Whoever coined the phrase “lazy, hazy  days of summer” obviously did not live around here. It is difficult to be lazy with so many wonderful things to do in and around Gordon and Bartow counties.   Hopefully everyone with kids has encouraged them to participate in the summer reading programs at our local public libraries. Both Calhoun/Gordon County Library and the Bartow County libraries have special guests and exciting activities every week during the summer reading program. There are free concerts in the downtown park in Calhoun, and  movies under the stars in Sonoroville. Dozens of Vacation Bible Schools are scheduled throughout the summer, and who can resist swimming at the recreation department!   And don’t forget about New Echota, Etowah Indian Mounds, Salacoa Park, Allatoona Lake, The Booth Museum, The Tellus Science Museum, The Harris Arts Center…whew!   The possibilities are endless.  You can find something to do every day and never cross your county line!  There is definitely not a lack of things to do, no matter what your age or interest. This holiday weeked is no exception as 4th of July activities abound!   Friday night (July 2nd), The Adairsville Downtown Development Authority will kick off the weekend with a “Hometown USA Celebration & Concert.” Beginning at 6:00 on the downtown Public Square, there will be an art show, a memorial service to honor Seth Sharp (a hometown fallen hero), and a concert featuring “Three Minutes to Fame.” Fairmount will sponsor a day of celebration with food and entertainment on Saturday, July 3rd from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. The annual 4th of July “Star Spangled Celebration” will be free to the public at the Calhoun fairgrounds on Sunday, July 4th. The gates open at 5:00 p.m. Food and live entertainment will keep you busy until 9:30 when you can enjoy North Georgia’s largest fireworks display! Check your local newspapers for more details.   And hey…there is a fine line between relaxing and being lazy!   Enjoy the not so lazy, hazy day of summer!

Oh, and by the way, what better way could there be to celebrate our American Independence than by pursuing the  ”American Dream” of owning your own home. Interest rates remain at historic lows, and prices are starting to move back up – so now is the perfect time to buy before both interest rates and prices get back to “normal” levels.  

Julie Stephens
Julie@AustinStephens.com

Well it seems like the ole hometown may be about to “boom” again.   As reported in a recent article in the Calhoun Times newspaper, there seem to be a number of good things about to happen in Adairsville.  They could have gone all day without mentioning that “Cabelas thing,” as some of us are trying to forget, but the possibilities of new businesses, and new jobs coming to this area is news long overdue.

Vista Metals will be locating in the “old” Foley plant.  This is close to the intersection of Princeton Blvd. and MLK Drive.  Foley had built a beautiful building and had only been in town a short time when it announced its closing several months ago, putting several people out of work. It’s great to see that hopefully reversed now!

Dave Walker has been a great neighbor and businessman in our community, and I think it’s great when he chose to locate his new facility, Stonekor, on US41 north of Adairsville.  Hopefully, more businesses will begin to look at this area again as an excellent place to do business.

We can all do our part in this recovery by supporting our local businesses. As a bumper sticker that I saw recently says, “The recession is over. Buy something”!   (Preferably a house!)   Excuse the shameless self promotion!

This is the question we in the real estate industry have been struggling with for months now.   I am convinced the answer is “Yes,” but who am I?   Check out the article below for an opinion from one of the “experts.”

So what does it mean to the consumer, home buyers and sellers, if the market has bottomed out?   First, without be overly simplistic, it means the market will start back up again now – home prices will gradually move up again, and sales will increase as people start “jumping back in” to get in before it’s “too late” (or so the perception will be).   In addition, the extended and expanded tax credit will most likely continue to help move the market in a positive direction.   As I’ve been saying for months now, “There may never be a better time to buy a home than now.”   But, I may not be able to say this for much longer!

Obviously, sellers currently with homes on the market will start to benefit from this increased buyer activity.   And, those who have not even been able to put their homes on the market because they’ve been “under water” with their mortgages will now be able to start reevaluating their positions.   From the market’s recovery standpoint, the “trick” will be to have more buyers getting more homes off the market than are coming on the market as we move from a buyer’s market to a more stable one.

Please feel free to contact me with your real estate questions and when you’re ready to capitalize on our current market conditions and the coming recovery.

Here’s the link to the article mentioned above.

Austin Stephens
REALTOR ®, Associate Broker
Austin@AustinStephens.com

Cool breezes, rustling leaves…what I call “sweater weather”…this is my  favorite time of year! I’ve been out gathering muscadines for jelly.   The deer didn’t leave many this year, but another picking or two and I should have enough to make a few jars.   I even tried a new recipe this year…kudzu jelly.   I bought a jar last year up in the mountains and couldn’t believe that I had lived in Georgia all my life and I had never even heard of kudzu jelly.   A few minutes on Google and I had the recipe in my hands. Austin and I drove around yesterday looking for the purple blossoms that bloom between July and September, and we managed to find a couple of handfuls (without getting snake bit), so this morning I cooked up a batch.   We may have to try it on a biscuit or two tonight. These early hints of Fall remind me that the deadline for claiming the $8000 First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit is just around the corner.   You must close on your home   (or if you are building, occupy the home) by November 30th in order to qualify for the $8000.   So, if you are thinking about purchasing a home–now is the time.   Rates are low, prices are fantastic, and if you are a first time homebuyer, you could qualify for up to $8000! For more information on the tax credit visit http://www.austinstephens.com/8000-tax-credit.asp

The deadline for applying for homestead exemption is April 1st.   Remember that all new homeowners are encouraged to apply.   Homestead exemption will lower the taxes on your property if it is your main residence. Rental properties do not qualify.   The exemption is automatically renewed each year so you only need to apply once.   If you have any questions concerning the homestead exemption, contact your county Tax Commissioner’s Office.

Even with our “slumping” economy, which may continue for awhile, there are some signs that the housing market is actually turning around.   After all, the housing market slump has been around for some time before the economy really went sour (although there were signs for several month it may have been heading that way) – and the old saying, “first in the tank, first out of the tank” may hold true here.   There are signs that the housing markets in those areas that first experienced a slump, like California, are now “heating up” again.   This holds promise for our market that it may have truly “hit the bottom” and is soon to head up.  

What this means is, there will be more buyers in the market, which will fuel demand, which will eventually cause prices to start back up.   If you remember the lesson from economics class, “buy low, sell high,”  you may realize NOW  may be the LOW, and so  the time to BUY.   Coupled with still low interest rates, this may signal that now is truly the best time in decades to be buying or investing in real estate.   But don’t take my word for it – read the following article, and when you’re convinced now is the time to at least explore the possibility, give me a call – I’ll be happy to talk to  you about it.

Real Estate Outlook: Housing in Recovery

If you are a first-time home buyer, the news for you in most parts of the country is good. Mortgage rates are relatively low and higher inventory and lower asking prices mean market conditions are in your favor. If your finances are in order, now is the time to start that home search.

Begin with some good, old-fashioned preparation. Carefully review your budget. Determine how much you will have to offer as a down payment and how much you can afford to pay monthly. Remember to calculate not just your mortgage payment, but all your costs including taxes, utilities, food, entertainment, insurances, etc. Getting a good handle on your finances is critical to making the right real estate decision.

Next, think long and hard about what you want from this purchase. Is it a starter home that you want to stay in less than five years? Or maybe you want a home that can accommodate a growing family. Take some time to define your parameters like location, number of rooms, school system, and proximity to transportation.

Once you have outlined your budget and your wants and needs, you are ready to begin viewing listings online and in person. A real estate professional can be a huge asset during this process. He or she can prescreen homes and make sure they fit your budget and your needs. An agent can also provide insights on whether the asking price is fair and help identify a listing’s strengths and weaknesses.

But even with this help, keeping track of all the pros and cons can be a challenge. Many first-time buyers keep a log or journal during their search. When you visit homes, ask if you can take pictures of the property. At the same time takes notes. Write down the things you love, like and dislike about each listing. In the end, a combination of thorough preparation, a good Realtor and organization can help make your first-time purchase a successful one.

What’s purple, full of bright tacky flowers (and a pink flamingo), and  mysteriously appeared in front of prominent Adairsville businesses? Yep…the “Purple Potty!”   The “Purple Potty” is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.   United Community Bank of Adairsville was the proud sponsor of this preposterous, purple plague that  made the rounds at local business over the past few weeks.   When the “Purple Potty” appeared at the doorstep of local businesses, employees were encouraged to collect money for the Relay for Life in order to have the potty removed.   The fun part was getting to pick the next unsuspecting business to where the potty would then be delivered.   United Community Bank reports that over $600 was raised with all funds going to support cancer research.   Thanks Adairsville for your generous support! Let’s flush cancer!

If you’re at all interested in today’s housing market, you MUST check out the following article.   It seems to fly in the face of media reporting that we’ve been getting the past few months, and echoes what I’ve been saying, “We would do a lot better by changing the channel when a news report about the housing slump comes on!”.

Housing Slump?

If your dream is to buy a home, now is probably the best time in years – ignore the negative press and go for it!

You’ve just purchased the  home of your dreams and now you have the daunting task of packing up everything you own and transporting it to your new home.   Perhaps you are moving out of a small apartment, a dorm, a rental house, or even a home you have occupied for many years. No matter where you are moving from, you want the move to your new place to be seamless and relatively painless.   I am going to offer a few helpful suggestions that should make your move a smooth one.  Of course, everyone has different time constraints, distances to move, etc., but these are general ideas that should help if you are moving 10 boxes or 100 boxes, across town or across the country. As you read this blog, perhaps you would like to comment and post a few suggestions of your own…please do, so that others will benefit from your expertise.   A few years ago I consolidated two schools and as the media specialist/librarian for the new facility, I had to pack over 500 boxes in March, join them with nearly 500 from another school, and in August  unpack 993 (that’s nine hundred ninety three!) boxes in order to open the new media center!!   I learned a lot!

1. Weed!   Anytime is a good time to get rid of broken, outdated, unused furniture, clothes, dishes, etc., but before you move, it is imperative to do so.   You don’t really want to move stuff that you haven’t used in 10 years to a new home and have it clutter up  your new space for another 10 years, do you?   Now is the perfect time to get rid of those clothes that don’t fit, that chair that doesn’t match anything, those boxes of newspapers and magazines you KNOW you will never read!   If you have time before your move, have a yard sale or two.   The extra cash will help buy curtains for that new kitchen, and anything left over can be donated to Goodwill or other local community organization.   If you don’t have the time (or just plain hate yard sales) get those items to your local outreach services, including family advocates located in most schools.   I guarantee they know someone in need who could use the slightly worn clothes, that mismatched chair, the dented dresser, or that outdated green sofa. (You can even get them to give you an estimated tax deduction statement if you wish.) I promise you will feel great knowing you have helped someone in need and, of course, you will have less to transport…that’s a good thing!
2. Invest in sturdy boxes!   It is very frustrating to pack and then have the bottom of the boxes fall out while putting them in the moving van.   (Make sure you know the weight limit of the boxes, too) Uboxes.com, Office Depot, UPS, and others  sell boxes at a  reasonable price that are both sturdy and appropriate for moving.   Two of the biggest mistakes are (a) getting flimsy boxes and  (b)overfilling the  boxes.   You waste a lot of time when you have to unpack a box because it is too heavy to lift (or worse, the box breaks) and then you end up packing twice.   You may even be able to load up on some “freebies” from a book warehouse or other business that receives shipments in good, heavy-duty boxes.
3. Number every box! Whether you pack 15 boxes or 150 boxes (whew!) this one tip will save you tons of time in the end.   Use a permanent marker (I like the broad tipped ones…the numbers are visible at a glance) and number every box.   Keep a list of box numbers and what you pack in each one.   A spiral bound notebook works great. (Example: #12: Katie’s stuffed animals and BR curtains)  This is extremely helpful those first few days before you are completely unpacked and Katie is having a meltdown because she can’t sleep without Mr. Wiggles.
4. Take precautions!   Make sure fragiles are wrapped in paper or bubble wrap and if necessary, purchase “popcorn” to cushion breakables.   Now there is a new planet-friendly “popcorn” available that disentegrates in water…wow, for years I never knew what to do with that stuff! NEVER, NEVER pack loaded guns!   It is a good idea to pack guns and ammunition in separate boxes as an added precaution.  Take extra care when packing medications, poisons, etc.   Make sure those boxes are clearly labeled, sealed, and out of reach of small children during the moving process.
5. Have a system in place!   Color code or mark each box in such a way that it ends up in the appropriate room when it comes off the moving truck.   If boxes 10-15 go to the upstairs bathroom, it should be labeled in such a way that movers, new neighbors, in-laws, or whoever will know exactly where it goes.   A floor plan of the new home should be posted at the front door and labeled or color-coded the same as the boxes.   This will prevent you from having to move the boxes twice.   If moving is going to take place over several days, make sure you mark some “first to go” boxes.   These should include essentials that you will need right away such as cleaning supplies, flashlight, measuring tape, tools, medications, first aid kit, and don’t forget… toilet paper!
6. Don’t stress!!   According to one website, “Moving in the USA is considered to be one of the top five stressful events in a person™s life. Only events like a death in the immediate family, divorce, loss of job, and the purchasing of a new home rank higher than moving in the stress category.” (http://www.hrmreport.com) So…if you have just bought a new home and are moving, it’s a double whamey!   So-don’t get too uptight.   Enjoy the experience, don’t sweat the small stuff, educate the kids on what is going to take place, clip coupons to the fast food joints, don’t try to cram too much into one day, and realize that all your efforts will pay off when you are finally able to unpack that last box.   By-they-way, you might want to pass those empty boxes and some advice on to someone else who is about to begin the journey.