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Clean Lake Martin And Get A T Shirt To Prove It
2008-06-05 06:49:00
The Annual Lake Martin Clean up portion of the Renew Our Rivers program will be held this Saturday, June 7, 2008. Renew Our Rivers is a joint effort between Alabama Power and the Middle Tallapoosa Clean Water Partnership.  If you pitch in and help, you’ll get a free T shirt and all sorts of other cool swag.  Plus you get ...
More About: Shirt , T-Shirt

Lake Martin Waterfront Sales - April 2007 vs April 2008 - A Photo Finish
2008-05-29 16:49:00
Lake Martin real estate waterfront sales showed some signs of improvement in April 2008 as compared to April 2007. In April 2008, there were 18 waterfront homes and condos and 1 lot sold through the Lake Martin MLS.* Compare that to 2007 when 17 homes and condos were sold and 2 lots.  Combine them together, and ...
More About: Photo , Sales , Lake Martin , Waterfront

Lake Martin Tour Of Fine Homes in Trillium
2008-05-15 23:03:00
Saturday May 17 you will have another chance to tour some really nice homes in Trillium on Lake Martin while benefiting the Children’s Harbor. This is not your average Lake Martin home tour, where they are all for sale and realtors are there breathing on you while you try and eat those weenies in BBQ sauce.  These ...
More About: Events , Tour , Homes , Fine

The Ridge Marine In Water Boat Show 2008
2008-05-12 05:01:00
The Ridge Marina on Lake Martin hosted its In Water Boat Show for 2008 last weekend.  I went down there on Thursday and filmed a little video footage of the Marina.  It was a beautiful day, albeit windy.  I was going to post this on Friday to give folks a chance to look around before ...
More About: Events

Alex City Jazz Fest 2008 At The Lake Martin Amphitheater
2008-05-08 06:10:00
The Alex City Jazz Fest, held in downtown Alexander City and at the Lake Martin Amphitheater, announces its dates and the performing acts for 2008.  As usual, it is loaded with talent: Friday, June 13, downtown Alex City: 6:00 PM – Coolbone Brass Band – they are a true marching New Orleans style “Brass Band.”  Don’t confuse them ...
More About: Entertainment , Events

Lunch At Willow Point, Lake Martin
2008-05-04 21:46:00
A couple of Sundays ago found us at Willow Point eating lunch to celebrate my Mom’s birthday.  We ate lunch in the Willow Point Clubhouse, which overlooks the golf course, and of course, Lake Martin .  I had my camera with me, and it was such a beautiful day, I thought to take a few photos.  ...
More About: Lunch , Dining

Tell Your Realtor To Shut Up And Listen To You
2008-05-02 04:28:00
I grew up on Lake Martin, in the real estate business.  I know what I like.  I know which parts of Lake Martin I prefer.  I have been all over this lake, and have friends in every corner.  But guess what… No one cares about that. Especially my clients… nor should they. One of the first things my dad taught ...
More About: Listen , Realtor , Shut , Shut Up

Lake Martin Property : For Sale By Owner Tips
2008-04-24 22:26:00
Lake Martin, like any real estate market, will always have its share of people selling their waterfront property themselves – aka For Sale By Owner or FSBO (pr FIZZ-bo).  And that’s fine with me.  I am not one of those realtors that looks down on FSBOs as idiots or realtor hating zealots.  I think it ...
More About: Property , Tips , Lake Martin

If You Don?t Like My Service, Please Fire Me On The Spot
2008-04-24 20:45:00
Why do some real estate agents insist on holding their sellers to the last day of a listing contract?  I don’t know if my market on Lake Martin is different, but I don’t see the point in guilt tripping a seller into staying with me if they are unhappy or decide not to sell. Obviously, I ...
More About: Service , Spot , Fire , On The Spot

Lake Martin Is High, But So Is Real Estate Inventory
2008-04-22 06:04:00
Spring rains have filled Lake Martin faster than almost anyone expected – in the first 3 months of 2008 we went from bone dry to runnething over.  Will the waterfront real estate market bounce back in three months, too? Not likely.  There is still a lot of inventory to sell which I think will continue to ...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Inventory , Real

Lake Martin Is High, But So Is Real Estate Inventory
2008-04-07 04:28:00
Spring rains have filled Lake Martin faster than almost anyone expected In the first 3 months of 2008 we went from bone dry to runnething over.  Will the waterfront real estate market bounce back in three months, too? Maybe, maybe not.  There is still a lot of inventory to sell which I think will continue to ...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Inventory , Real

Lake Martin Water Up, Business Is Hopping
2008-04-01 18:29:00
This is not a news flash: Lake Martin ’s water level is back! It’s hard to believe, but in the 5 short weeks since I wrote this post  about the water hitting 480, Lake Martin stands inches away from its highest possible mark of 490.  All of the nay sayers have been proved wrong.  Many (myself included) ...
More About: Business , Water , Dining

Make An Impact At The Tallapoosa Watershed Conference
2008-03-28 03:31:00
 The “4th Annual State of Our Watershed Conference - The Tallapoosa River Basin”, coordinated from the Alabama Water Watch office in the AU Department of Fisheries, is for all who are interested in learning more about the health of streams, lakes and rivers of the Tallapoosa River Basin, the development plans for Lake Martin  and visions ...
More About: Events , Make

Little Kowaliga?s Little Steel .. errr? Concrete Bridge?
2008-03-10 20:43:00
If you have a Lake Martin  house in the Little Kowaliga area, you are well aware that Little Steel Bridge Road aka Elmore County Road 55 is closed.  If you are heading to the Real Island or Parker Creek areas of Lake Martin, and are coming from the south, be aware that you must detour.  Keep ...
More About: Errr , Concrete

Little Kowaliga?s Little Steel .. errr? Concrete Bridge?
2008-03-10 17:46:00
If you have a Lake Martin  house in the Little Kowaliga area, you are well aware that Little Steel Bridge Road aka Elmore County Road 55 is closed.  If you are heading to the Real Island or Parker Creek areas of Lake Martin, and are coming from the south, be aware that you must detour.  Keep ...
More About: Errr , Concrete

Lake Martin Maps: Pre Civil War And Web 2.0
2008-03-10 05:10:00
For anyone that likes old maps of Alabama – or if you would like to see what your Lake Martin property looked like before the lake was built – I have a great site for you.  The University of Alabama is a great site resource for these old maps.  Some of them date back to the ...
More About: Maps , Civil War , Civil

4 Points To Ponder On The Future Of Lake Martin Zoning
2008-02-29 17:24:00
Right now there is no one set of zoning rules that covers the entire Lake Martin area.  Why?  For starters, it stretches over three different counties, and most of the shoreline is not inside any cities’ limits.  It’s an old lake, developed in a rural area.  But, as things change, prices rise, and high end ...
More About: Future , The Future , Points

Lake Martin Property Taxes - It Pays To Do Your Homework
2008-02-25 22:07:00
Lake Martin waterfront property owners are in one of three counties – Tallapoosa County, Elmore County, or Coosa County.  If you’re considering buying on Lake Martin, and are curious about property taxes, you would need to research all three counties to cover  of your bases. There are some similarities, however, in that they all are governed ...
More About: Taxes , Property , Homework , Lake Martin , Pays

Lake Martin Breaks The Rule
2008-02-23 17:55:00
Lake Martin ’s water level has finally risen above the rule curve established by Alabama Power and the Corps of Engineers. Today’s read of 481.83 is above the rule curve of 481.7.  What does this mean in English? Lake Martin’s water level is ahead of the pace it needs to get to full pool of 490.  This is great ...
More About: Lake Martin , Breaks , Lake , Rule

Does Your Lake Martin Home Need Botox?
2008-02-11 05:11:00
When it comes to architecture, I don’t know rococo from romanesque. The Lake Martin Voice welcomes guest writer Amy Stoyles to help us all learn about the finer points of home design.  Thanks Amy!!!   Does Your Lake Martin Home Need Botox ? Okay, so since the holidays we’ve all been working on those New Year’s resolutions… and I’m not talking about ...

Alabama And Lake Martin Win Battle In Water War
2008-02-07 05:54:00
Lake Martin and Alabama have won a victory in the long running “water war” with Georgia and Florida. In this press release, Governor Bob Riley calls it “the most consequential legal ruling in the 18 year history of the water war.” What happened? The US Court of Appeals ruled that a “secret settlement” between Georgia, the Corps of Engineers, ...
More About: Lake Martin , Water , Battle , Lake

Gov Bob Riley On Water Wars And Lake Martin
2008-01-30 05:40:00
Alabama Governor Bob Riley has recently played a huge role in lobbying FERC on behalf of Lake Martin ’s water level.  He is also Alabama’s most visible representative in the ongoing “Water Wars ” – the struggle of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama to determine the future water usage of each state, and how that impacts the other two. The ...

Lake Martin Real Estate MLS Statistics - 2007 In Review
2008-01-17 06:00:00
The Lake Martin real estate market suffered a major slowdown in 2007 for a variety of reasons.  I dug through the sales results in the Lake Martin MLS to attempt to cut through the gossip and analyze the numbers. In 2007, the number of Lake Martin waterfront homes sold was about 35% less than in 2006.  2006 was about ...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Review , Statistics

Lake Martin Real Estate Spotlight: Trillium
2008-01-12 01:16:00
Trillium, one of Russell Lands’ more mature Lake Martin developments, is located just west of Kowaliga Marina.  Along with Willow Point and The Ridge, Trillium has some of the more high end homes on Lake Martin. Trillium was one of Russell Lands’ first neighborhoods that were completed in different phases.  The first homes were built there around 1989.  One ...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Neighborhoods , Real

Local Lending Would Have Helped Mortgage Mess
2008-01-07 05:10:00
The Lake Martin real estate market has not really felt a direct effect of the mortgage meltdown yet.  Sure, the subprime fiasco has caused conventional and jumbo rates to rise, but I consider that indirect.  By direct effect I mean huge waves of foreclosures from high risk loans, and we haven’t really seen that on Lake ...
More About: Mortgage , Local , Lending , Loca , Mort

Lake Martin Shallow Water Hazards
2007-12-26 04:15:00
Lake Martin ’s drought of 2007 created some low water levels and has exposed many spots that are shallow water hazards.  As of this writing, the Lake Martin water level is at 474.7 feet - about 5 feet below the normal winter water level, and 15 feet below normal summer level.  If you have been around Lake Martin lately, by car or ...
More About: Lake Martin , Water , Lake , Allo

Lake Martin?s Sand Island Repaired By Russell Lands
2007-12-16 04:58:00
Lake Martin’s Sand Island  has been battered by erosion and losing real estate for many years. Alabama’s 80 year record drought exposed a land bridge and afforded area developer Russell Lands an opportunity to drive to it and make repairs. I rode out there on Friday, December 14, 2007.  It was pretty weird to be able to drive to ...
More About: Lake Martin , Lake

All Real Estate Is Local (This Means You, Lake Martin)
2007-12-08 04:42:00
Life as a Lake Martin area realtor means I hear (and try to answer) lots of questions.  One I get regularly is: “I saw on CNN where home prices in (fill in here with name of huge city 3,000 miles away) are down 75%.  All the sellers are being foreclosed on their sub prime mortgages.  It’s spreading ...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Local , Real

Lost At Lake Martin? Use Google’s Free Maps For Mobile
2007-12-06 05:17:00
Ever been lost around Lake Martin ?  Has anyone given you bad directions to their cabin and frustrated you by relying on the term “can’t miss it?”  If you were looking for 1135 Lakeview Drive, Dadeville, how would you like to be able to see this map on your cell phone:     Download Google ’s Maps for Mobile  on your cell phone and greatly diminish your odds of getting lost around Lake Martin. Top 5 Cool things about Google Maps for mobile: 1.  It’s free.  The software from Google is free.  You will pay, however, for the data that you download, so if you don’t have some sort of Internet data package with your cell phone you will be charged.  If you have an unlimited data package – no worries! Even if my blackberry didn’t have unlimited data, I still would pay to download this, so I would have it in an emergency. 2. Google Maps for Mobile is accurate – even around Lake Martin...
More About: Lost , Free

Lake Martin Real Estate Spotlight: Eagle?s Point
2007-12-01 20:07:00
One of Lake Martin ’s newest developments – Eagle’s Point – has a model home that is ready to see plus several other spaces for lots. Located at the easternmost end of Coosa County Road 20, Eagle’s Point has big water views looking southeast at the junction of Parker Creek and Kowaliga towards Willow Point and Sand ...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Neighborhoods , Real