Covington, GA

Covington and the surrounding area have long been known by the nickname "Hollywood of the South." Film-makers, producers and directors all seem drawn to the locale by the character and charm of its Southern-style buildings and homes.

When the film credits roll, "Filmed on location in Covington, Georgia" shows up on productions such as "In the Heat of the Night, The Dukes of Hazard, My Cousin Vinnie, and Six Pack," among others. Now Covington - more specifically Covington's Traditional Neighborhood Development, Clark's Grove - is the backdrop for yet another video.

Taylor Braun, the young, upcoming Nashville star, filmed her latest music video in Clark's Grove this past August. It was just released, and is making its way on country music television. Also featured prominently in the video is Clark's Groves great little coffee shop, Town Center Breads.

If you'd like to take a look at the video right away, here's a link... Just click on Taylor's photo. Taylor and her music are great. And the backdrop is spectacular!

For more information on Covington, "The Hollywood of the South," or Clark's Grove, give me a call or leave a comment.

Here's a follow-up to our November Market Watch...

The Associated Press reports today tha, as a part of our economy bailout, the Treasury department is considering steps to lower the mortgage interest rate in an effort to stabilize the housing market. Under consideration is a proposal to lower the rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage backed by Fannie, Freddie or the FHA to 4.5 percent. Keep your fingers crossed, buyers!

But in some less-than-good news, Okland, Calif.-based Foresight Analytics research company reports that the greater metro-Atlanta area is a national leader in deliquent construction and land loans. Out of 100 metro areas, only five others have higher deliquent rates than we do.

In the third quarter, Atlanta's deliquency rate was 15.2 percent. During late 2005 to early 2007, we were running between 1 and 2 percent!

Now, here's a summary of what is on the market currently in Newton County single-family homes:

$0 to $100,000: 256 homes

$100,000 to $125,000: 263 homes

$125,000 to $150,000: 273 homes

$150,000 to $175,000: 202 homes

$175,000 to $200,000: 147 homes

$200,000 to $225,000: 55 homes

$225,000 to $250,000: 82 homes

$250,000 to $275,000: 52 homes

$275,000 to $300,000: 46 homes

$300,000 to $350,000: 85 homes

$350,000 to $400,000: 61 homes

$400,000 to $450,000: 23 homes

$450,000 to $500,000: 30 homes

$500,000 to $600,000: 22 homes

%600,000 to $700,000: 9 homes

$700,000 to $850,000: 8 homes

$850,000 to $1MM: 5 homes

$1MM to $2MM: 2 homes

Over $2MM: 3 homes

Total active listing as of December 1: 1622 a 14.7 month supply!

Whether you're in the market to sell your home or buy a new one; whether you're a real estate investor or just have a single property; whether you watch the world market or just your local neighborhood, there are some interesting real estate statistics for the Covington and Conyers real estate markets for November.

Foreclosures continue to dominate the local real estate scene. There were 54 new foreclosures in Newton County during November, and 39 in Rockdale County. This brings the totals for 2008 to 687 foreclosures in Newton and 378 in Rockdale. That's only 26% more for Rockdale over the 2007 figure, but a whopping 60% increase in foreclosures in Newton County over the previous year.

Is anything selling? Yes. 665 single family homes sold in Newton County during November. The problem is that it took an average of 148 days per home to sell them. Pretty much the same holds true for the Rockdale market...429 homes sold with an average days on the market of 151 days per home.

What's interesting is that, of the 665 sales in Newton County, 366 - or 55% - were priced below $125,000. In Rockdale, 144 homes - or 33% of those sold - were priced below $125,000. In both cases, this price range also had the lowest "Days On Market," times, selling in about 127 days. These are pretty good indicators that a large part of sales in both counties were foreclosed properties. This is constantly reducing the number of foreclosed properties on the market, and is good for the market overall because it reduces the total number of homes available and helps to stabilize property prices.

As of the end of November, there were 1622 single family homes for sale in Newton County - a 14.7 month supply - and 1031 active listings in Rockdale County - a 14.5 month supply for that market.

The most difficult segment of the market in either county right now is homes listed between $250,000 and $350,000. They are taking longer to sell (up to 214 days), and are selling for between 89% and 92% of the asking price.

All this said, believe it or not, this is still a great time to buy a home. Interest rates are low and predicted to go even lower before the end of the year. There's plenty of mortgage loan money available for those with good credit. The average sales price of homes in November was down between 13% and 19% over 2007 prices. And inventory is great.

What's going to happen in 2009? Diana Olick has a pretty good idea in her article written for CNBC's "Realty Check." Take a look at her predictions in "Predictions: 9 For '09 in Real Estate."

I took my 6-year-old granddaughter, Abbey Grace, to Covington's historic square last night to watch the "Lighting of the Courthouse." This Covington tradition signals the start of the Christmas season.

Santa arrives in town in a horse-drawn carriage (well, we are in the South here!), there's free hot chocolate and cider on the sqaure, and merchants decorate their shops and extend their hours for early shoppers.

Then, as darkness sets, there's a little ceremony on the steps of the historic courthouse, people crowd into the street to watch, and a local "celebrity" throws the switch to turn on the courthouse's Christmas lights.

All that happened last night, but there were no "Oooo's" and "Ahhh's!"

I knew it might be a long evening when Mr. and Mrs. Claus came by in the carriage. Abbey Grace jumped up and down and waved, then suddendly turned to me and said, "Hey...I know that lady! She works in the office at my school!" At least, she gave the elderly gentleman standing next to us a good laugh!

By the time I explained how the "real" Mrs. Claus was probably pretty busy supervising all the elves, so had to send a "helper," it was time for the festivities on the courthouse steps to begin.

Our community orchestra played a couple of carols... much too slowly. The fantastic Oxford Singing Children performed... but the sound system was lousy and you had to strain to hear them. The welcoming speechs and introduction of the "celebrity" lighter were long enough to loose the crowd's attention. And though I think I have a pretty good basis in the community, I still don't know who the "celebrity" was.

Worst of all, when the switch was thrown to light the courthouse, there were no "Oooo's" and "Ahhh's." The only lights there were, were on a wreath around the clock on the tower, and around arches atop the courthouse steps. I've seen more lights than that on a double-wide!

Come on Covington!

I know it will cost a little money, but at this time of year, let's tastefully string lights to highlight the architecture of our beautiful, historic courthouse!

Let's get a sound system that can be heard all over square!

Let's hear some rousing carols to put people in the spirit of the season!

Next year, when we throw that switch, we need some "Oooo's" and "Ahhh's!"

It's something of a tradition with a large number of families in Covington to eat Sunday lunch out after church. In fact, I've heard from a number of clergy in town that some members of their congregations get a bit upset if services run overtime so that they don't beat the Methodists/Baptists/Presbyterians, or whomever to their favorite restaurant.

This past Sunday, my wife and I tried a place new to us... Yummy's. It's located past Oxford at the intersection of highways 81 and 142 in one end of a small strip anchored by a Texaco service station. Here's our personal impression of the place.

Atmosphere and Ambiance: You have to stretch some when you're in one end of a Texaco station, but Yummy's was nice for it's location... very clean, light and airy with table seating for 30 to 40, mainly at tables of four. No table cloths, but more of a family place. The menu was pretty extensive, offering everything from burgers to full dinners with meat and vegetables.

Service: Servers and staff at Yummy's were very friendly and attentive. Service was fast, and someone was coming by often to refill tea and water glasses and see if there was anything you needed.

Food: On this Sunday, we opted for a full lunch of meat, vegetables, bread and salad. The salads were cold and crisp with standard ingredients... iceberg lettuce, cukes, tomatoes, onion, croutons. I had chicken-fried steak and gravy, mashed potatoes and fried okra. Jean ate fried chicken, mac and cheese and green beans. Portions were adequate, and though the food was tasty, it was "institutional." By that, I mean that nothing was "homemade," other than perhaps the fried chicken. The steak was a patty you can buy in pre-packaged bulk. The potatoes weren't home mashed with cream and butter. The mac and cheese could have been from a Kraft box, etc.

Overall, Yummy's wasn't bad, but only adequate. I'd rate it 2 and 1/2 forks out of 5. The burgers and other "faster food" items may be homemade and wonderful. But we didn't try that kind of fare. It might be a good place to drop in for a bite if you live in the immediate area. But as a destination restaurant that one must make an effort to get to, Yummy's might have a problem.

If you've eaten at Yummy's, let me know what you think. Or if there's another restaurant in Covington or the surrounding area that you really enjoy, I would love to hear about it, as I'm sure other readers would.