Kristin and I have to first announce to all our readers that unfortunately MUSHER, our striking black and white Siberian Husky, passed away in January. Musher has been a very important part of our lives for almost fourteen years. As many of our long time readers know she has helped sell quite a bit of real estate. We will certainly miss her but she will continue be an integral part of future AKM Enterprises Newsletters.

As you are well aware the current economic crisis has brought our market to a virtual standstill. There is a wide range of opinion about when we will start to see a return to somewhat normal real estate transaction activity. We are of course optimistic that a recovery will start soon and we truly believe that when it does it will arrive here sooner than it will in other areas. This is based on our absolute belief that the Lake Oconee area is truly a desirable destination with many unique attributes. It will always be a draw for buyers wanting to capture it’s variety of superb lifestyles. That was written by Kristin and parallels my thoughts exactly.

These buyers will come from “the 76-million-strong wave of baby boomers. Now, with most of that generation in their peak earning years and aging towards a new active retirement that may not be retirement at all,” Lake Oconee delivers. “Living by the lake or river has always been a sought-after experience,” Lake Oconee delivers. “For most customers, sense of place translates to what can you see and what can you do,” Lake Oconee delivers. “Luxury club houses, fitness centers, high quality inns, and restaurants on-site are part of the amenity packages,” Lake Oconee delivers. No matter what your retirement needs or desires are, the Lake Oconee area delivers active things to do, locations on or around water and multi-choice amenities.

“Even if there was a dip in prices, it’s not the worse thing in the world, to be buying your dream home when the market is temporarily in retreat from record prices.” The values for Lake Oconee properties now are generally listed in this retreat mode and show fantastic value. Because of future demand created by a huge wave of retirees seeking the above mentioned unique attributes we believe quality real estate in the Lake Oconee area is undervalued. (The above quotations from a Coastal Living article entitled “Sea of Green“).

We have noticed over the past many years that stock market trends usually parallel our real estate business. “Far more money has been lost by investors preparing for corrections, or trying to anticipate corrections, than has been lost in corrections themselves… Our Asset Management Research Department has determined through their analysis that US stocks, as represented by the S&P 500, are approximately 53% undervalued. And the forward-looking, 3 year return is estimated at over 30% per year.” This could be a bit optimistic but parallels my feelings. (Quotations from UBS Global Asset Management “Global Perspectives” report.)

Our market value seems to be similarly priced if you listen to some fear mongers who focus on the very few foreclosure or bankruptcy sales as defining our current real estate value at Lake Oconee. Many sellers have adjusted their list pricing from the high levels of a few years ago. In the past few months the inventory level of resale properties has been decreasing mostly do to sellers removing properties from the market. The current level of inventory is not as high as it has been in past turn downs. Supply and demand always define price. Now is the time to take advantage of great properties at extremely low prices before the next run up.

Thank you!
Andrew & Kristin