The new hot toy for any neighborhood is a golf cart. They are easy to drive and maintain. The kids love to ride them to friend’s houses and they are a pleasure to drive on the under 25 mph speed limits of any neighborhood road. For Lake Lanier residents golf carts can be especially helpful. Most come with rear loading decks for easy transport of groceries to the boat dock or transporting passengers. However before you run out to buy a golf cart you have to ask yourself one question, gas or electric?

Application & Preference

When Lake Lanier residents look into buying a golf cart they invariably ask, “What’s better, gas or electric?”  The answer is always the same; it largely depends on how you plan to use your golf car and what your preferences are. For the average user either type of golf car will make a perfectly fine recreational vehicle.  Electric golf carts run nearly silently and have no fuels or oils to deal with, perfect for supporters of the green movement.  Gas golf carts are a little more on the noisy side and will obviously require gas to operate.

Electric golf carts do depend on their batteries for power, so if you’re someone who wants to use your golf cart for hours upon hours at a time, you may want to stick with gas.  This especially holds true for those who enjoy camping and RVing and if you don’t have access to power neither will your electric golf cart. 

Another point that’s often forgotten is the amount of accessories you plan to install on your golf cart.  If you want stereos, lighting, fans, and heaters all of this takes a considerable amount of power.  For an electric cart this energy comes right out of the same bank of batteries that your motor relies on.  Gas golf cart accessories will also rely on battery power; however, they feature a starter/generator that will charge the battery on its own while the gas pedal is depressed.  This doesn’t mean a gas golf cart battery is invincible – any accessories left on while the cart isn’t running will eventually kill your battery.

Performance

In the beginning, golf cars were designed to simply be what their name implies, cars for golfing.  While either type of cart can easily haul you and a friend around most reasonable kinds of terrain there are other points to consider when making a decision – especially for those who expect a little more.

With horsepower ratings ranging from 10-12 HP, gas golf cars are as much as 3-4 times more powerful than their electric counterparts.  An electric golf cart, on average, will feature a 3-5 HP electric motor – but that’s not to say electric carts aren’t impressively powerful in their own right.  Light hauling and yard work can be done with either type of vehicle and both will perform satisfactorily.  However those Lake Lanier residents who live on hills or may need to traverse steep inclines to reach their boat docks might want to look more towards a gas golf cart.

As mentioned before, electric golf carts aren’t for those who wish to joy ride for hours a day.  An electric cart will typically get around two hours of continuous motor run time before the batteries will need re-charging. This translates to anywhere between 22-30 miles depending on usage and the terrain. While there are no official statistics from golf cart manufacturers, gas powered carts have very impressive fuel economy.  Gas tanks vary between 5-6 US gallons and a full tank can net you nearly 200 miles between fill-ups, which is around 30 MPG!

Aside from power sources and horsepower ratings, both types of vehicles operate in much the same fashion.  To the untrained eye you couldn’t get the two apart from each other, and for the most part, they both ride and handle the same.  Both types of vehicles will get about 14-15 mph top-speed.

Maintenance

All in all, both types of golf carts have fairly light requirements when it comes to maintenance.  With electric carts your main concern lies within your batteries. Make sure you check the water levels monthly and top-off as needed.  The batteries are the lifeblood of an electric car and with a replacement set costing over $600; it’s not something you want to ignore.  With proper maintenance of batteries and responsible charging habits you can expect to get 5-6 years (sometimes longer) of solid performance before they will need replacing.  In comparison, neglecting your batteries can shorten their lifespan to as little as 1-2 years.

Gas golf carts, on the other hand, do require periodic oil changes as well as replacement air, fuel filters, and spark plugs when necessary.  For the do-it-yourselfer it’s pretty routine stuff if you don’t mind getting a little dirty.  Filters are relatively inexpensive and golf cart motors take only a quart or so of 10W30 oil after every 250 hours of motor run time.  The best way to stay on top of maintenance is to purchase and install an hour meter for the motor and with proper care a gas golf cart can last you a lifetime.

Maintenance costs will be about equal if you take care of your golf cart.  If not, electric golf carts tend to be more expensive largely due to the cost of replacing batteries.

Summary

Now that you have a better idea of how both gas and electric golf cars operate, hopefully you’ll have an easier time making a decision.  Keep in mind Lake Lanier residents before purchasing a golf cart of your own its intended purpose. Will you be traversing large hills or carrying lots of cargo? Will you be near a power plug to charge your batteries? How long do you intend to keep this golf cart? Both gas and electric golf carts are great choices. By asking yourself some of the questions above you can come to the conclusion of which cart is right for you and your needs.

Water level's down at Lake Lanier

From the AJC this week comes an article about Lake Lanier water levels continuing to drop at a record pace.  As water recide not only shoreline is being exposed.  Business hurting from the slow economy, Lanier home owners with investments that need sold, and properties once though to have deep water now on dry land are all feeling the pressure. 

If you have a prayer to two left over this evening incude one for rain in the Lake Lanier water shed basin. 

About the picture above.  Located just west of Holiday Marina off Blackberry Lane in Flowery Branch this cove may be dry for years to come without changes in release patterns from the Corp. or continued rain.  These are not inexpensive homes even in today’s market and water levels.  Having a dock permit is like having a golden ticket (Willy Wonka) for Lanier.  In most cases a dock permit adds 45,000 – 75,000 vs three years ago when the Corp was still passing out permits at will.  Consider that almost every permit for Lanier has been issued and only existing lake front properties with permits will have lake access via a boat dock.  With this in mind, every house on Lake Lanier just became a tear down for future homeowners seeking to build a new lake front mansion.  Many of my investors are seeking Lanier properties vs. traditional investments.

Call today and schedule a showing – 770-990-0743

For the entire article by Jeffry Scott and the AJC

Georgia won the latest round in court, but from the expanding muddy red banks of Lake Lanier it looks and feels a lot like metro Atlanta is still losing the water wars.

The lake is down 9 feet and dropping at a rate of about a foot a week, giving rise to memories of the great drought of 2007-2009 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers drained 20 feet out of Lanier — and some say sucked the life out of the local economy.

The fear is the lake will continue to sink with a dry winter in the forecast and next summer could be as disastrous as 2008 when Lanier was down 15 feet and tourism was off by about 880,000 visitors and recreation revenue was down $90.2 million.

“They’ve been dropping it like crazy for the last 15 days and it’s got people scared,” said Don Hunt, 54, a boat mechanic working at Holiday Marina Tuesday afternoon. “I know Atlanta needs the water, but they can’t be letting it out that fast.”

The 38,000-acre lake about 40 miles north of downtown Atlanta is a recreational site that draws about 7.5 million visitors a year and metro area’s biggest source of drinking water at the heart of the tri-state water wars between Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. The lake, and the Chattahoochee River that feeds it, provide water for about 2.6 million Atlantans [more]

For the latest Lake Lanier news and events – www.LakeLanier-HomesForSale.com

For the latest Atlanta homes for sale - www.JeffBarnwellHomesForSale.com

Listing your home - Listing my home for sale

Working with buyers and sellers in Cumming, Gainesville, Dawsonville, Buford, Flowery Branch, Oakwood, Gwinnett, Forsyth, Hall, Dawson Counties. For more information about Lake Lanier, Buford Dam, water levels, exposed humps, dock permits, shoreline, Lake Lanier Islands Water park please give me a call.

Summer is coming to a close. The leaves are beginning to fall, the nights are getting chillier, and your boat that received so much use during summer now sits empty at the dock. For Lake Lanier residents this is an all too familiar sight. Although it may be tempting to leave your boat in the water all winter, this can lead to damaging consequences. Knowing the proper steps to winterizing your boat can help save you money in costly repairs and keep Lake Lanier residents enjoying their boats for years to come. 

Why put time and money into a boat that you’re not going to use for six months? That’s an all-too-common attitude when it comes to winterizing chores. Big mistake. Winter weather can wreak havoc (cracked blocks, corrosion, etc.) on a boat that’s not prepared for hibernation. Another tip: If your boat needs professional help and you wait until spring to get it, you’re hitting the boat doctor at his busiest time. So it pays to take care of any problems and dealer-required maintenance in the fall, before your craft is clutched by winter’s icy grip.

The Hull Story

Winterizing is more than just sloshing in some fuel stabilizer, draining the engine and adding antifreeze. Consider it to be a methodical process that runs from bow to transom. Because boats and engines differ, start by checking the winterizing/storage sections of your owner’s manual.

Fiberglass is made to stand up to the ravages of summer sun and salt water, so a little snow is not a problem – or is it? Ice accumulation can split open hatches and window tracks, causing leaks. So outside storage demands the proper boat cover. More on this later.

Check the hull, looking for stress cracks (common around the bow eye) and gelcoat blisters. Stress cracks can indicate structural damage, and anything serious should be looked at by a professional. The drill with blisters is to puncture, drain, dry and patch with an epoxy-based filler made for this purpose. If your hull is aluminum, bang the drum slowly with a rubber mallet to knock out dents.

Barnacles and any other unwelcome guests tagging along on your boat bottom should have their free-ride privileges terminated by scraping and then sanding any residue. A good pressure washing is in order to remove dirt and the dreaded sea scum. You’ll make this job a lot easier in the future if you apply a product such as 3M’s Marine Ultra Performance Paste Wax. It creates an acrylic shield over the hull to prevent dirt from penetrating into the wax. The crud stays on the surface where it can be hosed off easily.

Inside Scoop

Winter air can be humid or dry, and both conditions can bring grief to vinyl interiors. Vinyl cleaners and protectants, available in gels and sprays, can prevent your vinyl from drying out and cracking. More insidious is moisture that opens the door to mildew. More than one boat owner has unzipped his boat in the spring only to find the interior looking like a science project with mold and mildew everywhere. The fix here is to vent your boat cover for good airflow to minimize trapped moisture. Mildew sprays are a big help, as are chemical dehumidifiers that pull excess moisture from the air.

Not content with just getting cozy with your interior, moisture likes to do other nasty things, like corrode your on-board electronics and electrical system. If your wiring is of the nonmarinized variety, it’s especially prone to corrosion that can cause shorts, blown fuses and a big migraine – with a large service bill to match. Remove any electronics that you can, and let them winter in a kinder environment. Then, spray all exposed electrical connections with a moisture-displacing lubricant. Now is also the time for a thorough cleaning of all brightwork, vacuuming/washing of the carpets and deck, and a general overall grime-busting expedition.

If your boat has a removable head, clean and dry it before you store it. Built-in units, including sinks and showers, should be drained and pumped with antifreeze.

When choosing a boat cover, make sure the cover protects the waterline. Polytarp covers are relatively inexpensive but, as with any cover, they should be used with a frame to distribute the weight of snow evenly and away from the weak areas of the boat. You can make your own frame from 2 x 4s or 2 x 2s or PVC pipe. There are also kits that allow you to make a reusable frame from aluminum tubing using special clamps that attach the tubes at any angle.

Polyvinyl covers are often used for maximum water repellency and resistance to mildew and stains. Be sure the cover is securely tied down or taped so wind won’t get underneath the cover, blowing in snow or shredding the cover itself.

Motor Matters

Winter’s biggest dangers to engines are freezing, corrosion and fuel degradation. Pull the engine cover and check for such problems as frayed or loose wires, connections and clamps. Check the condition of all hoses and replace those that are mushy or that show cracks. Check the condition of the belts and adjust the tension if necessary. Touch up any paint nicks to prevent corrosion. Run the engine up to temperature and change the oil and filter.

Flush the engine with fresh water. Some outboards have an attachment for a garden hose to make the job easier. Otherwise, use “earmuffs” to reverse flush outboards and sterndrives. Idle the engine when flushing, making sure it doesn’t overheat, until the water flushes clean. Clean all outboard telltales with a piece of wire, and store the engine in a vertical position to make sure the water drains completely. Even a small amount of water left in the engine can freeze and cause big damage. Inboards and sterndrives require refilling with propylene glycol antifreeze to prevent small ice pockets from forming, which can crack the block.

Gasoline breaks down in storage – the lighter factions evaporating off and the heavier ones forming a jet-clogging and injector-sticking varnish. The degrading action can begin in as little as two weeks, and the fuel’s octane rating decreases in the process. Add fuel stabilizer to the tank and idle the engine for 10 to 20 minutes to distribute stabilizer throughout the system.

To protect engine internals from rust and corrosion, remove the engine flame arrestor and spray fogging oil down the carburetor with the engine running. Shut off the fuel supply – either with the fuel valve or by pinching off the fuel line – to burn up the remaining fuel in the carb/fuel-injection system. When the engine stops, pull the spark plugs and squirt some fogging oil into the cylinders. Rotate the engine a few times for a good oil coating and reinstall the plugs. An alternative is to disable the ignition and crank the engine while spraying fogging oil down the carb.

Fogging oil is relatively sticky, and there’s a possibility of it hanging up an injector if it’s used on fuel-injected engines. To be on the safe side, use two-cycle oil instead of fogging oil, following the above procedures. Also, add some two-cycle oil to the fuel along with the stabilizer.

On four-cycle engines, the main jets in the carb are so small that even a tiny amount of fuel left in the carb can gum them up. You need to remove the carb drain plug to extract all of the fuel.

Moving to the stern end, wedge a block of wood between the prop and antiventilation plate, loosen the prop nut and pull the prop. Check the condition of the prop, hub and splines. Changing the water pump impeller is cheap insurance against water pump failure next season.

Drain the gear case lube and look for a milky color, which would indicate water in the oil. Also look for metal chips, which mean your gears are grinding more than horsepower.

If you’re conscientious about winter maintenance, your reward will be a quick launch in the spring – instead of time spent stuck on the trailer.

Lake Lanier Tail Gate

Its that time of year again. Leaves are beginning to fall and for Lake Lanier residents this means its time for football season to begin. Whether you are a Bulldog, Yellow Jacket, or Falcon fan, tailgating is essential to any successful home game experience. When not enjoying your home or dock on Lake Lanier, tailgating can be a great way to kick back and relax while making new friends and enjoying some fantastic food. To kick off football season here are some basic tips and must have items for a successful tailgating experience.

Plan your menu and do prep work a day or two before the game. Keep the menu simple and pack prepared food in disposable containers. There are lot of foods that can be prepared days before the big event. Think barbecue, chili, stews, baked beans, muffuletta sandwiches, etc. Others can be prepared ahead except for maybe one or two ingredients such as jambalaya, gumbos, meatballs and spaghetti, and red beans and rice. Even hamburgers can be preformed, and then frozen in advance. Just make sure you keep all cooked items frozen or adequately cooled until final preparation at the tailgating site. The more food you can pre-prepare the less time and effort will be required at your tailgating party.

Plan to arrive 3 to 4 hours early and stay 1 to 2 hours after the game for the post game tailgating party wrap up.

Find a good spot to park. Not all parking spaces are created equal! Park next to a grassy area or at the end of the parking row–this gives you more room for serious tailgating!

Fly one of those helium filled balloons on a loooong string so friends can find you.

Decorate your tailgate site with team pennants and other team stuff.

Food should be ready at least two hours before the game starts. This is plenty of time for those going to the game to eat, clean up and extinguish fires.

Share food with neighbors. Swap recipes.

Leave area clean. Begin thinking about food and friends for the next game.

Whenever possible pack your food in zip lock bags (no clean-up).

Use one of those large plastic boxes (Rubbermaid). Stores your paper products in one compartment, spices in another and on the bottom what ever fits. If you need a plate or a cup pull out the drawer and grab one.

Make hamburgers in advance, make sure they are no thicker than 3/4 inch, and freeze between sheets of wax paper. Put on grill still frozen and cook 3 to 4 minutes each side

Large tailgates require a lot of additional help. Have a meeting with tailgating constituents to plan and distribute responsibilities; write down on paper! One person cannot do it all!

Also, a great cooler tip! Get bottled water and freeze it. Place it in your cooler. If it gets hot, you can take it out and as it melts, you will have cold water to drink. Unlike, ice, it won’t “water down” your cooler! The bottles make good ice packs.

Line your portable grill with aluminum foil for easy clean-up and disposal of spent charcoal.

Perhaps, the most important thing to do is MAKE A LIST. Load your vehicle the night before with everything except perishable items. Check off the items as you load them.

The Twelve Must Haves of Tailgating

TENT – When everybody else is in their car or truck avoiding the rain, you’ll be cooking!

JUMPER CABLES – After a great tailgate party, some would love to stay in the parking lot forever…but everyone might not share that thought. Especially valuable if you’re running electrical appliances off an inverter hooked up to your vehicle.

PLASTIC TRASH BAGS FOR CLEAN UP – A dedicated tailgater always respects their surroundings and leaves it clean.

EXTRA ICE – There is no excuse to ever run out of ice. Just bring a full extra ice chest and enjoy.

FIRST AID KIT – Just in case that football hits you in the head.

COMFORTABLE SHOES – I know it’s a no-brainer but sometimes we forget how much we visit and with the right shoes you can walk to your stomach’s content.

ANTACID – With all the foods consumed at the tailgate, we need some help. Remember defense wins championships.

CHAIRS – It seems like such a little thing but many rookies forget them.

FOLDING TABLE- Absolutely indispensable. A place to put all the plates, napkins, flatware, drinks, ice, food, and a place to sit down and eat. A whole lot better than trying to balance paper plates in your lap.

WATER – Not only to extinguish the grill but also for general clean-up. Bring at least two gallons.

PROPANE – Make sure the propane bottles are full – better yet, bring two.

TOILET PAPER – The MVP (most valuable product) of the parking lot. If your stadium doesn’t have readily accessible indoor restrooms, don’t get caught with your pants down in a Port-A-Potty with no TP.

For the latest Lake Lanier new homes for sale please visit www.Lakelanier-homesforsale.com often.  Find the latest foreclosures, short sales, homes with docks, deep water access, and million dollar homes for sale.  Serving Gainesville, Cumming, Buford, Flowery Branch, Oakwood, Dawsonville, Forsyth, Dawson, Hall, and Gwinnett Counties.  Call today to schedule a showing 770-990-0743.

Georgia won the latest round in court, but from the expanding muddy red banks of Lake Lanier it appears as if Lake Lanier is still losing the water wars.

The lake is down 9 feet and dropping at a rate of about a foot a week, giving rise to memories of the drought of 2007-2009 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers drained 20 feet out of Lanier and some say sucked the life out of the local economy.

The fear is the lake will continue to sink with a dry winter in the forecast and next summer could be as disastrous as 2008 when Lanier was down 15 feet and tourism was off by about 880,000 visitors and recreation revenue was down $90.2 million.

“They’ve been dropping it like crazy for the last 15 days and it’s got people scared,” said Don Hunt, 54, a boat mechanic working at Holiday Marina Tuesday afternoon. “I know Atlanta needs the water, but they can’t be letting it out that fast.”

The 38,000-acre lake about 40 miles north of downtown Atlanta is a recreational site that draws about 7.5 million visitors a year and metro area’s biggest source of drinking water at the heart of the tri-state water wars between Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. The lake, and the Chattahoochee River that feeds it, provide water for about 2.6 million Georgia residents.

Earlier this month, Georgia won the latest round in court when the Atlanta-based U.S. 11th District Court of Appeals denied hearing another appeal from Alabama and Florida to overturn a June ruling by the circuit court that said water supply is an authorized purpose of the lake. The case will now probably go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Corps announced about three weeks ago it was stepping up releases to replenish rivers and streams parched by a summer drought now stretching into the fall. It predicted that, based on weather projections, it will continue the releases and Lanier will be down another three feet by late October.

This week Corps spokesman E. Patrick Robbins said the Corps cannot predict how low Lanier might go.

Speculation along the lake is the Corps will drop Lanier another foot and then hold it at 1,061 feet, 10 feet below its capacity, known as full pool. Not so, said Robbins. The Corps will continue to release as much water as needed to replenish streams.

By most accounts, business and tourism has rebounded since 2008. Summer opened with Lanier just below the mid-May full pool mark of 1,071 feet and dropping steadily but gradually until early September. Through August, 5.4 million people visited the lake, according to the Corps.

Darren Matthews works for Singleton Marine Group at Holiday Marina on the other side of the lake. For him, it’s been a good year, too, with boat sales up and the slips staying busy at the marina where about 1,500 boats are moored.

The dip in the lake is a lot different than the drought and draw down of 2008, he said: “That wasn’t just about the lake going down, it was about the economy going down,” he said. “The whole boat business went bad. We did a lot of business with boats being repossessed.”

This time around lake dwellers and businesses know what to expect, even if it drops to the historic low of December 2007, just below 1,051 feet, said Matthews.

“I would be lying to you if I told you I didn’t wish the Corps would come up with a better plan,” he said. “I remember when it was so high it was up in the parking lot, and of course we were complaining then.”

Even at its lowest point, said Matthews, “there’s still a lot of lake out there.” Jennifer Z. Miller, vice president of the Lake Lanier Convention & Visitors Bureau, sounded equally upbeat. Her group is “optimistic that water levels will stabilize,” and, in the meantime, Lanier is “still open for business,” she said.

Hunt, the boat mechanic, said he think the water releases are worse than what the Corps is saying. “I’ve lived up here 22 years, and I look at that level now, it’s not down 9 feet, it’s down 13 or 14 feet,” he said. “And I think they’re trying to keep that from the public.”

Tourism and the lake level are strongly interlinked, according to a 2010 economic impact study funded by 1,071 Coalition, a group that advocates keeping Lanier at full pool.

After the lake hit bottom in December 2007, and hovered around 1,055 feet for the summer of 2008, about 880,000 fewer people visited in the five-county area surrounding Lake Lanier, according to the study. Recreation spending declined by $90.2 million and sales tax revenue decreased by $1.9 million.

A full Lanier adds a “premium” of $5.3 billion to $6.4 billion in additional value to nearly 15,500 lakefront homes, and that generates an additional $52.1 million to $63 million annually in county and school district property tax revenue, according to the study.

Knowing your surrounding is the first step to purchasing a home on Lake Lanier. Not all boat docks are created equal. First time homebuyers to the Lake Lanier area need to be aware of their boat dock’s water level. Know the water depth behind your boat dock and how lower lake levels may affect your boat dock. This simple information can save lake buyers huge headaches and allows for year round enjoyment of your boat.

Many Lake Lanier buyers imagine that with all the hi-tech property search tool offered finding a home will be easier.  In many cases finding a listing is much easier but actually having an offer accepted is rare.  For most Lake Lanier investment properties unrepresented buyers are finding multiple offers with highest and best already in place long before ever driving past the home.

Quality homes – investment properties on Lake Lanier consist of a couple key factors 

1.  Location.  Many lake buyers like the southern end of Lanier due to amenities, living benefits, schools, infrastructure, location, and water quality among other features.

2.  Function.  The function of a Lake Lanier property includes slope of the land, dock or no dock, age of house, need for upgrades, neighborhood, and resale.

3.  Price.  Most buyers consider price as the most important of these categories when in fact it runs a distant third to Location and Function.  Any house on Lanier with a dock should be worth $200,000 through $350,000 and change.  Low end has shallow water and older house.  High end might have a better house.  $350,000 through $425,000 has a better view, $500,000 and up should have a view, good water, and 1994 and newer house.  Million dollar home plus on Lanier should have point views, deep water access, 1992 and newer house with all the upgrades.

Why is price third to function and location for Lanier purchases?

Would you pay $200,000 for a wonderful home, 2002 construction, Flowery Branch address, deep water access with no dock?  If we are being honest with each other the answer is no.  Why purchase a home on Lanier without a dock at any price?  Lanier buyers consist of floaters and boaters.  The floaters like to see the water, put their feet in on special occasions, enjoy the sunsets.  Boaters like the dock, the boat, skiing, fireworks on the fourth, dinner with friends in Cocktail Cove, sleepovers on the islands, summer sun, and winter privacy.  Both can enjoy Lanier but when it comes time to sell the floater house (no dock) this property sits on the market for a year or two while the boaters house sells in three months with possible highest and best multiple offers.  Purchasing a Lake house as a first or second home is a stretch at all price ranges, understand that finding the right location and function is going to cost a few more dollars than what you had planned for.  Spend the extra money today while prices are at an all time low and reap the reward as Lanier’s market comes back strong.

Understanding that no two Lanier properties are exact comps pricing becomes a little skewed for the marginal homes.  The top 10% of homes, when coming on the market, are receiving multiple offers within 5-10 days of listing.

The new technology 

www.zillow.com, www.trulia.com, www.JeffBarnwell.net, www.Realtor.com, www.Remax.com   All wonderful websites that will show the latest new homes for sale with some exceptions.  www.JeffBarnwell.net is the only one that updates daily with the latest new homes for sale, foreclosures, short sales, and price changes.  The others are usually 2 – 3 days behind due to contracts with local MLS’s.

As you are driving around Lake Lanier with your Zillow.com home smart phone app remember to keep my number handy, 770-990-0743 to check availability.  Most of the top  properties that you drive past are more than likely already under contract from this past weekend.

The cure for driving around Lake Lanier without a plan

 www.JeffBarnwell.net and www.LakeLanier-HomesForSale.com both have “hotlist” email features that will mail the latest new listings and notify of price changes within your search criteria.  Say you are seeking a new lake house in Cumming from $3000,000 – $700,000, deep water access, lake frontage, double slip or single slip dock, gentle slope to water.  My Lake Lanier IDX is showing 32 homes listed with these characteristics.  I have customers that like driving around Lanier seeking for sale signs.  The drive is beautiful, why not spend a couple hours exploring the area.  However, Lanier is huge with hundreds of miles of shoreline.  Without question you will not be able to find every home on the market.  Most don’t have listing signs.

Check the emails sent from www.JeffBarnwell.net and www.LakeLanier-HomesForSale.com daily for latest “hotlist” properties before making the trip.

Schedule a showing for Lake Lanier new homes for sale when ready to purchase your new house.  Happy to show a couple properties either by land or lakeside. 

Lake Lanier views

In 2004 the Corp of Engineers set a limit of 10,615 permit-able docks for Lake Lanier. For many Lanier homeowners this impact study was a death nail for any property without a current boat dock permit or zoned yellow or red. Those homeowners with permits saw their appraised value increase (on average) 70k, those without, only time will tell.

Expecting a large number of applicants, the corp held a lottery in October 2009 to determine the order of reviewing applications. To date the Corps has issued 80 permits, turned down 125 applications for various reasons and have another 13 pending.

If your Lake Lanier property lacks a dock permit and is zoned green now is the time to apply. With only 185 permits remaining Lanier a valid dock permit is priceless for lakefront homeowners.

Flowery Branch Lake Lanier Homes for Sale – http://lakelanier-homesforsale.com/flowery-branch-georgia-lake-lanier-homes-sale/

Cumming Lake Lanier Homes for Sale – http://lakelanier-homesforsale.com/cumming-georgia-lake-lanier-homes-sale/

Lake Lanier new home search

Would appear our neighbors in Alabama and Florida have requested the Corp of Engineers to provide more water from Lanier.  Already five feet down from full pool, 1071, Lanier homeowners are starting to see brown again on the shoreline.  For the latest Lake Lanier new homes for sale please visit www.Lake-LanierHomesForSale.com

As printed in the Gainesville Times  http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/54437/

POSTED: August 16, 2011 12:19 a.m.  
  
As Tropical Storm Gert appears headed out to sea, the Hall County area’s rain deficit gets larger and the water level at Lake Lanier keeps dropping.

Will there be any storm, tropical or gully washer that can bring relief to our parched earth?
Maybe.

The Atlantic basin is expected to see an above-normal hurricane season, which began June 1 and ends Nov. 30, and the season has yet to reach its peak.

“That could be a game changer,” said Lisa Coghlan, spokeswoman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ office in Mobile, Ala.

For now, though, yards are getting browner and shorelines more exposed.

On Monday, Buford Dam had an unplanned water release starting at 10:55 a.m. to increase flows downstream.

The corps’ statement on the matter: “We had to increase generation this morning to the daily schedule to help send water downstream to ensure the 750 (cubic feet per second) cfs was met at Peachtree Creek.

“Over the weekend, Morgan Falls Dam (at the Cobb-Fulton County line) got too low and additional water was needed to ensure flows were met.”

Coghlan said more unscheduled releases could occur if the drought doesn’t loosen its grip.

Lake Lanier stood at 1,066 feet above sea level Monday, or 5 feet below the normal full pool of 1,071 feet.

It was threatening to drop into the 1,065-foot range, an area the lake hasn’t seen since the spring of 2009, when the 2007-2009 drought was still going strong.

While that drought was much more severe, draining Lanier to a historic low of 1,050.79 feet on Dec. 26, 2007, the mostly dry conditions we’re going through now aren’t something to dismiss.

Joanna Cloud, executive director of the Gainesville-based Lake Lanier Association, said she is concerned the lake is 5 feet under pool “heading into our historically dry season.”

“We know from experience, once Lake Lanier drops significantly, it is far less likely to refill the following year,” she said.

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows that most of South Georgia is in extreme drought. Portions of the state, including the Savannah area, have a worse label, “exceptional drought.”

Hall County is suffering from “abnormally dry conditions” and a sliver of East Hall has slipped into “moderate drought.”

With no substantial rainfall this week, more of Hall County could be in “moderate drought” when a new drought report is issued on Thursday.

Lack of rainfall, particularly in South Georgia, is driving the lower elevations at Lake Lanier, which is part of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin that flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

No rain is in the forecast until Thursday for the Hall County area, according to the National Weather Service in Peachtree City.

A 20 percent chance for thunderstorms runs from Thursday through Sunday.

The Lake Lanier Association is back in the press requesting all parties consider raising Lanier’s full pool elevation from 1071 to 1073.  Lanier’s full pool is calculated as elevation.  If standing on the shore of Lanier at full pool with your feet in the water you are 1071 feet above sea level.  At our lowest point in December 2009 we experienced 1051 for two days taking the lake 20 feet below full pool.

Lanier residents will remember not being able to use all but one boat ramp (Shoal Creek), sand dunes under the Lanier Island bridge, countless navigational hazards from exposed humps, newly exposed sandy beaches across the lake, and the heartache of moving docks or losing lake access for months at a time.

My understanding is that before an increase in capacity is even considered congress must request a study from the Corp of Engineers.  The impact report would include dam feasibility,moving docks-structure, existing bridge clearances, and other issues permanently adding two feet of water might cause.   In January 2007, the Lake Lanier Association proposed raising Lanier from its current level of 1071 to 1073. The additional two feet of water storage would add approximately 26 billion gallons of water to Lake Lanier.

For the latest on Lake Lanier homes for sale please visit www.LakeLanier-HomesForSale.com  This website is updated daily with the latest new homes for sale, foreclosures, short sales, and buyers information.

Sales Report for Cumming Georgia – Lake Lanier real estate sold in 2010

37  lakeside properties in Cumming Georgia sold last year ranging from $142,500.00 through $1,099,000.00. Forsyth County offers lower taxes, excellent school system, and an easy access to Ga 400.  Cumming residents enjoy shopping at The Avenues, Market Place, Lakewood 400 Antique Mall, North Point Mall in Alpharetta, and Mall of  Georgia in Buford.

For more information on Lake Lanier real estate please call 770-990-0743

For the latest Cumming Georgia Lake Lanier real estate for sale please click on the following link

http://lakelanier-homesforsale.com/search-lake-lanier-listings/

For the latest Cumming Georgia foreclosures and short sales

http://lakelanier-homesforsale.com/search-lake-lanier-foreclosures/