Free Kids Fishing Events June 6th

Take your kids fishing this weekend!!  There are multiple free events for kids to go fish this Saturday.  Take advantage of good weather and have a great time outdoors!  Did I mention it’s free!! 

 

AmicalolaStatePark

Kate Ruka       Program Staff706-265-4703

June 67-11

Little            Amicalola Creek

Dawson

15 m NW of Dawsonville via GA 183 & 52, follow signs

Ages: 15 years & under. “To Temp a Trout” event; $3 park pass required.Pre-registration @ 7am.

USFS

Jim Wentworth706-745-6928

June 69 – Noon

Winfield Scott Lake

Union

On Hwy 180 between Suches & Vogel State Park

Ages: 16 years & under; Trout Fishing

USFS

Mike Brod        706-782-3320

June 69 – Noon

Tallulah      River

Rabun

Hwy 76, turn on Persimmon Rd at fire station, 4 miles turn left on Tallulah River Rd, 2 miles to campground

Ages: 2 – 15 years old; Trout Fishing; Prizes and refreshments

 A little closer to home…  I also just heard Jones Bridge Park is having a kids fishing event on June 6th as well.

Go to www.gofishgeorgia.com for more info.

Happy 4th of July! Support a great cause!

 

I recently met a gentleman and found out about a great service he is providing for wounded warriors and their families.  I’m a fly fisherman myself and felt like this was a great opportunity to get the word out for a great cause this Independence day.

Here is some information about Fly fishing for Vets.  Be sure to visit their website for more information and give any support that you can!

Who are we?

Most of us are veterans ourselves and members of various Georgia Trout Unlimited Chapters and the Atlanta Fly Fishing Club of Federation of Fly Fishers.  Many of the retired service members know personally what our wounded heroes and their families are going through and are dedicated to making their lives a little easier. Others are like you just wanting to help.

What is it we want to do?

Fly Fishing for Vets is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the wounded warriors and their family.  Our goals are to provide free services to the veteran and his or her spouse and children.  It all begins with the basic concept of taking the veteran fly fishing over a two day period, but we don’t stop there.

We believe the experience should include the whole family and we provide that needed and well deserved cown time to the spouse and children.  While the veteran is fly fishing we provide the spouse with time to herself at a Spa!  To do this we also provide babysitting services that is age based.  Services for the children can range from simple day care to visiting a butterfly center, hiking or fishing with their parent.  Like similar organizations dedicated to the veteran we believe in the healing effects that being in a peaceful setting among friends and family who care provides a welcome relief from the stress of recovery.

If there is a wounded warrior you know of that wants to learn about fly fishing, or if you would like to dotate to this wonderful opportunity contact flyfishingforvets@yahoo.com

Suwanee: Real estate Activity Report

The question on everyone’s mind is what’s going on with the real estate market?  Well that’s what everyone buying or selling a home is thinking anyway. 

I thought I would post a quick snapshot of what activity is taking place in Suwanee right now.  If you have a city that you would be interested in getting the same information about drop me a line and I will post it too!

Information provided by FMLS posted 11-8-07  is deemed accurate but not guaranteed.

  Currently in Suwanee there are 882 homes on the market and 113 Townhomes.  This includes new construction & resale.  At first one may think this is a large number given all the hype in the news regarding the market conditions.  Last October this area posted 1,675 Active listings for October. Why such a decrease in the number of listings?  Well most seller’s are reluctant to put their home on the market due to what they have been hearing.  However buyer’s are trying to take advantage of these opportunities and think that now is the best time to buy… and they are right. 

  How much are buyer’s taking advantage of the market conditions?  Right now in Suwanee there are 101 homes pending sale and 14 Townhomes.  Last October 265 homes were pending.  What does this tell us?  It says that compared to the number of homes on the market about 11.5% have contracts on them.  This is only a 4% decrease from this time last year with almost 1/2 the inventory.  However a pending sale is not a sale and the mortgage market continues to tighten it’s lending requirements and fewer home loans are being approved. 

 Sold!  This is what we want to hear about.  The real numbers!  Last October there were 223 homes sold in this area giving us a 13.5% sales rating.  This October in Suwanee 52 homes were sold and closed giving us a sales rating of 6%.  This is under 1/2 the activity from the previous year.  Don’t look so sad…  I make a living at this and I still have a positive attitude!  The media has everyone scared as usual, remember y2k!  Don’t go stocking up your shelter just yet.

The real estate market is preparing a campaign along with the media.  Is this an official campaign you ask?  No, but the word is out to home-buyers & investors.  This is the time to buy!  The winter will be slow with little activity, but that is always the trend with real estate.  I look for spring to be very active!  Let’s make our preparations now activity breeds more activity and I plan on being very active!

Once again I invite you to ask any questions or give input on ideas for future posts.  If you have a topic you would like more information on let me know. 

Sugar Hill, Georgia: Communities Old and New

Primrose Creek

This is one of Sugar Hill’s newest communities!  Located off of Sycamore this community will host over 300 home sites when completed.  Some of the community features include a Junior Olympic pool & water park, 4 lighted tennis courts, playground, decorated clubhouse for use by the residents, underground utilities, sidewalks, street lights, and decorative mailboxes.

The community will offer two tiers of homes The Estates, and The Enclave.  Homes in the Enclave will be pricedfrom $230,000 and Homes in the Estates will be priced starting at $270,000.  This community is just opening and pre-sales will start around $200,000 and up.  What will you get for your money?  Some of the standard features include granite counter tops with tiled back-splash & under-mount sink, 42″ cabinets in the Estates and 36″ cabinets in the Enclave.  Lush Lawns with four sides sod & in ground sprinkler systems.  Hardwood flooring in the kitchen,breakfast area, and foyers. The exterior will be concrete siding with brick and stone accents.  Primrose Creek will accommodate three different builders which are Jason Gillis Builders, Lenox Communities, and Northpoint Communities. 

This will be an excellent community in the Sugar Hill area with easy access to Lake Lanier and the Mall of Georgia.

Let’s not forget that Sugar Hill also has some excellent resale homes available as well. 

 Lenox Park

Lenox Park is located in Sugar Hill just off of Whitehead Rd.  This community has an abundance of the hard to find one level ranch home.  If you are searching for homes and are in the market for a one level ranch home you will find that they are hard to come by these days.  If you are looking for a starter home or you are downsizing this is an excellent community to look in.  Home sales in this neighborhood have averaged about $175,000 over the past 2-3 years.  If you want to get the best deal available be sure to contact me so I can negotiate for you and make sure you get the best of what’s available.  Homes in Lenox Park were constructed in the mid to late 90’s and many of them have been renovated and upgraded.  It’s important that you take these features into consideration when looking to purchase a home.  Although the prices may be similar across the community some homes will feature better upgrades than others for the same price. 

Sugar Hill has many other communities that are excellent deals compared to what’s available in neighboring communities such as Suwanee. Sugar Hill shares the same schools systems and convenient location at a little better price.  As Suwanee and Buford grow and capitalize on Lake Lanier and the Mall of Georgia the Sugar Hill area will continue to benefit from the surrounding growth and become a sought after location in North Gwinnett.

The Penny Pincher

You know who you are!!  Do I really need to purchase this??  Do I have to have owner’s title insurance?  Why should I get a home inspection on a brand new house??

Let’s face it I like to save a buck just as much as anyone, but buying a home is typically the most expensive investment that most people will ever make in their lifetime.  When I work with buyers who question these expenses and ignore my advice on why they should protect themselves I almost wish something would happen! 

Well not really, but you know where I’m coming from.  I have to remember that the general public does not hear about or recognize the dangers that lurk in real estate transactions. 

The rule in Georgia is buyer beware!  New home buyers who discover defects after the sale often find they have nowhere to turn but the courts, where lawsuits can take years and thousands of dollars.  And some defects go undetected until it’s time to sell, and the homeowner is stuck shelling out big bucks for repairs.

Not Accountable!  Georgia does not license residential builders, even though they are responsible for coordinating the work of laborers assembling hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of materials.  Barbers, Cosmetologists, and interior decorators must be licensed to ply their trades in Georgia!  The state boards that oversee them can write regulations, hold hearings on complaints and discipline those caught breaking the rules.  Residential contractors, meanwhile, are virtually on the honor system.

What about the county inspections and codes don’t they keep quality controll and ensure a home is built right?

Well here is a little data for your enlightenment.  In 1991, Cobb County’s 24 building inspectors handled 65,300 commercial and residential inspections.  By 1999, the number of inspections had nearly tripled to 171,000—and the same staff of 24 inspectors handled them.

During that decade, the average length of a single Cobb inspection dropped from 15 minutes in 1991 to about 8 minutes in 2000, county officials said. A typical house gets four to six different inspections, which means a Cobb inspector spent less than an hour total inspecting a single home.  Home inspectors I recommend to my clients will spend at least 3.5-4.5 hours inspecting one home. 

I’m going to wrap this up for now and I will continue on my next post to talk about owners title insurance.  Let me leave you with these final thoughts. 

Not all builders are out to pull one over on you, but we live in a society where not everyone is on the up and up.  It’s all about the $$ and if a corner can be cut to save a few bucks then you know it will.  Protect yourself, protect your investment and spend your money wisely get a home inspection no matter what the situation.  Just because it’s new doesn’t mean it’s perfect and don’t think that warranty you get will cover you on anything that could go wrong.  I would rather know as much as I can before I push my money across the closing table and sign those loan documents.