53 Cool Concepts... Part XXVII... - 10/31/10 10:34 PM
Munster's Koach in background Image by bcmacsac1 via Flickr In honor of Halloween, I thought it might be fun to visit one of my favorite cars from my childhood... aside from Speed Racer's Mach V... the Munster Koach.
I thought that was THE coolest rig on the planet when I was watching The Munsters every afternoon.  What isn't to love about it, the gold plated intake pipes, the chrome exhaust pipes, the casket handle accents and the oil lamp headlights.
And while I don't think we should rehash it... the original Munster Koach has already been created... but instead, I think … (6 comments)

Another RE Scam to beware of... - 10/30/10 10:22 PM
 
Gene is well connected and has a pulse on the market in California... and many times, the "ideas" we see popping up out there start sliding this way.  I would bet that we will see someone try this on this side of the country before too long. 
Don't fall for it.
 
Via Gene Wunderlich - Realtor®, Government Affairs Director (Southwest Riverside County Association of Realtors):
Last week our local paper bestowed their 'Raspberry' award to a SoCal based attorney by the name of Michael T. Pines. Pines qualified for this award by virtue of the fact that his business … (0 comments)

There is a new City Hall coming to Lilburn, GA... - 10/30/10 12:46 PM
It will take two to three years, but Lilburn is slated to get a new City Hall.  There will also be a new Library, and the current City Hall will go to the Police Department... the chambers where the Council meetings are held will be a new courtroom in the Police Department.
The best part is that Gwinnett County is picking up part of the cost, with much of the rest being paid for by SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax).  According to city officials, maintenance costs will drop after the adoption of the new City Hall.
The new City … (2 comments)

Flashback Friday... Mortgage Thoughts... - 10/29/10 10:51 AM
Ken is on the right Image by The Ken Cook via Flickr Over the last few weeks I have worked with a few buyers that have had questions about mortgages, pre-approvals and "the process"...  Oddly, as I was looking for a post from last year, I stumbled onto a collection of Ken Cook (the mortgage dude, not the weather dude) posts I had highlighted about those very things.
I assembled a few quotes from 3 of Ken's (then) recent posts and linked back to them for more info.  He puts out a LOT of great info about the mortgage side of … (3 comments)

Big League Dreams another step closer to Lilburn... - 10/28/10 10:50 PM
Image via Wikipedia Over on my LilburnDwellings blog a few weeks ago I wrote about Big League Dreams possibly coming to Lilburn, GA.  At that time, the city was thinking about spending $450,000 (refundable, according to the City) for a feasibility study from Big League Dreams regarding building a facility here in Lilburn.
Last week, the City approved the feasibility study based on a market study conducted by BLD.  According to the market study, Gwinnett is ripe for their type of facility.  However, there seem to be some problems that I see in the study... running counter to the goals of … (4 comments)

PROTECT OUR HOME PURCHASE AND PROTECT YOUR REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT - 10/28/10 10:20 PM
 
Lenn is a VERY experienced Buyer's Agent.  She knows what she is talking about.  And almost everything she says applys here in GA as well in VA, where she is located. 
If you have any questions, give me a call and we can talk about the secrets here in Georgia.
 
Via Lenn Harley, Real Estate Broker, Virginia & Maryland (Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate):
PROTECT OUR HOME PURCHASE AND PROTECT YOUR REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT
Secret: Dark roofs do not last as long as light color roofs.  Further, light roofs reduce air conditioning costs by reflecting … (0 comments)

Wayback Wednesday... What do YOU Deserve? - 10/27/10 09:04 AM
Image via Wikipedia I am very NOT perfect.  I have had credit issues just like many others... I have fought back from the brink and suffered setbacks.  And one thing I have learned is that there are NO easy remedies.  You can't make a call, spend $500 and get magically good credit from some dude driving around in a crappy car... or even an expensive car.
A couple of years ago I wrote a post about a Credit Repair company I saw advertised on the back window of an older SUV.  What really ticked me off was that it said...
Get … (8 comments)

Lawrenceville, GA Market Report, September 2010 - 10/26/10 11:14 PM
Image via Wikipedia Market stats for Lawrenceville, September, 2010, indicate that there are 16309 properties on the market. Overall, there is about an 9.8 month supply of properties, with sales weakening since June. Sales dropped off dramatically this year compared to last.
In the sub-$200k arena, there are 1273 listings, with about a 8.6 month supply of homes. Sales accelerated through June, but then fell off as the tax credit was slated to end.  While inventories are down from just a couple of years ago, for the recent past, they are still high.
Between $200k and $400k, there are 292 listings … (1 comments)

Lilburn, GA Market Report, September 2010 - 10/26/10 11:11 PM
Image via Wikipedia Market stats for Lilburn, September, 2010, indicates that there are 443 properties on the market (as of September 30th). Overall, there is about a 9.8 month supply of properties.  Lilburn is actually mid-pack among cities in Gwinnett County.  Absorption Rates had been improving since March, until September.  In fact, in March there was 15.3 months of inventory.
In the sub-$200k arena, there are 273 listings, with about an 7.7 month supply.  This represents most of the sales in the market area, and reflects the same improvement in inventory levels, continuously since March.  And, one other thing to keep … (3 comments)

Windows Live Gallery... - 10/26/10 12:06 AM
My Windows Live Gallery (and a few other Windows Live components) upgraded a couple of days ago. 
Wow... 
I mean it has become REALLY cool to use this tool.  When I got the new laptop, it had Windows 7 installed.  One of the tools was the windows Live Gallery, and I spent a lot of time tagging people and adding descriptive tags for locations.  It was nice to be able to pull out images based on tags. 
But it really changed with the new update... 
Now I can combine tags for searches.  My wife is putting together a coffee table book … (7 comments)

53 Cool Concepts... Part XXVI - 10/24/10 02:03 PM
Image by Michael Heilemann via Flickr There is something about aircraft technology that we Car Guys HAVE to love.  Actually, there are probably a few things.
When I think of cars with a heavy aircraft influence, the first one that comes to my mind is the Vector W2 Twin Turbo... it was a fighter plane on wheels.  We aren't talking about a Warbird here, but rather, a full fledged modern fighter like and F-16.
From the covered switches to the feel of real carbon fiber and anodized aluminum, to the overall look of something that should be going blindingly fast, this … (3 comments)

Flashback Friday... Catch the Wave? - 10/22/10 10:13 AM
Image via Wikipedia Last year everyone was talking about the Google Wave... it was the hottest 'beta' invite around.  There were hundreds of blog posts from all sorts of tech luminaries about the Google Wave and how it was going to revolutionize communications... rich media, text, video, audio, websites... all together.
About two and a half months ago, Google announced that the Wave was going to die... probably after the end of 2010.
I wrangled a Wave invite last year.  It was cool... but not cool enough to actually use.  And I guess that was why nobody bothered to really use … (10 comments)

Finished or Unfinished Basements... - 10/21/10 10:44 PM
Image via Wikipedia I had the opportunity to sit in on REData Center's presentation about the state of the Gwinnett County Real Estate Market for the 3rd Quarter at NAMAR (Northeast Atlanta Metro Association of REALTORS) on October 18th.
One of the findings that was presented wasn't a shock to me, but it was a shock to some of the other real estate professionals that were there.
Finishing a basement doesn't really add to the value of the home in the eyes of a buyer...
I know that there are all sorts of news stories about the RoI (Return on Investment) … (2 comments)

Wayback Wednesday... A DNS - 10/20/10 05:23 PM
Image via Wikipedia In racing, a DNS means that a car Did Not Start.  One could say that it is even worse than the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish).  Not making it to the Starting Line is definitely worse than not making it to the Finish Line.
But for Housing Starts, it is a good thing...  at least it is here and now.
Two years ago I wrote a post about how Housing Starts had fallen to their lowest level in 17 years.  Now, we are close to the lowest recorded levels.
But there is still too much inventory.  I know, … (1 comments)

Getting Things Done... - 10/20/10 04:33 PM
Image via CrunchBase A list can be a wonderful tool to help get things done.  It is a wonderful focus point to push our activities in the right direction.  But one problem with task lists is keeping them current across various platforms.
The obvious choices are:
Outlook Google Thunderbird w/Lightning (Mozilla) Phone based applications I'm sure that Apple has a suite with an integrated calendar and task list, too... but I'm not a Mac user, so I don't know about their options.
Image via Wikipedia I recently changed from a BlackBerry Pearl Flip to an Android T-Mobile G2 (affiliate link) … (8 comments)

Gwinnett County Schools Get $1M Scholarship - 10/19/10 09:36 PM
Image by lane.bailey via Flickr It was announced today that the Gwinnett County Public School system was awarded a $1,000,000 scholarship grant from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.  The $1,000,000 will go out as scholarships to needy students within the district.
Gwinnett took the top honors because of their high standards of performance for students regardless of race.  They beat out Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina, Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, and Socorro Independent School District and Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, for the award.  The award is for districts that show the most gains in … (2 comments)

Gwinnett County, GA, Market Report, August 2010 - 10/13/10 11:03 PM
You might have noticed that these reports lag by a month to a month and a half.  The reason for the lag is that it takes until the end of the following month for the data to stabilize.  So, the data for August wasn't very solid until the beginning of October.  I have tried to use preliminary data, but it always seemed to veer at the last minute...
So, let's get to the numbers and try to get a handle on what they mean.
At the end of August, 2010, there were 6,473 homes on the market in Gwinnett County, GA.  … (1 comments)

Norcross, GA, Market Report, August 2010 - 10/13/10 10:55 PM
Image via Wikipedia Norcross, GA is a suburb of Atlanta in Gwinnett County. The population is 2000 was 8,41, but that only included the area inside the city limits, and it has seen tremendous growth since that census. The City of Norcross revamped their old town a long time ago, and it has served as a model for other towns in the area. It is also home to Meadow Creek and Norcross High Schools. One of the things that Norcross is known for locally is the beautiful older homes in the downtown area. They have maintained their historic flair quite successfully.
… (3 comments)

The National Foreclosure Moratorium Robo Sign Housing Debacle-ism - 10/13/10 09:53 PM
Jeff put this down very clearly.  He is a smart guy, and generally has a pretty solid handle on the underside of the finance industry. 
I don't think we can overstate exaclty how dangerous and catastrophic it would be for judges to start setting aside delinquent mortgages left and right.  The banking industry would fold... and the economy would follow it into the toilet.  The Great Depression would be nothing...
Via Jeff Corbett:
Lots of sensational press around the temporary foreclosure moratorium thats being implemented by some, soon to be all banks across the country.  Some people are crying fraud while others … (1 comments)

Before Tactics or Strategy, there is... - 10/12/10 05:13 PM
Image via Wikipedia I hear a lot about Social Media Strategy or Technology Tactics... but there is something that seems to be missing from many of these conversations.  Rather than framing the discussion in terms of the end result, it gets formed around how to use a tool.
First we need a GOAL...
The goal is the missing ingredient.  In fact, not only is it the missing ingredient, but it is the most important part.  Since I am a car guy, let me illustrate it like this...
The goal is to win races.  We decide that we want to win a … (3 comments)

53 Cool Concept Cars… Part XXIV - 10/10/10 09:39 PM
Image via Wikipedia Cars are special.  Even "non-car people" have affection for a car from their past or present.  Sometimes it is their first car.  For others it might be the car that they had when they met their spouse.  Or maybe it was a reward for a job well done... even if they rewarded themselves.
And for yet others, it might be the car that they took on family trips as a kid.  And for a lot of us, that was a station wagon.  Yep... last week it was minivans, and this week it is their predecessor... station wagons.
Before … (6 comments)

Buford, GA, Market Resport, August 2010 - 10/09/10 04:59 PM
Image by lane.bailey via Flickr Buford, GA is a suburb of Atlanta in Gwinnett and Hall Counties. The population is 2000 was 10,668, but that only included the area inside the city limits, and it had seen tremendous growth since that census.  Buford is home to Lake Lanier, one of Georgia’s premiere recreational areas, and Lake Lanier Islands.  Recently, the City of Buford has revamped their old town. It is also home to Buford (Buford City Schools aren’t a part of Gwinnett County Schools), Mill Creek, Mountain View and Lanier High School (Lanier will open for the 2010-11 school year).
Market … (1 comments)

Sugar Hill, GA, Market Report, August 2010 - 10/08/10 09:38 AM
Image via Wikipedia Sugar Hill, GA is a suburb of Atlanta in Gwinnett County. The population is 2000 was 11,399, but that only included the area inside the city limits.  The name comes from a bag of Sugar that spilled on a hill while in transit between Cumming and the railroad in Buford.  And while it is actually a big market, it is in the shadows of Lawrenceville, Duluth and Suwanee… which all are nearby.  That also makes it a great location, as it is close to everything that Gwinnett County, GA has to offer.
Market stats for Sugar Hill, GA … (0 comments)

Suwanee, GA, Market Report, August 2010 - 10/07/10 11:50 PM
Image by lane.bailey via Flickr Suwanee, GA is a suburb of Atlanta in Gwinnett, Forsyth and (just a little bit) in Fulton Counties. The population is 2000 was 8,725, but that only included the area inside the city limits, and it had seen tremendous growth since that census.  Money Magazine rated Suwanee in the “Top 10 Best Places to Live” in 2007, and it is one of the wealthiest parts of Georgia. Recently, the City of Suwanee has revamped their old town, adding a large park with a bandshell, condos, town homes and small businesses. It is also home to North … (3 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

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