Charlie Ragonesi Big Canoe Realestate's Blog

The Mountain Real Estate Report

The Mountain Real Estate Report is heard every Thursday on WYYZ in Jasper. This weeks show goes into walking away from a home. We examine and have strong opinions about walking away if your ONLY reason is you are up side down on your mortgage. We hope you enjoy. We also talk about some great listings near the end of the show.
2 comments • Charlie Ragonesi 706- 579-1098 • February 04 2010 07:06AM

Today in The North Georgia Mountains

It is sunny and going to be 50 today here in the North Georgia mountains. I mention this for a reason. Yesterday and the day before I posted great ice pictures. A couple of weeks ago I posted some pictures after our winter storm. But today it is great

North Georgia gives you mountain living and 4 seasons. Byt the bitter and lasting cold and snow are not a feature of where we live. In the summer at my elevation , about 2500 feet, we may have used the A/C the total of 1 week. Weather wise North Georgia gives you mountain living with b4 seasons. None of which are too extreme.

Many think of Georgia in terms of the I-95 corridor and do not realize that we have great mountain communities. Come explore and you will be very pleasantly surprised.

2 comments • Charlie Ragonesi 706- 579-1098 • February 01 2010 07:52AM

Winter wonderland photos II

This morning we awoke to sun and warmer temperatures. I took these photos from my porch as I actually could walk out on it without slipping and sliding. I am reminded of the story of Frosty the Snow Man. Everything is really pretty . But all is melting and may be gone around lunch time or later this afternoon.

While it is sad that this beauty will go away it is also good. One of the things about the North Georgia Mountains is that you have 4 seasons. It does get cold and snowy but it is all manageable for the most part. Enjoy

The day after the ice

I guess I could have gotten up earlier for the sunrise on this but as it is this is really pretty.

The day after the ice

We had the wood burning stove going great and I was out splitting wood yesterday !!!

The day after the ice

If you are looking for the mountains the North Georgia Mountains are a great place to live .

 

 

 

4 comments • Charlie Ragonesi 706- 579-1098 • January 31 2010 09:58AM

Winter wonderland Photos

One of the joys of higher elevations is a winter scene. Sock up on Wine and Cheese the day before. Make sure you have lights and fire wood just in case you lose power and settle in for a day . These are photos of our latest storm. We have been hit hard this year so far. While many to the North got considerable snow we were just on the line . A few miles south or even at lower elevations in our community it was a rain event. Enjoy the photoswe are not going anywhere today

This photo is off our front deck. As it is all icy could not walk too far to snap pictures !!!

who left the frig open !!!

12 comments • Charlie Ragonesi 706- 579-1098 • January 30 2010 10:02AM

Fire Safety tip

As many of you know I do volunteer fire work. Last night we got a call out for a fire. I have posted safety tips in the past. I only post tips when a situation is odd and is something you could do with out thinking. Last night was one of those times.

OK you have a great roaring fire going in the fireplace. This is one of the joys of mountain living. Maybe you have a take out dinner with some wine and decide to throw the bag, paper, the dinner came in on the fire. So far so good. But here what happened. The fire was hot so the heat pushed the bag up the chimney and the burning bag was trapped at the chimney top. The chimney looked like it was on fire and the bag blocked the exit for the smoke so smoke poured into the home , again making the home owner think there was a fire. In the end we all arrived and made sure no embers went into the woods or caught the roof on fire.The home was fine.

So today's tip is if you have a roaring fire remember heat rises and when you add to a fire make sure what you add will not scoot up your chimney potentially causing a chimney or roof fire, as well as blocking the path for smoke to exit.

4 comments • Charlie Ragonesi 706- 579-1098 • January 28 2010 12:47PM

The Mountain Real Estate Report

This week we have a show that might interest many on ActiveRain as well as consumers in general. We interview the current President of our local board of Realtors. Our board is very active in our mountains and gives back t our community. You may find some things we do that could be incorporated locally with you. Enjoy the show
0 comments • Charlie Ragonesi 706- 579-1098 • January 28 2010 12:20PM

Short Sales, Foreclosures, and Specials

Short sales, foreclosures,and specials are all words that make folks lose there reason and good sense. The only word that matters in a real estate transaction is value. If you are getting good value then the deal is good. If the value is not there then it does not matter if the home is a special, foreclosure, or short sale. So if you are out looking for a home the MAIN limiting factor you should have is value. 

When you call us at All Mountain Realty that's what you will find. Folks call us all the time and ask about foreclosures, HUD homes, Specials, and Short sales. We tell them we will work with them to find value. Part of being a Realtor is helping to educate your client.

A blog this morning talked about having your values and using them rather than making your clients values your values. Now you should ALWAYS work with your customers wants and desires. But unless you have a client that wants to spend more money than necessary for a property then it is important for you to educate them on value

No offense meant to those who market as short sale specialists and foreclosure specialists. But I would like to see more marketing as VALUE specialists

5 comments • Charlie Ragonesi 706- 579-1098 • January 22 2010 07:24AM

The Mountain Real Estate Report

The Mountain Real Estate report is heard every Thursday on Wyyz Radio. In this weeks report we cover some of the sweeping changes that effect loans. These new regulations will impact all. While we hit some of the highlights of the changes in this report it is advised that you talk to your local boards or your real estate professional for additional information. Enjoy
1 comment • Charlie Ragonesi 706- 579-1098 • January 21 2010 08:04AM

Mountain Real Estate Report

The Mountain Real Estate Report is heard every Thursday through out the North Georgia Mountains. This weeks show focuses on preventing or dealing with foreclosure situations. We also have some great property to sell. We talk about the market in General and try to put some of the numbers that are coming out in perspective. Enjoy the show.
1 comment • Charlie Ragonesi 706- 579-1098 • January 14 2010 09:35AM

Fire Safety in the Winter

A couple of months ago I wrote a post about the coming winter and what you should do to be safe from a fire perspective. Since that post I have been out on 2 calls and listened to a third one. So I think since they all had the same cause it is time to update the blog.

You are in your mountain home in the winter. You have a great fire going. It is time to go to bed . What do you do? You could time your logs so you have them burn down. So far so good. But then you have the hot ashes. Some folks have decided to take them outside and dump them. Cold does not mean fire proof. . So with leaves etc I have been on two calls in the cold at night because of this. Your fire place is made to keep the ashes. Make sure you have good screens. Also if you are in the mountains for a weekend and figure you will dump the ashes outside next day don't. Those ashes set one of the 2 fires I have been to.

The third fire was also ashes dumped outside . This time there was snow on the ground. But unfortunately the ashes were dumped too close to the house. This was during our snow storm and many of us could not get to the scene and the fire department trucks almost slid off the road. So many were put in danger. In the end the home owner got it under control with some siding damage.

The point here is folks your fire place is the place for your fire. Just because it is cold does not mean you can dump ashes and not start a fire. Please be especially careful in this cold weather with your hearths and their ashes.

4 comments • Charlie Ragonesi 706- 579-1098 • January 13 2010 03:46PM