Brian Vanderhoff's North Fulton Real Estate Blog: December 2014

Phil W. Hudson
Staff Writer-
Atlanta Business Chronicle



Metro Atlanta home prices dropped in October, according to the latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices.
From September to October, home prices here dipped 0.2 percent. However, year-over-year home prices were up 4.5 percent.
Nationally, home prices were down 0.2 percent in October and up 4.6 percent year-over-year.
"After a long period when home prices rose, but at a slower pace with each passing month, we are seeing hints that prices could end 2014 on a strong note and accelerate into 2015," David M. Blitzer, managing director and chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices, said in a statement. "Two months ago, all 20 cities [measured by S&P Dow Jones Indices] were experiencing weakening annual price increases., Last month, 18 experienced weakness. This time, 12 cities had weaker annual price growth, but eight saw the pace of price gains pick up."
Blitzer said all 20 cities had higher seasonally adjusted prices than a month ago.

Labels: Foreclosures, Georgia home prices

Things to do...Where's the Party.... Look Here

Current and upcoming events

Published December 03, 2014 FoxNews.com

Conservative Republicans are pushing back hard against House Speaker John Boehner's plan to effectively push off the battle over President Obama's immigration plan to next year in order to pass a spending bill, increasing the likelihood he'll need help from Democrats to get it through the House and Senate.

The speaker on Tuesday had put forward a plan to address two tricky issues: letting Republicans vent over the president's controversial immigration executive actions, while also backing a spending bill to keep the government running past Dec. 11, when current funding runs out.

Boehner's solution is to call a vote on a bill this week opposing and trying to block Obama's immigration orders -- though it would likely die in the Senate. Then, the House would vote next week on a bill funding the government through the full fiscal year, and funding immigration-related agencies through early next year. This would kick the fight over the president's immigration plan to 2015, when Republicans have control of both chambers.

But that's not enough for many conservatives, who want to use the current spending fight as leverage to defund the president's plan now. They complain that the planned vote this week would merely be symbolic.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., blasted Boehner's proposal in a statement late Tuesday, suggesting it violates a campaign promise by Republicans to do "everything" they can to stop executive "amnesty."

"Unfortunately, the plan now being circulated in the House fails to meet that test," Sessions said.

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said "sending a bill to the Senate without first making an attempt to include defund language is telling the American people that you support Obama's executive amnesty. That would be a slap in the face to the voters who sent a message last month by electing Republican majorities in Congress."

Boehner is likewise facing some pushback from conservative members of the House GOP caucus. This increases the likelihood that he'll need help from Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic rank-and-file.

Such an alliance would not be unprecedented. Boehner routinely has turned to Democrats to pass major pieces of legislation when he couldn't bring his full caucus on board, including to avert a partial government shutdown. Pelosi has not definitively said what she might do with the current package.

And on the Senate side, Democratic Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday would not rule out accepting the House GOP spending proposal, though Democrats would rather see a spending bill that funds the government in its entirety through the end of the fiscal year.

Still, Boehner and his allies are touting the working plan as the best course of action, with the understanding that they would resume the fight next year over Obama's plan to grant temporary legal status to up to 5 million illegal immigrants.

Boehner said Tuesday that Obama has ignored the American people.

"This is a serious breach of our Constitution," Boehner said.

He also said lawmakers "have limited options and abilities to deal with it directly."

Labels: Boehner, Government shut down, illegal immigration

NorthFulton.com

Kathleen Sturgeon

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. - A sixth high school will soon be added to the Forsyth County School System after the county closed on a deal for land Nov. 7.

The sixth high school will be located on a 118.45-acre tract located off Fowler Road with frontage on both Fowler and Mullinax roads.

The five current high schools in Forsyth County are Lambert HS, North Forsyth HS, West Forsyth HS, Forsyth Central HS and South Forsyth HS.

Jennifer Caracciolo, director of public information and communications for Forsyth County Schools, said much has to be considered when deciding where to put a new school.

"Since this school is planned to relieve West Forsyth HS and South Forsyth HS, we were looking for a large tract of land between these two school sites," said Caracciolo. "This new high school could also impact other school attendance lines. Redistricting traditionally occurs one year prior to the school's opening, so for this, it would be 2017."

The purchase will include an exchange of 1.602 acres from the Forsyth County government for right-of-way against 1.278 acres acquired for the Mullinax Road Improvement Project.

The total cost of the new school will be $12,792,816, which is funded by the 2014 bond.

"A new high school is being built to relieve overcrowding at our southern high schools," said Caracciolo. "This land purchase, as well as the funds to construct the school, was a component of the 2014 bond."

Caracciolo said that enrollment numbers are a big factor that the county considers when planning a new school. The FCS website lists school capacities and projected enrollment by school.

"Some of the school capacities on this list will change over the next four years as we expand a number of our schools and also a part of the bond package," said Caracciolo.

The name of the new high school will be decided in 2015 and it will be similar in design to Lambert HS and West Forsyth HS. Redistricting will begin in 2017.

To learn more about the new school or to see the list, visit www.forsyth.k12.ga.us.