Our board of Realtors is very active in the community doing many things to help. In general even the community I live in is very active in the county. Today at a meeting it was announced that per capita Pickens County had more volunteers involved in the community than any other county in Georgia ! But wait, the good news does not stop there. We are actually number 3 !!!! in the country. This was great news. I am a volunteer for governance and the fire department where I live so I am doing my part. Many of the communities here in North Georgia are made up of folks from all over the nation that have discovered the beauty of the North Georgia Mountains. They are active folks and are rolling up their sleeves to give back. As a friend of mine half joking said to me , "If I knew retirement wo... 08/20/2009

So you have read Part on and you are funded. You have your license and are ready to go. The North Georgia Mountains are beautiful and there is a large amount of land available for sale . So you are getting involved in land sales. You figure hey they are not as complicated as a home. Did you know that E & O insurance generally runs higher if you do a lot of land sales ? Here is why 1 You need to consider first and foremost is the lot buildable? In Georgia a level 3 soil test is the first step to making that determination. This is especially true if yo are dealing in 1 or 1/2 acre lots. You could find under ground water or serious rock. The reason these factors are problems is because you are dealing in septic systems. Too close to water and you will not pass environmental laws. Too much ... 08/15/2009

This year we have been involved in 3 listings that belonged to others and we are the second party in to try and sell the home. What makes these 3 unique is the homes were built before 1978. In all three cases when we presented the seller with the REQUIRED Lead Paint Disclosure they looked at us and said , "What's this?" In Georgia you are required to disclose, if the house was built before 1978, the fact that there might be lead based paint. Yet in all three of these cases the disclosure was not done. I am going to assume out of lack of knowledge. Which is why I am writing this post . So what can happen? 1 If you get caught and yes the State does monitor these things the fine is $ 5,000 !!! 2 The buyer finds out about this after the fact and freaks out . Who knows where the $$$ will be ... 08/14/2009

At the turn of the 20th  and near the end of 19th Century  there was a big , what we would call today, grass roots movement in the South. It was called the Populist movement. It featured such colorful characters as Sock-less Jerry Simpson, and famous figures like William Jennings Bryan. There were a lot of poor folk in the South and this movement was aimed at changing and empowering these folk. Now the party that controlled the South was the Democratic party. So this movement really challenged the fat cats in the Democratic party and was a threat to them. What happened? The Democratic party leaders split the movement by raising the issue of race. The party before this had black and white members. But by raising the issue of race the fat cats split the movement. In the end they were able... 08/12/2009

The following 2 quotes caught my eye and for the first time I thought I would participate in Motivational Monday "It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse" Adlai Stevenson I love this quote because in our business it is so true. You really do have to believe in yourself in order to get others to believe in you.    AND "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich." Lyndon Johnson Positive energy for me is the name of the game. It is too easy to blame others and criticize those who are doing. I am Motivated this week and I will broker a deal  which , will make my buyers happy , make a seller happy, make my wife who manages the bank book happy, and make my dentist happy as yesterday I had a crown fall into my han... 08/10/2009

The Old Fashion Barber shop is exactly what it says it is. A small building on South Main Street in Jasper Georgia. The Barber poll works and is the traditional advertisement. There is a bench outside where you can sit if you do not want to wait inside. This shop has many things that make it a wonderful experience. It is not called a boutique, a salon, or a hair emporium. It is a Barber shop. And it really is a barber shop in the many ways that some of us who have gray hair can remember. Yes that is right they have the old time Barber chairs. I am almost 6'4" and love the fact that I do not have some plastic seat cutting into my back about 1/2 way up. You can see the old sinks mirrors and paraphernalia in this picture. The 2 Barbers are Becky and Mary. They own this shop and are each wo... 08/09/2009

Zondervan farms is a new addition to our North Georgia Landscape. North Georgia has a very active and large horse loving community. Whether you are attending steeple chase in Alpharetta or riding our trail North Georgians love their horses. Zondervan farms specializes in Dutch Warm Bloods Thatcher is a Champion Warm Blood. Here he is being handled by co-owner of the farm Jody Cunningham. This is a family owned business.  The folks here take care of their animals and work to provide only the best to their clients Check out this great little guy. The folks at Zondervan breed their animals with quality in mind. The name Zondervan comes from the Dutch for a group of Christian Business people who established their business in the U.S . many years ago. Speaking of quality Jody and husband Jim... 08/03/2009

There was not going to be a working with boomers 2 except for a headline I saw in business week. The headline read Boomers Nest Egg Shrinking. So the question is should you dump working with boomers? The anser is no. My blog gives some great strategies for working with boomers. But if the nest egg shrinking is the case now more then ever there are some things you should focus on. 1 Down sizing means smaller areas to heat and cool. This is something we fail to stress. In the general scheme of things boomers say they want to downsize so they have less to take care of. In Boomer code this can often mean things will cost less 2 Look seriously at a reverse mortgage. A boomer moving to your area selling a 200,000 home may want to buy a 200,000 home to avoid a mortgage. Work with them and have... 07/31/2009

WYYZ radio in Jasper is the epitome of a local business. They broadcast Gospel as well as talk radio. They have won numerous awards and in fact this year alone they one 4 merit awards from the Georgia Association of Broadcasting. We present the " Mountain Real Estate Report" on Wyyz weekly. But that is only part of the story. The folks on WYYZ have been featured by the New York Times. I was honored when they asked me to help interview U.S. Senator Isakson about his housing bill. Wyyz also cover events in the mountains. You can get local events like garage sales and things like that on for free. They have been active in many community services. They have also structured programs and helped us non radio people become pros in our business. This is the way small town America is. Yes they ne... 07/30/2009

I am I guess now an "Old Guy". I am not sure when this happened. I suspect it did not happen all at once. I am sure many of you reading this blog can empathize with me. I know I am an old guy because I am 6 foot 4. This is important because when I was a young guy in stores people would say ,"Hey Sonny can you reach this for me." I was a top shelf guy. That changed to Mister and now it is Sir. It is a joke in my house. Whenever my wife wants something that is up high she knows she can get me to reach it for her by saying, "Hey sonny can you reach this?" ( The male ego has no boundaries) BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT I AM SAD ABOUT I guess old folks ramble. Ha I am sad that the knowledge I have gained over the years falls on deaf ears. I know buying a home when you are starting out is probably one... 07/29/2009

Today the mountain that I live on is covered in mist and periodically it rains. A picture of this would just be all white and not really convey the beauty of the mountains in any weather. So let me quote Carl Sandberg The fog "The fog comes n on little cat feet Sits silently on its haunches and moves on." How beautiful and how simple a way to describe the total silent envelope the fog raps around you. Have a foggy external day with a clear inner sense of what you are doing! 07/29/2009

This morning I had some early appointments so as I crossed Lake Petit Dam I was able to take this photo This is the sun rise over Lake Petit. It was a great warming wonderful sight. If you notice there is not a cloud in the sky. As I sit and write this post it is pouring rain and thunder is rumbling. I have already responded to one call about a potential lightening strike. Fortunately no damage. But from this sunrise to a tumultuous afternoon. goes to show you never really know what a day will bring. Enjoy and may all your days start out bright . 07/28/2009

We are putting together a seminar for buyers in North Georgia. The seminar will be August 22. It is by invitation so you need to call us to reserve a spot. We will have lender's and insurance folks there. We are going to cover how to buy with 100 percent financing. We will also go over the credits available to you. So this seminar is more than just selling homes. It really is aimed to help folks take advantage of this market To find out more or sign up call us at 706 579 1098. Or leave a comment on this post. All Mountain Realty is helping folks in our mountains 07/26/2009

Every Market is different but in different areas I am hearing the same thing. Yes there are buyers out there. Yes there are loans out there. However buyers are coming in with really low prices and negotiations are tough. Some of you are lucky in that your market has not gone through the pain that others have gone through. The pain is different from location to location and varies in severity. But the market here at least and from what my friends in Atlanta tell me is still out of balance. You can buy an existing home for less than it would cost to build today. Try to get a land loan to build with credit under 680 ! Can you say 50 percent down and a point up on rates. Even conventional loans are tiering. Below 680 credit means a higher rate. So the market still is in a state of flux. The... 07/24/2009

This pretty log cabin is set in the woods near Jasper. It is the real deal. It is over 100 years old. Around it are all Rhodies and Mountain Laurel. Next to it is a small spring fed pool. You can see the water bubbling up out of the spring. Many of these cabins are saved in the mountains. When you hike trails you are often rewarded with this site and maybe a bench or 2 to sit on. Nothing fancy or electronic. Just quiet contemplation. 07/22/2009

I work with a lot of buyers here in the mountains. The following advice is for those looking to buy in communities. Community living is great. Whether you have a lot of amenities or few amenities community living offers a lot. Some communities are gated others are not. So the first thing to know is generally in gated communities you pay for the roads. If the monthly dues are zero or very low and you are in a gated community then down the road,no pun intended, you could be faced with a nasty assessment surprise. The second thing to look at is why live in a community at all? After all you are moving to the mountains to "get away from it all". While that idea is appealing unless you want to farm or do other things that might violate covenants and restrictions, isolation is not all it is cr... 07/19/2009

As we age many of us are looking for that home that has a master on the main. Many baby boomers are looking for mountain property. So Masters on the main are a big plus. But what about your friends? When your friends, or brothers and sisters come to visit aren't they getting older too? So consider when you are shopping for a home a second bedroom on the main level. We live in a ranch so have 3 bedrooms all on the same level. Master on the main is a great plus . But more than one bedroom on the main is even better. 07/18/2009

There has been a change in the way we bid on foreclosures for our buyers. In the old days, 1 year ago, you looked at the bank price and put in an offer. Usually the offer was lower than the asking price. If you were all cash you were even lower. Then things started to change. We had multiple bids on property so the banks would come back and ask you for your highest and best offer. But if you were all cash you still usually came out OK. Lately we have seen starting offers go in at OVER the asking price, including all cash offers. I have even lost deals where we were all cash full price and 11 day close! We were not even asked for our highest and best. They just took another offer. This tells me that money feels the market is turning and the good deals are becoming fewer. Buyers are more ... 07/17/2009

The gathering of storm clouds in the mountains is really the definition of Anticipation. You await what is to come. The storm brings violence and the threat of fire through lightening. It is also noisy as windows shake to the sound of thunder. But at the same time the storm brings rain. Rain water is life to plants, animals,and us. After the rain the earth says thank you with green and growing things. The smell of the earth in the woods after a rain is one of life too. The process shows natures duality. 07/15/2009

One of the things that make working in the North Georgia Mountains is you never know what you are going to see. Our gated communities often have a large amount of green space and act as nature preserves. So today while driving to preview some land for a client coming in on Sunday as I went around the bend, this is what I was lucky enough to see; Mama bear with kids in tow moving across a quiet country road.  They all climbed the hill. Which I thought was pretty amazing In the picture above you can see junior working to keep up with Mama who is up ahead and already blending in with the woods. Now it is tempting to get out of the car and work to snap closer pictures. But if you do that I can promise you a couple of things will happen. Mom will stop and make a Hum-pf noise. The cubs will s... 07/10/2009