United Community Banks Tops In J.D. Power Study
United Community Banks Inc. was the highest ranked Southeastern bank in terms of customer satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study published Thursday.
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!
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Fight Your Property Tax Bill Without A Lawyer
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.
The 2010 Blairsville's Kiwanis Mountain Fair
Blairsville’s Mountain Fair
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.
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Community REview – The Summit In Blairsville Georgia
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!
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So What Happened To All The Dump Trucks?
This morning as I was taking my son Bo to school, a dump truck pulled up next to us. As we were waiting for the light to turn green, it donged on me that the roads used to be filled with dump trucks running up and down the road. It seemed that not too long ago, everyone must have owned a dump truck or two. The roads were absolutely covered up with them.
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.
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