Charlie Ragonesi Big Canoe Realestate's Blog: December 2010

This is the last report for 2010. The Mountain Real Estate report is heard every Thursday after the noon news on WYYZ Radio 149 am on your dial in the North Georgia Mountains. Folks in the communities of Big Canoe, Bent Tree, Jasper, Ball Ground, and Talking Rock can hear the show. The report is alos posted here on ActiveRain and can be found onour web site www.allmountainrealty.com. This weeks show covers the year in review and gives reasons for why you should list your home early. We give credit to an ActiveRain member for the idea. Your ides for the show going foward are appreciated and we will credit you here and over the air waves. Have a great 2011 you all. Enjoy the show!!

This Friday night our old year ends. So rather than talk about the old year and what is going to happen in the New Year here is a simple way to start the New Year off right. Have a great time on New Years Eve. Go to parties. see old friends. Steal a kiss at midnight. But have a designated driver. Don't start the New Year with a D.U.I. Don't drive impaired and start the New Year in a hospital. Or worse yet don't start someone else's New year off in the hospital. Have a great New Year and take the first step to starting it off right. 

Today will be the last day of being snowed in. Some time today I should be able to get my car. But I did my 30 seconds, (See almost Christmas blog) and I am good. What I have been able to do is catch up on tons of paper work.  I am also getting very organized. so I think I will by tomorrow be able to roar into 2011. My new mantra is , : When life hands you house stranding snow, Make a snow man "!!!

So we are snowed in today for sure. On my last post Christmas day, I received a comment from a kate who lives on Deer Run Ridge. Well Kate if you are reading today we live on Deer Run Ridge too!!!!

So here is what it looks like at 11 am on Sunday here in Big Canoe. You can see the mountains in the back ground and some of the slope in the fore ground. This is the walk up I had yesterday when I foolishly "braved " the elements.

The road in the picture lifts up on the left hand side of the shot. This is Deer Run Ridge. And this is why we are in for the day. It is absolutely beautiful. The highlight of the day yesterday was seeing my down neighbor outside and alone. She happily came up and had Christmas dinner with us. So we had my wife my sister-in-law and Alice our neighbor for a very festive Christmas.

Big Canoe is a winter wonderland today. So the question is when was the last time there was a white Christmas in the North Georgia Mountains and Atlanta. Answer 100 years ago !!!

All of you in the Northeast be careful it is on its way.

It was just a few blogs ago that I said we may have a White Christmas here in Big Canoe. I guess one should be careful for what they wish for;

This is at 11 am Christmas day. I went earlier to take out the trash . Got half way down the mountain and realized this was not such a good idea. The car is safe on the side of the road and I got my Christmas exercise walking up about 600 feet on the snow covered switch backs.

Well my sister in law is here from England but nobody else will get here. I think I may need to go on line and download 1,001 way to serve left over Turkey. We were going to be five. Our good friends the Brandts HAD 19 coming so boy are they going to have left overs!!! Remember my post from yesterday . I did spend more than 30 seconds,during one of my pauses up the hill, to admire the day. I will miss my son being here to day but we are all safe and that is what is important.

We did get the white Christmas after all

First let be be among the chorus here at ActiveRain to wish everybody a happy holiday. We all have Christmas wishes. Mine would be that every day be like Christmas, in terms of the spirit and the happy feelings. But that is really an impossible wish. So I am going to scale it down. At some point tomorrow I am going to go out on my back porch and just breath and look at the mountains. That whole process should take about 30 seconds. I am going to smile and go back to enjoying my day. I am going to try and carry this moment for the next 365 days . Each day 30 seconds remember Christmas and smile. Find yourself a 30 second quite place and you to can have Christmas every day. Happy Holiday

This week the Mountain real estate report focuses on what we may expect going into 2011. In addition we have a couple of Christmas specials for lots in Big Canoe. We wish you all a Happy Holiday. The Mountain Real estate report is heard every Thursday on WYYZ radio in Jasper. after the noon news. You can also hear this show or past shows on our web site www.allmountainrealty.com. We post this show here on ActiveRain every week for your ;istening pleasure

Te evidence is clear . Foreclosures are being held until 2011. I have heard this from multiple banker friends. So if you are looking to buy a foreclosed property you might want to sit back and enjoy the holidays. I can tell you a lot of my BPO business has dried up and some of the plans we have for working foreclosures have been put on hold with lenders.

If you are trying to or thinking about selling your home  now might be a good time to put it on the market . Get Ready for round 2 or is it 3 or 4.

Today I had lunch at B& B Bagels just out side of Atlanta. B&B is on McFarland road between Highway 9 and Georgia 400. You can't miss it . It is a diner with a whole bunch of cars parked around it. I am a transplanted New Yorker and so heard about B&B. I stopped by for bagels . Almost immediately my nose smelled New York Deli. The place was packed. I bought a couple of bagels and went home and feasted. They are as good as any bagel I have ever had in the tri -state, ( you North Easterners know what I mean) area.

But the story does not stop there. I went there today for lunch and had the best brisket sandwich EVER. Now I am dieting and watching those pesky things that clog arteries. But I have promised myself for every 30 pounds I lose I will go to B& B for either bagels or lunch. My sister in law who was with me loved her meal too. It was only after ward that she saw the French Toast Bagel, yes it was covered with powdered sugar. She then saw the chocolate chip cream cheese!!! Need I say any more. If you are working or traveling on the North Side of town B& B is a great place to go to . Go early or be prepared to wait.

Atlanta is a great hub for business. Other areas of Georgia are great retirement areas, or just beautiful and you would want to live there. So if you are moving to Georgia there are some thinks that you should know about how we process real estate transactions.

1 Wwe are a title State. This means that if you are unfortunate and face foreclosure it is non judicial. Fact is you sign at the closing saying you can be foreclosed on with out going to court.

2 We use closing attorneys. We almost never close in Escrow.

3 Up until 2010 we could not tell you square footage of a home. Now we will tell you this is what the tax records say is the square footage. In my experience they are 80 percent accurate

4 When you buy here unless other wise noted your property comes with the Mineral rights.

5 The contracts we use are from the Georgia Association of Realtors and have been court tested.

6 We are a buyer beware state so you really should do your due diligence

We have been in Georgia for 23 years and absolutely love it . You will to if you are moving here. If you are moving to Atlanta or north let the folks at All Mountain Realty guide you through the process.