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88 There were 11,392 bankruptcy filings in Georgia for the first three months of 2016, ranking it fourth among states for year-to-date filings in 2016 behind only California, Illinois, and Florida, according to AACER bankruptcy data reported by Epiq. KNOW THIS GEORGIA Ten Real Estate Investment Hot Spots New, healthy housing markets are emerg- ing in the midst of continued improvement in the job market. Which markets present the most opportunity for investors? HomeVestors and Local Market Moni- tor recently identified the ten best markets for real estate investors for the first quarter of 2016 based on cities with increased job opportuni- ties in the last year. e report showed that the overall national average increase was 1.9 percent. At the top of the list for investors is the Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas metro area, San Antonio, Texas came in second , and Grand Rapids-Wyoming, Michigan took third, but their numbers were strong, according to the data. Wrapping up the top five best cities for real estate investors are Orlando, Florida follows and Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia. "Good job growth is driving prices higher in our markets, mainly in business services but also tourism (Orlando, San Antonio), finance (Charlotte, Dallas) and manufacturing (Grand Rapids)," said Ingo Winzer, President and Founder of Local Market Monitor. HomeVestors and the Local Market Moni- tor also based the ranking on markets that will be good rental markets and where home prices are likely to rise at an increased rate over the next few years. Other important criteria considered includes markets where: » e population has been growing at above- average rates with growth coming from people moving there in search of jobs; » e current rate of job growth of two percent or better; and » ere is low unemployment, so that new jobs will be filled by people who move there, not by unemployed people who are already there. Although home prices have recovered in Texas, California, and Florida, the report predicts that some markets in these states will be over-priced in another year and could potentially endure the risk of a boom and bust down later. "Over the last year, we have seen an increase in population and job growth," said David Hicks, HomeVestors Co-President. "However, housing prices are increasing significantly faster than incomes. As a result, home sales are slowing, limiting the housing demand. erefore, investors need to be careful where and when they invest." Winzer agreed, "Prices are still at or below the income price—and a couple of years away from being too high. Yesterday's opportunity becomes today's risk once prices move higher than they should. is is espe- cially true for investors in rental properties and especially now that the deep discounts at which properties could be bought have largely disappeared." Ken Channell, Co-president of HomeVes- tors said, "Investors always need to think hard, but in this environment they also can't afford to think too long." HomeVestors and Local Market Monitor 's first-quarter 2016 Top 10 markets for real estate investing: 1. Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas 2. San Antonio, Texas 3. Grand Rapids-Wyoming, Michigan 4. Orlando, Florida 5. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia 6. Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, North Carolina 7. Salt Lake City, Utah 8. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, Ten- nessee 9. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida 10. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona FLORIDA ARMA Acquisition Buys Firm Solutions Firm Solutions, LLC, a Tampa-based provider of specialized consulting and practice management solutions to law firms nationwide, announced its acquisition by ARMA Acquisi- tion, LLC, an investment group focused on providing business solutions to the financial services industry and its service providers. In his role as CEO of ARMA Acquisi- tion, Scott Brinkley will relocate to the Tampa area to manage several of ARMA's portfolio companies. "e innovative service offerings provided by Firm Solutions are extremely relevant for law firms operating in today's default services marketplace and we are impressed with the team's agility and creativity," Brinkley stated. "With our investor group backing the com- pany and its plans for expansion into additional solution areas, we are confident that the busi- ness will continue its impressive growth, and provide sustainable, high impact solutions to law firms across the country." Jan Duke will remain COO of Firm Solu- tions and believes this partnership positions the company for tremendous growth and expansion. "My team is looking forward to working with Scott Brinkley, leveraging his knowledge and experience in the mortgage and legal in- dustries," Duke said. "is new endeavor will allow our team to continue to provide quality service to our clients, while simultaneously developing new relationships. is is a terrific step forward for our company and the clients we serve." Firm Solutions is a professional services orga- nization, providing consulting, business process outsourcing (BPO) services, and specialized products to the mortgage and legal default indus- tries. Unlike traditional consulting companies that offer hit-and-run advice, Firm Solutions MEMBER Adriana M Montes, MBA Juris Doctor Candidate Owner, Real Estate Broker REO, Short Sale, Property Management & Acquisitions Director, Luxury Home Specialist, Multimillion Dollar Producer » Awarded #17 with 203 home sales in 2014 of Top 250 Latino Real Estate Agents in US! » Awarded #17 with 220 home sales in 2013 of Top 250 Latino Real Estate Agents in US! » Awarded #16 with 200 home sales in 2012 of Top 250 Latino Real Estate Agents in US! » Awarded #48 with 120 home sales in 2011 of Top 250 Latino Real Estate Agents in US! www.FloridaDreamsRealty.com 321.689.6258 cell - Adriana@FloridaDreamsRealty.com

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