Category Archives: hobby

Wayback Wednesday… A Little Hockey in My Life…

Wednesday, 08 June 2011 08:26

Written by Lane Bailey

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Image by lane.bailey via Flickr

My older son LOVES to play ice hockey. And all year long, the events he looks forward to most are the Come And Get It Hockey Camps. He skates one in June and one in July.

The guy responsible for running the CAGI Camp is Dan Sullivan, formerly of the Gwinnett Gladiators. Coach Sully (as the kids call him) is a heck of a guy and runs a GREAT camp. It really is a family affair, too. Dan’s brother and sister are involved, and his wife Liz is there every day checking the kids in and making sure everything off the ice runs smoothly.

This is my son’s 3rd year at the camp… and he’s only 7 years old. He skated his first camp when he was just 5. There is a core group of youngsters that all started skating at the same time and they still enjoy getting on the ice together. Now though, there are even younger players coming up behind them.

There are a lot of unique things about CAGI Hockey (like that parents can drop their kids off all day and food is provided), but my favorite is the level of instruction the kids get. The instructors are guys that played (or still play) professional and college hockey. Of course, it goes a little deeper than that… The instructors really work with the kids. They get to know them, eat with them, play with them and mentor them.

Even though I could drop off my son and leave him for the day, I like to hang out and watch the kids skate. I’ve gotten to know the coaches and some of their families. I have been blessed to get to know some of the other parents, too. And best of all, I have gotten to know some pretty cool and special kids that have skated at the camp.

Here is the post from 2 years ago… when I wrapped up the first camp.

Photo Friday… Almost Time to Get Muddy…

Friday, 29 April 2011 08:39

Written by Lane Bailey

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Image by lane.bailey via Flickr

It is coming… Mud4Blood8 will be held on May 28th, 2011 at the Hooters in Kennesaw, GA.

Each year, the GBR4WD club hosts this event, which brings together auto and 4wd enthusiasts from all over the Atlanta area. The reason for the gathering is a blood collection for LifeSouth.

But that isn’t the only thing going on… there is a GIANT car and truck show with everything from big 4x4s to low-riders. There are customs and restos. There are also vendor booths for all types of auto enthusiast needs… and food. Last, but certainly not least, there is a HUGE raffle with food and parts. Did I mention that it’s HUGE? And the only way to get a ticket for the raffle is to make a blood donation attempt.

Come out all day, or just squeeze over for a few minutes to donate a pint, get a juice pouch and some Nutter Butters.

Dear Builder… I’ve NEVER heard…

Monday, 25 April 2011 08:41

Written by Lane Bailey

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Image via Wikipedia

Dear Builder,

I’ve NEVER had a buyer client tell me that they thought the garage was too big. Granted, most of my buyers are “car people”, so the deck is a bit stacked, but not all of them are. In fact, I’ve had clients with little interest in cars… and they still wanted a garage that was just a little bigger.

You see, lots of people use their garages for a lot of different things. Many of my clients like to build cars or weld something back together in their garage, but others just want to be able to fit two cars and their riding lawnmower. Some people might want to move the cars out and build a nice piece of furniture. Others need a place to store their camping equipment while they are back in civilization.

Of course, square footage is valuable, especially as margins are squeezed, but homes with more generous garages might also sell a bit quicker. And that helps the margin, too. Turning over inventory faster lowers carrying costs. And while we’re at it, can we have a couple more outlets in the garage? I’ve seen too many garages lately that only had one outlet (aside from the one for the garage door opener). One. Even my 40 year old house has four outlets…

Photo Friday… What are YOUR Garage Needs? (lanebailey.com)
Wayback Wednesday… The Builder Forgot to Add ___ (lanebailey.com)
Wayback Wednesday… Make YOUR Garage Cool… (lanebailey.com)
Some Cool Garage Homes in Gwinnett County, GA (lanebailey.com)

Let’s take a break from Market Reports in Gwinnett County, GA

Monday, 18 April 2011 08:43

Written by Lane Bailey

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Image via Wikipedia

And we can talk about cars… Don’t worry, I have a couple more Gwinnett County, GA, Market Reports coming out starting tomorrow.

I was thinking about project cars (as if I didn’t already have an all-consuming project in the garage currently). And I got started thinking about what one could do on a modest budget… maybe $5000… or less. And that led me to eBay, looking at potential projects with “Buy-It-Now” prices between $2000 and $2500. There were some interesting cars. These cars are currently available (as I post this) and located near Atlanta, GA.

1958 Chevy Belair 4dr. Looks interesting, but does have some rust. Excellent patina, though.
1959 Edsel Ranger. Seller says it doesn’t have any rust… and it looks reasonably straight in the 3 pictures on eBay.
1985 Chevy K10 4×4. Lifted on 35″ tires… classic mud truck. Love the short beds.
1957 Willys CJ-5. I like it. I had a 55 M38A1 (the military version of the same Jeep). Looks reasonable, but EVERYTHING is available for these things.
1971 Dodge D-100. BIG engine. Gotta love the 440. Florida isn’t THAT far, is it?

All of these bad boys need a little work… but they all have the capacity for coolness that separates them from the pack of boring cars that most people buy.

If you get one, let me know how it works out for you.

No Subdivisions! Ok, Maybe…

Monday, 04 April 2011 08:15

Written by Lane Bailey

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Image by lane.bailey via Flickr

Because I work with a lot of folks that have need for a large garage… and an accompanying car collecting habit… I am often asked to find homes that are “not in a subdivision”. But there is a huge issue here in the Atlanta area… There aren’t very many homes that are not in a subdivision.

In fact, there are a lot of folks that don’t even know that THEY live in a subdivision, but right there on the deed (and the tax record) is the name of a subdivision. And when real estate agents list the property, they generally review at least one of those documents… and they list the name of the subdivision.

The result is that fewer than 10% of homes for sale here in Gwinnett County, GA, are really not in ANY subdivision. But that isn’t that big of a problem for my buyers needing a little more freedom than many subdivisions offer. Because what they REALLY want is…

A house in a neighborhood with an inactive or loose HOA (Home Owners Association).

The problem that almost always is described to me is that they don’t want to have to deal with HOA rules regarding extra outbuildings (like a second garage and/or shed in the yard). They might want to be able to park a race trailer at the house. Or a boat, camper or even a work vehicle.

Some of the local HOA rules I have seen even disallow a home owner from parking a 1 ton truck (like my F-350) in the neighborhood overnight. I have seen requirements for building a shed (a garage would be a daunting project in these neighborhoods because of the paperwork requirements), fence or even painting the house.

The point is that there are a LOT of homes in subdivisions that are just fine for enthusiasts. Often, these are older neighborhoods, but not always. The best path is to find a house you like and then investigate the HOA to see what rules they might have. I see a LOT of neighborhoods that have homes with second garages, campers, boats and even F-350s.

There is a hope…

Some Cool Garage Homes in Gwinnett County, GA (lanebailey.com)

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Category Archives: hobby

Wayback Wednesday… A Little Hockey in My Life…

Photo Friday… Almost Time to Get Muddy…

Dear Builder… I’ve NEVER heard…

Let’s take a break from Market Reports in Gwinnett County, GA

No Subdivisions! Ok, Maybe…

What's YOUR Home Worth?

Browse Listings

Custom Listings

Follow Me on Pinterest

Category Archives: hobby

Wayback Wednesday… A Little Hockey in My Life…

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Photo Friday… Almost Time to Get Muddy…

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Dear Builder… I’ve NEVER heard…

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Let’s take a break from Market Reports in Gwinnett County, GA

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No Subdivisions! Ok, Maybe…

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