Sure, we all know someone struggling to make their mortgage payments. It's affected all of us on some personal level. But, the effects of the recent government bailout of Freddie & Fannie backed loans has a much more far-reaching effect than just individual homeowners. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac owned or backed about half of all US mortgages, but investors worldwide, and especially Asian banks, were highly leveraged in their bonds. Stocks worldwide soared yesterday on the announcement of the government bailout, and the news seems to have provided some confidence to otherwise hesitant investors that viewed the US market as being too risky.If you've read my blog in the past, you know how I feel about government interference with the private markets, but this is one scenario where the resu... 09/09/2008

  Several weeks ago I posted about our hummingbirds.  Since then, we've had swarms of them like bees! In the last two weeks they have eaten nearly 10 pounds of sugar made into nectar (1 part sugar to 4 parts water).  They're going through over a quart of nectar each day.  We've had a lot of fun watching them but are beginning to feel a bit like slaves to the little critters!                                       09/08/2008

Athens is well known for being the home of  the University of Georgia, Dawg-mania and the birthplace of great music with groups such as R.E.M. and the B-52's. But Athens also is a river city. The Oconee River flows through Athens right next to "downtown," meandering through parts of the University, the suburbs and farms and into Oconee County. Most of the year the Oconee is a shallow and easily fordable stream.  The almost crystal clear water flows over rocks, creating gentle rills that can't quite be called rapids, to arrive in smooth still pools. If you look carefully you can sometimes see the flash of a fish or even a heron wading, searching for a meal.  Often you can see kayakers along some stretches, although, in drier years, like this one, there is a lot of portaging. Oconee is th... 09/08/2008

No Saturday is complete this time of the year without a visit to the Athens Farmer's Market for fresh bread, juices, and vegetables! Open Saturdays through November 15, 2008 from 8am until 12pm. David and I have always been huge fans of Big City Bread, but we also discovered Luna Baking on our last visit - not to be missed:  Luna Bakings's Chocolate and Cherry Sweet Bread! You'll find great fresh vegatables from many growers and all produce is grown within 100 miles of Athens, Georgia! The "Righteous Juice" lemonaide blends are fantastic!  Our favorites are the Raspberry and the Blueberry. Grab a juice and some bread and hang around to listen to some of the music - different bands appear every week - check out the schedule to see who is playing next! "The Objective of the market is to p... 09/08/2008

Kathy Cox, Georgia State Superintendent of Schools just became the 1st Million Dollar winner on "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader! Kathy Cox just proved she IS smarter than a fifth grader and reinforced her message to Georgia students to "do your best" and "don't drop out"!  Her positive attittude is hard to beat and has served her well today! Ms. Cox plans to donate the winnings to three schools in Georgia - 2 for blind students and 1 for deaf students. We were all praying for you and crying with joy when you won!  Congratulations - we are so proud of you!       09/05/2008

Turn on your local news tonight, I'm sure the media will mention the "dreadful" housing market. But, remember, real estate is regional... and while there's no denying that our market isn't what it was 2-3 years ago, there are some encouaging signs ..In the Athens-area market for the month of August ... the # of sold units was up by 12% from the month before the average sales price was up by 5.1% over that same time the average days on market for homes that sold in August was down 15.3% Was it just a good month? Maybe so. I certainly don't think we're out of the woods yet, but I thought it might be nice to project a positive spin for a change. 09/04/2008

Presented by the Athens Area Association of REALTORS on September 20, 2008! Are you ready for some free fun in the Athens, Georgia area?  Family Fun Day is being held Saturday, September 20th, at the Athens Area Association of REALTORS® offices from 10:00 am - 2:00 p.m.  The event is being held to bring awareness to the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation and will feature a bounce house, obstacle course, dunk tank, fire trucks and all types of children's games and activities.  This is going to be tons of fun, so bring your family out and enjoy! Want to see how much fun you and your family can have?  Take a look at the photos from the Athens Area Association of REALTORS Family Fun Day 2007 below!    I'm looking forward to seeing you all there!  And here's a map to the Athens Area Associ... 09/04/2008

Hudson Carter's Clocked, that is, one of my favorite Athens Georgia restaurants.  It was a busy week, so we (hubby and 2 of the kids) decided to venture to downtown Athens, Georgia for dinner - even though the students at UGA are back and parking is a little harder to come by.  We really lucked up and only had to walk about a block  With "food for the space age" most folks visit "Clocked" for hearty burgers and melts...but me - it's the tuna steak on yummy bread always! And I'll admit to scarfing down lots of fried pickles too!   Located on West Washington Street and open Sunday through Thursday from 11 am to 10 pm and on Fridays and Saturdays open until 11 p.m         09/02/2008

Labor Day, the first Monday of each September, is observed in both the United States and Canada to recognize working people for their contribution to society.I'd never taken the time to really research statistics on my occupation until today, but I found several stats that I thought were interesting: according to the National Assn of Realtors, there are 1,257,491 realtors in the US the highest NAR membership was 1,370,758 in October 2006 membership in NAR has doubled since the mid 1990's I couldn't find any stats on the # of builders, lenders, investors, etc, but the real estate industry employs a large # working-age citizens in the US, without question. On this Labor Day, even in this slower-than-normal market, I'm proud to be a Realtor ... and more importantly, I'm thankful to live in... 09/01/2008

Baklava, spanakopeta, gyros, pastitsio, tzatziki! Makes my mouth water. Couple that with a little Greek music, some  Greek dancing and you start feeling like Zorba! (ok, am I showing my age?) You can get all this, plus lessons on iconography as well as shop at market stalls all at the: 11th Annual Athens Oconee Greek Festival Sept. 13 & 14th at St. Philothea Greek Orthodox Church 3761 Mars Hill Road Watkinsville, Georgia 30677 For more information and a schedule of events check out the St. Philothea Greek Festival Website. See you there, and, wipe that tzatziki off of your chin!   08/31/2008

Years ago I dabbled a bit in N-scale model railroading. I had put together a couple of layouts that were always under construction (somewhat like my website). Because of circumstances, the layouts and the trains went seperate directions than I did. A couple of weeks ago I walked into a hobby shop that was going out of business. I saw a sign for N-scale trains and accessories. When I inquired about them the person at the counter told me that they had all already been sold. He asked me if I was an N-scaler and we got to talking. Mac, the person at the counter that day, is one of the founders of the local Athens BendTrack Railroad Club and he invited me to the last meeting. So, on Tuesday, I attended my first meeting. I did attend, met some very nice guys including the youngest member, 17 ... 08/31/2008

Here in Athens GA  we are fortunate to have the Classic Center where we have a number of concerts and plays throughout the year.  We don't have to go to New York or even Atlanta to enjoy the finest entertainment.   The upcoming 2008/09 Classic Center Theatre Season Callendar of Events is as follows:   Comedy Series:  Craig Ferguson on September 19, Pablo Francisco on October 16, and Paula Poundstone on March 26.    Classic Rock & Motown: World Classic Rockers on October 4, The Four Tops & Marvelettes on November 22 and the Fab Four Ultimate Beatles Show on February 21.   Broadway Series:  "Pajama Game" on November 13,  "Ain't Misbehavin'" on January 15 and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" on February 7 and "The Wizzard of Oz" on April 22.   Children aren't left out, and the The Children's Seri... 08/24/2008

Are you looking for the "#1 Small Metro Area for Relocating Families"? Or maybe the "Best Place to Retire"? Or one of the "Seven Cool Cities"? How about living in one of the top "50 Green Cities"? Consider moving to Athens, Georgia! Georgia may be best know for the "5 P's" - peaches, peanuts, pine trees, poultry, and pecans, but I know that Athens has something for everyone. Whether your are looking for the diverse cultural opportunities that the University of Georgia brings to Athens or outdoor recreation opportunities for young families and retirees...you'll find it in Athens! Athens, Georgia already has two unique residents that no one else can claim, The tree that owns itself, actually the son of the tree has now inherited the lot! And the only double barrel cannon in the world - I ... 08/23/2008

One morning this week I sneeked off to ride horses with a couple of friends at Watson Mill State Park in Oglethorpe Co. (near Athens, GA).  And Yes, we did drive the truck and trailer through the bridge.   What was really impressive was how low the river was at that point from our continuing 3 year drought. Usually, there are beautiful shoals where people like to play on the rocks, etc.  The river was reduced to a small trickle and the usual riverbed looked like a beach.         Shoals Dry Riverbed   Since I no longer have horses, I'm happy to ride a Spotted Saddlehorse named Jake that belongs to my friend, Linda.  The trails at Watson Mill are wooded and fairly cool on a hot summer day.  We saw deer at least 4 different times and they did not seem at all afraid of us.  Once while we we... 08/22/2008

To spur activity in the real estate sales market, the federal government has once again stepped up to the plate ... and struck out, in my opinion.In an attempt to help 1st-time homebuyers, the gov't is offering a $7500 tax credit for qualifying purchasers (call for details) ... it has to be paid back, so it's just a short-term loan of sorts ... but, given the state of our national debt, and the other more critical areas of need, is it really the government's responsibility to interject funds here?We just don't get it, do we? One of the main reasons the housing market is slow now is due to the concept that everyone "deserves" to be a homeowner. Just a few years back, everyone with a heartbeat and a 500 credit score qualified to buy a home. Now, there are more foreclosures than ever. That... 08/19/2008

  Just a few miles and a few minutes from downtown Athens and the University of Georgia is the quiet neighborhood of St. Charles. Executive homes of quality construction lie on attractively landscape lots. The homes are from 2500 to over 4000 square feet and sit on lots from just under an acre to several acres. The homes and lots have been developed leaving mature trees in there natural settings provide a look of maturity to the neighborhood. You can have a pleasant walk through the neighborhood, sometimes coming upon a deer or two that will quietly slip back into the bordering forestland. Lot's are still availble. Select yours now and have your home built in this desireable community. For information about homes available in this neighborhood, or, anywhere in Athens-Clarke county and ... 08/13/2008

If you like posts like this and want to see more of what I am up to, check out Classic City Guide, your home for Athens Georgia culture and real estate. Yet another installment of the things you want to know about our wonderful city. As I read over this post, I realize there is so much more in Athens, Georgia, that these posts can become quite habit-forming. Forecast Calls for Thunderstorms Every Afternoon During the Summer. It doesn't always happen, but the weather person seems to err on the side of caution. They are correct a lot of the time though. Some of the best thunderstorms I've ever witnessed were here in Athens. They are more fun to watch when you don't own a home, especially after you log a couple personal instances of knowing folks whose houses got nailed. You Will See Litte... 08/12/2008

The University of Georgia begins classes August 18, 2008.  The first UGA football game is August 30 at home with Georgia Southern.  The UGA Bulldogs begin the season ranked #1 in the country. Congratulations to All!     08/12/2008

Little Athens, GA, home of the #1 ranked UGA DAWGS is rapidly becoming acknowledged as the "birthplace" of great music, musicians and bands. The B-52's, R.E.M. and Widespread Panic, soon to be inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, all got there starts here. This week Athens provides the venue for dozens more musicians and bands. The 5th Annual Athens Pop Fest kicks off this week, from Aug. 12 through Aug. 15. Some of the performers you can hear are Allisson Weiss - a local Athens singer/songwriter playing her acoustic guitar with her new backup group. Hot Pants Romance - how can you go wrong with a name like that, 3 girls from Manchester, U.K. sounding like a mix of 80's girl group and punk We Versus the Shark - another local Athens group with an eclectic, and often risque blend... 08/11/2008

It may look like great art, but it is actually the side of building at one of my favorite restaurants: The Last Resort Grill, in downtown Athens, Georgia. Last Friday, I had the opportunity to meet one of my favorite lenders, Amy Anthony Coile from Classic City Mortgage, for lunch at one of my favorite downtown eateries!  We started off with the Hummus & Fruit Tray, and ended up taking half of it home, it is almost a meal in itself.  We both listened to the specials in awe of the fantastic sounding combinations, but both of us ordered our all time favorite - the Vegtable Grill, which features in season veggies and pasta in Alfredo sauce.  We were stuffed, so much so that I passed up the spectacular cake, for once - but I did shoot a photo so your mouth can water a little!     08/10/2008