The tax man commeth and he's not always fair.

Since we have lost so much value in our properties, some folks haven't thought to have their taxes reviewed and are paying more than they should. 

I have had many clients ask me about how to appeal their taxes, so I thought I'd share what the Tax Assessor's office in Henry County, GA, told me today. 

Did you know that Roswell might have been Barrington?

I took a rare day off yesterday with my good friend, Leslie Jeffrey. 



Barrington Hall Side View



I had purchased tickets to a Southern Trilogy Tour of Homes through Groupon back in early summer and we vowed that we would tour these homes once the weather cooled off and yesterday was nice and cool.  The tickets allowed us to tour Smith Plantation, Barrington Hall and Bulloch Hall.  Leslie lived in Roswell for some time and had never been to see any of the homes.  Although I have been to the Swan House and the Atlanta Historical Society, I know nothing about the northern suburbs and so it was quite an adventure for me.

I was a little off in our planning and we got to Barrington Hall "after the hour".  Tours begin "on the hour".  So we explored the gardens first and then had a private tour - just the two of us with the docent.  It was great.  I had been to Stone Mountain, but all the structures there had been moved to the site.  This was the original house, owned by Roswell Barrington! Who knew? I had no idea such a beautiful, original home existed so close to Atlanta! 



Smith Plantation



After that tour, we went to lunch at a lovely cafe - Oak Street Cafe - nice atmosphere and tasty lunch.  And then, we proceeded to go to the Smith Plantantation.  We had a great guide by the name of Jane.  She made it very interesting and she spoke about Mamie Cotton, the domestic who stayed on beyond the death of Mrs. Smith, because of the life estate that had been left to her.

Unfortunately, we were unable to see Bulloch Hall which was closed in preparation for a quilt display.  We'll go back soon to see Bulloch Hall and follow that with shopping at the quaint local antique shops.  It's fun to explore!  There are actually a lot of great venues to explore in and around our area.  Stay tuned for additional places of interest.

Never saw so much OSB in a tract home!

Monty and I were driving through a new home subdivision the other day.  Remember that this is 2011 and building has just about stopped in Metro Atlanta.  So, watching a home being built is a fairy rare occurrence these days.

But, I was just awe-struck by the fact that the entire home is sheathed in oriented strand board (OSB).  See photo below. When this house gets its exterior siding, it will have an all brick front and hardi-plank siding on the sides and rear.

About a hundred years ago, when I first moved to Atlanta (really 1986), I wrote a contract

Pay for college or retirement - why choose?

Buy a piece of real estate for each child and avoid the dilemma...

I watched this story on the Today show today. (If you are on an ipad, you may need to
click here).

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

It's a debate on how or if  you should fund your child's education or your retirement fund.  I submit to you that you can do both!

This has always been a sore topic for me. I am first generation Italian.  I am the last of 5 children.  I would have loved to go to college.  But, my parents worked very hard, my father was a steel worker and my mother was a seamstress in a factory. Although I wouldn't consider us poor, I certainly wouldn't consider us rich. I didn't want to be a drag on them - they were in their late 50's and early 60's when it was time for me to go to college.  For some reason, the State of New York said they made too much money in order for me to qualify for any tuition assistance. 

Has it come to this? and why you shouldn't wear crocs to a crime scene.



First break-in - too much
broken glass for crocs

 Yes, I did wear crocs to this crime scene - thieves threw a big rock through the door which caused the alarm to go off.  There was glass everywhere.  I couldn't go into the house all the way. I had to tip toe gingerly into the kitchen so I could survey some of the damage. They smashed the thermostat and the alarm control panel off the wall. We dealt with that break-in and about a month later... another theft at the same house.

I got a phone call from a fellow who was the neighbor of one of my listings.  He used to cut the grass for the homeowner and wanted to get in touch with her.  I gave him the information and then he said, "By the way, did you know the air conditioner is missing?"

No, I didn't know the air conditioner was missing! Very frustrating! So, I ranted on facebook for a minute and two friends commented.

One said, "While my rental is vacant, I had the appliances and the air conditioner removed until I get a new tenant."

The other said, "In some areas, we don't advertise the address of the rentals we manage nor do we put a sign in the yard."

Amazing!

I will be talking to my alarm company representative and see how hard it is to put a sensor on the air conditioning compressor so that if someone tries to steal it, the alarm will go off.

Of course, it didn't help that when the owner moved out she:

• Took the curtains off one of the front windows
• Didn't have anyone cutting the grass
• Didn't ask any neighbors to  park in the yard
• Generally left the place looking abandoned...

I welcome any words of wisdom.