Archive for the ‘Atlanta’ Category

At Paran Homes, we are not only dedicated to building beautiful homes, but also to building lasting relationships. From our vendors, suppliers and subcontractors to our homebuyers and the agents who introduce them to Paran Homes, each member of this special “community” plays a role in our ongoing success. In return, we seek to do what we can to ensure the ongoing success of real estate professionals through the provision of  CE Classes – which prove excellent opportunities to earn CE credits, network with other real estate professionals and Paran Home team members, and catch a sneak peek inside the model homes of some of our Metro Atlanta communities.  During March and April 2018, we’re offering four different classes at a number of our communities. Light refreshments and Panera Bread will be served at each course. Check out class descriptions and dates below…

Georgia License Law –  3 Hour CE Course

This very important course about License Law is a requirement of maintaining your Real Estate License! Effective July 1, 2016, an adopted rule change from the Real Estate Commission states that any licensee who renews an active license must have completed at least (3) hours of continuing education on the topic of license law in order to renew. This course has you covered! Even better, upon completion of this course you will have a thorough understanding of the rules to Georgia License Law.

Instructor:                    Eric Keese of American Real Estate University

Dates/Locations:          Tues., March 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Oakleigh Pointe in Dallas, GA

Tues., March 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Lakes at Franklin Goldmine in Cumming, GA

Realtor Safety Defense Course – FREE 3 Hour CE Course

Every day, real estate agents across the nation face dangerous situations while simply doing their job. If you think you’re not at risk, think again. You never know what situation or problem you will face, so it is best to be prepared. In this course, you will learn self-defense techniques from a seven-degree black belt head master to include awareness of your surroundings, avoidance of behaviors that position you as potential “prey,” and the action of learning physical self-defense maneuvers.

Instructor:                    Eric Keese of American Real Estate University

Dates/Locations:          Wed., March 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Silver Springs in Powder Springs, GA  CLASS FULL                                    Thurs., March 22 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Villas at Park Place in Stone Mountain, GA

Tax Strategies & Business Planning for Real Estate Professionals –3 Hour CE Course

Real Estate Professionals can minimize their taxes the execution of simple tax and business planning strategies. Though taxation requirements vary for different business entities (sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation), proper expense reporting, amortizing, depreciating company assets, and healthcare deductions can go a long way towards reducing your tax liabilities.

Instructor:                    Oluyemi Yikealo of American Real Estate University

Date/Location:             Tues., March 20 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Silver Springs in Powder Springs, GA  

Real Social – Intro to Social Media –  3 Hour CE Course

Representing one of American Real Estate University’s most popular classes, “Real Social” serves as an introduction to Social Media for Real Estate professionals. This class is designed to reveal “Why?” real estate agents need to be active in Social Media. Did you know that every second, 48 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube, 3,600 images are shared on Instagram, 100,000 tweets are sent through Twitter and 600,000+ items shared on Facebook? Packed with lots of statistics, tips and tools, this class will get agents on the right path to growing their business with Social Media.

Instructor:                    Lee Davenport of American Real Estate University

Dates/Locations:          Thurs., April 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Oakleigh Pointe in Dallas, GA

Wed., April 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sweetwater Landing in Powder Springs, GA

Space is limited, so be sure to register for the class(es) of your choosing TODAY!

We know you’re already SO EXCITED about buying a new home, you can hardly stand it! Still, Paran Homes wants to take that excitement about 750 steps further! Home buyers in Atlanta and Nashville who place a new construction Paran Home under contract by March 30^th and close by May 30^th will be automatically entered in a drawing to win a $750 Pottery Barn® Shopping Spree*! Only three lucky homebuyers will be chosen at random, and the winners will have an opportunity to peruse the throw pillows, analyze the area rugs, select the shower curtains, look through the linens and/or choose the china at Pottery Barn that will make their new homes uniquely their own. If you are fortunate enough to be declared one of our three lucky winners, you might opt to spend your winnings on THE PERFECT chair for your new study or spread the wealth around on a number of décor items that fit your distinctive sense of style.

Paran Homes communities that you may want to consider in order to be eligible for the $750 Pottery Barn® Shopping Spree interior design incentive include:

Oakleigh Pointe in Dallas, GA

Silver Springs Village in Powder Springs, GA

Sweetwater Landing in Powder Springs, GA

The Lakes of Franklin Goldmine in Cumming, GA

Wheatfields Reserve in Grayson, GA

South Haven in Murfreesboro, TN

Villages of Berkshire in Murfreesboro, TN

During this month associated with lucky four-leaf clovers, little green leprechauns and a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, we find it only fitting to wish you the BEST OF LUCK in our drawing to win at $750 Pottery Barn® Shopping Spree! More importantly, we wish you many years of happiness in your new Paran Home!

Go Ahead! We know you want to… Start “Window Shopping” at PotteryBarn.com!

* We’re sorry, but homes that are not completed and/or unable to close by the May 30^th deadline are not eligible to be entered for the $750 Pottery Barn® Shopping Spree drawing.

Southeast Homebuilder Introduces Its Newest Gwinnett County Community, Featuring Single-Family Homes Priced from the High $200’s

 Duluth, Ga, January 24, 2018  –  As a Gwinnett County-based business, it only makes sense that Paran Homes would elect to focus a fair amount of energy on the second largest county in Georgia in terms of population. With a highly successful run at Wheatfields Reserve in Grayson and a promising start at the new Villas at Park Place in Stone Mountain, Paran Homes is eager to see the response to its latest Gwinnett County single-family community, Heritage Pointe in Lawrenceville. Showcasing five stunning floor plans and a variety of elegant elevations from which to choose, two-story homes in Heritage Pointe are now pre-selling with a starting price of $275,990.

“We’re really proud of the location we’ve selected for Heritage Pointe,” said Paran Homes’ President, Michael Rosenberg.

“Situated near Highway 316 and Buford Drive, the community is convenient to the best Gwinnett County has to offer – the Mall of Georgia, Gwinnett County Airport, Gwinnett Medical Center, historic Downtown Lawrenceville, a number of Gwinnett’s award-winning parks, Georgia Gwinnett College, I-85 and so much more. We’re finding that both Gwinnett County and the City of Lawrenceville are highly dedicated to economic development – making this an excellent time to move here and reap the rewards of a major employment center that is not only devoted to community, but also to serving as a tourist destination. What that means for residents is that it’s a great place to raise a family and there is no shortage of fun things to do here.”

Future residents of Heritage Pointe can enjoy shopping and dining in the bustling and ever-growing Mall of Georgia area, exploring area parks such as the 200-acre Rabbit Hill Park or 162-acre Rhodes Jordan Park with pool and tennis center, catching a Gwinnett Stripers baseball game at Coolray Field, taking in a play at Aurora Theatre or attending a family-friendly festival in Downtown Lawrenceville – just to name a few. Students living in Heritage Pointe will be afforded access to the highly revered Gwinnett County Public School System – including Dyer Elementary, Twin Rivers Middle and Mountainview High Schools.

To select a homesite and launch construction on the floor plan of their choosing, prospective homebuyers are encouraged to visit the Heritage Pointe sales center, located at 900 Progress Drive in Lawrenceville. In addition to Heritage Pointe, Paran Homes has a presence throughout the Atlanta area in 13 new home communities stretching all the way from Jefferson to the North and Powder Springs to the West. Beyond Georgia, Paran Homes also boasts communities in Tennessee . To learn more about Heritage Pointe and other Paran Homes communities throughout the Southeast, home buyers are encouraged to visit www.paranhomes.com or call 678-726-9646.

About Paran Homes:  Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Metro Atlanta, Paran Homes boasts beautifully crafted homes and imaginative communities in some of the Southeast’s hottest housing markets. With a presence throughout Metro Atlanta, as well as in and Nashville, TN, Paran Homes seeks to build houses of uncompromised quality while delivering a stellar customer service experience – from the first community visit to closing. To match the needs and wishes of today’s home buyers, the placement of Paran Homes communities is based on access to great schools, major thoroughfares/interstates, local shopping, dining and entertainment. Beyond the allure of its homes and community locations, many Paran neighborhoods feature resort-like amenities including pools, walking trails, and clubhouses. To learn more about Paran Homes, view available homes and discover current communities throughout the Southeast, visit www.paranhomes.com.

Southeast Homebuilder Gives the Gift of Land in Tennessee in Support of One of the Largest Fundraising Initiatives to Benefit Renowned Children’s Research Hospital

Duluth, GA, December 19, 2017 –  Founder Whit Marshall and his team at Metro Atlanta-based Paran Homes celebrated the season of giving by donating Lot #48 at the regional builder’s Barrington Pointe community in Tennessee to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. A ground-breaking ceremony was held at the site on December 12, with the launch of construction soon to follow on the next St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway house. The St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway represents one of the nonprofit organization’s largest fundraising initiatives, involving dozens of homes constructed by dedicated sponsors in cities across the nation each year. Donors purchase tickets for $100 each to be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a St. Jude Dream Home. Because St. Jude “funding comes from generous donors, St. Jude has the freedom to focus on what matters most – saving kids regardless of their financial situation. Every dollar makes a difference. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.”

“We are so happy to be partnering with Paran Homes to help the kids and families at St. Jude,” said Gus Issa, builder of the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway house. “We could not make it happen without the tremendous support of our trade partners who so graciously donate so much of their resources to make this endeavor successful each year.”

The nonprofit organization is currently hosting more than 30 Dream Home Giveaways all across the nation. All proceeds from the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee – which treats children in all 50 states and all around the world. The hospital freely shares the discoveries it makes. That means that for every child saved at St. Jude, doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. As a result, St. Jude’s efforts have helped push overall childhood cancer survival rates from 20% in 1962 to more than 80% today.

In addition to this recent donation of land to St. Jude, Paran Homes recently took part in a Toys for Tots drive at its communities and corporate headquarters throughout Metro Atlanta. For the second year in a row, the Southeast homebuilder collected hundreds of new, unwrapped toys for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, with the goal of making the holidays a little bit brighter for even more children in need in the areas surrounding many of its Metro Atlanta communities.

“When we design and build our homes, we have this image in mind of the happy families who will one day live there,” said Marshall. “The truth is that – when faced with financial challenges, childhood illnesses or other catastrophic events – not every day is happy in the lives of so many families. With that in mind, my team and I – many of whom have families of our own – strive to do what we can for all of our neighbors in hopes that one day soon, the happy days will far outweigh the bad. We are so honored to partner with incredible nonprofit organizations like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Toys for Tots who share that same mission.”

To learn more about Paran Homes and its communities throughout the Southeast, home buyers are encouraged to visit www.paranhomes.com or call 678-726-9646. To learn more about the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway, please visit www.dreamhome.org.

About Paran Homes:  Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Metro Atlanta, Paran Homes boasts beautifully crafted homes and imaginative communities in some of the Southeast’s hottest housing markets. With a presence throughout Metro Atlanta, as well as in and Nashville, TN, Paran Homes seeks to build houses of uncompromised quality while delivering a stellar customer service experience – from the first community visit to closing. To match the needs and wishes of today’s home buyers, the placement of Paran Homes communities is based on access to great schools, major thoroughfares/interstates, local shopping, dining and entertainment. Beyond the allure of its homes and community locations, many Paran neighborhoods feature resort-like amenities including pools, walking trails, and clubhouses. To learn more about Paran Homes, view available homes and discover current communities throughout the Southeast, visit www.paranhomes.com.

About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent, and we won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook (facebook.com/stjude) and following us on Twitter (@stjude).

Regional Homebuilder Now Accepting New, Unwrapped Toys at Corporate Office and all Active Communities in Atlanta

Duluth, GA, November 20, 2017 –  Each time Paran Homes launches a new community in the Southeast and breaks ground on a new home, its team members can’t help but imagine the families that will one day live there. They can envision memories being made and holidays being celebrated in those homes for years to come. Sadly, they also know that families come from all walks of life and their vision won’t hold true for everyone. In a desire to give back to those in need within one of the cities where Paran Homes’ has the greatest presence, the regional homebuilder has launched Toys for Tots Drives throughout Atlanta. Headquartered in Duluth, Paran Homes offers 10 drop-off locations for anyone who wishes to participate. Now through December 15, Paran Homes will collect new, unwrapped toys and bikes at its Corporate Office and all participating Atlanta communities.

“2017 marks Paran Homes’ second year participating in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program,” said Lesa Ness, Marketing Manager for the regional homebuilder and organizer of the company-wide toy drive. “Last year, we teamed up with the Duluth Police Department Criminal Investigation Division and had a wildly successful year thanks to our homeowners, vendors, employees and community visitors. We are really hoping to double our efforts this year and make the holidays a little bit brighter for even more children in need throughout the Southeast.”

The list of communities where Paran Homes will be collecting on behalf of Toys for Tots includes:

The Toys for Tots Program was launched by the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve in 1947. For the last 70 years, its mission has been to collect new, unwrapped toys and distribute them as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in the surrounding community. Paran Homes’ Corporate Office – located at 3005 Breckinridge Blvd., Suite 200 in Duluth, Georgia – is now accepting toy donations. To find the addresses and hours of operation for communities where prospective gift-givers can drop off their toys at either the sales office or model home, please visit www.paranhomes.com.

It’s completely normal to have some hesitation when you start thinking about home ownership. The purchase of a home is the largest financial decision most people will ever make and it would be unnatural not to have some concerns!

For more than 25 years HomeBridge has led the way in simplifying the mortgage process in order to help people finance the American Dream of home ownership.

The following are a few questions we’ve heard from hesitant home buyers and ones that you should ask yourself if you’re wondering if buying a home in the next couple of years is the right move for you.

How long have you been paying rent?

A better question could be ‘for how much longer do you want to pay someone else’s mortgage?’ because that’s essentially what you’re doing when you rent.

When you purchase a home, you are becoming your own landlord and you’re paying yourself rent each month. If you decide to sell your home, the profits should become yours. If your landlord sells a home rented to you, they receive the profits. It’s really that simple.

What if I can’t make my payments?

This is an incredibly important question to ask yourself and a very understandable one as well. Ask yourself this question first though: Have you ever missed a rent payment for a reason other than you simply forgot to drop off the check?

For many buyers, their monthly mortgage payment is close to what they were paying in rent already, not factoring in the tax incentive they may receive at the end of the year and the equity they are building with each payment. If you’ve been responsibly paying your rent for years, what is to stop you from responsibly paying your mortgage?

How Much Home Can I Afford?

Another great question that we hear a lot. To start, use a mortgage calculator to get a ballpark estimate, like the one we have online here. This is a loose estimate, but it can act as a great starting point in determining what you can afford. The next step, even before you start looking at homes, should be scheduling a meeting with a mortgage loan originator, either in person or over the phone, for a consultation and no obligation click here.

The path to home ownership can be an exciting and enjoyable one if you follow the right steps! If you’d like to discuss those steps, you can call my office or send me an email to schedule an appointment.

About the author

Joel Van Ash is an MLO in the Johns Creek office of HomeBridge Financial Services, Inc. one of the largest, independent mortgage lenders in the U.S. Appointments with Joel or someone from his team can be made by calling (770) 634-9079, sending an email to jvanash@homebridge.com or by going online here.