Wayne Long's Blog: All Categories

Fortson Ga is a rural part of Muscogee Co. just to the north of Columbus Ga.  It has become a hot spot to live as people move to the north side of Columbus.   Most of the new shopping, restaurants, and schools are on the north side of Columbus and for this reason along with the lower crime rate - north Columbus and Fortson have become popular areas to live.  

There is a wide range of home prices in Fortson Ga ranging all the way from $100,000 to $700,000 as of the writing of this post.   Please use our "Find a Home" search and mapping system to locate your next home in Fortson as it is by far the most advanced in the area for locating homes and mapping their location.  

Use the Great Schools system to check out the schools in the area. … Read Full Post

Midland Ga is a growing suburb on the northeast side of Columbus.   People generally like the area because it has more of a rural upscale feel.   Midland has some of the highest per capita income in the Columbus area. Homes for sale in Midland GA include homes priced all the way from $200,000 to close to $1million.   ( $869,000 is the top price as of the writing of this post).  

Midland is only 10 - 15 minutes out of Columbus and will give you a laid back country feel without a long drive.   Also, moms tell me the schools in Midland GA  are excellent and this is also a big draw for the area.  I have found that people like to live in area where they feel safe and their kids have great schools.  Midland fits the bill for this! … Read Full Post

Fort Benning Ga is the largest employer in the Columbus Ga Metro area.   Columbus is the third largest city in Georgia.    Here are some of the numbers produced by Fort Benning. 

1) Fort Benning has a 1.1 million dollar yearly payroll.

2) 33,000 active soldiers on Fort Benning

3) 47,000 military retirees call Fort Benning Home. 

4) 9,000 civilian employees work on Fort Benning

The Armor school is moving to Fort Benning GA as a result of the military realignment.   This is so the Infantry and the Armor School can train together.  Fort Benning has always been home of the Infantry.   The impact from the Armor School will be something like this:

5) 5500 additional permanent troops

6) 5500 additional civilian employess

This does not include…

We all want a great rate on our Mortgage.  To do that we need a great credit score.  It is more important now than ever!

1) Don't pay late!  30 days late on anything can really lower your credit score.  Approximately 35% of your credit score is based on your payment history.   If you pay on time every time you will have a much better score.  Even one late payment can lower your score up to 100 points.  

What if I already have late payments?  Stop paying late now.  The longer it has been since your last late payment the better off your score will be!  We can't do anything about the past but we can do something about the future. 

2) Keep your balances on credit cards below 30% of your credit limit.    Below 25% is even better.   About 30% of your credit…

Callaway Gardens is only about 30 minutes from Columbus GA and is a fun place for the whole family.   We spent the 4th of July at Callaway dancing to the swinging medallions, eating barbecue and watching the fireworks.   While there it struck me that all ages were having a great time.    There are not many places you can go where kids, teenagers, young adults, adults, and the older generation are all having a blast together.  

It is probably because of the wide range of activities.   You could swim, water ski, play volleyball, go to the high flying circus, dance, eat, drink, watch fireworks, or just sit and relax and soak up the sun.   Callaway is a well run - secure - fun place to hang out for the whole family.   … Read Full Post

Columbus Ga based AFLAC has completed the first phase of its planned 2000 employee expansion.   This first phase will employ 55O as the insurance phenom continues growing.   The last 15 years has been an explosion of growth for AFLAC in the U.S. and Japan.  Now expanding into other parts of the world and taking over market share in the United States - Columbus is lucky to have a company like AFLAC based here.   

Is a real estate designation worth anything to a Realtor or their clients?     Many just call it alphabet soup.     I for one believe that national designations are worth a lot.   Why?  Because the agent took the time to become better educated in his or her field.   GRI or CRS classes are tough, expensive, and time consuming.   An agent willing to go through the classes is an agent who is dedicated. 

I want my REALTOR  to be dedicated!                                     

Additionally during this process they learn from some of the best real estate teachers in the country - so they pick up things that other agents never have the opportunity to learn.  These agents are going to be educated about contracts, legal matters, inspectons and even negotiating…

One of the most important reasons to invest in Real Estate is because it is "real property" that can be touched, improved, lived in, rented out and resold.   Every one needs a home.  

It is probably the safest - steady as she goes investment out there.   Only 2 times in the last 40 years has Real Estate decreased in price nationally.   In both those years the decrease was less than 2%.   Not at all like the the crash stocks took in 2000 and the years following.   Many people would say that it only averages going up 5% a year.  This is true but look at the example below and you may get a different perspective of how the 5% effects your net worth.  

Probably the thing that really sets real estate apart from other investments is the ability to leverage…