Thanksgiving is becoming a holiday that may be better called Reconnect day. It is a time to reconnect with family and friends . During the year we become involved in day to day. We often miss seeing family and friends. We have less dinners at the table. So Thanksgiving to me is a day , after the cooking is done and we all sit down together, to take a deep breath look around the table, smile and reconnect.

So I guess while ity is a day to reconnect it is also a time to give thanks for being part of the day. Have a happy holiday all

The Mountain Real Estate report is heard every Thursday on WYYZ Radio in North Georgia. It is broadcast over the web and stored on our web site , www.allmountainrealty.com This week Linda and I review some nuts and bolts about buying and selling. We talk about the appraisal and pricing for the selling side, and financing as well as credit scores for the buyer. We give some tips for both. Enjoy

I am a private property advocate. What does that mean? It means I support the bills that go through our state legislation that defend the rights of property owners. Property cannot move. So it is an easy target for those who want to raise money through taxes. This struggle goes back to the Doomsday book and probably even further.

So if you are a Realtor you must also be a private property advocate. Think about NAR being the largest ,member wise, lobby in the U.S. Do you think if your sellers and buyers saw you as a private property advocate you would look a lot better to them? I think so.

So get involved with your local boards. Stay current on issues and make your advocacy of private property known. When you do this be proud of the fact that you are a Realtor and ask for the business. People will see your value to their specific needs as well as your overall involvement with our great system.  I am a Realtor . I am a private property advocate. I am proud of it !

The Mountain Real Estate Report is heard every Thursday on WYYZ Radio in North Georgia. This week we interviewed the President of the Mountain Conservation Trust. The trust is a non profit group aimed at preserving land. It is not just a green acres thing. The trust takes land use into consideration . There are also tax breaks for the owners. So if you are in North Georgia you may find this show of interest. Also as Trusts exist in most other states this show my make you investigate options local to you. As Realtors we are business people AND property owner advocates. We are members of the Trust here. Enjoy

If you are looking for a home in Big Canoe this is a great time to buy. Prices are really good right now. Yes you will have association fees but you do get a lot of things for your money.

As my wife and I drive and look at beautiful North Georgia scenes we always end up saying, "OK after we sit on the porch for a couple of days then what?" Many folks who live and want to live in the mountains end up making the this mistake. They buy out in the country. Now this is fine if you want to farm or have hobbies that need room. But at the end of the day social interaction is part of the human condition.

So you can be in a great mountain setting and if you wish, attend clubs, or play sports, or hike and fish and do tons of outdoor things then a community with amenities may be for you. Big Canoe is a unique mountain community. So if you are looking the folks at All Mountain Realty are what our name implies. We will work with you to find the perfect mountain retreat. Let us show you Big Canoe and other communities as well as the home in the woods.

We will see you in our stores and shops. We want to see you smiling and thankful that you worked with us. We are all Neighbors in the mountains so Check us out.

If you are looking for a Mountain home or land now is the time to look. NOT because of the 8,000 credit. NOT because of the new 6500 existing home buyer credit. NOT because prices are very very good. NOT because interest rates are low.

NOW is the time to look because the leaves are off the trees! Now you will see your views that may have been hidden. Also you can get a really good look at the lay of the land. Also temperatures are wonderful for walking right now. So if you are looking in the North Georgia Mountains and think you need to be here in spring or summer. Not so. Now is the best time to look, especially if you are looking for land or views.

If you are looking for a loan modification and have been turned down you may wonder why. If your loan is commercial you will almost always be turned down. The question is why. After all weren't we all taught that 80 percent of something is better than 100 percent of nothing ?

Here is one answer. If your loan is through Fannie and Freddie then you stand a really good chance of getting a loan modification if you meet the criteria. But if your loan is held by private investors then your chances go way down. The reason is that the clauses that allow banks to change a loan are cloudy. So while a bank can usually modify a loan that is in the "best interest" of their investor, what best interest is, is debatable. And in this case you can substitute the words law suit for debatable. Yes that's right . If you go under the bank is not liable. But if they modify the loan then the holder of the note can sue the bank for their money.

Ain't life grand? This problem needs to be fixed going forward and lets hope banks are working with investors to be able to modify loans. You may think banks are being paranoid. But when asked, Willy Sutton said he robbed banks because that was where the money is. So banks are paranoid and investors will sue. Let's hope this problem can be worked through and potential foreclosures can be modified for the benefit of all

This week on the Mountain real estate report we talk about the difference in flipping and investing. We also talk about investing models. We feature the gated community of talking rock creek. The mountain real estate report is heard every Thursday on WYYZ in Jasper Georgia.

The following was a press release we issued. 

 

                                                      PRESS RELEASE

 

All Mountain Realty Acquires  Ash-Car Realty

 

Charlie Ragonesi Broker for all Mountains Realty announced today that All Mountain Realty has  acquired the  assets and customer base of Ash-Car Realty. Ash-Car Realty has operated in the North Georgia Mountains for about 4 years. The focus of Ash-Car is on commercial property and developed lots.

“We are adding about 15 million dollars in listings along with a group of buyers” said Charlie Ragonesi. “It is a lot for us to bite off . But the acquisition of  these commercial properties fits our model of  seeking buyers for residential listings. After all these commercial folks that are moving into our North Georgia Mountains will need places to live. So through the acquisition of Ash-Car we will enhance our abilities to market houses to executives in Communities like Big Canoe.”

Asked if there were other acquisitions on the horizon Charlie would only say that, “other expansions will be forth coming in the next 6 months. We are very bullish about our market and will continue to grow and expand to serve the needs of our sellers and buyers.”

I have to say that many of the things I learned here at ActiveRain helped position us to acquire this company.

 

 

The North Georgia Mountains are pretty year round. This fall in the Big Canoe / Jasper area the rains came and washed away many of the leaves. But today in the sunshine as I was driving I managed to get these shots.

These pictures are from about 3000 feel up. The air was clear and the breeze was blowing. Temperature was in the 60's

It was pretty bright out but you get the idea. The North Georgia Mountains are Beautiful and a great place to live and raise a family. Contact us at All Mountain Realty . We would love to work with you.