Today we woke up to snow. It came really early to us here in Big Canoe. The interesting thing about it all is if you drove out of Big Canoe today and through places like Jasper and Ball Ground. there was no snow. Only at the higher elevations did we get this great dusting and great sights. When considering living in the mountains you have to consider elevation. The higher you are the cooler you will be in the summer. But you also might get a little colder and have some snow in the winter when others down mountain do not. But it really is quite pretty so enjoy the photos In the photo abouve I am looking down at a stream in the snow as I drove through my neighborhood today In this photo I am looking back up towards where I live Pardon the car door in the picture. The photo below gives you... 11/29/2011

It is a little past the fall. I took this photo in Big Canoe on November 1st. In our North Georgia mountains the leave peak around the last week of October first week of November. There are mountains in the back ground and you can see the sun just up over them. This is also my Thanksgiving post. Because who could not be thankful to be blessed with this type of view off the back deck. Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving   11/23/2011

Our son is now a Navy man. We went to great Lakes for the ceremony. It was great. Drums, marching, bands, and speeches. There were 500 graduates in the various groups. Son Joe did great and got a special pin for sharp shooter. ( I guess video game playing pays off). This is a post from a proud dad here at ActiveRain. He may look a lot like my wife's family but he is MY boy.   11/03/2011

We are electing 2 folks to the POA Board this fall in Big Canoe. I am 100 percent behind Linda Carrig and here is why. 1 I think a female perspective is important and Linda brings that. 2 Linda is for strategic planning. One example is we have a kitchen outside at Sconti. That kitchen cost 50,000. It does nothing. Now the board is talking about tearing it down and replacing it with a fire place. Tell me who is going to sit around a fire place in the middle of winter, or summer for that matter? This and other examples show a lack of strategic planning. Linda will not throw money at things without an over all plan. 3 Linda is a consensus builder. In spite of number 2 above I think in general our board is doing a good job. It has come a long way from the bad old days. Linda will continue a... 10/14/2011

This past Saturday was our Big Canoe Oktoberfest. People come from all around to have a great time. I worked part time in the Fire Department booth but mainly walked around and saw all my friends and neighbors. The big text are for all the folks eating great German food and maybe having a beer or two. On the left were the food vendors and on the right all the exhibitors. As you can see the event was pretty crowded. We Big Canoers love a party. In the back there were fun things for kids to do. The event was sponsored buy our own POA, (Property Owners Association) Admission was free. You can see folks walking around and having a good time. The German band played through out the event. Many read about Big Canoe. I post deer , mountain, and bear pictures. Big Canoe is all that and a lot of ... 10/10/2011

The Annual concert on the green was held in Big Canoe this past Sunday. We were treated to the Reinhardt Symphony as well as their great choir. In addition a very talented Allison Holmes sang an Aria from Madame Butterfly. She got a standing ovation. This is the venue for the concert! You can see the green below where the band set up. The Lake is Lake Sconti one of 3 lakes in Big Canoe. We all brought food and chairs and sat in awe of these great surroundings.     Here is a view of the set up for the great players. You can see some of the folks who attended and get an idea of how we all set up. The event was moved from the summer to the Fall to take advantage of the nicer weather. It is a free concert that over 1,000 people attend every year. We all cook and then set up table and share ... 10/04/2011

Saturday Oct 8 is the Big Canoe October fest. You can come here right from the Marble Festival in Jasper the week before !!!There will be plenty of food, music , vendors and craft exhibits. It is also a great way to get a flavor of Big Canoe. You all have my picture here on ActiveRain. I will be there either walking around or n the BCERT Booth as a volunteer fire fighter. If you are up in our great mountains stop by and say hello. it would be great to meet some Rainers. The event starts at 10 am and goes pretty much all day. I'll hoist a Stein of great beer with you. 09/27/2011

You have found your dream home. And it is priced well . You are having an inspection. Now if you are dealing with a foreclosure you need read no further. The Seller will tell you it is as is. So here we have the home you love , not a foreclosure , and the inspector has found some issues that you feel need fixing. Often the seller is asked to make the repairs. I do not like this approach and here s why; The seller is selling the house. Is he going to find EL Primo repair person or El Cheapo? I much prefer getting estimates as the buyer and having the money escrowed at the closing. This does 2 things. 1. The repairs will be made to your specifications. After all you are going to live in the house after the closing not the seller. 2 The seller is more apt to agree with you.  Why  ?Because ... 09/26/2011

This is NOT a post about taking a hammer to your PC or ipad. It is a post about understanding. In today's world we are often overwhelmed with Technology. So to me the key is to understand why a hammer and a PC are very much the same. First the Hammer. If you look at a hammer you can see it has a blunt area, a handle, and a forked end. Even if you weren't sure what a hammer was for you might be able to guess. It is in fact a tool . It is a tool with a specific design. It has a driving end and even has an "undo" end. If you never used a hammer you could pick one up with a nail and probably drive it into a piece of wood with a minimum of trouble. You would understand the tool Now the PC. Well if you pick one up you could drive a nail but common sense tells you it probably is not for drivin... 09/14/2011

Yes Big Canoe is a wonderful mountain destination. it is peaceful and quite Nature is all around us BUT if you want things to do just take a look at the list of events happening in the next 30 days here ! This list does not even include golf, tennis, fitness center hiking trails and so much more. Want life in a natural surrounding with plenty to d if you so choose. Consider Big Canoe. Just 45 minutes from A Northern Atlanta suburbs . See our video about Big canoe on www.allmountainrealty.com Click Big Canoe from the home page and click the video link on the Big Canoe page Dates to Remember in Big Canoe Sept. 8 Women’s Guild @10 am Chapel   Sept 9th BC Boys on the Veranda @6:30-9:30   Sept 10th 8:30 Shotgun Fall Golf Mixer   Sept 10th Community Coffee @9am Clubhouse   Sept 14 BCAR Picni... 09/09/2011

Many of you have asked for photos of the Lake home we are currently marketing in Big Canoe.Remember we are not yet listed. However we have had showings and the opinions are WOW when it comes to price, quality ,and location of this home. This is a home that was listed at 553,000 not long ago. Also the home across the street sold for 699,000 all cash less than a year ago !! So here goes; This first Picture is from the part of the lot on Lake Petit. As you can see even in dry weather there is plenty of water in the cove. The cove opens out onto Lake Petit which is 95 acres. The seller has made a path down to the Lake which can be easily walked This is a view from the back deck. You can see out onto lake Petit thru the trees. you also have mountain views and great privacy. In the winter the... 09/01/2011

We have a Big Canoe lake home for sale. It is not yet listed as the seller is in the process of refinancing. It is on Lake Petit. Agents commission on selling side is 3 %. What makes this house so special is it is a 3 bed 2 and 1/2 bath. It is clean as a whistle. It has wide pine floors and combines great living spaces with a mountain style home. It is on a cove of Lake Petit and the seller has an easy path to the lake. The price is an incredible 449,000. If you know lake lots in Big Canoe you know that if you can find one you will pay 350 or better even today. The home across the street from this one which was smaller but did have a better lake view sold for 699,000 cash less than a year ago. This home will be marketed actively in the next 90 days or so and the seller could price it hi... 08/28/2011

I work with in the Volunteer fire department here in Big Canoe. We have recently been reviewed and received a rating of 4 from ISO. Look back 23 years and our rating was 7. (The lower the number the better). What this means to home owners in Big Canoe is over a 30 percent savings on home owners insurance over the last 3 years. Compare this rating to the rest of the mountains and you will see many areas around us a high as 10 ( the highest or worst rating). If you live in Florida your worry about hurricanes. In California you worry about Earth Quakes. In the Mountains it is fire. so if you are looking for places to live in the beautiful mountains consider Big Canoe. It beautiful green and amenity rich.  AND rank very high in fire safety. For more information you can watch our video on Bi... 08/24/2011

The Terraces season ended last Saturday night in Big Canoe. This summer we had 9 concerts and each one of them was fun and different. We ended the season in this great open air venue with The Atlanta Dixie Land Band.  We had rock and roll, a mini symphony, Banks and Shane, and a host of different musicians and music. But now the Theater is empty.  You Can get an idea of the beauty and the size of the venue from the picture above and the one below .The chairs are empty and the theater is now quiet. The theater held about 1,000 folks when full and rocking. All Mountain Realty was proud to be one of the sponsors this season. I worked all 9 events parking cars and had fun with the party goers all season. Big Canoe is a great Mountain destination and a wonderful place to live. The Terraces i... 08/15/2011

There are currently 288 Big Canoe homes for sale. So you may well ask ,Hows the Market ? The Market in Big Canoe is much like the rest of the country, slow. However the Community of Big Canoe is strong. Big Canoe is a gated community in our North Georgia Mountains. We have just completed an audit report and the community is very Healthy. We have a foreclosure rate of around 3 percent. We have very small delinquency rate. Our P.O.A. is financially strong. So now is a great time to buy in Big Canoe. Here is why. Homes that sold 4 years ago in the 400-500 thousand dollar price range are now in the 300-400 thousand dollar range. Selection of homes is excellent. Prices range from the mid 100,000's to a little under 2 million. Across the board there are some great values out there. Interest r... 08/03/2011

Live in Big Canoe Georgia and want to know , What is my home worth ? Get a no cost opinion of value at www.valuehomesource.com. Why ? Did you know that the number one reason for a home not selling is price? Values change frequently. So upon receipt of your request we will prepare you report and reply within 48 hours. Be informed. Get a professional opinion of value. You will be glad that you did. You can always visit us on our web site www.allmountainrealty.com  and get our free information 08/02/2011

One thing I love about Big Canoe is the unexpected. So while I was working this morning I was treated to the following sight. This young person walked up our back stairs and found his way to the back deck. This one is about a year old and just a great sight to see.   The Photo above is him backing down the stairs after he saw me. Thing you want a natural experience and not a gated community. Think again. Big Canoe is a natural gated community in the North Georgia Mountains. Bordered by wild life management areas and with 1/3 set aside green Big Canoe combines mountain living with an active life style. Thinking about a mountain home Call the pros at All Mountain Realty you will be glad you did. On line at www.allmountainrealty.com 07/26/2011

The Holmes Family trio treated a large crowd at the Terraces in Big Canoe to an evening of great vocals. This concert was more about Gospel and Blues. It was a great concert . The Terraces at Big Canoe are part of the Big Canoe Chapel.  This summer the entertainment has been great and the Terraces committee is to be commended on a super job. Big Canoe provides a great mountain life style. The Terraces concert series is just one of the many things that make Big Canoe , in my opinion, one of the premier Mountain locations any where. Thinking about living or having a second home in the North Georgia Mountains? Contact us at All Mountain Realty at www.allmountainrealty.com. Or give us a call at 706 579 1098. (Thank you Jim Francis for this great photo) 07/22/2011

Linda Carrig, an ActiveRain member had a birthday this week. We celebrated Big Canoe Style. We all went for a boat ride on Lake Petit and partied Here is a picture of the birthday girl and one of the guests.  Linda is a great agent here in our North Georgia Mountains Lake Petit in Big Canoe is one of three lakes in Big Canoe it is quite beautiful. And as the sun set the party went on. As the evening went on there were some who may not have gotten to work the next day on time !!1 Big Canoe is a great Mountain destination and a great place to live. The pro's at All Mountain Realty , when not out partying, are here to work for you and show you a great mountain community 07/15/2011

The community of Big Canoeis alive and well in our North Georgia Mountains. we have just completed a financial review and the community is as strong as ever. The Terrace concert series this summer has been a smash hit. Attendance has been 1,000 plus almost every concert. The tennis courts are hopping. The golf course is buzzing. The fourth of July fire works were great. Looking for a place for great things to do? Or maybe you are just looking to chill out. Consider living in Big Canoe. The pro's here at All Mountain Realty are your Big Canoe experts. For a video and more information visit us on line at www.allmountainrealty.com. 07/12/2011