Life in North Georgia, Real Estate in the Mountains

We have been telling folks for months that activity in the local market was trying to recover. 2011 was actually one of my better years in total sales volume – admittedly, I reached that level with many smaller sales as opposed to fewer small ones. I am pleased to report that 2012 is continuing on the same kind of pace and home values are actually beginning to recover a little. Late last month the National Association of Realtors released the results of its survey of Investment and Vacation Home Buyers and they confirm a national trend to support what we are seeing locally.

The sale of vacation homes grew a respectable 7% in 2011, the growth in investment homes surged an amazing 64.5% I will have local sales information from 2011 posted in a few days. If you would like to read the entire article from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) you can do so at this link: NAR Reports Investment and Vacation Home Sales Surge in 2011

See ya ’round the mountains,
Don

Its time to take a look at the market in Pickens County once again and so here is the Quarterly Report from the Broker and Owner of Torrey Mountain Properties, Inc., Ben L. Torrey.  Ben drafted this update for our clients, but they have had a few days to mull it over so now we’ll post it for the general public.  In the text of Ben’s report he invites clients to visit Realtor.com; I should point out that for Bent Tree, Big Canoe and Pickens County you can also search very effectively on my site http://bent-treerealestate.com

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about Ben’s report or if I can assist you in any real estate transaction.

See you ’round the Mountains,

Don

2009 FIRST QUARTER DELAYED MARKETING REPORT

This report was delayed while waiting to see what impact President Obama’s
Stimulus Package might have. It was a long time coming. However, there are signs
that the investment market is getting its act together. The DOW has been above
8,000 for the last twelve days. It may bounce up and down but as long as it stays
above 8,000 the consumer confidence of the general public will began to rise and
purchases will follow. Another good sign for the investment market is that the
S & P 500 index recently took a 36% up tick. Fortunately for this market the bad
news from the auto makers closing of dealerships and the attendant layoffs did not
impact the financial market as I first feared. We need to remember that the biggest
impact of that event will occur during the first quarter of 2010 when the dealer’s
contracts are not renewed. Hopefully the recovery will be well under way by that
time so the possible increase in unemployment will not create a major downturn.

Continue reading »

Pickens County Home Sales Through October 31, 2008

Sales continued to plod along at a less than spectacular rate; never-the-less they are plodding along and homes are still selling, banks are still financing and, despite what you read in the newspaper and hear on the television every day, homes in this market are still selling, on average, at over 90% of their current listing price.  Continue reading »