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13 Holiday Events Around Atlanta

December 9, 2018 by Thom Abbott

Whether you have family coming into Atlanta to visit you, or you want to join friends or your family here, you might be looking for some things to get you into the holiday spirit. Maybe we found something you’ll find interesting in our 13 Holiday Events Around Atlanta!

(The Title of Each Event or Place is a like to their website, if we found one!)

Lights of Life

Drive through the campus of Life University in Marietta to experience the Lights of Life, open Every night from dark to 9 p.m. on weekdays and until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through December 31. Since 1989 this light show has grown to encompass more than 1 million LED lights in displays set up along the grounds. Other activities include visits with Santa, pony rides, and concessions.

Through December 13, admission is $5 per car Monday through Thursday and $10 per car Friday through Sunday. From December 14 to 31, admission is $10 per car regardless of day. Additional fees are required for onsite activities and concessions.

Holiday in The Park at Six Flags Atlanta – Thru January 6

Celebrating its fifth year, Holiday in the Park returns bigger and brighter than ever with more than 1 million LED lights, 16 themed areas, 30 holiday rides, a variety of live shows, and plenty of photo ops scattered throughout that would be perfect for next year’s holiday cards.

Open select days through January 6, tickets vary based on age and date. See website for exact pricing and to purchase tickets.

Skating at Park Tavern — A Midtown Favorite! Through January 21st

“The Rink Powered by Pepsi” is a popular ice skating rink that returns with a “Fire & Ice” theme featuring a Neo-Victorian feel and design elements, holiday décor, games, seasonal cocktails, and more.

Through January 21, skating is open to all ages from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday for $15 and on Friday through Sunday for $20. Each evening at 8:30 p.m., The Rink turns into an “ages 16 and up” venue until midnight. Rental skates are included.

Parking is $3 on weekdays and $5 on weekends.

Santa at The Battery Atlanta

This one has all kinds of different hours and options. December 16th for example, is Santa Paws Night when you can bring the family pet.

World of Coke Holiday Highlights

To celebrate the season, this downtown attraction is highlighting the history of the Coca-Cola Santa as well as spotlighting seasonal Coke ads and artifacts from around the world. Guests also can sample seasonable beverages like Apple Pie Sprite and Gingerbread Coke.

Photo ops galore, including with the Coca-Cola Polar Bear, positioned in Santa’s sleigh, and outside the venue by giant ornaments. Ticket prices vary by day and age, so check website for full calendar and pricing. Available through January 1.

Stone Mountain Christmas — Through January 6th

Stone Mountain Christmas invites residents and visitors alike to come experience some of the park’s top attractions all decked out for the Christmas season. See an abbreviated 4-D version of “The Polar Express,” take a ride on the Scenic Railroad as you sing carols, visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. When you’ve finished, how about that holiday photo made with holiday characters Rudolph, Clarice, and Bumble from “Rudolph, The Red-nosed Reindeer.”

Ticket prices vary based on age and date; see website for exact pricing and to purchase tickets.

Milledgeville and The Old Governor’s Mansion – thru December 21

Through December 21, tour the Old Governor’s Mansion to see how the state’s elite celebrated the season in a bygone era. Tickets are $10 per person, $7 for seniors and pre-booked tours, and $2 for students.

Also available will be tours of Rose Hill, a circa-1852 Greek Revival home.

Savannah’s 21st Annual Holiday Lights Tour

If you are headed to Savannah, this is a must do! The Old Town Trolley Tour takes you on a caroling tour as you pass by historic homes and city squares! How fun!

Christmas at Rock Ranch — Who Knew?

The Rock Ranch is a beautiful 1,500 acre working cattle ranch located about an hour south of Atlanta in Upson County. The farm was founded by the late S. Truett Cathy of Chick-fil-A and is dedicated to “Growing Healthy Families!” and “Uniting Families to the Land and Each Other.” It’s a place where families, school groups and businesses can come to enjoy “agritourism.” (Ah, now we know……)

Check the website for more details about travelling around the farm by wagon, riding the Christmas Express Train, the Holiday Gift Shop and the Christmas Cafe.

Festival of the SEAson at The Georgia Aquarium

Festival of the SEAson transforms Georgia Aquarium’s plaza, galleries and exhibits into a winter wonderland, including appearances by Santa and SCUBA Claus, a holiday edition of our live entertainment experience, tree-lighting ceremonies, and Santa Claus events.

Many events are part of your General Admission to the Aquarium, but some could have additional fees. As always, check the link provided above for more information!

Ride The Pink Pig — Lenox Square

Let’s just leave it at that… Individual rides are $3 each, and you can get multi-ride tickets (you know, in case you just can’t get enough of the Pink Pig) for $5.50 for 2 rides and $7.50 for three rides.

Garden Lights, Holiday Nights – Atlanta Botanical Gardens – Midtown Atlanta

Garden Lights, Holiday Nights returns with new features and crowd favorites – including new music and motion for last year’s buzz-worthy spectacle, Nature’s Wonders.

This year brings the debut of the Skylights Lounge in the Skyline Garden. Plus, several larger-than-life plant giants from Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time will be awash in holiday glow.

See the Ice Goddess and Tunnel of Light along with the Orchestral Orbs, Radiant Rainforest, Model Trains and other favorites that continue to make the exhibition a must-see holiday tradition.

A Value Night ticket (We picked Wednesday, December 19) is $24.95 per person. Check the website for other ticket prices based on Value, Regular and Peak night dates.

Ponce City Market

Check the website for a variety of activities going on at this vibrant “re-make” of the historic Sears, Roebuck & Co. building, located on Ponce De Leon Blvd in Old Fourth Ward.

There you have it…..some fun things in, around and outside of Atlanta to round out your holiday adventures! We hope you enjoy one, or many of them, along with all the other magic that IS the Holiday Season!

The Otis Building Castleberry Hill

December 2, 2018 by Thom Abbott

Another new condo option is on the horizon with the announcement of The Otis Building Castleberry Hill. This new boutique building is expected to break ground in January, 2019 and be ready by October. That aggressive timeline may have something to do with the developer, one Ty Pennington of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. We suspect he will be using his star power along with the other things happening in the area (Hard Rock Hotel, Mercedes Benz Stadium and the pending redevelopment of the Gulch, which are all nearby.

The Otis Building, which is named for the elevator manufacturer that once occupied the building, will have a total of just eight homes. 6 one-bedrooms ranging from 1,103 to 1,390 sq. ft, and 2 two-bedrooms that will be 2,652 and 2,748 sq. ft. Prices are reported to start at $475,000 up to $1M. Pre-sales should launch next month. The building will also feature 13 parking spaces (that would count out to 1 per bedroom and a couple extra for the retail space.

The top of the building will feature a roof top terrace with seating, trees and all.

This will be an exciting addition to the Castleberry Hill community as the building has long been vacant. There will also be a small retail part (about 1,200 sq. ft) for some hopeful small shops!

If you’d like more information about The Otis Building, just let us know, and we’ll get together with you!

Citizens For Progressive Transit November 2018 Newsletter

November 27, 2018 by Thom Abbott

A world-class city needs world-class transit. And let’s face it, a rail system that runs the limited places it does like MARTA, does not a world-class city make.

Citizens For Progressive Transit

Most can agree that is one of the major reasons that the recent hunt to land the Amazon’s HQ2 did not end up in Atlanta. Our transit just doesn’t take you many places. But what we DO have makes one want to consider where they live to have access to the MARTA. Cities we cover like Doraville, Chamblee, Brookhaven, Buckhead and Midtown all have transit stations.

We always read, and like to share the Citizens for Progressive Transit newsletter to our readers and website visitors. It has some great information.

The November, 2018 issue goes further into the new ATL regional transit authority. All 16 Board Members are in place, but the face a complicated task…for sure. Coordinating a transit system between some 13 counties in the Metro Atlanta region. That is just plain…YIKES!

How many non-MARTA counties will pass a sales tax required to participate in the plan? (After my 45 minute ride to Midtown this morning in bumper-to-bumper traffic starting BEFORE Clairmont Road…you’d think all of them, right?) But I’m going to guess there will be some that say No to Rail. And one can’t say how sad that really sounds.

Here is a link to the November, 2018 issue of Citizens For Progressive Transit Newsletter.

Doraville Real Estate Market Report October 2018

November 18, 2018 by Thom Abbott

The Doraville real estate market has really changed with the arrival of Carver Hills, and we wanted to “take it’s pulse!” So let’s look at the Doraville Real Estate Market Report October 2018.

Please note: In preparing this report, we used data from FMLS (First Multiple Listing Service) and searched by the city name, “Doraville.” As a result, some homes on this report are not within the actual city limits of Doraville, but were listed with Doraville as the city address, most likely because of a zip code assignment.

First, a look at the townhome/condominium market…and a disclaimer. Doraville has only 1 condo community, and a one community is using a Doraville address, but they are actually in the city limits of Peachtree Corners, that being Copperleaf at Global Forum.

For October, there were 13 active listings, ranging from a Ashlyn Point 4-bedroom at $238,000 to a 3-bedroom at Carver Hills for $492,738. In the chart below, you can see the average days on market to be just 32 days, but a Copperleaf listing has been on the market for 122 days!

7 listings were Under Contract, and ranged from $95,000 at Chestnut Creek (the only condo complex) to $302,834 at Copperleaf at Global Forum.

7 homes sold (or closed) in October in Doraville. They ranged in price from $135,000 at Aspen Woods to a 3-bedroom at Copperleaf at Global Forum for $289,000.

In the Single-family market in Doraville, there were 18 homes listed For Sale. They range from $179,500 for a 3-bedroom, 1-bath in Guilford Village to $608,008 in Carver Hills for a new construction home.

There were five homes Under Contract ranging in price from $449,900 on Eula Circle ( a 5-bedroom built in 2012) to $563,316 in Carver Hills.

12 homes sold in October, ranging from $141,000 on Beacon Drive to $356,400 on Eaglerock in Northcrest.

Keep in mind, this Market Report is a “snapshot moment in time” of what is happening in the market, and is a view at, say 30,000 feet. What may be happening with sales and prices in your condominium building could be much different that what is selling across the street. And the same is true for single family homes as well.

If you are looking to Buy or Sell a home in Doraville, MyMidtownMojo.com can help! We have lived in the area for 20+years and know it very well!

Selling? Do you want to sell your Doraville single family home or condominium? Call us today at 770.713.1505 to schedule a free market analysis of your home. Or, complete our Seller Information Form and we will be in touch with you!

Buying? Are you looking to buy a Doraville home or condo? We can set up specific searches for you based on price, building or other specifics you may be looking for. In a competitive Seller’s Market, we can alert you of new listings within minutes of them hitting the market! Just complete out Buyer Information Form, or let’s schedule a time to talk about what you are looking for!

Contact MyMidtownMojo and Thomas Ramon [email protected] House Properties at 770.713.1505 or [email protected] for all your Doraville real estate needs!

Chamblee Real Estate Market Report October 2018

November 18, 2018 by Thom Abbott

Chamblee has come a long way in being a desirable ITP neighborhood/city! Between new retail as well as single family and townhome construction, there are many housing options available here. Let’s “take it’s pulse!” So let’s look at the Chamblee Real Estate Market Report October 2018.

Please note: In preparing this report, we used data from FMLS (First Multiple Listing Service) and searched by the city name, “Chamblee.” As a result, some homes on this report are not within the actual city limits of Chamblee, but were listed with Chamblee as the city address, most likely because of a zip code assignment.

First, a look at the condominium/townhome market. Chamblee only has a few condominium options, but there are numerous new townhome developments.

For October, there were 46 active listings, ranging from a 2-bedroom condo at Eco Lofts at $280,000 to a 4-bedroom at The Bristol for $859,900. (The Bristol is the new, under construction development in Downtown Chamblee) In the chart below, you can see the average days on market to be 71, but a listing at Peachtree Creek Township seems to have been on the market for 157 days!

Just 9 listings were Under Contract, and ranged from $139,850 at Henderson Mill (not in Chamblee City Limits) to $491,497 at Townsend at Chamblee.

Only 5 homes sold (or closed) in October in Chamblee. They ranged in price from $210,000 at Elem Street Townhomes to a 4-bedroom at Peachtree Creek Township at $437,988.

In the Single-family market in Chamblee, there were 32 homes listed For Sale. The ranged from $289,900 for a 3-bedroom in Beverly Woods to $975,000 in Keswick Village for a new construction 4-bedroom, 4-bath home.

There were 13 homes Under Contract ranging in price from $275,000 in Huntley Hills to $825,000, also in Huntley Hills, but a 5-bedroom new construction home.

9 homes sold, or closed in October, ranging from $240,000 in Nottaway to $579,000 in Harts Place.

If you are looking to Buy or Sell a home in Chamblee, MyMidtownMojo.com can help! We have lived in the Chamblee/Doraville area for some 20+ years, so we are very familiar with the area!

Selling? Do you want to sell your Chamblee single family home or condominium? Call us today at 770.713.1505 to schedule a free market analysis of your home. Or, complete our Seller Information Form and we will be in touch with you!

Buying? Are you looking to buy a Chamblee home or condo? We can set up specific searches for you based on price, building or other specifics you may be looking for. In a competitive Seller’s Market, we can alert you of new listings within minutes of them hitting the market! Just complete out Buyer Information Form, or let’s schedule a time to talk about what you are looking for!

Contact MyMidtownMojo and Thomas Ramon [email protected] House Properties at 770.713.1505 or [email protected] for all your Chamblee real estate needs!

Brookhaven Market Report October 2018

November 16, 2018 by Thom Abbott

The Brookhaven real estate market is still moving, and we wanted to “take it’s pulse!” So let’s look at the Brookhaven Market Report October 2018.

First, a look at the condominium and townhome market…and a disclaimer. The numbers for this report were taken from FMLS (First Multiple Listing Service) and we searched simply by the city name, Brookhaven. So if a specific property was listed incorrectly, it would not be a part of this report.

For October, there were 83 active listings, ranging from a Keys Lake 1-bedroom at $110,000 to a 4-bedroom at Brookhaven Wiltshire for $1.199M. In the chart below, you can see the average days on market to be 59, but a listing at Lenox Bluff at Lenox Park has been on the market for 363 days! It should be noted that at the time of this report we counted 12 homes that were under $200,000 in Brookhaven! You won’t see that much longer!

28 listings were Under Contract, and ranged from $158,000 at Keys Lake to $824,900 at the Brookhaven Wiltshire.

26 homes sold (or closed) in October in Brookhaven. They ranged in price from $182,000 at Keys Crossing for a 2-bedroom home to a 3-bedroom at Bramley Park at $896,000.

In the Single-family market in Brookhaven, there were 151 homes listed For Sale. They range from a 3-bedroom in Ashford Park for $299,900 to a home on Brookhaven Drive for $3.15M.

There were 26 homes Under Contract ranging in price from $354,000 in Ashford Park to $2.75M in Historic Brookhaven.

27 homes sold in October, ranging from $299,900 on Wayside Drive to $1.230M on Duke Road in Ashford Park.

Keep in mind, this Market Report is a “snapshot moment in time” of what is happening in the market, and is a view at, say 30,000 feet. What may be happening with sales and prices in your condominium or townhome community could be much different that what is selling across the street. And the same is true for single family homes as well.

If you are looking to Buy or Sell a home in Brookhaven, MyMidtownMojo.com can help! We hope this Brookhaven Market Report October 2018 gave you some helpful information!

Selling? Do you want to sell your Brookhaven single family home or condominium? Call us today at 770.713.1505 to schedule a free market analysis of your home. Or, complete our Seller Information Form and we will be in touch with you!

Buying? Are you looking to buy a Brookhaven home or condo, or townhome? We can set up specific searches for you based on price, building or other specifics you may be looking for. In a competitive Seller’s Market, we can alert you of new listings within minutes of them hitting the market! Just complete out Buyer Information Form, or let’s schedule a time to talk about what you are looking for!

Contact MyMidtownMojo and Thomas Ramon [email protected] House Properties at 770.713.1505 or [email protected] for all your Brookhaven real estate needs!

Ride The Pink Pig — Lenox Square

Citizens For Progressive Transit

Contact MyMidtownMojo and Thomas Ramon [email protected] House Properties at 770.713.1505 or [email protected] for all your Doraville real estate needs!

Contact MyMidtownMojo and Thomas Ramon [email protected] House Properties at 770.713.1505 or [email protected] for all your Chamblee real estate needs!

Contact MyMidtownMojo and Thomas Ramon [email protected] House Properties at 770.713.1505 or [email protected] for all your Brookhaven real estate needs!

Thom Abbott

Palmer House Properties