Dacula Memorial Day 5K Race

10 weeks ago I started running. Well, not really running, I guess. I started walking and it progressed to running. I don’t have a great deal of patience, so walking always progresses to running for me at some point. Anyway, ten weeks later I found myself in a crowd in the middle of Dacula Road at 8:30 AM on Monday morning.

If you know me, you probably know that I am portly or rotund (insert your own nice word for big belly). I don’t have the classic runner’s physique, shall we say. Yet there I was with several hundred of my friends and neighbors. It was a lot more exciting than I would have imagined. The starter made some announcements and then cried, “Runners – take your marks! Go!”

And they went. Me, not so much. My goal was to run the entire 5000 meter (just over 3 mile) course without stopping, walking, crying or bleeding. I was not in a hurry.

I jogged leisurely down Dacula Road, turned onto Wilson, enjoying the downhill start. As I made the next turn I saw a huge crowd of people running through Dacula’s old town district. I was not even remotely close to that part of the course and we had only just started. Good thing I was only competing with myself!

I trudged along, feeling like I could pick up the pace but knowing that the second mile of the course was uphill. I started to break a pretty good sweat at the bottom of the hill and soon thereafter some kind folks were handing out icewater. I managed a swallow and got my cup into a trash can without breaking stride.

The next hill was the best part of the course. It was steeper and ran right next to the cemetery at Hebron Baptist Church, a perfect sobering reminder that we were running on Memorial Day. I enjoyed the time for reflection, but I won’t lie to you, I was pleased when the hill flattened out and I knew the rest of the course was fairly flat.

As I passed the starting point I was talking with a fellow racer and I realized that I must still have a lot of energy to be able to carry on a conversation while running mile three. I guess that was my proudest moment.

As I started to turn towards the finish line and the long downhill, I broke into my version of a sprint and managed to carry it through the line, finishing in 34:09.3. I achieved my goals, no walking, no blood, no tears, but quite a bit of sweat.

I never thought I would enjoy running, but I am beginning to.

Competitively, I am in trouble. My 34:09 time doesn’t stack up so well against the other runners. In my age group, 40-44 year old men, I was 32nd out of 34 runners. 2 10 year old girls finished ahead of me and 2 women in their 7th decade did as well. The overall winner could have run twice before I was done. He cruised around in 15:58.7.

At least I didn’t cry.

Gwinnett County Real Estate Market Report

It’s Friday and here is a look at the Gwinnett County Real Estate picture.

9934 properties are listed for sale, according to First MLS. The most expensive continues to be 8,500,000 dollars and the least expensive is $53910. The average list price is $312,149.

So far in 2008, 2353 properties have been sold in Gwinnett County. The sold properties ranged in price from $42,500 to $3,028,817. The average sale price has been $232,991. The average market time has been 102 days.

Of the properties that have sold, 17 have sold for $1,000,000 or more. 87 have sold for $500,000-$999,99. 110 have sold for $400,000 to $499,999. 217 have sold for $300,000 to $399,999. 639 have sold for $200,000 to $299,999.1166 have sold for $100,000 to $199,999 and 117 have sold for under $100,000.

Note that 77% of the homes sold were sold for between $100,000 and $299,999.

In today’s news, 67 properties were listed for sale and 15 were reported sold. 68 homes saw their list price lowered today. Here are some notables -

2211 Lakeway Drive in Dacula is located in the Lake Park subdivision, features 3bedrroms, 2.5 baths and a full unfinished basement. This 1920 squre foot home on a 929 square foot basement last sold in January 2006 for $185,000. Buy it out of foreclosure today for $124,900 – reduced from $159,900, a 22% reduction. Here is a photo:

27 Bethesda Church Road, Lawrenceville was reduced by 19%, from $1,200,000 to $975,000. This 8 bedroom, 4.5 bath home sits on 3 acres of land and boasts 7742 square feet of above grade space anda 6028 square foot basement. It must be capable of selling itself, as the pictures are pretty lax for such a premium price. Here is a photo.

If you are looking for a bargain, this might be it. 831 Hampton Hill Court in Lawrenceville’s Heritage Place subdivision had the day’s largest percentage PLUNGE, with the list price dropping by nearly 38% from $144900 to $90,100. This is a foreclosure home, featuring 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and 1488 square feet. This home sold new in 1988 for $82,000 and the owner is offering to pay the closing costs. Investors – this is your opportunity! Here is a photo.

Want to see some of these Gwinnett County Homes? Call Chris Compton at 770-682-7735 or visit www.HomeTeamCoach.com today!

Gwinnett County Market Snapshot

As of today, there are 9819 properties listed for sale on First MLS. The most expensive is 8.5 million dollars and the least expensive is $53,910. The average list price in Gwinnett County is $312,100.

Today, 73 new listings were added to the system and 11 properties were reported as sold. 73 properties saw their list prices reduced today, and though some of the reductions were very minor, a couple stood out.

1991 Birch Crest Place in Ivey Chase was reduced from $349,900 to $299,800. This home is 5 bedrooms, 4 full baths on a basement and weighs in at 3138 sq ft above grade. Here is a picture of the home:

2015 Lavender Drive, also in Ivey Chase, followed suit with a major reduction from $299,900 to $244,900. This home is 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths and about 2750 sq ft, also on an unfinished basement. Take a look:

1150 Henry Terrace in Cramac Plantation took a nosedive, plunging from $359,900 to $254,900. This 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath home is in a beautiful Lawrenceville subdivision and boasts 3525 sq ft and a partial finished basement. This property is bank owned. How does this look for the money?

The blood bath continued in Grayson Station, where 3030 Callie Still Road, a 6.4 acre property and 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home slid from $585,000 to $450,000. Bring the horses.

Looking for a rental property? Hard to beat the 3 bedroom 2.5 bath home at 2926 Swarthmore Drive in the Rosemont subdivision. Originally listed at $113,900, it was reduced to $79,900 today. You buy it and I will find you a tenant – whaddya say?

This is just one day’s worth of one county’s pain. There is blood in the streets and it is time to buy. Call me and let’s find the perfect home for your situation!