Looking for gas? - 09/30/08 11:44 PM
Yep... we still have a problem around Lilburn and Gwinnett County finding gas. In fact, the whole Atlanta area is facing the problem. I have been searching for ways to find gas for my readers. I have found a couple of ways to keep up to date on where there is gas...
The first way is Wright Express... Here is a link... Take a look at the right side, and you can see the date of the transaction. While I can't say for sure, it would seem that those with VERY recent transactions have gas. You can also see the price. … (2 comments)

Gouging...? - 09/29/08 09:15 PM
If you are spending any time watching the news, there is agood chance you have seen that the southeast has been having some gas pains.  Lines, shortages and lots of stations with no gas.  It is a real pain in the tank...
And through it all, there is a "no gouging" law.  And I think it is time to say... out loud... so people can hear it...
It is making matters worse.
Did you catch that?  There likely wouldn't be a problem if not for the "anti-gouging" (pro-consumer?) laws.  There is another component that makes it worse... EPA formulation requirements... but … (8 comments)

Gas pains... - 09/27/08 10:38 PM
Luckily, this hasn't been a problem for me... yet.  And hopefully things will be cleaned up before it is... 
But it IS a problem for a lot of other people here. 
My friends in the western suburbs and downtown have been complaining about stations out of gas since Ike hit.  Over here in the eastern burbs, the problems had been sporatic...  Until the last couple of days. 
A few days ago I had to get gas for my wife's minivan.  At my usual haunt, the Kroger at Rockbridge and Five Forks, there hadn't been lines.  But, on Tuesday, there were … (10 comments)

Get the good credit you deserve... - 09/27/08 10:19 PM
Driving home this afternoon I was behind a small SUV that had an advertisement for a "credit repair" firm on the back.  And that was specifically what the sign said:
Get the "Good CREDIT" you DESERVE
And as I drove along, I was thinking about that... it brought up a point:
Do you DESERVE good credit?
Is good credit some sort of right?  I know people with incredible credit.  I know people with lousy credit.  I have had both.  I know that when I had lousy credit, I deserved it.  When I had good credit, I earned it.  And that is … (3 comments)

Where is the future... - 09/26/08 08:10 PM
The future is now... and my future stared me in the computer screen... 
I think back to a commercial that I've seen where the announcer is wondering what happened to the future.  As The Jetsons are shown in the back ground, he asks where the flying cars, personal jet packs and in home nuclear reactors are? 
I wonder the same thing.  I remember as a kid seeing "the future" portrayed with flying cars and high speed people movers...  The year 2000 should have had all of those groovy toys.  But instead, it was much like it was in the 1980s... or … (7 comments)

Just a few political videos... - 09/25/08 10:13 PM
I just couldn't help myself.  After seeing the polls, and the reports... and knowing that so much is missing from much of the coverage... 

The videos all together take about 10 minutes. And as a collection, they are pretty powerful.  Do they say that McCain did everything that possibly could have been done?  No, I'm sure that he could have introduces another bill in the Senate.  I'm sure that he could have pressed harder. 
The point is to simply state... emphatically... that the GOP introduced legislation to try to reign in Fannie and Freddie.  The President also tried to stop … (12 comments)

Stone Mountain Chili Cook Off... Saturday Sept. 27th - 09/25/08 09:45 PM
It's that time of year again. 
From the Stone Mountain Park website:
Come to the premiere chili event east of Texas only at Stone Mountain Park . The Chili Cook-Off draws more than 300 teams competing for “Best Of”, “People’s Choice” and “Showmanship” awards in competition categories such as Chili, Brunswick Stew and Cornbread. More than $10,000 in prize money is awarded. Sample the great food and participate in a variety of contests. The event’s proceeds support Camp Twin Lakes, a non-profit that offers year-round recreational, therapeutic and educational programs for children facing serious illnesses and other physical, emotional and life … (4 comments)

Leadership or Followship? - 09/25/08 10:38 AM
The events of the last 24 hours are pretty interesting. 
If you have sworn off news because you don't want your optimism bubble popped, this is a little of what has happened...  John McCain has suspended campaigning and fund-raising in order to concentrate on the financial crisis from the halls of the Senate.  He also asked that Obama agree with him to delay the first debate for a couple of days so that both of them could be in DC rather than Mississippi prepping for a debate. 
Obama and McCain also issues a joint release regarding the financial crisis and points … (2 comments)

Enter ACORN... and the Presidential Candidate... - 09/23/08 04:46 PM
If you haven't already read Part I of this, please go back and read it...  I'll wait.
So, now that you are caught up, we can talk about ACORN and their use of the CRA to control the activities of banking interests. 
To start with, let's take a moment to talk about ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now.  Reading over their Wiki entry, many folks will read their own spin into the text.  But there are a few things that stick out in my reading about ACORN.  To start with, they don't treat their own people the … (20 comments)

Pointing fingers at who? - 09/23/08 02:47 PM
I've been reading, which raises questions, which makes me search for answers, which means I have to do more reading.  Information surfing...  And, unlike surf surfing, with information surfing, one doesn't know where they will end up.  If you grab a board at the beach, you are supposed to end up at the sand. 
Let me tell you where I started...
I was looking at the beginnings of the sub-prime mortgage market, and how that situation came to be... and what I found was this. 
Banking in the 1970s, when CRA was passed, was a highly regulated industry in which small, … (10 comments)

Mark to Market... know that term. - 09/23/08 11:10 AM
There is a term that is going to become to new buzz in the current Wall Street crisis... and it is...
Mark-to-Market
Simply put, it is the the valuation of assets that a particular institution holds.  Let's say that a bank holds 1,000 shares of a stock called PU, and the per share price is $13.666.  It would be quite obvious that the asset is worth $13,666.  It makes absolute sense.  The banks SHOULD know the value of the assets that they hold. 
But there are some questions in Mudville...
Real estate.  The same rules are supposed to apply to real … (9 comments)

Greed? - 09/21/08 01:49 PM
I think that I have heard three score and seven commentators use the word "greed" today.  And honestly, I'm pretty tired of it.  They all seem to have an idea of what they mean, but none of them seem to have a clue what it actually means. 
The "accepted definition" is something like: excessive desire, especially for wealth or possessions.
But that leads to a GIANT problem. 
Who decides what is too much?
I'm not defending greed.  I'm saying that it is a vacuous term.  Instead of worrying about greed, maybe we should worry about ethics.  Maybe we should worry about … (43 comments)

RE Up? RE Down? - 09/20/08 10:00 PM
I have been looking at the impacts from the proposed bailout...  I see three possibilities:
As the federal government goes on their trash run, picking up the bad debt from Wall Street, the banks will once again be ready to loan money.  Qualified consumers will be able to get loans again, and with the pent up demand, real estate will start to move again.  We will have tested the bottom, found it solid and found a path to recovery.  I call this the "Band-Aid falls off by itself."  
As the federal government finds itself with all of these properties, they … (9 comments)

It's $1,000,000,000,000... - 09/20/08 08:42 PM
A billion here, a billion there... pretty soon we are talking about real money. 
And yes that seems to be the thought process up in DC these days.  Bail-outs beget bail-outs.  And now we are talking about one trillion dollars.  $1T... heck, that should be bold.  $1T.
Without getting into the ethicacy of the "Mother of all bail-outs", this has got to be a giant wake-up for politicians, regulators, banks and everyone else.  The country is literally a different place today.  We now have a government that owns "private corporations."  And we are soon going to have a government that … (8 comments)

Blog Anthology, Posts dated 9/7-9/13 - 09/20/08 08:08 PM
The name is Ballast... Mobile Ballast.  Sunday, Video Sunday took a look at sidecar racing.  It is amazing to watch.  The "rider" climbs all over the back of that thing to put the weight where it needs to be for the best performance.
Boy, most of us had NO clue that What does the Fannie/Freddie bailout mean? would amount to small potatos after the events of the last couple of days. 
It isn't every day I can tell you something that will help you Save $100,000... 
I am really Stoked about Lilburn Dwellings coming online.  I have been busy building some … (0 comments)

Parkview Football Schedule/Results - 09/19/08 10:58 PM
There are a lot of Parkview football fans in Lilburn.  We visit some of the games, and the fans offer enthusiastic support.  There are quite a few like my family that don't yet have a Parkview student... some have a future Parkview student, others have alums in the family or are alums themselves. 
If you are looking to keep up with Parkview Football, I'll keep the scores updated here and on Lilburn Dwellings.
Aug 22 Mill Creek  30-10 Pre-Season
Aug 29 @Collins Hill  9-30
Sept 5 Chattahoochee  49-12
Sept 12 @Berkmar  28-7
Sept 19 Meadowcreek  65-20
Sept 26 @Grayson 22-24
… (4 comments)

Mechanics and Real Estate Agents... - 09/19/08 01:56 PM
I just got hoome from having some maintenance done on my wife's minivan.  Makes me a little crazy...
I used to be a service writer for an Auto Center.  I also worked in an auto resoration firm, auto parts store and auto body shop at various times... I even owned a 4x4 shop for a period of time.  I know the auto service industry, if not completely, then at least much more than average. 
There are good mechanics, crappy mechanics and incredible mechanics.  I've worked with all of them. 
I know that the majority of them are stand-up folks that do … (3 comments)

The deeper issue in this election... - 09/19/08 10:23 AM
We are currently sitting on the edge of a dangerous precipice.  This is in addition to the threat of global terrorism and the meltdown of our financial system. And this is a precipice that both the Democrats and the Republicans seem unwilling to face, much less do something about... 
In fact, neither of the parties would even think about steering us away from this danger because they think it would be political suicide.  And it is fundamental...
Income taxation and "the majority"
As of 2005 (the IRS was able to deliver the numbers in October of 2007 for the 2005 tax … (10 comments)

Upcoming Lilburn Events - 09/18/08 11:08 PM
There are some fun and cool things coming up in Lilburn in the next couple of months.
September
Community Garage Sale on September 20th from 9:00am until 2:00pm. It will be in the overflow lot across from City Hall. Call 770-921-2210 for more info. Town Hall Meeting on September 30th at 7:00pm. It will be in the auditorium at City Hall. October
Lilburn Daze on October 11th from 9:00am until 5:00pm. It is going to be in Lilburn City Park, behind City Hall. This is a pretty big craft show and event. Community Garage Sale on October 18th from 9:00am until … (0 comments)

Cool toys v. real content... - 09/18/08 01:47 AM
I have been ranting for the last few days about the media and the need they seem to have to deploy the toys.  Reporters and anchors are showing up out in the field with satellite trucks and live remotes via phone or laptop.  I am astounded by the number of places a "TV crew" can show up. 
But the problem is that having the technology available has pushed them to always use it... even when they shouldn't.
Instead of concentrating on quality content, they have tried to make the technology a substitute.
And the media isn't alone...
Look at the websites … (52 comments)

What Are Your Questions for RE Blog World? - 09/17/08 10:14 PM
 
Matt is going to be doing a few things out at RE Blog World in Vegas.  He needs some input to make the panel discussions better. 
I'll make sure he gets anything left here for him...  or visit his original blog.
Thanks SO much for your help.
 
Via Diamond Dwellings Realty:
I'm headed out to Vegas tomorrow for REblogWorld. Can't wait to get there and see a bunch of friends and make some new ones too!
I get to moderate the panel about video & I'm also part of the MU blogging panel so I'm working on some questions for … (5 comments)

Is your bank selling real estate? - 09/16/08 11:36 PM
If you are in the loss mitigation department for one of the investment banks, banks or other institutions that have REO properties for sale, I would like to offer some tips and reminders that may help you get the job done...
While you are sitting there in the office with the stack of "files" (we call them homes out here in the rest of the world) remember that they represent more than a NPA (non-performing asset).  These "files" represent a portion of the lives of your (future) customer.   The people that are bidding on these are mostly investors now... they could … (8 comments)

Obama vs. McCain - Facts for each....Different Strokes for Different Folks! - 09/16/08 10:18 PM
 
Larry sums it up quite well... 
 
Via Larry Bettag - Cherry Creek Mortgage:
… (7 comments)

Stupidity and Satellite trucks... - 09/15/08 11:59 PM
[rant on]
Ugly trucks with big dish thingies on top...  And they make news companies do three things: 
Incredible stories from amazing locations that are insightfully relevant to the story. Pointless live remotes that add nothing to the story. Completely stupid remotes that seem designed just to justify the cost fo the truck. Over the last few days, we have been assaulted with a hurricane in Texas, a train wreck in California and a financial wreck in New York... which will affect all of us.  And of course the thing that HASN'T been in the news has been the political race … (7 comments)

Obama v. McCain... hilarious v. rave - 09/13/08 07:15 PM
I know that it isn't politically correct, but Jon Stewart thought it was funny enough for the Daily Show. And I thought that Bill Mahr wanted to be Politically Incorrect... oh, that's right, he just wants to be canceled... and a hack.

I hope you were able to set aside your political preferences for a monet and see just how humorous that was... And just to be balanced... kind of.

Thank you and good night...
Originally posted to LaneBailey.com
… (12 comments)

Stormwatch!?! - 09/13/08 05:27 PM
[rant on]
I have had the various news channels playing in the background for a large part of the last 24 hours.  Occasionally watching, sometimes listening... often ignoring.  And I have noticed something humorous...
The politicians can't get a word in edgewise...
Seriously... unless they stand in the winds of Hurricane Ike, they are NOT in the news cycle.  Obama could have had Jesus descend from the heavens for a campaign appearance... no news cameras.  McCain could have had Lincoln come back from the dead to endorse him... still no news cameras. 
Instead...
Right now, Anderson Cooper is standing in water … (7 comments)

Blog Anthology, Posts dated 8/31-9/6 - 09/13/08 04:13 PM
Better late than never... for Video Sunday.  I was running late on my post.  And so it was completely different.  My wife had a marching band reunion on Sunday, and we got in pretty late...  How many stories began with "This one time at band camp..."
Miracle of miracles.  FMLS posted their numbers for August on Sept. 1st... and so did I.  I have changed over to the PowerPoint format in order to deliver a little more entertaining presentation.  Market Report for Gwinnett County, August 2008. 
Post a market report... get a question.  Are we recovering?  Or should we go to … (0 comments)

What am I doing here? - 09/13/08 10:31 AM
I actually wrote this on my phone during Garrett's ice skating lesson yesterday.  I needed to play with it a little more before unleashing it on the public...
Location, Quality of Life, Location
It's time for Garrett's (mostly) weekly private ice skating lesson.  These are done during public skating sessions, so there is always lots going on...  Garrett always jokes about the figure skaters... girls without pants (remember, he's 4).  But, I digress...
The point is that I drive 30 minutes or so to get here, twice a week, once for his lesson and once for hockey practice.  We also have … (0 comments)

Get your Politic on... - 09/12/08 02:06 PM
Polls, schmolls...  People keep talking about national polling data... doesn't matter. 
What matters is the Electoral College vote.  Without getting into an argument about the Electoral College, it should be noted that most of the polling data one sees don't take the Electoral College into account. 
But I found a place where the data is parsed to show the polling results and reflected by the Electoral College format.  Love it or hate it, it is still the way it is done (and I can almost smell a post on exactly WHY we have it). 
Curious yet? 
Electoral-Vote.com

As of this … (16 comments)

Fannie/Freddie and dangerous Waters - 09/10/08 04:54 PM
I wrote a post a little while ago about what I perceive as "spoiling the market".  Stop the crying or cry it out?  Take a look...  It isn't specifically about the Fannie/Freddie bailout, but this is. 
So, what about Fannie and Freddie?
They can't be allowed to fail.  It is pretty simple.  But, not for the reason that most real estate agents, most mortgage originators or our respective trade organization say.  It isn't because of the "damage" it would do to the housing market... and it would do damage.  And it would damage me personally...
The reason is the simplest one … (8 comments)

Stop the crying or cry it out? - 09/10/08 03:38 PM
Regular readers may know that in addition to the 4 year old (hockey boy), my wife and I are also blessed with a 6 month old baby boy.  And, they both are amazing little teachers. 
The little one was teaching me something today...
At nap time, he was quite tired... too tired.  So tired that he was fighting sleep with every fiber of his being.  Both Mom and I know that the best course of action is for him to go to sleep... but he doesn't want to do that. He also doesn't really want to stay awake.
How many parents … (4 comments)

Wickedly good negotiation strategy... - 09/09/08 09:15 PM
Everyone wants to know the best strategy to employ to get the absolute best deal on the house that they want.  And there is... but it is ironic. 
spoiler alert...
It is pretty easy to get an amazing deal on a house... just don't want it.  That's right.  Be ready to walk away.  Completely and forever.  Keepsies. 
If you actually really want the house, that is pretty hard to do. 
And the really ironic thing is that despite there being 10,000 homes for sale in Gwinnett County, GA, most of my buyer clients don't fall in love with a bunch of … (10 comments)

You want to race WHAT? - 09/09/08 08:35 PM
Sometimes racing goes over the top... I mean really... over... the... top... But, I think it is human nature to want to know what it'll do... and test it against someone else.
 

Yes, I know that it isn't real... But THIS is...
 

And as a bonus... As it just running through the course against the clock weren't enough... let's add extra planes to the mix just to keep things interesting.

Each Sunday I post a video or three on my blog at LaneBailey.com. This was a recent video Sunday post.
… (11 comments)

Save $100,000... - 09/09/08 08:12 PM
At least if you are in the market for a luxurious home in a gated golf/swim/tennis community...
9010 Brixham Court, Suwanee, GA in Laurel Springs
This executive home has ALL of the luxury touches.  From the stacked stone wine cellar in the terrific terrace level to the home theater on the spectacular second level, this home has been upgraded.  Even the details that many forget, like the oil-rubbed bronze door hinges and granite counters in the bathrooms.  "Builder grade" wasn't good enough.  Anything that didn't exude quality was replaced.
Even things that many don't think about received attention.  There is a … (4 comments)

Who is John Galt? - 09/06/08 01:06 AM
If you didn't immediately know what I was talking about from the title, you need to spend a little time here, and then a lot of time here.  Keep in mind that this is a LONG book... 1200 pages.  I've read my copy three times.  It is an incredible book. 
But, this isn't all about the book (or the rumored movie with Angelina Jolie in the role of Dagny Taggart).  This is just to say that since I was 17 years old I have been in love with the character of Dagny Taggart...
ok, not really... I mean I have, but … (20 comments)

Yellow River Game Ranch... deer here... - 09/04/08 05:01 PM
Sitting on the banks of the Yellow River, along US 78 in Lilburn, GA is the Yellow River Game Ranch.
Rather than looking at exotic animals from afar, here the idea is up close and personal… occasionally VERY personal.  Here most of the animals wander the park with the visitors.  Of course the bears, bobcats, cougars, foxes and bison ARE separated from onlookers but deer, peacocks, chickens, rabbits and squirrels are quite happy to walk up and introduce themselves… especially for a cracker or a peanut.  In fact, they may remind you that they would REALLY like a peanut or cracker…
… (7 comments)

Blog Anthology, Posts dated 8/24-8/30 - 09/04/08 04:50 PM
I love racing, but there are a LOT of really cool videos of amazing things every once in a while, something grabs my attention... and if it grabs mine, it might catch yours too.  So, I tried A little biking insanity for Video Sunday.
Nothing makes me crazier than real estate agents that don't take their jobs seriously.  And one of the biggest jobs we have is marketing properties.  And one of the biggest parts of marketing a property is showing photographs...  So, Hold on just a minute there, Bub...
I want a Pontiac G8GT.  I like it...
And since I … (2 comments)

Palin, McCain and the Democrat carnival ride... - 09/04/08 12:05 PM
This was a comment...  I went here and saw this post, and decided that the answer was post worthy.
Amazing how the Democrat attack machine has fired up on Palin in such a big way. 
She's inexperienced, and "only a heartbeat away from the Presidency."  I guess it is better to get your inexperienced slot filled at the top of the ticket, where there isn't even a heartbeat seperating it from the President...  Oddly, she HAS actually run things... business, a city and a state.  Neither Obama nor Biden have run anything.  And Obama saying that he ran a campaign is … (20 comments)

What's the big deal? US properties, that's what - 09/03/08 11:12 PM
But not for long...
I'm just back from a conference where International Property Sales were discussed, and while I knew that the weakening Dollar was making American real estate attractive to overseas buyers, I hadn't really quantified it for this property. So, I grabbed the values for a few par currencies, the Euro, British Pound and Canadian Dollar. I also pulled the historical trade values for 6 months ago, 1 year and 2 years ago, as well as the current data.
I added the historical data so that you could see that the Dollar was bouncing along at historical lows. So, … (0 comments)

Going to NAR in Orlando? - 09/03/08 12:41 AM
Yes and no... 
I knew this would happen.  Being in Orlando, this year, with me in Atlanta, it is only a short drive away (yes, I call 10 hours a short drive).  Also, being in Orlando, I was pretty sure that "I" would not be going... it would be "we."  Also, I knew that if "we" went, that "we" would be going to DisneyWorld.  In the last case, "we" meant "them." 
I got into real estate because I love being with my family.  I was in retail previously, and worked 12 hours a day, 6 days a week... somewhere else.  Now, … (46 comments)

the 3rd most glorious sound... and the 4th... - 09/03/08 12:27 AM
There is just no other way to say it. This thing makes an incredible sound. It idles like a fashion student ripping burlap, and then at full tilt, it makes magic. If I had a car that made that sound, EVERYONE could see me on the news... And there would be scores of angry police officers because I would HAVE to run with it...
And the cool thing is that it could certainly outrun the chopper, and almost outrun the radio. But then there is that sound. The only description that owould go out is "You'll know it when you hear … (5 comments)

Market update for Gwinnett County, August 2008 - 09/01/08 10:40 PM
It's that time...  The numbers for August are in, although they will certainly change over the next month.  The final numbers ARE in for July, and those are pretty solid.  Overall, they aren't bad, but not a super strong move to the positive.  After adjusting for seasonality, July looks good... not great.  August looks terrible, but the preliminary numbers usually do. 
Gwinnett County Real Estate Market Report 9 08View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: report data) As you can see on the charts, there are definite seasonal trends.  The tough part is separating the seasonality from the trends.  I … (4 comments)

 
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Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy

Suwanee, GA

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Century 21 Results Realty

Address: 2209 Sharon Rd, Suite 250, Cumming, GA, 30041

Office Phone: (678) 679-1393

Cell Phone: (678) 200-5895

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