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Archive for October, 2009

October 31st, 2009Categories: Georgia Mountain Real Estate VIEWS

Hope everyone has a very Happy and Safe Halloween. Remember, if you are in the North Georgia Mountains, we have the Halloween Safe Zone in Blue Ridge, GA. and Halloween On The Square in Blairsville, GA. These are really great events for Halloween here in our North Georgia Mountains.

Trick Or Treat!

Tags: Blairsville, Blue Ridge, Blue Ridge Ga, Halloween, Halloween On The Square, Halloween Safe Zone, mountains, North Georgia

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: Please leave a comment.

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October 31st, 2009Categories: Georgia Mountain Home Tips, Georgia Mountain Shopping reVIEWS, Professional Associate reVIEWS, Realtor reVIEWS

How many of you have procrastinated in downloading your pictures from your digital camera because you just don’t want to take the time to process the pictures, re-size for uploads, add filters,  touch them up, or even organize them into folders? Well I know from experience that if you are in the Real Estate, pictures sells houses, and the more pictures you have the better the chance you have of someone taking a look at your clients property.

Well have I got a solution for you. Batchphoto is a powerful photo manipulation program that makes it easy to convert, re-size, watermark, annotate, touch-up, apply affects and rename hundreds of photos in a single operation. Instead of enhancing and adjusting pictures individually, Batchphoto lets you select a group of images, define a series of edits, and apply them in a single operation.

It is AMAZING! An absolute must for anyone who is constantly taking hours upon hours going through other inferior software products that make you re-size photos one-by-one. Before Batchphoto, it would literally take me hours to process photos for my listings. I would re-size all the photos that I would plan on using for the listings and put them in one folder, I would do the same for my Virtual Tours, and yet another for higher resolution use. It would take FOREVER! Now with Batchphoto I am done in minutes and I have so many more options that I love for use in my online social networking. One great feature that I love is the use of watermarks. I love taking photos of these beautiful North Georgia Mountains and sharing them online. Well, I noticed that many of my competitors were using my very own photos on their websites. Now that I have Batchphoto, I can put a watermark on the photos before I post them and it detours anyone from using my photos.  This is just one of many features that I have discovered using Batchphoto.

So, you no longer have to fret and pile all of those images on your memory card putting off the dreaded job of processing those pictures. Now with the use of Batchphoto, you can be done in no time and back out doing what you love to do….taking pictures! Give it a try, you will be glad you did I promise.

Tags: Batchphoto, Chad Lariscy, Digital camera, North Georgia Mountains, Photo Editor, photo filter, Photo Manipulation, re-size, Real Estate, Uploading Photos, Virtual Tour

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: 1 Comment »

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October 30th, 2009Categories: Georgia Mountain Got-To-Do reVIEWS

2009 Hometown Halloween On The Square in Blairsville, GA.

When: Halloween Saturday October 31st

5:30 – 7:30 P.M.

Where: On the Square in Downtown Blairsville Georgia

If you have never participated in Blairsville’s Halloween on the Square, you have to come out this year and experience it. It is nothing like you have ever seen before!

Trick or Treat on the Square with over 80 businesses, churches, and community organizations gathered around the Old Courthouse in downtown Blairsville.

There will be costume contests with “Secret Judges”, and a Food Bank Drive with prizes for people making a 6 or more can donation to the Union County Food Bank. “Haunting on the Square’” Food, Games, and lots of fun for the kids and the entire family. Don’t miss it!

2008 Halloween on the Square Video

Tags: Blairsville, Costume, Festival, Food bank, Halloween, North Georgia, Trick-or-treating

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: 1 Comment »

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October 29th, 2009Categories: Georgia Mountain Real Estate VIEWS

Blairsville Realty has a quarterly listing brochure that we distribute all throughout the North Georgia Mountains. This brochure features listings from all of our agents within the office.  Among the listings within the brochure you will find Homes for Sale in Blairsville, Blue Ridge, Hiawassee, Ellijay and many other North Georgia Mountain, Tennessee, and North Carolina Communities. You will find  listed in our brochure many Vacant Lots, Developments and Commercial Properties.  Also we are pleased that you will see many  local advertisements from supporters such as United Community Bank, Kenya Patton Attorney at Law, Jimmy Carter’s Inspect-A-Home….(No not President Carter) and Blue Ridge Mountain Surveying, Inc. who we owe a lot of thanks to for helping make this brochure . Thank You.

If you have any questions or concerns after viewing the 2009 Fall Brochure, please call me at 706-994-8686 or you can simply Contact Me through this post. Sometimes the listing information can be hard to read, so if you find that to be the case, just let me know and I will be more than happy to forward to you a Full MLS Data Sheet.

As always, Thanks for visiting me on “The Porch!”

Make it a GREAT day!

Tags: Blairsville, Blairsville Realty, Blue Ridge, Blue Ridge Mountains, Hiawassee, Listings, North Carolina, North Georgia, North Georgia Mountain, Real Estate, Tennessee

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: Please leave a comment.

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October 28th, 2009Categories: Georgia Mountain Real Estate VIEWS

Home Values In 95% Of Case-Shiller Markets Are Improving Year-To-Year

For August, the Case-Shiller Index showed annual home values improving across 19 of 20 U.S. markets. It’s the first time in 3-plus years that the benchmark housing index has shown such strength.

According to a Case-Shiller Index spokesperson, “The rate of annual decline in home price values continues to improve.”

It’s yet another sign that housing may have already bottomed.

However, just because the Case-Shiller Index shows a stabilization in home values, that doesn’t necessarily make it true. This is because real estate happens on the local level and the Case-Shiller Index is more “national”. It tracks data in just 20 U.S. cities.

Homeowners everywhere else are unaccounted for.

Furthermore, even within the 20 tracked Case-Shiller markets, there’s no allowance for the natural sub-markets that exist. Some neighborhoods under-perform and some neighborhoods out-perform.

Case-Shiller treats them all the same.

Despite its imperfections, though, the Case-Shiller Index remains a helpful, broader measurement of U.S. real estate. Economists believe that housing led the U.S. into the recession and they believe housing will lead us out, too.

If that’s true, August’s Case-Shiller data is another step in the right direction.

Tags: Business, Case-Shiller Index, Lead, Real Estate, Real estate pricing, Recession, U.S, United States

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: Please leave a comment.

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October 28th, 2009Categories: Blue Ridge Georgia Real Estate reVIEWS, Georgia Mountain Market reVIEWS, Georgia Mountain Real Estate VIEWS

Well there is some Good and Bad news for the 3rd Quarter Residential Sales in the Fannin County Real Estate Market. Some Good News, the number of Homes Sold in and around Blue Ridge are up 26% from September a year ago according to the sales data from our Northeast Georgia MLS.  Also the number of Homes that have gone Under Contract year over year is up a whopping 62%,  a change of 15 more Homes.  Another bit of Good News is that our inventory is slowly coming down as well. We have experienced an 11% decrease in the number of Homes For Sale in Blue Ridge, GA. to only 995 on the market compared to 1,118 in September 2008.

Now for the Bad News which actually isn’t all that bad. We continue to fight against the Banks and the troubles that they are causing as well. Home values continue to be driven down mostly due in part to the Short Sales and Foreclosures. I have mixed emotions about that actually. Some of our local Banks are really working hard to involve the local Realtors, while yet others seem to want to do it all on their own. Either way, they didn’t ask to be in this Real Estate Crisis either. Yes we all know they issued a lot of Bad Loans, but if we all would have had a Crystal Ball, I am sure most of us,  if not all of us,  would be in a different situation. The Median Sales Price of Fannin County Residential Homes is down 15%. That price is $208,000, which is much higher than the neighboring counties such as Union County and Gilmer County. The Average Days on Market is also up 31% to 132 days. This is the average number of days that a Home is on the market before it actually sells. I firmly believe that Pricing is 80% of Marketing these days, and if you are not priced right, and I mean aggressively against the competition, you are likely to see your Days on Market to be even higher than that.

Below you will find detailed Graphs and Charts gathered through our Northeast Georgia MLS. Feel free to Call Me at 706.633.8186 or Contact Me if you have any questions or concerns about anything I have said in this Market Report. If I can assist you with any of your North Georgia Mountain Real Estate needs, I would be grateful for the opportunity to speak with you about that.

Thanks so much for visiting me on “The Porch,” and I hope you come back and visit me again real soon.

Make it a GREAT day!

Tags: Bad News, Blue Ridge, Crystal Ball, Foreclosure, Georgia, Home Sales, Market Report, Multiple Listing Service, National Association of Realtors, North Georgia, Real Estate, Residential, Short Sale

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: 1 Comment »

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October 27th, 2009Categories: Georgia Mountain Got-To-Do reVIEWS

2009 Copper Basin Halloween Costume Parade

When: Friday October 30, 2009 at 5:00 P.M.

Where: Downtown Copperhill, TN.

Downtown Merchants will distribute free candy to children in costume. Bring your children and let them enjoy the fun. 5:00 p.m. Cash prizes for the best costumes, infants to adults.

Sponsored by the Tri-Cities Business Association.

Tags: Children, Copperhill, Costume, Festival, Halloween costume, mountains, Parade, TN., Trick or Treat

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: Please leave a comment.

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October 27th, 2009Categories: Georgia Mountain Got-To-Do reVIEWS

Pickin’ at Ann’s Parlor

When: Tuesday Nights 6:30 -9:30 October 27 – December 1

Where: Ann’s Parlor at 50 Kingstown Road in McCaysville, GA.

Please Call Ann at 706-455-7771 for more details

If you have been enjoying Pickin’ in the Park down at Horseshoe Bend in McCaysville on Thursday evenings and sad it’s over, well now you can enjoy it during the Winter!

Pickin’ at Ann’s Parlor begins on October 27, 2009 and runs through December 1, 2009.

Your favorite musicians you have been enjoying at Horseshoe Bend Park on Thursday nights for Pickn’ In the Park, have moved inside for the winter months. It is on a new night though you will find them there on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 9:30.

There is a $3.00 cover charge to cover the costs of utilities and heat but just until spring when they move back to the park. No need to bring chairs and there is also a dance floor so come dance or sit and enjoy all the great Bluegrass music.

No smoking and no alcohol.

Tags: art, Bluegrass music, Dance, Pickin

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: Please leave a comment.

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October 27th, 2009Categories: Georgia Mountain Home Tips

Tired of “wire clutter” where your mobile phones, MP3 players and gaming devices compete for outlet space?

The Powermat may be your solution.

The Powermat is a 12-inch long wireless battery charger that’s conspicuously missing  ”plugs”.  Instead, it uses magnetic induction to safely recharge up to 3 devices at once.

Just place your phone(s) on the pad and they charge automatically.

The Powermat debuted at the 2009 Consumer Electronic Show and was reviewed in video.  The reviewers had many positive comments on the Powermat, but highlighted some negatives aspects, too. Give a look and see what you think.

Powermat retails for $99 on Amazon.com and is usually shipped for free.

For someone always on the go, and having 3 children, I am always forgetting to charge my phone. This way, all you have to do is place the Powermat wherever you normally lay down your phone and it’s done! No worries. I got to get one.

Tags: Battery charger, Electronics, Mobile phone, Powermat, Wireless

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: Please leave a comment.

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October 8th, 2009Categories: Real Estate Made Simple

An escrow account is a designated savings account into which funds get deposited for a specific purpose.

With respect to real estate and home loans, escrow accounts are used to pay real estate tax bills and homeowners insurance payments.

Escrow accounts are managed and disbursed by lenders.

When a homeowner “escrows” his mortgage, along with his scheduled monthly mortgage payment, he must also send an additional payment to the lender equal to 1/12 of the home’s annual real estate tax bill plus 1/12 of the annual homeowners insurance bill.

By sending a pro rata portion of the tax and insurance bill each month, the homeowner’s escrow account will always, in theory, have enough funds to make payments in full as tax bills and insurance premiums come due.

Tags: Financial Services, Home insurance, Insurance, Loan, Mortgage, Real Estate, Savings account

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: Please leave a comment.

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