Right now the second home market in the North Georgia Mountains is a buyers market. Sales are generally below last year. Overall about 15 percent down. However prices are still relatively stable although trending lower. The big dip is in the second home market. There are 2 trains running down the real estate track here. One is the first time buyer market. That market is brisk. Prices are good. Interest rates are good. Inventory is good.Homes are seeing multiple offers and good homes are moving well. The second home market or even the retirement home market is sluggish. Reasons for this include a bad Florida market. Many of our buyers look to beat the heat and are from Florida. As they cannot sell there they cannot buy here. Also other areas of the country effected by home sale slowdown ... 07/19/2009

A Realtor saves you money. If you are buying a home and working with the listing agent you may not know to ask 1 When was this home listed? People always ask because if they think the home was on the market for a long time they can get a better deal. But in Georgia in order to get the 600 a year for 3 years tax credit the home has to be listed before May 11 2009.                          Savings over 3 years        1800 2 You have till the end of the year to get the first time home buyer credit. Wrong you have to close by Dec 1. Also you are a first time buyer if you have not owned in 3 years. Also the home must be more than 80,000 to get the full 8,000. There will be buyers who miss this credit because they do not have a Realtor to inform then                                           ... 07/19/2009

Today was agility test for fire fighters. Now I am 60 . Can't believe it! Our test is State mandated and so as this was my first one I was a bit nervous. After all I am competing with "kids" We had 7 minutes to complete it. Our fire chief believes the State test is too easy so he added difficulty . I finished in 3.31 minutes I had 7 minutes to finish in !! Yes I am mobile and agile. The photo below is afterward, hence the docile. Let me tell you something , those pants weigh at least 10 pounds, and while baggy and padded  are tough to walk in. This is me after my test minus jacket. All I can say is tell a guy he is being timed and it suddenly is a contest ! One of the things that is important about buying in the mountains is fire service. Your insurance is often pegged to it . Realtors ... 07/07/2009

The Army Jazz band performed in the out door amphitheater here in Big Canoe. The concert was free. Donations were taken at the door for the USO. A great time was had by all.   As you can see it was a packed house. The band was great and there was singing as well. We were brought to our feet many times As you can see the concert was enjoyed by young and old. The concert went well into the evening. 2 weeks ago in the same venue we had Banks and Shane do their tribute to the Kingston Trio. Yes Big Canoe is full of wild life peace and quiet nestled in the North Georgia Mountains. But there are a lot of fun other things to do too. Discover the North Georgia Mountains with All Mountain Realty 07/04/2009

On Independence day we celebrate our freedom and do remember those who make it possible. Some of those folks are you and me who must be vigilant. But does this have anything to do with Real Estate ? The answer is a surprising YES! Prior to world War 2 The real estate market in this country was very different. Most people where renters. If you owned your own home chances are you were a farmer. If you wanted a mortgage you went to your local bank. The usual down payment was , are you ready, 50, not a type O, 50 percent!!!  The usual mortgage was for 10 -15 years. So what happened ? The G.I. bill happened. Returning soldiers wanted homes. They lived in barracks and really communal living. They did not want to rent. They fought for freedom and wanted freedom in their living quarters. The G.... 07/03/2009

Today is fathers day and I am actually out showing property this afternoon. But I am taking a moment to post my best wishes to all those Dads out there. Don't get caught in the work trap. Remember any time you spend with your kids is quality time. So even if you can't take them to Disney world you can pack a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and go fishing or go to a park. Sitting and fishing or walking and talking is quality time. Maybe if your a good father the kids will bring you breakfast in bed !! Have a great day. Mine is 24. So enjoy them while they are little they grow fast  ( And they are a joy older too) 06/21/2009

One of the driving forces behind our housing market is market /people mobility. In some markets this is a greater factor than in others. People move. Jobs move. People are relocated. People sell to retire. A factor in this market that has a drag is the immobility that exists today. People can't sell so they can't move. Companies are laying off and closing and not relocating folks. If they do relocate you they are saying here is your new job location. The home buy out days are going the ay of the company car. So in this market we must change and adapt of strategies. We have to be more local. But at the same time we need to use a network like active rain to do referrals for each other to help each other out.  One thing I am doing when some one says they need to sell before they can move i... 06/19/2009

Look at these pictures. Why aren't you calling me to live here? Look Out Mountain is a beautiful patch work of valleys and mountains. Since the Mountain is in many places a plateau you can have a rare combination of pasture land at elevation and mountains views You can be minutes from the great shops and Aquarium in Chattanooga or really close to many Mountain Destinations Wake up to great views,cool weather and green open spaces ! 06/17/2009

If you are dealing with buyers on a budget you will have noticed that interest rates have crept up this week. Why ? The Federal Reserve is selling off some of their securities and buying mortgage backed securities.  This is another effort to rid us of the toxic mess we are currently in thanks to Wall Street finance people. Now when you sell securities you have to increase the yield on the securities to get people to buy. Right!  Over supply means higher interest rate. It is the old supply and demand thing. The Fed is walking the economic high wire trying to remove toxic assets so as to stabilize markets. But at the same time they have to keep their own sheet in balance so they need to sell securities. The net is a rate increase on mortgages. Here are a couple of things to remember. 1 Mo... 05/28/2009

The following are not necessarily unique to Big Canoe. They are mountain Spring time scenes. You may wonder who the Gardener is. The Gardener is mother nature. These are the sights and smells you encounter when walking through the North Georgia Mountains in the Spring Look at this great stand of Native Rhodedenrons. When the buyer put in their drive they were careful to leave this incredible natural canopy. Walk in the woods and you will see the same things pop up.   Looking at the other side of the Drive you have more Rhodie's and a great stand of Native Azaleas. These flowers are beautiful. And unlike store bought , Natives have a great fragrance and make the clean mountain air smell so sweetSummer is definitely coming as in this last photo the  Mountain Laurel is starting to bloom. T... 05/11/2009

I posted the lower falls in the nature valley the other day. If you walk about a mile through the wood you climb gently to the upper falls. in Big Canoe. Now there are also the Nancy Wolmack Falls here to. Beautiful woods. The sound of rushing water and privacy. I hope you remembered your picnic basket. Doesn't your neighborhood have 3 sets of falls? No ? Consider the great mountain experience that is Big Canoe. 05/09/2009

I am featuring a community in these photos that I have been posting lately. I am going to feature, in the future, many areas here in our Mountains. You may be looking at this first photo and thinking you are in Pennsylvania Dutch country. Let me assure you this is the North Georgia MountainsWhen you first enter Big Canoe you go through the woods under this wonderful covered Bridge. This is one of a few in the community. Now when you go home to your subdivision at night is this what greets you ? If you take blood pressure medicine you could take less as this entrance way in the woods seems to lowers your pressure by 10 points. If you are in the Greater Atlanta area and work in Alpharetta, or Canton and commute 45 minutes each way to work you could do that from here! If you are thinking a... 05/08/2009

In my last set of Photos I show cased Lake Petit and some of it's surroundings. Big Canoe has about 1/3rd of its area as set aside Green Space. If you walk some of the many many hiking trails you will come upon the lower falls. This beautiful sight is well worth the walk. Natural beauty as well as natural  air conditioning in the summer. This close up of the lower falls shows the masses of water that cascade over them.Moving back a little from the falls you can see what a great Natural setting they are in. Tired of Subdivision life? Consider Big Canoe. Only 40 minutes drive from Windward, Alpharetta, and Canton. Looking for an affordable beautiful home in the Mountains. Consider us here at Big Canoe. Contact us at All Mountain Realty for Big Canoe or other great North Georgia Mountain D... 05/07/2009

Big Canoe is one of North Georgia's great communities. It is a Mountain Gem. It is over 8,000 acres. The 2 photos below are just one sample of what you can see. I took these from the top of a dam. The first one overlooks Lake Petit. The dam is the second largest earthen dam in the State. Lake Petit is one of 3 Lakes in Big Canoe and is about 90 feet deep at its deepest and over 95 acres in size. It is clean and beautiful and the fishing is great!! Looking the other way from Lake Petit you can see Ball fields and Parking for the Chapel as well as Tennis. The Chapel is off to the left in the photo ans sticking up through the trees. This is just one view inside Big Canoe. The mountains in the Back ground are all in Big Canoe as well. Are you surprised that this is a gated community? Does i... 04/30/2009

This Saturday I continued to work on my volunteer fire fighting. Yes I took a day off from Real Estate. When buying in the mountains insurance prices are influenced greatly based on fire coverage. Some communities like Big Canoe have their own fire Department. And while you do pay monthly fees in the end your insurance is down. I am one of the volunteers and spent this Saturday Training. So I could not help including this photo. What did I learn? NEVER stand in front of a fire hydrant when it is being bled!!! 04/25/2009

Yes first there was a strange noise and then with Camera in hand i ran out the door. I was not looking up at the sky but down at the ground. This big Tom Turkey was moving through my yard and I managed to snap him going through.He looked to be about 20 pounds. which is big for a wild guy. Ben Franklin wanted to make it our native bird due to its beauty and intelligence. Red Foxx joked about it. But when you think of gated communities do you think of this? If not think again . Beautiful Big Canoe or Benttree have these great birds running through them. The North Georgia Mountains are beautiful and timeless in their natural beauty as well as wild life. 04/21/2009

The North Georgia Mountains are beautiful. These pictures are in Big Canoe. They are the same shot but different seasons. You can tell by looking at them why folks want to be here and why it is so beautiful here all year round. Big Canoe is amenity rich and in the Southern end of the mountains. If you are looking for a great Mountain home contact us . we work in Big Canoe and many of the great areas through out our mountains. Top photo is early spring things are just greening. Next photo is fall. The third photo is summer and the last one winter. All these pictures were taken from the same place looking out the same way. So the unchangeable mountains do change. The thing that remains the same is the beauty.mountains 04/17/2009

Every other Tuesday the Big Canoe community has a multi agent multi-firm caravan. Even though some times it is tough to get there , it is well worth it.  You get to see new listings in person. You get to network with other Realtors. You get 15 -20 depending on the turn out price opinions on a property. You also get to talk about what you are looking for or hear that some one might be looking for something you just have listed. The Big Canoe Caravan is so successful that now the Benttree community has one too. Agents working together and networking together are powerful when it comes to selling homes. You should consider starting one in your community. This one has been going on for 5 years!! It must be a good real estate tool if it has this long a run. If you are interested you can emai... 03/31/2009

Big Canoe remains one of the best communities to be in in the mountains period full stop.  However real estate sales are sluggish. This is due to price points home owner fees and dues. In this tight economy folks are looking to cut corners. The question remains how is the value for the money ? In Big Canoe the value is high but the money is, while not high , not low either. If you are looking in the mountains for a second home or a great first home consider Big Canoe. Prices here have come down and it is a great time to buy . Visit us on line at www.allmountainrealty.com for moer information. We are your specialists when it comes to buying selling or investing in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains. Golf, tennis, hiking, pools lakes, events and THIS...... 03/27/2009

Somewhere in 2007 housing began to slump. Many felt that slump and got out or changed to working with REO's or even short sales. At the same time there was a continuation of use of technology and the Internet. So what will it mean to be a Realtor in 2009? In my opinion the successful Realtors will be the community experts. Gone are the days when you are a tour guide. Ironically this down turn in the market will contribute to our evolution. Take the short sale for example. If your buyer does not know that a second loan on a short sale can be a tax liability he/she is in for a big surprise. Also if you are not putting your short sale sellers into lease purchases you are doing you and them a disservice. You will be called upon to know about the 4 horsemen , mold, poly-b pipes, LP siding an... 12/14/2008