The gated community of Bent Tree, Georgia is located 5 miles east of Jasper off of IH 575/515.  The community offers 18 holes of golf, 4 outdoor tennis courts, two indoor courts, a horse riding stable and a 100+/- acre lake for boating. They also have 2 outdoor swimming pools and a dog park and hiking trails. The homes in the community range from getaway cabins to luxurious homes high a top its many mountain tops.  You can see Atlanta, Stone and Kennesaw mountains from some of these mountain top homes! (on a clear day!) There are about 100 miles of paved roads in the community, and thankfully NO gravel or dirt roads that we in the mountains tend to end up in during rain storms! Bent Tree is a non-debt community…meaning that all amenities must be self-supporting with the community not in... 03/01/2019

The North Georgia Mountains are experiencing part of the housing market rebound. Prices are up about 8 percent in many of our mountain counties. Inventory in the under 200,000 category is Very Very tight. Homes appear and go under contract really quickly. Thankfully the foreclosure market is shrinking. Last year at this time we had 60-90 homes in foreclosure in the market area.  Now we have 15. All indicators are that the market is recovering. Now we are not moving at the pace of Atlanta or other areas in the country. But then our rate of slippage was not as steep either. The notable exceptions are the great communities of Big Canoe and Bent Tree. Neither of these communities, while experiencing some bounce back, are  bouncing back at the rate seen in the surrounding areas. I believe th... 06/12/2013

What are CCR's ? The short answer si Covenants, conditions, and restrictions. Are they important or intrusive? The mountain real estate report this week goes into CCR's here in our North Georgia Mountains. You can click the link below and listen. The report. The show is streamed on line or heard on wyyz radio every Thursday. If you are listening after the 13th then it is one show down on the page of stored shows. You might be surprised to learn CCR'S are not necessarily a bad thing. Especially if you are coming from an area where the CCR's are heavy and intrusive. Hope you enjoy the show 09/12/2012

Have you ever done a Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae deal when there is a tenant in the house? Has the tenant been the former home owner who was foreclosed on? Are you doing a deal like this now? If you are read on. It is important for you and your buyer to know that Freddie at least, and I am going to assume Fannie, will offer the tenant a relocation package. What happens if the tenant does not want the package? What happens if they built the home and are attached to it? You close and it becomes YOUR responsibility as the buyer and the new home owner to deal with the situation. It is up to YOU to evict the person. It is up to you to find folks who are willing, and they are not easy to find, who will move property out of a home and to the curb. You will bear the costs and time delays in all t... 08/01/2012

The state of the North Georgia Mountain Real Estate market is improving. The mountains did not suffer the same growth spurt as many other areas of the country. Therefore we did not have to rebound as far. Factors influencing us are , The Atlanta Market, the retirement market, the jobs market, and the Florida Market. 1 The Atlanta Market. The foreclosure rate in Atlanta is still higher than the National average. The unemployment rate is also a bit higher than the National average. However this is off set by growth in North Georgia and North of the city. There fore, coupled with rising ability to telecommute the North Georgia Mountains are experiencing modest growth from the Atlanta Market. 2 The retirement Market. Mountain property still remains the number 2 destination,after ocean , to ... 06/08/2012

In a Real Estate Transaction there is a buyer, a seller , a buyers agent, a sellers agent, and a Lender. now there does not have to be all these folks but more often than not they are all there. There are also "minor players" like the inspector. They are minor players but can kill a deal. So all the players march along on the trail to the closing. The agents keep the clients informed and make sure we are all in step with dates and times and things to be done. The clients nervous to the end rely, hopefully, on their agents and generally are in step with the process as they want it to happen. Then we get to the lender. The lender wants it to happen too but is very often not in step. The lender asks for tons of paper work, and then comes back and asks for more. The lender seems to miss the... 12/06/2011

Last week I took my son down to the Navy recruiting office where i left him. He was shipped out to Great Lakes for basic. I am proud of him and miss him all at the same time. I am his Italian father. so I say to my wife , I wonder what Joe is doing now? She says thinks like, Oh he is having a leisurely lunch. or depending on the time of day she will say they are probably having diner and a movie. Now I know she is making fun of me. Hey isn't that part of a spouses job?  So have a good thought for son Joe who is serving us . Thanks to all 09/05/2011