You buy a cabin in the beautiful North Georgia mountains to escape from the stresses and worries of your life in the city. There are some simple steps you can take to make sure that your cabin is one step closer to being worry-free by cutting down on needlessly high energy costs. And almost all of them are easy enough that you can tackle them yourself in a weekend.  One of the biggest -- and simplest -- steps you can take is to invest in a programmable thermostat. You can set the thermostat so that the heat and air conditioning maintain minimum temperatures during the week, and then automatically  adjust to the temperature you're most comfortable with at, say, 7 p.m. on Friday. You should easily be able to recoup your initial investment on a $100 Energy Star programmable thermostat with... 03/12/2009

North Georgia mountain's Gorilla Haven -- the only privately-owned gorilla sanctuary approved by the National Association of Zoos & Aquariums -- is in great financial need right now.   The above video shows one of Gorilla Haven's residents -- Oliver -- thoughtfully eating his apple snacks. This amazing facilty, built and maintained by Jane & Steuart Dewar, offers a home to gorillas that were born and raised in zoos, but who were ultimately labeled 'misfits.'  You can read more about Gorilla Haven in this great article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "A Misfit's Sanctuary." Please read this poignant letter from Jane Dewar and consider helping in some way: Dear Gorilla Haven Friends and Supporters,THANK YOU for your support after our first email appeal in December. We sincerely ap... 03/10/2009

I'm battered, bruised, exhausted...but happy. Fannn County's Residential Market Analysis for February shows that you HAVE been paying attention after all! Me so proud!When I first pulled the numbers, I was ecstatic -- the median sales price for February '09 was $248,000, compared with $179,825 in February of '08. That represents a 27% jump in the median sales price! WOW! The market's up, happy days are here again! I probably should have stopped there; ignorance, after all, is bliss.   But, I noticed that on the flip side, the total number of sales for the month were down over last year. In February '08, 28 residential units were sold, as opposed to 23 units this February, down 18%. That would indicate that the market is still not rebounding as much as we'd like.Trying to make sense of t... 03/05/2009

Joe and Oliver make two unlikely Cinderellas. After having spent the first part of their lives in zoos, Joe and Oliver were whisked away from unhappy lives by their 'fairy godparents,' Jane and Steuart Dewar, to Gorilla Haven, a 324-acre spread in the North Georgia Mountains, just outside of Blue Ridge. Here they are given space to roam and loving care to help heal the emotional scars of their past.  Unable to peacefully co-exist with his fellow gorillas, Joe was relegated to solitary confinement in a concrete cell for 10-years. Born at the Bronx Zoo in 1988, Oliver, who was born deaf, was unable to communicate with his fellow gorillas and had to be separated from the others for his own safety. At Gorilla Haven, both have finally found a life of peace. The Dewar's have underwritten the ... 03/01/2009

The other morning, while I was out putting up a sign and lockbox on a new listing in Mountain High subdivision, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful layers of mountains draped in the misty morning fog. I always try to take advantage of a photo opportunity when I see one. The mountain view encompasses three states worth of mountians; North Caprolina, Georgia & Tennessee. Here are a couple of the shots I took. It was even more breathtaking in person. Can you imagine waking up to this view every morning? And the Blue Ridge mountains are really that BLUE. 02/26/2009

I had a listing call up in Turtletown Tennessee the other day. The house was am amazing prow front log cabin on a private lake with 20 rolling acres and a nice garage workshop.                   In addition to getting the listing, I also got an unbelievable amount of barn photos. That, combined with the dusting of snow that stuck in the more northern elevations gave me some great shots. I love old barns, and a sideline to my Real Estate activities has been photographing interesting old barns I see along the way. Well, I saw more barns in this short trip into Tennessee than I could begin to photograph. These are just a few of the gray ghosts I snapped that day.                                       02/26/2009

Why did the Chicken cross the road? (And how does he know to use the crosswalk?) The answer to this age-old question, and many others can be found in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Not to be too cocky, but Blue Ridge is a town like no other that exists in this day and age, and residents like it that way. Though many city downtown areas are foul, only in Blue Ridge will you find such pride in the downtown area’s “fowl”ness. Sometimes, you just gotta “crow” about what makes you special, silly as it may be. When you visit the Blue Ridge historic district, in addition to the historic railroad train depot, and all the unique shops and various bistros that populate the streets, you will find Blue Ridge’s most “fowl” and well known residents; the downtown Rooster and his Hen. This couple strolls the en... 02/25/2009

                      From February 27, 2009 Comedy / Marrying Walt To March 01, 2009 Blue Ridge Community Theater March 01, 2009 Comedy / Marrying Walt Blue Ridge Community Theater March 05, 2009 Winter Pickn' The Pickin Coup March 12, 2009 Winter Pickn' The Pickin Coup From March 13, 2009 Kid's Say the Darndest Things To March 15, 2009 Blue Ridge Community Theater March 19, 2009 Winter Pickn' The Pickin Coup From March 20, 2009 Kid's Say the Darndest Things To March 22, 2009 Blue Ridge Community Theater March 26, 2009 Winter Pickn' The Pickin Coup March 28, 2009 Blue Ridge Writers Conference North Georgia Technical College     02/23/2009

Blue Ridge, Georgia draws people to it, like a magnet. It’s a special place, almost like stepping back into a simpler time, to when life was slower paced and people waved to you as you passed by. But, the transition to the simple life’s not so simple for many transplants who come from more contemporary urban cultures. I see so many people who move to Blue Ridge from more modern settings struggle with the cultural differences they encounter once theyt live here. The very things that first attract folks to the area, later appear to be obstacles to be overcome. It’s the old adage of “Wherever we go, we bring ourselves with us”, but in this case, we bring our old cultural conditioning with us. Moving to this community requires stepping back and making a conscious decision to leave behind t... 02/20/2009

Gone are the days when the word 'foreclosure' conjured up images of dilapidated homes with broken windows and boarded-up doors.  Meet the new face of foreclosure. My client just closed on this spectacular 5-bedroom, 4-1/2 bath home on Wednesday. Nestled on five wooded acres in a desirable gated community in Ellijay, this home was built with no expense spared: two fireplaces; granite kitchen; two enormous master suites; a full-finished basement with media center; library; slate, tile, and wood floors throughout; top-of-the-line bathroom fixtures; butler's pantry. You get the drift... Before the original owner lost the home, he had it on the market for $899,000. That was definitely wishful thinking on his part -- a price closer to $650,000 would have been more like it. Needless to say, th... 02/19/2009

I never cease to marvel at the talented array of people who are drawn to our little hometown community of Blue Ridge Georgia. Take, for instance, Ann Blonder, the owner of one of downtown Blue Ridge’s premier dining facilities, REPAZ ON MAIN.   Originally from Buckhead, Ann owned a home on Lake Blue Ridge for years before she finally opened REPAZ, at the urging of her children. After years of watching their mother host events and cook amazing meals, it seemed to them the logical next step. In fact, it was the names of her 3 children, REbecca, PAige & Zachary, that inspired the name she eventually chose for her fine establishment. Dining at REPAZ is not just eating: it is an occasion. Where the rustic charm and elegant atmosphere leave off, the amazing, ever- changing menu and exquisitel... 02/19/2009

Moving from the city to the country has put me at a definite disadvantage when it comes to insights into my relationship with my wife. The way a woman’s mind works has always been hard to keep up with, keeping track of their ever-changing wants and needs, but now that we live on 50 acres in Blue Ridge, Georgia…forget about it. Valentines Day came and went this year, and I gave my wife a beautiful, multi-strand sterling necklace with 3 gemstone pendants that can hang from it interchangeably. I mean, come on, it’s jewelry. Don’t all women like jewelry? She liked it all right. On my way home from a walk-through Saturday, I stopped by the flea market to say hello to some friends of mine, and I saw some old chicken roosts for sale. I inquired as to the price, and decided to come back on Sund... 02/17/2009

The real estate equivalent of the Ice Age is upon us. Like the prehistoric behemoths that roamed the earth millions of years ago, the McMansions and ever-more elaborate homes that popped up all over the landscape during the boom years are being crushed under the weight of their own bloated "over-the-top-ness." The icy winds of change that have contracted our economy are doing the same to the footprint of new homes being designed and constructed. Smaller is the new black.  New home buyers -- unfettered by the need to sell a house before buying -- are now making up an ever-increasing share of the home buying market. No longer looking to buy a house with the expectation of selling it for a huge profit in two or three years, new buyers are looking at a house as a long-term investment. What ... 02/15/2009

I've done my best...I've reasoned, cajoled, analyzed, postulated, hypothesized, and rationcinated (look it up!). I've begged, pleaded, beseeched, implored, and supplicated. I have been telling you for months now that we are in an unprecedented time of opportunity for home buyers. As investor Warren Buffett so aptly put it: "Get greedy when others are fearful, and fearful when others are greedy."The sales figures are in for January 2009. The median residential sale price was $208,500. Compare that with the January 2008 median of $245,000, and you have a 15 percent decline in price. With the ecomic stimulus package poised to be signed into law and the new bailout plan proposed by the Treasury Department to help bolster the sagging banking industry, we can expect new life to be breathed in... 02/13/2009

Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made ~~ Otto Von Bismarck   The House and Senate reached an accord on the economic stimulus package this afternoon. The package was whittled down to $789 billion, significantly less that the $838 billion proposed by the Senate version and the $819 billion House version.One of the provisions that did not make the cut was the $15,000 tax credit for homeowners proposed by Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson. The overall cost of the credit would have been $35 billion. In its place, a more modest proposal will eliminate the repayment requirement currently tied to the $7,500 tax credit for first-time homebuyers.  In its current format, the $7,500 credit is in effect an interest-free loan that must be repaid within 15 years.   While I am di... 02/11/2009

Of course the truth is that the congresspersons are too busy raising campaign money to read the laws they pass.  The laws are written by staff tax nerds who can put pretty much any wording they want in there.  I bet that if you actually read the entire vastness of the U.S. Tax Code, you'd find at least one sex scene ("'Yes, yes, YES!' moaned Vanessa as Lance, his taut body moist with moisture, again and again depreciated her adjusted gross rate of annualized fiscal debenture").  ~Dave Barry Tax time...that least wonderful time of the year. I am not a tax-expert -- I don't even play one on TV -- but here are a few new housing-related opportunities to save on your taxes this year that I have read about and would like to share with you:  First-time homebuyers: A first-time home buyer (or s... 02/11/2009

As the Senate prepares to take a final vote on the economic stimulus package, there has been talk of trimming the $15,000 tax credit for homeowners that was proposed last week. Let your elected officials know where YOU stand on the issue. The National Association of Home Builders Legislative Hotline - 1-866-924-6242 - makes it as easy as pushing a few buttons to do just that. Call the number, enter your zip code when prompted, and you are immediately given the option to leave a message with each of your two senators and your representative in Congress. I would urge each of you to make the call right now on this matter of great importance!! 02/09/2009

                      It never ceases to amaze me how many visitors to Blue Ridge have an experience akin to the one my wife and I had when we first visited this area. There’s a peace that fills your soul as you drive towards town. You just feel right here: calm, centered. It’s as though you’ve journeyed back to a simpler time: far away from the frantic hustle and bustle of modern life. It’s as though this place casts a spell over you that causes you to fall madly in love with it.  Be it the landscape, the people, or the lifestyle; before you know it… you’re hooked. It’s a part of you. For over a decade, my wife and I took our family up to the tri-state area for fall vacations, and spring breaks. We travelled south, round Pine Mountain and Stone Mountain, East to Gatlinburg and Nashvil... 02/08/2009

As a real estate agent in the tri-state area (GA, TN, NC) I put a lot of mileage all over the countryside. In my travels throughout these beautiful Blue Ridge mountains, I run across a lot of old barns smattered across the countryside. They vary in shape and size, color and level of decrepidation, but all of them are beautiful to me. Whenever I'm on my way out on a listing call, or sometimes, even showing property, I will stop to grab a shot of an old gray ghost. I just love the look of them...the history... the mystery. I love how at different times of day and in different weather, they can look so different, sometimes unrecognizable. Each season they take on the different surroundings like a chameleon, changing to reflect the world around them. For me, they serve as a window to the pa... 02/07/2009

In an effort to jump-start a housing market that's in precipitous decline, Senator Johnny Isakson, Republican of Georgia, sponsored an amendment to the economic stimulus package that is making its way through Congress. Under Isakson's provision, homeowners would receive a tax credit of up to $15,000 for any home purchased as a primary residence and would be in effect for one year after the stimulus bill is signed into law. By a voice vote of the Senate, the amendment was accepted unanimously.  The tax credit would allow home buyers to receive a tax credit of 10 percent of the price of a primary residence, up to $15,000.   Some leading economists are criticizing the amendment, saying that this will lead to yet another artificially-induced boost for the housing sector, the same kind of fa... 02/05/2009