About Jasper's Big Canoe

If you are quiet when you walk you are often treated by nature. These are the Ghosts of the forest

I call them Ghosts because you can hardly hear them moving. Just a gentle rustle in the woods and as you look you catch the movement.

I find animals in the forest have a noise level in reverse to their size. When you are walking you hear noise like a mountain lion is coming through the woods. Guess what it is almost always 2 squirrels chasing each other. Or one squirrel rummaging for food.

Then you her4 a gentle rustle and look around and suddenly you see the deer. So much bigger than a squirrel but so much less noisy.

The quietest of them all is the black bear. You do not hear them at all. You see them and go wow . You are in awe of how quiet they are. So the bigger the animal it seems the quieter they are. Except of course, when it comes to us.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is Newtonian physics at its best. In politics we have the Thermidor reaction to the French revolution. In finance we have the bank reaction to the mortgage crisis.

Never mind that the crisis was created by the very lenders, at least those still standing, in the first place. Never mind that a short sale should really take 1/10th of the time a foreclosure does since everybody comes out better. The banks today are in a state of change and shock. This is the reality we have to deal with.

So you may know 5 banks that SAY they do rural development loans but unless you have dealt with them be careful. What happens is once you get into underwriting the reaction sets in. If the underwriters have not seen rural development (USDA) before you WILL be in for a rough ride. More and more paperwork will be asked for up and to the point you either run out of time or your buyer runs out of patience.

So in this market of reactions the key to staying sane and getting to the closing table is KNOW YOUR LENDER. It is not enough to know if a lender offers a product. You need to know if the lender has actually written loans for that product. As Realtors we know we should know our buyer. We help assist in helping them get the preapproval letter for a mortgage. Now we must also know the lenders ability to write a mortgage.

Now more than ever buyers need Realtors to help them through the process. It is a real tragedy when a qualified buyer does not get a loan due to lender reaction to something in the buyers profile or unfamiliarity with the type of loan the buyer is applying for. It is the reaction of the lenders that are creating a lot of this problem. But it is the reality so we must deal with it.

Driving through our neighborhood I noticed a Big Rock on the road. I thought I need to stop and move this before some one comes around a turn and hits it. As I was about to get out of my car my wife stopped me and pointed up into the woods,

I looked up and it was Peek-a Bear!!!! This young Bear was peeking out from behind a tree. He and his sibling were playing rolling rocks down the hill. Perhaps he would have sprung out and said the Bear equivalent of Surprise! At that point I would have had the Fred Sanford equivalent of "The Big One!" What a great sight.We know he was a juvenile because he was with his sibling in the distance

Notice in this photo the bear in the back who is the sibling. In the fore ground of the photo is the hiding bear behind the tree you see in the first picture. Think you know what gated communities are all about ? These pictures are in North Georgia's Premier Mountain gated community Big Canoe. Talk to your mountain experts at All Mountain Realty if you are looking for mountain property. Enjoy these photos and our bear experience.

Recently a pretty 3 acre lot sold in our mountains. It was wooded and had a stream behind it. It also had a nice flat building site. As lots go it was a good one as it is on a paved road and had county water. The price it went for was 80,000. But what made this lot special was the view:

Looking across the country road from the lot this is what you would see from your front porch

Looking to the left, or on your side porch you would see the barn more green great horses and the stream that winds its way around from the back of your property to across the Road

If you decided to look up from your porch the mountain view is great. The North Georgia Mountains, Beautiful, affordable, peaceful, country living.

So here we are Sunday Morning. Raining AGAIN here in North Georgia. We are eating breakfast in the living room watching TV. Naughty us! When suddenly a face appear in the window a couple of feet away from us. It is the first Black Bear we have seen this season. Talk about a morning wake up! This guy was probably about 1 to 1 1/2 years old. I made the mad dash for the camera. But he was gone. He did leave evidence that he was here though! I will have camera at the ready and hopefully get a picture of the rest of him to share. In terms of safety here are the things to remember with black bears. NEVER get between a mother and her cubs. If you see cubs be very careful because mom is not far away. Also if a bear stands it s ground with you an Humpffs. It has cubs some where and will take you on.

For other situations stand as tall as you can and make noise at the bear. If you turn and run you better have Carl Lewis speed because they will chase you. But if you stand your ground and make noise they are shy and will turn and leave.

SPRING is now officially here for us!!!