Journal
Field notes from
two coasts.
Blue Ridge market reads, seller guidance, and North Georgia field notes. Written in plain English.
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Where to Buy a Mountain Home: A Southern Blue Ridge Guide
Five North Georgia counties, five different markets. Median prices, days on market and months of inventory across the Southern Blue Ridge, mid-2026.
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Discount Points in Georgia: When Buying Down Rates Pays
One discount point costs 1% of the loan. Breakeven math on a $520,000 Blue Ridge loan, the second-home tax rule, and when to ask the seller to pay.
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Georgia Retirement Income Exclusion 2026: Eligibility and a Worked Example
See who may qualify for Georgia’s retirement income exclusion in 2026, what income counts, how spouses allocate it, and a simplified example.
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Georgia vs. Florida, the Carolinas & Alabama for Retirement
Georgia vs North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama for a mountain retirement: NOAA climate, retiree share, home values, Hurricane Helene and 2026 taxes.
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Retiring to the Georgia Mountains: The Honest Version
Retiring to the Georgia mountains, honestly: 104 freezing nights a year, more short power outages, private wells and bears, with NOAA, EIA and USGS figures.
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The Cost of Retiring in Georgia vs. the National Average
The cost of retiring in Georgia runs 3.7% under the U.S. price level. The real savings sit in housing, power, property tax and care, with a Fannin County twist.
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Georgia vs Tennessee vs Texas for Retirees: Taxes, Cost of Living & Home Prices
Georgia, Tennessee, or Texas for retirement? Compare 2026 income tax, property tax actually paid, sales tax, and median home prices side by side.
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Best Places to Retire in Georgia: Compare 12 Towns
Compare 12 Georgia retirement-town options by setting, healthcare questions, daily routines and tax considerations. Use current sources and verify each address.
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How Georgia Taxes Retirees: Retirement Income, Property, and Exemptions
Georgia shelters $65,000 of retirement income per taxpayer at 65 and never taxes Social Security. The property tax exemptions and income test retirees miss.
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Retiring in Georgia: The Real Pros and Cons
Retiring in Georgia: $65,000 sheltered per taxpayer at 65 and a mandatory 2027 homestead cap, against a 34.6% rise in 2026 health rates and no cap on cabins.
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Retiring to Georgia: How the Mountains and Atlanta Compare on Taxes, Cost, and Quality of Life
Retiring to Georgia, mountains or Atlanta: the retirement income exclusion is a tie, county property tax exemptions favor metro, and Fannin housing costs more.
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Best Places to Retire in Georgia Mountains: 7 Towns
Compare seven North Georgia mountain towns by county housing data, healthcare access, daily convenience and property-specific winter road questions.
The Echea Letter
Monthly. One letter. No noise.
One letter a month. My read on what’s moving in Blue Ridge and Fort Lauderdale — what sold, what sat, what I’d tell a friend who asked. No sequences. No resends. If you ever want off the list, one click.
Reading isn’t the same as asking.
If one of these raised a question for you, write me. I answer myself.