Atlanta Condos For Sale

Modern Living Outdoor Space Ideas

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Modern Living Outdoor SpacesIf you follow me on Facebook, you are certainly sure to have seen numerous posts and photos of my secret spot….Serenity Pond. 

It’s where I go to chill, have some morning coffee, or that afternoon/evening glass of wine….and I love it. It’s not anything overly fancy…It’s what I literally have created with my own hands and ability! 

Yep…I build the raised area where the pond is….did all the stone work, etc, etc. It may not be perfect, but it’s my awesome space. 

But I ran across this video today about Modern Living Outdoor Spaces….and I can tell you…I was in aww at all of them! I didn’t see one I could not imagine myself enjoying! 

So I thought I’d share then with you! 

Enjoy…and I hope you have your space! 

 

 

10 Questions To Ask Your Kids Instead of “How Was Your Day”

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Questions to ask Your Kid about How Was SchoolI personally don’t have any children. But I have loved the recent sensory overload on Facebook of my friends and family posting photos of their kids headed off to school. Whether, they are in 1st grade or a Senior in high school, the first day back is always a bid deal. I can remember those days when I was in school. If you had not seen kids all summer, it was all about how you looked, what you were wearing, did you get a different haircut, where did your family go on vacation, etc., etc. Remember? 

10 Questions To Ask Your Kids Instead of “How Was Your Day”

But as a parent of a kid today, there are so many forces at work out there. Kids have smart phones and social media to carry on the stories waaay past the lunch room or the playground. And when they come home from school, how do you REALLY know how their day was? Was it good? Did they learn something cool? Did they get picked on for the new glasses of the shirt they really didn’t want to wear but you made them wear it? 

There is a lot going on in the time they are at school. So maybe you need to consider asking them some different questions to see how their day went. So here are 10 Questions To Ask Your Kids Instead of “How Was Your Day?”

 

  1. What made you laugh today?
  2. Did you like your lunch?
  3. Rate your day on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being AWESOME!
  4. What was the hardest rule to follow today?
  5. Teach ME something I don’t know.
  6. Did you learn any new words today?
  7. What part of the school building do you like the least? The most?
  8. Who did you sit with at lunch?
  9. What was the best thing that happened today?
  10. Did anyone cry? Why?

By asking more specific questions, you learn more about what their day was really like and what happened~! 

We do the same thing in real estate. Ask questions so we have a better understanding of the kind of house or condo you may be looking for. Rather than “What kind of neighborhood/community do you want to live in?” we might ask more specifically, “Do you want to live in a neighborhood where you can walk to shopping or restaurants? Or, “Is a 1-story house better than a 2-story house?” by asking more specific questions, we get a much better idea of what and where you want to live. 

10 Questions To Ask your Kids Instead of “How Was Your Day”

Midtown Atlanta Real Estate

Will Atlanta See A Regional Transit System

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That’s the billion-plus dollar question for sure….

Will Atlanta See A Regional Transit System

Atlanta needs a Regional Transit SystemIf you are fortunate enough to live in Midtown, you may get more use out of the current MARTA system than others due. If you think about it…if you live in John’s Creek for example, by the time you would drive your car to the Doraville (Or Chamblee) MARTA station, park, and then continue your commute to work via transit, you probably would get there in the same amount of time if you just stayed in your car. 

And…what if you live in Duluth, and work in the Cumberland area? Well, you’re just plain out of luck. 

I came across this article in the Saporta Report. It talks about the challenges I’ve known for a long, long time. There are to many people (in this case jurisdictions) involved to get anything done on a regional basis. The need for a TRUE regional transit authority and system is really a key to the future of Atlanta. It’s future being you don’t spend 3 hours in your car each way to work if you have to live in the suburbs. 

As Brian says in the article, ” Currently a transit line from the Cumberland Business District to Duluth would require crossing four different counties and three different transit systems. First, state funds should be prioritized for regionally-important projects that serve multiple jurisdictions. Even with these bills, the majority of transit funding will continue to come from local sales taxes, and individual counties are unlikely to prioritize projects that span multiple jurisdictions. A transit line from Cobb County to Gwinnett County is incredibly important to the region, but none of the four counties involved can build the project on their own. The ATL should ensure that sufficient funding is available for regionally-significant projects.”

And I’m not forgetting the way-out areas either. Imagine high speed rail from places like Columbus or Macon where people would have a option (and a quick one) to get to Metro Atlanta for work, without having to pay the cost of living in this city. Ah….one can dream right?

Will Atlanta see a Regional Transit System?

The article from Brian Gist, Senior Attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center can be found HERE. 

Coworking Spaces in Midtown and Downtown Atlanta

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You’ve probably noticed the rise in Atlanta of co-working spaces. The names We Work and Industrious might most ring a bell, but there are many other options in Midtown and Downtown Atlanta….even I was surprised!

Coworking Spaces in Midtown and Downtown Atlanta

Midtown Coworking SpacesAs the article link below mentions, coworking has become very popular all over the country, but most recently we have seen quite the boom of these kinds of spaces all over Atlanta. While the article focuses on the Midtown and Downtown Atlanta areas, I know that We Work is opening at the Perimeter and Industrious has a Buckhead location. 

Whether you are a single person looking to have an “office space” outside of your condo, to a startup company, these flexible work spaces can offer you much of what a normal office might offer, but for far less money because of the sharing of resources. 

If you are considering a coworking space, be sure to check them out  in person, and see what they are like. If you may need to meet clients, how accessible is the space for your guests? I know I looked at space in the Industrious offices at Ponce City Market before we opened our Midtown Atlanta office on Juniper Street. There were a few to many layers of security (at least at that location) that would have not made it user friendly for a real estate office. (And now we have a storefront anyways…so much better!) 

But if you are considering living in Midtown or Downtown, and need office space not provided by your company, or your start-up NEEDS office space, check out the list in this article!

Coworking Spaces in Midtown and Downtown Atlanta

Happy Holidays from Thomas Ramon Realty

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The Holiday Season always seems to be the time of year we focus on thanking our clients and customers for making our year so successful. But it’s not so much we are thankful for making our year a success…but thankful that YOU entrusted us to help you with one of the biggest decisions in your life…buying or selling your home. 

For THAT, we at Thomas Ramon Realty are grateful, indeed.

The Holiday Season is also when we gather with friends and or family. Maybe we saw each other last week, and maybe it was last year. Social media (love it or not) keeps us way more connected than we ever could have imagined. Remember, going to the mailbox and how excited you were when you got that letter from _____________(insert whomever!) I certainly do. But now, I see pictures and updates from friends that I’ve not seen face-to-face in years and it seems like I DID just “see” them.

How many of us are often consumed with our smart phone device? Is life passing us by? I guess it depends on how you use it right?

 

So, as you travel, be it near or far, to be with those family and friends, it is my sincere wish that you capture every moment you can. Enjoy the time with them, as you never know how long it may last, or when it will happen next. 

Happy Holidays from all of us at

Thomas Ramon Realty!

Food Halls and Apartments – Can Atlanta BE Creative?

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NOTE:  This is an editorial-type blog post….with my thoughts. 

Food Halls and Apartments – Can Atlanta BE Creative?

Food Halls in Midtown AtlantaI have numerous sources of information that I review daily. I find articles that I think MY readers will find of interest, and I use social media to share them….Facebook, Facebook Business, Instagram and Twitter. It’s not all about real estate, but about the lifestyle in the markets or communities I serve. I want you to know that I’m knowledgeable, but also that I can share with you the cool things about why you should, or would want, to live there.

Apartment Construction MidtownAnd I look at the big picture. Like the Midtown Skyline with its square buildings. Seriously!! Look at most of the buildings being built now. Square, glass blocks. Nothing creative. Well maybe NCR. But the rest of them. Certainly nothing to drewl over. Gosh, if I was a developer, I’d be asking my architect to design me a building that when people were driving the Downtown Connector and looking at the skyline, they would be saying, “WOW…look at that building!” 

Currently, Atlanta (in general) is all about Food Halls and Apartments. It’s our rage, if you will. A Food Hall will anchor the redevelopment of Colony Square. A Food Hall will be part of the CODA building near GATech. A food hall even way out in Alpharetta at some development who’s name escapes me at the moment. 

Everywhere you look…you see those cranes? 90% of them are building FOR RENT apartments, not anything you can buy. I always wonder what that does to a community? So many residents with no “roots?” Do you HAVE to own a home or condo to have roots in a community? I suppose not, but I certainly think you have a more vested interest in a community when you “own” a part of it. 

So when will Atlanta hit the “apartment crash?” I mean, it really has to be coming. It’s not like we have an Amazon moving to Atlanta every month….and so many jobs to provide the people to fill all these apartments? But, I guess the developers know better than I, right? Ah…not so fast. 

I can remember standing on Peachtree Street looking North and saying, “all this construction is great, but where are all the people coming from to buy all these condos?” And a year or so later…well…you know how that story ended. 

How come we can’t create something unique? I read once that Yumbi was going to open a restaurant in a shipping container....never saw it happen. Are we becoming a boring place to be? I’d like to think not…with all the cool tech start-ups and all that are happening in Midtown. 

I just wonder where the next Food Hall or apartment building will be.

Colony Square Announces Plans for Main and Main

THE COLLECTIVE, ATLANTA’S LATEST FOOD HALL

Thom Abbott

Associate Broker, REALTOR(R)
905 Juniper Street, NE Suite 110
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
770.713.1505 Direct
404.876.4901 Office

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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