Cherokee Real Estate Blog

Last night, the Woodstock City Council approved a new slogan for the city.

“Make our bright future part of yours”

Since I am still on my “green” kick from a while ago, I’ve decided to share some green links with you all every week. Here’s your first installment.

• Creating a “green” baby nursery
• Mesquite: It’s a Floor Wax and a Dessert Topping
• GREEN YOUR APPLIANCES! Refrigerators
• SOLAR DECATHLON: Solar house design competition
• Helpful Tips For Saving Electricity At Home
• Air-Seal Your Home And Save Energy

Well, it won’t really solve your traffic problems, but it may help every now and again. Try this free traffic information phone call next time you’re trying to find a way out of congestion.

On Wednesday, the state began Georgia 511 — a free phone service that provides traffic and travel information to commuters 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Callers connect to the system by dialing 5-1-1 from any landline or mobile phone. Callers can get statewide traffic conditions, route-specific information and details on road or lane closures due to construction, incidents or weather. Estimated travel times are available for major roads within metro Atlanta. And connections are available to transit providers, major airports, rideshare organizations, tourism information and 511 systems in neighboring states.

I was driving south into Main Street, Woodstock last week and decided to snap a few pictures of the new Toll Brothers development, Woodstock Knoll. I spoke a little about Woodstock Knoll late last year, and I still don’t have any info on floor plans and such, but you can at least see the progress they are making towards getting the neighborhood started.

I was also poking around the Woodstock real estate blogosphere this morning and saw that Brad Nix also decided last week to talk about Woodstock Knoll. I guess great minds think alike. He reported that pre-sales should start by the end of the summer. Thanks for the tip, Brad.

It doesn’t matter what side of the fence you sat on back in 2003 when that version of the Northern Arc was laid to rest, you now, once again, have to choose sides. A new version of the Northern Arc may be brought back to life. While I haven’t seen a map yet, it sounds as if it will connect I-75 and I-85 from Adairsville (Bartow County) and go in a straight line to I-85 through North Cherokee County and cross Ga-400 near Cumming.

More info to come…

Forbes Magazine just released their list of the fastest growing suburbs in America. And, low and behold, Woodstock is the fastest growing suburb in Georgia. In fact, it’s the 10th fastest growing suburb in America.

2000 Population - 10,697
2006 Population - 21,482
100.8% Growth

One of the things that I have decided to do to enrich my every day life, is to live a “little more green”. You know what I am talking about. I want to conserve electricity, lower my energy bills and just simply help the environment in any way I can.

In the beginning portion of my research I came across a blog called, Living Green. The author, Aaron Doyle, is a fellow realtor and an EcoBroker. Her blog introduced me to 16 Ways To Green Your Home. The link is to a .pdf at the U.S. Green Building Council, which takes a more in-depth look at the 16 ways to lower the impact of everyday living. Check that out as well as hop on over and read the Living Green blog.

Switch to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
Program Your Thermostat
Plug Air Leaks
Tune Up Your Heating and Cooling (HVAC) System
Choose ENERGY STAR® Appliances
Reduce Water Use
Switch to Green Power
Buy Local
Use Low-VOC Products
Use Wood Alternatives or FSC-certifi ed Wood Products
Use Rapidly Renewable Flooring Materials
Plant Trees to Provide Shade and Wind Protection for Your House
Use Native Plantings
Use Nontoxic Gardening Techniques
Carpool, Use Public Transportation, Walk or Bike When Possible
Buy a High-efficiency Car

Opening in the fall of 2007 in the new Hedgewood Homes development, Woodstock Downtown, will be two new restaurants.

Canyons Burgers

The fast casual restaurant, which is themed around outdoor adventures, will serve homemade milkshakes, specialty burgers made from fresh Angus beef, fresh homemade chicken tenders and soft drinks. The Woodstock Downtown location will be the first of many Canyons Burger Company stores to open throughout the state, and the owners are looking forward to being part of such a unique opportunity. Knowing the area will become a destination point for residents across Cherokee and Cobb Counties, the owners will be working with the community – offering customer loyalty programs, partnering with local schools and offering prize give-a-ways, including mountain bikes, iPods and rafting trips.

Mambo Italiano

Mambo Italiano will bring great Italian-style dining to Woodstock Downtown. Owners Angelo and Nicole Laios, who also own the first Mambo Italiano at The Forum Norcross, will offer a trattoria-style menu for lunch and dinner seven days a week, including wood-fired pizza, appetizers, salads, pasta, paninis and gelato for dessert. The restaurant will feature daily lunch and dinner specials, with dining indoors and al fresco on the patio.

Before you put your home on the market, step back and consider what you can do to bolster the look and feel of the exterior of your home, especially the front. In’t called enhancing your homes’ curb appeal, and, if done properly, it can add value to your home while speeding up the selling process.

Take a look at before and after pictures from 5 curb appeal projects.

If you’ve turned off Highway 92 onto South Cherokee Lane recently you’ve seen lots of prep work on both sides of the road. Two new developments are going in right here. The first one to break ground was Madison Falls by Ashton Woods. The first homes should be ready by fall of 2007 and will be priced from the upper $280’s to the low $300’s.

So far, there are 6 floor plans to choose from which range from around 2,300 square feet to around 2,900 square feet. All the homes have 4 bedrooms and 2 and a half bathrooms.

Once completed, Madison Falls, will consist of 74 homes.

If you would like more information about buying a home in this new subdivision, I’d love to provide you any information that you need. Use the contact form to find many ways to reach me.