.

Looking at the Blue Ridge/Ellijay area. Enjoyed many of the comments in other threads, especially Prichard, Half-Back, and ...yankee.

janette. top left where it says My Settings..click on that and look at the options. should be able to change your user name.

what i haven't found out is whether there is a pre-set signature we can input.

I will have to check those areas out and the comments that you mentioned. I am still a "Michiganian" and will continue to look at other areas. Conyers has been my favorite so far, but I don't want to limit myself and husband until the "jury is back in". Thank you for pointing me toward the help to change my user name. Now that I am getting used to "janette", I may keep it. When you used the name "janette" in your thread, it was so personalized.

[BuckeyeGal]

Good luck finding basements in houses here in Georgia. Some of the older homes have them, but most of the newly constructed homes in our area do not have them. If we have a tornado warning we go to the bathroom and sit in the tub. We live out in the county and there are no sirens nearby, so we have a weather radio to warn us of warnings.

[janette moss]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeGal

Good luck finding basements in houses here in Georgia. Some of the older homes have them, but most of the newly constructed homes in our area do not have them. If we have a tornado warning we go to the bathroom and sit in the tub. We live out in the county and there are no sirens nearby, so we have a weather radio to warn us of warnings.

I also found many older homes are the ones with basements. Have you had tornado warnings often?

[BuckeyeGal]

Janette,
Not a lot, however this past March 1st our area was under Tornado Warnings for about 8 hours. Yes, I meant warnings. This is not the norm though. We live in a rural part of Houston County and do not have sirens, but we do have a weather radio. The weather radio would wake us up before a siren would anyway.

[nibseysgirl]

Originally Posted by Prichard

Many people have turned their basements into "mini-suites", with full bathroom, kitchen, living room and even a couple of regular sized bedrooms. Makes a great media room too. Perfect for elder family members who want some independance but also need to be near someone to help care for them. Also good for the kid who moves back home or can't seem to leave home. I have several relatives in the Atlanta area that have basements like these.

I'm envious - I really wish I had a basement. But, in Florida, being about 8' up from the water table, a basement is just another name for a swimming pool.

Prichard,
I too am envious and would love a basement. I live in Fl and I have only seen a basement once here in the three years that I was looking to buy b4 things went crazier than I am willing to be apart of(taxes, homeowners etc) my brother is the one who is blessed with a full basement and I am so jealous. We are now looking in GA and a basement is definatly on our must list...
I love the swimming pool comment...So true...One reason I am glad I for one rent and dont have a bsement here...To chancy...Take Care ..Lisa

[donac]

Originally Posted by janette moss

Please tell me the disadvatages of having a basement in Georgia. Would like to move into a fairly new home (no more than 3 or 4 years old). I want to know about moisture problems, flooding problems. Must have a basement that is finished. Want to know about tornados in Georgia. Want to move from Michigan to the Conyers area.

You shouldn't have any moisture problems in a newer house especially if it is what we call a daylight basement. New or resale you should always have the house inspected. That being said, of course you'd want to look for previous signs of moisture problems like water stains which could be on the ceiling, or down the walls or even on the carpet. if there was a problem you'd smell a musty smell. Now that i see the previous posts, the one about the underground basements verses the daylight is accurate. Most people who have experienced tornadoes here swear by having one of either. There are certain pockets of the metro atlanta area that seem to frequently be in tornado's paths. I believe that Conyers is one of them.
Basements offer many different uses here because they are daylight. Rec rooms, media rooms, in-law suites, or just extra space including a place to go during the storms. Hope this helps.

[janette moss]

Originally Posted by donac

You shouldn't have any moisture problems in a newer house especially if it is what we call a daylight basement. New or resale you should always have the house inspected. That being said, of course you'd want to look for previous signs of moisture problems like water stains which could be on the ceiling, or down the walls or even on the carpet. if there was a problem you'd smell a musty smell. Now that i see the previous posts, the one about the underground basements verses the daylight is accurate. Most people who have experienced tornadoes here swear by having one of either. There are certain pockets of the metro atlanta area that seem to frequently be in tornado's paths. I believe that Conyers is one of them.
Basements offer many different uses here because they are daylight. Rec rooms, media rooms, in-law suites, or just extra space including a place to go during the storms. Hope this helps.

Conyers is frequently hit by tornados? Tell me more about that! Appreciated your comments on moisture problems.

[Billdemartini]

Basements aren't necessarily just prevalent in older houses. A lot of builders are building homes with basements these days. You just have to know where to look.

My wife and I decided we wouldn't even look at a house that didn't at least have an unfinished, full basement.