Atchley Team Returns from Atlanta!

Representatives from the Atchley Group at Keller Williams Realty recently returned from Atlanta where they attended the 2008 Keller Williams Realty Family Reunion. With 12,000 plus Realtors from across the U.S. and Canada, Gary Atchley, Heidi Rose and Deb Atchley enjoyed three full days of advanced education and information on real estate industry.

"In visiting with Realtors from around the country and hearing stats from other regions, our belief that Oklahoma is the best place to live was confirmed over and over," said Gary Atchley. "Our home selling market is much different than what we are hearing on the evening news and what we heard from areas of the country that are faced with home price depreciation, poor sales performance and a surplus of homes to sell."

The team returns from Atlanta with a renewed vision for making the home buying and selling experience as enjoyable, profitable and stress-free as possible.

The Atchley Group markets and sells homes in the Edmond, Deer Creek, Piedmont, Yukon and Northwest Oklahoma City metro area.

5 Reasons Houses Beat Stocks

The following is taken from the Atchley Group E-Newsletter to view or subscribe go to http://www.atchleygroup.com/ext_real-estate_latest-news.asp?link=realtytimes.com/c/DebAtchley

Despite what Wall Street wants you to believe, owning a home isn't the same kind of investment as stocks or bonds. What you get is a USE asset that depreciates over time, while it grows in market value. All you have to do is keep the home in good repair to max out your take.
Here are five reasons why you get more for your money with a house than a worthless sock puppet.

· Leverage: with stocks, you put in all your money for a little piece of a company. With a house, you put in a little money to get all of the house.
· Tax benefits: Uncle Sam knows that owning a home is a pain in the neck, that's why you get subsidies. These are basically government bribes to get you to buy. What other investment can you put in 5 percent of the cost of the asset, reap all the appreciation and pay no capital gains?

That's right: live in your home two years, rent it for three, sell it, and pay no tax on capital gains up to 250,000 for singles, $500,000 for married couples. And you're worried about paying too much?
And that's not all - think about the benefits of fixed-rate mortgages, property tax write-offs, interest rate deductions, depreciation. Is this a great country or what?

· Control: When you buy stocks, you're paying some CEO 500 times the average worker's salary for results you'd lose your job for. With a home, you have control - what you buy, how much you pay, and where you live. You can improve the value with repairs and updates. Compare that to getting heard at the next shareholders' meeting.
· Lifestyle: Do you want to look at a dumpsite or your children playing in their own back yard? With a home, you're purchasing a vantage point for yourself and your family. The neighborhood you want to be in, the size and style home that fits your needs. And the more wisely you choose, the better off you are.
· Value: Unlike our little sock puppet friend, your house will seldom become worthless. Barring a catastrophe, your home will retain a major portion of its value, even in the worst of times. So don't freak out about a losing a few percent this year. You'll make it up. Housing has lost value only one year out of the last 35. It's more normal to beat inflation by one to two percent.
Let's get a little perspective here. You lost a greater percentage on the stock market this year than if you owned a house. You lost more on your SUV. And you sure lost more on your iPhone.
And keep this in mind -- when it rains, which would you rather have over your head, a roof or a stock certificate?