Helen, GA

How is the color? Getting there is the answer! My oaks are turning slowly, the acorns pelt the roof and deck with shotgun like retorts! Never have I seen so many acorns fall. The actually hurt if they happen to hit your head. My car had to be parked in a clear area! THe pets are becoming accustomed to the acorns raining down, but at first actually ran from the noise. The dogwoods berries are red and beautiful. Leaves cover the drive now, and it is beautiful. Now is not the favorite time of year for the gardner who likes a spotless yard. However for people like me who live in the middle of the wood and love it, it is wonderful. I enjoy wading through those same leaves that I will have to sweep off the decks soon. Today promises rain however, which will change things. (After the fallen leaves are wet they are difficult to get off the decks and steps, but must be removed as the fungus grows rapidly underneat it all).

Gold Rush festival starts today in Dahlonega and continues through Sunday. Be sure and come to northeast Georgia this weekend and make one of your stops Swiss Alpine Helen. You won't regret it! I will be taking photos this coming week and will post some of the leaf color on the Chattahoochee River and in Helen. Visit my site, www.FlynnTaylor.com to view investment properties, second home, and homes on the river! Not ready for a home, then look at the good buys on land and acreage, just scroll down my site and look to your hearts content, so to speak! At your leisure, email me for additional information at Flynn@FlynnTaylor.com Prefer to talk? 706 865 5700 or 706 839 8841

Helen Georgia should enjoy visitors from near and far this leaf season! Gas prices are coming down and that will bring out "leaf lookers" as the locals call them, from Atlanta, South Georgia and Florida! The recent rains should work in favor of good color this season. Reports from the local weather people say it will probably be next weekend before the color hits its peak. However, the weather people have been wrong before. You probably will stand a chance of seeing our area in its fall glory for the next two weekends, but the week end of the 17th is good too! Any hard rain (unexpected at the present time) will diminish the fall colors. Come on up and see our area. You have wonderful places to eat and lots of sight seeing in Helen! Don't forget to stop in Cleveland! Head on toward Helen, stopping at Habersham Winery and Nora Mill. Fisit Helen then go on by Sautee Nacoochee, Batesville and then wind on over Hwy. 197 to see pottery and fish at Mark of the Potter, spend a while and buy a piece of local pottery, then head to Clarkesville for the evening. Be sure and check out Zanzo's for Italian and The Attic for great steak and american dishes! What a full day! You might want to back track and spend the night in Helen so you can go on to some of the other Northeast Ga. towns! Dahlonega is always worth the trip and if you come this week end there is a festival on the 18th and 19th!

When you choose your favorite place to visit come back often. Once you decide you want to retire here, or get a vacation home, contact me, I will be happy to assist you. Visit my site, www.FlynnTaylor.co and see all the local real estate listings. If you prefer to talk, 705 865 5700 or email me Flynn@FlynnTaylor.com for additional information 24/7 !

Everyone is asking "Are we there yet"? Meaning, has the stock market hit bottom? No one know for sure, but we are about as close as we are going to get. How do you know if we have hit bottom? You DON'T! Once you know we have hit bottom, we are on our way up! It is like asking what the winning lottery numbers are...you don't find out in time to win! Once you know the numbers it is too late to buy a ticket. In real estate once you know the market HAS hit bottom, and the key word is HAS, it is too late and the rates and prices are already going up. What to do??? Use your own judgment, but ask yourself the hard questions. Do you have money to invest? Do you really believe the market and real estate are going to recover? Do you really want to get the best deal? How long can you wait? Do you know what you want to buy and how much you have to spend? Do you have a loan in place so you can take advantage of the bottom of the market? All these answers should be yes! If they are, or if you need help finding the property you want to buy, visit www.FlynnTaylor.com and see ALL the properties listed in our MLS, free! Prefer to talk? 706-865-5700 or email me Flynn@FlynnTaylor.com That way you won't be asking yourself..."why didn't I buy at the bottom"?

You want to buy a home. (Not steal a home, but get good value). You are moving, you are motivated and you are worried. This past week has frightened most prospective buyers. Are there loans out there, and are the rates something you can afford? The answer is probably so! Real Estate is local and what is happening in California, Colorado or Texas is not what is happening in Georgia. Your first step should be contacting a knowledgable real estate agent in the area you will be living. If you are moving anywhere in the United States, Canada or Australia, I can put you in touch with a top real estate professional, at no cost to you. Ask me about this service.

If you are moving to Georgia, contact me. I will put you in touch with local lenders who will tell you what you can expect in our area. What was true last week is no longer applicable today. It is very important to talk with someone who is up to date on area practices. Real Estate is cyclical, in 1979 interest rates topped 18%. That is not so today, even in our credit crunch. There are answers, get them on a local level! Talk with me 705 865 5700, vist my website www.FlynnTaylor.com or email me, Flynn@Flynntaylor.com For more on this subject visit my blog at www.HelenGaRealEstate.blogspot.com

Helen Ga has long been a destination for tourists and visitors from Atlanta, as well as other parts of the country. "How's the Market" questions are still the number 1 question I hear, but the number 1 question right now is "How's the Gas"? Better is the answer. However as Atlanta goes, so goes Helen. I mean by that, if the people in Atlanta can't get gas, they are not coming to Helen, even for Oktoberfest! Of course once the gas situation is solved, we may get some "leaf lookers".

Time changes many things, a few weeks ago we were all upset with the prices of gas, now we would gladly pay the price if we could find the gas. It is all demand and supply, not only does that drive the housing market, but the driving market also!

My calls and contact questions are changing. At one time the buyers were asking for "a good buy". Now they are asking for a "steal". My Sellers were asking for "a profit" now they are asking to "break even".

If you want to get a "steal" and are asking for a foreclosure, be sure you are ready to purchase. Most foreclosure companies will not look at offers from buyers who do not meet their qualifications to buy.

Want to know more? You can go to my website www.FlynnTaylor.com, or email me at Flynn@Flynntaylor.com Prefer to talk? 706 865 5700 and 706 839 8841!