Coweta Fayette Real Estate & Newnan Homes for sale blog by Richard Weisser of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers

Life is full of decisions. And there are two ways to approach the decision making process.

One option is to throw caution to the wind and plunge headfirst and willy-nilly into the dilemma and accept any consequences that might result.

The other is to first gather all of the information that you need, then carefully parse it, then analyze it, and finally come to a conclusion based on facts rather than chance.

And while sometimes it’s fun and spontaneous to venture into the unknown, it is probably not the best long-term practice for a successful business.

Because taking just one wrong turn might take you to “the end of the line!”

Real estate is not for the timid or faint of heart. Every aspect of the business involves a deadline of one kind of another.

Listings have a deadline. Contracts have many deadlines, for inspections, financing, appraisal, resolution, closing and others. Not to mention limited time frames for rate “lock-ins” or sale of property contingencies.  It is always a race against the clock.

In addition to all of the internal drop dead dates that are always pressing us forward, we also have to deal with external deadlines, such as the April 30^th expiration of the $8000 first-time homebuyer tax credit.

All of these ticking clocks can easily merge and transmute into one giant pressure cooker, and the stress can be intense. It takes steady nerves and a calm demeanor to rationally defuse a potential blow-up.

Life on the edge of the precipice can be both exhilarating and exasperating, but it’s all part of the real estate business.

And there’s no way to avoid it!

I have some good friends that spent a long weekend in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At some point, they decided that it would be nice to experience the park up close and personal with a hike to the very popular Abrams Falls in the Cades Cover area of the park.

It’s two and a half miles from the trailhead to the falls, and of course it’s exactly the same distance back to the parking area. And the trail is considered “moderate,” with some elevation changes, and the typical roots and rocks that you have to step over on mountain trails.

Many people that are unfamiliar with hiking mountain trails do not realize how long it can take to walk a mile, and that a five mile trip can be quite strenuous. Many fail to carry drinking water and blister patches and other hiking necessities.

And once you are two and a half miles from the car, there is no way back other than to retrace your steps and to keep your now exhausted body moving. The last mile is always the longest!

Preparation and proper dress are key to enjoying the park in the more remote areas. Dressing appropriately, having good hiking boots and adequate provisions will make the experience enjoyable instead of painful!

I know that next time, my friends will be better prepared. And I hope that their blisters heal soon!

Photos: Abrams Falls in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park courtesy of SmokyPhotos.com.

I mean REALLY! For whatever reason, all of our financial systems run on a monthly cyclical basis, and when there are fewer days in the month, we get less time for our money.

Our mortgages, utility bills, and now ALL credit cards (effective today) are due on the same day each month. And if that month happens to have only twenty-eight days, so be it.

Somewhere out there someone is making BILLIONS of dollars on this bizarre anomaly of the calendar. And it’s not like we don’t have enough months with a day to spare.

Of course, some people with birthdays on the 31^st of the month might lose out if their day was taken and applied to February! But there are a lot of “leap year babies” out there now and they seem to deal with it somehow!

And although I offer this article with tongue firmly implanted in cheek, that doesn’t change this simple fact:

I hate short months!

It’s probably a side-effect of the unseasonably cold weather here in Newnan, Georgia, but it feels like I have been spending an abnormally large amount of time staring at the LCD on my laptop.

But today, the spring-like weather is beckoning me to emerge from hibernation and to get outside and have a look. There’s a whole world out there waiting to emerge from the doldrums of torpor and to get out and discover new and exciting things.

It’s amazing how our internal body clocks and basic animal instincts take over, and refusal to give in to the primeval urges are pointless and futile. Nature calls us out to continue the eternal quest for survival of both ourselves individually and the species as a whole.

But I guess we don’t need to understand the scientific reasons WHY a beautiful day rejuvenates our spirits and replenishes our soul.

We just need to enjoy it!

It reached 60 degrees on a beautiful day in Newnan Georgia today. After all, this is supposed to be the sunny south!

Tomorrow we are expected to hit 67 degrees, but after that we will gradually return back to unseasonably cool weather, as Thursday’s HIGH temperature is predicted to only achieve the 35 degree mark!

This has been the coldest winter that I can recall since I moved to Georgia in 1973. We have experienced floods and heavy snowfall when typically we would be playing golf or working in the winter garden.

So I’ll enjoy the warm day tomorrow and will try to get going with some outside chores around the house. It’s something that I’m actually looking forward to doing!

Atlanta, like many other cities in the United States, has a perimeter highway that circles the metro area.

I-285 has long been used both as a traffic conduit and as a line of demarcation for real estate location, as a property is designated as either being “inside” or “outside” the perimeter.

Today, I will get to experience the loop in its entirety, as commitments will compel me to circumnavigate the entire sixty-four mile loop and soak up as much of the Atlanta traffic mania that I can.

It’s kind of strange to drive that far to get back to where you started. After all, we use the expression “I’m going around in circles” quite a bit in real estate today.

Bur rarely do we do it by design!

I have a very bad habit. I tend to preface a lot of my statements with the phrase: “You’re not going to believe this, but,” even though I have been admonished many times not to do so.

After all, if I don’t think that the listener is going to believe me I am either challenging my own veracity or indicating that I doubt their ability to comprehend what I am saying. Either way it doesn’t add to or embellish the message that I am attempting to deliver.

Another commonly misused inquiry is: “Do you have a minute?” We all know that the conversation that is about to ensue will be much longer than a minute. As a matter of fact, these dialogs typically only end with something like: "I have an appointment that I need to get to!”

Last but not least, is the question “What do you know about ______________?” This is not a scientific study about your level of genius, but is going to result in a plea for assistance on some problem that has already progressed beyond the event horizon of recovery. You’d better check your watch and your calendar before you answer that question.

And now, “you’re not going to believe this , but if you have a minute I need to ask what do you know about,,,,”

The elimination of the regulation that required investors to hold on to a property for at least 90 days before an FHA insured mortgage could be used for a future purchase has resulted in significantly more activity in the under $100,000 price range in Coweta County Georgia.

As a result, the supply of homes that appeal the most to first-time buyers seeking to cash in of the $8000 tax credit has dwindled to a scant few.

But all property owners will ultimately benefit as the investors refurbish these home for profit and improve the comparable sales values for the neighborhood.

As more money in infused into the communities with the highest numbers of foreclosures, the net result will revitalize the area and stabilize prices.

It’s private sector capitalism its finest. And it works.

I have always been an independent free thinker. I prefer figuring out things on my own to attending a class or engaging the assistance of others.

This self-generated capacity of semi-enlightened vision has always left me at odds with the powers that be. I have been branded as nonconformist, or a renegade.

But I think that often creativity is squelched by control parameters and excessive oversight. In many cases, “rocking the boat” is considered counter-productive.

However, the newest success stories in business are those companies that embrace creativity and encourage new ideas. The competitive edge is razor thin and sometimes it takes a new outlook to propel an enterprise to the next level.

I wonder how many life-enriching ideas have been relegated to the recycle bin due to short-sighted management practices and rigid guidelines.

Goodness only know what we have lost.

There something special about a quadrennial event. There’s the constant aura of “it’s now or never” that drives participants to their highest level of performance. After all, four years is a relatively long time in a young person’s life.

What is even more interesting is the overall change in technology that coincides with these cyclical events. During the last Winter Games in Italy, the fabric of the World Wide Web was woven quite differently. Static web pages were the norm, and Facebook was not yet open to everyone and Twitter did not even exist.

Social networking was in its infancy in 2006 and no one would have predicted how in the four years from Torino to Vancouver the world would become connected on a very personal level.

While technology changes from year to year, every four years yields a paradigm shift in both the appliances that we use and the software that powers them. Laptops got bigger and bigger and now smaller and smaller. Our handheld devices have incredible power that not even Chester Gould could have imagined.

I can’t wait to see how everything changes by the time the Winter Games are held in Sochi  in 2014.

I’ll bet it will be incredible!

I heard an interesting item yesterday on the news. The reporter stated that for the first time since records have been kept, that there was at least some snow on the ground somewhere in 49 of the 50 United States! Hawaii was the only exception.

And although most of us are weary of winter weather stories and are ready for warmer temperatures, that really is an amazing declaration. Even Florida had some snow on the ground in it’s northern region.

I’m not suggesting that we are in the midst of a mini ice-age but even the most cynical observer would have to admit that this has been one crazy winter.

On the bright side, I’ve reloaded a new arsenal of snow photos. I’m thinking that I may hold on to some of them until July.

Because quite a few of us have seen enough for one year!

While touring the countryside looking for the perfect “snow” photo yesterday, we happened across an unfortunate motorist who had slid off the road into  a deep drainage depression.

It was a miracle the car did not flip over, as the drop from the road was significant. But luckily, all four wheels were still on the ground.

The driver, although very badly shaken, was unharmed. And the car was not damaged. The only real problem was getting the car back on the road!

I guess we could have called a wrecker, but several passers-by had stopped, and we instinctively got behind the car, instructed the driver to gently tough the accelerator, and we all pushed together and moved the car forward through the ditch until we came to a cross street.

No one said much during the rescue effort, other that ‘push” but by working together as a team we made a tough job easy, and the relieved driver was on her way!

It’s amazing what can be accomplished when individuals unite together for a common purpose.

And when the job is done, it feels pretty good!

As predicted, a snow squall blasted through the southern metro Atlanta region this afternoon, dropping from 2-5 inches of snow.

And while that may seem paltry, especially in those areas that have seen several feet of snow accumulation, keep in mind that we don’t have snowplows or other snow removal equipment. So we pretty much have to wait until it melts.

As temperatures drop into the 20’s tonight, the unsalted streets will glaze over with ice. And that always creates treacherous driving conditions.

But clean, white snow is beautiful, and although we only see it on rare occasions, it is a nice change of scenery. And it always reminds me of the days of my youth north of the Mason-Dixon Line!

But now I’m ready for spring!

The opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games will commence tonight, Friday February 12, 2010 in Vancouver.

And while many consider the Olympic Games to be a passing spectacle, those of us that have experienced the thrill of living and working in a host city during the international celebration of sport will always enjoy a kindred spirit with those that have shared the experience.

Some of the cities are well known names like Rome, Berlin and Los Angeles. Others would be unheard of were it not for the Olympics, such as Lake Placid, Grenoble and Sapporo.

When you invite the entire world to your city, things are bound to change. Atlanta experienced an economic boom and explosive growth for years after the event.

The Olympics changed Atlanta forever. The legacy of the games is visible everywhere from Turner Field (formerly Olympic Stadium) to dormitories at Georgia State and Georgia Tech. (formerly the Olympic village.)

So today, I welcome our sister city Vancouver to the ranks of Olympic host, and I look forward to seeing some incredible competition that will be forever associated with your city

Let the games begin!

The real estate market in Newnan and Coweta County Georgia is friendly to buyers seeking to take the plunge on a home purchase.

Since Coweta County enjoys a good inventory of market priced properties combined with low interest rates, there has never been a better time to buy in the I-85 corridor. And since it’s an easy drive to the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Downtown Atlanta, commuters find Coweta County strikes a great balance between affordability and convenience.

And for those that prefer experience a “close-to-home” lifestyle, Newnan offers great shopping, excellent restaurants, and a multitude of parks and other recreational diversions!

If you haven’t been to Newnan lately, why not plan a trip here soon!

It’s a great place to live!

While the weather quote is often attributed to Mark Twain, it does not appear in any of his writings. And while it is true that we cannot do anything about the weather other than prepare for it, we sure do like to talk about it.

I was in Atlanta in 1982 when the worst winter storm on record paralyzed the citiy. Thousands of automobiles were abandoned on the expressway and many homes were without electricity for days.

The aftermath of that event which occurred twenty-eight years ago continues to this day as a general public panic ensues upon the mere mention of the “S” word! When the suggestion arises that much of the frenzy is exaggerated, the likely response is something along the lines of “I was here in 1982!”

I am quite certain that the legend of the 2010 Mid-Atlantic snowfalls will endure for decades. Those that are enduring the brutal blasts of Mother Nature will now have a new benchmark for weather conversation.

And all of them will be entitled to pooh-pooh subsequent tempests as mere blips on the weather radar of time as they proudly declare”

“This storm is nothing. I was here in 2010!”

Well, it looks like Mr. Murphy has struck again. While the Mid-Atlantic states are being bombarded with snow at record depths, the venues for the 2010 Olympic Games are experiencing unseasonably mild weather.

As a matter of fact, it’s so warm in Vancouver, British Columbia, that it is not even possible to make snow. Snow is being brought in by the truckload and is turning into a slushy mess.

Some events may have to be postponed or moved. It is a cause of great concern for event organizers and participants.

It’s just another one of those ironic twists of that reminds us to depend on nothing, and to be prepared to make alternate plans when things go awry. 

Because until we are able to control the weather, we just have to learn to deal with it!

In our market, there are many homes that have been for sale for over a year, As a matter of fact, there are quite a few that have been for sale for over two years, and when your product is in a declining market, it is essential to know how your property is affected.

There is an old real estate adage that states that there is only one reason a property will not sell, and that of course is PRICE! And if your home has not sold in nearly 700 days, it is time to examine the market again and make any necessary adjustments.

Real estate is a commodity, and price is governed not only by the laws of supply and demand, but also by the availability of ready financing. Even if a seller successfully “chases” the market and gets an above average offer, the deal is often thwarted by a less than generous appraisal.

All serious sellers should get a new CMA every thirty days and make the necessary adjustments. A correctly priced property will sell.

And that’s the bottom line.

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770-683-3100

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