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Residential Real Estate
Consumer Stories

Columbia County combat veteran starts business to help area homeowners and contractors

The Aflac duck has been wildly successful for the Columbus, Georgia-based insurance company. HammerDuck, headquartered in Martinez, is off to a fast start in connecting homeowners and contractors to do business together while keeping the money in the CSRA. “I built it because of what I watched after (Hurricane) Helene. Neighbors couldn’t get a roof or a tree crew scheduled,” said Urbon Thompson, who works full-time for the Navy and retired after 21 years of other military service. Local contractors pay national lead services like Angi and Thumbtack $15 to

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Neil Gordon November 6, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Tiny homes with big hopes

Business and civic leaders pushed for the last 19 months, and now an empty tract that once served as a city park became Augusta’s first tiny home community. A ribbon-cutting was held to mark the opening of 25 tiny homes on Merry Street. They will be used to support teens aging out of foster care with no resources to begin the next phase of their lives.  Dr. Jackson and ShDonna Drumgoole from Bridge Builders Community (BBC) spearheaded development of the village. “We were pushing this rock up the hill, you

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Dana Lynn McIntyre October 16, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: Economy heading in the right direction

The numbers add up for Augusta’s Leading Economics Index (LEI) in August. Overall—up nearly 3% as four of the key five sectors are surging ahead. Overall, the LEI increased 2.7 percent on the month, although the three-month moving average (3MA) was down 0.3%. I like to use the 3MA because local economic indicators can be very volatile on a month-to-month basis, so the 3MA gives a better idea of the trend.  Residential building permits increased 14 percent, and initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased 45 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Hull College of Business Economics Professor October 6, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Simon Says: CSRA home construction going “through the roof”

Construction permits to build homes in Augusta are at a 15-month high! Residential construction permits in June increased slightly and are at the highest level since March 2025. More than 300 permits have been pulled each month since February 2026, compared to just 4 months over the whole of 2025.  Other indicators had a positive June. The Dow Jones Industrial Average continued its climb on the back of strong quarterly profits for firms. Inflation in the South declined to 3.2% from 3.9% in May despite higher oil and gas prices. 

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Hull College of Business Economics Professor August 25, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

CSRA program addresses construction needs

The construction business is booming in Augusta, and companies need help. That’s where Construction Ready and the Home Builders Institute (HBI) come in to offer a pre-apprenticeship training program in Augusta.  This year’s efforts are wrapping up on September 9th after an eight-week construction education program.  Participants are receiving hands-on training, earning credentials, and getting connected directly to job placement opportunities upon completion.  There is a high need for skilled workers across Georgia as more workers are retiring than entering the workforce. Closing this “skills gap” and educating more people

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Neil Gordon August 25, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Local realtor merges with Meybohm

Meybohm just got bigger and says its market share is now well over double the share of its closest competitor. VanderMorgan Real Estate is joining forces with Meybohm and will bring its 25+ real estate professionals with them, including broker Justin Bolin, who helped to start VanderMorgan Realty in 2008. The office had been anchored at the corner of Washington Road and Pleasant Home. According to Meybohm, it generates more than $1.3 billion in annual sales each year.  “We couldn’t be more excited about welcoming Justin and the entire VanderMorgan

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Neil Gordon August 21, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Back to School Househunting

It’s back-to-school time and a good time to save money on a home purchase in the CSRA. In today’s real estate roundup, Broker John DeFoor from DeFoor Realty in Appling explains why there is more room to negotiate. https://d4realty.com/back-to-school-home-hunting-navigating-the-late-summer-real-estate-market-in-columbia-county-ga/

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John DeFoor August 14, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Augusta realtor expands national footprint

Here they grow again. An Augusta-based realtor with offices in 9 other major cities is expanding more into a nearby market. Auben Realty just acquired Peach State Property Management, a Metro Atlanta-based property management company. Auben will take over the management of more than 150 residential units. The acquisition expands Auben’s growing presence in Georgia and strengthens its ability to serve real estate investors throughout the Atlanta market.  “This acquisition represents another important step in Auben’s strategic growth across high-opportunity markets,” said Tyson Schuetze, Founder & CEO of Auben Realty

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Neil Gordon August 10, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

131 Home Development Planned

Sometime in the next few days, developers for the new Highland Springs neighborhood will put a sign in the ground letting drivers along Pleasant Home Road know what is happening. ABD has all of the key details. The subdivision is between Davis Road and Washington Road on the 400 block of Pleasant Home Road, next to Lakemont Presbyterian Church and Place at Martinez, a local nursing home. There has been no new residential construction in the Pleasant Home corridor since the 1990’s. Developers hope to pour slabs by the end

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Neil Gordon July 13, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Prepare office and home for hot summer

This weekend, we all got a taste of Augusta in the summertime—100 + degrees with humidity. Your air conditioning will be working overtime. Today, Joseph Galpin has some preventative tips for hidden water damage, indoor air quality, repairs, and especially MOLD!

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Joseph Galpin, EnviroPro 360 June 15, 2026 No Comments
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