This week I have been posting about snow in the North Georgia Mountains. Yes we do have a winter here. Here are some of the photos I took of the snow I did not post earlier this week This is Thursday just after sunrise. It is a crystal Palace as frozen fog descended over night. It really is quite something to see. Above is another angle at what covered all out mountains for a few days So here is the last shot off into the distance looking another way. But today Sunday, 1 week later, we are sunny in the 50's and tomorrow we will be in the 60's. This type of weather to me is what makes the North Georgia Mountains unique and great. Yes we have have had more snow than usual this year so far and it lasts a week. We have 4 great and different seasons here . But none of them are severe or drag... 01/16/2011

This weeks show is live from the snowy North Georgia Mountains. we talk about the rule changes i HAFA as well as cover communities in the snow. Linda comes in via telephone so pardon some of the quality. We also cover the market here. We are seeing real signs of a turn around and a return to some type of normalcy. We may I think see the market level out to neutral (neither buyers, or sellers market) this year. Enjoy the show. Your browser does not support iframes. 01/13/2011

My first post a couple of days ago about Tech overload drew some good comments. And in honor of the Tech convention going on in Vegas I think it is time for Luddite II ( Not 2.0 ) To make it easier on all I have added post 1 to the bottom of this one for those who missed it . You might be a Luddite if  1 You think the WEB is a movie about a spider and a pig named Wilbur 2 When you talk about Vinyl you are referring to music not flooring. 3 You were shopping in the produce section of your super market looking for I-Pods to add to a Chinese food recipe. 4 You continue to ask to borrow a pencil when nobody has used one since first grade 5  You think Spy-ware was the name of the comic strip about those 2 guys in Mad Magazine. 6 You know what Mad Magazine is.  7 You talk back to you car when... 01/07/2011

Happy new Year to all the great folks who live in Big Canoe. The finances in Big Canoe look good. This is very important for home values. Also with all the amenities and services fully funded for 2011 we are off to a good start. Big Canoe also has a capital reserve fund that is growing as well as a debt retirement fund. So if you are looking for a great place to live and are looking a solid solvent communities consider North Georgia's premier community Big Canoe 01/05/2011

There are many posts here about now is the time to buy. But I think if you are contemplating selling, Now is the time to Sell your home. There are 2 factors you have under your control that are super important.  One is price, and the other is the condition of your home. This post is mainly about the number of factors not under your control that lead me to believe now may be a good time to sell. 1 Interest rates. We are still at historic lows for interest rates. So buyers are motivated to buy while the price of money is so good. If buyers are motivated to buy, they have to find homes with sellers motivated to sell right !!! 2 Re-locations. On of the facts of life in this economy is that businesses are relocating to areas that make them more competitive price wise. As business relocate in... 01/03/2011

Today in the North Georgia mountains it is sunny and i the 50's. Over New Years it was n the 60's. Now you may remember me posting snow pictures only a week before.  That is what makes winter in the Mountains so good. You do not get the oppressive long cold snowing dark winter weeks. As for our market, there are some good signs of things getting better. If you are looking to buy in a great place with good schools and a great quality of life now is a good time to do so. We still have programs with 100 percent financing . So contact us at All Mountain Realty to learn about our great location. 01/02/2011

We have a New years eve/ New Years day tradition here. We go to a party on New Years eve at a friends home. They live in Big Canoe so we do not have to travel far. The evening is complete with all of us playing pool, ping pong, and a game of left right center. Everybody brings food and the wine is flowing. At midnight we watch the shows and all laugh because we do not know any of the performers. They are all folks maybe our kids would know. On New Years day the same people ,who are Hungarian, host an incredible dinner. We start in the early afternoon playing board games and sit down to a dinner that has all your basic food groups. The are Carbs, Meat, Wine , and sugar desserts. Then we all swear we will get into shape for 2011.We swear this every year. It is a great party with great fri... 01/01/2011

The making home affordable plan put into place by the Government may be bound to fail. Let's review the plan. In part the plan allows folks under certain conditions to refinance their mortgage. The idea is some folks can afford to stay in their home, just not at the current payment rate. The under lying theory is, it is better to keep someone in their home than to foreclose on them. If the above is the case why then is this program not much more successful ? There are too many well documented cases of folks being foreclosed on while they are seeking a loan modification. There are too many folks being rejected. There is confusion about what the requirements are. Banks are dealing erratically in their application of modification process. This is not rocket science. This program should hav... 12/31/2010

This Friday night our old year ends. So rather than talk about the old year and what is going to happen in the New Year here is a simple way to start the New Year off right. Have a great time on New Years Eve. Go to parties. see old friends. Steal a kiss at midnight. But have a designated driver. Don't start the New Year with a D.U.I. Don't drive impaired and start the New Year in a hospital. Or worse yet don't start someone else's New year off in the hospital. Have a great New Year and take the first step to starting it off right.  12/29/2010

First let be be among the chorus here at ActiveRain to wish everybody a happy holiday. We all have Christmas wishes. Mine would be that every day be like Christmas, in terms of the spirit and the happy feelings. But that is really an impossible wish. So I am going to scale it down. At some point tomorrow I am going to go out on my back porch and just breath and look at the mountains. That whole process should take about 30 seconds. I am going to smile and go back to enjoying my day. I am going to try and carry this moment for the next 365 days . Each day 30 seconds remember Christmas and smile. Find yourself a 30 second quite place and you to can have Christmas every day. Happy Holiday 12/24/2010

Te evidence is clear . Foreclosures are being held until 2011. I have heard this from multiple banker friends. So if you are looking to buy a foreclosed property you might want to sit back and enjoy the holidays. I can tell you a lot of my BPO business has dried up and some of the plans we have for working foreclosures have been put on hold with lenders. If you are trying to or thinking about selling your home  now might be a good time to put it on the market . Get Ready for round 2 or is it 3 or 4. 12/22/2010

Today I had lunch at B& B Bagels just out side of Atlanta. B&B is on McFarland road between Highway 9 and Georgia 400. You can't miss it . It is a diner with a whole bunch of cars parked around it. I am a transplanted New Yorker and so heard about B&B. I stopped by for bagels . Almost immediately my nose smelled New York Deli. The place was packed. I bought a couple of bagels and went home and feasted. They are as good as any bagel I have ever had in the tri -state, ( you North Easterners know what I mean) area. But the story does not stop there. I went there today for lunch and had the best brisket sandwich EVER. Now I am dieting and watching those pesky things that clog arteries. But I have promised myself for every 30 pounds I lose I will go to B& B for either bagels or lunch. My sis... 12/17/2010

Looking for some tips if you are a seller? Or are you unsure how to start the process of buying a home if you are a buyer. Then this weeks Mountain Real Estate Report is for you. Linda and I cover the ABC's of buying and selling. The Mountain Real Estate Report is heard every Thursday on WYYZ Radio in our North Georgia Mountains. If you are interested in some of our past shows with some great guests you can always hear them on our web site www.allmountainrealty.com. Enjoy the show. Your browser does not support iframes. 12/15/2010

The LAST thing we n the mountains want to hear is a weather alert. but tomorrow afternoon sleet and freezing rain with some snow is expected to move in. You can be from Alaska, it does not matter you cannot drive in this. 4 wheel drives just means you will skid more elegantly off the side of as mountain. Chains and tire studs MAY help some. So stay close to home. And more importantly do not do stupid stuff. In this case the definition is something that could end up with you needing EMS. They are going to have a hard time getting to you as well. This kind of weather is rare for us in the mountains so be on alert and be prepared. 12/14/2010

Not ready for a picture yet but we have snow today! I have lived in North Georgia for 23 years. I have never seen a white Christmas yet. Now it could be in the 70's on Christmas or....... If the weather keeps up like this I will be splitting more fire wood today and taking snow pictures tomorrow. I cannot imagine folks in the North who get shut down over snow. For us it is only a day . I am rambling a bit but it is so exciting to see the first snow fall. Also by tomorrow it will likely be melted. That is what makes it so great 12/12/2010

This week Linda and I attended Rain Camp in Atlanta. We interviewed Bob Stewart of ActiveRain for our show. If you ever wondered why as a client you should care about your Realtor being a member of ActiveRain then this show is for you. You will have to pardon the back ground noise as we did the show at the convention. Hope you enjoy and get some additional insights into what ActiveRain is all about. Your browser does not support iframes. 12/09/2010

Title Insurance is that "pesky" thing a good Realtor will insist you get on a home or a piece of land. Now more than ever you need it. Just one claim where you have to go out an hire and attorney will cost you more , even if you are OK, to defend than the money you spend one time at the closing. I insist all my Buyers get titile insurance and if they do not I send them an email advising them that they should get this. I ask them to respond to me and tell me they got my email and still decline. Where you get your title insurance is very important too. In Georgia the buyer can choose their own closing attorney. EVEN IF IT IS A FORECLOSURE and you get 20 pages of stuff from the bank. It is Georgia law. This is very important because if you do have a title problem try calling an attorney th... 12/01/2010

It is November and I am on the beach in Hilton Head. There is something magical about the beach when it is cold. the beaches are pretty empty and the wind whistles. I have taken a few pictures and will post them when I get back. The beach in winter provides a time to reflect. This is unlike the summer when you should be active. Maybe this is a message to reflect on the current year and plan for the next year.  More from the beech maybe  11/29/2010

So we all complain about technology. But I am away for the weekend and can stay in touch and service my clients. It really amazes me. I am some one who grew up in the BC times ( before computers) So while I sometimes rant and rave it is times like this when I am 300 miles from my home and can stay in touch I just have to scratch my head and say wow. Enjoy our times. The good and the bad 11/27/2010

One never knows what you are going to see in Big Canoe on Thanksgiving Day. I was lucky enough to see this guy running through the woods. He was lucky enough to be the one that got away. We are cooking a relative of his for dinner alas. Have a great Thanksgiving all and best wishes for the rest of the year. 11/25/2010