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Stuff to do: Virginia Highlands Summerfest 2011 - June 4th and 5th

Saturday, June 4, 2011 – 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. 

?Sunday, June 5, 2011 – 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m Scenic and historic Virginia Ave.

(between ?North Highland Ave. & Park Drive)

FREE ADMISSION (?Donations to the Va-Hi Civic Assn. are appreciated)


As you can tell from my previous blogs over the last month or so I've been delighted to highlight some of our great city's summer festivals. Each year I find that the festivals get larger and more entertaining, this year's (28th annual) Virginia Highlands Summerfest is no different. Not only has the festival grown in size with the amount of vendors and people over the years, but this year brings a couple better known musical acts as...

Atlanta Foreclosure Report: April 2011

Foreclosures notices for April 2011 in the Metro Atlanta market dropped by 28% from March 2011 and 18% from April 2010. What does this mean for the foreclosure market here in Atlanta? Well ... as much as we'd like this to mean foreclosures have seen their peak, it's more reasonable to assume the precipitous drop is due to recent changes in lender requirements.

Pervasive problems with improper paperwork led many lenders to slow down the filing process. They're now taking extra steps before advertising properties for foreclosure; making certain to dot all the "i's" and cross all the "t's". Those extra steps, though necessary to protect the legal interests of big banks, are causing homes to sit longer before hitting the market as REOs (real estate owned).

This months totals are the lowest since February 2009 ...

Here's a quick breakdown of the top 5 counties and their totals:

Gwinnett County led with 1,567 total filings. Right...

Stuff to do: Kirkwood Spring Fling, 5k Road Race and Tour of Homes - Saturday, May 14th - all day long

*Family Friendly


The 9th annual Kirkwood Spring Fling kicks off at 8am on Saturday, May 14th with a 5k Road Race. The main festival will last from 10am-11pm - the live music ending around 11pm. The festival includes music, arts and craft booths, food booths, a kids area, a tour of Kirkwood area homes and a 5k race. You can register for the 5k race on the day of the festival for $25. This is only the 2nd year the festival includes a 5k run so come out and make it an event to remember. You can find all the information you need here.


This year is exciting musically because the headlining act is Atlanta's own Drivin N' Cryin. Drivin N' Cryin have made a national name for themselves over the past 25 years and I think its exciting to have such a big name come to such a localized festival. They will appeal to folks of all ages so I really recommend you head out to see them if you can. Other music acts include Simplified, The Deadfields, The Axis, Brass Knuckle Surfer,...

Tax Deferred Exchanges: An Introduction

There is a way to defer the taxes on the "sale" of a property being used or held for investment purposes or trade. Its referred to as a Tax Deferred Exchange. You may also hear it called a "Deferred Like-Kind Exchange" or a "Section 1031 Exchange" or a variety of other terms; we're going to stick to tax deferred exchange or TDE. First, let me say that you must use, by law, what is called a "qualified intermediary" to complete a TDE. Its also highly recommended that you have an attorney that can explain the legal aspects of the exchange.

In simple terms…you can defer (postpone), and in some cases, eliminate the capital gains tax on an investment property you're selling. The catch? You have to be purchasing a "like-kind property" to "replace" the one you're selling. In short, its the simultaneous to semi-simultaneous swap of one property for another. This allows you to maintain more of your money to put into a replacement property. I'll go into detail on the definition of "like-kind"...

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