Growing up there were always two jars in my parents refrigerator.  Daddy ate Blue Plate Mayonnaise and Mom ate Miracle Whip.  From my experience of the two you come down on one side of fence or the other.  I landed on Mom's side and so did my brother.  When I got married to Donald he ate Mayonnaise, but since there wasn't any in the refrigerator and he didn't do the shopping he crossed over from the dark side. He now happily makes his sandwiches with my jar of Miracle Whip. So how in the world does this relate to lake homes? When I am showing lake homes to couples there are two sides to the fence.  The Mayonnaise (the men's side) is the lake, the lot, the garage, the dock, the boathouse.  The Miracle Whip side (the lady's side) is the kitchen, the greatroom, the gas logs in the fireplac... 11/30/2012

Did you know all Georgia lakes are man made?  Yup, there is not one natural lake in our state.  I'd like to tell you a little about MY lake.... Lake Sinclair is 15,300 acres of beauty.  It has 417 miles of shoreline and stretches through Putnam, Baldwin and Hancock Counties. Sinclair Dam construction began by Georgia Power Company in 1929, but was stopped in 1930.  The depression took hold and suspended the lake for more than 19 years.  Work on the dam resumed in 1949 under the supervision of B.W. Sinclair, the superintendent of power plant construction and operations (who the lake was named for) and finished in 1953.  The dedication of the dam took place on July 28, 1954 on the eve of B.W. Sinclair's retirement. Not only does lake Sinclair create power at the Sinclair Dam, but also at ... 11/15/2012

AVERAGE PRICE I'd call the October sales prices holding steady.  It is good to see that they are up from last month a bit and up from last year same time.  Looks like perhaps we're gonna be bumping along the bottom for a while.  Hopefully with spring buyers we will see lower inventory and at that point maybe the prices will start to climb again.  I'd love to see some building permits being pulled on the lake, but those are still few and far between in our area.  Of course what that does mean for buyers is that some really great priced inventory is still out there.  I'm also happy to report the third home for more than a half million has sold on Lake Sinclair this year. NUMBER SOLD   Looking for a little good news for the Lake Sinclair market report for October?  Well the number being at... 11/02/2012

As a girl I was handed the collection of my mom's 45s.  (for those of you who might be my daughter's age) those are "records" that had individuals songs from vinyl albums.  My mom was teen in the late 50s and she had some great hits that I still hear on "oldies" stations today.  I grew up with a love for Ricky Nelson, Bobby Darin, Jan and Dean, Patsy Cline and Connie Frances.  I think it actually opened me up to enjoy a wider variety of music than my friends at young age.  I love MOST music.  I do have to say I've never been a fan of rap.  But with my Donald's new work schedule I'm quite hopeful that we'll get to attend the "Always ... Patsy Cline" by Ted Swindley show.  And I hope I get to hear some Patsy Cline songs. November 9, 10, 16, & 17 November 11 8:00 PM & 3:00 PM Matinee on N... 11/01/2012

My Donald outdid himself this year.  He's carved two jack o'lanterns for the office and will be doing one more for home this evening.  We welcome trick or treaters to come by and visit from 3 to 6 p.m. today at our office for some really great treats.  We have cookies and punch and some candy and pencils and even some Halloween Activity Books for the little ones.  Happy Hauntings! 10/31/2012

AVERAGE PRICE Not only did we experience an average price drop from last month, but the lowest overall average in September in 3 years.  But that's not the entire story.  Average price, is just that the average price of all homes sold in September.  The goodness I pulled from the sold data was the third sale of year of over $500,000.  That does give a glimmer of home that luxury homes on Lake Sinclair will begin to see some activity again.  The bad news is the low sales were bank owned.  And I'm not sure we've seen the end of those.  In fact I know of one pending at the moment (inside knowledge) that will most likely be shown in the October market report. DAYS ON MARKET Again we find good news and bad news.  The bad news is they are on the rise again.  The good news however is still bel... 10/11/2012

I just compiled the data for my September market report and what do you know we're down again.  Longer times on the market, price down from last month and less sales than last month on Lake Sinclair.  I look for bright spots, like the fact price is up same month last year and that sort of thing.  But it really is a true roller coaster right now. In the details of things I find hope.  One of sales in September was a $625,000. home.  Now that doesn't happen every month.  The fact that what's considered closer to the upper end of our market here getting a sale is great.  In fact, with a quick check only three homes over $500,000 sold in 2012 on Lake Sinclair.  They closed in June, August and September.  So perhaps the high end market is picking up a little. And then there is the $55,000 sa... 10/10/2012

DAYS ON MARKET Average days on the market only down slightly, but down is good no matter how slight the move.  The low days on the market for the month was 1 day.  That's right, those great listings can be scooped in the day they hit the market.  Best have me be on the look out.  I check new listings EVERY morning.   NUMBER SOLD Now this gets a big WHOO HOO from me.  Best single monthly closings on Lake Sinclair in the past three years.  This will help get inventory down and we all know supply and demand controls price.  So if the numbers keep upward or even steady you can look for our now stable prices to start creeping back upward. AVERAGE PRICE The highest yet average price in 2012.  Again, my take on this is stable, not climbing.  There are still some deals available, but the steals... 09/29/2012

SOLD 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath, great room with fireplace.   Built in 2007 1500 sq. ft. .42 acres attached double carport concrete drive level lot concrete patio in back yard Stove, dishwasher and microwave included Must prequalify with specific Suntrust Contact, please contact us for detailsTo see miore photosVisit Lane Realty's website, search the entire MLS here.  09/22/2012

It's that time of year.  Today I harvested what was left of my tomatoes, and herb garden at work.  I even collected some seeds so that next year I don't have to buy, but just plant what I collected today.  Donald is doing the shopping and either today or tomorrow I will be planting the fall colored mums on the planters on the porch. I welcome fall... with the exception of the time change.  That abrupt getting dark early is the one thing that I dread.  I walk my puppies (okay they are dogs), but I still think of them as puppies... when I get home from work and in winter that means walking them in the dark.  I carry a light, I wear light clothes, but I still don't like it.  But that's the only part I don't like. I love the cooler weather.  I love the smell of the fire in the fireplace, I ... 09/16/2012

I get that question so often.  And people are sometimes amazed, but my market reports back up that although Lake Sinclair sales peek in summer months homes still sell on Lake Sinclair year round.  Many people feel prices are at their lowest off season and home shop during that time.  Well if you want to sell it, my answer is right now.  If it's not on the market then no one knows you want to sell it. Over the course my real estate career I have sold homes in all 12 months.  And right now inventory is getting low in many price points on the lake, so if you are thinking of selling your Lake Sinclair home give me a call and I'd be happy to meet with you to get started in the process. At Lane Realty we do more for our sellers than stick a sign in the yard and hope it sells.  We have a full ... 09/15/2012

Among friends recently a conversation was started about there being "less" tuna in a can of tuna these days.  There was my family used to make 4 sandwiches, now we can barely cover two slices of bread.  Yet the smaller can of tuna costs more.  And you will find similar to the tuna the same to be true all over your grocery store.  My "50 lb" bag of dog food is now 44 lbs.  And while I admit it's a bit easier to get into the cart and the car it lightens my wallet the same as before.  And there are less magically delicious Lucky Charms in that larger cardboard box as well.  I find there is less tide and downy is my same sized plastic bottles as well.  And the 34 oz. can of maxwell house is not 33 oz. and costs more. My grocery bill is higher and it's fitting into fewer bags.  The same amou... 09/11/2012

My phone rang before 8 a.m.  I wasn't even out of bed yet and I didn't answer it.  It was a call I was expecting at some point today, but my business opens just a tad later than theirs.  The next call *still early, was from my daughter who wanted me to meet her for a mommy daughter morning.  I had to stop by the office first.  Had an agent writing an offer and needed a little technical reminder for the program.  Then I was off to meet Abigail. Not only do I now have pretty toes, I got to spend the morning with my daughter and well... it was great.  Over the last few years she's been very busy with college and a new job and we've not had too many days like today.  I wish I could have also had lunch with her, but I had to meet a client at 12:30 for a listing appointment.  When I got ready... 09/10/2012

09/09/2012

This week I have the opportunity to show property to a lovely couple who are looking for a weekend get-a-way from the city and his grandparents had a Lake Sinclair home so he's familiar with the area and loves Lake Sinclair.  They picked out the price range in which they qualify and did some searching.  They sent me a list of homes.  I deleted a couple that were already sold or under contract and added a couple they didn't know about from their on their own search and the list was set.  The appointment was set and the last thing was to check the showing instructions and make any appointments we needed. You'd think making appointments to show homes that sellers have listed for sale would be simple.  Sometimes it is.  Sometimes... not so much.  A couple of the homes listed in the beautifu... 08/23/2012

I sell real estate in and around Lake Sinclair and I'd like to tell you a little about what I like to call "MY" lake.  Even though technically GA Power owns "my" lake I have so many wonderful memories that stretch back as far as I can remember of Little River and Lake Sinclair that it feels like my lake.  I remember going to my Uncle Jack's lake place and swimming to the island.  That island it's an island anymore, it has a causeway built to it.  There of course is also under the bridge at Little River where my parents used to take my family on Sunday afternoons.  We'd swim, we'd picnic, we'd swim some more.  I love this lake and I'd like to share some information about it with you. Lake Sinclair is 15,300 acres of beauty.  It has 417 miles of shoreline and stretches through Putnam, Bal... 08/20/2012

The Haband House in Eatonton.  I got to see the interior of this home built in 1844 on a tour of homes a couple of years ago and it's just delightful.  I took this photo this spring just as the trees were begining to leaf out.  Today is drizzly, overcast and gray and I was in search of some blue sky.  Found it and wanted to share it with you. 08/19/2012

Don't shoot the messenger.  Recently a couple of different people who have emailed or called about homes (that happen to be foreclosures) have expressed nothing less than anger at my telling them they need to be pre-approved.  So I thought I would explain just a little about why you need to do so.  When an offer is submitted on a foreclosed home the banks will reject it without even considering it if it doesn't come with a pre-approval or proof of funds letter.  So if you are out looking at homes and find that "deal of a lifetime", the perfect home for you and while you're waiting to get your approval letter so you can submit an offer and someone comes in and buys the house out from under you.  Perhaps they even buy it for less money than you were planning to offer.  That can hurt.  Get... 08/13/2012

08/12/2012

Meet me at the Plaza at 5:30 as we welcome home our Olympic Hero who will arrive via motorcade at 6:00 p.m.  Following will be a ceremony. Vincent is a two time Gold Medalist now and I'd love to see the entire community come out to support him. Let's crowd the plaza and how Vincent Hancock just how proud we all are of his super accomplishments. Then of course you should stay for the concert, which is just $5.00   The Grapevine  7:30 PM TICKET PRICES WILL BE $5 IN ADVANCE AND AT THE GATE. YOU MAY PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE, AT THE PLAZA, OR AT EITHER OF THE FARMERS & MERCHANTS BANK LOCATIONS. Meet Me at The Plaza outdoor summer concerts presents The Grapevine, another premier Georgia Party Band! Don't miss their first time performing at The Plaza! Buy Tickets or call (706) 923-1655. Tickets... 08/11/2012