Deer Season 2011 – North Georgia

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It’s that time again and hunters are cleaning their rifles and getting ready for deer season. The firearms hunting season is Oct 22–23, Nov 5–6, Nov 19–Dec 4, Dec 26–Jan 1 for the following counties:
Banks, Franklin, Gilmer, Habersham, Hart, Lumpkin, Murray, Stephens, White, Whitfield
and Oct 29, Nov 12, 24–27, Dec 26, Jan 1 for these counties:
Fannin, Rabun, Towns, Union.

This is the time of year when hunters help to manage wildlife and enjoy some great food and trophies. Stay safe and enjoy the season. Be careful on those tree stands and don’t use a damaged stand, it’s just not worth the risk. Clean and sight your rifles before you head out.

For better results use a scent killer and a deer attractant like Big Rack Deer Scents.

If you are looking for more information about hunting season check out this 2011-2012 hunting regulations page.

For those of you that don’t hunt we hope you understand that deer populations in North Georgia are bountiful and many areas would be run over with deer if there was no hunting season. Hunters help keep the herds down so there is plenty of acreage and food for a healthy deer population.

Gilmer County Kids First

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Gilmer County Kids First will host the Big Band Sounds of Bob Martin and the Roswell New Horizons Band at the American Legion Hall on August 15, 7-10PM. Swing dance lessons will be offered from 6:30-7PM. Tickets are available at the Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce and are $18 per person.   Phone 706-636-4671 for more info.

Ellijay Lions Club sponsors the Gilmer County Fair at the Ellijay fairgrounds August 25-28. Tickets are $3 for adults, students $2 and kids 10 and under are free. Admission is free with a donated hearing aid, cell phone, or pair of used eye glasses. Fair hours are Tues-Thurs 6-11PM and Fri-Sat 6-12PM

Dedicated Ellijay Merchants & Associates will sponsor a Pet Parade  on September 5 at 10AM at Ellijay City Hall. For more info call 706-635-2782.

Friends of Gilmer Animal Shelter will benefit from the Ellijay Under the Stars showing of “Hotel for Dogs” on September 5 at 4PM at the Ellijay Elementary School.  Admission is $1 and sponsorships are available. For details phone 706-635-8326

Family Day At Ellijay Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary

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Family Day At Ellijay Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary

Ellijay Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary in Ellijay, GA will host a Family Day on Sunday, July 12 from noon to 3PM. Admission includes a guided tour of large animal areas plus hourly amphitheater programs offering small animal shows. Admission is only $7.50 per person…quite a bargain compared to the typical admission to a zoo.

Residents of the sanctuary include Taz, a Northern Lynx, three Eastern panthers, bears, raccoons, and a host of other animals that have been injured, orphaned or abandoned.
Additional family days are scheduled for the second Sunday of each month until September.

The sanctuary is located on Cougar Lane in Ellijay.

Three Rivers Music Jam

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Ellijay, Georgia will host the Three Rivers Music Jam on Saturday, June 20.  Activities begin at 10:00 AM in downtown Ellijay with Arts Around the Square. At 4 PM entertainment begins and at 5:30 The Shades take the stage. At 9:30 PM the venue moves to the Ellijay Elementary auditorium where county music star Ty Herdon will entertain the crowd. (Ty’s concert does require separate admission fee). Bring your lawn chair and spend the day in Ellijay! For more details phone 706-635-7400.

Mark your calendar for the Fourth Annual Kiwanis Fair in Blue Ridge, GA. The fair will take place at the Kiwanis Fairgrounds in Blue Ridge on June 24-28. Offerings include a variety of tasty foods, clowns, The Rowdy Rooster Puppet Show, and an all time favorite: carnival rides. Check for special admission rates at local BB&T, Appalachian Community Bank and, United Community Bank locations.

Foreclosure Volume Expected to Increase Later this Year

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Local bank managers in the Northeast Georgia Board of Realtors service area expect to see numbers of foreclosures and short sales entering the market decrease later this year. This good news for sellers in the Blue Ridge, Ellijay, Hiawassee GA, Murphy NC and nearby areas in the Smoky Mountains. With less inventory on the market, resales should see increased sales activity later this year too.

Can $8000 Tax Credit for Homebuyers be Used as Down Payment?

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My office has been buzzing with the news that the $8000 tax credit for homebuyers can now be used as a down payment. Take a moment to read what Secretary of Housing Shaun Donovan really said to the National Association of Realtors meeting in Washington DC earlier this week:

“And we are taking action to further help the housing market recover. I’m excited to announce here at NAR that FHA’s policy on the “monetization” of the first-time homebuyer tax credit will soon be published. I know that you’ve been waiting anxiously to hear FHA’s position on the matter. We, like you, believe that this new tax credit is not only a tremendous opportunity for first-time homebuyers, but also an enormous benefit for communities struggling to deal with an oversupply of housing. According to estimates by the National Association of Home Builders, this new tax credit will stimulate 160,000 home sales across the nation – 101,000 of which will be first time buyers who will receive the credit. Another 59,000 existing homeowners will be able to buy another home because a first time buyer purchased their home.

We all want to enable FHA consumers to access the tax credit funds when they close on their home loans so that the cash can be used as a downpayment. So FHA will permit trusted FHA-approved lenders and HUD-approved nonprofits, as well as state and local governmental entities to “monetize” the tax credit through short-term bridge loans. We think the policy is a real win for everyone, ensuring that borrowers can tap into the numerous organizations that are already part of the FHA network to receive this additional benefit. FHA will be publishing the details shortly.”

The entire speech can be viewed on the HUD website. Until the FHA actually pubishes details of the benefit, we don’t really know if it is benefit at all.

What we do know is that home inventory is high, interest rates are low and prices are low. The best of all worlds for buyers whether they get a tax credit or not.