The economy is on everyone's mind these days, and residents of Coweta County GA, a bedroom community near Atlanta, are no exception. The county seat, Newnan, could be like any 
other small town in the United States. We have our quaint downtown square, which is still alive and robust, with nice little shops and eateries, and we have our "strip" section, with Wal-Mart, Best Buy, the chain restaurants and and all of the other "this could be anywhere" stores.
What isn't so readily apparent, is that the economy of Coweta County is hurting, because one of its major industries is suffering. Building and development has been the mainstay of our labor force for about the last ten years. Now that we have an 18 month supply of new homes on the ground, there are very few new projects being started and even less applications for building permits.
Those that can't find work cannot borrow or sell their homes due to depressed housing values and competition from foreclosures and short-sales. Where lots used to be scarce, there are now hundreds of empty building lots throughout the county.
But are we so different from what's going on everywhere else in the country. The expansion we enjoyed has now came back to haunt us, and we must carefully develop strategies to adapt to the changing market. It could very well be that the real estate agent will be replace by technology before it's all said and done. In the meantime, I'll do what I can to stay steady amid the turmoil. I have no other choice, this is what I do!
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