In this ultra-competitive market, home sellers are constantly looking for that little something to give them an edge over their competition.  The curb appeal of your home ... it's "drive-by" appearance ... should be the first place you start.

For those of you that know me, you probably find that title a little surprising, coming from the guy that starts sending emails before the sun comes up and is still writing on his blog at 10:30 at night (like now) ... but, sometimes you have to put work down for awhile to keep from losing your mind.

Today, I had the pleasure of spending all day with Taylor, my 2-year old daughter, and I realized how little I miss work when I'm not there. After a breakfast trip to McDonalds, an hour at gymnastics and a walking through downtown on a beautiful Athens afternoon, I realized that there's a lot more to life than contracts and negotiating home sales.

If you're reading this, and I was supposed to be marketing your home or finding you a home today ... sorry! Believe me, I'm more energized now after a day off and will be much more productive than I would've been had I not taken a day. People think that Realtors are 24/7 on and never off, and that's sometimes true. But, in reality, we should all slow down and take time to enjoy life.

According to a recent NAR report, residential housing values in 31 of the 50 states have remained steady or have been positive in the past year. Have you heard that statistic in the news? Of course not.

Over 60% of the nation is stable, while a handful of states (California, Florida, Arizona, etc) have losses that are dragging down the market.

Part of the reason housing activity is down now is because of the public perception that it's not a good time to make a move, but in reality, real estate is regional ... and, unless your in the hardest-hit areas (and Athens, GA is not), now is as good a time as any.

It never fails ... every single day, someone will ask "where is the best place in Athens to invest?". Since we market our company as being Athens, GA investment property specialists, it's a question I've learned to be prepared for. But, the answer isn't simple.

If I knew what the future held, I wouldn't be working 10-12 hours per day selling real estate ... I'd be buying it all. But, my answer is always the same to these inquiries:

The old adage of "location, location, location" has proven itself over and over again, and I see no reason to stray from it when investing. Occasionally, real estate investments and developments off the beaten path are successful, but why take the risk when there's plenty of opportunities near already proven areas.

For example, the obvious attraction in this area is the University of Georgia. Reasonably priced real estate near campus is sure to maintain it's value, and will almost certainly appreciate over time. And, if you're willing to roll the dice just a little, look for areas where UGA is seeking expansion. For instance, the 58 acre Navy School Campus will be a UGA medical campus within the next 5-10 years ... think property values around that will go up? Of course they will.

In addition to location, it's important to match the real estate with the area. For instance, being near UGA does you no good if you develop a warehouse for industrial use ... just like putting a student-housing development in an industrial area would fail ... make sure your investments are oriented to your desired audience.

If you have questions about a specific property, or if you'd like advice on your next investment in this area, please let me know ... I'd love to help.

Having been in the business the past few years, I've heard first-hand numerous of why the real estate market is in a slump, as well as many suggestions for how to fix it.

There's no denying that foreclosures are at an all-time high, and the government, mortgage companies and individuals all share the blame. But, if we're serious about cleaning up this mess, my sales experience suggests that the mortgage companies should be more diligent in their efforts.

In all the foreclosure and short-sale transactions that I've worked on recently, the mortgage companies seem to lack a serious desire to get these repossessed properties off their books. The never-ending line of uninformed phone reps, inexperienced listing agents and out-of-town attorneys that one has to deal with to help these companies out of bad debt have no motivation to expedite the process. And, the "process" so is almost so tedious that it discourages owners from the process altogether.

I understand that these companies are overwhelmed with requests and bank-owned properties right now, but if they're serious about cleaning up, it would seem they would hire capable people to answer the phones, process the requests in a timely manner, and not make the same mistakes again.

Sure, we all know someone struggling to make their mortgage payments. It's affected all of us on some personal level. But, the effects of the recent government bailout of Freddie & Fannie backed loans has a much more far-reaching effect than just individual homeowners.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac owned or backed about half of all US mortgages, but investors worldwide, and especially Asian banks, were highly leveraged in their bonds. Stocks worldwide soared yesterday on the announcement of the government bailout, and the news seems to have provided some confidence to otherwise hesitant investors that viewed the US market as being too risky.

If you've read my blog in the past, you know how I feel about government interference with the private markets, but this is one scenario where the result might produce worthwhile results.