This morning I woke up at 3 AM . Then I heard it . In the distance was the faint howl of a wolf. Two days ago I saw it crossing the road in front of me. Now this was a country road in the mountains. I knew the red wolf had been re-introduced to the mountains. I got a real good look at this animal as it strolled in front of me. My mind raced. OK not a dog, I have seen coyotes before. Could it be?  Yes it was. And last night I woke up to their howl. There were 2 of them. How great is it to live in the mountains!!!!! This is gated community living in the North Georgia Mountains. It just makes you smile. Come on and visit. You will smile too!!!! 07/10/2009

What ? Did you just say buyers aren't the problem? That's right. The problem is the folks doing the short sales and the foreclosures. They are backed up, behind, and generally unable to do a good job servicing clients. So lately we have clients who are buying walking away in disgust. So their buyers agent (Me, or folks I work with) get the blame. The deal is lost we lose money and the clients. We see buyers being bombed with information to buy and look at short sales and foreclosures. We explain to them the perils. They say they are fine with it all but then as it gets really sticky they move on. Do not go shopping to buy a foreclosure. Do not going shopping to buy a short sale. Do work with a Realtor and go shopping for a GOOD deal. PLEASE 07/09/2009

If you are coming from a city or a flat area and want to buy in the mountains here are some things to remember If you say you want a view then you probably are going to have to climb up a mountain. Now you do this in your car but folks often get scared of the climb. Views come with being out in the woods. You will not be able to walk to the store. You could have neighbors but probably will not see the, So finding nature sometimes is not what you are after. Do not discount gated communities. These communities are not what you are used to. They are very much mountain . Also if you are going to be part time gates create another set of locks on the doors. I have blogged about using a good agent as it relates to rules and regulations especially if you are building or buying land. The thing t... 07/05/2009

Linda Carrig, who is an ActiveRain member, heard a big noise on her deck. She has a Boxer and a Great Dane and they were barking up a storm. She opened her back door and both flew outside. The source of their concern was a Bear on Linda's back deck pulling at a bird feeder. Now Linda's back deck is a good 2 1/2 stories off the ground. The bear shimmied up a couple of deck posts and was outside the deck railing reaching for the feeder. The dogs went after the bear. The bear swiped at the dogs. Linda grabbed a chair and tried to get it in between the dogs and the bear. It must have been a great sight. In the end the Bear shimmied down the posts and all were OK. But it led us to tell Linda next time grab a camera and not a chair. If you live in the mountains DO NOT LEAVE FOOD OUT or fill b... 07/05/2009

My Sister-in-law is here visiting us from England. She loves looking at homes. So while my wife is working I take her around with me as I preview homes and communities. It is interesting to note the observations of a visitor to our country. 1 Most of the homes here seem bigger to her. Yes we have all seen shows with stately mansion in PBS but they are the exception. So to her most homes here are a lot bigger than you see in England. Also the homes here have more Loo's (bathrooms) than they do there. 2 Prices for homes here tend to be less and the land you get with them tends to be more. Now this is very local as she is comparing North Georgia. But she is always remarking on how great the prices are and how big the yard is. 3 She asks about "Lease-hold"  That is something in their market... 06/25/2009

I was born and raised in the city of New York . I am used to landmarks . Things like the Statue of Liberty the Empire State Building, Times Square, etc etc where things I grew up with. So as i traveled and got older I was used to landmarks as a part of directions. When we moved to North Georgia I was in for a surprise. I was going some where ,this is pre google maps, and asked for directions as I was new to the area. The person on the other end of the phone said . " Sure travel down X road for about 2 miles and turn right at the Big Chicken." "The Big Chicken ?" I said, thinking I must have misunderstood. "Yes the Big Chicken" the voice said as if I should know what the heck this was. Well that was 23 years ago so ..... Yes this is THE BIG CHICKEN. It is a Marietta landmark. It is also ... 06/23/2009

This photo was taken 15 years ago. My hair was dark then. My son and I went to a wedding of one of my cousins. It was his first time in a suit and his mother was not there. So we made a deal. In Feb in South Carolina we went to the pool so he could swim and burn of energy. Along the way I ended up burning off energy too. My Mother caught this photo of us. The boy got dressed wore a suit and tie and even would not take his jacket off at the reception. Every body commented on how well behaved he was. So I guess it was worth the "Launch me Daddy" requests he made. For me this picture is in my office and is a great memory of me and my son. Happy Fathers day !!   06/21/2009

Right now in the North Georgia Mountains it is breezy and warm. Further South it is just flat hot ! Banks and Shane were here in concert this weekend . What great fun. There are boating and party events all over the mountains. When you come to the mountains if you decide to buy consult your local Realtor at All Mountain Realty. We will wokr with you and help you find the situation that is right for you. After all you are going to be our neighbors. Enjoy your visit and remember to call us at 706 579 1098 or visit us on line at www.allmountainrealty.com 06/21/2009

In theory one can use the 8k tax rebate as a down payment. I say in theory because I have not found a lender yet who will process this way. But assume this will work out should you  use the money as a down payment? I think it depends. If you are using USDA or VA I say no. Here is why. Assume the 8k as a down payment will save you about 10-15 dollars a month on a 30 year fixed.  So at the end of year one you will have saved 120-180 dollars. But if you take the 8k at year end you could put it in a CD and make 10-15 dollars a month and HAVE 8k in case something comes up. For FHA this may be the way to get to your 3.5 percent down and if that is the case this is a good thing. At the end of the day a Realtors role is to point out  these things to you and maybe direct you to your accountant. ... 06/14/2009

Many of my posts have featured flowers ,bears and other wild life. The North Georgia Mountains provide a varied and rich set of features. Going on right now n Big Canoe is a high end art show. There is glass from all over the world. It is beautiful. So take some time from hiking boating and swimming and see the show. In addition last week the Reinhardt symphony  played at a great outdoor free concert. It was on Beautiful lake Sconti. As a friend of mine who moved here from Florida and is active in the mountains remarked. "If I new I was going to be this busy I never would have retired". That statement is from a retired Air Traffic controller!! So in our mountains you can sit and veg or be active in a great number of things or do a combination of both   06/12/2009

Ever have one, or more of those days when; 1 Your Internet connection resembles a Duncan yo yo at work 2 You are rushing to a showing and forgot your lock box key 3 You get to the appointment and the lock box is combo even though your mls says it is electronic. Of course the other agent does not answer the phone. 4 The soil test fails on a land deal etc etc etc  So how do you stay sane? Even in a thunderstorm the beauty of the North Georgia Mountains provides a moment of peace, tranquility and sanity These pictures are taken at the start of the Smokies. Where are the houses? Where is the congestion? Only the beauty of the mountains and the air cleansed by Altitude and the trees is around you. So how do we get to this great place. Do we need a dog sled? Do we need a bush pilot? Do we nee... 06/11/2009

If you are quiet when you walk you are often treated by nature. These are the Ghosts of the forest I call them Ghosts because you can hardly hear them moving. Just a gentle rustle in the woods and as you look you catch the movement. I find animals in the forest have a noise level in reverse to their size. When you are walking you hear noise like a mountain lion is coming through the woods. Guess what it is almost always 2 squirrels chasing each other. Or one squirrel rummaging for food. Then you her4 a gentle rustle and look around and suddenly you see the deer. So much bigger than a squirrel but so much less noisy. The quietest of them all is the black bear. You do not hear them at all. You see them and go wow . You are in awe of how quiet they are. So the bigger the animal it seems th... 06/09/2009

There are so many jokes out there with that punch line. For us at All Mountain Realty tonight is the night. Tonight we learn if we have won a GABBY award for the Mountain Real Estate Report. We never thought we would get submitted. Then we never thought we would get nominated. All we know is the Radio station we broadcast on has won awards in the past and has won more than one award this time. So tomorrow we will blog. I feel like I am living an episode of Fraser. Let's hope tonight's the night ! 06/06/2009

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is Newtonian physics at its best. In politics we have the Thermidor reaction to the French revolution.  In finance we have the bank reaction to the mortgage crisis. Never mind that the crisis was created by the very lenders, at least those still standing, in the first place. Never mind that a short sale should really take 1/10th of the time a foreclosure does since everybody comes out better. The banks today are in a state of change and shock. This is the reality we have to deal with. So you may know 5 banks that SAY they do rural development loans but unless you have dealt with them be careful. What happens is once you get into underwriting the reaction sets in. If the underwriters have not seen rural development (USDA) bef... 06/05/2009

Why buy now? There are a ton of reasons not to buy. 1 The economy is weak. I am worried 2 Housing values have gone down we are not at the bottom 3 There are a lot of costs involved in buying  a house 4 My credit is not that good 5 I have now money for a down payment You can add a bunch of additional reasons I am sure you have heard them all. But consider 1 If you have a good job in a weak economy values are available that would normally not be 2 You never know if you are at the bottom until you start to see an increase in prices 3 Uncle Sam has 8000 for you to buy now. Governor Purdue has 600 a year for 3 years for you to buy. Interest rates are low 4 Let's talk about your credit and see what we can do to fix it. 5 If you are a Veteran or if you are in a rural area VA and USDA loans are... 06/04/2009

Geese are great animals. Like in the Godfather, family is everything. A Gander will face down an SUV when his family is crossing the road. These shots were taken near a mountain lake as a family prepared to cross the road. This shot is of the geese preparing to cross. In the shot below the Gander is taking offense at me as I have stopped in his path and he wants to get his family across the road. i moved along after this shot as he made me an offer I couldn't refuse 06/01/2009

Driving through our neighborhood I noticed a Big Rock on the road. I thought I need to stop and move this before some one comes around a turn and hits it. As I was about to get out of my car my wife stopped me and pointed up into the woods, I looked up and it was Peek-a Bear!!!! This young Bear was peeking out from behind a tree. He and his sibling were playing rolling rocks down the hill. Perhaps he would have sprung out and said the Bear equivalent of Surprise! At that point I would have had the Fred Sanford equivalent of "The Big One!" What a great sight.We know he was a juvenile because he was with his sibling in the distance Notice in this photo the bear in the back who is the sibling. In the fore ground of the photo is the hiding bear behind the tree you see in the first picture. ... 05/30/2009

Recently a pretty 3 acre lot sold in our mountains. It was wooded and had a stream behind it. It also had a nice flat building site. As lots go it was a good one as it is on a paved road and had county water. The price it went for was 80,000. But what made this lot special was the view: Looking across the country road from the lot this is what you would see from your front porch Looking to the left, or on your side porch you would see the barn more green great horses and the stream that winds its way around from the back of your property to across the Road If you decided to look up from your porch the mountain view is great. The North Georgia Mountains, Beautiful, affordable, peaceful, country living. 05/28/2009

It has been raining a lot in the South lately. But out of the mist and clouds there are some bright spots. This picture is a fully opened Mountain Laurel in the mist You can see the mist around this picture. The Laurel stands out almost as if it had a light on it. (It doesn't) Remember growing up and waiting for summer corn or Jersey Beef steak tomatoes, or cherries? This is all pre globalization. Well Mountain Laurel here bloom every year. But every second year they are better. This is the second year 05/27/2009

So here we are Sunday Morning. Raining AGAIN here in North Georgia. We are eating breakfast in the living room watching TV. Naughty us! When suddenly a face appear in the window a couple of feet away from us. It is the first Black Bear we have seen this season. Talk about a morning wake up! This guy was probably about 1 to 1 1/2 years old. I made the mad dash for the camera. But he was gone. He did leave evidence that he was here though!           I will have camera at the ready and hopefully get a picture of the rest of him to share. In terms of safety here are the things to remember with black bears. NEVER get between a mother and her cubs. If you see cubs be very careful because mom is not far away. Also if a bear stands it s ground with you an Humpffs. It has cubs some where and wil... 05/24/2009