Athens Georgia

GEORGIA FOOTBALL: Week one is in the Books & Here comes Auburn

Thankfully, the Georgia Bulldogs have a game played and a “W” in the win column, but the first two quarters were hard to watch. Even so, I was grateful for them. I feel like I missed a lot during the game due to cooking ribs and parenting. But watching it again always helps to understand a little more. As I mentioned in my last post, upsets are likely to be abundant and offense may be hard to find and for the most part last weekend didn’t disappoint. Mississippi State wins over LSU with tons of offense and Oklahoma fell to Kansas State with almost no defense.

The Latest Unemployment Rate Fell to 8.4%

Last Friday, the Bureau for Labor Statistics released their Employment Report for August 2020. The big surprise was that the unemployment rate fell to 8.4%, a full percent lower than what many analysts had forecasted

10 Straight SEC Games could be fun

It is August 28th, I am sitting here at my desk waiting on some estimates to help work through some issues on a contract.  It’s been a long week and long year.  I really wish I was out doing something else, but I am grateful to have the work as many others do not.  Many … Read More

Mortgage Rates Hit Record Lows for Three Consecutive Weeks

Mortgage Rates Hit Record Lows for Three Consecutive Weeks Over the past several weeks, Freddie Mac has reported the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropping to record lows, all the way down to 3.03%. Last week’s reported rate reached the lowest point in the history of the survey, which dates back to 1971 (See graph below): What does this … Read More

Impacts of Covid-19 on Athens Real Estate: The Good and The Bad

This area of the market has performed very well as I noted above. May and June were ahead of 2019 by 30% in pending home sales, and overall values appreciated by an average of 4% from 2019. Most of this gain was seen in homes under $600,000. In some cases, properties over $700,000 have seen a small drop in listing price, but those reduced prices are still in line with values from 2019. We have seen a pent-up demand drive a lot of this activity. Home buyers came out of the gates strong in May and so far the activity remains strong.

LATEST UNEMPLOYMENT REPORT: GREAT NEWS…FOR THE MOST PART

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released their latest Employment Situation Summary last Thursday, and it again beat analysts’ expectations in a big way. The consensus was for 3,074,000 jobs to be added in June. The report revealed that 4,800,000 jobs were added. The unemployment rate fell to 11.1% from 13.3% last month. Again, excellent news as the … Read More

Is the Health Crisis Driving Buyers Out of Urban Areas?

The pandemic has caused consumers to re-examine the components that make up the “perfect home.” Many families are no longer comfortable with the locations and layouts of their existing homes. The allure of city life (more congested) seems to be giving way to either suburban or rural life (less congested). The fascination with an open … Read More

The Shocking News in the Unemployment Report

The Shocking News in the Unemployment Report Last Friday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released their May Employment Situation Summary. Leading up to the release, most experts predicted the unemployment rate would jump up to approximately 20% from the 14.7% rate announced last month. The experts were shocked. The Wall Street Journal put it this way: “The May U.S. jobless rate … Read More

Home Prices: It’s All About Supply and Demand

As we enter the summer months and work through the challenges associated with the current health crisis, many are wondering what impact the economic slowdown will have on home prices. Looking at the big picture, supply and demand will give us the clearest idea of what’s to come. Making our way through the month of … Read More

EXPERTS PREDICT ECONOMIC RECOVERY SHOULD BEGIN IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR

One of the biggest questions we all seem to be asking these days is: When are we going to start to see an economic recovery? As the country begins to slowly reopen, moving forward in strategic phases, business activity will help bring our nation back to life. Many economists indicate a recovery should begin to happen in the … Read More