Date Night! What is better than finding a sitter and having an evening alone with your significant other? It's the best! We are so lucky to have a wide variety of Date Night locale's in & around Jackson County. Where are your go-to spots for Date Night? Check out this list, and contribute in the comments!

Revival Hall Taproom- With a huge, ever-changing variety of delicious drinks (plus some non-alcoholic treats), different food trucks on Fridays & Saturdays, and frequent special events (Comedy Night, Game Night, Live Music, etc.), Revival is the perfect place for a fun date night!

Cork It Braselton- I love the charm & ambiance at Cork It for a date night! Drinks & snacks, live music on the weekends, and beautiful outdoor seating.

Local Station- Located in the heart of Braselton, Local Station features yummy drinks and a great view of charming Braselton. Grab a seat on the patio and enjoy a delicious meal!

Cotton Calf Kitchen- Looking for more elegance in your date night? Cotton Calf is the place for you! Melt-in-your-mouth steaks are the highlight of the menu, along with yummy drinks and a cool atmosphere. It's a bit pricey, but absolutely worth it for the quality of food and service!

Strange Duck Brewing- Located in Commerce, this new brewery is a great addition to Jackson County and would be perfect for a date night! Grab a cold beer, grab a spot outside, and enjoy the view! Weekend food trucks, some live music, and a really cool putt-putt course!

Braselton Brewing Company- The owners of BBC took an old mill house and converted it to a beautiful, industrial-inspired brewery! With a variety of indoor and outdoor seating (outdoor seating is dog friendly!), a yummy menu (beer cheese & pretzels, anyone?), some live music, and delicious brews, this is a popular destination for local date nights!

The Depot by Four Brothers- Located in the old train depot building in Downtown Hoschton, The Depot is a great space to enjoy drinks and often live music, or enjoy the outdoor patio space.

Downtown Eats Maysville- Maysville's newest food establishment! Honestly, I haven't been able to try it yet, but I know everyone raves about the food from Elite Eats Catering, so I know this has to be good! Quaint, small-town setting and offering a romantic Valentines Day setup.

Do you and your significant other prefer fun activities on your date night? Here's some great places to try!

It's All the Rage- Northeast Georgia's ONLY "rage room" (and a 2nd location opening soon in Commerce, currently open in Jefferson). If you want to demolish a variety of items, this is your place!

Pinspiration Northeast Georgia- If you and your significant other prefer art and creating, Pinspiration is your place! They have a variety of crafts to choose from, plus a COOL paint splatter room.

NOW OPEN (Soft Opening, so doors are open, but enter with grace & patience as they work out the kinks!) just off 129 headed toward Athens. Redstone Market & Butcher is best described as a combination of Buckees, Trader Joes, and Joy Company Market! Local goods, fresh meat & seafood, hot bar, gifts, and groceries.

You can really find a little bit of everything at Redstone. I love the collection of locally-made goods and items from local artisan. The wall of fresh jams, jellies, pickles, and pickled goods all look delicious! And the gift shop has some amazing candles, local pottery, puzzles made from art from local artists, and so, SO much more!

Plus your typical grocery-type goods: produce, dairy, frozen goods, beverages (no adult beverages- yet!), breads, cereals, sauces, etc. Yes, pricing on grocery goods is higher than what you'll see at Publix/Kroger because they don't have the buying power of those larger shops, but it's there if you're ever in a pickle! (HA- Pickle! They sell those, too!)

I stopped by at breakfast and enjoyed a freshly-made chicken biscuit. YUM! And I've already heard rave reviews about their hot bar for lunch and dinner- can't wait to try the brisket people can't stop talking about!

Open Monday-Thursday from 6AM-8PM, Friday-Saturday from 6AM-9PM, and Sunday from 10AM-6PM.

Address: 2531 Brock Road, Athens
For More Information: Check their FACEBOOK or WEBSITE
Check Out the Video: CLICK HERE 

{Real Estate} Market Monday
Question: What are closing costs and how much are they?

As you know, when buying a home, there are more costs involved than just your down payment, and these are referred to as CLOSING COSTS. While exact amounts vary based on a number of factors, my general rule of thumb is to estimate 1% of the sales price if you're paying the full amount for the property in cash, and 3-4% of the sales price if you are financing with a mortgage.

So what do closing costs cover? Things like:
-Attorney fees
-Lender fees (underwriting, credit report, etc.)
-Title exam fees
-Title insurance
-Recording & transfer tax fees
-Prorated property taxes & HOA dues
-Homeowner's insurance (first year paid up-front)
-Starting balance of your escrow account
-May also include "points" depending on your financing

Keep in mind that- sometimes- you can ask a Seller to contribute toward your closing costs (we refer to these as Seller-paid closing costs, and they are listed on the first page of our Purchase & Sale agreements for an offer). This is a critical piece of your offer, as Sellers consider your offer price minus Seller-paid closing costs when analyzing what your offer means for them!

Your lender should provide you with an estimate of your "Cash to Close" (which is your down payment + closing costs) when you go through the pre-approval process. Don't have a lender? No problem! I have teamed up with some fantastic lenders & mortgage brokers to provide my clients with a great variety of lending program options!

Have questions? Don't know where to begin? The right first step is sending me a message! I can walk you through the process in baby steps to get you to the finish line... buying your home!

Need a sweet treat? Or a delicious pie for your Easter celebration? Look no further than Mady Cakes Bakery. Located in Jefferson in one of the white cottages at Madyson Square Gardens (next to Cream & Shuga), you'll find it all there! From single-servings of cookies, cakes, cheesecakes, and pies (and a hot chocolate donut that looked incredible??), you can grab one to go! Or place your order for cakes, pies, and cheesecakes for your next event. Delicious, and a great assortment!

Address: 539 Shuga Blvd, Jefferson
For More Information: Check their WEBSITE or FACEBOOK
Check out the video: CLICK HERE

Real Estate Market Monday: Home Selling "Season"

I am often asked, "When is the best time to sell my home?" And my answer? When you're ready.

In 2024 in Jackson County, Sellers were most likely to get close to 100% of their listing price in February (100%), April (99.9%), May (100%), and June (100%).

Days on Market were lowest in May (18 days) and June (18 days).

But supply vs. demand (which we call Absorption rates) put Sellers in the best position in January (2.7 months supply), February (2.6 months supply), and March (2.6 months supply).

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN??
Our spring/early summer real estate market (April-June) tends to be the busiest time of year, but there are also perks to selling earlier in the year when there's not as much competition.

So really... the best time to sell your home is when YOU are ready! And for the record, I listed & sold my personal home TWO DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS (typically the worst time of year to sell), and it sold in 24 hours. There are ALWAYS Buyers buying & Sellers selling... 365 days a year!

Have questions? Thinking about selling your home this year & need advice to get it ready? Let's make a plan!

If you haven't heard yet, you'll soon start hearing the raving reviews of Pendergrass's newest (and only?) coffee & lunch spot {plus breakfast on Saturdays and soon to feature dinner!}: Millhouse Station

Located in downtown Pendergrass, Millhouse Station offers the perfect spot to meet friends for a cup of coffee or a delicious lunch. Plenty of seating space, casual atmosphere, and my friend remarked that it looked like it was straight out of a Hallmark movie!

I've enjoyed lunch here twice, and both were DELICIOUS! Both the Chicken Philly & the Smash Burgers get a thumbs-up from me. But even more delicious were their freshly made fries, and even the ketchup was unique- tasted freshly made!! Lunch menu is predominantly sandwiches & burgers, but a great variety of each.

Highly recommend stopping here for your next lunch date or casual business meeting. Can't wait to try dinner when it rolls out!

Address: 11 Smith Bridges Street, Pendergrass
For More Information: Check Their Facebook Page HERE
Check Out the Video: CLICK HERE

You may have noticed the cute little white cottages located just up the hill from Cream & Shuga in Jefferson. Ever wondered what's up there?? While there are a few service-based businesses up there, there are also a few boutique retail shops, and they are SO CUTE!

I stopped by both Cheeky Space Gifts & Decor and their "sister" shop Cheeky Dawg House, and WOW!! For such small spaces, the selection is HUGE!

Cheeky Space Gifts & Decor offers just what their name implies- an adorable selection of gifts, with selection rotated with each holiday. When I visited, they were stocked with the cutest Valentines Day goodies, plus a great selection of other non-holiday goodies- candles, blankets, bath stuff, some clothing, frames, and a whole selection of "teen girl" gifts like patterned cups and some Taylor-inspired merch. Seriously... this is a gift giver's paradise!

Just around the corner is their newest venture, Cheeky Dawg House. And WOW! All the UGA apparel and gifts you could dream of, plus they have goodies for other teams: Jefferson, JCHS Panters, EJHS Eagles, Braves, and Rock Lobsters (Athens Ice Hockey team). So next time you need spiritware gear for your favorite team, DO NOT SLEEP on Cheeky Dawg House!

Address: 529 Shuga Blvd, Jefferson (next door to Cream & Shuga, up the hill)
For More Information: Check Their Facebook Page
Online Ordering: www.Cheeky-Space.com
Check out the Video: CLICK HERE

Kids are out of school on Monday (January 20th) for Martin Luther King Jr Day. To protect our sanity, we've gotta find something to do to keep them occupied, right?

Here are some ideas of activities being offered on Monday to keep them entertained:

• University of Georgia Hockey game vs. University of Tennessee at 1PM
• Visit Funopolis (11AM-7PM)
• Participate in the Jackson County Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service
• Clutch Skill Development is offering 2 boys' pick-up basketball games
• Lanier Islands License to Chill- If you haven't had enough of the snow... tubing, ice skating, amusement rides, and more!
• Pinspiration of Northeast Georgia will be open from 1-6PM- lots of fun art projects and activities!
• Ice Skating at The Rink at Chateau Elan
• The Heirloom Sisters in Winder are offering Open Studio at their art studio from 11AM-2PM
• Visit Interactive Neighborhood for Kids (INK) in Gainesville
• Rush Trampoline in Athens
• Active Climbing in Athens has rock climbing walls
• Decoy in Gainesville is a new spot I've heard cool things about, featuring Duckpin Bowling, High Tech Putt Putt, and Golf Simulators
• Plus, of course, all of the Buford-area attractions: Andretti's, SkyZone, UrbanAir, Billy Beez

What ideas am I missing? Comment to let me know!

On the hunt for a gift for your favorite comic book/ superhero/ card game lover? You won't beat the selection at Inner Nerd! But if you're NOT into that kind of stuff, Inner Nerd is still THE place for you- for their coffee! Seriously, delicious coffees.

Located near Traditions in the plaza with Warren's off 124 in Hoschton/Jefferson (where Inside Story used to be), Inner Nerd combines comics and collectibles with the cafe you need. There are also couches, chairs, and tables where you can get work done or catch up with friends. While I'm not a comic book or collectible person, it's obvious they have a large selection of goodies!

Address: 55 Freedom Parkway, Suite 109, Hoschton, GA
More Information: https://www.facebook.com/innernerd
Check out the Reel HERE