Doors are Important
Hello I love you, won't you tell me your name?
Well, those aren't exactly the type of doors I'm talking about here. There was an article in today's Daily News Journal by Cindy Watts about
how doors are important to a home's curb appeal. I think the doors with leaded glass panels are gorgeous and definitely add value to a home being marketed. I know that people generally value their privacy, but these doors are beautiful.
I tried to find a photo of my favorite storm door, but it appears that Lowe's doesn't carry it anymore. It was glass but along the top and bottom edges was a stained glass design. This picture shows the type of design I liked, but it's not a storm door.
So there are some ideas! Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and look around at your options! And send me a photo of your door if you'd like me to post it here!
Home Price Drop is Massive
According to my Comcast news, the drop in home prices has been massive in the last six months. It's the biggest drop this nation has seen in the last 35 years. Think about 35 years. It was 1971 35 years ago. I was 11 years old, and I'm old as the hills now.
Here's what was going on in 1971:
- Charles Manson and three "family" members convicted of killing Sharon Tate (what a yucky way to start this list)
- Apollo 14 lands on the moon
- Switzerland gives women the right to vote
- Filming of the Godfather begins
- NPR's All Things Considered broadcasts for the first time
- Door's musician Jim Morrison is found dead in Paris apartment
- Apollo 15 astronauts first to ride a lunar rover on the moon
- Walt Disney World opens in Florida
- The UNIX Programmer's Manual is published
- Led Zeppelin IV is released containing most requested rock song ever "Stairway to Heaven"
- Date set for withdrawal of troop from Vietnam
- Sara Evans, Ewan McGregor, Alison Krauss, Jeff Gordon, Lance Armstrong, Snoop Dogg and Christina Applegate are born
So you see 35 years is a long long time. I believe it's the market correcting itself because prices were going up too fast. Or to put it more professionally, the article states, "The declines in prices served to underscore the severity of the correction in the once-booming housing market, which had seen sales of both new and existing homes soar..."
Here's the article.
Readers are always welcome to contact me at (615) 491-2161 with any real estate questions!
Drastic Drop in Home Prices
Bad news for sellers, but great news for buyers!
Home prices are dropping, according to the
National Association of Realtors and as reported by CNN.com. In addition, home sales are also down which means the market is easing. Nationally, there is a 7.3 month inventory of homes which represents a solid buyer's market.
Here's one gorgeous home now available in Antioch. It's near the lake, is very affordable, has fenced in back yard and lots of wildlife!
Video Tour of Antioch Home
I have a listing at 3637 Burwick Road in Antioch. Rather than just still photos, my friend Ivy and I shot this video tour of the home. Please call if you'd like to arrange a personal tour! I can be reached at (615) 491-2161.
Click To Play This gorgeous Antioch, TN home is for sale! Contact Kathy Tyson for details.
23 in a Million
You'll soon be callng me Braggy Braggerson but here goes! The million or so realtors in this country received an email several months ago about some of the marketing they're doing to promote their real estate businesses. I sent in a brief blurb about blogging. Say that real fast five times. Brief blurb about blogging. Brief blurb about blogging. Brief blurb about blogging.
I had mostly forgotten about the blurb until I received an email today from a lender who pointed it out to me.
Here's the link. Scroll down ... way down ... it's the third idea from the bottom. But hey! Out of a million realtors in this country, I'm kind of tickled to see it in at all! And I am working with a couple of clients from blogging, thank you very much!
Remember: Skate for the Children (Two) is Thursday, October 26th from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Proceeds go to Christmas for the Children.
I Could Live Here
This tree house is way cooler than my house. It clearly shows that tree houses are not just for amateurs nowadays! I just thought this was kind of neat and am wondering if they add value to a home when it hits the market!?
Here's a link to the story by MSNBC.com. Be sure to click the slideshow to see more treehouses.
Buying that First Home
When I bought my first home in 1988, it was very very hard. We had to come up with a lot of cash (about $5,000) and found when we got close to the closing that we had to come up with another $1,000. Thankfully, one of my brothers had just come into money after leaving the military so he and his wife helped us out (which we paid back, of course).
According to an article in today's MSNBC.com real estate section, buying that first home continues to be difficult. Part of the problem is that although there is a huge inventory of homes available in our local market, the inventory is very small for AFFORDABLE homes. Most first-time homebuyers go for FHA or THDA loans, but these have strict guidelines as to the condition of the home that are eligible for the loans. If it's a crappy place, it won't go FHA. And these nasty places are the ones that are in the price ranges of people looking to buy.
Read all about it in this article from MSNBC.
Number of Agents Shrinking
We may be seeing fewer real estate agents in the coming months. Typically, when agents retire their licenses, it's at the end of the year when fees, insurance, and other expenses are at their highest. However, there may be an even bigger drop than usual in the coming months according to an article published by CNN.com.
The article -
Real Estate Downturn Hits Real Estate Agents - said there was a 26% growth in the number of agents from 2002 to 2004. The National Association of Realtors is predicting that existing home sales to fall 7.6 percent in 2006, so "Agents, who work on commission, are already beginning to feel the bite."
When you consider buying or selling a home, be sure to ask if your agent is full time so you will know if they'll be working for you full time as well!
Remember: Skate for the Children, October 10th, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m., Smyrna Skate Center. Or contact Kathy T. at 491-2161 to make a donation to the Christmas for the Children fund.
The Christmas Challenge
Bob Parks Realty hosts a "Christmas for the Children" event annually to help impoverished children in the area. Unfortunately, the Christmas for LaVergne and Smyrna children may be cancelled this year because we have been unable to raise adequate funds to pay for it. Many thanks to the blogging community who have stepped up to the plate to help in the fundraising efforts. We need $12,000 at this point. Donations have begun to come in:
Logo designed by Tim of a
TN Redneck in King Harald's Court. Tim offers this all the way from Norway. Wow. We are reaching across international boundaries to help our children.
MONEY DONATIONSGlenBlogJenBlogIvy's Mom
TIME AND BLOG SPACE DONATIONSThis is SmyrnaDrama Llama (Mark has also secured the Smyrna Skate Center for us!)
Cool People Care (thank you Sam)
Big Orange MichaelChip ManorAnd
Nashville is TalkingBUSINESSESSmyrna Skate CenterErnie Dunbar of AllstateSmyrna,
LaVergne,
Murfreesboro &
Nashville City GuidesAs you can see, we have a long way to go. Please come to our "Skate for the Children" night on Tuesday, October 10th at the Smyrna Skate Center. Open 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Admission is $4 ($2 to go to the Christmas for the Children fund) and skate rental is $2.50. We will have donation buckets at this event if you'd like to give a little more (or a lot more), plus we'll be having a silent auction.
Join us, won't you?!
THDA Help Available
A
fund has been created in middle Tennessee to help repair the homes of the disabled and elderly, according to the
Tennessean. The Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) will manage the $3 million grant, which was announced Thursday, October 5th at the Governor's Housing Summit.
THDA is a wonderful agency that often helps first-time homeowners get into their first homes. There is a program that offers grant money for these buyers. The catch: buyers have to take a class to qualify, and often have to come up with a 1% (one percent) downpayment. If you're thinking about buying a home and have saved some money, talk to me. I'll put you in touch with some amazing lenders who can show you what to do!
Home Buyers Get More Say
I disagree with any agent who says the housing market in middle Tennessee hasn't slowed. I just closed on a home that was under $130,000 in Smyrna. It had four bedrooms, two baths, fenced in backyard, and hardwod floors. It took four months to sell that baby. It should have sold within a couple of weeks. The housing market IS slowing. This is GREAT news for home buyers because there should be more homes available for you to choose from and you may have a full minute or two to decide to write an offer rather than the nano-second you had before. (Time is ALWAYS of the essence!). Interest rates are still low, so affordability isn't really a detriment right now, either.
But here's an interesting article published at MSNBC.com that I'm linking for your reading enjoyment!
Home buyers seen slowly gaining more cloutI think it's unbelievable that people are offering vacations, cars, flat screen TV sets, etc. to buyers. The caveat is when the sellers offer this kind of incentive, why would a buyer accept it? Wouldn't you be better off asking to take $5000 or $20,000 off the price tag? I think so! You can generally figure your mortgage payment to be about $7 per $1000. So if you buy a home for $100,000, your house payment would be $700 p/month. This usually includes home owners insurance and taxes, so obviously that $7 can vary up to $7.50 or more. By knocking $5,000 off the purchase price, that's $35 p/month. For 30 years. You'd be in a better financial situation by applying that money to your purchase or closing costs!
But that's just what I'm thinking. Talk amongst yourselves! :)
