Marblehill, GA

In this post in the series we are going to cover the "tools of the trade." I am not talking about lock box keys and things we all have in common. But let's talk about things a mountain Realtor should have.

1 A compass. This is a really important gadget for a mountain Realtor. You are standing on a deck looking into the mountains with a buyer and they say. "What direction are we facing?" If you think you are going to look for the moss on the North side of the trees forget it Hawk Eye. That does not work. But if you had a compass and said, " Oh you are facing East and will be able to sit on this porch in the morning with a cup of coffee and watch the sun rise," then you have said something. Also if you are walking large wooded tracts it is always nice to know you can find your way out !!

2 4 wheel drive. Almost a necessity for climbing hills or navigating wet leaf littered slippery roads. In addition you will be on gravel roads from time to time so 4 wheeling is a real need. All wheel drive will work just as well unless you are specializing in tracts where you are driving off road on the property.

3 A Buddy. NEVER walk property alone. It gets remote in the mountains and you do not always have Cell coverage. You will wait for the rescue folks if you step in a hole and sprain an ankle.

4 An Awareness of your surroundings. You need to be aware of what is going on around you. There are wild animals in the mountains so you must always be aware. Also and unfortunately if you live and work in areas that can be remote you need to take a class on how to recognize a Meth lab. Yes that's right unfortunately moonshiners have converted to a new product. So be aware of your surroundings when you are in a remote setting.

The net is that working in wooded areas is GREAT and beautiful and will always bring a smile to your face. But like anything else you need the tools and awareness to make the experience a great and safe one

When we give our sellers a list of things to repair and the price for their home they are sometimes overwhelmed. I am starting a new pricing strategy. I am giving the sellers a list of things to do that require sweat equity. These would be the cleaning and uncluttered type of things. And then if there are repairs that are going to cost money I give them that list and the price I would put on their house.

So for excample if a house needs painting I would say X dollars without painting for a listing price x plus dollars with the house painted. In this way I am finding sellers are seeing not only the cost of the repair but also the potential return. So far so good. What think you all?

Currently in North Georgia land sales are slow. The reasons for this is are clear.

1 Investors have become skittish or in fact were over extended and have been forced to pull back

2 Land loans are not as easy as they once were

3 People are not buying as much to build as the inventory of existing homes is high, and priced well.

4 Construction loans are harder to get than conventional loans

Given all of the above if you are looking for great land deals, Now is the time to buy. We see great tracts consistently under 15,000 an acre. The choices now are great and prices are equally great.

If you were ever going to go green acres now is the time. We are your North Georgia land specialists contact us or visit us at www.allmountainrealty.com for a no cost consultation

This year so far has been tough in the mountains. Winter seems to have lasted forever. Also lay-offs in some of the industries, notably carpet have effected the local economies. We are often a lagging indicator of the market. So while other areas were experiencing high rates of value decline not so much us.

But lately the declines have excelerated. So in some ways while thers are rebounding we are struggling. The news is nt all bad. Given the economic state we already see more and more local folks traveling and exploring the mountains as we are close to them. We also see folks moving here to down size, improve their quality of life and in general reduce their costs.

So it is a mixed bag for us right now. Spring and summer will tell the tale. Will the upswing in first time buyers carry us forward and lead a rebound? Only time with tell