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Engel & Völkers Buckhead Atlanta and Engel & Völkers Atlanta North Fulton have unveiled an exclusive new iBuyer Concierge Program designed specifically to assist home buyers seeking to sell their existing homes and move into one of greater Atlanta’s new neighborhoods, announced Shirley Gary, CEO of the two Engel & Völkers brokerages.  The partnership between the EV iBuyer Concierge team and the builders’ onsite agents helps home buyers bridge the gap between selling an existing home and purchasing a new one, allowing the home buyer to exercise more control over timing and costs.  www.kellystephens.evrealestate.com/iBuyer-Listing-tools

“Our proprietary program has proven to be so effective, we are already working exclusively in over 150 new neighborhoods.  Our partner builders understand the value the iBuyer Concierge Program brings to their home buyers.  The buyers love the convenience and control the program offers them as they navigate the process of selling their current home and purchasing a new one,” said Gary.

“For many new home buyers, the process begins when they visit a new home community and fall in love with the neighborhood or a specific new home,” said Kelly Stephens, managing broker of Engel & Völkers Buckhead Atlanta and Engel & Völkers Atlanta North Fulton.  “They may not have even been thinking about moving until they visited the neighborhood, and now they must sell their current home in order to move into their dream home.  The onsite agents work exclusively within the new community, and cannot offer assistance in selling an existing home somewhere else.  They certainly don’t want to lose a prospective home buyer, so they are delighted to be able to refer the homeowner to our iBuyer Concierge Program to help them sell their home.”

The Engel & Völkers team is trained and certified to work with iBuyers.  The proprietary program allows the EV team to access all cash buyers in the market and compare offers.  The team prepares the home sale information for the iBuyers, then evaluates the offers for the seller.  The team also provides information and guidance to help the seller determine if a traditional sale or a cash sale is the best option.  The service is offered to sellers who are not currently represented by an agent.

“Simultaneously selling and buying a home can be challenging for homeowners,” said Stephens.  “If the new home is under construction, there is additional pressure to time the sale of the existing home to coincide with the new home’s completion.  If the current home sells before the new home is ready, the home buyer has to find a temporary living situation.  If the existing home is on the market longer than expected, the home buyer can end up owning two homes simultaneously, or losing the new home to another buyer.  Our iBuyer Concierge Program works to eliminate these issues.  Plus, since these buyers are institutional organizations and real estate investors that purchase homes for cash, they can complete the home sale within a short timeframe and usually with minimal need for showings or home improvements.  Our partner builders love the convenience and security our new iBuyer Concierge Program offers their prospective home buyers, and the buyers love it, too!”

Homelessness in America | Working Poor Struggle to Survive Housing Crisis

Homeless Crisis Heads Toward 2021 The violent, murderous rampages of the thugs in many US cities is being fueled by poverty.  The riots have revealed just how much rage is felt by so many poor, underprivileged, and soon to be homeless people in the US. The tipping point for some might be that they’re on…

When the time comes to sell a house or an investment property, the majority of owners will choose the traditional way to market their property: through exclusive real estate listings.…

Whether you’re a beginner real estate investor who has no idea where to start or an experienced investor looking to grow your portfolio by adding a real estate asset, the…

The City of Atlanta has extended the nighttime curfew through Sunday night as the George Floyd protests show no signs of letting up.

For tonight, June 3, and Thursday, June 4, the curfew will go into effect at 9 p.m. just like it has for the last four nights. Starting Friday, June 5, the curfew will begin an hour earlier at 8 p.m. The curfews end at sunrise.

Exceptions to the curfew apply to those seeking medical help, working, first responders, and the homeless.

More than 400 people have been arrested since Friday during the protests, which will continue today at Centennial Olympic Park in Downtown and in the Decatur Square at 3 p.m.

The post BREAKING: City of Atlanta extends curfew through Sunday night appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

A candlelight vigil will be held tonight, June 3, at 8 p.m. at Peachtree Battle and Peachtree Road for Demarcus Lee, the man found shot to death in a vehicle near Peachtree Battle Shopping Center May 31. Officers responding around 10:10 p.m. to the area of 2382 Peachtree Road found Lee (also known as Marc “M-Deezy” Lee) in the driver’s seat with a gunshot wound to the torso, according to the Atlanta Police Department. Several firearms were found in the vehicle, according to APD. The killing occurred while protests and rioting were happening in the Downtown area, and two days after looting from previous riots hit the area of the shopping center. APD said homicide detectives believe “there is no connection to any of the protests or riots.”

Atlanta Police are seeking the public’s help in finding a suspect in the murder of Timothy Smith in the Old Fourth Ward. On June 1 at around 1:40 p.m., officers were dispatched to 163 Baker Highland Connector in reference to a person shot. Upon arrival, officers located Smith with an apparent gunshot wound to the torso. Grady EMS pronounced him dead on scene. Homicide detectives are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at (404) 577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.StopCrimeATL.com

A front desk clerk at the Hilton Atlanta hotel in Downtown was shot by a guest around 2:15 a.m. on June 3, according to a report in the AJC. The unnamed suspect, believed to be high on drugs, was apprehended nearby. The hotel employee, who was hit multiple times, was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

APD also responded to a shooting outside the Waffle House on Courtland Street in Downtown around 3:15 a.m. on June 3. According to the AJC, an innocent bystander was shot after an argument erupted between customers waiting for takeout orders. After Waffle House staff made the customers leave, the shooter got into his vehicle and then drove against traffic, shooting at what appears to be the vehicles of the people who he was involved in the argument. No suspect was in custody Wednesday morning. The 58-year-old shooting victim is hospitalized in stable condition.

The post Public Safety Briefs: Series of shootings adds to recent chaos for APD appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

Atlanta Police Department Chief Erika Shields called charges against six officers in the excessive force case against two college students “political jockeying” in an email to employees.

The AJC reports that Shields sent the email Tuesday evening after Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard filed a host of charges against the APD officers, including assault and battery. Shields fired two of the officers after reviewing disturbing body camera images of the students being tased and dragged from their car on Saturday night in Downtown during the George Floyd protests.

“Now that the charges have been announced, I’m very concerned with the space we find ourselves in, both tactically and emotionally,” Shields wrote in the email. “Multiple agencies that were assisting us in managing this incredibly volatile time have pulled out, effective immediately. They are not comfortable with their employees being leveraged politically by the potential of also facing criminal charges.

“The officers were fired because I felt that is what had to occur. This does not mean for a moment that I will sit quietly by and watch our employees get swept up in the tsunami of political jockeying during an election year.”

At a press conference with Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on May 31, Shields said she was “shocked” by the body camera footage. “We have a responsibility not to escalate and cause harm or injury. I was shocked by the  video of how these college students were manhandled in their car. I knew there was only one option and that was to terminate these officers. I apologize to both of the students and how we behaved as an agency. It was unacceptable.”

In her email to employees, Shields described the charged officers as “good people and good cops.”

“But if we are ever going to change the narrative around policing, we must be committed to being accountable always, regardless of the situation or the additional stress it may bring,” Shelds said in the email.

The post Report: Atlanta police chief calls charges against officers ‘political jockeying’ appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

Virtual real estate investing is believed to be for the more experienced real estate investors. But this is not entirely true. Especially with the impact of coronavirus on the US…

The latest Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch shows that employment growth improved slightly in May, up 0.25 percent, as stay-at-home orders eased in most states. Amid the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the jobs index has fallen 3.95 percent year-over-year, most of which (3.52 percent) occurred in the past quarter. The transition back to work also resulted in a 5.33 percent one-month annualized increase in weekly hours worked after a sharp drop in April.

“May’s results hint that the small business job market quickly hit its bottom with the extraordinary job loss in April,” said James Diffley, chief regional economist at IHS Markit. 

“While there are still many unknowns with the pace of recovery, the slight increase in employment numbers last month indicates that employers are starting to bring back employees who were furloughed or temporarily laid off during pandemic-related business closures,” said Martin Mucci, Paychex president and CEO. “Funds received from the Paycheck Protection Program have been helpful in supporting some businesses to retain employees and an extension of the SBA’s loan forgiveness timeline and different parameters would be a positive next step in flexibility to support business survival and recovery.”

Methodology Note: Payroll data used to calculate the Small Business Jobs Index includes employers that have temporarily suspended operations but have kept employees active (yet unpaid) on their payroll records. If the national index was reflective of only workers currently being paid, it would result in a lower jobs index level for the month of May.

The report also includes regional, state, metro, and industry level analysis, showing: 

• All regions in the U.S. experienced improvement in May. However, the increase in the Northeast was marginal, up 0.01 percent.

• With Florida’s stay-at-home order lifted on May 4, the state’s jobs index is more than one point higher than any other state.

• Of the 20 metros analyzed, 14 showed improvement in May, only six slowed further.

• Up 1.22 percent to 97.73, Construction reported significant recovery in May and becomes the new top-ranked industry index.

The complete results for May, including interactive charts detailing all data at a national, regional, state, metro, and industry level, are available at www.paychex.com/employment-watch. Highlights are available below.

National Jobs Index

• As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of small business employment growth in May remained slightly below the weakest level reached during the Great Recession.

• With some small businesses beginning to reactivate workers, the national index increased slightly in May (0.25 percent).

National Wage Report

• After a significant decrease in weekly hours worked last month, the one-month annualized growth rate (based on the growth from April to May) increased to 5.33 percent.

• Due to the impact of COVID-19, the employee mix has shifted toward jobs with higher rates of pay, translating to hourly earnings growth increasing to 3.12 percent.

Regional Jobs Index

• All regions experienced improvement in May. However, the increase in the Northeast was marginal, up 0.01 percent.

• Gaining 0.40 percent from the previous month, the small business jobs index in the South increased to above 96.

• The West had the strongest gains in May, up 0.41 percent, yet its year-over-year change remains the weakest (-4.57 percent).

Regional Wage Report 

• After reporting double-digit drops in one-month annualized weekly hours worked growth in March and April, the South regained some traction, increasing six percent.

• Weekly earnings growth slowed for the sixth consecutive month in the West as weekly hours worked have yet to recover.

• Hourly earnings growth increased to 3.89 percent in the Northeast, overtaking the West as the top-ranked region.

State Jobs Index

• With Florida’s stay-at-home order lifted on May 4, the state’s jobs index increased 0.90 percent reaching 97.48, more than one point higher than any other state.

• Other than Florida, all state indexes are below 97 and down more than two percent year-over-year.

• New York, the state considered the epicenter of COVID-19 in the U.S., saw its jobs index fall further in May to 92.17.

Note: Analysis is provided for the 20 largest states based on U.S. population.

State Wage Report

• At 4.75 percent, hourly earnings growth in New Jersey increased for the fourth consecutive month, topping the state rankings.

• With a decreased and different population of paid employees compared to several months ago, Massachusettsspiked in weekly earnings and hours worked.

• Texas is still decelerating as the state ranks last in all three wage components.

Note: Analysis is provided for the 20 largest states based on U.S. population.

Metropolitan Jobs Index 

• Of the 20 metros analyzed, 14 showed improvement in May, only six slowed further.

• Tampa recovered 0.99 percent in May, improving to 97.42 and overtaking Denver as the top-ranked metro index.

Note: Analysis is provided for the 20 largest metro areas based on U.S. population.

Metropolitan Wage Report

• Reporting the largest drop-off in weekly hours worked growth last month, the New York metro rebounded with the highest one-month annualized growth rate in May, 18.40 percent, as employees are working more hours in May compared to April.

• Reporting 5.00 percent year-over-year hourly earnings growth, Philadelphia climbed to the top of the state rankings.

• Houston and Dallas are both showing negative weekly earnings growth and hourly earnings growth below two percent.

Note: Analysis is provided for the 20 largest metro areas based on U.S. population.

Industry Jobs Index

• Six of the eight industries analyzed showed improvement in May.

• The Leisure and Hospitality industry experienced additional decline in May, decreasing to 90.15. Its index is a full three points lower than the next weakest index, Manufacturing at 93.15.

• Up 1.22 percent to 97.73, Construction reported significant recovery in May and becomes the new top-ranked industry index.

Note: Analysis is provided for seven major industry sectors. Definitions of each industry sector can be found here. The Other Services (excluding Public Administration) industry category includes religious, civic, and social organizations, as well as personal services, including automotive and household repair, salons, drycleaners, and other businesses.

Industry Wage Report  

• Weekly hours worked growth is down 4.51 percent from last year in Leisure and Hospitality, weakest among sectors.

• Financial Activities is the only sector to report positive weekly hours worked from a year ago.

Note: Analysis is provided for seven major industry sectors. Definitions of each industry sector can be found here. The Other Services (excluding Public Administration) industry category includes religious, civic, and social organizations, as well as personal services, including automotive and household repair, salons, drycleaners, and other businesses.

For more information about the Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch, visit www.paychex.com/employment-watch and sign up to receive monthly Employment Watch alerts.

*Information regarding the professions included in the industry data can be found at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.

Trust Stamp, which provides biometric identity verifications and anti-fraud technology to financial technology (FinTech) companies, plans to list on the Euronext exchange as a publicly traded company in the third quarter of 2020. 

Euronext is a pan-European exchange with some 1,500 listed firms that represent $3.6 trillion in market capitalization. The exchange’s member countries include Belgium, France, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.

Trust Stamp, which has 47 employees — including 8 at its Atlanta, Georgia headquarters, is a startup in the Advanced Technology Development Center’s (ATDC)  FinTech portfolio of companies. While the listing will be through Ireland via Euronext Dublin, the company will remain headquartered in Atlanta.

Within the FinTech space, the company deploys its technology in person-to-person (P2P) payments, anti-money laundering, and know your customer (KYC) applications, as well as other measures such as account access, data encryption, and safety applications. For example, Trust Stamp’s facial recognition technology has been deployed to track human trafficking in the United States and Mexico.

The company, which expects to raise $16 million before it goes public, is choosing the direct listing process (DLP), which allows a company to sell shares direct to the public without underwriters or intermediaries. Under DLPs, no new shares are issued. Trust Stamp said it expects to have 2,000 shareholders by the time of its Euronext listing.

“We chose a “direct listing” versus a traditional initial public offering because we do not want to raise additional capital at the current round valuation,” said Gareth Genner, Trust Stamp’s co-founder and CEO, noting Slack Technologies and Spotify Technology S.A. both went the DLP route.

The public listing, targeted for September, will be via Euronext Dublin, he said. “We will be listed on ‘Euronext Growth,’ the middle tier of a three-tier market structure focused upon high-growth, small- to medium-sized enterprises.”

Being part of ATDC helped him and his co-founder, Andrew Gowasack, Trust Stamp’s president, position the company to be ready for its planned listing, Genner said, explaining ATDC Assistant Director Jane McCracken encouraged the company to think globally in terms of capital markets. 

“ATDC was instrumental in developing our team as corporate leaders,” Genner said. “The mentoring and the advice on what needed to be done was critical to take a startup through this process from the governance and management perspective.”