Recently the Atlanta Journal Constitution called Big Canoe a place where millionaires lived. Can somebody please tell me who lost my check? Big Canoe is a diverse community. Yes there are million dollar homes in here. There are also as many homes that are wonderful that are under 200,000.  Big Canoe is a unique mountain community. To find out more visit us on line at www.allmountainrealty.com or give us a shout. We have a great place for you to be if you are looking for mountain property. 10/02/2009

The big rain yesterday effected us in Big Canoe. But now I think the rain that hurt so many South of us has left. The weather is wonderful. I posted one of the falls in Big Canoe a couple of days ago. Here is what we look like today on Lake Petit It is late September in our mountains but all is still green and beautiful. If you are looking for a mountain get-a-way that has boating ,fishing, hiking,tennis,golf,theater,fitness center,or a place to do nothing at all consider affordable beautiful Big Canoe at the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains.   09/27/2009

Many of you saw the pictures of the relentless Rain in the Southeast. Atlanta was devastated in many areas. We in Big Canoe, only 45 miles to the North of the suburbs had a lot of rain too. Many of you have seen the pictures and the terrible damage. We have all contributed to help those who are flooded. But in the mist of devastation there is also beauty. The picture below captures the beauty of the Upper Falls at Big Canoe. So along with the tragedy come blessings as well. The roar of the water was amazing 09/25/2009

The Fall is no time to roll up the Streets in Big Canoe. Real Estate here is still going strong. We have agreat Octoberfest coming up. We also have a Casino Night which will benefit the Big Canoe Fire Deptartment. Along with Hundreds of clubs even though the summer tourists may be going home, Big Canoe is still going strong. For more information about this great North Georgias community visit us on line on www.allmountainrealty.com 09/10/2009

It is Labor day weekend and here at Big Canoe Real Estate is on many visitors minds.  As Big Canoe is a great North Georgia Mountain community it is natural. We at All Mountain realty are busy this weekend. However if you are considering a home in Big Canoe talk to the pros here. Not only do we have a great selection of homes that we are listing, we have a great number of lots for building. You may not think of it, but Big Canoe is a great community to commute from if you are working in the Northern areas of Alpharetta , or Cumming, or Canton. Ask yourself would you want to live in a subdivision or a great community like Big Canoe? We are your Big Canoe community experts. Call us at 706579 1098 or visit us on line at www.allmountainrealty.com 09/05/2009

The Mountain Real Estate report is broadcast every Thursday on Wyyz Radio. Thanks to Brad I can now post it here as an MP3 file. The show below talks about all the things we as Realtors in the mountains do for our community . Enjoy I am currently working out some bugs with this so if you have problems hearing it ley me know 09/04/2009

Event 1 . I keep my camera in my car for photo opportunities. When I got in my wife said, "too bad you took the camera. There was a bear in the yard and guess what he was doing?' That's right he was Sh&&^^&^&ing in the woods. I missed a golden opportunity to have this photo to post. I would have been able to document beyond a doubt the answer to the age old question, Does a Bear  S@#$@t in the woods. Event 2. Because I have been nagged to death by far flung relations Yesterday I joined face book. Almost immediately I was bombarded with request to become a friend. I was not sure I made the right decision. Then today I got a request from a very special person who I considered to be a good friend who I had not seen or spoken to since 1968 high school. I cannot tell you the thrill I felt. I... 08/29/2009

Big Canoe Georgia is one of the best kept secrets East of the Mississippi. It is a community of approximately 10,000 Acres. It features 27 holes of Golf. A fitness Center. * out door tennis courts in a Beautiful Mountain setting as well as 3 pools one indoors. Big Canoe is in the North Georgia Mountains. Elevations can be as high as 3200 feet. Yet you are only 1 to 1/2 hours from Atlanta. Going the other way you are close to Chattanooga as well as Asheville N.C. Big Canoe is gated. But 1/3 rd of the space is set aside green. There are over 100 miles of walking trails. The pictures below show you more than I can ever explain why affordable vibrant Big Canoe is a great place to be in the Mountains. This is the scene at the terraces out door center in Big Canoe. The Army Jazz band played. ... 08/26/2009

This is the last part in the series. I hope you all enjoyed it. The last thing we have not covered is choosing a firm to associate with. Like many other areas you have choices. But if you choose a big name make sure they are established in the mountains. If you are new to mountain real estate this is key. There are not a lot of us up here.So chances are the folks in your firm will know a lot about the counties and areas you want to deal with. In my county for example there are 20,000 people. I know the county exec. and folks that do planning. So if you are starting out location of the firm you are looking to join is more important than national recognition. After a while you will get the hang of it and will probably be standing here, or maybe here or maybe even here if you are a leaf pe... 08/24/2009

After the sale You have a contract on a house and are going to a closing. What more is there to do ? There are a lot of things you should be doing. But since this is about the North Georgia Mountains we will limit those things to things that are unique to our area 1 Wild Life management. You decide to put out bird feeders and maybe a humming bird feeder or 2.  Then one morning you walk to your window and see a 300pound Bear munching away. I have seen them climb up deck polls, the metal ones, over 1 1/2 stories to get to a feeder. Now if you use the humming bird feeders that stick to windows, guess what a 300 pound bear will do to your windows when he leans on them to get to the feeder. Can you say , "Lucy I 'm home." If your buyers are coming from urban or beach areas they do need to be... 08/22/2009

Last night we had the Thunder, lightening,  and rain as the storm front moved through. But this morning it was calm and really pretty. We were up early and took this picture from our back deck as the sun started to come up over the mountains. Want to know why I am so blessed? Look below.     08/21/2009

In this part we will look at working with Buyers. There are a couple of different types of folks who buy in the Mountains. Remember 32% of retiring baby boomers want mountain property. So we will focus on the buyer moving here. Advise your buyer. If your buyer is coming from out of the area and especially from coastal areas you need to talk to them before they get here. 1 What to wear. Flip flops and sandals do not work if you are looking to buy that great 5 acre tract to put your dream home on. You need a good pair of walking shoes. Not low cut sneakers, but supported walking shoes. In addition I recommend a pair of loose light pants to help keep the bugs off if we are walking land. 2 Be ready to provide walking sticks.Often you can pick them up on the lot. And make sure you have a sma... 08/21/2009

In parts 1 and 2 we covered getting started and land sales. It is now time to move on to housing. In the mountains you will run into homes that are different from other areas. 1 Log Cabins. You will have buyers who want the cabin feeling and look at log homes. You are not an expert but it is good to know some things. The number one question is maintenance. I would suggest going to a log home show. Learn from all the builders there. So in the South for example ,white pine tends to hold up better to humidity and heat than other woods. Also there are different types of chinking now available. So I would suggest going to a show and when you develop your list of inspectors make sure you have some one on the list that is a log expert. 2 Mountain side homes. Many folks look at mountain side ho... 08/17/2009

The mountains are great. But a lot of times they present challenges to folks who like to walk or want to get back into shape and walk. In Big Canoe we have over 100 miles of hiking trails. One such walk is McDaniel Meadows. McDaniel Meadows is a wild flower meadow. It has been planted and trails that are gravel lined have been placed through it Even in the dog days of Summer there are many flowers to see when walking Through the meadows Many of the flowers are spent by this time . But this photo shows the paths and how good a walk it is for folks who need some flattish terrain to get back in shape on. It is green with trees on all sides There are streams and bridges all along the walk. Oh yes there is even a big fenced in area which is a dog park. Plastic bags provided so please clean u... 08/16/2009

The club House at Lake Sconti is a great place to relax and eat. Whether you are eating inside or outside you will be in for a treat. The dining room is in a beautiful building and can host good size events The Club house really does look like a mountain lodge from the outside. Inside it is large and spacious. If you are not up for indoor eating and want to go a little more casual. The Black Bear pub is attached to the club house and affords a relaxed atmosphere. So I did mention it was on Lake Sconti right? This is the view from outside the Pub, or for that matter these views are just as good in the main dining rooms as well as the indoor pub. The North Georgia mountains are a great place to relax and you will find no better place to do that than at The Club at Lake Sconti   08/11/2009

Jerry Hynes  aka to us up here as Hynes in the pines is a quality mountain builder. Jerry owns his own company . His attention to detail and the way he warrants his product is second to none. Unlike big tract builders Jerry is small enough to monitor all the projects he has going on. Jerry has a small office in Marble Hill Georgia where he meets and designs for clients. This photo is of the inside of the office.  From the time you walk in you get the feeling you are working with a real pro. Jerry may not be the least expensive builder around . But if you are looking for quality, honesty, and value then Hynes in Pines is who you want to deal with This is yet another example of folks who live and work in the mountains and have a great craft and pride in their work. It would be my pleasure... 08/07/2009

The Terraces in Big Canoe are a place where great things happen. The Terraces are owned by the Big Canoe Chapel. But they are not reserved for Chapel members only. Every summer the Terraces put on a series of concerts open to the general public. Some of these concerts are free. Some are pay events. They all are great fun. We get there early and tailgate before setting up our chairs to settle in for an evening performance. One of the things that make the Terraces summer concerts special is that proceeds from the events go to worthy causes like hope house and ,prevent Child abuse Pickens to name a couple. So the Terraces provides family fun for everyone with the free concerts and also donates proceeds to worthy charities. You really cannot beat that type of community out reach. Her is wha... 08/05/2009

When folks think of Big Canoe they think of many things. But not usually old log Cabins This home was built in the 1830's. It started life in South Georgia . It was moved and reassembled in Big Canoe. The beauty of this cabin is that it is being used today as a vacation getaway by the current owner. The cabin is special as it features a preachers porch. A preachers porch was a place for traveling preachers to stay the night . Today we call this a front porch. Preachers back then moved from town to town preaching the word and making a living. In some ways we see tent revivals today and they are the modern version of this tradition. Of course this tradition goes back to the Apostles who were some of the original preachers . The cabin has electric and a bedroom was added to back. But all i... 08/05/2009

Last week the Federal cash for clunkers program ran into trouble. The trouble was success. This program makes so much sense it is hard to believe it comes out of Washington. After all if we get better gas mileage we reduce our dependence on foreign oil as well as help the environment. We also create scrap we can sell to reduce  the balance of payments. We help car dealers and the folks they employ. We buyers get a rebate!. This is so cool. What this program and the tax credit for home buyers really illustrate is given the resources Americans will fix the problems we have in the economy. This lead me to thinking, OK the current administration did not create TARP. But they could use the rest of the TARP money to give it to us and let us spend our way out of this recession. Many have blogg... 08/03/2009

We had a great deal of rain this winter and spring. It seemed the flowers and plants really loved it. Along with the flora comes the fauna. We have had a lot of fawns late this year. I was able to snap this one before it ran away. Being a City kid for a lot of my life makes moments like this really special. Hope you all enjoy 07/28/2009