This is a picture of the house that is the setting for my new book. Charlotte O'Shea is a survivor. She leaves the Atlanta Women's Center for the small town of Haven Hearst to take over her inherited house. The 19th century Victorian sits on sixteen acres of land just outside of Columbus, Georgia. Swearing off men and focusing on her writing is her goal until she meets the handsome yet mysterious Drake McKenna. Can she find love again or is she destined to live out her life as an old maid?

Drake McKenna is a troubled soul. He returned from his stint in the service after his unit is decimated somewhere in Iraq. When he returned, he vowed he would never fall in love. Love hurt and he wasn't going to subject his heart to that again. Well, that is until he has to fulfill a promise he made years earlier.

As these two come together and realize that you don't have to close your heart forever, an evil lurks to tear them apart. Can they survive? Will Charlotte overcome her beliefs and accept the gift of legacy to save the man she loves?

Stay tuned!

On a positive note Blood Rose is finished and is being shopped around for an agent. I have it also out with an editor friend of mine who does epublishing.

Glad to see so many of you doing so well in real estate. I wish you all peace, light and love.

Well, it has been a while and I thought I would share with you what I ahve been up to over the last couple of months.

My health is improving greatly. I still refuse surgery which the docs think would cure all but hey it is my body right? LOL

I have my license on inactive but have been staying current on the market conditions in my general area. I may be looking for a new home for that license in the near future but can't say anything definite just yet.

So, what is a sick out of work girl to do? I'll tell ya. I have been making and selling my handmade items on ebay and thru my Myspace page. I wrote a book and am putting the finishing touches on it so that I can start shopping it around. One of the main reasons I don't know if I will be hanging my license again, lol. Let's see, I am also involved in an online writer's forum at AuthorsbyDesign.com and host two chats on writing every month. It is a non-paying gig but gets my name out there.

I want to thank everyone who contacted me during my illness. The emails were a great boost during the really rough chemo months.

Hope everyone is having a successful '09 so far!

Much love!

Apologies in advance as the graphic is not that great but this is a map of the Historic Downtown District of Newnan, GA.

Come follow along with me as I take you to 23 of our historical places.

1. Willcoxon-Arnold House--this impressive home was constructed of hand-made brick in 1852 as part of a 1200 acre plantation known as "Shadowlawn".  It is now the home of Hillcrest Funeral Chapel.

2.  Sargent-Estanich House-- Built in approximately 1840, this Federal style home is one of the most perfectly proportioned houses in the county. This was the home of co-founder Harrison J. Sargent for the Willcoxon Mfg. company on Wahoo Creek.

3.  Welch-Parrott House--This home was built in 1843 by James Welch the co-founder of the Newnan Herald.

4.  W. B. W. Dent-Scott House--This home was built by William Barton Wade Dent in 1851.  His brother built a similar house on College Street.

5.  College Temple Building--This was originally part of College Temple, a private school for girls from 1853 to 1889. 

6.  College-Temple-Smith House--This is another portion of College Temple. It is said to have housed the first printing press in a Southern College.

7.  Dent-Walls House--Built in 1854 by Joseph Ephriam Dent this Greek revival home has four large fluted Doric columns and a cantilevered balcony. This home was completely restored in 1980.

8.  Arnold-Arnall-Shapiro House--Built in 1835 by the president of Wahoo Mfg. Co. and the director of Newnan National Bank.

9.  Culpepper-McKoon-Sandlin House--This home was designed by a German architect for John Culpepper.

10.  Brewster-Barnett House--Built in the 1860's this home was specifically adapted for the handicap needs of Major Penn Brewster.  Brewster lost a leg serving in the Confederate Army.

11.  Storey-Buchanan-Glover-Sumner House--Built in 1830, this home was originally a cottage owned by Edward Storey. He sold to his brother-in-law the distiguished Hugh Buchanan in 1850 and in the mid 1850's it was the headquarters for Gen. Joe Wheeler during the Battle of Brown's Mill.

12.  Orr-Thornton House--This home was originally built in the country but was moved to it's present location in the late 19th century.

13.  Terrell-Jones-Hobbs House--This is probably the oldest standing home in Newnan.  Built as a small cottage in 1828 by Joel Wingfield Terrell.  It has been added to and moved and sits at its present location since 1981.

14.  Berry-Merrill-Boyd House--Built in 1840 this home was moved to its present location in 1974 but retains its original plaster medallions, simple mantels, and wide pine floors.

15.  Ware-Headly House--This home was costructed in Lagrange in 1850 by Captain Dan Ware.  The house was completely restored and moved to its present location in 1950 by the great-great nephew of the original owner.

16.  Storey-Hollis House--William Storey was a plantation home that was dismantled in 1850 and brought by mule. It is said to be the first home on a fully brick basement.

17.  Lee-Hackney-Banks House--Built in 1850 by Sanders Walker Lee a Captain in the 7th GA Regiment in the Confederate Army. It was purchased and restored to its glory in 1946 by the Banks family.

18.  North-Young-Rosenzweig House--Built in 1852 as a Greek Revival home it has undergone a number of changes over the years. Updated to Victorian in the 1880's, then all touches of the Victorian were removed in 1918 and it settled back into a Greek state.  Originally the home of Dr. Abraham Columbus North, a Confederate Army surgeon.  The Young family bought it in 1918 and in 1980 it was rescued from its deteriorating state and painstakingly restored.

19.  Hackney-Passolt-Cox House--This cottage was built in 1860. Then bought by the Passolts which were headed up by the superintendent of Newnan Water and Light Company.

20.  Reese-Cheek House--Built in 1856 by Dr. J. T. Reese.  The first telephones in Newnan connected this home with the Reese Drugstore in Downtown Newnan. Once condemned it has since gone through restoration and remains a fine example of Antebellum Architecture.

21.  Banks-St. John House--This home was built around the mid 1950's.  It was owned by the Banks family for 75 years and now houses a place for special events. 

22.  Cole-Roberts House--This home was built in 1850 by the founder of the R. D. Cole Mfg. Co. which supplied most of the materials for building homes in the area at this time.

23.  Coweta County Courthouse--Built in 1829 the courthouse has served many purposes from being a hospital in the War Between the States to now being a museum.

As you can see by our little tour this is truly the City of Homes.  We are proud of our homes that were spared in Sherman's march through GA.  The court square is beautifully decorated at all times of the year and there are any number of shops to visit as you take a tour through our town.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in the Coweta, Heard, Meriwether, or Troup areas, call me at 678-633-0458.  You may also want to visit my website by clicking on my logo for more information.

If you like the mafia type movies you will probably like this one.  I personally liked it.  It starts out in an time when I was too young to know what the heck was going on in the world.

There were the civil rights movement, things were hot over in Vietnam, and drugs were prevalent.

Movies like this make me realize what a sheltered little life a lot of us live in from day to day.  There is language, nudity, and a lot of drug use shots so this one is definitely not for the kids.

I think overall Russell Crowe played a very believable part in this true story.  He is a detective that is marked.  He is honest to a fault in his job but when it comes to his home life well lets just say there are all kinds of problems for him to deal with.

Denzel plays Frank the right hand man who turns head honcho when his boss dies. He takes the drugs to another level and does not play well with others.

Armand Assante gives us a look into the Italian side of the mafia at the time.

And if they didn't take a lot of liberties with the story line then our government is much to blame for how things got as bad as they did with the drugs on our streets.

I wouldn't say this rivaled The Godfather as so many said that it did.  Similarities are there but in no way could this be deemed that powerful of a movie.

It was good, won't say it was great but wouldn't turn down seeing it again.  I notice funny little things in movies and one that I noticed here was that Russell Crowe was sporting a Star of David necklace.  I don't know if that had to do with the story line or not to me it seemed a bit out of place for a New Jersey detective.  So, yeah may revisit this one just to see what else I notice.

Out of a 5 star rating I would say three stars is what this one gets.

I used to have a comfort zone,

Where I knew I couldn't fail.

The same four walls of busy work,

were really more like a jail.

I longed so much to do the things,

I'd never done before.

But stayed inside my Comfort Zone,

And paced the same old floor.

I said it didn't matter,

that I wasn't doing much..

I said I didn't care for things,

like diamonds, furs and such.

I claimed to be so busy,

With the things inside my zone.

But deep inside I longed for,

Something special of my own.

I couldn't let my life go by,

Just watching others win.

I held my breath and stepped outside,

To let the change begin.

I took a step and with new strength,

I'd never felt before.

I kissed my Comfort Zone good-bye,

And closed and locked the door.

If you are in a Comfort Zone,

Afraid to venture out.

Remember that all winners were,

At one time filled with doubt.

A step or two and words of praise,

Can make your dreams come true.

Greet your future with a smile,

Success is there for you!

~Author Unknown~

I think we all get into a zone where we feel comfortable.  I found this poem in a stack of things I had saved, it is now posted on my bulletin board.

Call me at 678-633-0458, if you are looking to buy or sell real estate in Coweta, Heard, Meriwether, or Troup Counties.  If you are not ready to speak directly to an agent, please visit my website by clicking on the logo.

While you are checking out my checklist for moving with professional movers, give a listen to this great song!

Congratulations!  You bought a new home and closing is coming up.  There is so much to do and it seems not enough time to do it but you have scheduled the movers to be there on Monday so time to get cracking!

A lot of people wait until the last minute to pack but once you have the accepted contract go ahead get the boxes, tape and a good marker.  Pack the things that you know you aren't going to need in the coming weeks little by little.  Remember to label everything! You don't want little Susie's doll collection misplaced and stored in the attic.

But before you start packing, are there some things you really don't need to move?  We all have those clutter collections, you know the out dated clothes that don't fit and you wouldn't wear anyways, or that awful lamp that Aunt Masie gave you but goes with nothing in your decor.  Now is the time to move these things out.   Have a garage sale, donate them to a local charity, just don't move them!

Pack the essentials that you will need and make sure that these things do not get put on the truck with the rest of your goods.  Some items that you need to have on hand are the alarm clock, asprin, a first aid kit, flashlight, change of clothes, bedding, towels and bath accessories, disposable plates and cups, paper towels, toilet paper, entertainment for the little ones and food.

Your valuables also need to be packed and taken along with you during the move.  If you have cash, jewelry, important documents, precious photographs, these should not be in the hands of the movers.  Things do happen and you wouldn't want little Susie's first baby steps pictures to disappear when the movers do.

Moving is a stressful enough experience without having to worry about the children.  See if you can find someone to help with them all on the day of moving.  This is to include your human children as well as the pets in your life.

Once the truck has been unloaded and there is some order to things, go collect your children and let them explore their new home.  With pets you may want to crate or keep them in one room at a time until they get to know their surroundings.  Cats are especially prone to spraying the new home in order to mark their territory.  To prevent this keep them happy and well attended while you are getting settled.

Ok, so on the day the movers are schedule you need to think safety.  Move your planters off the front porch, walkway, and drive. If your screen door has a spring or hydraulic spring use it or disconnect it so that going in and out of the door does not become a problem.  Roll up all rugs and remove all door mats.  The movers will have moving pads if they are needed.  Make sure all your pictures and wall hangings are down and packed.  You don't want anyone cracking their head on that portrait of Uncle Albert!

Most moving companies will not transport items that are flammable.  Have a plan for these as it will be your responsibility to get them to the new home.

Your truck driver is your man! He will be the one responsible for overseeing the crew and that your wishes are carried out.  Go over everything with him.  Give him the destination and contact information again.  Get his contact information!  You don't want to be sitting at the new house wondering what happened to Grandpa Jo's urn!

After the truck is loaded make a sweep of the home.  I am talking showers, drawers, closets, garage, crawl space, storage barns, attics everywhere you can think to look and make sure nothing has been left behind.

At the new home make yourself available to the moving crew.  They are not going to know where Jr.'s room is or that the dining room is really going to be your office.

Tipping is entirely up to you!  Once the job has been completed, pay the driver and if you feel that they have done a more than exemplary job give him a little extra to be distributed to the crew.

You are now in your new home!  Enjoy it, wander around before you undo all those boxes.  Get a feel for where things are going to hang, where furniture will be postioned and pat yourself on the back for having the most successful unstressful move in the history of man!

Call me at 678-633-0458, if you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Coweta, Heard, Meriwether, or Troup Counties.  Not ready to talk to an agent yet, then click on my logo to the left and go directly to my website to view my listings.

I love the county that I live in!  You just can't beat it!  There is entertainment, shopping, and we are ever growing.

What does this have to do with getting your blog on?  Well, Richard Weisser from Coweta Fayette Real Estate formed a new group for all us Cowetians.  It is a place to get your localism posts out there, talk about our county, and network amongst the members. 

With well over 100 agents signed up as members of in just our county and the neighboring county of Fayette, I for one think this is a great addition for us.  It will give us a chance to meet and mingle, a chance to tell everyone what a great area we live and work in, and it will give the consumers a birdseye view of our area.

So, I challenge all of you to come get your blog on with Richard and I.  All you have to do is click on the button and it will transport you to the group and you can join.  It's free and it won't hurt a bit.  Come on Fayette and Coweta County agents what you say, let's tell the world about our area!

P.S. If you are looking to buy or sell real estate in Coweta, Heard, Meriwether, or Troup Counties, call me at 678) 633-0458.  If you are not ready to speak directly to an agent check out my website by clicking on my logo.>>

Putting your home on the market can be a stressful time. You have to get it looking ready, you have to keep it ready, and you have to price it right.  In today's market these three things are what gets a home sold.

If you are using a real estate agent to get this done, the seller's listing agreement can add to that stress if you do not know what is in it and why.

This document is a legal binder between you and the brokerage the agent represents.  It is not something to be taken lightly. Most agents will use the standard agreement for their area but it is your responsibility to understand it.

In order for you to be more comfortable with this document I am going to go over the basics here.

First, we have the term of agreement.  The longer the agreement the more it benefits the agent because it allows them to find a buyer in a weakend market.  But if homes are not selling quickly the longer term can hurt you the seller.  Your property becomes stale unless your agent is proactively generating traffic.  So, you the seller want to make sure that you have an agent that will market your home and get it sold in the least amount of time possible.  Whether you go 3, 6, or 12 months on the terms you can always extend the agreement if you are satisfied with the agent.

Next, we come to how your agent will get paid. This fee is negotiable but as a general rul you can expect to pay between 5 and 7 percent.  Ask what the agent will do in order to get this fee.  What levels of marketing are included?  Some agents will discount their fee to get the listing but you need to know if they are going to discount their marketing efforts as well.  Once this fee is set it no longer becomes negotiable.  Some agents may take a lesser fee for service if the contract is within just a miniscule fraction of working, but don't ask them to re-negotiate during the contract phase. 

During this period of writing the listing the agent will ask you to fill out two forms.  One is a disclosure statement and the other is the MLS Input sheet.  The disclosure statement is a legal document that lets potential buyers know things about the home, i.e. when the roof was put on or repaired, if the septic tank has been serviced, etc.  The MLS Input sheet is a document that the listing agent will use to input your home into the MLS system. If you are keeping the antique chandelier in the dining room it needs to be removed and a new light fixture put into place.  Most agents just have you fill in the last page which is where it states what will remain with the home.  The rest of this form is mainly for the agent to use for describing your home, the legal description of your home, directions to your home and things like that.

Lastly, the agent will want to take pictures of the home so that they can add them to the MLS and all their other marketing tools and place the lockbox.  It is very important that you have the home in showing condition on the day the agent arrives to get the papers signed so that all the pictures come out looking great!  Ask to see the pictures when they are done.  Also, ask them to retake any you would not find appealing if you were the buyer seeing these on the internet and in flyers. Have a key available and a place to hang the lockbox if you do not want it attached to your door.

Now, sit back and relax and let your agent go to work for you!  Expect that there will be and should be communication on a regular basis from your agent.  Weekly emails or phone calls on what is happening and what they are doing to get your home sold.  Even if there has been no activity expect to hear from them.

Call me at 678-633-0458, if you are looking to buy or sell real estate in Coweta, Heard, Meriwether, or Troup Counties. Not ready to talk to an agent yet, then please visit my website by clicking on the logo to the left.

You as a buyer have done your homework.  You have searched various different neighborhoods, styles of homes, and know what you are looking for in your purchase.

Now, you must find someone to let you in so that you may view the home.  Touch the home and get a feel for it. 

Beware dear buyers! Not all agents are the same, nor do they have the same knowledge.

It seems as if every year there is a new GAR purchase and sale form.  Little tweaks here and there that are supposed to simplify matters.  However, if you get an agent who has not been instructed on the changes it can and will end up costing you money.

Let's go over the basics of the form first.  I want you comfortable with what we are putting in this form that will act as the tool for your offer on the home you choose. 

In the first section of the form we have the date we are submitting the offer, the physical address of the property, and the legal description of the property. 

In the next section, we get into the monitary descriptions. This is where we will put what you are offering on the property, how much earnest money I am collecting from you and whom shall hold the money, and what we will be asking for in closing costs.

Next, we will fill in a date of closing and when you will take possession of the property.  Commonly, we try to take possession at closing but there are times when the seller needs a few days so there is a concession for that if we need to use it. We will also write in the closing attorney at this point.  The seller may have a specific that they want to use but know that you have the right if seller agrees to select the attorney.

Ok, now we get into some technical parts.  Title and how it will be transferred.  The seller is warranting at this point that the title is free and clear but you as the buyer have the right to inspect the title prior to closing and list in writing any objections you may have with it.  You also have the right in this section to have a new survey of the property and if it is found different than the original you do have the right to terminate the contract in writing.

There is a risk of damage to the property clause that states that the seller deems the property in good standing at closing.  If damaged prior to closing the seller must give us notice and you have the right to terminate.  If you choose not to terminate the seller must have the home back to prior damage condition by the time of closing.

Inspections: You as the buyer have the right to have the property inspected and to submit a repair request within a time frame that we will set in this section.  I strongly suggest that you spend the extra money here to have this inspection done. This also includes the neighborhood and I would suggest you check out the www.state.ga.us/gbi/disclaim.html site for further information on sex offenders who might be residing in your neighborhood.

Are we going to accept the propety as is if it needs repairs and if not what is the due diligence period is another thing we need to consider in with the inspection.

Your lender will order an appraisal of the property to make sure that its value will withstand the loan amount. 

If for any reason you decide to terminate this contract once it is binding you need to understand what can happen to your earnest money.  The only time I have had issue with this is when I had a client that just decided they didn't want to buy anymore.  Other than that the earnest money has been refunded to my clients.  Reasons to not go ahead with the purchase need to be stated in writing though.

The next section explains that I work for you as your agent and the seller either has their own agent or are representing themselves.  There is also a disclaimer here that states that you haven't relied on the advice of other brokerages outside of the one I work for.

We will obtain and sign the property disclosure statement and I will go over it step by step so that you understand what it says about the property you are buying.

I will make sure of the age of the home and that there is no potential hazard of lead based paint.  If there is potential we will seek an inspection on this and how to correct it.

The next area of the contract is the legal part.  You need to read over this and make sure that you understand it completely.  I have stated several times that we need to make all notices in writing.  That is the only way anything can be bound to the contract.  A verbal just won't do it.

Lastly, before we sign the contract and send it off, we will go over what you are already sure you want to ask for. Examples of this could be that the refrigerator remains with the home.  That the drapes remain or that you want the seller to pay for the termite inspection and letter.  We need to make sure we have all this spelled out to the minutest detail as I have seen things happen in other contracts where we asked that the refrigerator remain and found out after closing that it wasn't the same one nor was it working.

Ok, now we will sign the document on the last page.  I will need your full name here not just Bubba and we are going to give them a time frame to respond in.  Now, with holidays I tend to give a little leeway but generally 48 hrs should be plenty of time for the selling agent to get with the seller and make a decision.

Well, that sums up the GAR Purchase and Sale agreement.  I urge you to find an experienced agent who knows that the contract must have additional attachments for the appraisal and for the termite inspection.  These two things alone can cost you well over an additional $1000 dollars if they are not present.

If you are looking to buy or sell in Coweta, Heard, Meriwether, or Troup Counties, please give me a call at 678-633-0458 or click my logo to visit my website.

Over the last several weeks I have observed something here in the Rain.  I have been affected by it to a great deal.  Conversely I have decided that I won't let it interfere with what I am doing and accomplishing.

What have I observed?  Negative comments!  Whether you meant them to be negative or not that is how they are coming across. I for one will not let you steal my thunder. 

I have been down more times than I care to count.  I have risen past abuse from a spouse, I have risen and survived breast cancer.  I have risen after surgery took my life.  I walk in pain from fibromyalga every day.  I take medication to regulate a non-existant thyroid every day.  I take chemo every month because of a cancerous goiter I am too scared to have removed on my thyroid gland.

My point here is that we all have issues we deal with every day of every year.  If you choose to let those be a crutch, if you choose to let those things defeat you, if you choose to be negative and believe that life threw you lemons and the sour has infected your soul, don't share it with me. 

If I share a joyous moment with my friends and family I do not expect those whom I love to throw stones at my joy. The beauty of the Rain is we can be our true selves here or at least I hope that we are, but we don't have to throw stones at the ones who are celebrating even if it isn't important to us.  If you don't want to celebrate too, simply move on without commenting.  If it irks you to see someones joy, move on without commenting. If you are envious of anothers success, move on without commenting. 

Ok, I am done now but I will leave you with this beautiful video I found!