Holiday Wishes

We here at Mountain Aire Realty are very greatful for all of our customers and clients. We would like to take the time and say a heartwarm thankyou to each and every one of them. We wish the best of the holiday season to all. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

What are all those bugs????

I was sitting at my desk yesterday and looked out the window. There were all kinds of bugs flying around the yard and all over the back porch. Amazed, I told Brian to look out his window at all the bugs. We thought we were getting taken over by locusts! At first I thought it was carpenter bees flying around. I decided to go catch one of the bugs to see what it was. When I stepped on the porch, a bug flew by my head and I heard a constant buzz. I caught one of these bugs and found that it had a very colorful green back to it. I discovered then it was a June bug!

June Bugs are known in this area to be a trouble maker for gardeners. They fly into many things including windows and sides of houses during their flights because they fly so fast and are clumsy. They like to be out during days eating vegetables and fruit. After their busy flights during the day they return to their home in the ground. They also lay their eggs in the ground about 2 to 5 inches below the soil surface.

So next time you look out your window in the summer and see many bugs flying around, you can determine if they are June bugs!

Creek Front Cabin with awesome front yard

This property is very special. With lots of frontage on Fightingtown Creek, great for trout fishing, tubing, kayaking or just plain old cooling off in. A large front yard for entertaining, playing games and even room for a garden spot. Lots of decks overlook the yard and creek. Relax and enjoy the sounds of nature. The cabin has 3 bedrooms/2 baths and has been professionally decorated. Large windows in the living room offer great views of the back hill. Perfect for deer watching. This property has a great rental history check out VRBO if you are interested in renting this property for the weekend or longer. A great way to "test drive" before you buy. If you would like more information or pictures please go to our website. You can also watch a video on Utube.

Brian

Is It a Log Cabin?

The answer is "Probably not". Many folks who come up to our area to find a vacation or a full time home tell me that they are looking for a log cabin. Up here there are log cabins and then there are "log sided" cabins. There's a world of difference between them. A true log or full log cabin is constructed with whole logs of different shapes, D-Logs, C-Logs, and full round Logs and more. It has no framing in the outside walls and because of this, they are far more complicated to build construction wise.
The most common "log" cabin up here is a "log-sided" cabin. It is a frame built home with log siding as the exterior covering. A log sided home requires the same staining up keep as a true log home does.
What difference does it make? It depends on what you want. A true log home typically will be more expensive because of the logs and the construction complexities. You will need to research and decide what is best for you. Please call me at Mountain Aire and I'll be happy to discuss it with you.
OK, so how do you tell what you are looking at? Look at the corners. If the corner of the house is flat and straight on both sides, it's log sided. If the logs stick out on both sides as in the photos, it's a true log home. It is possible to fake full log corners but it is almost never done as it is not worth the expense.

WHAT IS THAT FUNNY LOOKING BOX? QR CODES

Ever see those funny looking boxes that look like bar scanners? Wondering what they are? Well they are called "QR" codes and you use with your smart phone. Some phones have a QR code reader built in if not you can always download a app for reading them (check your phone app world). When you use the QR code app, all you do is take of picture of the QR code and it automatically takes you to a website/video or what ever else the code they wanted you see. They are great for getting more information about products you are shopping for or ways for Realtors promoting their houses for sale as well, so you will see more and more QR codes on real estate advertising. You can make your own QR codes and add them to emails, show pictures, videos or other items that you have uploaded to a website such as www.YouTube.com or www.snapfish.com.

Go ahead try the two codes I have included and see what happens. I hope this has help answer your question as to what those funny looking boxes are. Don't be afraid to use them. They provide a world of knowledge (cyberworld that is).

Looking for homes in the North Georgia Mountains, go to our website and have a look for what is new in the market.

Brian

GARDEN SHOP OPENS IN BIG RED BARN

After four months of hard work The Mountain Ridge Garden Shop has opened, just in time for Spring,Summer. After four years, Penny Trentman and Sue Johnson moved there shop from South Main Street to the red barn at First and River Street in Ellijay. The space is much larger so they can expand there gardning product lines as business grows. Educational classes will be conducted on a variety of related subjects. Call or stop by for more information.

Lightening-how far away is it?

Well I am sitting here at work on a raining lightening filled morning. I big bolt of lightening lit up the morning sky and then a little while later the rumbling of thunder came waifing through. That got me to thinking "I wonder how far away that was?". Well I racked my brain and could not remember do you count to 3, 5 or 7 to figure out the distance and you know, I could not remember. So I went to Wikihow and found the following:
http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-the-Distance-from-Lightning
There method is to count the time from when you first see the lightening to when you first hear the thunder. Take that time and divide by 5. That should give you the rough estimate of how far the lightning is away. So for example if you see the lightening and then count 10 seconds before hearing the thunder that would put it about 2 miles away. Now if I can just remember the 5 I should be good to tell the distance.
I then got to wondering what should you do to avoid getting struck by lightning. Again I went to Widihow and found the following:
http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Getting-Hit-by-Lightning. Well I hope this has been interesting and helpful. I'm getting under my desk now as the storm is really kicking up. If you want to look at Real Estate I would not suggest driving around today, how about just going to our Mountain Aire Realty website, staying indoors and enjoying the warm dry confines of you house. See you on a sunnier day.

Brian

2010 NE GA Board of Realtors Awards Banquet

The NE GA Board of Realtors held their 21st Annual Awards Banquet Friday February 25, 2011. The highlight of the evening was Donna Mousa brought home three separate awards: Top Produce for entire Board, Top Producer for Glimmer County and Platinum Circle Of Excellence Award. In addition, Mountain Aire Realty also took home more hardware when Kirbi Smith and Scottie Flynn each where recognized with Bronze Circle of Excellence award plaques. We here are Mountain Aire Realty are so thrilled to have these three award winners as apart of our team. It goes to show that even though we are a small office people wise, we can produce amazing numbers. We invite everyone to stop by for a cup of coffee and talk to any of our agents with any of your real estate needs.

Spingtime???

Spring or Winter you decide!!!

Well I do believe that everyone is tired of snow, cold and dreary days. Was the groundhog right? He saw his shadow so spring is only a short time away (click here to see the video). Yeah right!!! The rain and cold has replaced the white stuff (it wasn't too long ago I felt it was beautiful, oh a white Christmas) for now. Me personally I think we have at least one more snowfall before spring gets here.

I can't wait for the trees to get their leaves and the flowers to blooming. Bring on the 60's and 70's, go away 20's and 30's.

It wont be too long before we are complaining that it is too hot I know, but that is the great thing about having 4 seasons, not one last too long. Just when you are tired of it a new season is upon us.

Well I am starting to dream of swimming in the lake. So if you too want to start thinking about warmer times and dream of living at the lake or along a trout stream in your waders go to our website and browse the homes for sale.

Brian

What will a home inspection do for me?

Home inspections are something for every home buyer to think about. Home inspections can be very informing. When buying a home, you have the right to have an inspection done on the property if it is agreed upon in the contract. A home inspection can tell you many things. They look at the electric system, water system, the structure of the home, roofs and foundations. They also check appliances, the heating and cooling system along with the plumbing throughout the house. You can also request radon testing when getting a home inspection. It is important for you to know what you are buying when you make the agreement to purchase a property. There are many home inspectors in the county and outside of the county that offer services such as these I just mentioned. This is just one step in several when purchasing your new home!

~Kirbi~

Winter Wonderland???

Well so far Winter of 2011 has come in and showed its ugly side. It has been full of snow, cold (worst yet to come) and more snow. Today was supposed to be sunny and cold, well all it did was snow light flurries of and on all day. It looks like it may go through the night. Now I know folks in the northern states laugh at us here about all this but we are just not prepared for all of this. It looks like the snow may stick around for at least another 3 or 4 days. Usually when it snows here it is gone by the same or next day. It is pretty however I think most everyone is ready for it to go away until next year. For further weather updates go to The Weather Channel. If you would like your own peace of winter wonderland please contact us at Mountain Aire Realty.

GAHA PRESENT THE HOYLES BLUEGRASS BAND

The Gilmer Arts and Heritage Association will present a local bluegrass band, The Hoyles, on January 14 at 7 pm in the coffehouse at GAHA. The Hoyles have been performing bluegrass together as a family for more then 25 years. When hearing the Hoyles hard driving Scruggs-style banjo, triditional upright bass and smooth rhythm guitar licks, audiances have a hard time keeping their feet still. No reservations are needed. GAHA is conveniently located just off the round-about in downtown Ellijay, Georgia at 207 Dalton Street. For more infomation call 706-635-5605.