Alpharetta Cumming Lake Lanier Real Estate Blog: May 2008

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, during an emergency called meeting on May 29th, approved an Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Cumming to settle the SPLOST V and SPLOST VI litigation. This agreement will allow for collection of the 1% Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) to continue after SPLOST V expires in June. This will allow the collection of funds for roads, libraries, and other projects to continue. To read the agreement in full go to www.forsythco.com.

Our Journey In Paraguay....Monday, Day 4

My roommate was Bruce, but I call him McGyver after the TV show from several years ago. McGyver and I have been on several mission trips together. It seems that whenever we have a situation, or need something special, McGyver opens his backpack and pulls out just the thing we need, or he improvises something to work thru the problem….hence his nickname after the star of the show….anyway we got out of bed at 5 am.

This allowed us a little quiet time along with a hot shower before we woke up the rest of the team at 6 am. The guys were dragging a bit this morning, but after a few cups of that great South American coffee and a wonderful breakfast, everyone was raring to go.

This morning we were going to start work on the future home of the Agricenter Director. I don’t think any of us had any brick laying experience. The corners of the building were set and about two rows of brick had been laid by the time we arrived at the site (8 am).

Christian told us that we would only be working on the interior walls of the house which would later be covered by stucco and no one would be able to see our inexperienced workmanship. The Paraguayan craftsman would do the exterior walls.

A couple of the guys really surprised us with their brick laying ability and were actually allowed to work on the exterior walls. Jimmy Newmon assumed command of the cement mixer and was assisted by Jimmy Deas in preparing the mortar for the bricks. Dennis Covington, McGyver, Ed Baker and I were assigned sand detail. This meant we had to go down the road about one kilometer in a horse drawn wagon, load the wagon with sand from the road one shovel at a time, then bring it back to the building site and off load it so it could be mixed with the cement to make the mortar. I think we did about 6 loads before lunch.

There was a little kidding going back and forth about who had the easy jobs…we broke for lunch at 11:30. The food was great: Empanada’s, Pasta, Sweet and Sour Veggies and a wonderful cake for dessert. During lunch we discovered that Christian was going to go meet with the owner of the 5 acres of land behind the school, which they wanted to purchase for further expansion. Money had been donated specifically for this purpose. We also learned that there was a problem in getting clear title on the 24 acres that was the Agricenter land. It seems that the previous owner, which had homesteaded the land, owed a back payment of about $900 on the property. Once this was paid clear title would be granted.

After lunch we went back to work on the Directors’ house. Melody and Tracy went to the school to take pictures of all the children and to begin preparation for VBS. The rest of the team broke from work about 3 pm, cleaned up as best we could and headed down the road to the church for VBS.

Christian’s wife, Angelica, and her daughter have clown costumes and start each VBS with interactive songs to get the children participating. Then the team acts out a really good show depicting the specific Bible story for the day. This is a lot of fun and the kids loved it! David, a local attorney from Asuncion, served as our interpreter to relay the story in the children’s native language, Guarani. I got to play the part of an alligator and had to crawl all the way thru the church chasing the kids. There were about 180 children there for VBS. After we finished the story we helped the kids do a craft that related to the story. We made inch worms out of fruit loops on a wire. The kids had a great time making their worms and eating the fruit loops, which they had never had before and all went home on a sugar high.

We got back to our camp about 5:30, got cleaned up and sat down to a great dinner at 6:15. After dinner we went over the skit for tomorrow’s VBS program. I got selected to play GOD. I am sure it is not because of my character, but because of my age and my white hair. We then discussed and reflected on all of the day’s events. It was time to wind down from the day. Melody was starting to print the individual portrait photos of the school children (156 in all). Tracy was cutting up construction paper for the next day’s VBS program. Christian was in the kitchen giving his 1 year old daughter a bath. McGyver, Dennis, Steve and Jimmy were playing a hot game of Hearts.

At 10 pm it was lights off for an early start tomorrow.

Mike Vanderhoff

Milton is the top ranking high school in Alpharetta according to a Newsweek article listing the top 1,300 U.S. high schools. Milton High School was ranked at 331 while Chattahoochee ranked at 536 and Alpharetta High School was at a distant 1157. South Forsyth High School was the only Cumming high school on the list and it ranked closely to Milton at 369. For a complete list of schools, or to view the factors used to determine the ranking, visit www.newsweek.com.

If you need assistance finding your next home in one of these school districts, let our team at Vanderhoff Real Estate help you. Contact us today, or feel free to browse through the listings on our website at www.VanderhoffRealEstate.com. There's no need to subscribe or register to view all available homes in the area. So, it's easy to window shop, then just give us a call when you're ready to visit any of the homes you find interesting. We'd love to be your "Bridge To Success" in your next real estate transaction!

Memorial Day is a good time to reflect on the sacrifices and services of the American soldiers and veterans and the U.S. military men and women. The American military is, has always been, and will always recruit the best and finest of the crop of young men and women of the country and we will continue to shower them with appreciation, support and prayers, as we have always done.

Have A Safe & Blessed Memorial Day.

-Mike & Melody Vanderhoff

Vanderhoff Real Estate

Check out the Weekend Mortgage Rates provided by Covenant Mortgage Corporation:

Conforming Loans: Loan amounts $417,000 & under
30 Year Fixed - 5.875%
15 Year Fixed - 5.50%
5/1 Arm - 5.125%
7/1 ARM - 5.375%

Jumbo Loans: Loan amounts over $417,000
30 Year Fixed - 7.25%
3/1 ARM - 6.375%
5/1 ARM - 6.875%

If you would like help with your next real estate transaction, please contact our team at Vanderhoff Real Estate today. We can be your bridge to success!

Forsyth County's outdoor water restrictions have been modified to align with those of the state of Georgia. The only change resulting from these modifications involves exemptions for new landscaping.

Those who successfully complete an Outdoor Water Use Registration Program are allowed to water newly installed landscape up to three days a week following the odd-even schedule for a period of ten weeks following planting. Program registrants learn proper watering techniques and the importance of water conservation. The Outdoor Water Use Registration Program is available online at www.urbanagcouncil.com.

To be eligible for this exemption, the landscaping should have been in place less than 30 days. The watering must occur on the designated odd-even days within the hours of midnight to 10 a.m. Odd-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Even-numbered addresses may water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The rules for the watering of existing lawns and gardens remain in place. Hand watering is allowed on the designated odd-even days for 25 minutes within the hours of midnight to 10 a.m.

Click here for additional details regarding outdoor water use or call the Forsyth County Water and Sewer Department at 770.781.2160.

The Forsyth County Board of Education decided not to approve final attendance lines on May 15th after reviewing the suggestions provided by the Redistricting Committee, Local School Councils (LSC), the three rounds of online feedback and the two public forums. Instead, the Board worked over two evenings for seven hours to develop a Draft 4. This Draft will be available for review online May 16th through May 25th at 5:00 p.m. for feedback. A third public forum will be held on Thursday, May 29th at 5:00 p.m. at the Board of Education, 1120 Dahlonega Highway, Cumming. The Board is expected to approve the lines at a called meeting at 6:00 p.m. on May 29th.

There are no changes in the middle and high school attendance lines between Draft #3 and #4 that affect students. However, there are changes in the elementary attendance lines between Draft #3 and #4 for the Coal Mountain and Chestatee elementary schools. These changes were made because of recommendations from the Coal Mountain community and LSC.

To review the latest draft visit www.forsyth.k12.ga.us.

Check out the Weekend Mortgage Rates provided by Covenant Mortgage Corporation:

Conforming Loans: Loan amounts $417,000 & under
30 Year Fixed - 5.875%
15 Year Fixed - 5.50%
5/1 Arm - 5.125%
7/1 ARM - 6.50%

Jumbo Loans: Loan amounts over $417,000
30 Year Fixed - 7.375%
7/1 ARM - 6.875%
5/1 ARM - 6.625%

If you would like help with your next real estate transaction, please contact our team at Vanderhoff Real Estate today. We can be your bridge to success!

Our first night in Paraguay and preparation for the week as Journey moves forward...

After our 6:30 arrival at the camp near Yrybucua we were told dinner would be at 7. We all went into the bunk house and found our bunks. Bruce Johnson and I were roommates. Melody and Traci were roommates. The seven other men picked their bunk in a large bunk room.

We settled in and headed to the dining hall for dinner. After dinner we shared about the day and all the events. The primary question was, “Where did you see Christ in action today?”. The overwhelming response was that it was very apparent the Lord wanted this team to arrive safely and get on with His work. Every obstacle we had encountered was overcome.

We were told by Christian that the next day, Sunday, was National Election Day and there would not be much happening. Breakfast would be at 8 am. Everyone settled in for a good night’s rest to prepare for the following day.

Most of the team were up by 6 am and hungry. We talked the cooks into getting us breakfast a little earlier. After breakfast, Garen Smith shared his devotional. Garen told us a moving story of how he realized that this mission trip was not just his journey, but a journey for all of those who supported him financially and prayerfully at home. It was not by his own power that he was there, but by God’s power through others which resulted in things far more amazing than any one person could do.

After a short break we all jumped in the trucks and took the drive to Quinta Linea where the Agriculture center and school were located. It was about 4 miles as the crow flies but about 12 miles by dirt road. We toured the Agricenter which was a really nice facility that had a big kitchen, two restrooms with showers, a large meeting room and two rooms to house future mission teams. The Agricenter sits on about 24 acres of land which will be used to establish test plots for native villagers to plant a small crop using their own methods, while next to it the same crop will be planted using more modern techniques. The results will show them a better more productive way to farm. We also saw the site where we would be building a home for the future director of the center.

We then went to the school about a half a mile down the road from the Argicenter. The local church is also there next door to the school. It has only been six months since Angelica took over as director of this school and already much progress has been made in better curriculum and biblical studies. We learned that they were also trying to buy the five acres behind the school for future expansion and a ball field.

On our drive back to Yrybucua, the small village by our camp, we noticed several bus loads of people traveling up and down the dirt roads. We were told that they were being bussed in to vote in the election for a new President.

The balance of the day and that evening we unpacked all the materials we had brought with us from home. 170 sweatshirts for the children, 160 book bags, 170 health kits containing, tooth brushes, tooth paste, soap, etc. We loaded each book bag with supplies purchased in Asuncion to get them ready to give to the kids at school. We also sorted out the vacation Bible school materials that we had.

Plans were made as to which day each item would be used. We then went into rehearsal for the next day’s VBS. The story centered on a worm that thought he was ugly and unworthy and his best friend a frog that continually encouraged him. Each team member was assigned a character to play and we rehearsed our parts. At the end of the story the ugly worm turned into a beautiful butterfly…God has a plan for everything and we are all beautiful to Him. Next it was time to prepare the crafts for the kids in VBS. They were to make a worm out of Fruit Loops strung on a wire.

Finally around 10 pm it was time to turn in for the night. The next day’s wake up call was scheduled for 6 am with breakfast at 6:30. It was a little difficult to get to sleep that night as the locals in the village of Yrybucua were celebrating the election of a new president. He is a liberal ex-Catholic Priest and a hope by the people of Paraguay for a positive change.

Tomorrow the fun begins.

Mike & Melody Vanderhoff

The 18th annual Taste of Alpharetta will be taking place this Thursday, May 15th from 5:00pm to 10:00 pm. It will be located along Old Milton Parkway at Wills Park. Admission, shuttle and parking for the event are free. For Park & Ride shuttle options, Park & Walk options and other event details visit www. alpharetta.ga.us.

There will be 70 area restaurants available for sampling with prices ranging from 50 cents to $3.00 per sample. There will also be a Culinary Arts Area featuring chef competitions, culinary demonstrations and exhibits. Additionally, families can take their kids by Wacky World for some fun inflatable activities, reptile shows and exhibits, wacky hair, face painting, balloon art & even a farmyard with pony carousel. There will also be a Fun Zone for older kids & teens.

The Alpharetta Police Athletic League (PAL) and Planet Rock School of Music have partnered to create an on site Guitar Hero competition. Plus, Nalley Automotive Roswell will feature a "Pitch & Win" contest on the baseball field adjacent to their tent for the opportunity to win Braves autographed merchandise and other gifts.

So, come on out and enjoy the fun!

The Forsyth County Board of Education has decided to extend the timeline of the redistricting process and issue a 4th draft. A final public forum is scheduled for May 29th, 5-6 pm at the Board of Education building. The new timeline is as follows:

* The new 4th draft will be discussed at the regular meeting Thursday May 15th
* Draft 4 will be available online Monday May 19th-26th
* Public forum will be held on Monday May 26th from 5-6 pm
* Hopefully, the board will vote on the final draft in the called meeting at 6pm, following the public forum on May 26th

To view the 4th draft on Monday, May 19th, or view further updates, go to www.forsyth.k12.ga.us.

Check out the Weekend Mortgage Rates provided by Covenant Mortgage Corporation:

Conforming Loans: Loan amounts $417,000 & under
30 Year Fixed - 5.75%
15 Year Fixed - 5.375%
5/1 Arm - 5.125%

Jumbo Loans: Loan amounts over $417,000
30 Year Fixed - 7.125%
7/1 ARM - 6.50%
5/1 ARM - 6.125%
3/1 ARM - 5.875%

If you would like help with your next real estate transaction, please contact our team at Vanderhoff Real Estate today. We can be your bridge to success!

Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park in Alpharetta Opens Saturday, May 10th. Robert Spano will lead the ASO in a program of Broadway favorites including Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Marcus Roberts Trio, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (final movement) with the ASO Chorus - and more.

Visit www.vzwamp.com for a list of concerts already scheduled for the amphitheater's inaugural season. In addition to several great performances by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, some of the amazing acts scheduled to perform are Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Stevie Nicks, Rush, and on Monday, May 14th the Eagles will be launching their world tour right here in Alpharetta.

If you are moving locally or relocating to Forsyth County, and you have school age children, make sure to check the latest draft of Forsyth County school district lines. Go to www.forsyth.k12.ga.us to see the latest draft of attendance lines proposed for the 2009-2010 school year. According to the Forsyth County Schools website, the final lines will be available on Monday, May 19th at 10am.

The redistricting is being done to accommodate five new schools and ease the overcrowding in existing schools. The following new schools will be opening in 2009:

Brookwood Elementary: a two-story school located on Vaughn Drive.
Whitlow Elementary: a one story school located on Castleberry Road
Haw Creek Elementary & Lakeside Middle: two two-story schools located adjacent to each other on Echols Road.
Lambert High: to be located next to Sharon Elementary on Nichols Road. Lambert is a two story design similar to West Forsyth High. Lambert will open without a senior class.

If you need assistance finding the right home within a specific school district, please contact our team at Vanderhoff Real Estate today.

Local North Fulton mail carriers will participate in the annual Stamp Out Hunger national food drive on Saturday, May 10th and are urging residents to place non-perishable food items in a sturdy bag next to their mailbox prior to the regular delivery that day. The postal carrier will pick it up at the time the mail is delivered. The food will be distributed to the North Fulton Community Charities. Also, volunteers are needed to meet mail trucks and pack and transport the food to NFCC. For more information contact Karen Rupp at krupp@nfcchelp.org.

It had been 27 hours since we left Alpharetta, but we finally made it to our final destination of Yrybucua in the interior of Paraguay. It was a long journey that had not ended with the disruption in Brazil over our connecting flight.

After we had left Brazil, thankfully on the same plane as our team, our flight arrived in Asuncion after a brief stop over in Ciudad del Este. When we arrived we deplaned and went thru passport control. Each of the team members were carrying a large quantity of items to be used in VBS, and at the Susannah Wesley School located in Quinta Linea. Our hosts had previously submitted a list of items we were bringing to customs. The key was to make sure that each individual declaration submitted by each team member all added up to the same amount of items that had been previously submitted to customs. The last team that came thru had their bags held in customs for 4 days because the declarations didn't match the list. We were very grateful that ours did match and cleared with out a problem.

When we started to retrieve our baggage we discovered that only a portion of the bags had made the flight. When we questioned the airline, they informed us that all but one of the bags were located and confirmed on the next flight arriving in 2 hours.

Our hosts, Christian and Angelica, and their two children were at the airport to meet us along with Ed and Linda Baker, another missionary couple serving in Paraguay. The team gathered what luggage we had and all piled into two crew cab pick up trucks and one Land Rover and left the airport to go to lunch while we waited for the remaining bags to arrive.

After a brief lunch at a local area shopping mall, we jumped back in the vehicles and headed to the airport to get the remaining luggage. En route, the clutch in the Land Rover went out. This was a little before noon on Saturday. We were able to find a garage that was still open and they began to work on the problem. We discovered that a high pressure hydraulic line to the clutch had broken and was leaking all the fluid necessary to operate the clutch. The problem then became where to get a replacement high pressure line for this vehicle. All the businesses of this type shut down at noon on Saturdays. The local garage started making calls to find the part. The other two vehicles went back to the airport and recovered all of the remaining luggage, including the one piece that was not confirmed (another prayer answered).

About 1:30 the garage was able to locate the part needed and sent a driver to go get it. Yet another prayer answered. We all enjoyed a coke from the local convenience store while we waited for the work to be completed. We were back on the road again about 3pm. All three vehicles headed for Yrybucua. We arrived at the compound about 6:30 Saturday evening.

Stay tuned for Day 3 of our Journey to Paraguay.

Mike & Melody

Check out the Weekend Mortgage Rates provided by Covenant Mortgage Corporation:

Conforming Loans: Loan amounts $417,000 & under
30 Year Fixed - 5.75%
15 Year Fixed - 5.375%
5/1 Arm - 5.25%


Jumbo Loans: Loan amounts over $417,000
30 Year Fixed - 7.25%
5/1 ARM - 6.625%
3/1 ARM - 6.375%

Reports are saying that The Federal Reserve Board has likely made the final rate cut for 2008. It most probably will concern itself with inflationary worries from here on out. So, if you have been waiting for the mortgage rates to reach rock bottom, chances are they are resting there now. It's a great time to buy a home, especially in the Alpharetta and Cumming areas. These areas are still growing and doing well. If you would like help with your next real estate transaction, please contact our team at Vanderhoff Real Estate today. We can be your bridge to success!