Jasper, GA

I am a private property advocate. What does that mean? It means I support the bills that go through our state legislation that defend the rights of property owners. Property cannot move. So it is an easy target for those who want to raise money through taxes. This struggle goes back to the Doomsday book and probably even further.

So if you are a Realtor you must also be a private property advocate. Think about NAR being the largest ,member wise, lobby in the U.S. Do you think if your sellers and buyers saw you as a private property advocate you would look a lot better to them? I think so.

So get involved with your local boards. Stay current on issues and make your advocacy of private property known. When you do this be proud of the fact that you are a Realtor and ask for the business. People will see your value to their specific needs as well as your overall involvement with our great system. I am a Realtor . I am a private property advocate. I am proud of it !

The Mountain Real Estate Report is heard every Thursday on WYYZ Radio in North Georgia. This week we interviewed the President of the Mountain Conservation Trust. The trust is a non profit group aimed at preserving land. It is not just a green acres thing. The trust takes land use into consideration . There are also tax breaks for the owners. So if you are in North Georgia you may find this show of interest. Also as Trusts exist in most other states this show my make you investigate options local to you. As Realtors we are business people AND property owner advocates. We are members of the Trust here. Enjoy

Our job as professional Realtors^® these days is to listen to all the excuses people use to put off buying a new home. "The market will keep going down. The interest rates are staying low. The windows are a little dirty. There is no reason to hurry in a buyer's market. I'm looking for a $350,000 home for about $140,000." I'm sure my fellow agents can come up with a few more. It would be hilarious if it were not so tragic, watching people wring their hands in "analysis paralysis" while the deal of their lives slips away before their eyes.

Yesterday, President Obama signed legislation to extend the home buyer tax credit, and to expand it to include all buyers. THAT IS ALL BUYERS! We can thank our own Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson for hounding everyone in Washington until the legislation was passed by both houses of congress and the president. Not an easy task in this environment. New buyers get $8,000 and repeat buyers $6,500 subtracted from their taxes, and the qualification limits were expanded as well. Of course that is the way the bill should have been passed the first time, but don't get me started!

So let's examine the excuses.

Both the fed's FHFA Housing Index and S&P's Case-Shiller Index agree that home prices seem to have stabilized and are showing signs of recovering.

Interest rates are indeed staying low ... for now. They're only going up from here.

The new tax credit will expire on April 30, 2010. Even Senator Isakson says he will not support another extension since anyone who is interested in buying a home has plenty of time to act or go home empty handed. So, you don't have that much time left anymore.

If you are looking for someone to practically give you a house for nothing, you will probably be disappointed. However, there are some fantastic buys out there if you get up and get moving to take advantage of the opportunity instead of the seller. It is amazing to me how rude some people have been in this market when making a ridiculously low offer on a home, and getting "miffed" at rejection.

Take charge of the opportunity you have sitting right in front of you! Make the deal of the century, wash the windows, and enjoy the fruits of your wise decision for the rest of your life. The selection is fabulous and the prices are right.

If you are looking for a Mountain home or land now is the time to look. NOT because of the 8,000 credit. NOT because of the new 6500 existing home buyer credit. NOT because prices are very very good. NOT because interest rates are low.

NOW is the time to look because the leaves are off the trees! Now you will see your views that may have been hidden. Also you can get a really good look at the lay of the land. Also temperatures are wonderful for walking right now. So if you are looking in the North Georgia Mountains and think you need to be here in spring or summer. Not so. Now is the best time to look, especially if you are looking for land or views.

If you are looking for a loan modification and have been turned down you may wonder why. If your loan is commercial you will almost always be turned down. The question is why. After all weren't we all taught that 80 percent of something is better than 100 percent of nothing ?

Here is one answer. If your loan is through Fannie and Freddie then you stand a really good chance of getting a loan modification if you meet the criteria. But if your loan is held by private investors then your chances go way down. The reason is that the clauses that allow banks to change a loan are cloudy. So while a bank can usually modify a loan that is in the "best interest" of their investor, what best interest is, is debatable. And in this case you can substitute the words law suit for debatable. Yes that's right . If you go under the bank is not liable. But if they modify the loan then the holder of the note can sue the bank for their money.

Ain't life grand? This problem needs to be fixed going forward and lets hope banks are working with investors to be able to modify loans. You may think banks are being paranoid. But when asked, Willy Sutton said he robbed banks because that was where the money is. So banks are paranoid and investors will sue. Let's hope this problem can be worked through and potential foreclosures can be modified for the benefit of all