By Mark Hite
President, Greater Chattanooga Association of REALTORS®
This past week, the Greater Chattanooga Association of REALTORS® a(GCAR) demonstrated their involvement in North Georgia goes deeper than selling homes and land. On March 26, GCAR’s Northwest Georgia Council hosted a luncheon with the heads of Catoosa, Walker and Dade Counties. REALTORS® packed the room at The Colonnade Center for the lunch meeting, prepared to learn about all of the activities and developments in these three counties that make up more than 20 percent of sales in the Greater Chattanooga market.
Steven Henry, Chairman of Catoosa County’s Board of Commissioners covered a variety of infrastructure investments in progress and planned throughout the county. Henry also covered jobs and new businesses coming into his county in the near future, and acknowledged the need for additional land to develop for similar business relocations. As county leader, Henry actively is looking for land to develop into a business park, and stressed it would have to be purchased at fair market value to make good business sense.
Ted Rumley, Board Chairman and County Executive for Dade County focused on new job creation and business development. Leading with the discussion of two announced employers coming into Dade County, Rumley stated that each business will create 300 to 400 new jobs. He added that the County currently is working with another manufacturer that seeks 300 acres to develop and would bring 1000+ new jobs. Rumley commented that 1000 new jobs would make a major impact in a county with 16,500 residents.
Newly elected Walker County Commissioner Shannon Whitfield presented a recap of accomplishments his team has made in the first 75 days in office. His first priority was to clean up the county so residents and REALTORS® alike could enjoy improved property values. To demonstrate his progress with clean-up efforts, Whitfield compared code violations in January and February of this year to the previous two years. He emphasized that his team is focusing on dilapidated houses, garbage, junk and junk cars to make an immediate impact in the community. In one example, fifteen dilapidated houses have been cited year-to-date versus only seven in 2016 and only one in 2015. Whitfield’s future plans include a “tire amnesty” day to encourage residents to bring in old tires in lieu dumping and a close examination of waste haulers to ensure their loads are property secured while on the road in Walker County.
REALTORS® often act as ambassadors to relocating families and this meeting provided attendees with a wealth of information to share with current and future clients. When considering buying or selling property in North Georgia, always work with an experienced, licensed agent and member of the Greater Chattanooga Association of REALTORS®.