Here at the Cheri Riley Group, we realize that bringing you latest news related to Atlanta area schools is of the utmost importance.  We recently featured a post on Atlanta Public Schools’ “Triple Crown” award, as well as information about one of APS’ District 4 Board of Education Candidates, Mark Riley.

One top District 4 elementary school, Sarah Smith Elementary, was featured in IB’s 2009 – 2010 Sourcebook.  The International Baccalaureate Organization features three programmes that focus on the development of “intellectual, personal, emotional, and social skills” where students will leave well-prepared citizens of the world.  Sarah Smith participates in the IBO’s Primary Years Programme, or PYP.  The school was featured in the Sourcebook for its outstanding use of Junior Greatbooks and Shared Inquiry, and was called a “model PYP school” by the IBO.  The implementation of the Junior Greatbooks program has allowed Sarah Smith students to become more advanced thinkers, readers, and writers.

Sarah Smith Elementary serves students and their families who reside in the North Buckhead and Buckead Forest communities, as well as Pine Hill and Brookhaven neighborhoods that fall within limits of the city of Atlanta.  Dr. Sidney Baker, Sarah Smith’s principal, can be reached at sbaker@atlanta.k12.ga.us.

To learn more about Sarah Smith, we encourage you to visit the school’s website.  Please contact the Cheri Riley Group of Sotheby’s International Realty so we can work with you in relation to your buying and selling needs via cheririley@atlantafinehomes.com or 404.944.9992.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Yesterday the Cheri Riley Group brought you an incredible opportunity featuring just one of our many riverfront properties in the Atlanta area.  We encourage you to explore our website to learn more about the wide variety of Atlanta fine homes that are available to you, both along the Chattahoochee River, as well as elsewhere.  Today we’re thrilled to share with you some of the endless recreational opportunities that await you in the Chattahoochee River area.

In the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, you and your family will never be left wondering what to do for a relaxing weekend or peaceful fall day.  Comprised of nearly 50 miles, the recreation area is a preserved series of sites that sit between the city of Atlanta and Lake Lanier.  Established in 1978, the park is home to numerous sites available for public recreation.

The Chattahoochee Nature Center, located on Willeo Road in Roswell, Georgia is a nature lover’s dream.  Founded in the 1970’s by a group of environmentally-conscious individuals, the CNC  is located on the Chattahoochee River, and sits on 127 stunning acres.  The breathtaking center is home to numerous plants and gardens that reflect the true beauty of Georgia, as well as more than 30 different species of wildlife, such as  the bald eagl, the Mole Kingsnake, and beavers.  Impressively, the CNC recently opened a brand new Interpretive Center, where visitors enjoy endless hours of fun, as well as obtain useful information about the Chattahoochee River’s own watershed.  This destination is one that surely will delight guests of all ages, and is just around the corner from your next home.

Another nature-lover’s prime destination is Cochran Shoals.  The three-mile fitness trail offers hours and hours of opportunities to connect with nature, whether you choose to bike or hike, watch birds, or explore the wetlands.  You can even obtain a printable map trail to help you plan your next trip along the Chattahoochee!

Clearly there are innumerable chances for you and your family to immerse yourselves in the beauty of the Chattahoochee.  The Cheri Riley Group has several magnificent homes that will afford you proximity to the metro Atlanta, along with the tranquility found only in the natural landscape that surrounds the Chattahoochee River.  Please contact us so we can discuss your home buying needs in the near future!  We can be reached at cheririley@atlantafinehomes.com or 404.944.9992.

Picture this – after a long day at work you arrive home to your San Fransisco-inspired residence.  You head out to one of your three wraparound decks, only to be met with an incredible view, overlooking the Bull Sluice Lake, a tributary of the Chattahoochee River.  Now is the perfect opportunity for you to take in the sunset, along with the wondrous sights and sounds of nature that surround you.  Relaxation, sophistication, and class await you in this truly picturesque home. This riverfront property can be yours, and it’s just around in corner in Grogan’s Bluff, nearby Roswell Road and Georgia 400.

Situated in the Grogan’s Bluff neighborhood, just a few of the many neighborhood amenities you’ll have access to include a clubhouse, lighted tennis courts, and a swimming pool. The 126-acre community was developed with nature in mind, built carefully along the natural surroundings in order to preserve the beautiful wooded area.  Built in 2007, this five-bedroom, five-bath contemporary home has two finished and ready to live in levels, along with two levels that are ready to be finished to your own taste and style.  With its 12-foot ceilings, fireplaces throughout the home, and spacious three car garage, all set on 1.3 acres on a cul-de-sac lot, you may find yourself never wanting to leave home.

The home feeds into several outstanding area schools, including Woodland Charter Elementary School, Alfred and Adele Davis Academy, and North Springs High School, just to name a few.  In addition, the home’s recent price change makes it an incredible value for all that you get.  Originally listed at $1,975,000, it’s hard to believe that this exquisite home is now being offered for the low price of $1,299,000.

Tomorrow we look forward to bringing you a post about the many recreational activities that are afforded to you when you live in a home near the river, such as this one on Wing Mill Road near the Chattahoochee.

The Cheri Riley Group would love to work with you in making this superb value your next dream home.  We can be reached via email at cheririley@atlantafinehomes.com, or telephone at 404.944.9992.  This and other riverfront homes are our specialty, and we will work with you to meet all of your home buying needs and desires.

Did you know that the asking prices for luxury homes are down an average of 14% from their original listing prices?  According to a recent Forbes.com article from October 30, 2009, with today’s economic concerns, sellers across the nation have been lowering the asking prices for their homes in order to appeal to more buyers.  Atlanta fine homes are experiencing similar situations, with a wide variety of incredible homes now available to you at more affordable prices.  Today we’re pleased to bring you an exquisite cul-de-sac home in East Cobb County, whose price has been reduced by over $350,000, now listed at $1,535,000, making it an excellent value for all that it offers.

Featuring eight bedrooms, with seven full and three part baths, this Cornerstone Craftsmen Inc. custom estate, which was built in 2006, is a homebuyer’s dream.  Its many stunning amenities and fine attention to detail will have you captivated from the moment you enter through its doorway.  The home boasts a romantic porch, level play yard on just under a half acre, and is the ideal setting for a pool that you can your family can enjoy.  In addition, you will find a fully finished basement, bonus room, and pristine kitchen with double ovens and a breakfast bar, all perfect for entertaining friends, or simply relaxing at home with loved ones.  If that hasn’t got your attention yet, you’ll also be pleased to learn the home has a three-car attached garage, fenced yard, and even its own garden area.  This home truly is a steal, and won’t last for long at this amazing price!

Here at the Cheri Riley Group, we have many fine homes, such as this ready to move into East Cobb showhome at Heathermoor. We’d love to work with you whether you’re looking for a home to purchase, or are getting ready to sell your own home.  Please visit our Dream Home Finder, where you can tell us a little more about you and your home buying needs.  You can also find us online at Facebook, where you can learn all about us, as well as the latest happenings in and around the Atlanta area.  We look forward to working with you!

The Cheri Riley Group takes pride in having more than 20 years of experience working with clients who are buying and selling Atlanta fine homes.  We realize that a priority for many people is ensuring their children are enrolled in a top notch school system.  We are pleased to learn today that the Atlanta Public School system has announced a “triple crown” of national education awards that they recently earned.

We’ll begin by highlighting Dr. Beverly Hall, the district’s superintendent for the past ten years.  Dr. Hall was named 2009 National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of of School Administrators.  This award is based on four criteria, one of which being participating in activities within the local communities, which also includes developing an understanding of issues across the globe that impact education here in Atlanta.  Under her leadership, the Atlanta Public School system has received numerous accolades for its many achievements, including significant increases in its standardized test scores, building renovations, and much more.

Next, the Atlanta Board of Education was honored this month with the 2009 annual award of Urban School Board Excellence.  This incredible accomplishment comes from the National School Boards Association’s Council of Urban Boards of Education.  APS’ school board was noted for its leadership, outstanding student achievement, governance structure, and so on, serving as a model for other boards across the nation.  We encourage you to read more about one of the board’s outstanding at-large members, Mark Riley, who is currently running for a seat with District 4, serving elementary schools E. Rivers, Garden Hills, Jackson, Morris Brandon, and Sarah Smith, as well as Sutton Middle School, and North Atlanta High School.

Last but not least, just last evening, Emmett D. Johnson, Atlanta Board of Education member, earned the nation’s top distinction in urban education leadership, the Richard R. Green Award.  Johnson, a twelve-year member of the board, earned this honor for his work in building the bond between the board and superintendent, which has been a significant contribution in the notable gains that have been made throughout the district in terms of student achievement and more.

The Atlanta Public School district and its dedicated employees continue to reinforce the many reasons why APS has come to be known as a world-class school system.  Here at the Cheri Riley Group, we look forward to working with you and your family to fulfill your real estate desires, all the while ensuring your children receive quality instruction.  We’d love to hear from you via email at cheririley@atlantafinehomes.com, or telephone at 404.944.9992 as you buy or sell your next luxury home.  You can also find us on Twitter and tell us what you think about APS and its recent achievements!

On Tuesday, the Cheri Riley Group brought you a post that highlighted homes and commercial buildings making national news with their focus on LEED standards.

Fortunately for Atlanta and its environmentally-conscious residents, builders in California aren’t the only ones aware and taking proactive steps to protect our earth and its future.  The Brookwood in Buckhead, Atlanta’s first green residential high-rise, was built to the USGBC’s LEED standards.  The Brookwood, which opened in May of 2009, is made up of two, three, and four bedroom homes, along with more than 20,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space.  Located on Peachtree Street and nestled between between Buckhead and Midtown’s business districts, the Brookwood is an ideal location for living, working, and simply enjoying life and all that it has to offer.  Its residents find that due to its prime location, they have easy access to local shopping, dining, and entertainment in the surrounding Brookwood Hills and Ardmore Park neighborhoods.  Its proximity to major Atlanta destinations, such as Atlantic Station, the Woodruff Arts Center, and Piedmont Park, as well as all major roadways like I-75/85, I-20, and GA-400 also make the residences in an ideal location for anywhere that you desire to go in and around the Atlanta area.

However, you may find yourself not even wanting to leave home!  The Brookwood boasts countless impressive amenities, including full access to the Brookwood Club, with its valet parking, personal trainers, maid service, and dog walking, just to name a few of its many services.  The interior of the homes will truly take your breath away.  Each residence has been turned 90 degrees from a standard residential layout, leaving homeowners with the opportunity to enjoy beautiful views through large windows, all of which compliment the open floorplans.  In addition, each residence features the most sophisticated touches, like ten-foot ceilings, wide-plank hardwood floors, stone countertops, and rooms that are pre-wired for surround sound home theater.  In addition, keeping up with its commitment to “going green”, all homes feature EnergyStar appliances, low-VOC paints, and more.

As a resident of the Brookwood, you’ll have access to Atlanta Public Schools‘ top public schools, as well as a range of outstanding private schools, such as Christ the King School, and the Westminster Schools.

If this incredible imagery has got you wondering if the Brookwood can live up to its description, the answer is yes!  The Cheri Riley Group at Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty would love to work with you to meet your home buying needs and help to make the Brookwood your next home.  We can be reached at 404.944.9992 or cheririley@atlantafinehomes.com You can also keep up with the Brookwood by becoming a fan on their Facebook page or visiting their website at www.thebrookwood.net.

The Cheri Riley Group at Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty invites you to experience luxury in this spectacular Indian Hills home.  Set on one pristine acre, this incredible golf course lot will make you immediately feel at home as you sit under your covered porch and experience the breathtaking views that surround you.  This six-bedroom, six-bath home is an amazing value in Marietta, Georgia, with a price reduction of over $250,000!  Just a few of the appealing amenities of the home include cathedral ceilings, hardwood floors, a three-car garage, and a full, finished basement.

Neighborhood amenities will leave you and your family more than satisfied at the Indian Hills Country Club, which features a 27-hole golf course, driving range, putting green, and chipping green, eight tennis courts, three swimming pools, and clubhouse!  The country club underwent a large-scale renovation in 2003, with over $4 million being invested into the facilities.  This private getaway awaits you, just moments from your new dream home.

In addition to all of these incredible features the home has, you will also have the benefit of being immersed in a world-class educational system through the Walton School District.  East Side Elementary, Dickerson Middle, and Walton High School have received accolades for their outstanding academic programs.  State Superintendent of Schools Cathy Cox recently honored schools for their high achievement on state curriculum tests, and Walton was one of the outstanding schools that was honored for their significant accomplishments through the Superintendent’s Distinguished Achievement Awards program.

Do not hesitate to contact us as this superior value will surely capture the attention of many buyers!  The Cheri Riley Group can be reached at 404.944.9992 or cheririley@atlantafinehomes.com.  We look forward to working with you to help make this Indian Hills home or another Atlanta Fine Home yours in the near future.

Chances are lately you’ve heard someone in the Atlanta area talking about LEED Certification.  LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally-recognized system that focuses promoting green buildings.  This status, created by the U.S. Green Building Council, or USGBC, aims to improve performance in buildings (both commercial and residential) in key areas, including water efficiency, energy savings, indoor environmental quality, and more.  A third party organization, the Green Building Certification Institute, evaluates buildings and then awards points on a 100-point rating system, based on environmental impact, with a potential for 10 “bonus points”.

Tresor Properties, a real estate investment, construction, and brokerage firm based out of Laguna Beach, California, was recently featured in numerous media sources for its progress with California’s first two LEED certified homes along the coastline.  These luxury homes will be sold at $13 and $15 million.  The company is seeking a “Platinum” designation, which is the highest level of certification that can be awarded based on the rating system.  The company expects that the homes will be completed mid-2010.

Here in Atlanta, many buildings have earned LEED certification, and countless others are working towards it.  On October 26, 2009, the ASHRAE headquarters was awarded Platinum certification, one of only six buildings throughout the state to have earned the highest status.  Springdale Park Elementary, a newly built Atlanta Public School on Ponce de Leon that serves families in the Virginia Highland, Poncey Highland, Midtown, and some of Druid Hills areas, has earned its LEED status. Similarly, many homes throughout the Atlanta area have obtained LEED certification, focusing on efforts such as using less gasoline and electricity, reducing air pollution, and so on.

Be sure to visit one  of our favorite projects in Buckhead, The Brookwood.  This building has been built to LEEDS standards and is the first residential high rise property to attempt to achieve that designation in the Buckhead community.  Look for more information from us on The Brookwood in a future post.

The Cheri Riley Group would love to work with environmentally-conscious home buyers such as yourself in purchasing your next green home.  Feel free to call us anytime at 404.944.9992 or email us at cheririley@atlantafinehomes.com.

Last week the Cheri Riley Group brought you an information-packed post that highlighted just a few of the incredible characteristics that make us your top choice when buying or selling fine homes in Atlanta. Today we look forward to sharing with you a few of the innovative marketing strategies that we utilize at our firm in order to ensure your home’s unique and valuable qualities are highlighted with a wide array of realtors as well as perspective buyers, both locally and nationally.

Marketing your home to a large, but targeted audience, is of great importance to us at the Cheri Riley Group.  Throughout the years, we have established a strong and robust media and public relationship network, which affords us the opportunity to showcase our listings in a wide variety of newspapers, as well as national publications.  For example, dupont Registry featured our Chinquapin Plantation listing on the cover of its May issue.  This Thomasville, Georgia home, built in 1910 by John F. Archbold, was also in the spotlight with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, when writer Julie Hairston included an article, as well as photos, in the AJC’s “splurge section“.  This is just one of the many examples of the special attention that will be given to your home when listing with us.

In addition to having our listings regularly featured in popular publications, the Cheri Riley Group is called upon frequently in order to comment on important trends taking place in Atlanta’s real estate market.  Founding parter, Cheri Riley, recently had her article, “Interesting Times, Interesting Terms” in Southern Seasons Magazine.  This piece described the creative terms being offered in today’s unique housing market in order to increase real estate sales.  Cheri is the exclusive Real Estate Trends columnist for the magazine, and is well known for both her real estate knowledge, as well as successful experience in the business.

Last but not least, the Cheri Riley Group is well-versed in Web 2.0 tools, which are becoming increasingly popular, both in terms of real estate, as well as other areas.  The Cheri Riley Group is an active participant in online communities including, but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and so on.  We are truly aware of ever-increasing technologically advanced society, and go above and beyond to ensure that your listing will receive maximum exposure through various social media outlets, in addition to traditional forms of marketing.

If you or someone you know is considering listing your home, the Cheri Riley Group is here to meet your needs.  Do not hesitate to contact us and let us know how we can best serve you in your journey.

According to a press release from the National Association of Realtors®, home sales are on a steady incline.  NAR’s October 23, 2009 release confirmed a 9.4 percent increase in existing-home sales from the month of August to September.  Even more impressively, home sales have peaked at the highest numbers they have seen over a two-year time period.

What can these promising results be attributed to?  The $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit, which is currently set to expire November 30, 2009 is said to have an impact on the housing market’s upward trend.  Senator Johnny Isakson, a Republican from Georgia and 33 year real-estate veteran himself, seeks to extend this credit.  Previously, Isakson pushed for an increase in this tax credit to $15,000, but recently revised his efforts to include a proposal that would allow the tax credit to be afforded to first-time home buyers through the end of June, 2010.  Criticism of the tax credit has been circulating lately, focusing on allegations of fraud.

Here in the South, we saw a 9 percent increase in existing home sales, whereas the West forged ahead with a 13 percent increase, the Midwest came in just ahead of us at 9.6 percent, and the Northeast showed increases of just 4.4 percent.  According to Inman News, this trend of increasing sales has been documented in five of the last six months.

On November 13, 2009, a study will be released by the National Association of Realtors® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.  This report, which can be purchased online once available, will feature interesting information such as the home search process, characteristics of homes purchased, and real estate professionals, just to name a few of its features.  Did you know that 2008’s report showed that 81 percent of home buyers purchased their home through a real estate agent or broker and that seventy percent of buyers would use their real estate agent again or recommend him or her to someone else purchasing a home?

At the Cheri Riley Group, we are optimistic about the promise this news from the National Association of Realtors® brings for our clients.  We continue to provide exceptional quality to exceptional clients, and as the above-noted NAR report shared, we have countless satisfied home buyers and sellers who continue to turn to our services for their real estate needs.  See why the Cheri Riley Group at Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty is the premiere luxury real estate group in Atlanta.