Sales of new homes rose sharply in December, posting a 17.5 percent gain from the month prior.

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, New Home Sales climbed to 329,000 in December, besting November by close to 50,000 units on a seasonally-adjusted annual basis.

Last month’s reading is an 8-month high for New Home Sales, and the latest in a series of signals that housing is improving in Hiawassee, Blairsville and around the country.

Note that December’s Existing Homes Sales and Building Permits reports also showed marked gains last month, climbing 12 percent and 6 percent, respectively.

Furthermore, an interesting pattern is emerging in the price points of home sales. The highest levels of relative growth are occurring within the “move-up buyer” segments. Entry-level price points are lagging the market, as a whole.

December’s New Home Sales data breaks down by price point as follows:

• Homes under $200,000 : 36% of the market (-9% from November)
• Homes between $200,000-$299,999 : 32% of the market (+7% from November)
• Homes between $300,000-$499,999 : 27% of the market (+7% from November)

Luxury homes accounted for less than 5% of the newly-built home market, suggesting that Georgia homeowners are either not “buying new” as frequently, or are choosing to renovate their existing properties instead.

The 2010 housing market finished on a tear, and that momentum is carrying forward into 2011. Expect the spring season to show strongly, putting pressure on home prices to rise.

Coupled with rising mortgage rates, the long-term cost of home ownership is unlikely to be as low as it is today.

Related articles

• Will We Have A Strong Winter In 2011? (thefrontporchview.com)
• Pending Home Sales Rises To 6-Month High (thefrontporchview.com)
• Home Supplies Plummet Putting Pressure On Prices To Rise (thefrontporchview.com)

Where’s The Bottom?

Where: Downtown Blairsville, GA.

Green bean lovers are invited to the 1st Green Bean Festival in Downtown Blairsville on July 30th and 31st. Activities will be on Town Square, at the Union County Civic Center, the Union County Canning Plant, and the Mountain Life Museum.  Shuttle service between locations will be provided on Saturday, July 31.

9:00 a.m. Monday, July 26th – 4:00 p.m. Thursday, July 29th
Canning Contest

Youth Talent Competition – sign up by 5:00 p.m. Friday, July 23rd

Friday, July 30, 2010

10:00 a.m. Green Bean Seminars at GMRE Center
5:00 p.m. Diamond Beauty Pageant Registration
6:00 p.m. Little Miss Bean Sprout and Little Mr. Leather Britches
7:00 p.m. Friday Night Concert at the Old Courthouse
8:30 p.m. Outdoor Square Dance with Caller Mike Arnold and music by the Country Cousins

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Canning Plant Tours, Green Bean Pizza-Eating Contests, Misty Mountain Quilt Guild’s Exhibit & Lessons, Going Green Expo, Tractor Show, Butt-Mock House & Payne Cabin Tours, Old Tools Display, Enota Farm Animals, Kids’ Interactive Area, Live Entertainment, Stringing, Snapping, Looking & Cooking!

7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Union County Farmers’ Market and Country Craft Fair on Town Square for one day only
8:00 a.m. Red Cross sponsored Fun Run registration at Season’s Inn
9:00 a.m. Fun Run begins
10:00 a.m. Other activities begin
10:00 a.m. Youth Talent Competition at Civic Center
12:00 p.m. Green Bean Recipe Contest
4:00 p.m. Awards Ceremony at Civic Center

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Janet Hartman – manager@downtownblairsville.com or 706-994-4837.

Fox Lake is an absolute Beautiful North Georgia Mountain Community with incredible mountain vistas, rolling hills and pastures, gentle wooded terrains, and it’s very own private lake…Fox Lake.

Fox Lake is located just north of Blairsville in the North Georgia Mountains. Blairsville is the county seat of  Union County. Enjoy a lifestyle unique to the Mountains where everyone knows you by name!  Mountain Festivals and  Community Events will keep you on your toes throughout the year. Play Golf at Old Union just across the street, or take a very short drive to Butternut Creek in downtown Blairsville. Do you like to Fish? Lake Nottely is only minutes away and is known for great Fishing and all sorts of Boating Recreation.

Fox Lake is an upscale Mountain Home Community with Protective Covenants and Restrictions. An Architectural Review Committee will approve any plans before construction can begin to uphold the integrity of the development. All utilities are underground, and there is paved access throughout the community. Enjoy a Pavilion and Clubhouse on the common grounds alongside beautiful Fox Lake.

Currently there are 2 Homes For Sale and approximately 37 Vacant Lots For Sale within Fox Lake. Should you have any questions or if you would like any additional information that I have not provided here, please Contact Me, or give me a call at 706.994.8686. I would appreciate the opportunity to earn your business and assist you with all of your North Georgia Mountain Real Estate needs.

United Community Banks Inc.

Blairsville, Ga.-based United Community Banks (NASDAQ: UCBI) scored an 815 and “among the best” ranking in the annual study. The Southeast average score was 768.

The scores are based on an 1,000-point scale. The study analyzes customer satisfaction with the retail banking experience based on account activities, account information, facility, fees, problem resolution and product offerings.

Congratulations UCB!

More than 60 percent of U.S. homes are “over-assessed”, says an industry trade group. Homeowners in Blue Ridge, Blairsville, Ellijay and Hiawassee pay more in property taxes than they otherwise should have to.  You might be one of them.

Have you considered fighting your real estate tax bill?

In this 4-minute piece from The Today Show, you’ll learn:

• When to file your tax bill dispute for the best chances of winning
• How to pull your “property card” and check for tax bill-raising errors
• What to do if the taxing authority turns down your request

Most importantly, you’ll learn that don’t need to hire an attorney to fight your tax bill.  You just need to be prepared.  Do your research and make your case. It’s estimated that nearly half of all contesting homeowners are successful.

Presented by The Kiwanis Club of Blairsville, GA.

When: April 27 – May 2, 2010

Where: Blairsville Industrial Park

This is the second year for the Blairsville Kiwanis Mountain Fair and it is sure to be a huge success! In addition to the Great Rides provided by Midway, and the Fabulous Food from some of our local vendors, The Kiwanis have planned some very exciting events. A Cornhole Tournament, Bluegrass Concerts, Clogging, Square Dancing,  a Homerun Derby, and if that isn’t enough, this year they will be having Lawn Tractor Pulling on Saturday and Lawn Tractor Racing on Sunday…..and it is FREE to the public. Wow! Mark your calendars and head on up to the North Georgia Mountains of Blairsville, GA.

Click Here for a complete Schedule of Events!

The Kiwanis Club wishes to thank the following businesses and individuals for their sponsorship of this year’s fair:  United Community Bank, Hole-In-The-Wall Restaurant, McClure Trucking, Bank of Blairsville, Foodland Grocery, Louise McTaggart & Associates, State Farm Insurance, Jackson Insurance Agency, Jean Carter, Bergeron & Maltby, CPAS, LLC, Southern Highlands Mortgage and Scott Carter Insurance & Investments.  Your generous support will help the club continue their many youth projects in Union County.

There is a fascinating community located just off of The Appalachian Highway in Blairsville, GA. The Summit is comprised of beautiful Traditional Homes more conducive to full time residents of Union County. The Summit has much to offer, convenience to 515, the new Wal-Mart, and of course downtown Blairsville. This all paved community boasts breathtaking views of the Mountains in North Carolina, Tennessee. In addition to Mountain Views in North Georgia, The Summit enjoys incredible views of Lake Nottely, from canal lake all the way to the dam!

Currently within The Summit, there are 3 Homes For Sale and 10 Vacant Lots For Sale. I have also attached a copy of the Plat for you to review. Of the Restrictions within the community, I would like to point out just a few. Before you can begin any construction on a home within The Summit, you must submit your plans to the Architectural Review Board to approve the overall aesthetics of the home. The homes most contain no less than 1800 sq.ft. of heated living space, excluding any carports, garage, or basement. If the plans call for a second level, then a minimum of 1500 sq.ft. must be on the main level. All building exteriors must be completely covered with stone, brick, stucco, wood, or wood like materials. Please note that wood must be painted in Earth Tone colors. The last thing that does come up quite regularly, is the roof pitch must be no less than an 8/12 pitch excluding porches. Please consult with your Real Estate Agent for a complete list of all the Restrictions before you purchase your home or vacant lot within The Summit.

If you are not currently working with a Realtor(R), I would be grateful for the opportunity to earn your business. Please Contact Me or simply give me a call at 706.994.8686 if you have any questions or concerns on The Summit, or any other property or community located within the North Georgia Mountain Real Estate Market.

Make it a GREAT day!

So What Happened To All The Dump Trucks?

Well it is obvious that the number of new homes being built has slowed down considerably. This is somewhat of a catch twenty two in my opinion, because we needed this slow down in new construction in order to help deplete some of our existing inventory. However, it has caused many adverse affects on all the communities here in the North Georgia Mountains. One that has been felt the most is the loss of so many jobs. Real Estate is the driving industry here in the North Georgia Mountains. So when construction began slowing down, many had to start looking for others means of income. To this day, there are many who are either having to leave their families and find work out of town, or simply have not found work at all. Even I, having been in the Real Estate business in one form or fashion for nearly 15 years, had no idea just how many folks were either building homes, or sub-contractors helping to build homes.

So has this Real Estate Crisis been the reason why we do not see as many dump trucks on the road as we used to? Well I am not so sure elsewhere, but as for Blue Ridge, Blairsville, and Ellijay I believe that it has been a major contributing factor.  I guess you could say that I do still see an awful lot of dump tucks around, but the sad thing is that most of them are no longer on the roads were they belong.