About Gilmer County, GA

It is a great time to buy in our North Georgia Mountains. Here are some of the do's and don'ts

1 Do not "lowball" a short sale or a foreclosure. If you do you probably will not get it. We are seeing more and more of these go for asking or over asking price. Hey THEY ARE GREAT DEALS to begin with.

2 Remember if you are "out there in the woods" on well water, on a gravel road your home may have been reasonably priced but your insurance will be high. The fire component of your insurance can be double or triple what it might be in other areas of the mountains

3 Lastly, but maybe not the last blog on the subject, if you find that mountain home think. Yes it will be beautiful but if you are isolated remember gas is + 3.00 a gallon and how long can you stare lovingly at the view and your spouse before you get a little bored? ( spouses may get bored with you too. I know it is hard to believe.

So think about your location in terms of your active life style. This list is in no way comprehensive But I am thinking 3 things to look at in a blog is manageable. . Stay tuned

Today we work up to the first real day of Fall in the North Georgia Mountains. temperature dropped over night into the high 40's. However today is bright and sunny with a high expected in the 60's. This is the best time to hike and walk through our great mountains. The weather is great and the leaves are starting to change.

Everyone is gearing up for the fall festivals.this week in Jasper is the marble festival. And the mother of all mountain festivals, The Ellijay Apple festival is just around the corner, and up the road from us. Take some time if you are in the Atlanta area to get out over the next few weekends and enjoy the fall events before winter arrives.

The continuing saga of the Fulton County tax notices. As reported earlier the tax notices sent out by Fulton County, required by the new state law, were erroneous. The county set up a series of public meeting encouraging property owners to attend. The purpose of the meetings was to explain the why’s and wherefore’s of the erroneous notices, and also the new appeal process.

A decision as to how to notify property owners regarding the needed corrections was up in the air mainly due to the cost. In late May the Fulton County Board of Assessors made the decision to mail out corrected notices. The new notices are scheduled to go out this weekend June 11^th to Atlanta and nine other cities to correct the original erroneous notices. Thus the new deadline to appeal the tax notices will be July 26^th. Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, Chattahoochee Hills, Mountain Park and unincorporated south Fulton will not receive new notices, and will keep the old deadline of June 21^st.

The snow is basically gone and we are expecting temperatures in the 60's this week. So if you are thinking about looking for a home or land in our great North Georgia Mountains today, the weather, availability,prices, and interest rates all work in your favor. Shake off the cabin fever and call the folks at All Mountain Realty. There has never been a better time to own in our beautiful mountains

Courtesy of the Times Courier www.timescourier.com

Zoning requests for a new DollarGeneral store and farm winery were approved by the Gilmer County Planning and Zoning Commission at its Dec. 17 meeting. Both zoning changes will have to be approved by the board of commissioners. The proposed Dollar General store met opposition from several residents living near the location on the northeast corner of Big Creek Road and Highway 52 East. The zoning change affects 3.1 acres comprised of several parcels that were zoned R-1 (single family residential) and A-1 (agricultural) to C-1 (general commercial). Commissioner Suzie Wright opposed the change, saying that the proposed store is "ugly" and would be an eyesore in the mostly rural area. She asked the developer, Bobby Howard of Cartersville, if he could face the building with brick similar to another Dollar General store on the Dalton bypass. Howard said that would add $40,000 to the construction cost. Commission chairman Phil Forest reminded the commissioners that they were only rezoning the land and could not regulate what kind of structure or what its appearance would be required to have. After initially approving the rezoning, the commission amended the zoning to be contingent on the developer agreeing to construct a building similar to the Dalton-area General Dollar store. Forest reiterated that the planning and zoning commission can only recommend zoning changes and the ultimate decision will be made by the board of commissioners. In the only other item of business, the commission recommended approval for conditional use of a 13.05-acre parcel on Orchard Road for a farm winery. It would be the third such operation in Gilmer County. Larry Lykins, owner of one of the current farm wineries, spoke in favor of the recommendation noting it will bring economic growth the county.