Halloween is one of my husband’s favorite holidays.  It is a time to dress up in scary costumes, create haunted houses for the neighborhood children and pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters who come to call.  Since Lake Martin is a rural, second home/retirement community, there isn’t an abundance of children living around the lake.  Therefore we don’t have a lot of trick-or-treaters show up at our door.  Actually, we haven’t had any in several years.  This makes my husband sad.

So, my message to all you folks living on Lake Martin, invite your kids and grand-kids for Halloween this year.  Bring them to our house.  Make my husband happy, he’ll fill their bags with candy.

What a great night for folks who came to sample a taste of 16 area restaurants on Tuesday, August 11 at Camp Civitan!  The Taste of the Dadeville Area was sponsored by the Dadeville Area Chamber of Commerce to spotlight local restaurants and provide an entertaining evening for everyone.  Music by the Brown Derby Jazz Band added a nice touch for the more than 300 attendees.  Food and music were followed by a raffle for prizes and cash!

If you missed it, shame on you!  This was a terrific evening - stay tuned for future events.

Every year, buyers ask to see property on Lake Martin in a certain price range.  This year, the magic number is between $300,000 and $400,000.  There are several great buys that fit the bill and here are just a few.

Check my website for more information on these and other properties.

Summer is almost here and Lake Martin is as busy as ever.  The lake level is high and holding steady;  plenty of property is for sale and quite a few places are selling.  Now might be the right time to make your move if you ever wanted to buy that get-away on the lake, purchase a second home, or nail down your future retirement spot.

While you're here for the 2009 AquaPalooza signature event during the last weekend in July, call me!  Coach Tuberville's beautiful lake home is still available and so are several others.  Visit my website to see lake homes in every price range.  Lake Martin has something for everyone.

Lake Martin is full and open for business as the official summer season begins this weekend.  Road traffic is heavy, stores are busy, boat ramps are in use, and marinas are selling lots of stuff from gas to potato chips!  While many family gatherings have been dampened a bit with frequent rain showers, folks are still on the water having a good time.  After all, if you’re swimming , skiing, tubing, fishing, or otherwise playing in the water –a little rain can’t hurt!  People at the lake always make the best of it when a holiday weekend comes around.

If you’re here, enjoy!  If not, come on down.

DO NOT look back and say, "Why didn't I buy that place at the lake when I had the chance?"  Timing is everything and now may be the best time in years to purchase property at Lake Martin.  There are lots of properties to choose from, sellers seem to be negotiating, interest rates are really low, and mortgage money is available.

It is hard to move forward when all the news we hear and see is bad.  But some folks are braving the bad news and are buying lake property right now.  Last week, I worked with two different buyers who each obtained 4.5% financing from different lenders.  They both purchased condos.  By the end of this month, two more families are purchasing homes in the area, one is on the lake and one has lake access.  One of these is a second home and one will be a primary residence and each one got a great interest rate.

Many sellers are asking reasonable prices for their lake places and they are open to offers.  So, if you're looking in a certain price range, look at prices a little higher than your upper limit.  And, for goodness sake, hire a REALTOR® to help you find the best place at the best price on Lake Martin!

Every year, there seems to be a "popular" price range when buyers are looking for property at Lake Martin.  In 2008, the magic number averaged between $300K and $400K.  Often that price range was not realistic for buyers' needs and wants - and they spent more.  It will be interesting to see what price ranges folks shop for in 2009.  In the meantime, here are some statistics from the Lake Martin Area Association of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service:

 In 2008, 131 waterfront homes sold on Lake Martin:

Under $500K - 65 sales

$500K to $1M - 36 sales

Over $1M - 24 sales

** 6 sales did not publish the price

Today, 382 waterfront homes are for sale on Lake Martins:

Under $500K - 188

$500K to $1M - 135

Over $1M - 59

For those thinking of purchasing waterfront property at Lake Martin, things couldn't be much better.  There are many places to choose from, interest rates are really low, and sellers are a bit more likely to negotiate.  If you don't have a REALTOR®, find one!  Don't miss out on a terrific opportunity to own a little piece of heaven at Lake Martin.

The holidays are upon us and the shoreline at Lake Martin is beginning to show.  Those who love this lake are especially thankful for the high water levels throughout the spring, summer and fall.  Alabama Power Company has done a great job of managing and maintaining the lake level this year and their efforts are appreciated.

According to news reports, the folks at Lake Lanier, Lake Allatoona and Lake Hartwell will suffer extremely low water levels for years to come as the City of Atlanta continues to draw from these reservoirs.  When added to the drought conditions in the southeast, this is going to be a bad situation for the foreseeable future. 

Lake Martin will continue to be the area of choice for the residents of Georgia whether for a short vacation, a second home, or retirement - just as it was for me.  We have 700+ miles of shoreline -much of it is undeveloped; the water is clean and deep, people are friendly in this "small-town" atmosphere, and it just feels like home. 

So - enjoy your turkey and football games - then Come on Down! 

Be sure to take a look at the August issue of Lake Martin Living for a great article on one of my listings (page 13). The article features a great story about the owners and fabulous pictures taken by Matt & Sol of del Sol Photography.

You also need to see the August issue of LAKE Magazine featuring my listing in The Preserve at Stoney Ridge with more photos by Matt & Sol of del Sol Photography!Both of these magazine issues are available online. Living at Lake Martin is wonderful - and in homes like these - it's awesome!

See a slideshow here ...

Lake Martin is all about families. We were lucky enough to have both of our children and their spouses here for a few days last weekend. What a pleasure to see them all enjoying the lake as much as they did as kids. There was plenty of time for swimming, skiing, digging for fishing worms, catching fish, getting some sun, and cooking out.

Speaking of lucky enough…we were fortunate to find our place at Lake Martin when our kids were young. We came every weekend winter and summer and we spent hours fixing up our old cabin. Anyone with a second home knows that one requirement is having 2 of everything (tools, groceries, and more) – one for the lake and one for the primary residence. Of course, we usually managed to have both hammers and bottles of ketchup at the same house!

The kids did help with all our projects – but they also had time for fun. Fishing, swimming, building forts on an island, building a raft out of old styrofoam and deck boards, learning to ski, and more. They also learned boating safety, good lake manners, to wave at other boaters, and always to stop and help folks with a problem.

We retold lots of stories and laughed a lot! Memories are as good as the real thing!