Charlie Ragonesi 706- 579-1098

The summer season is nearly upon us. There are full schedules of activities planned in Big Canoe. Many are free. But staying here is not. Last year there were times when all the rentals were full. So if you are planning a trip here, or staying over for a wedding make your reservations. With the price of gas going up as fast as the value of the dollar is going down many folks are traveling less. This means for our community more Atlanta folks will vacation here.

All Mountain Realty can help you find your dream home in Big Canoe. Prices for Condos are under 200, as well as homes starting under 200,000. This is a great time to buy. Visit us on line at www.allmtnrealty.com or give us a shout at 706 579 1098

Many people have asked about the well publicized water situation in North Georgia. Big Canoe is one of North Georgia's great communities. I am here to tell you lake Petit is full. The new reservoir is full . The water is cascading down mountain brooks. The flowers are growing the trees are greening. This was a great season for the dogwoods and other flowering trees as we had ample rain.

So if you are considering North Georgia we all look to be in good shape. Come on down , or up. You don't have to save water by showering with a friend......Unless you want to.

Our business has it's own language. We talk about free hold, earnest money, riparian rights, metes and bounds and so on. You remember all this stuff from real estate school right? In each market there are sub sets of words and phrases unique to that Market. Our market is no different. Here are a couple of popular ones

Snow Birds; In the mountains Snow birds are not humming birds that visit our feeders. They are folks from the coastal areas of Florida, Alabama, Georgia etc that escape the heat and spend part of the time in the mountains. They usually arrive when the Azaleas bloom and leave after the changing of the leaves. So they are our snow birds.

Half Backs; Half backs are folks who started out as neighbors in the frozen North. They are from Vermont, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, etc etc. They visit Florida in the winter . They love it. They say, " How hot can it get here in the summer ? I can take it." They move. In their yard sales they are smiling when they sell their snow blowers and snow shovels. After about 2 to 3 years they sound like Matthew Broderick in Biloxi Blues. " It's hot here. Its REALLY hot here. It's like Africa hot here". I love that line. So they move. Now they don't go all the way back. They go half way back either to Georgia ,North Carolina, or somewhere where the summer is a little milder.

For sure some of them become snow birds but lets not confuse things. So I think it would be fun to hear about your area localisms.

The North Georgia Community of Big Canoe is one of the premier Mountain communities. With 3 lakes, 27 holes of Golf a fitness center, indoor and outdoor tennis hiking trails and 1/3 of the land set aside green space Big Canoe combines mountain living with attractive amenities.

Recently Big Canoe added a water source in the community by creating a new reservoir. Our lakes are full and this additional water source is another example of planning for the future. Check out Big Canoe on our web site www.georgiasno1agent.com

Recently EVERY ONE of the buyers I am working with are asking me, what is the state of the market ? So there are some pat answers. It is a great time to buy . Prices are good inventory is very good and interest rates are good. This is what I have been telling buyers. I also tell them that they see the national numbers on the news but regionally things may vary greatly. Buyers still tell me they are scared to buy. After the most recent news that showed purchases better than this time last year and prices still down I have changed my explanation.

I tell them the 5 states where prices are going lower make up 25 % of the housing market. This really influences the number. Then I tell the buyer that we are in a period I like to call the mental lag period. That is the period where perception and reality are not in sync. The perception is the market is bad. But the reality is the market is improving. And when perception and reality get back into sync prices will go up and the best time to buy will be past you. Everybody seems to understand this and it works well.

As always thank you for your comments and thoughts