JUST SOLD!! 3BR/3BA home in Young Harris, GA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9fNscYv2vE

This gorgeous home in a sweet, little neighborhood in Young Harris, GA closed July 30, 2013 for $165,000!!! It was a cash sale and a quick closing. WHAT A DEAL!!! Watch the video if you want to see all the features for this price!
IT IS STILL THE BEST TIME TO BUY!!! Prices on the rise is about national averages which are FORECLOSURES - this means the typical seller has A PRICE JUST AS GOOD AS FORECLOSURES! ONLY BETTER because this is a General Warranty Deed not a deed under power or limited warranty deed! And you get a property disclosure (accountability and clear information) from a seller, not a bank - because the bank has never even been to the house! This home was not being used by the parents or the children so they were ready to let it go.
If you're thinking of buying in the North Georgia Mountains or SW North Carolina - give me a call - I will find you a deal.
If you're already here and thinking of leaving - no one will market your home better than I will! Give me a call for a no obligation interview!

699 McRidge Road Hiawassee GA

Schedule a Showing/Request Info Hiawassee, GA Homes for Sale Search All Homes For Sale Young Harris, GA Homes for Sale Blairsville, GA Homes for Sale Hayesville, NC Homes for Sale Warne, NC Homes for Sale Free List of Foreclosed Homes For Sale Mary Lynn Durfee Coldwell Banker High Country Realty 706-835-7616 Questions? Schedule a Showing! MLS#: 223932 Information valid for the date of this posting only. Please contact us for the most current information and status of this property.

699 McRidge Road Hiawassee, GA Scan with your smartphone & take me with you. Description Features Photos Maps & Local Schools Close to town well-maintained 3BR/3BA ++++ home! $ Click for current price 3 BEDROOMS 3 BATHROOMS (3 full) UPDATED PERFECT PEACEFUL 3-4BR/3BA HOME w/garage, office, crawl space storage, huge deck, carport, circular driveway on 100% usable yard. Home on main level has living room w/fireplace, kitchen, dining room, pantry, 2BRs and 2BAs, sun room, screened room, decks - to take in the views with privacy! Terrace level has kitchen, 1 lg bedroom, 1 small bedroom/office, big den, full bath, laundry room, storage, and extra space, patio, huge enclosed room for work/craft shop. Detached garage comes with an office an d crawl space for lawn equip. 3 car carport. Beautiful lot, close to town and Lake Chatuge and everything else, but quiet small neighborhood. Views become panoramic (some lake) in fall & winter. MOTIVATED! BRING OFFER!! L2L

Office Phone Number: 706-896-3132

Housing and Economic Forecast Brightens

http://rismedia.com/rrein/8617/91376/4582391/37053

Housing and Economic Forecast Brightens

RISMEDIA, Thursday, May 24, 2012— Positive underlying economic factors are helping relieve a pent-up housing demand, according to a presentation at a residential real estate forum at last week’s REALTORS® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. National Association of Realtors® Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says there are many improving factors that are helping home sales. "Historically high housing affordability conditions, ongoing job creation, a solid stock market recovery, rising rents, a larger pool of qualified renters, a pent-up demand and improving confidence are drawing buyers to the market," he says. "Smart money, largely from investors responding to low home prices and rising rents, is chasing real estate, and we could see a potential surge once the broad perception of homeownership changes to that of an appreciating asset," Yun says. "We just finished the strongest first quarter for home sales in five years, pending contracts are pointing to a strong second quarter, and the favorable conditions are helping the economy recover from an unusual slowdown in household formation in recent years with more young people now leaving their parents' homes." Despite a minor gain in total home sales last year, owner-occupied sales fell. "A recovery in investment- and vacation-home sales and a high proportion of all-cash deals are hiding the current dysfunctional mortgage market," Yun says. "Tight mortgage credit is holding back a stronger recovery. Banks are hoarding cash, possibly from regulatory uncertainties and lawsuits." Home sales had been basically flat from 2008 through 2011. Yun forecasts 4.6 to 4.7 million existing-home sales in 2012, up strongly from 4.26 million last year, and additional improvement in 2013 with sales rising to the range of 4.7 to 4.8 million. Mortgage interest rates are projected to rise gradually and then average 4.9 percent in 2013 -- still historically favorable. "The pressure of rising rents on consumer inflation could force the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in 2014, which might be good for home sales. Refinancing would fall and bank staff would be able to focus more on mortgage origination for home purchases," Yun says. Inflation currently remains under control with the Consumer Price Index rising about 2.4 percent this year and 2.8 percent in 2013. Yun expects the Gross Domestic Product to grow 2.4 percent this year and 3.1 percent in 2013, adding 2.2 million jobs this year and 2.5 million in 2013. Housing starts, which have been well below the long-term average of about 1.5 million, are expected to rise to 770,000 this year from 610,000 in 2011, and to continue growing to 970,000 in 2013. New-home sales are seen at 400,000 this year, up from a record low 306,000 in 2011, and rising to 530,000 in 2013. "With a growing population, we could see housing shortages in 2014 or 2015 if builders don't increase production," Yun said. A sustained decline in housing inventory -- both for listed homes and "shadow inventory" of those with seriously delinquent mortgages -- is the biggest factor affecting home prices, with broadly balanced conditions developing in much of the country. Yun says the median existing-home price is likely to improve modestly this year, rising just over 1 percent, with a gain of about 3 percent forecast for 2013. Yun's forecast assumes no adverse Washington policy or tax changes affecting homeownership. He adds there would be significant economic fallout if there is no new budget compromise by the end of the year. Raven Molloy, Senior Economist at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., offers her personal assessment on one residential trend. "Internal migration in the United States is at a 30-year low, and has been declining since the 1980s," she says. "The widespread nature of the decrease suggests that the drop in mobility is not related to demographics, income, employment, labor-force participation, or homeownership." Most short-distance moves are housing related, such as needing a larger home, while most long-distance moves are job related. Younger households move more frequently. Her research shows the downtrend in mobility has been a fairly steady trend over time, with no sharp drops coinciding with the housing market downturn or economic recession. Although renters move much more frequently than homeowners, the aging of the population may be a factor in the general slowdown. Molloy notes that migration out of states with many underwater homeowners has not fallen more than in other states. However, other research shows that local moves are lower for underwater homeowners. Migration within the U.S. remains higher than it is within most other developed countries. Molloy says the link between migration and macroeconomic performance has received relatively little attention. "High levels of migration may reduce commitment to the provision of local public goods or corrode social ties in other ways, in which case lower mobility might raise aggregate well-being and possibly economic output. This is an important topic for future research." Earlier NAR research found homeownership helps to foster stable communities and economic well-being. For more information, visit www.realtor.org.

Eddie Murphy needs a new home!

Eddie Murphy, you are cordially invited to move the mountains just north of Atlanta! We love humor here! Call me today and we'll get you a nice quiet place in the mountains, but not that far from all the action in Atlanta!

Comedian Murphy's Estate on Brink of Sale

By Joan Verdon

RISMEDIA, Friday, May 18, 2012— (MCT)—“Bubble Hill” — the former Englewood home of comedian and movie star Eddie Murphy that has languished on the market since 2004 — may finally have a buyer. click the link below for the whole article...

http://rismedia.com/rrein/8563/91376/4582391/36837

Builder Confidence Rises Five Points in May

http://rismedia.com/rrein/8563/91376/4582391/36851

Builder Confidence Rises Five Points in May

RISMEDIA, Friday, May 18, 2012— Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes gained five points in May from a downwardly revised reading in the previous month to reach a level of 29 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released today. This is the index’s strongest reading since May of 2007. “Builders in many markets are reporting that buyer traffic and sales have picked back up after a pause this April,” says Barry Rutenberg, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Gainesville, Fla. “It seems we have resumed the gradual upward trend in confidence that started at the beginning of this year, as stabilizing prices and excellent affordability encourage more people to pursue a new-home purchase.” “While home building still has quite a way to go toward a fully healthy market, the fact that the HMI has returned to trend is an excellent sign that firming home values, improving employment and low mortgage rates are drawing consumers back,” says NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “The pace of this emerging recovery could be stronger were it not for the significant impediments that the market continues to face with regard to builder and consumer access to credit, inaccurate appraisals, and more recently, rising materials prices.” Derived from a monthly survey that NAHB has been conducting for 25 years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months as “good,” “fair” or “poor.” The survey also asks builders to rate traffic of prospective buyers as “high to very high,” “average” or “low to very low.” Scores from each component are then used to calculate a seasonally adjusted index where any number over 50 indicates that more builders view conditions as good than poor. Each of the index’s components rebounded from declines in the previous month. The component gauging current sales conditions and the component gauging traffic of prospective buyers each rose five points in May to 30 and 23, respectively, with the traffic component hitting its highest level since April of 2007. The component gauging sales expectations in the next six months rose three points to 34. Three out of four regions registered improving builder sentiment in May. This included a six-point gain to 32 in the Northeast, and five-point gains to 27 and 28 in the Midwest and South, respectively. The West posted a two-point decline, to 29.

Waiting to sell for prices to raise? Could be a long wait...

Why U.S. House Prices Won't Recover 

By JACK HOUGH

When will U.S. house prices recover? Likely never. But that's no reason not to buy.

Read full article below from Wall Street Journal "Smart Money"

http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/real-estate/why-us-house-prices-wont-recover-1335877657114/?mg=com-sm

Sellers missed a good selling winter! Buyers bought!

No matter how many times I have told certain Sellers that winter is a good time to be on the market - they are stuck in the belief that "season" is a better time and they hold off and wait.  I also tell the Sellers that inventory is down in the winter (because other sellers drink the same cool-aid and keep their homes off the market) and that helps the Sellers who listen stand out.

Finally, the media is catching on to what I've been saying for the past three winters! Sellers who didn't listen have already missed out. Is it the blonde hair or what? I really do know my market and what I'm talking about. :)

Here's the reason for more sales in the winter: Buyers think it's "off-season" so they are buying in the winter. When in fact, it's the other way around now and the inventory is less.

I'm sorry you missed out! I told you so!

But, no worries - it is still SUPER BUSY! Working on 3 contracts this week!!! And many showings coming up.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!!!

It's finally here! Beautiful day in Hiawassee, Georgia and surrounding areas! May it be a wonderful year for you and yours! I plan on it!!!

Florida is the only state without snow in this country right now (the lower 48). Being from South Florida, there was an artist "Christo" that put pink vinyl around the islands scattered throughout the Keys and it was beautiful. Here, nature does the same display without any hazard to the environment. Some people want to purchase lake front where the lake levels don't change. I think that's like living in a place without seasons. In the winter, when the lake is lowered a little bit, you get these spectacular scenes of white islands, you can see the animals come take a drink. It was still snowing a little bit, but most of the roads are clear. Love it!