Newton County, Georgia, about 30 miles southeast of Atlanta, has more foreclosures than any other county in the State. But, after several months of the foreclosure flood subsiding in the county, the waters are on the rise again.For the first seven months of this year, foreclosures in Covington and Newton County were down by 29.3% over the same period in 2009.  The number of pages of foreclosure notices in "The Covington News" each week were consistently running around 25 to 30 pages.  But last week, there were over 50 pages of notices, and indication that our real estate market crisis is far from over.Other indicators of the soft market here include: An 8.1-month supply of homes currently on the market Average time to sell is 143 days on the market Average Sales Price down 14.8% in July... 08/23/2010

Home for Sale in Covington, Georgia - Myrtle Grove   GAMLS# 02816267  $69,900 For more information, call my mobile phone 770-337-5262, or visit my website www.CovingtonLivingHomes.com Home for Sale in Covington, Georgia - Myrtle Grove - 3 Bedrooms, 2 Full Baths   What a price!  What a value!  For this solid 3-bedroom, 2-bath ranch Home for Sale on a large 1.17-acre lot. This Home for Sale offers comfort and the convenience of having all your living space on one floor!  A fireside Great Room, open Kitchen, lovely bay-windowed Dining area anchor the home.  And a huge Rec Room to the side of this Home for Sale is a great place for kids to play.  Or let the kids outside into the private backyard via the access door from the Kitchen dining area. Currently being renovated with fresh paint and... 02/16/2010

Home for Sale in Covington, Georgia - Lakeside  GAMLS# 02816280  $99,000For more information, call my mobile phone 770-337-5262, or visit my website www.CovingtonLivingHomes.comHome for Sale in Covington, Georgia - Lakeside - 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths   If you're looking for a Home for Sale in one of Covington's wooded, quiet neighborhoods as a first-time buyer, to downsize, or as an investor, this Home for Sale is a great value!  Set on a beautiful lake-view lot of almost an acre, this Ranch-style Home for Sale has everything you need for comfortable living, including a fenced backyard for kids, extra storage space in youe outside building, and huge two-level deck for entertaining family and friends.Located conveniently just outside Covington and Porterdale off Hwy 81, this Home for Sale has... 02/15/2010

Now you can bite into your 15 minutes of fame! The CW Network's "Vampire Diaries" TV show has put out a call for paid extras as they continue to film the popular series in Covington.  The show held an open casting call last July in Covington, but is still looking for extras of all types and ages. To bite into this opportunity, all you have to do is send an email to the extras casting director at vampirediariescasting@gmail.com.  Send along a recent photo, along with your name, age, height, weight, clothing size, and phone number The pay?... $7.25 per hour, plus overtime if you work more than eight hours.  And I've noticed that the crew films all hours of the day and night.  I guess that's what it takes to be a good vampire. The show's website says that "Vampire Diaries" was the best pre... 01/21/2010

Roll Me Over In The Clover...  words to an old ditty I was reminded of when I read the latest FHA rules waiver. On January 15, the Federal Housing Commissioner signed a waiver of Section 203-37a(b)(2) of FHA regulations which essentially state that you cannot get an FHA loan for a property which has been purchased by the seller within the past 90 days.  The waiver takes effect on February 1, and will be in effect for one year from that date. What does this mean?  The FHA decided that waiving the 90-day sale rule will offer a multitude of advantages to both the agency and the US housing market: It will help address the foreclosure crisis; Give FHA a "greater opportunity to dispose of its single family REO properties in a way that maximizes return to the FHA; Permit buyers to use FHA loan... 01/19/2010

Ron Brown, a loan specialist from Puyallup, Washington wrote a great blog today titled "Are these words "offensive?" It's about two things... (1) What we can and can't say in real estate advertising to avoid Fair Housing Law violations, and (2) the condition and requirement that has sneaked into our society of being "PC," politically correct. It seems that, at the beginning of every new year, Ron's local Multiple Listing Service board sends out a list of words to be avoided in real estate advertising by all their members because they may be found "offensive."  The list is long, and includes such really nasty words as (dare I write them?): Adult American Church Couple Family Grandmas house Healthy Married Older person Retired Student Traditional Woman Working, and Young At my last count,... 01/12/2010

This month we leave behind a decade characterized by unprecedented change in our real estate industry and the world.During the past ten years we saw our industry boom, lead the national economy, and then implode.Today we look outward on a nation whose economic system is near collapse, an unemployment rate hovering around 10 percent, banks collapsing, huge companies being taken over by the government, and security systems that don't work.Technology, with the emergence of flat-screen, high-definition digital-broadcast television, the IPod, Social Networks, smart telephones, advanced, inexpensive digital cameras, ultra high-speed Internet connections - all these changes within the last ten years.  And you can bet that equally impressive and important changes will happen in the coming ten y... 01/07/2010

Farm for Sale in Covington, Georgia - 4176 Hwy 81 South  GAMLS# 02778963  FMLS# 3989815  $1,450,000 For more information, call my mobile phone 770-337-5262, or visit my website www.CovingtonLivingHomes.comFarm For Sale in Covington, Georgia - 74.76 Acres - 4 Bedrooms, 3 Baths This special Farm for Sale in Covington, Georgia, only nine miles from Covington's historic square, features 74.76 rolling acres and a beautifully decorated and immaculately maintained 4 bedroom / 3 bath Cape Cod home.Secluded on a wooded plot at the end of its winding driveway, the lovely home on this Farm for Sale features cedar shake siding, dormer windows, and a huge 160 square foot screened porch stretching across its back.  Inside is a comfortable, open Great Room and formal Dining combination anchored by a m... 11/30/2009

A lovely five bedroom, three bathroom home in Covington, Ga.  The kitchen is decorated in the latest kitchen fashions: cherry cabinets, black appliances (dishwasher,stove,refrigerator, microwave)  and hardwood floor.  There is a separate dining room with hardwood floor.  The great room has a fireplace, and a door to the deck.   The master bathroom has a his/her vanity, garden tub and separate shower. A two car garage and level backyard.  It is a fifteen minute ride or less to the following elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools: Porterdale, Oak Hill, Fairview, Livingston , Ficquett, South Salem, Palmer Stone, Clements, Indian Creek, Veterans Memorial, and 1.62 miles to Newton High School, and 4.25 to Eastside High School.  This home is available December 1, 2009. Contact ... 11/15/2009

Commercial Property for Sale in Covington, Georgia - Hwy 20 South   GAMLS# 02723114     $289,900For more information, call my mobile phone 770-337-5262, or visit my website www.CovingtonLivingHomes.comCommercial Property for Sale in Covington, Georgia - Highway 20 South - with 3 Bedroom, 1 Bath House   This potential Commercial Property for Sale in Covington, Georgia on Highway 20 South is just steps away from the new Kroger supermarket at Hwy 20 and Brown Bridge Road.  The property is 1 acre, and includes a 3 bedroom, 1 bath all-brick home built in 1960.The all-brick ranch home on this Commercial Property for Sale  is built on crawlspace, and has central electric heat and air conditioning.  The home features a mix of hardwood floors and carpeting, a country kitchen, living room/dining ... 11/12/2009

How much confidence do Realtors have in their local markets?  The Real Estate Confidence Index answers that question.The people who host my website, Point2Agent, conducts a monthly survey of its thousands of members across North America to determine how real estate professionals see the current and future market conditions in their respective areas.The survey receives over 3,000 responses monthly from every area of the country across many different types of markets.  Respondents rate their markets on a scale of 1 to 10, showing their confidence level in local real estate markets over the short term (3 to 6 months), and the long term (12 to 18 months).  A statistical mean on the 1 to 10 scale is then derived which becomes the monthly Real Estate Confidence Index.  The Index is statistica... 11/04/2009

Home for Sale in Covington, Georgia - Clark's Grove  GAMLS# 02402631   $379,000 For more information, call my mobile phone 770-337-5262, or visit my website www.CovingtonLivingHomes.com                                             Home for Sale in Covington, Georgia - Clark's Grove - 4 Bedrooms, 3 1/2 Baths This lovely Federal-style Home for Sale in Covington, Georgia's Clark's Grove offers non-traditional value in Covington's premiere Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND), Clark's Grove.  Climb the wide steps to the broad rocking-chair front porch, and enter the home's great room through classic double front doors.  Notice the marble facade of the room's fireplace with easy gas starter, the lovely hardwood floors, and the rounded corners on all walls. To the left, enter the formal ... 11/02/2009

Nine past citizens of Newton County “spoke” to visitors strolling through the historic Covington City Cemetery last Thursday evening during the Newton County Chamber of Commerce’s “Voices From The Past” tour.   Local residents dressed in period costumes portrayed notable past citizens of the county, providing vignettes of their lives and county history during the 1800s and early 1900s.  Each presented their story standing beside the grave of the resident they portrayed.   Residents represented in the portrayals included Mahala Pitts Clark, born into slavery who died at the age of 100; George Thompson, a gypsy killed at Clark’s Grove as a result of a gambling altercation; Reverend Toney Baker, first pastor of the African-American Bethel Baptist Church; Dr. Luke Robinson, one of the count... 10/17/2009

  Covington Georgia September 2009 Real Estate Market Report   Active Listings        1024 Pending Sales         126 Closed Sales            79 Week's Inventory     56  (Absorption Rate) The "Weeks Inventory" indicates the number of weeks it takes to sell the current inventory of homes on the market at the present rate of sales.  Inventory level in a "good real estate market" is considered to be around 24 weeks.   Since Last Month's Report:   Active Listings  DOWN 26.3% Pending Sales  DOWN 9.4% Closed Sales  DOWN 15% Foreclosures: New foreclosures in the Covington and Newton County real estate market were DOWN in September by 9.4% from last month's figure.  However, for the nine-month period, foreclosures are still UP 1.4% in the county over 2008.   The Average Sales Price of homes in ... 10/06/2009

If you enjoy history or want to learn more about Covington's history and that of the people who have lived here, here's something you won't want to miss. On Thursday evening, October 15, the Tourism Division of the Covington/Newton County Chamber of commerce is sponsoring a guided walking tour of the historic Covington City Cemetery.  The cemetery is located off Conyers and Church Streets just a couple of blocks off the historic square. The tour will be conducted by people in period costumes representing several "residents" of the cemetery who will provide graveside commentary about their lives and history of Covington and the surrounding area. For those unable to walk the route, golf carts will be provided. The crisp fall weather, personal portrayals and rich history of Covington will ... 09/28/2009

This week begins the autumn season, and Colonel Cob’s Corn Maze in Oxford is open again with an all-new maze and several new attractions.   The pathways through Colonel Cob’s 7-acre cornfield this year is in the shape of a giant pirate ship.  You should be able to navigate your way through the ship and safely back to the dock in about 30 minutes.  But for the “directionally challenged,” it could take much longer.  Co-owners Tommy and Emy Mitcham have also placed water-related trivia clues throughout the maze to help you navigate.  If you answer the trivia questions about uses of water, large bodies of water, etc. correctly, they’ll point you to the next clue and out of the maze.  Incorrect answers will send you in circles and ensure that you just wander about in the corn.   Other attrac... 09/15/2009

Even as the leaves begin to change their color, Covington’s Clark’s Grove is "going greener.”   The Clark’s Grove Homeowner’s Association and several individual homeowners in the neighborhood are applying for a solar power grant from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Agency (GEFA).  GEFA will supply grants from a $4,000,000 pool provided by the Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the “Stimulus Bill”) for alternate energy projects in the state.   The Homeowner’s Association portion of the grant would provide solar panels for power and hot water for the neighborhood swim club.  Individual homeowner grants would provide power for normal electrical service, solar thermal water heating, or a combination of the two.    The grant, if approved, would provide 75% of the cost of ea... 09/10/2009

    Covington Georgia August 2009 Real Estate Resale Market Report   Active Listings     1389 Pending Sales      139 Closed Sales         93 Week's Inventory   65 The "Week's Inventory" indicates the number of weeks it takes to sell the current inventory of homes at the present rate of sales.  Inventory level in a "good real estate market"  is considered to be around 24 weeks. Since Last Month's Report: Active Listings  DOWN 12.8% Pending Sales  DOWN  4.8% Closed Sales    DOWN  34.5%   Foreclosures: New foreclosures in the Covington and Newton County real estate market were DOWN in August by 1.8%.  However, for the eight-month period, foreclosures are UP 11% in the county over the same period last year. The Average Sales Price of homes in the Covington real estate market in August was U... 09/09/2009

If you are looking for something Fun And Free to do this weekend, then come out to the Square in Covington, GA this Friday. General Mills is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Covington, GA plant on Friday September 4, 2009 at 7:00 PM on the Square in Downtown Covington. Hosted by General Mills celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Covington Plant & Main Street Covington 09/02/2009

From Atlanta: take I - 20 E. to Exit 82 (hwy 20/hwy138) Turn Right and continue on Hwy 20 for 7.5 miles then continue on Hwy 212 for 0.6 mi. and turn Left on Oak Hill Rd. SW. Go 1.4 miles and then turn Right onto Berkshire Dr. into the Berkshire subdivision. Go up to the 6th street on the left and turn Left on Berkshire Trace. The home will be at the end of the cult-a-sac. Your credit is not an issue with a reasonable option fee of 3 - 5 percent that will be credited 100 percent toward the purchase price when you buy outright with your own mortgage financing. To directly access this property, use this shortcut: http://www.fizber.com/georgia-buy-single-family-home-11646258.html 08/31/2009