Only 22 schools in the state made the list in 2010 and South Forsyth Middle School is the only school in Forsyth County to make the list. It is an honorable distinction that they should be proud of. Along with that distinction they were awarded $1000 from Georgia Natural Gas. There are two categories for Schools of Excellence in the state of Georgia.

It’s been nearly two years since I wrote last on the Big Creek Greenway so an update is due. You can review that post for information on which communities the trail will run by. For those of you that use the trail system, you know that Phases I,II & III are complete. What a great complement to the park systems of Forsyth County. I know a lot of people who use the Greenway to bike and jog - it’s really great.

Here’s an interesting statistic: By the year 2020 almost 45 percent of all U.S. households will include someone at least 55 years old. That stat is from the National Association of Home Builders. They also predict a rise of 30% in housing starts for 55+ communities this year and 46% in 2011.

It’s no surprise as well that design considerations have become less important, and financial concerns have become more prominent. The recession has effected both retirement savings and retirement income. However, nationally Active Adult Communities have not taken the hit in sale price that most real estate has. That said, there are several affordable options in Forsyth County for Active Adult Living.

Right now, in the middle of January with snow still on the ground, you might not be thinking about searching for a home on Lake Lanier. But you may be interested in how the lake did in 2010. I wanted to go back and review what sales of Lake Homes on Lanier looked like over 2010, but sometimes the data is less meaningful if it’s not compared to another set of date. So, I used a few stats and compared what the sales looked like last year compared to 2009.

It’s certainly not the case any longer. Once a needle in a haystack, this product has become a needle in a needle stack.

I’ll admit, most buyers out there are not necessarily searching for a Ranch Home with a basement, but there is a market for this type of home. A few years back I recall listing a ranch home on a slab and it seemed that every other agent that showed it ended up telling me that their clients really wanted a ranch on a basement. Of course, my immediate reaction was “why are you looking at this home then?”. Almost every agent that said this stated, “it’s so hard to find a ranch on a basement that we’re looking at slabs as well”