In just a few short weeks since it has opened, Chattahoochee Bend State Park has transformed Newnan and Coweta County into a “destination!” People now flock to visit this natural treasure which is now open to the public. And it’s not just people from around the state of Georgia either. I have se...

07/19/2011

Do you still have “zeal” for your job, or are you just going through the motions every day?

21 Comments

Our work should offer us more than mere financial compensation. Fulfillment results from a zeal for what you do and the satisfaction that results from a job well done. The real estate business has changed a lot over the last five years. In many aspects, it is an entirely different occupation tha...

07/17/2011

Sometimes we go through “H...E…double hockey sticks” to get the job done

47 Comments

I met a home inspector at a foreclosed property yesterday afternoon. When I opened the front door to let him in, I was nearly knocked over by a blast of hot air. Now I live in the South, and it’s been a hot Summer, so it is not unusual for a vacant house to be pretty warm inside. But this house ...

07/16/2011

“It isn’t happening here so I’m not worried about it!” Short term indifference can have long term consequences.

14 Comments

Real estate is local. That statement is as true today as it ever has been. Every region has its own local economy, quality of life, and amenities that attract potential residents and retain those that currently reside there. But we live in a mobile society, and the notion of economic immunity ca...

07/15/2011

How long are you going to wait before you decide to buy a house?

20 Comments

There are a lot of decisions to be made when it comes to purchasing a home. And the current real estate market is volatile and rife with uncertainty. But regardless of the condition of the market in ANY given area, there are some undeniable facts about purchasing a home that cannot be overlooked...

07/14/2011

Negotiation is a lot like playing poker. If you fold, you are OUT!

35 Comments

In all of my years in real estate, the one thing that I have never understood is the rejected offer. After all, if the goal of any listing endeavor is to sell the property, what is the purpose of letting any opportunity slip away without so much as a negotiation? A seller has a potential buyer ...

07/13/2011

What do you do when you hit the blog “wall?”

23 Comments

After writing a daily blog post for over 1500 consecutive days, I can tell you from personal experience that there are times when the words do not flow freely. The brain freezes, the coffee cools, and the curse of the blank screen stare takes over as I attempt to muddle through the mire of mean...

07/12/2011

Enjoying the“Typical” Southern Summer!

11 Comments

Summer in Georgia is always hot, that’s a given! But the typical Summer weather pattern is one of both heat and humidity. That translates into hot days, and muggy nights punctuated with late afternoon and early evening thunderstorms. And typically that continues into October when the nights coo...

07/11/2011

Learning to live with less. It’s not such a bad thing after all.

25 Comments

Over the years, I have learned a lot of lessons in life. Experience is a great teacher, and the notion of “been there and done that” really does have a lot of influence on where we go from here. When I was a younger man, I always had to have the latest and greatest products. I was a consumer dr...

07/10/2011

The many places and faces of Coweta County Georgia!

10 Comments

I was out “in the county” yesterday previewing some properties. Coweta County Georgiais one of those locales that takes you directly from urban to rural is a few short miles. Much of the Eastern part of the county is Atlanta suburbia, with its accompanying tract houses and strip malls! Downtown...

07/09/2011