Holiday traditions we love
Posted by thunsicker in Living on November 18, 2011
I’ve recently been thinking about new “traditions” that our kids are seeing that we didn’t have growing up. Or maybe these are Southern things that I just wasn’t familiar with. Holiday traditions may be a bit off of my main blog topic, but since I live in Atlanta and learned about them while living in Vinings I’d like to hear other comments on whether this is national or a local phenomena.
“Booing” – this one I like. Sometimes a couple of weeks before Halloween and recently just a few days before. You’ll get a knock on your door and see a costumed child running away. Left at your doorstep is a bag of candy. The tradition is that you mark your house as “booed” and then you “boo” 3-5 others. We don’t do it quite like that as my son loves to be “booed”, so we accept all booing that comes our way.
An action shot of my son, Chase, after "Booing" a neighbor's house. He loves it!
This year I was busier than normal and came home late one night to see him all dressed up and ready to roll. Usually we’d spend a few days getting up to 12 bags ready to take on our booing adventure. This night we only did about 5.
He’s gotten good at it as he’s gotten older, I have to park up the street and he runs down in mask and costume and rings the doorbell. He only got busted this year as one mom saw me and told some others and they figured it out. That’s OK, we got more booing back that way! Booing makes the Halloween holiday last longer and its fun to try to not get caught. Maybe this is like the devils night in the “olden” days. I remember kids doing bad things the night before Halloween, that doesn’t seem to happen anymore.
“Elf on the Shelf” – I was warned about this new tradition and never got started with it. Apparently the month before Christmas the elf comes out and does crazy things at night. A neighbor said he ends up in the cereal box, he’s put toys out all over the place etc. It’s a month of being creative and trying to find things to do with the elf!
My poor son doesn’t understand why he doesn’t have an elf, oh well, we do have one but he just sits there, he doesn’t do bad things and that’s OK with me! Here’s where you can buy your Elf on the Shelf….should you choose to do so! And, now there’s a video coming out too.
St Patty’s Day – Heck we always use to drink green beer and that was the extent of traditions. Well it seems in elementary schools here there are elves that run around and do crazy things on St Patty’s day every year. They are particularly fond of turning over desks and things like that.
I just saw something recently about an angel around Christmas. Someone has written a book and is trying to sell angels. I guess they probably do “nice” things around Christmas.
My sister-in-law has this Christmas pickle. Now I guess she has 2 pickles. The kids get money on Christmas morning for finding the pickle. Might be something Italian about that or just her family.
A friend from Romania has a tradition where they put their socks out and get gifts before Christmas – I’ll have to follow up on this and learn more about it.
I’d love to hear of anything else that you’ve seen lately or your family does that might be of interest to others. If its easy enough or fun enough, maybe we’ll do it – we sure love booing!
Vinings Home – a Cape Cod in Perfect Condition
Posted by thunsicker in Featured Homes for Sale, Vinings on November 17, 2011
This home now has the status of SOLD.
The perfect private setting in Vinings is further enhanced by a new kitchen and roof, and updates throughout this Cape Cod. Located at 3225 Laramie Drive in Atlanta, this home for sale has four bedrooms and three and a half baths. There’s a full basement and two-car garage in this home that is oh so close to Vinings Village.
Offered at $499,000 and listed by Tina Hunsicker.
Vinings home for sale at 3225 Laramie Drive, Atlanta. Now sold, originally offered at $549,000 and listed by Tina Hunsicker.
A light-filled living room is anchored by a cozy fireplace.
This totally new kitchen features an incredible view to the living room and to the well-manicured back yard. You’re so close to Vinings Village, you may rarely cook since there are so many great restaurants nearby!
The spacious master bedroom is on the main level, with three additional bedrooms upstairs.
The private back yard is the perfect setting for entertaining.
Buckhead Home Sold on Regency Court
Posted by thunsicker in Buckhead, State of Real Estate Market, Under Contract and Sold Homes on November 10, 2011
This stately Buckhead home at 4235 Regency Court in Buckhead has six bedrooms, six full and three half baths. My buyers are in love with the walk-out pool and putting green outdoors. Inside, there are 12′ ceilings and the master on the main. Offered at $1,975,000.
Congratulations to my buyer clients!
Buckhead - 4235 Regency Court. Originally listed for $1,875,000. Sold by Tina Hunsicker of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty (representing the buyer).
A dramatic, elegant entry is found at 4235 Regency Court in Buckhead.
The family room is open to the top-of-the line kitchen in this Buckhead home sold by Tina Hunsicker.
A placid, walk-out pool from the main level is the perfect accessory to this beautiful home in Buckhead.
Incredible estate for sale at 811 Hawks Nest Court in Ball Ground
Posted by thunsicker in State of Real Estate Market on November 9, 2011
I’m excited to share with you my new listing at 811 Hawks Nest Court in Ball Ground, GA. Offered at $9.8 million, this estate has it all….including a helipad!
More information and links back to my website are coming soon….but I thought the pictures below might whet your appetite for now. Click here to see the entire slideshow.
An aerial view of 811 Hawks Nest Court. Listed for sale by Tina Hunsicker of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty. Offered at $9.8 million. Click on the image for more photos of this property.
A formal living room invites one and all into this countryside estate at 811 Hawks Nest Court. Listed for sale by Tina Hunsicker of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty. Offered at $9.8 million. Click on the image for more photos of this property.
The main kitchen - one of many at 811 Hawks Nest Court. Listed for sale by Tina Hunsicker of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty. Offered at $9.8 million. Click on the image for more photos of this property.
An incredible game room complete with bar, pool table, tvs, and access to the theatre room, stage and recording studio.
The perfect setting for an evening of entertainment - whether it's karaoke or with your professional friends.
Want to preserve that incredible voice and music? Step into the professional recording studio.
The pool is the perfect setting for an evening soiree....or the most fabulous birthday party imaginable.
A personal helipad makes commuting to the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport a breeze.
Sold in Chastain Park on Laurel Drive
Posted by thunsicker in Buckhead, State of Real Estate Market, Under Contract and Sold Homes on November 9, 2011
View of the Atlanta skyline in this Chastain Park home where I represented the buyers in their purchase.
My clients and I experienced a lovely surprise when we entered this home on Laurel Drive in Chastain Park. There’s an incredible view of the Atlanta skyline!
Originally listed at $1,700,000, I helped them to buy this home with six bedrooms, five full and two half baths. The pool and pool house in the back yard are simply the best.
Congratulations to my clients!
Chastain Park - 127 Laurel Drive, originally offered at $1,700,000. Sold by Tina Hunsicker of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty (representing the buyer).
Chastain Park - 127 Laurel Drive, the lovely, open kitchen. Sold by Tina Hunsicker of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty (representing the buyer).
An exquisite setting for a swimming pool and adjacent pool house/cabana.
Cobb County International Baccalaureate Program – Open House November 16, 2011
Posted by thunsicker in Atlanta Private Schools, Vinings on November 3, 2011
The designated high school in Cobb County for the International Baccalaureate Program is located at Campbell High School in Smyrna.
Click on the image to see a video about the Campbell High School IB program in Cobb County, Georgia.
During fall semester, eighth grade students at each district middle school are provided information about all magnet programs. Due to limited space at each program, students are selected through a highly-competitive, rigorous application process.
The Open House for all Cobb County students and families interested in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program at CHS will be held on WEDNESDAY, November 16, 2011 at 7 p.m. in the Livingston Auditorium at Campbell High School in Smyrna.
After a general assembly and information session, prospective students and their families will get a chance to hear from the IB faculty members, to meet parents of alumni and current students, and to talk to several IB students.
If you have questions, Email us or call us at 678-842-6856. If you are unable to attend the Open House event, please contact the IB Coordinator, Dan Penick, to make alternate arrangements for a visit to the school.
The school is very accomplished ad sending its graduates onto incredible higher education universities. Check out the list of CHS IB Graduates College Acceptances.
Three Vinings Homes Under Contract
Posted by thunsicker in State of Real Estate Market, Under Contract and Sold Homes, Vinings on October 26, 2011
Whew….it’s been a busy couple of weeks, and I have been managing three offers and all the communication that goes along with that between buyer, seller, listing agent, buyer’s representative agent, banks, inspectors, appraisers….you understand! All three homes in Vinings are under contract or sold now. Two are listings of mine, and one is a home where I represent the buyer.
SOLD – 3225 Teton Drive, Atlanta GA 30339
With a list price of $1,299,000, this Vinings home is under contract on Teton Drive. Listed by Tina Hunsicker.
Under Contract – 3333 Cochise Drive, Atlanta, GA 30339
This Vinings home on Cochise Drive was listed at $599,000 and is under contract now! Listed by Tina Hunsicker.
Under Contract – 4323 Orchard Valley Drive, Atlanta, GA 30339
Under contract in Vinings! I’m representing the buyer at this home on Orchard Valley Drive. Listed at $699,900.
Vinings Ice Cream Truck Hits the Streets
Posted by thunsicker in Living, Vinings on October 13, 2011
The ice cream truck has arrived in Vinings!
Residents of Vinings must be hearing the bells and speaker from the ice cream truck! We were used to hearing them at the beach, but in Vinings this is a relatively new thing.
We first started hearing the familiar ring of the ice cream truck a couple of months ago and now it’s pretty regular. Fortunately she usually hits our street after dinnertime so it works out well for us.
We’ve heard the ice cream truck on Teton and Orchard Knob already too, so I figure she’s most likely on all our streets.
We threw her for a loop when Chase came running out of a client’s house one day as she seems to now know where all the children are and was used to seeing two brothers from that house, not Chase. 🙂
Kids walk run to the ice cream truck in Vinings!
If your street doesn’t have the ice cream truck stopping by and you’d like her to, let me know and I’ll pass the information along.
Fulton County Tax Assessments Under Scrutiny – Again
Posted by thunsicker in Buckhead, Data and Statistics, State of Real Estate Market on October 11, 2011
As many of my Buckhead friends know, property valuation has been an issue in determining taxes in Buckhead for awhile. I have access to professionals that will fight your assessment for 1/3 of your first year’s savings on your taxes. As of April 2011, your taxes should not be higher than what you paid for the property even if it was a foreclosure or short sale. Let me know if I can help. – Tina
By Johnny Edwards, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Fulton County tax assessment situation has another flair up.
Some Fulton County residents have been egregiously overbilled for property taxes because the county, contrary to a new state law, appraised their houses for more than their 2010 sale prices.
The scope of the problem is still being determined, but it could make for another embarrassment for a tax assessors office that has struggled to keep up with legislation enacted this year overhauling property assessment and appeals processes in the wake of the real estate bust.
And it has the Senate majority leader fuming.
“I’m flabbergasted. I’m frustrated,” said Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, who sponsored Senate Bill 346 and is pushing for further changes in the tax system next year. After seeing evidence that Fulton has put tax values on some homes at twice their sale price, Rogers said he’s now mulling penalties for counties that stray from the law.
“This is a problem that doesn’t seem to be correcting itself,” he said.
One of the provisions of SB 346 limited 2011 tax values to the level of 2010 sales. Exceptions are allowed if, after a sale, an owner undertakes new construction or makes major repairs or renovations.
Allyne Bolton bought a new house in unincorporated south Fulton for $147,190 in June 2010. Though she’s had nothing done but an interior paint job, the county gave her a tax value of $308,700.
Her tax bill totaled $4,112, which she says she can’t afford. Had the house been valued at her sale price, she would have owed about $1,640.
“It’s ridiculous. It’s unfair,” said Bolton, a travel agent out of work since January. “The law says they can’t assess me for more than what I paid for the house, and they’ve assessed me at twice what I paid for the house.”
It’s the latest in a succession of errors and oversights by the assessors office this year, some widespread, some affecting an unlucky few.
Burt Manning, the county’s chief appraiser, said Fulton residents who believe they have been wrongly appraised should call his office.
“We’re certainly investigating, and we’ve only found a few that need to be fixed,” he said.
Please click here for the entire article about the Fulton County tax assessments from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Also, I wanted to provide the Georgia law pertaining to the revenue and taxation of ad valorem taxes in our state. Please click here to see the entire law.
Click on the image of the Georgia law for the full-size PDF version.
Fall in Vinings and Metro Atlanta
Posted by thunsicker in Living on October 5, 2011
Our Halloween display went up the first day of October, thanks to Chase's enthusiasm!
Yes, the Hunsicker’s are ready for Fall! As soon as October 1st hits Chase insists we decorate, so Sunday night we did!
I wanted to add a quick blog post about Fall/Harvest activities as one of my objectives was to keep people informed of various festivals and holiday activities.
This coming weekend is the Ellijay Apple Festival www.ellijaygeorgia.com/applefestival
Chase and a friend went last year and were there all day….picking apples, riding ponies, eating etc. It is this weekend the 8th and 9th and next the 15th and 16th of October.
Also, next Saturday is the Pace Fall Festival, this will be the first year ever that Chase will miss it as I’m having his birthday party on that day (he turns 7 on the 20th of October).
There are many great pumpkin patches in metro Atlanta!
Pumpkin patches and fall festival things to do in the metro Atlanta area.
Yahoo Farms – Jasper, GA http://yahoofarm.com/
Kinsey Family Farm – Gainesville, GA www.kinseyfamilyfarm.com
Cagle’s Farm – Cherokee County, GA http://www.caglesfamilyfarm.com/
Burt’s Pumpkin Patch – Dawsonville, GA http://www.burtsfarm.com/
Berry Patch – Woodstock, GA http://www.berrypatchfarms.net/
Hillcrest Orchards – Ellijay, GA www.hillcrestorchard.net
Boo at the Zoo – Atlanta, GA http://www.zooatlanta.org/home/article_content/boo
Please feel free to add any that you know of that may be of interest to others as well!
Mums are a great accessory to a fall display! I love them!
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