It is cold in the North Georgia mountains tonight. A slender crescent moon is making its journey across the night sky with countless twinkling stars as companions.
My husband and I spent the evening in front of a crackling fire. Our three dogs sprawled in front of the hearth, luxuriating in the warmth every bit as much as we did. We keep a fire lit most nights once cold weather sets in. We don't use the fireplace to heat the house, but simply because we both find a crackling fire so peaceful and beautiful.
According to a recent article in The New York Times -- Warm, Cozy & Cleaner -- heating a home with a wood-burning stove or fireplace insert can save you a bundle on home heating costs.
Heating second homes here in the North Georgia mountains with a wood-burning stove or insert tends to be particularly inexpensive because we are smack in the middle of the Chattahoochee National Forest, where firewood is much more plentiful -- and by extension, much less expensive. The going price for a cord of wood here in the North Georgia mountains varies, but if you shop around you can usually get a pick-up truck full delivered to your door for $80.
Of course, for the more hardy souls, you can get all the free wood you need if you are willing to harvest it yourself. You can collect wood from your own or a willing neighbor's property, or get a permit from the US Forest Service to collect dead wood from the national forests.
The important thing to remember is that you will need to make sure the stove or insert is an energy-efficient model that generates far less smoke and allows far less heat to escape through the chimney. It is also important to have your chimney checked regularly -- depending on your usage -- to make sure that there is no residue in there that might create a fire hazard.
And -- most importantly -- to make sure that Santa has plenty of room to come down.
Christmas comes early in Blue Ridge -- November 29th to be exact. That is the date of the annual "Light Up Blue Ridge" festival, a day that local children look forward to with almost the same eager anticipation as they wait for Christmas morning itself.
On November 29th, beautiful downtown Blue Ridge will be abustle with carolers, horse-drawn carriages, stores bursting with wonderful items to make your holiday shopping a breeze.
The most important visitors to downtown that day will be the children eagerly waiting for Santa Claus, who, along with Mrs. Claus, will ride into town on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. Once Santa arrives, the children -- and the children at heart -- will know that the Christmas Season has truly come to Blue Ridge.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will spend the afternoon at the Gazebo making sure he knows what all the little boys and girls want for Christmas.
Santa won't be the only Christmas big-shot in town. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer will be on hand, as will the Gingerbread Man and his Gingerbread House.
Music will play a big part in the festivities, as musical guests will appear throughout the day on the Main Stage in the park.
The day's activities will be capped by the lighting of the Great Tree, when the bright Christmas lights will illuminate the winter night sky and the bright shiny faces of all the children.
Click here for more information.
Conventional wisdom held that opening a shop outside of the heart of downtown Blue Ridge’s shopping district was retail suicide. Conventional wisdom never met Michael Brunson and Jack Morton. Not ones to shy away from a challenge, Michael and Jack knew the world—or at least Blue Ridge shoppers—would beat a path to their door if they opened an elegant shop full of marvelous items unlike any others offered in town. Thus Wrapsody in Blue was born three-and-a-half years ago.
Michael and Jack first came to Blue Ridge five years ago to help their good friends—Atlanta’s 11Alive news anchor, Jill Becker, and her husband—decorate their newly purchased cabin in Blue Ridge. Like so many before them, they fell in love with the beautiful mountain town.
Michael had been working for years at the Atlanta Interfaith AIDS Network, running a day program for people with AIDS and HIV. It was taking more and more of an emotional toll on Michael to--as he says--“bury people.” Jack—who owns Indulgence Salon in Buckhead and has won four Emmy’s for hair, makeup and wardrobe—was also in a very high-stress environment. Buying a weekend cabin in the mountains seemed the perfect anecdote for their high-octane careers.
After a year of weekends spent in Blue Ridge, it was becoming harder and harder for the two to make the trip back to Atlanta on Sunday night. The desire grew strong to make Blue Ridge their permanent home.
There were two activities that Michael and Jack particularly enjoyed in the mountains—one was hiking, and the other was shopping in the lovely shops in downtown Blue Ridge. In their frequent shopping trips, Michael and Jack saw a niche that was not being filled among the great antique shops and stores that offer wonderful rustic cabin décor. Blue Ridge lacked a shop that carried new higher-end traditional décor—something more akin to a shop you might find in Buckhead. 
On one of their shopping trips, Michael and Jack noticed a “For Rent” sign in one of the buildings a block off the main shopping district. It would be the perfect space for the new shop that they had decided would be their ticket to a permanent residence in Blue Ridge.
Wrapsody in Blue opened for business in 2005. A destination for refined shopping, Wrapsody in Blue is filled with occasional pieces of furniture--including a fascinating piece that converts from a buffet to a dining table that seats 12--decorative accessories, custom artwork, home decor, gourmet treats and hostess gifts. The items are unlike any you'll find in other Blue Ridge shops. As Michael cracks, "I'm the only antique in the store!"
According to Michael, the store’s best selling item is a line of candles from Northern Lights. Deliciously scented, the candles come in beautiful glass candle-holders that give off an elegant glow while burning. Michael and Jack were able to get the candles featured on the Today Show. By that afternoon, their website was so inundated with orders for the candles, that folks started calling the store because they couldn’t get on the website. A year-and-a-half later, Wrapsody in Blue is still sending the Northern Lights candles to folks all over the country.
Be sure to visit Wrapsody in Blue when you are in Blue Ridge. You will be delighted, not just by the great selection of merchandise, but by Michael, who runs the store. His down-home folksy southern charm will win you over, and his wonderful shop will keep you coming back!
Michael Brunson, co-owner of Wrapsody in Blue
Wrapsody in Blue
771 East Main Street
Blue Ridge, Georgia 30513
Tel 706-258-2700 Fax 706-258-2701
We all have our tales to tell of "the one that got away." The fish--or the deal--that was within our grasp and we let it slip away.
The current real estate market in Blue Ridge is going to generate a lot of "the one that got away" tales of woe. NOW is the time to buy. Wait at your peril!
Using a year-to-date comparison, the median price of homes fell 17% compared to the same time period in 2007. (I am using median price, because a few high end sales tend to skew the average price.)
However, if you compare August of 2007 with August of 2008, the median price differential is less than one percent.
What this tells me is that prices are continuing the stabilizing trend of the past few months.
NOW is the time to get some incredible deals on incredible properties.
Don't let this time of great opportunity slip through your fingers or you may wind up lamenting "the one that got away."
| Fannin County Residential Sales | |||||||
| 1/1/07 - 8/31/07 | 1/1/08 - 8/31/08 | Variation | Aug-07 | Aug-08 | Variation | ||
| Total Units Sold | 279 | 239 | -15% | 42 | 28 | -33% | |
| Average Days on Market | 124 | 128 | 1% | 92 | 93 | <1% | |
| Sold Price | |||||||
| Average | $ 318,709 | $ 252,438 | -21% | $ 291,501 | $ 316,154 | 8% | |
| Median | $ 270,000 | $ 224,500 | -17% | $ 247,500 | $ 247,000 | <1% | |
| Highest | $ 2,900,000 | $ 1,370,750 | -53% | $ 1,565,000 | $ 1,370,750 | -12% | |
| Total Volume | $ 88,919,946 | $ 60,332,691 | -28% | $12,243,037 | $ 8,852,325 | -28% | |
| From | August 29, 2008 | Our Town |
| To | September 21, 2008 | Blue Ridge Community Theater |
| September 01, 2008 | Labor Day BBQ | |
| Downtown Blue Ridge City Park | ||
| September 02, 2008 | Blue Mountain Jam at Kiwanis Fairgrounds | |
| Kiwanis Fairgrounds | ||
| September 06, 2008 | Farmers Market / Mountain Fresh Market | |
| Downtown Historic Blue Ridge in front of Courthouse | ||
| September 09, 2008 | Blue Mountain Jam at Kiwanis Fairgrounds | |
| Kiwanis Fairgrounds | ||
| September 13, 2008 | Farmers Market / Mountain Fresh Market | |
| Downtown Historic Blue Ridge in front of Courthouse | ||
| September 13, 2008 | Mountain Music Festival | |
| Vogel State Park | ||
| September 13, 2008 | Poker Run for Open Arms | |
| Blue Ridge Kiwanis Fairgrounds | ||
| From | September 14, 2008 | Oktoberfest |
| To | November 02, 2008 | Helen, GA |
| September 16, 2008 | Blue Mountain Jam at Kiwanis Fairgrounds | |
| Kiwanis Fairgrounds | ||
| From | September 19, 2008 | Bluegrass Festival - Blairsville |
| To | September 20, 2008 | Historic Court House on the Square |
| From | September 20, 2008 | Wildlife Art Festival |
| To | September 21, 2008 | Downtown City Park, Blue Ridge |
| September 20, 2008 | Concert in the Park / Blue Ridge Grass | |
| Downtown City Park, Blue Ridge | ||
| From | September 20, 2008 | Ride the Rails Festival |
| To | September 21, 2008 | Mineral Bluff |
| September 20, 2008 | Farmers Market / Mountain Fresh Market | |
| Downtown Historic Blue Ridge in front of Courthouse | ||
| September 23, 2008 | Blue Mountain Jam at Kiwanis Fairgrounds | |
| Kiwanis Fairgrounds | ||
| September 27, 2008 | Family Fishing Festival | |
| National Fish Hatchery, Suches, Ga. | ||
| September 27, 2008 | Classic Cars "Cruise In" | |
| Home Depot Parking Lot | ||
| September 27, 2008 | Gospel Concert / Guytons and the Marvin Morrows | |
| Performing Arts Center / Blue Ridge | ||
| September 27, 2008 | Farmers Market / Mountain Fresh Market | |
| Downtown Historic Blue Ridge in front of Courthouse | ||
| September 30, 2008 | Blue Mountain Jam at Kiwanis Fairgrounds | |
| Kiwanis Fairgrounds | ||
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Covering the North Georgia mountains like the dew, I serve the communities of Blue Ridge, Ellijay, Suches, Mineral Bluff, East Ellijay, Cherry Log, Morganton, McCaysville, and Epworth.
My name is Kim Southern. After working in banking for many years, I decided to follow my passion and become a full-time real estate agent. My family and I moved to the North Georgia mountains several years ago, and it didn't take me long to recognize the exciting potential of this beautiful region to become a highly sought-after second home market. Little over an hour's drive from Atlanta, and less than a day's drive from all points in Florida, Blue Ridge and Ellijay are fast becoming a destination for folks looking for their own little piece of heaven.
Selling real estate is what I love to do. My desire to help people find the home of their dreams--as corny as that may sound--still drives and fulfills me.
I specialize in one thing--the finest in customer service. That may sound simple, but it means that I 
must have a mastery of:
We first met Kim a few years ago when we purchased our second piece of property in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains! We had already owned a 3 acre parcel in Blairsville, but not only couldn't we get our previous realtor to call us back, we could hardly get anyone to return a message or answer our questions. We finally stumbled across Kim Southern via her website and when we called, she actually answered her phone.
During our first conversation with her, we developed quite a bond. She was very nice to talk to and extremely helpful. It was obvious that she was very familiar with the North Georgia area. In our subsequent conversations, we developed a trust and a relationship with Kim that we had not previously experienced with other realtors.
When we finally went to Georgia to meet with her (we are from Florida), we tied her up all weekend long. She showed us everything we had spoken about and more. We decided on a piece of property in Ellijay and had her sell our land in Blairsville. We knew from our meetings that Kim is a very dependable and trustworthy realtor and a person of high ethical values. Although she did not make much money from our sale or purchase of land, she continually treated us as if we were very important clients.
After the sale, we began to build a cabin in Ellijay. Kim would voluntarily check on our property while we were building our cabin. Being 700 miles away, this was very much appreciated. She would constantly keep in touch with us and became our ‘eyes & ears' in Georgia.
We have since become good friends with Kim and her family and look forward to visiting whenever possible. I would sincerely recommend Kimberly Southern as a realtor that you can count on! She's the best!
Craig & Tiffany
Hi Kim-
When we decided to change our life direction, we never dreamed we'd find such a wonderful Realtor - & Friend - in Kim Southern! We purchased a couple alpacas to diversify our portfolio. Being an animal lover, I got tired of agisting them at someone else's farm. So I began looking for property to bring us all together. I searched the internet, newspapers & those little real estate books. I ran countless hours to "drive-by" the outside before I called my current at the time realtor, (not Kim), because she was too busy with her life to take me.
My husband happened across a property in the North GA Mountains...I called to set up a viewing with the listing agent which turned out to be Kim. I got lost on my way there, & unable to call Kim because my cell phone didn't work in that area, I had to find a pay phone. Kim just laughed & told me she'd see me when I got there. An hour later, I finally made it!
Turns out that property wasn't right for us...but with Kim's never-ending perserverence, we finally found the right one. Kim worked with us for nearly 2 years, looking at different properties in at least 8 counties, researching county ordinences, scouring the internet listings, even taking pictures of places that hadn't made it to the internet yet! She made this exhausting adventure a reality for us. She was always happy & eager to get out to walk the numerous acres with us...she knew if the land wasn't right, the house didn't matter...click & go next.
To say Kim is just our Realtor would be an understatement. Throughout this entire process, Kim became our friend as well! My husband used to joke with me about who was I going to talk to after we finally closed on our house? Little did he know...!
When we outgrow our new alpaca ranch, Kim will be the lady we'll call to help us take the next step, even if we have to get her licensed in another state! I recommend her highly to anyone who wants to find that perfect place to call home. I have confidence she will do everything in her power to get you to where you want to be.
Thank you, Kim, for everything you have done for us. You have been a very big part in making Circle C Alpacas what we are today. We wish you all the best!
Sincerely,
Tom & Lisa
Dear Kim,
We want to thank you for the excellent work and energy you demonstrated on sale of our cabin in Cherry Log. Obviously, this is a buyers market with an abundance of cabins for sale in the North Georgia market; however, you were able to sell our property in less than 8 weeks! Something we did not think could happen. I feel your website, local marketing techniques, and knowledge of the market all contributed to this quick sale. However, I feel your dedication and personal involvement with your clients was the part that made this transaction and our partnership a success.
We sincerely enjoyed working with you and Century 21 Realty. You displayed great professionalism at each step on this process. Your guidance and recommendations were always accurate and lead to a positive and successful association. If I can ever serve as a recommendation for you in the future, please advise, as it will be a great pleasure to recommend such a professional and ethical Real Estate person. Thank you, again, for all your efforts and dedication in selling our property.
Best Regards,
David & Tricia
Dear Kim,
Please accept my deepest appreciation for all the creative and time-consuming work you did to sell my cabin in Morganton, GA. You worked hard, and it showed. In an area where log cabins are so abundant, you helped mine stand out among the others. With good pricing and fabulous advertising (the virtual tour was awesome), it sold quickly.
As you recall, the buyer could only give me 30 days to find a new home, pack and move. You managed to set up both closings on the same day! We went from cabin to closing, moving, to the closing of the new house and in the new house within 12 hours!!!! What a day!!!
Your professionalism and warm personality are a pleasure in a world in turmoil. Your goal, "I just want everyone to be happy," is a not only said but acted out in a way that makes you unique. It was definitely my fortune to have been referred to you. I have and will continue to refer you to others.
Thank you again for all your great effort.
Sincerely,
Joan
Dear Kimberly:
It is the time of year to remember all the things we are thankful for and you are at the top of the list. I remember during the anticipating days and weeks after you listed our home in Ellijay. One Realtor had already "fired" us as a customer saying we were too fussy about our pictures. One thing about you Kim, is you don't let hurdles get in your way. I recall the day when you told me you and your husband were going to rent a scissor lift so you could get spectacular photos of our "up hill" mountain home that was sooooo hard to photograph. Needless to say between your "beyond the call of duty effort " in the beginning and at contract we were happy to see the house sold and move on to our new life.
We love your creative, sensible, thorough and willing approach to real estate and believe you will have a long line of people waiting for your services at any time of the year. If you need to have a prospective client call us we are more than willing to share the good news. May all be returned to you and more this coming year.
Best regards,
James and Glenda
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