A rock outcropping in south Georgia’s sandy, coastal plain is unusual enough. Add a few plants that don’t normally grow in the area _ some native to the tropics, others to the Appalachian Mountains _ and you have a natural wonder. That’s the Broxton Rocks, an alluring, mysterious and somewhat dangerous place, where the nation’s most venomous snake slithers among mosses, ferns and colorful flowers and large poison ivy leaves glisten in sunbeams streaming through the trees.

The rocks are part of a 15,000-square-mile band of subsurface sandstone known as the Altamaha Grit. They were pushed up by shifts in the Earth’s tectonic plates eons ago. During wet periods, the creek gushes over the rock ledges to form roaring waterfalls, a rarity in south Georgia. When it’s dry, the flow slows to a gentle trickle.Douglas naturalist Frankie Snow recognized the ecological importance of the rocks in the 1980s, when it was a popular swimming hole and picnic spot littered with cans and beer bottles. He persuaded the Nature Conservancy to purchase a core area in 1992 and began cleaning it up. (more…)

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Gone are the days when real estate agents could guard the information about homes for sale in their Multiple Listing Service. Now, buyers and sellers can see all the homes for sale on 800 regional multiple listing services on the Web. They can see thousands of newly built homes for sale and apartments for rent nationwide. They can view aerial photos of homes and neighborhoods. They can get appraisals or see how much the house down the block fetched. They can shop for loans and compare mortgage rates. They can check out local schools and community features for towns across America. They can ask questions and get answers in online forums.

The rising dominance of the Internet comes at a pivotal point in the real estate market. After a five-year feeding frenzy, home sales are expected to drop at least 6% this year. Some sellers are already chopping their prices from last year’s record levels. Home buyers and sellers, meantime, are seeking new ways to save money, and they’re finding them on the Internet. Armed with more information, sellers are bargaining down agents’ commissions, and buyers are asking for rebates. They are turning to a growing number of brokers who offer discounted or a la carte services. And some are even cutting out the agent altogether and forging deals directly on the Internet. These factors have pushed commissions to an average of 5.1%, down from the long-standing 6%, according to Real Trends, a real estate newsletter. (more…)

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Stretching 469.1 miles from the Shenandoah mountains of Virginia to the Smokies of North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Parkway provided jobs not only for skilled engineers but for hungry men with haunted eyes, calloused hands and families to feed. For many young men, a Civilian Conservation Corps job in the high country was a prelude to the rigors and regimen of World War II.

The Parkway is America’s most popular national park. It draws more visitors than the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite, combined. Yet its budget is inadequate to cover even basic needs. Maintenance is lagging, rest rooms are not being cleaned and grass is not mowed. The problem is money. The National Park Service does not have the budget necessary to protect and repair the parks its has, much less to expand. (more…)

With green space and tranquillity at a premium in greater Atlanta, the last thing Stone Mountain Park needs is shriek-inducing amusement rides. So it’s reassuring that the state authority that owns the park and the private company that runs it promise not to blight the 3,200-acre gem by catering to noisy thrill seekers. A survey of visitor interest in new attractions — including a theme park with amusement rides — triggered concern that the park might invest in more high-thrills entertainment.

But Stone Mountain, the huge chunk of granite that gives the park its name, will not serve as a backdrop for a roller coaster, according to Thomas Gilliland, chairman of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association. That body is the self-supporting state authority that governs the park; board members are appointed by the governor. (more…)

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Thousands of people used the non-traditional mortgages last year to afford a house in many locales, where home prices increased nearly 50 percent from 2004. They’re paying for that decision today. On many adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs, the interest rate adjusts twice a year after the teaser period. As a result, each year, the monthly payment on a loan for a $250,000 Valley home could climb by more than $100.

It’s easy to see how people fall behind. Rates on one-year, adjustable-rate mortgages are hovering around 5.7 percent, almost a percentage point less than a 30-year fixed mortgage, which hit 6.59 percent Thursday, the highest level since June 2002. But the interest rate on a one-year ARM can go up as much as 2 percentage points a year. So someone who takes out one of those mortgages today could see his or her mortgage rate hit 7.8 percent next spring, which would erase all the savings of the past year. The monthly payment on a $200,000 mortgage would climb from $1,167 to $1,432 with that rate jump. (more…)

search for : non-traditional mortgage, home prices, adjustable-rate mortgage, ARM, interest rate, monthly payment

Vertical search is the new cyberspace wrinkle and a lot of people who spend their lives dreaming of the future of the Internet are predicting that it is going to change the way we look for jobs, love, hotel reservations, and real estate on-line. Vertical search engines are a response to the tremendous success of Google and Yahoo and a reaction to some of the problems using the technologies they employ.

A vertical search engine, on the other hand, is dedicated to a particular area of interest such as employment opportunities, travel, entertainment, or real estate. Thus while a Google or Yahoo search is sorting through millions of web sites a vertical search tool will concentrate on those sites it has previously identified as most likely to be relevant to that search. (more…)

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Condos offer a realistic and affordable compromise between renting an apartment and buying a house. But before you decide to buy a condo, you need to ask yourself some important questions. Here are the top five questions you should ask before buying a condo.

What are the monthly fees and how do they compare with other complexes? Do your research and compare condos fees between similar complexes in the area. Also, be sure to check out a condo’s maintenance reserves (used to pay for maintenance and emergency repairs). If you’re looking into an older condo, the reserves could be relatively high per unit to provide for unexpected repairs, whereas newer complexes should be lower. What is the financial condition of the homeowners’ association? You can find this information by obtaining a copy of the CC&Rs (conditions, covenants and restrictions), bylaws, rules and latest financial reports for the homeowners’ association. It’s also a good idea to ask to read the board of director’s minutes for their last few meetings. (more…)

search for : Condos, enting an apartment, buying a house, monthly fees, condo’s maintenance, CC&R, conditions, covenants and restrictions, bylaws, financial reports, homeowners’ association