Charlie Ragonesi Big Canoe Realestate's Blog: Georgia: Jasper: Big Canoe

It must be Spring in Big Canoe as well as in our North Georgia Mountains. The leaves are out on the trees and there are great signs of life every where.

The above and below photo are of Mountain Laurel.

Mountain Laurel is really pretty. This year it bloomed a bit early. The flowers are delicate and long lasting. The beauty of this woody plant is that is grows here wild. The leaves are evergreen so you have green year round!. It requires no care or feeding. You just sit back and enjoy the beauty. Yesterday I sat on our front porch and enjoyed our woods and this pretty gift from nature. The North Georgia Mountains whether you are in Big Canoe or not are where we at All Mountain Realty work. Looking at the photos you can see why.

Folks looking to buy or sell in Big Canoe often have questions. In this series I will as a Realtor who works in Big Canoe as well as the North Georgia Mountains do my best to provide answers to the most asked questions.

Why are the association fees so high in Big Canoe ?

The Association fees in Big Canoe are approximately 225. 00 per month. The main reasons for these fees are simple:

 ROADS In a gated community in Georgia the community is responsible for the roads. In Big Canoe there are over 100 miles of mountain roads that need to be maintained. Drive any other mountain community and you will soon see why Big Canoe spends on Roads

SECURITY and FIRE PROTECTION In Big Canoe there is 24/7 EMT service as well as security and fire protection. I fact you will save close to 500 a year on your home owners insurance because of the great protective services in Big Canoe. When one considers this reduction against the cost it makes the fees in Big Canoe very reasonable.

Got a Big Canoe or North Georgia Mountain question visit us on line at www.allmountainrealty.com or email me at charlie@allmountainealty.com

2 days a go I posted a blog about our first snow in the mountains of Big Canoe. There were also pictures. Folks often ask about the mountains in winter. Today it is in the 60's and all the snow is gone. In fact the last couple of days have been great in the high 50's or low 60's with plenty of sunshine.

This type of weather is why we love living in the North Georgia Mountains. Yes we get some snow in winter but all the seasons are great. You do not have those long Grey cold snow filled winters. Will we get more snow? Maybe. But you know we have come to enjoy it rather than dread it. The North Georgia mountains are a great place to live, work and raise a family. The folks at All Mountain Realty are here to help you learn to kick back and enjoy one of the great living place in our country

We are doing a bathroom renovation. It is more than just cosmetic stuff. Now on HGTV you see they get in done in 2 days. In our case, as well as most cases it take 2-3 weeks. So it is not as easy or as fast as it is on TV. The same goes for buying or selling a home. The stager comes in and wham 100 buyers come to the open house and in a day they have a contract. A buyer makes an offer and it is smooth sailing as they buy their dream home. Well it is not that easy in real life.

So for our bathroom renovation we are using professionals. If you are buying or selling a home the professionals are the Realtors. You should use them too.

The Mountain Real Estate Report has been absent for a while. However we are bringing it back here and on our web site www.allmountainrealty.com and at some point next week we will be featured on northgeorgiamountainsnews.com The purpose of the report is to assist folks who are buying selling or investing in our North Georgia Mountains. We also have guest speakers talking about topics which may be of interest to all across the board. For example we have had guests from the Federal Reserve, County Planners, inspectors, even a U.S. Senator. So as we restart the report we hope you all enjoy. Here is the link

 Big Canoe Bent Tree and Talking Rock Creek Resorts are just 3 of our great North Georgia Mountain Communities. The North Georgia Mountains remain an economic, undiscovered gem of a place to live.

This is an untouched photo. Did you see last of the Mohicans ? This scene about 1 hour from the Northern end of Greater Atlanta could have been the one they used at the start of the film.

Maybe you are tired of cramped living and communities with homes one on top of another. Well this is Lake Petit in The mist in the gated community of Big Canoe.  This is a gated community  North Georgia Mountain style.

Maybe you are more of a Brigadoon person. Here is one of our beautiful green valleys. This landscape is certainly horse friendly.

Yes we do have snow in our mountains. But this beautiful event was here and gone in 3 days. So we appreciated the beauty without the long cold snow days of areas further North.

You will want to start your days early . This photo is sunrise. So if you are looking for a mountain getaway. A place where you can do if you want or just relax, consider the North Georgia mountains. When you do the pros at All Mountain Realty, at www.allmountainrealty.com will be here to help you.

I got a call today which reminded me of something I blogged about a while ago and it needs review.

A very nice lady and I talked today and she asked about a property , "Is it a short Sale?" Now that is the wrong question. It could be right if you are in a hurry to buy. This was not the case. Buyers are watching HGTV and listening to the news. They want to know if the property is a short sale,  or a foreclosure, or a corporate transfer. What they should want to know and ask their Realtor is IS THIS A GOOD VALUE ? 

With the utmost respect let me say to the buyers reading this post, I watch Grey's Anatomy on TV. Take my word for it , you would not want me to do brain surgery on you. Work with your Realtor he or she is the professional. Find a good value. That's the name of the game. Getting a home you love at a good price. the Folks at All Mountain Realty will work with you to find that value here in our beautiful North Georgia Mountains

Yesterday I was on line and ready to buy. But in the end I was frustrated. So for all you on line marketeers let me clue you in on what I absolutely hate and I suspect others hate too.

1 I get an email and before I delete it, it is actually something that I might want . I click the link in the email  and go no where. If you cannot get that right I do not want your product.

2 I get to a web site to buy  product X . All I see is how great the company is, a great history , and hype about the product. But I never see the product. So the first thing I think is , "What are we hiding here ?"

3 The links from page to page do not work. I have 2 words, GOOD BYE

4 How much does it cost ? This is one of my favorites. The longer I have to search for a price the more over priced I think your product is !

5 It is free. So there I am getting ready to download or use the free product and up pops the credit card info box. Click, that is the sound of me leaving your site.

6 It's free and I use the product. But when I need to see the results , up pops the credit card info box. I WILL NEVER, NEVER, NEVER BUY a product that uses this type of bait ans switch.

7 And Finally my favorite, I have a question. I cannot get it answered. The contact us box gives no phone number. The contact us box directs me to a community forum. What am I, on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader. 95 % of the time the community forum has never answered my question. There is not even a box that pops up that says email your question .  I will never buy a product from a company like this.

So in this world that is becoming more and more Tech oriented remember some basic principles. Is your site easy to use. You techies call it intuitive. How about taking the site and asking people totally unrelated to your business to try and buy something? What a concept!   See how easy it is for them to use before you inflict it on us. It is called testing ! Ease of use and customer service are the 2 critical components needed for a site to work well with consumers. The tech stuff and the sizzle is just that. It can be good and needed but not something that exists only  for it self. It exists to convey an idea and help people buy your product. 

Big Canoe is North Georgia's premier community. It has a great balance of Amenities open spaces and wild life. On my way home yesterday I was treated to some of the wild life.  This can only mean one thing. Spring is in the air. To learn about Big Canoe or many other areas in our North Georgia Mountains contact the pros at All Mountain Realty at 706 579 1098 or visit us on line at www.allmountainrealty.com

This guy was crossing the road strutting his stuff for the ladies. So the question is in the photo below is he showing off for the ladies or giving me the bird? Mountain living is great and this is just one reason why

In the North Georgia mountains we are starting the selling season. You could look at it the other way and say we are starting a buying season. What this means if you are selling a home or plan on putting a home on the market now is the time to do it. For a complete list of services and tips contact the folks here at All Mountain Realty.

We are at www.allmountainrealty.com or 706 579 1098