There is a marvelous converging of events right now that are making this an unprecedented moment in time to buy a home in the beautiful North Georgia mountains. After a surprising jump in median sale price last month over the previous year's price, home sales in Fannin County are down in February -- both in number of units sold, and in median sale price. There were 25 homes sold in February 2010 compared with 27 in February of last year. The median sale price this February was $185,000 compared with $232,000 last February.Buyers have less than six weeks to take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers and $6,500 credit for repeat home buyers, as homes must be under contract by April 30.  In addition to the tax credit, interest rates have dipped since last month -- d... 03/23/2010

Car, Motorcycle, Truck Show to Benefit Relay for LifeDate:    April 3, 2010 - Rain or ShineTime:   10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Plaques for Best in Show awarded at 4 p.m.Location:  Blue Ridge City Park (across from the Courthouse)   Door prizes, raffle, foodLive music provided by hometown favorites The Breaking Point Band For more information on the event, or how to enter the show, please contact Dawn McGuire at 706-455-8106Sponsored by Century 21 Professional Realty Group - In The MountainsAll proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life    03/22/2010

Opened in 1909 by 10 local businessmen, the Bank of Hiawassee grew strong over the ensuing 97 or so years, perservering through the Great Depression and the lean years that followed, as small communities throughout the Appalachians struggled with the after effects of the Depression far longer than their industrialized counterparts. Yet, the small bank in Towns County continued to strengthen, growing from $25,000 in deposits in 1909 to over $435 million, according to its Website. In the process, they expanded into the neighboring counties of Union and Fannin -- opening as Bank of Blairsville and Bank of Blue Ridge, respectively -- becoming one of the largest employers in the North Georgia mountains. The institution not only employed many of the locals, it also underwrote their dreams -- ... 03/20/2010

My name is Kim and I am a washing machine abuser. When it comes to laundry, I have always believed that suds equal clean. If I look in my washing machine during the wash cycle and don't see soap bubbles, I will add a bit more laundry detergent. Turns out, I've been abusing my poor washing machine all these years. When it comes to suds, less is more. Read this handy article from The New York Times. Your washing machine (and dishwasher) will thank you. 03/16/2010

  From March 05, 2010 Leading Ladies / Comedy To March 14, 2010 Blue Ridge Community Theater From March 12, 2010 Leading Ladies / Comedy To March 14, 2010 Blue Ridge Community Theater From March 20, 2010 Wine Highway Weekend To March 21, 2010 Nine Wineries from Young Harris to Dahlonega From March 26, 2010 Celtic Music Festival To March 28, 2010 Dahlonega, GA 03/12/2010

Looking for something different to do in Blue Ridge? Try geocaching! Geocaching is a sort of high tech outdoor treasure hunt where you use a GPS in place of a treasure map. Now, you won't find a gold-filled treasure chest in the cache, but you will find fun and goodies hidden within each one. Plus, you will find the beauty and grandeur of the North Georgia mountains along the way! The Fannin County Chamber of Commerce has hidden five geocaches in Blue Ridge. Simply enter the coordinates of each into your GPS, and you're off! The Welcome Wow (N 34° 52.508’ W084° 17.950’) hint: you’re sure to feel welcome when you step in the doors. This is the place to start all your tours. Outdoors, Onward and Upward (N 34° 51.836’ W084° 19.630’) hint: surrounded by all that you need in the woods, ask w... 03/10/2010

The Obama administration has announced a new short-sale program aimed at alleviating some of the roadblocks that now impede the process, which will hopefully inject some life into the nation's ailing real estate market.   According to a New York Times article, the program -- that will take effect on April 5 -- will help some of the five million households who are currently behind on their mortgages by compelling lenders to accept a short-sale arrangement in lieu of foreclosure. A short-sale can occur when a lender agrees to take less for a property than the amount owed on the mortgage, thereby avoiding foreclosure.The program will not help everyone; those who have a second or third mortgage on their properties may have the subordinate lenders block the sale. But for those with only one ... 03/09/2010

"Never have children, only grandchildren." - Gore Vidal  More and more retirees are calling the beautiful mountains of North Georgia home. The lovely laid-back atmosphere and natural beauty of the area, combined with the multitude of activities available, make the mountains the perfect location for retirement. Grandparents will soon find that grandchildren feel the same way about the mountains...they LOVE them!  The ability to do the things they usually can't do at home -- fish, kayak, raft, hike, go to the drive-in -- with the extra added attraction of being able to do it with Grandma and Grandpa, makes a trip to the mountains a wonderful experience for the grandbabies.Making your mountain home welcoming to the grandchildren is an easy proposition according to this article from The New... 03/03/2010

An analysis of Fannin County home sale data for January showed some positive signs. Although the number of closings was down from December of 2009 (30 in January compared to 40 in December), the median sale price was up substantially ($247,500 in January vs. $200,000 in December). Sales were also up from January 2009 numbers - there were 20 closings in January of 2009 versus 30 in January of 2010. The percentage of the market comprised of foreclosures continues its upward climb: 35% of the closings in January of 2009 were foreclosures; 37.5% in December of 2009; 40% in January 2010. The existing inventory of homes for sale continues to reflect a saturated market -- one that tilts in favor of buyers. If current rates of sales hold steady, we are probably still a few years away from a bal... 03/01/2010

We bought our cabin in the beautiful North Georgia mountains in the dead of winter. When we came up from Atlanta on the weekends during the cold months, we busied ourselves on the inside of the cabin making it our cozy nest. Once Spring arrived, we welcomed the opportunity to start digging and planting. We planted what we thought were hardy varieties of plants, and for a few months - as we came up weekend to weekend - we were delighted to see the progress that our 'babies' were making.  Come May, we sank a pretty penny into buying hanging baskets of ferns and planting container gardens stuffed with showy annuals. And for the first few weekends, a splendid riot of color greeted us when the cabin came into view. Then came the Summer months. Our hanging baskets were the first to go. Colorl... 02/27/2010

Blue Ridge Lake Real Estate - Blue Ridge GA.  This is a 3,300 acre lake with a picturesque mountain and lake combination.  About 80 percent of the lake's shoreline is a part of Chattahoochee Nation Forest and is managed by Forest Service. Blue Ridge Lake is located in Blue Ridge GA.  Blue Ridge GA is one of the first mountain communities you would come across when heading north up from Florida which makes it a very popular destination for people coming from Florida.  Being about 93 miles North of Atlanta it is also a nice weekend getaway for those in the city.   There is a large second home market here. Blue Ridge is a quaint little town nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains.  It is a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle and just get back to the simpler things in life.      ... 02/15/2010

North Georgia Mountains, Blue Ridge Real Estate, River Ridge Partners LLC, Commerical Properties     Coldwell Banker High Country Realty  Blue Ridge, Georgia   Donna Yates, Realtor   PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT JUST RELEASED TODAY! PRESS RELEASE February 10, 2010 For Immediate Release Contact: Donna Yates, Georgia Realtor 706-633-0644 cell Coldwell Banker High Country Realty706-632-7311 office   BLUE RIDGE, GEORGIA   Announcement by River Ridge Partners LLC.  Property on the corner of Hwy. 515 and Industrial in Blue Ridge have negotiated a contract with a well capitalized commercial developer for the construction of 110,000 square feet of retail space.  I believe they also have a contract with an anchor for the space.  The project will reportedly create 150 jobs for Fannin County.  They hope to ... 02/10/2010

  From November 23, 2009 Holiday Art Show and Sale To December 19, 2009 Blue Ridge Art Association From December 11, 2009 Winter Wine Highway To December 13, 2009 Young Harris to Dahlonega From December 11, 2009 Swan Drive-In Theater To December 13, 2009 Blue Ridge Georgia From December 11, 2009 The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus To December 13, 2009 Blue Ridge Community Theater From December 11, 2009 Christmas Village To December 12, 2009 Between the bridges on the riverfront in McCaysville December 11, 2009 Season of Light / The Rollins Planetarium Young Harris College December 12, 2009 Santa Village Night Train Downtown Historic Blue Ridge Train Depot From December 12, 2009 Santa Train To December 13, 2009 Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad From December 18, 2009 The Life and Adventures ... 12/09/2009

North Georgia | Blue Ridge Mountains | Light Up Blue Ridge | Christmas Celebration   'Tis the season...It's that time of year again and ho,ho,ho, oh,oh,oh what fun this is!!  Light Up Blue Ridge.  Santa and Mrs. Claus will make their entrance into town on our old fashioned train (Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad) and then make the rounds along the downtown streets of Blue Ridge in his sleigh pulled by beautiful reindeer.  This is an old fashioned, small town celebration that will warm your heart and make you tingle inside with excitement.  You can't help but catch the Christmas spirit.  Great family fun, come one, come all - everyone is welcome.  Food, music, decorations, photos, and shop owners will have their shops open so you can pick up a special gift or two! Donna Yates, Georgia RealtorC... 11/20/2009

Make sure you're strapped in tight! Home sales in Fannin County continue their wild roller coaster ride. October 2009 residential sales figures are in, and both number of units sold and median prices are up over last October. This is a break from the trend we saw last month, when the number of sales was up, but prices were down from September 2008.There were 35 residential sales in Fannin County last month, compared with 22 in October '08. The median price this October was $186,000, almost $26,000 up over last October's $160,450. An analysis of foreclosure data yields some interesting results: Out of the 35 residential sales last month, 13 (37%) were foreclosures, versus 2 (9%) of last year's sales. The median sale price for foreclosures was $130,000, the median sale for non-foreclosure... 11/12/2009

  From November 06, 2009 Live Theater / A Christmas Carol To November 08, 2009 Blue Ridge Community Theater From November 06, 2009 Artist Studio Tour To November 07, 2009 The Martyn House 912 Flat Branch Road, Ellijay Georgia November 07, 2009 Rivers Alive Gazebo, Fire Station 13 on Aska Road / Ron Henry Horseshoe Bend Park in McCaysville November 10, 2009 Winter Pickn' Ann's Pickin Parlor 50 Kingstown Street From November 13, 2009 Live Theater / A Christmas Carol To November 15, 2009 Blue Ridge Community Theater November 14, 2009 Veterans Day Parade / Blue Ridge Downtown Historic District of Blue Ridge November 17, 2009 Winter Pickn' Ann's Pickin Parlor 50 Kingstown Street From November 20, 2009 Live Theater / A Christmas Carol To November 22, 2009 Blue Ridge Community Theater November... 11/10/2009

They say a picture paints a thousand words...Here are the beautiful flowers we received as a gesture of appreciation from two of our incredible customers after a closing we had last week.  The cards read: "Kim, You are the best!" and "Dawn, You made this happen for us!" It was such a lovely surprise to get these roses. We don't do this for the glory (God knows!!), but it is so heartwarming to 'feel the love' like this! Thanks Jim & Maria! We are so happy to have helped make your dream come true!  11/05/2009

The rain that fell Saturday evening did little to dampen the spirits of the hundreds of kids who visited downtown Blue Ridge's Halloween Safe-Zone. Witches and goblins, princesses and fairies shared Main Street as they Trick-or-Treated their way among all the shops. A spook-tacular time was had by all!  11/02/2009

A view from my father's deck in Ellijay overlooking a pasture and the lovely mountains of North Georgia. Visit my Website to find out more about the beautiful Mountains of North Georgia and the great home-buying opportunities that await you right now! Or, call me at 404-435-6470. 10/28/2009

You may not have heard of E.B. Reece...yet. But, trust me, you will. On Friday, the Gilmer Arts and Heritage Association (GAHA) hosted an evening with E.B., where, in a cozy intimate space, she performed songs from her new Nashville-produced CD, "Big Time Stuff." With the voice of an angel -- a face to match -- and a personality that lights up the room, E.B. enchanted the audience with her lovely performance. The self-described "small town girl," a mere 19-years old, grew up in Ellijay. Her songs -- most of which she writes herself -- reflect an innocent sensibility shaded with humor, love, and angst. E.B.'s talent shimmers off of her like the spotlight off her long, blond hair and her determination to make it in the music business is palpable.  Make no mistake, this "small town girl" i... 10/25/2009