tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90533409485188435362011-11-27T18:14:47.170-05:00(savannah is thinking about you)Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.comBlogger361100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-63861889758601424992009-09-10T14:39:00.005-04:002009-12-11T16:29:45.477-05:00

Originally Published July 20th, 2009Savannah Tap unveiled it’s interactive city guides last week. I crowded around at the Savannah Visitor’s Center and test drove Tap and found it to be a very user-friendly addition to the stacks of brochures and maps. Within seconds I was able to find restaurants, shopping, and city services mapped out and texted to my phone. I love this new wave of advancement

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-88282032930191410142009-07-13T16:20:00.002-04:002009-07-13T16:26:09.205-04:00

Originally Published May 5th, 2009I still well remember meeting Josh and Kelley Keller when they first came downtown. First Josh as he jogged around the neighborhood while I kneeled in the flower beds at Kaye and Don Kole’s house and then a few months later, Kelley at a party thrown by neighbors Jackie and Ken Sirlin. A delightful couple with a growing family, Josh and Kelley are two beautiful

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-84138634257486780552009-07-13T16:08:00.009-04:002009-07-13T16:16:49.218-04:00

Originally Published April 9th, 2009Trendsetting New York and New Jersey residents Richard and Joanna Rothbard have recently re-launched their AN AMERICAN CRAFTSMAN store at 223 West Broughton Street in Savannah. The Savannah store, which originally opened in 2008 and is their forth location, has just had a major face lift inside and out including new windows for the upper floor, the use of which

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-74647628617569411312009-07-13T16:01:00.005-04:002009-07-13T16:33:36.116-04:00

Originally Published March 3rd, 2009What would Savannah be without her believers? Mary & Ernie Friedman, (aka The Savannah Land Company), and Walter Carson (aka The Carson Company) are such people and they make us all that much luckier to be living in Savannah! Imagine my feeling of joy when I drove by this site on the 11th of February during the ceremonial kick off. Please check out this article

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-60444619581333496292009-07-13T15:56:00.003-04:002009-07-13T16:00:46.404-04:00

Originally Published February 13th, 2009Even though we have been having a relentless winter in the northern parts of our great country, and although I have had to move in my potted plants three times so far, spring is around the corner and in the air! You can just feel it! Stroll by the fountain in Forsyth Park and inhale – that moist air is a harbinger of better days ahead!I'm enjoying my new

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-6067131554075338582009-07-13T15:17:00.004-04:002009-07-13T15:32:09.121-04:00

Originally Published January 26th, 2009To follow up on my last blog, Here are six additional properties that closed in December, 2008 when I wrote part one of this piece on recent sales. As of today, an additional 5 properties of the 24 that were under contract have closed, a couple of them just after the first of the year (for tax reasons, some folks prefer to close in a new tax year, others

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-76284598029001460032009-07-13T14:58:00.007-04:002009-07-13T15:43:27.076-04:00

Originally Published December 30th, 2008There has been quite a flurry of activity recently in Savannah’s Core Historic districts, an area I call the Golden Rectangle which is surrounded on the north by River Street, The South at Victory Drive, the West at Martin Luther Kind BLVD (formally West Broad Street) and to the east, East Broad Street. What with historic low interest rates and highly

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-2491947417057204152009-07-13T14:43:00.003-04:002009-07-13T14:47:48.437-04:00

Originally published September 18th, 2008I swear there is no one smarter than those folks at SCAD. And the students that go there are pretty amazing too! Every fall when they return to Savannah after their summer break back home and/or abroad, Savannah is revitalized by the presence of this young upbeat group of faculty, students, and administration. And once again, the college has blessed us

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-80335646953593444682009-04-01T16:14:00.004-04:002009-07-13T14:56:14.189-04:00

Originally Published August 28th, 2008 After years of being just one more eyesore in downtown Savannah, The CVS Corporation, with cooperation from property owner Freidman Jewelers, have put a new face on the building prominently located at 119 Bull Street on the corner of State and Bull Street. This story actually begins though with Downtown Neighborhood Association past president Bill Stube

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-45879076125977909222009-04-01T16:11:00.006-04:002009-07-13T14:56:01.181-04:00

Originally Published July 17th, 2008 One of Savannah’s finest mansions, The Espy House, with it’s colorful history, is finally going to get the attention it deserves! Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church, the owner of the huge circa 1859 house facing Calhoun Square since 1959, has launched a capital campaign. With funds already in hand they are moving forward with the first phase of the

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-4929114337957785402009-04-01T16:05:00.009-04:002009-07-13T16:39:03.016-04:00

Originally Published May 19th, 2008I did some MLS (Multiple Listing Service) research the past couple days on the market trends NOG (North of Gaston Street - our premier historic area – the True Landmark Historic District) and here is what I found in Residential sales: There were a total of 108 sales going back one year (an additional 160 sales the twelve months prior to that totaling 268) with

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-52571667539807178252009-04-01T16:05:00.007-04:002009-07-13T16:38:17.416-04:00

Originally Published May 26th, 2008 There is no doubt that this is a very interesting time to be in real estate. With so much recent negativity in the market place spawned on by hard facts and a relentless media, some sellers are deciding to rent out properties for awhile, others waiting in the wings until the coast is clear before they list their properties for sale, and some sellers even doing

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-43171823574770616962009-04-01T11:26:00.009-04:002009-07-13T16:40:12.904-04:00

Originally Published April 7th, 2008 Click this link to listen to our wonderful birds, here in America’s most beautiful city, Savannah, Georgia, USA! What a great time of year. The Savannah Music Festival has been a great success, The annual Historic Savannah/Christ Church Tour of Homes has been wonderful, and The Garden Expo too, why there is just too much to do around here! Until Next

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-33399583409803773872009-04-01T11:26:00.002-04:002009-04-01T11:26:37.777-04:00

More than one or two of the people who have heard my “green” move to use a three cylinder two seater (getting 35 to 50 miles per gallon) as my basic mode of transportation have raised their eyebrows suspiciously. I have heard “what happened to the rest of it!” and “boy, I'd hate to see you in a smash up!” But for the few skeptics I offer the following video clip of just how well these things

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-33583500608817492912009-04-01T11:24:00.005-04:002009-07-09T17:28:47.062-04:00

In 1997, I bought my first computer. It really has caused a revolution. I first marveled at the way you could easily write and edit text (I do love to write) found fun publishing software and then I went “on line” and searched and found other distanty related Melanders all over the world including Sweden where the USA (the TV broadcaster Sven Melander was mentioned to me) and that was real cool

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-86671332138031244642009-04-01T11:23:00.003-04:002009-04-01T11:24:24.270-04:00

On 1-20-08, I did a cross property search in Savannah, an area bounded by East Anderson to the south, Bay to the north, MLK to the west and East Broad to the east. The properties include condos, single family, multifamily and a smattering of commercial properties that were listed in our MLS system. This does not include private sales that occurred outside of our system. There were a total of 355

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-15891648238164163632009-04-01T11:23:00.001-04:002009-04-01T11:23:35.508-04:00

Recently Brian contacted me from the “World’s Largest Mortgage Community”, (over 25,000 members), the Mortgage fit web site, and asked if I would take a look at his site. I have spent some time with it now and I am impressed, especially with the discussions tab and the calculators. I would recommend this site to anyone who would like to do their own research and learn more about the issues

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-29359765203448564792009-04-01T11:21:00.001-04:002009-04-01T11:23:01.512-04:00

Mayor Johnson was the speaker at the Savannah Dowtown Business Association monthly Luncheon meeting held on January 9th, 2008 at the Hyatt (They did a GREAT lunch by the way). I asked a question about Consolidation and got more than I bargained for. This is a modified (improved) version of the e-mail I sent the next day to the mayor through the City of Savannah web site. I thought I would wait

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-77341248211777300762009-04-01T11:20:00.002-04:002009-04-01T11:21:28.724-04:00

Growing up in New York State was wonderful. I lived in a house facing Saratoga Lake on land that my grandfather gave my father. Our family had the sort of thing being talked about now – it was like one of those family compounds with an uncle nearby and my grandparents around the bend. But it was really much bigger than that with a pond, gardens and farmland, a barn and the Indian Hill. There was

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-8941619367753312942009-04-01T11:19:00.002-04:002009-04-01T11:20:06.532-04:00

Last week Anne Hart of southernmamas.com asked me if I would share what I think are the best neighborhoods in Savannah for children. Let me preface the rest of this blog by saying that I will be talking about historic neighborhoods as that is my area of greatest interest. My first response was Baldwin Park as I have sold three houses over there in the past year and in all three cases, this

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-62383564764281376862009-04-01T11:18:00.002-04:002009-04-01T11:19:01.852-04:00

I woke up today to the sound of a loud explosion. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 4:30AM and thought to myself, what WAS that? It really sounded like gunshots. We downtown residents tend to think that way (especially those of us on the outer edges - if you can call Forsyth Park the outer edge - you can tell I've been here awhile). After all, it was the time of night when the bars have

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-88639231518251699252009-04-01T11:16:00.001-04:002009-04-01T11:18:08.174-04:00

And what a neighborhood it is! Take a look at the photos I took a few months back. I also have done a panorama of the other properties in the block. This is one of the two best blocks on Jones Street which just happens to be the most desirable street address in Historic Savannah. Currently several of these houses are worth in the multiple millions of dollars. One across the street from 15 West

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-90581390194956092222009-04-01T11:02:00.005-04:002009-04-01T11:06:02.262-04:00

Wow! Ellis square is really on the move now! At the left is a picture I took from about four weeks ago of the actual parking decks which will be underneath a green and leafy Ellis Square. The city had maintained a web site until recently which is down now but today Tara Polli , who works for the City of Savannah Liaison office, sent me the images below of what the square will look like after

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-91194661622785760392009-04-01T11:01:00.002-04:002009-04-01T11:02:13.541-04:00

Thank You Cima Star for writing about Artist Kiril Jeliakov’s ”The Orange Step”! I wanted to get over there all week and take pictures. I knew someone would! How nice that Heather Young forwarded this to me. If you missed this, please enjoy it courtesy of www.savannahbest.com To read Cima’s article and see more photos: Artist Kiril Jeliazkov captivates Savannah WONDERFUL!! Photo Courtesy of

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-86169968077987921102009-04-01T11:00:00.000-04:002009-04-01T11:01:02.952-04:00

I recently wrote about all the wheelchair ramps being created in our Landmark District. The pace seems to have slowed recently; in fact it seems to have halted all together. Perhaps there is a reason. This past weekend while I was visiting friends in Charlottesville, Virginia I noticed that they have repaved the streetscape in the most historic part of town with a lot of very attractive and

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-78183661500453007582009-04-01T10:59:00.001-04:002009-04-01T11:00:16.593-04:00

When I first met Chris Page, it was several years ago during my Home Depot years. Chris was one of the top managers and did a great job over there at the store on Abercorn Extension. Last year he appeared in my life again while we were remodeling our offices at Cora Bett Thomas Realty. Chris, with the help of his sons, have formed a painting company, Page’s Painting, 912-695-8517, and they do

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-55497802832667525982009-04-01T10:58:00.003-04:002009-04-01T10:59:18.219-04:00

Let’s make it a good one Savannah! This view, at the very west end terminus of Broughton Street at Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. (formally West Broad Street) is a temporary one because while the Firestone folks seem to be a successful business, it is very likely that they will eventually sell out. Like the attitude of so many corporate entities in America (and the world), and a few smart people I

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-86248251322514047042009-04-01T10:34:00.000-04:002009-04-01T10:36:09.966-04:00

I have always thought that one of urban Savannah’s greatest untapped assets are those previously unused and often times neglected spaces on the roofs of both the residential and commercial buildings here. When I launched my gardening business in downtown Savannah in January of 1999, I always encouraged opportunities to utilize these areas where the benefits can be multi faceted such as cooling

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-34555441713422524122009-04-01T10:33:00.001-04:002009-04-01T10:34:55.837-04:00

Normally, I do not write about listings because that is not what blogs are about. There are plenty of other places you can go to find information out about properties for sale - Like elsewhere on this site for instance! But I thought that I should share with you the latest status of The Merritt on Whitemarsh Island and Mercer Point, just down the road. I mentioned these two condo conversions in

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-27648528527612328912009-04-01T10:32:00.003-04:002009-04-01T10:33:45.389-04:00

Last week, I had a couple of conversations with employees of the Board of Assessors at (912) 652-7271. I thought this information was worth sharing and is one of the great reasons to own property and live in Savannah! If you'd like to get it straight from the Board of Assessors’ web site, go to the link called “facts every taxpayer should know”.http://www.chathamcounty.org/boa_facts.pdf This

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-7140780458942237682009-03-24T14:23:00.001-04:002009-03-24T15:16:40.867-04:00

Over the past decade and a half, I have watched as downtown Savannah very, very slowly renovated sidewalks in what seemed like selective areas to accommodate wheelchair ramps, mostly along Bull Street in coordination with the late Mills B Lane’s streetscape enhancements between City Hall and Forsyth Park. But for some reason, they never seemed to get around to Abercorn Street and other areas with

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-85599104570481448642009-03-24T14:21:00.002-04:002009-04-01T11:01:17.448-04:00

As a busy professional, one quickly realizes how dependent we all are on the services of others. I don't know what I would do without the quality services of my electricians. Floyd Jimmo of ACJ Electric is one who I first met when he was working with Paula and Brian Palmer on their excellent restoration of 112 East Taylor Street. While this is not meant to be an endorsement, and I have worked

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-34269660548230772282009-03-24T14:18:00.002-04:002009-07-13T16:44:35.100-04:00

Originally Published May 26th, 2008I recently moved to the west side of the landmark district in an area I am calling the Tattnall Street Neighborhood. I am between Gaston and Huntingdon, just west of the north end of Forsyth Park so I am now a SOG (South of Gaston), and can no longer call myself a NOG like I was at my old place. One out of many of the conveniences of my old location was the

Ron Melanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00431653483012568250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053340948518843536.post-60559436199016412972009-03-24T14:12:00.000-04:002009-03-24T14:16:59.321-04:00

When Diane and Jerry Whitlow arrived in Savannah several years ago from Hilton Head, South Carolina, where the scarcity and expense of land was making it nearly impossible to continue their development work, they found Savannah to be a city ripe for change. And they quickly became a force helping to direct that change. Part of the reason for their success is due to smart networking and their

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Originally Posted August 6th, 2007There are many, many reasons why we love Historic Savannah. One prominent, often discussed idea is the fact that Savannah from day one was designed to be a walking city. General Oglethorpe, in his wisdom, outdid every other city planner anywhere on this planet when he laid out Savannah’s first wards and squares. We should also thank those who followed him by

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Originally Posted July 30th, 2007I really enjoy this part of Savannah’s historic Ardsley Park/Chatham Crescent Historic District that was registered in 1985. Bound by Victory Drive to the south, 40th Street to the north, Waters Avenue to the east and Price Street to the west with a little jig at 41st and Victory Drive where Lincoln Street becomes the western edge. Of all the historic

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