June 2004 Archived Columns
6/26/2004
It’s been rainy all week, although it’s sunny today (Saturday) and the forecast says no rain. Temperatures have been pretty low compared to normal, but most folks are probably glad to see a little sun.
I doubt that the blackberries have ripened much this week, but if you do happen to luck into some, you can get the famous margarita recipe from last week’s column (on the archive button).
A lot of people have asked me what I think our market is doing, so here are my thoughts at this point in the year. We had a great first quarter, company record, and I think most real estate companies in the area had the same result. With the rain for the past couple of weeks, activity has slowed down some, which is also normal for this time of year. We sell the most property in the fall, and usually summer is slower than spring. With the mortgage rates edging up and rumblings from the fed about raising rates before the elections, I think there is some concern out there about where the mortgage rates may go. I think it’s helping our sales at the moment, because with the rates seemingly poised to go higher, some people are getting off the fence. Their thinking seems to be, “Well, it doesn’t look like they’re going to go any lower, and they probably will go higher, so maybe it’s time to buy.” In the longer run, if rates go up significantly, it may impact our fall selling season negatively.
The most tangible result I’ve noticed in the past few weeks is that there seem to be some good listings coming on the market that aren’t being snapped up immediately, as they would have been a month or so ago. I think I’ve also noticed a little downward pressure on prices lately, at least in terms of what’s been coming on the market.
What it all means to me is that there probably are some bargains out there at this point. I don’t know whether that will continue into the fall, but my guess is that we have a little window of opportunity at this point for bargain hunters. Normally, that disappears as our fall season gets started. In a normal year, we sell just about everything that’s any good September-October, and spend the next few months trying to build up our inventory.
There isn’t a lot in terms of hard news to report, except that we may be having some very juicy small town scandals hit in the next week or so, just in time for the big weekend. We won’t report on those – we’re too high-minded – unless they turn out to be too rich to leave alone, of course.
Hope you’re making plans to come up for the 4th!
6/18/2004
We’ve had some pretty nice showers in the afternoons, but not much in the way of thunderstorms. It’s been a little warmer and a little wetter than typical, at least according to me. The outlook for the weekend looks pretty decent, allowing for a few showers.I’ve seen the first few ripe blackberries, in spots that get good sun. I suspect it will be another week or so before they will be ripe in picking quantities. Just in case, here’s the famous recipe. I hear it’s great, although we’ve never tested it ourselves, of course.
2 cups berries
2 cups ice cubes
½ cup fresh lime juice
¾ cup white tequila
¼ cup sugarBuzz the berries in the blender. Strain the seeds, if you care about these things. Add the other ingredients. Either buzz it again or serve it on the rocks. It may not be very cold, so you may want to refrigerate the mixture for a bit. Enjoy!
Our turkey broods seem to be a week or two old at this point. One of my neighbors, who was able to keep track of a particular brood on his land, reports that they were able to fly up into a tree at the age of one week. Last Monday, my dog and I were treated to a brilliant interpretation of the old “broken wing routine,” courtesy of a hen who felt my dog was a little too close to her clicks. She burst out of the undergrowth about four feet from us, clucking and putting like crazy. Then she dragged her “broken” wing in a complete circle around the poor dog, who was desperately trying to break her leash. After that, she went crashing back into the undergrowth, down the hill and far away. It was quite a performance, the first one I’ve seen in about ten years.
Back on June 5, National Trails Day, the Benton McKaye people dedicated an 85-mile extension of the trail into Tennessee. There’s about 93 miles existing in Georgia, beginning at Springer Mountain and ending on Hwy 64 in the Ocoee Gorge. Eventually, it will go from there up into the Nantahalas, cross the AT in the Great Smoky Mountains Park, and traverse the southern section of the park before completing a double loop at Davenport Gap. For those of you who are trail enthusiasts, the great thing about the Benton McKaye is that it’s still being built, and anyone who is willing to work can participate in the trail building. It isn’t often these days that you get an opportunity to cut a new hiking trail. That’s www.bmta.org (Benton McKaye Trail Association).
That’s about the news! Hope to see you in town.
6/11/2004
We had a pretty good rain early in the week. That was good, but it shut down the haying, which was just getting started for the year. It’s been cloudy on and off, with occasional small localized thunderstorms in the afternoon, but temperatures have been pretty high nonetheless. It feels like summer in the mountains.Cynthia and I have been swimming several times, and the water is still cool enough to be refreshing. For my money, the best place to swim is at Morganton Point. Go into Morganton from the four-lane on Hwy 60 S, and when the road begins to curve around to the Post Office, go straight, past the famous Bradburn Grocery and Sporting Goods store. Immediately past the store, turn right, and go to the end. There are changing facilities, outdoor showers, restrooms, and a boat launch, along with the adjacent Forest Service campground and picnic area. There is a $3 per car use fee, which can be greatly reduced by buying a seasonal pass at the Forest Service, just a little east and across the four-lane from the Ingles. It’s good at most of the Forest Service parking areas hereabouts, and they’ve just moved to a calendar year system for permits, so you now get a full year for $30 or $35 (depending on whether you want one or two cars).
The seventeen-year locust/cicada phenomenon seems to be almost over. At its peak, it was quite an experience. We didn’t have them on our property, but many places in the county were awash in the little wild-eyed critters. We’ve still got the annual katydids to look forward to, but we don’t see those until later in the year, and many people have never actually seen them, because they’re arboreal. That’s entomologist for “up a tree.”
I assume that everyone needs to know that the Wal-Mart in Ellijay is having a lobster sale, and that I got some good white corn at Blue Ridge Produce, 632.6930, the new produce business on East 1st. That’s the old highway, above downtown to the south/east. If you’re coming into Blue Ridge on the four-lane from Atlanta, you turn right at the first light (June Walker Chevrolet) and just continue along until you see the shop on the left. They even got it out of the cooler for me. I continue to be impressed with the new butcher shop in Morganton, Enchanted Mountain Trout & Meats, 374.5971. I’ve gotten good farm raised trout and custom cut steaks/chops there. It’s across from the post office, Thursday-Sunday only (see the directions to the beach above, but continue another block on Hwy 60 S rather than turning at Bradburn’s). This is not paid advertising, folks.
I’ve been remiss in not mentioning Picking in the Park, which is happening in Horseshoe Bend Park every Thursday from 6 PM to dusk. It’s mostly devoted to old-time and bluegrass, with some of the atmosphere of the old bluegrass festivals. The newspaper reported that as many as 300 people have attended, with up to fifty or so musicians. It’s rain or shine. To reach Horseshoe Bend Park, go all the way on Hwy 5 north, cross the river, and turn right on Hwy 60 S. Just before you cross the tracks, turn right on River Road. www.pickinginthepark.com.
That’s the news. Hope to see you in town.
6/4/2004
Well, I've been doing something a real estate agent is forbidden under any circumstances to do, which is take a few days off. I was out of town for the weekend, but I understand that we got considerable rain. According to the sheriff's report I read, the extent of the wind damage was a few downed trees. There's no damage in our neighborhood.It seems the seventeen year locust phenomenon is winding down. We didn't have them on our property, but I've heard a few people complain about damage to trees.
The best local news in a while is that the TVA has approved the "preferred alternative," which will result in a later winter drawdown (starting Labor Day rather than August 1). Also, they have committed to a higher winter lake level. While this isn't everything that we could have desired it is a very big step in the right direction from an agency not known for being willing to change the way they've always done things. From a real estate point of view, there should be a positive effect on property values.
Speaking of property values on the lake, the word on the street is that the county is reassessing every property on the lake. I've heard some ancedotal evidence of increases in assessments of over 250%. It's no secret that our assessments have been low - the state has been on our case about it for years - but the locusts may not be entirely responsible for that screaming noise you hear out on the lake.
It was pretty well agreed that Arts in the Park was a castrophe this year. The Arts Association moved the festival from the downtown park to Tom Boyd Park, out Hwy 5 next to the landfill, because fees to the city were eating up the profits. However, there are reportedly 200 parking spaces out there, and the alternative transportation arrangements were one MATS van and one conventional van. Expected attendance was 20,000. You do the math.
If you haven't been up for a while, it feels like summer. Time to take a swim in the lake, maybe have a cookout or two. If you're out toward the Morganton Point, you might check out the new butcher shop in Morganton. It's open weekends only, and they're cutting steaks to order and selling some pretty good farm raised trout. I've also heard good reports on his pork. I've tried a sample of his applewood smoked ribs, and in all honesty, they were pretty good. In fact, they were almost as good as mine. 706.374.2934.
Hope to see you in town!
