Mary Ellen Vanaken Team: August 2013

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Welcome To Creekstone Estates - Cumming, Georgia

The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty - 678-665-2887 www.mevhomes.com

Welcome To Creekstone Estates - Cumming, Georgia. Creekstone Estates is a family friendly community with luxurious homes in a variety of sizes and styles. Creekstone Estates was created in 2001 and presently has a few remaining construction lots available. The community offers approximately 350 stunning homes on 370 acres. With homes in the $700,000's to $1.5 million+ range, Creekstone Estates offers families an excellent neighborhood to call home.

Residents in Creekstone Estates are able to enjoy remarkable amenities to make lifelong memories including an 8,000 square foot Clubhouse, 11 lighted tennis courts with Tennis Pro and Pro Shop, an Activities & Tennis Director, a fresh water lake, Jr. Olympic pool, fitness center, play field, tot lot, and outdoor athletic court.

Creekstone Estates - Cumming, Georgia

Creekstone Estates is located in Cumming in South Forsyth County, just off GA400 at exit #13.

The location is ideal with great shopping ("The Collection") and parks (Sharon Springs Park) down the street. The South Forsyth County Schools are highly rated. South Forsyth High School was voted by Newsweek in 2012 as one of America's best schools.

Forsyth County is considered one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. The county's proximity to Atlanta and its appeal as a commuter area for people working in the Atlanta area is what makes the area popular. High earning professionals increased the average income to a point where Forbes.com named it as the 13th wealthiest county in the United States in terms of median household income for 2008. It is also considered the wealthiest county in the state of Georgia, and one of the wealthiest counties in the nation.

Take our video tour of Creekstone Estates by clicking on photo above or HERE.

Creekstone Estates Homes For Sale $600,000-$699,000

Creekstone Estates Homes For Sale $700,000-$799,000

Creekstone Estates Homes For Sale $800,000-$899,000

Creekstone Estates Homes For Sale $900,000+

Contact The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty - Your Creekstone Estates Expert - www.mevhomes.com * 678-665-2887

Welcome To Creekstone Estates - Cumming, Georgia

Monday, August 26, 2013

Welcome To Cumming, Georgia - Your Next Home!

Cumming offers a progressive, bustling business community, mixed with a small town ambiance with convenient access to Atlanta. Here, businesses and residents alike, enjoy a vibrant community complete with a thriving economy and a school system known for its excellence. You will find a variety of home styles and pricing. Take a virtual tour of Cumming, Georgia and all that it has to offer by clicking on the above picture or HERE.

Looking to Buy a home in Cumming Georgia or Sell a home in Cumming Georgia? The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team has lived and worked in the area for over 20+ years! Contact us today for all your real estate needs!

Welcome To Cumming, Georgia - Your Next Home!

Friday, August 23, 2013

Welcome To Alpharetta, Georgia

Welcome To Alpharetta, Georgia!

The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty 678-665-2887

http://www.mevhomes.com

Alpharetta is what it claims itself to be: Awesome! With approximately 54,000 residents and located less than 25 miles from Atlanta, Alpharetta, Georgia offers its residents a thriving culinary scene, luxury accommodations, exciting recreation, trendy entertainment and endless shopping opportunities. The schools are top rated - both public and private. Homes are stunning! With golf communities, swim/tennis communities and communities with their own private lake, you will find a variety to choose from. Take a visual drive through Alpharetta today by clicking on the picture above or HERE. Start searching for your new Alpharetta, Georgia home below.

Welcome To Alpharetta, Georgia

Monday, August 19, 2013

Blue Ridge Georgia Mountain Home, 531 Deer Crest Heights

- Keller Williams Realty - 678-665-2887

Fall in love with this spectacular mountain chalet style home and surround yourself with beauty, relaxation and natural fun in Blue Ridge Georgia Mountains.

As you drive up to the home at 531 Deer Crest Heights, you will experience a little bit of heaven on earth. This mountain retreat has over four acres that includes a small private lake perfect for spring picnics along the edge or canoeing with the kids. Waterfalls on the property create a relaxing and calming atmosphere. And if your dream is to construct your own helicopter pad, the expansive size of the property is perfect for this and any other dreams you may have in mind.

Inside the home, you will find 11 bedrooms, eight full bathrooms and three half baths. Looking to entertain business associates or host your annual family reunion? This is the perfect home for you. It's the ideal place to serve large groups with its four kitchens, an elevator, media room, library/office, work out room, 5 car garage, and private apartment for guests.

Walk through the home and you will encounter luxury with massive ceilings detailed in wood, walls of windows with expansive views of nature from every angle, and stack stone fireplaces to warm those cool mountain nights.

The master suite and bathroom provide a peaceful retreat to begin and end your day. The walk-in master suite closets include dressing areas with build in cabinets and storage made of beautifully polished wood. Talk about organization! You can spread out your accessories on the granite counter tops and see how your outfits come together in the mirror. It's every woman's dream come true!

The home in Blue Ridge is only 90 miles north of Atlanta via I-575 and Hwy 515, but a million miles away from the traffic, stress and anxiety of the city. With 106,000 acres located in the Chattahoochee National Forest, Blue Ridge Georgia is a different kind of mountain town, filled with art galleries, antique and specialty shops, restaurants, small town atmosphere and friendly people.

Winter, spring, summer and fall are beautiful here. You will find winter is cool with an occasional snow. Spring brings wildflowers, blooming dogwoods and native azaleas. Summer and all its glory provides warm water for tubing and rafting. And there is no place better than this mountain home in the fall. The fall views are an explosion of color!

The home's possibilities are endless! With 13,754 square feet, the 531 Deer Crest Heights Blue Ridge Georgia home would make a great corporate retreat, rental investment, or simply a fun family home. Offered at $3,300,000, your dream of luxurious living in the beautiful mountains of Georgia is waiting for you. Contact The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty at 678-665-2887 for more details and a private showing of this unique Blue Ridge Mountain home. The mountains are calling you!

Video Picture Tour - Click here: 531 Deer Crest Heights Blue Ridge Georgia

Blue Ridge Georgia Mountain Home, 531 Deer Crest Heights

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Open House - Live Minutes From Historic Roswell Georgia

Open House - Sunday August 18th 2:00-5:00pm At 6055 Pattingham Drive, Roswell GA

The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty - 678-665-2887

Camden Ridge Community of Roswell Georgia is minutes from historic Roswell Georgia. This gem of a home located at 6055 Pattingham Drive, Roswell GA has an inviting fenced in backyard and a spacious patio just waiting for you to entertain your family and friends. The 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths home is available for $239,900.

Join us this Sunday, August 18 from 2:00-5:00pm for an Open House -Live Minutes From Historic Roswell Georgia. Here you will be able to view this move-in ready home with many upgrades such as granite countertops, GE suite SS appliances, new carpet and new roof. The floor plan offers lots of windows with light to brighten your day. Spacious rooms and closets offer fabulous opportunities to spread out and provide you with fantastic storage. You will feel like royalty in the master suite with its vaulted ceiling and its bath with a travertine floor, double vanities, garden tub and walk-in closet.

Roswell is a great city to live for families with children. Many families with children have chosen to live here, making Roswell a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop lasting friendships with other families, as well as find family-oriented community. The city’s public schools are excellent. The schools serving Camden Ridge are:

Elementary: Mimosa * Middle: Elkins Pointe * High: Roswell

Take a video tour of this property HERE and then come visit us for the Open House!

Open House - Live Minutes From Historic Roswell Georgia

Open House - Sunday August 18th 2:00-5:00pm At 6055 Pattingham Drive, Roswell GA

Monday, August 12, 2013

Georgia's Best Free Home Search App Available!

The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty - http://www.mevhomes.com 678-665-2887

On the search for your next home? Curious about what’s for sale in your neighborhood? Want to find open houses nearby?

Georgia's best free home search app available with the Keller Williams Realty Real Estate Search is the easiest way to locate homes in a particular area. Finding the right home for you is as easy as drawing a circle on a map! Designed for today’s tech savvy homebuyers, this easy-to-use GPS-powered app puts you in control of your real estate search.

KEY FEATURES:
•Dynamic Map: Add a pinpoint or draw a perimeter to see nearby homes for sale, open houses, or rental properties
•Custom Searches: Add search filters like price, neighborhood, number of beds, open houses, and more
•Full-screen Photo Gallery: Scroll through vivid, full-screen photos of homes
Stay In The Know: Get notified of new real estate listings that meet your exact search criteria
•Get Local: See what schools and other points of interest nearby.
•Anytime Access: Save searches and listings, including notes or added property photos, across all your devices
•Share information: Easily share homes through text, email, Facebook or Twitter
•Be Calculated: Free mortgage calculator to estimate home loan and monthly payments
Optimized for your phone or tablet, the Keller Williams Realty Real Estate Search app brings you the best experience in the search for your next home.

CUSTOMERS LOVE THE APP:
"I love the draw around an area with your finger feature and up pops the results!! Also, it is a beautiful (smart) design on the iPhone and the iPad. Simply put, I LOVE THE FUNCTIONALLY OF THIS APP!!"

Download the app today, (enter my code KWBXEVG3 at the startup of the app or via the "my agent" botton on the main menu.) then contact The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team directly with questions or requests regarding any property for sale or questions about how this app will assist in the selling of your home.

Georgia's Best Free Home Search App Available!

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Anabelle Parry Joins The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty

Anabelle Parry Joins The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team

Anabelle Parry, a real estate professional from Texas has moved to the Alpharetta, Georgia to join The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of KellerWilliams Realty of North Atlanta.

“We’re excited to welcome Anabelle Parry to the Keller Williams Realty family,” says Mary Ellen Vanaken, team leader of The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team. “This company succeeds through its people, and having Anabelle on our team is a huge win for us.”

Anabelle Parry spent the last 8 years as an educator in Texas and Georgia after 25 years in the food industry as a chef, restaurant owner and general manager for Aramark Managed Services Higher Education. While in Texas, Anabelle began her passion for real estate by becoming a licensed realtor and selling homes in North San Antonio. After relocating many times with both her company and her husband, she has settled in Alpharetta, Georgia where she continues to pursue her passion as a realtor.

“I joined Keller Williams Realty because I wanted to be a part of something exciting,” Parry says. “I noticed many well-respected, top-producing agents were making the move to Keller Williams Realty and that piqued my interest. This company promotes an agent-centric business model that focuses on cutting-edge training, profit sharing and wealth-building opportunities. When I decided that I wanted to take my business to the next level, I knew joining Keller Williams Realty was the next logical step.”

The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams, located at 5780 Windward Parkway, Alpharetta, Georgia, was established in September 2004 and has four associates. The team includes team leader Mary Ellen Vanaken, realtors Susan Jennings and Anabelle Parry and real estate assistant Claire Wilson. The team’s primary focus is luxury homes in the North Atlanta communities of Alpharetta, Cumming, Roswell, Duluth and Milton, Georgia.

To learn more about The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty, call Mary Ellen Vanaken at 678-665-2887 or visit www.mevhomes.com.


The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team Of Keller Williams Realty, 5780 Windward Pkwy Alpharetta Ga

Friday, August 9, 2013

Going Green With Your Georgia Home

The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty 678-665-2887

Going green with your Georgia home means the home is created to be environmentally friendly and sustainable, while being efficient in the use of energy, water, and building materials.

The green building movement started in the 1970s, after the price of oil began to greatly increase. Researchers looked into more energy efficient processes, following in the wake of this environmental movement.

Many organizations were created in the 1990s in order to promote green buildings. Some were specifically dedicated to improving the knowledge of consumers.

The International Code Council and the National Association of Home Builders began the paperwork in 2006 in order to create a "voluntary green home building standard". The Energy Policy Act was legalized in 2005, which allowed tax reductions for homeowners that could show their utilization of energy efficient changes to their homes, such as solar panels and other solar-powered devices.

Are a homeowner or a renter or looking to buy a new home? Then click here: The Environment Protection Agency website can provide you with specific environmental and energy issues at hand, and solutions that will add value to your home, reduce energy use and energy costs, and help protect your health.

Looking to buy a home in Georgia? Then contact today The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty. Our teams expertise is in homes in the North Atlanta communities of Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming, Duluth and Milton Georgia, but are able to assist you with buying in all Georgia markets. Contact our team at 678-665-2887 or at www.mevhomes.com.

Going Green With Your Georgia Home

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Susan Jennings Joins The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team Of Keller Williams Realty

Susan Jennings Joins The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team Of Keller Williams Realty

The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty - http://www.mevhomes.com

Susan Jennings joins The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty as a buyers agent.

Ms. Jennings has an extensive background in commercial banking industry. She has a strong track record of delivering superior value and quality client service to banks in the middle market space.

“We are truly lucky to have Susan Jennings join us here at The Mary EllenVanaken Team” says Team Leader Mary Ellen Vanaken. “Keller Williams Realty offers its associates unparalleled career growth and lifelong learning opportunities in the real estate industry. We know that Susan will be a great fit to our team and that it is our clients who will truly benefit from Susan joining us.”

“I chose Keller Williams Realty because of its reputation for integrity and its agent-centric business model,” says Jennings. “Keller Williams Realty and The Vanaken Team provides the training and technology that will help me reach my goals.”

Mary Ellen Vanaken Team - North Atlanta Office

The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty, located at 5780 Windward Parkway, Alpharetta, Georgia 30005, was established in September 2004 and has four team members. The team’s primary focus is luxury homes in the North Atlanta communities of Alpharetta, Cumming, Roswell, Duluth and Milton, Georgia

To learn more about The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty, call Mary Ellen Vanaken at 678-665-2887 or visit www.mevhomes.com.

Susan Jennings Joins The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team Of Keller Williams Realty

Thursday, August 1, 2013

House Appraised Value vs House Assessed Value

The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty - http://www.mevhomes.com

Confused about house appraised value vs house assessed value? Many people confuse assessments and appraisals.

An appraisal is a report created by an appraiser to determine the house appraised value. The appraiser uses recently sold prices of similar properties in the area making adjustments for differences between the subject property and those being compared. The appraiser usually combines the "Market Approach" with a second method called the "Cost Approach" (determining the cost to rebuild) or the "Income Approach" (used on properties that produce income) to determine the homes value. Appraisals are done when a property is to be financed or refinanced.
An assessment is the house assessed value placed on a property by the town assessor's office for the purpose of determining the property tax due. An entire town will be assessed during a 12 month period with values determined by a group of qualified assessors after viewing properties and interviewing owners. The combined house assessed value of all the town properties is used to calculate what the tax rate will be. Each year the town may re-evaluate the tax rate to obtain the monies needed to run the town based on that combined assessed value. When house assessed values become so outdated as to cause inequities between properties the town will then reassess.

Keep in mind that the house appraised value and house assessed value will usually not be exactly the same on a property.

Want to know what your home is worth? Complete the box below:

The Mary Ellen Vanaken Team of Keller Williams Realty
North Atlanta