Good news and okay news on the number of homes sold in August on Lake Sinclair.  We were at 18 for the month, which was up from July which good and down from the past two years in August, but just by 1 sale. The great news is that inventory is slightly down also.  There are currently 339 homes on the market making it an 18 month supply, which is down from the 24 month supply we had last month.  That means that new listings are currently coming on the market at a slower rate than Lake Sinclair homes being sold.  That's great news for sellers... and it means buyers who have been hoping prices would go back down again in the winter months might not be so lucky. Days on the market are slightly up from last month, but not significantly.  We are 150.  That means priced right and marketed wel... 09/17/2014

Does your historic home for sale include a ghost?   Sylvia has been visiting residents and guests of historic Panola Hall in Eatonton, Georgia for more than a century. She’s said to be a young and very pleasant southern belle, and only appears to people of the highest character. Sylvia is one of Georgia’s most beloved apparitions, and will no doubt reveal herself to the new owners of Panola Hall, if they meet her standard.   Antebellum generally refers to the period prior to the American Civil War, but most people think of the stately Greek Revival style with its massive Doric columns and symmetric appearance when they hear the phrase “antebellum home”.   Panola Hall was built in 1854, and has been at the center of the business, social, and cultural life of the region ever since. Recent... 09/16/2014

 Are you looking for a beautiful Georgia farm for sale?       This farm has it all – 3+/- acre clear stocked pond, 21 acres with established grass and hardwoods, plus a lovely French Tudor country home with 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths on three levels. Asking price is $649,000.    Natural materials like cedar beams, wide oak plank flooring, and a massive see-through stucco fireplace make the interior warm and inviting.    For a full tour of the home, including panoramic land views, look here:       The north end of Pea Ridge Road, where the farm is located, is an area of farms and estate homes. The shopping and dining district of Lake Oconee is just 15 minutes away, and the Crooked Creek Marina on Lake Sinclair is about 5 minutes from the farm.  Milledgeville, the former State Capital and home... 09/15/2014

Today I ran across an article that I'm happy to share with you.  You might find it odd if you a consumer looking to buy or sell that I would share an article with you that is basically telling you a list of ten things they "assume" are happening  all over, with all agents and firms. Consumers don't need protection from agents, they need agents for protection!  At Lane Realty they'll have that. Top 10 Worst Business Practices The article is found at CAARE Consumer Advocates in American Real Estate. Pffft is what I have to say about their article. First of all they address dual agency.  They seem to think that if two different agents happen to work at the same brokerage firm that all parties cannot be fairly/well represented.  I call BS.  Of course you can.  If you are the buyer and your ... 08/27/2014

Buying a second home isn't like buying a home you plan to live in.  When you are buying a home you plan to live in more loans are available.  USDA, VA, FHA are all loans that are only given to people for their primary residence.  When you are purchasing a second home you have to put 20% down and use a conventional loan. So when we are working with buyers who are looking to purchase a weekend/vacation home on Lake Sinclair we ask questions about your down payment.  It's also not customary for our area to get any seller assistance to pay closing costs. If you are making an offer on a $300,000 home  you would need $60,000. down payment and your closing costs which consist of loan origination fees, appraisal fees, attorney fees, title search and escrowed property taxes and insurance. You al... 08/09/2014

We're in the south and not all homes have garages.  Our winters are mild and many folks just leave their cars in the driveway or have open carports attached for detached.  But sometimes buyers WANT a garage and don't want to consider buying a home without a garage.  Our search allows those buyers to to only see homes that have the garages they want to have. LakeSinclairHomesWithAGarage  Today there are 47 homes with a garage on the market on Lake Sinclair, but no matter what day you click on that link, the number of homes with a garage will be current and accurate (so long as the listing agent has entered it correctly into the MLS). And if a garage isn't that imporant to you in a lake house, you certainly are welcome to search all the other available LakeSinclairHomesForSale right here.... 07/18/2014

Everything you need is right on the main level, the master bedroom, laundry room, half bath for guests, porch, kitchen, dining and large greatroom.  Upstairs you will find two additional bedrooms plus a bath, an office and a large bonus room overlooking the lake the greatroom downstairs.  But that's not all, there is yet the unfinished basement if you just need the storage space, but it's plumbed for additional bath and could be finished to add living space.  Concrete drive, storage building, and at the water there is a seawall, dock and boatlift. All for the great price of just $375,000.   07/13/2014

We have buyers looking for homes with basements for a variety of reasons.  Sometimes they have a large famiy and need additional bedrooms, sometimes they want a man cave and sometimes they are moving in and need storage and/or room to grow and expand. There are a good many homes with basements available on the water in our area.  If you happen to be looking for a lake home with a basement you can easily find one with our site.  Lake Sinclair Homes with basements This link isn't just the homes listed today that have basements, that will be gone, sold or expired We can set up on our site with lots of different "must have" things for your homes including garages, pools, fireplaces, and even fenced yards.  The only thing we have to have to do this is your valid email address.  We don't sell... 06/25/2014

Sometimes when we list a house I am more worried than others about how long it will linger on the market because the current owner has built in a way or modified in a way that suits them, but just might not be appealing to the masses.  Sometimes those things can be easily fixed, like a few gallons of paint can be applied to colors that new owners will like better.  When we listed the house that closed yesterday it was not going to be something that could be fixed without a lot of expense.  When I walked into that listing for the first time with my agent that listed it I looked around and could NOT find the kitchen.   The kitchen was on the basement level.  Odd, nice kitchen, but odd.  Well as it turned out 9 days after we listed that home someone came along that thought it was a great i... 06/21/2014

The Pilot Club of Eatonton hosts the annual Dairy Festival. You will find road races, crafts booths, a parade, barbeque, food booths and entertainment at the court house square on the first Saturday of June every year.  Hopefully it won't be too hot too early this year.  The barbeque is always delicious and it's the Pilot Club's annual fund raiser and they do lots of great things for our community throughout the year with those proceeds.   So get out and support our dairy industry, dairy families and the local Pilot Club. I always enjoy myself when I go and enjoy the barbeque. The parade is at 10, so you can't move in or out of town durning that time by car.  Get their early and get a good spot and joy the celebration.   06/01/2014

The short answer is yes.  I know because both my husband and I have killed a rattle snake in our yard where our dogs play inside a fenced area. BUT and that's a big BUT because most snakes people see in and around Lake Sinclair are non venomous water snakes.  Now I don't want to go swimming with any kind of snake and I'm not going to pick them up and play with them.  But snakes can be good and are an important part of our eco system. Local Eatonton Messenger Columnist, Bobby Peoples wrote a great article that I think might clear up some common misconceptions about snakes around the lake.  It's a great read.  I wish it had the photos that were published in the 2014 Lake Country Boating magagzine, but if you'd like a copy please feel free to stop by our office and pick one up. The times y... 05/28/2014

Acreage tracts left undivided are a rare find on Lake Sinclair. But Lane Realty just listed one and it offers lots of privacy and the home is delightful.  It's a log siding home with a wonderful floor plan, detached 2 car garage and in-ground pool.  It has a wonderful panoramic view with over 200 feet of shoreline.  You'll find 4 roomy bedrooms 2.5 baths, and besides the wonderful view there is deep water right off the dock.  This home is truly wonderful and if you've been searching for some privacy on Lake Sinclair, this may be the home for you.  Call us today for an easy appointment to view this wonderful home. $485,000. 706-485-9668   05/26/2014

There's good news and okay news for the Lake Sinclair April 2014 Market Report.   Well we are still down from 48 single family homes sold between January and April of 2013 to only 38 sold in the same period this year.  Again, I blame the sluggish sales we had in the winter months on the weather.  Lots of people who wanted to look in January and February post-poned their visits to view properties due to snow and ice in those months.  The good news is that I think at the current pace we'll catch up the total numbers we hit last year. There were 13 closed in April and currently 17 pending and 8 closed so far in May.  So the numbers are getting better. At the current rate we have 25 months of inventory which is way better than the 33 months of inventory at the pace in March. Price, this is ... 05/21/2014

Whew!  What a busy day I've had.  First thing this morning I was printing out an addendum for an offer to take to a buyer to sign.  I was taking it to the buyer, because I'm also listing their current home and needed to take photographs. Got that done and had just started to put the listing into the MLS when I got a phone call. The call was from a local alarm company and a past client had the fire alarm going off in his home.  They were unable to reach his home phone or his cell phone and I'm next in line for a contact number.  I grabbed the key to his house that I've been entrusted with and headed over. It was about a 12 minute drive. I only exceeded the speed limit a little on my way over there. When I arrived there was no visible signs of fire, no smoke or anything out of the ordinar... 05/14/2014

I'm very partial to this neighborhood... I live there.  I know my neighbors, we have a honor system farmers market in the summer for wonderful fresh vegetables, traffic slows down while I walk my dogs in the evenings, I get to hear crickets and frogs and I get to enjoy the occassional deer wandering around in my yard.  It's also a very convenient location with a 15 minute drive to Eatonton or Milledgeville.  This home has been updated and is absolutely beautiful. It has a nice level lots, a detached two car garage, a great boathouse with lift, a screened porch facing the water and a kitchen that will make you want to cook.  Check out more of this beautiful home and then call me to take a closer look in person.   05/08/2014

I read a great article on technology changing the role of agents... and I want buyers to know that I accept this new role because it certainly is different than when I started in this business.  It used to be that buyers would contact us and we'd bring them into the office and sit down and go through the available homes in the MLS book.   That's right boys and girls, back in the day we had a printed book that each agent got once a month and then we got weekly "updates" of new listings and those that had gone under contract.  We'd sit down and look with buyers at the ONE photo in the book and choose homes to view.  I hadn't thought about that process in long long time. In the mid 90s our MLS went "on line" and we could put a whopping 4 photos in the listing.  And joy of joys they were in... 04/29/2014

It's that time of year.  With summer just around the corner the campgrounds and parks will be opening.  Lots of national forest lands around these parts and some great camp grounds and hiking trails. I grew up on Little River on the West side of Lake Sinclair and the land across the water from my parents house is part of the Oconee National Forest.  I can go and sit on their screened in porch today and still look across the water into woods.  It's likely to stay that way.  While I cannot guarantee the National Forest will continue to grow, I am happy to see it expanding and not shrinking. Two years ago an addition added nearly 1,000 additional acres.  It now exceeds 117,000 acres. I love nature and I always liked that I wasn't looking across the water at more homes on the other side wit... 04/27/2014

Sigh!  You would think in the 6 years since FEMA mapped my county we would have most of the "issues" about it worked out.  That's not the case.  Recently we had buyers walk away because flood insurance was going to cost them an additional $78,000 in payments over the life of their loan. I completely understood.  It was sad for me the costs the buyers had involved in coming to this conclusion.   I highly recommend that sellers take care of Letter of Map Amendments if needed at the time we list the home.  It's easy enough for a home owner to go the zoning office and get a copy of their plotted map and parcel and see if their dwelling shows as being in the flood plain or not.  It costs just $1.00.  If it is shown on the aerial photos as being in the flood plain, then your next call should ... 03/17/2014

  If you are 16 years of age and older you must have a current fishing license in your possession while fishing in fresh or sea salt water in Georgia.  And these days purchase can be made right online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  GoFishGeorgia.com  There are also several places you can purchase them in person in Putnam County. In Lake Sinclair you can catch Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth bass, Spotted bass, Shoal Bass, White bass, Hybrid white-striped bass, Channel catfish, Flathead catfish, Black crappie, Sunfish redear, Sunfish redbreast, and Sunfish, bluegill.  There are daily limits on most fish and that information can also be found on the GoFishGeorgia site.  Fishing is relaxing for some and sport for others.  I personally like to just order fish when I eat out.  The whole cleanin... 02/27/2014

There are four types of ownership on Lake Sinclair and a couple of years ago I wrote a very brief explanation of all of them, but I'd like to expand on strip lease lots a little more. A strip lease lot has two separate types of ownership on the same lot.  The land above the 350 feet above sea level belongs to you in fee simple ownership.  The land between 350 feet above sea level and the shore line of Lake Sinclair, which is 340 feet above sea level belongs to Georgia Power and you pay a lease fee.  A "strip lease" has no part of your dwelling below the 350 contour on the lot.  You pay $100 annually to lease this portion of your lot.  You have to have permission to cut trees over six inches in diameter on this portion of your lot and no building is permitted on Georgia Power's property ... 02/25/2014