Wayne Long's Blog: All Categories

Columbus GA is really on the move!   Because of the BRAC military expansion on Fort Benning 3.2 Billion dollars ( that is with a B) is expected to be invested in the facilities on Fort Benning.  This is the largest public investment in the State of Georgia.   Aproximately 10,000 new direct jobs are expected because of the base expansion including military and non-military personel.    AFLAC is based in Columbus GA and has anounced plans for a $100 million dollar expansion that will give us a job increase of 2000 jobs.   The other huge anouncement we have had recently is the new KIA plant has broken ground near LaGrange about 40 miles north of Columbus and expects to employ 3000 with fairly high paying jobs.   The investment in the facility will be $1.2… Read Full Post

Columbus has been and is in a growth phase.   One of the benefits of this growth is that the variety of restaurants and entertainment is improving almost daily.   In the last few years we have added the River Center which is bringing world class entertainers to Columbus.  Previously if you wanted to see a high level show like "The Producers"  or "Rent" you had to travel to Atlanta but now we can have shows like this in Columbus GA thanks in part to our new state of the art facilities and the fact that we have the population and affluence to support shows on this level.  It is nice to grow up!  This kind of growth helps the Columbus GA Real Estate market as well. 

It is tough to be a soldier at Christmas time.  Many of our troops are obviously in harms way right now.  This is especially tough at this time of the year as they miss their families and their families miss them.   As Realtors in Columbus we develop relationships with a lot of military families relocating to Columbus and Phenix City and we have a special appreciation for them.   Join with us in lifting up our military families in prayer through the holidays.

My sister lives in Atlanta Ga and she was discussing with me that they would like to move away from the traffic and congestion in Atlanta but they enjoy the big city amenities.  Columbus Ga is the perfect size town for me because we have the restaurants, shopping, theater and sports like a big city but we can drive across town in 30 or 40 minutes and can be out in the rural areas in the same amount of time.   We still can have access to Atlanta in 11/2 hrs or the beach in 3 or 4 hrs.  It is the perfect setup and just one of the Top Ten Reasons to LIve in Columbus GA.

Currently we have 1900 homes listed in the Columbus GA MLS.  You can search them all from our site.    The same site will also allow you to search the Phenix City AL MLS.  We are only seperated by the Chattahoochee river. 

The system will send you updates of properties that fit your criteria daily as they come on the market and you can save listings that you are interested in!

Shaw high school played for the AAA state championship in football on Saturday.  Well, maybe next year.  Choosing a school is very important when moving to a new area.  In Columbus GA even better than having a state champ in football we have the state champ in academics.  Columbus High School is the top rated school in the state of Georgia for academics.  My son Jason graduated from there and the difference to me in Columbus High and most other high schools is the level of expectation.   If they participate in anything science(they haveexperiments on the space shuttle), plays (look like college plays), baseball (have won the national championship)  - it is expected to be at a high level.  These kids just step up to the plate because they are expected to!  …

The old south is filled with beautiful historic homes (what Sherman left of them).  Columbus GA in particular has a wonderful historic district down by the Chattahoochee river.   There you will find some excellent examples of Victorian and Tudor Architecture.   Columbus has also done an excellent job of preserving the old mill town look by revamping the old brick buildings down town that at one time made use of the river water to run their mills.   These old brick buildings still have the exposed beams and a look that just makes you feel relaxed and and part of history.   It is just gorgeous downtown at night in the Columbus GA historic district overlooking the river with all the lights shining on the water!

As a Realtor I understand more every day that what people want the most in a place to live are really basic items.  When searching for a new home in Columbus GA we want to feel safe, we want our children in good schools and we want job security.   To the Columbus GA community and leaders this means we need to focus on a strong infrastructure of police and fire departments,  school development, and attract industry.   That seems so simple but sometimes we focus on the unimportant and forget to "keep the main thing the main thing".  Read Full Post