{ September 3rd, 2010 }

The Ultimate Atlanta Weekend

Dragon*Con = Nerd Heaven

For better or worse, American cities frequently don’t look too different from each other.  It’s hard to find one that doesn’t have a Ruby Tuesday or Bed Bath & Beyond. They all have hometown heroes that swear by them, whether they be rock stars, professional athletes, or Top Chef contestants.  If you asked a city booster to provide you with the ultimate city weekend, they’d tell you to come during some major event like Summerfest or Riverfest, an annual event featuring a “Kids Zone!”, and beer.

Ok, so I’m generalizing. But there’s a kernel of truth there…which leads me to this weekend, in which Atlanta- in my humble opinion- separates itself from the pack…Namely with Dragon*Con, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game and the AJC Decatur Book Festival.

Let’s start with Dragon*Con which is one of the world’s largest “multi-genre” convention. 30,000+ attendees descend upon downtown Atlanta every year for the event, which celebrates science fiction, role-playing games (not what you think), Anime, X-Files, Star Wars and everything in between. It’s a good old fashioned nerd hoedown, featuring multiple Star Trek stars (look out for LeVar Burton sightings), lots of comic books (Stan Lee will be in the house) and everything in between (Kelly LeBrock and Sean Astin?).

Also downtown this weekend will be the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game, which serves as major college football’s kickoff event.  Atlanta has solidified its position as the capital of college football (check out the College Football Hall of Fame’s relocation to Atlanta… soon), and thousands of  North Carolina and LSU fans are making Atlanta a big part of their Labor Day plans in order to support their teams.   Fan nights at local attractions, massive barbecues and ESPN’s GameDay Crew will make Atlanta the capital of kickoffs.

Rounding out the weekend is the AJC Decatur Book Festival, one of the country’s largest book fares.  The weekend-long event is free, and features a litany of authors including Jonathan Franzen, who recently donned the cover of Time magazine (the first novelist to do so in a decade).  The annual festival is a testament to Decatur’s cultural cache and if you enjoy words and stories, you should make an effort to attend.

So tell me, what other American city is hosting such a diverse range of events in one weekend?  Atlanta’s sprawl and traffic are often well documented by the national media.  Her ability to attract a diverse array of interesting and compelling events is not.

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Labels: Current Events : Decatur : Downtown : General

{ September 1st, 2010 }

First Impressions

As the current recession drags on, we’re all learning the difficult lesson that there are no shortcuts to recovery.  Everything is taking a little longer and selling a home is certainly no exception.  Many sellers are confronted with the fact that their home is not worth what they paid for it, and in many cases, it’s not worth the balance of the mortgage.  This makes pricing a home to sell difficult- often times impossible- without taking a substantial loss.

While a homeowner may feel that a significant price reduction is sufficient means to move their product,  the job isn’t complete until the home looks as if it’s on an HGTV home improvement show.  These days, a house must truly be “show ready” in order to sell.  Them’s the rules of the currently over-supplied/under-demanded market.

To my chagrin, this was the first impression that my clients and I were greeted with when viewing a house recently:

A home seller may not think that this is that big a deal, especially if they’ve already gone through the process of listing their home for sale for 20% less than it was once worth.  A home buyer thinks the exact opposite.  After all, it’s hard not to wonder what else might be wrong with a house if this is what the doorbell looks like.  And at an asking price of nearly a half-million dollars, it’s really unacceptable not to replace something as minor as a doorbell.

Sometimes, it’s the little details that sell a house.  Don’t overlook them.

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Labels: Marketing

{ August 30th, 2010 }

Atlanta Homes For Sale Under $10,000

Looking for a bargain? How about a two-bedroom house for $5,000?

There are currently 52 homes for sale in Atlanta priced under $10,000.  Condition of these homes, probably not mint.  Location, not exactly prime.  But still, we’re talking about a house for under $10,000.  That’s $2,000 less than a weekend stay at the St. Regis Atlanta’s Empire Suite.

Browse homes for sale in Atlanta priced under $10,000

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Labels: The Market

{ August 26th, 2010 }

Inman Motor Works, Unit G

My new listing at Inman Motor Works is a truly fantastic loft.  It’s a massive one bedroom (tax records peg the space at 1400 square feet) that’s got the best of both a condominium and a loft wrapped in to one.  Its loft credentials speak for themselves (you’ll see a few pictures in a moment), but what’s nice is that it features a separate bedroom area, a dedicated office area and its own private sun terrace.

What also makes the unit really unique is its location.  While there are other complexes to choose from in Inman Park (IPV, Brickworks and 870 Inman, amongst others), none “bring the loft” quite like Inman Motor Works does.  If you were viewing the home from the inside, you’d swear that you were in one of Castleberry Hill’s signature loft spaces, not just a few blocks from Shaun’s, the Inman Park MARTA station and Callan Castle.

If you know anyone who’s considering an intown condo or townhouse, pass on this post.  At $175,000, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything that compares.

And now, I’ll let the pictures do some talking (or, just click here to view the complete listing):

Wide open space, massive ceilings and lots of light.

More pictures, after the jump…

Read the rest of this entry »

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Labels: Inman Park : Lofts

{ August 25th, 2010 }

Grant Park Summer Shade Festival

This weekend, August 28th and 29th, marks one of my favorite annual Atlanta festivals: the Grant Park Summer Shade Festival and Corks and Forks.  It’s a no-brainer, really: live music, an artists’ market, a fine dining event and a 5K race all taking place in Atlanta’s most stunning park. It’s a lot of fun.

A couple of reasons to check out the Grant Park Summer Shade Festival:

• Three stages of music. with acts ranging from my favorite radio show The Kids Are Alright to the East Ponce Soul Faction. 34 acts of free music spanning two days.
• Corks and Forks is one of the food events of the year.  Where else are you going to see Hugh Acheson (who’s highly anticipated Empire State South is opening just days later), Rosebud’s Ron Eyester (one of my favorite twits, follow him at @theangrychef) and the Rathbun all in one place, feeding the masses?
• College football season begins next week, and you know what that means: either you, your significant other, or the two of you will be spending copious amounts of time indoors, watching television.
• Grant Park.  There is nothing like it in Atlanta.  Rather than rehash old love letters in this forum, click here to read my ode to Grant Park.
• It’s free.
• Lots and lots of arts and crafts.  Even if you’re not in the market for any jewelry or ceramics, there’s something nice about looking at beautiful things. The art market at Summer Shade is one of the city’s largest, and definitely worth the stroll.

The Details

Grant Park Summer Shade Festival and Corks and Forks

Saturday and Sunday, August 28-29

Grant Park

800 Cherokee Avenue Southeast
Atlanta, GA 30315-1470

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Labels: Current Events : General : Grant Park : free