Charlie Ragonesi 706- 579-1098

Yes it is the end of Feb and we have one more month of winter to go. But spring comes early to the North Georgia Mountains. This is a spring, almost, picture. This is also why the North Georgia Mountains are such a great place to be.

If you are in the mountains anywhere here is the big gardening tip of the day. Deer do not eat daffodils. They eat a whole bunch of other stuff including plants you spray with that awful smelling Deer spray. I think they have learned to associate that smell with something good to eat. So they just put their hoofs over their noses and munch away. But daffodils ahhhh. They hate them. So plant away and enjoy the first green of late winter.

The other green you see in the picture is Mountain Laurel. As long as you do not fertilize it the deer do not seem to like it either.

The gated community of Big Canoe was founded in 1972. This makes it one of the older resort/mountain communities. There have been many other communities in the mountains that have started up since. Where is Big Canoe today in relation to the new comers as well as some of the older communities?

Big Canoe has 3 lakes for fishing boating and swimming. Big Canoe has 1/3 of the land within the community set aside for green space. Big Canoe has a range of homes and prices from 200,000 to 2,000,000. Big Canoe has 3 swimming pools. One is heated and indoors. There are tennis courts indoors and outdoors clay, lighted, and hard. Big Canoe has a fitness center. Big Canoe has 27 holes of golf on one of the course players say is the most beautiful they have ever played on.

In addition to amenities Big Canoe has underground utilities ,public water, and great paved roads. Elevations go as high as 3300 feet. The community is 50 miles from the Northern Suburbs of Atlanta. It has it's own security and fire department.

All in all Big Canoe is still a premier mountain community and very unique i all the mountains. For more information on Big Canoe contactus at www.georgiasno1agent.com. Big Canoe is a great place to visit , vacation or live year round.

As Johnny Carson would have done, I am putting on the Swami hat and saying the Answer is...

Big Canoe and Benttree will have a a mixed year. For that matter gated communities in general will have a mixed year. Consumers will look more for value. In the past consumers compared prices from where they were coming from to where they were going to. In a lot of cases the North Georgia Mountains offered a less expensive life style. Consumers now instead of buying into that are looking at the value they get vis a vis other communities. New gated communities have sizzle and will do well initially but will they have the legs to build out? I do not know.

Towns life Ellijay, Jasper, and Ballground, should do well. The development is headed to the Southern end of the mountains. North Carolina and places in Georgia like Blue ridge and Blairsville are becoming pricy. Folks are learning that they can get a lot of the same stuff that attracts them to the mountains for less.

Dahlonega is hot as it has been tauted and prices are really still quite good. The other mountain areas in the state also have great buying opportunities now.

We see more and more buyer activity. As you know you never know where the bottom is until you start back up. I think we are very close to the bottom. As baby boomer's begin to find it easier to sell homes the land rush in this area will be on in full force.

If you are interested in opportunities in these great and beautiful mountains visit us on line at www.georgiasno1agent.com or do it the old fashion way and give us a call

Our company name is All Mountain Realty. Our motto is Capturing the spirit of the mountains. This is rather an interesting concept.

In todays world and with folks looking to move to the mountains ,What is the spirit of the mountains? I believe we are blessed in the North Georgia Mountains. The blessing has taken the form of late development.

Late development has caused us to look at other areas and say , wait a minute. Fannin County is almost 50 percent deeded or in trust Green. Union County, Gilmer and Pickens counties boast some of the best green conscience communities. Lumpkin County has been touted as one of the best counties in the U.S to retire in. None of these counties take in the Georgia side of Lookout Mountain which has been constantly raved about in numerous mountain magazines.

So catching the spirit of the mountains is in fact keeping its essence and creating the capability for people to enjoy it. At least that is what it means to me. And I think in Georgia we have done that really well.

Rainbow over the Mountains, Yes really there's a bear in my yard, and the trout fishing is great