Blue Ridge Georgia (neighborhood, place to live, friendly)

[Prichard]

I'd agree that $400,000 for a 1500sf cabin is too high. I do believe that prices will drop, but not all that much. That $400,000 cabin, if it's on some acerage (5-7) should still fetch over $300,000 even in a crash. If it's on a 1/4 acre right nest to other "cabins", then there very well could be a lot of froth in that price.

What some don't realize is that cabins aren't condos. Investors bought condo highrises in Florida and Atlanta to "flip", to rent, to do anything but use them. People who buy little cabins in the mountains don't flip them, don't rent them, but use them when they can. Why does any of this matter? Well, the huge difference is that people pay cash for their little "dream cabin", wheras investors who are looking to make money finance their condo purchase. Investors will dump a bad investment eventually because they have to. Cabin owners will sell if and when they want to, with very little economic presure to put it on the market. So, I do believe that the single family mountain properties will weather the real estate storm far better than the high-rise condos. Just means that prices will tend to stick toward the higher end, rather than plunge.

[hiawasseegirl]

I would like to place the blame partly on the government. In N. Georgia, the government owns a huge chunk of land. They are selling it off by bits and pieces to the highest bidder. What can I do, except write my congressman? I definitely don't have the money to buy the land.

The change in the past 10 years in Blue Ridge, Ellijay, Hiawassee, Blairsville (GA) is horrific. The mountains have few trees and animals are being pushed out of their habitats. It seems new houses are springing up everywhere. Lots of land in .25 acres are selling. How can you build a house on .25 acres with a septic system?

[hiawasseegirl]

I think, in Blue Ridge last month, there were 375 new cabins placed on the market.

[Prichard]

It's not "the government". It's your greedy neighbors. Yep, that's right. Your neighbors, the locals, the ones who own 100 acres but don't want to farm the land anymore. They aren't selling out to "big developers". THEY ARE THE BIG DEVELOPERS! They are the ones who are getting their buddies on the city and county councils to give them a big pay-day by letting them subdivide their land into .25 acre lots. I don't have a problem with people subdividing large farms into 5 acre and 10 acre lots, but GREED drives people to do what they are doing to their own land.

You don't really think some developer from Miami Florida with gold chains, white suits and thong britches is convincing your local government leaders to go along with their development plans, do you? Go to one or two of those town meetings and see who's up their with their local lawyer and the local engineer ram-rodding their land through the town meat grinder. It's your neighbor and your dead neighbor's greedy kids.

You don't need to be some genius millionair to protect your land. It's really quite easy. Get you and your neighbors to all sell off the development rights to a non-profit conservation group.. Or heck, start your own non-profit conservation group just to make sure that no one's greedy, doped-up, spoiled brats rape the land when they decide they need more drugs and a new car more than they need Grandpa's old farm. This ain't rocket science, nor are you reinventing the wheel. It's been done before.

Problem is to protect your land before the doped-up greedy little brats have a chance to slice and dice the beautiful areas in N. Georgia.

Yep, that's right - looks like it takes a Florida boy to tell you what's really going on....That's because I've seen it first hand in Florida years ago when little brats sliced and diced our cattle land and orange groves. And now I'm seeing it again, just in N. Georgia this time.

[InsideMan]

I absolutely agree with Prichard. It's those who sell out for a profit and don't care about anyone but themselves, those are basically the developers.

Being a Florida resident since coming from NY in 1975, I can tell you how beautiful Florida was when I arrived. My friends did not follow me then, nor are they here now.

I can honestly tell you I'm not the typical New Yorker, regardless of all the bad hype. The reason the majority of Floridians (New York people) have left, or will leave Florida is due to the great influx of Haitians, Jamaicans, and Hispanics from all over South America and Cuba.

Another reason is the hurricanes, high cost of living and taxes.

I can understand completely how northern Georgians feel about their land, city, county and state. It happened to us first. That's why any Floridian leaves, whether they are orignally from here or not.

Personally I'm very sorry the people from Georgia have been offended by what they call the half-backs. There are still many of us who are honest, considerate and care about our neighbors, land and country.
My wife and I are one of those.

We've been vacationing in Blue Ridge for the last 5 years. Every year we come back, the building, traffic and people become thicker and thicker.
Even we, who don't live there can see the changes and understand how the mountain people feel.

Within the next 3 years, my wife and are will definately leave Florida. We wanted to settle in the Blue Ridge area, but now we're not so sure.
But wherever we go, we hope our neighbors will accept us.

[Ladybook]

My husband and I built a home between Jasper and Ellijay in a beautiful, all-mountain community. No golf courses, no club house, just mountains and streams with nice size lots -- some several acres. There are places secluded within the growth areas, if you look hard enough. That way you can almost have the best of both worlds! Growth, as change, is constant around here!!

I will be happy to answer questions you may have about where I live.

[SandalFoot]

Originally Posted by Ladybook

My husband and I built a home between Jasper and Ellijay in a beautiful, all-mountain community. No golf courses, no club house, just mountains and streams with nice size lots -- some several acres. There are places secluded within the growth areas, if you look hard enough. That way you can almost have the best of both worlds! Growth, as change, is constant around here!!

I will be happy to answer questions you may have about where I live.

I live in north Alabama on approximately 3 acres with a busy highway on one side and plan to sell this property soon. One area of interest is north Georgia. For pure scenic beauty, north Georgia is in a class of its own. I have spend a few "mini-vacations" in the area from Jasper to Blue Ridge and always have fantasized about living there. Are there mountain/stream lots that are part of a community, yet not your classic subdivision layout? Say, 3-5 acres lots? My plan is to spend a week exploring, staying at campgrounds, etc. before it gets too cold. Any help is appreciated!

[geaux]

Prichard you are right; what needs to happen is a recession/depression. The US economy has been too good for too long. The housing market has been going up up up. When people can't afford their country club houses, bmw's, and granite countertops, that's when you'll see change. I believe that those rural cities don't have the job base to hold out that growth through hard times, so it'll all come back down eventually. Eventually.....

[Airchauffeur]

We have a 2 yr. old 4 br home with 1.27 acres in a quiet subdivision in Jasper. No homeowners assoc. with lots of mtn. views. Great neighbors and none too close. We are asking 218,900.00 and will pay 2500.00 toward closing costs. Tile floors/ Granite countertops/ Wooded, level back yard/ finished basement. E-mail me @ denero126@hotmail.com

[were coming to blueridge]

i moved up here from hiram ga and yes i love to play RAP music in your park on my 22S if u dont like it move