Atlanta Shooting; Enticing Home Buyers
HARRIS: And right now let's get you some of those unfolding developments. We've been telling you about a horrible murder scene in southeast Atlanta this morning. Judy Pal is on the line with us. She is with the Atlanta Police Department. And, Judy, instead of me sort of describing the news accounts of what your officers found this morning and what they responded to, why don't you tell us in fact what unfolded this morning in the 100 block of Mt. Zion Road, again, in southeast Atlanta. Thanks for your time.</s>JUDY PAL, ATLANTA POLICE: Thanks. Good morning, Tony. Around 7:00 we were called to a person shot call. When police arrived, we found -- and it's a single-dwelling home -- we found four people dead, two others were rushed to hospital after an apparent murder/suicide. One of the persons deceased, we believe, is the man who was the shooter. He was 52 years of age. Also deceased at the scene were two of the victims. One was 26 years of age and the other victim age is still unknown. We believe them to be in their 20s. Two of the other victims were taken to Grady Hospital where a 28- year-old died. And there is another victim, age 27, who remains there in critical condition. And I think a lot of the media were talking about a three-year-old boy. He has been taken to Eggleston Children's Hospital in critical condition. We did locate a weapon at the scene. All the victims are believed to be related. It's very early, even though this happened at 7:00 and it's now 10:30. It is early in the investigation. We have police there. We have crime scene technicians on scene.</s>HARRIS: So talk us through what the next steps are. I imagine you processed the scene, of course. But are your and your officers conducting interviews of neighbors to try to get a sense -- you're trying to answer the big question as to why something as horrible as this could take place.</s>PAL: Yes, absolutely. But, unfortunately, in a lot of these cases, we really never find out. You know, it's very hard to understand why something like this might happen, you know, especially when the person who was doing the killing has ended up killing themselves. It's a very tragic situation. There's probably a lot of folks that will know these people. It's going to be very, very sad days for a lot of folks. We have a big job ahead of us with so many people that were involved in this shooting. We'll be talking to folks around that area. And our crime scene technician, obviously, will be trying to figure out the order of events.</s>HARRIS: Sure. Judy, you mentioned a 52-year-old male.</s>PAL: Correct.</s>HARRIS: You believe that 52-year-old made was the shooter?</s>PAL: Yes.</s>HARRIS: Do you know if he was, let's say, the head of that household? Father? Grandfather?</s>PAL: You know what, I don't want to speculate at this point. The public affairs staff, as I'm sure you realize, aren't allowed into the crime scene to chat with the folks. We're going to let the officers do their work. And once the incident commander comes out and provides us with a little bit of information, we'll get it out to you as soon as possible.</s>HARRIS: OK. Judy Pal of the Atlanta Police Department. Judy, thanks for the information this morning.</s>PAL: Thanks so much, Tony, we appreciate it.</s>COLLINS: Home sales, the lowest in five years? If you are selling, you're scrambling, that's for sure. Here with the best ways to entice -- yes, I like this -- to entice a buyer. CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis. Gerri, great to see you.</s>WILLIS: Good to see you.</s>HARRIS: Boy, this is an issue you talk about on the big "Open House" show a lot.</s>WILLIS: Right.</s>HARRIS: So where do we start here? What's the best way to sort of entice someone to buy your home. You need to move it.</s>WILLIS: That's right. Well, you know, some people are very desperate at this point and you have to understand that getting the money together to put down a down payment on a house is the biggest stumbling block for first-time home buyers. And considering how much harder it may be to qualify for a mortgage right now, buyers will be even more attracted by financial incentives you can offer. You can offer to pay the whole down payment or part of the down payment and that can make all of the difference. Look, paying a buyers down payment is no small fee. It can be expensive. But this may be the only option if you're in a very stressed housing market.</s>HARRIS: Well, if I look ahead here, it even gets more expensive. If you look at your tips two here, think about taking on the closing costs?</s>WILLIS: Yes, you know, I'm telling you, people out there are trying to move these homes.</s>HARRIS: Gerri, this is getting pricey here.</s>WILLIS: Indeed it is. Closing costs can add up to quite a bit of money. We're talking about title insurance and taxes. Closing costs can make up two to three percent of the loan amount, and that may be thousands of dollars out of the seller's pocket as they reimburse the buyer. So this is another way to get people to buy that house that you're trying to unload. Some people don't have a lot of flexibility when they have to sell.</s>HARRIS: What do you mean when you say pay with points?</s>WILLIS: Well, you know, a buyer is always looking at their bottom line for a home. But in an environment where interest rates are rising, hey, getting a mortgage with an attractive interest rate is really important. People selling their homes today can entice buyers by offering to pay mortgage points. These are the points - they are fees, actually. The buyers generally pay to get the lender to cut the interest rate. So, instead of having an interest rate at, say, 6.5 percent, which you might right now, a seller may be able to pay points so that the rate is 5.5 percent, say, for the first year. Now paying those points for the buyer can be a big benefit and big, you know, incentive.</s>HARRIS: What do you think about the idea -- would it help me entice a buyer if I can say to that buyer, look, I've got this fabulous home warranty here that will cover everything?</s>WILLIS: Yes. People like these things. More home sellers are taking out home warranties. And a warranty is really just an insurance plan the seller takes out on the home and it acts just like a regular old-fashioned insurance plan, but it covers the major mechanicals like the furnace or the cooling system. This way the buyer goes in and they know if anything happens to the appliances, air conditioning units, hey, it's going to be repaired or replaced. Now it's not free. It costs about $500 to $750 for a one-year policy but it really can put buyers minds at ease, particularly if they are buying an older home.</s>HARRIS: Hey, what about if I -- let's see, I've got this great room that I've finished, I put my home gym in there, hey, can we make this deal work if I include the gym?</s>WILLIS: Well, maybe, you know, I mean, of course there have been deals where sellers offer flat-screen TVs, free cars, exotic vacation. We've heard everything, I'm telling you. But people are really looking for a house when they're shopping for a house, not a trip to Paris.</s>HARRIS: Yes, that's true.</s>WILLIS: You really are better off spending your time fixing your home's warts, like repairing the crumbling stairs or replacing appliances instead of going for all the bells and whistles. And, of course, Tony, if your viewers have a question, send it to us at toptips@cnn.com. We answer them right here every Friday and we love to hear from your very smart viewers.</s>HARRIS: There you go. Good Monday to you, Gerri. Great to see you.</s>WILLIS: Great to see you.</s>COLLINS: Trapped by floods. British towns cut off from the world. Islands in a sea of flooding. Desperate rescues underway today. Also, towering flames and thick smoke. Parts of the west dealing with some big wildfires this morning. One of the hardest-hit areas, central Utah. And celebrations in Baghdad. Sunni, Shiites and Kurds united for a common cause, cheering on their new national heroes.