What is your local real estate market doing

Homeowner Versus Renter Population

2012-01-05T13:08:00.000-06:00

1925 Sequoia Drive

2011-12-20T16:11:00.000-06:00

Located in the Preserve, this wonderful new Energy Star Certified home has so much to offer. With an inviting front porch great for enjoying nice quite evenings. Entering this home a lovely dining room is located immediately on the right. As you walk into the home you will find yourself in the open plan family/kitchen combination. The family room is spacious with beautiful hardwood floors, a stone fireplace and an entire wall of large windows that allow natural light into this great space. The kitchen boasts awesome maple cabinetry with a dark finish, granite countertops and an island. There's even a large walk-in pantry. Located conveniently just off the kitchen is a half bathroom. Upstairs there's a loft area that would make a great kid's retreat/hangout. You will also find a spacious master bedroom with a terrific trey ceiling and a large walk-in closet. The master bathroom features a large soaking tub and separated tiled shower as well a generous size double vanity with granite and gorgeous brushed nickel fixtures. There are three other bedrooms located upstairs all with walk-in closets and a nice size full bathroom and a handy laundry room. Enjoy the great backyard on the patio or any of the great amenities offered such as the clubhouse, pool, grilling area, walking trails and fishing pier. The Preserve is located in the Auburn city limits and is just a few minutes from the new Publix Shopping Center. There are numerous open house hours so send me an email or call to set up a showing!

http://tour.previsite.com/4E6072EB-639F-3245-4740-BB5AF4B5906C

Alabama Step Up Program

2011-11-21T15:25:00.000-06:00

A lot of you may not know but the State of Alabama has a great down payment assistance program called "Step Up Program" that is offered through the Alabama Housing Finance Authority. I know your thinking what's the catch? But it really is a great program available for those that need it. Yes, there are some things you have to qualify for but the restrictions aren't bad and a lot of people actually do qualify.

Here are some of the qualifications.

You can't earn more than $97, 500

You have to take a homebuyers education course and there are only certain amount of fund available. So it is a first come first service basis. You also have to find a lender that participates in the program but you'll find that a lot of lenders participate in the program which makes for great lender options.
Some of the amazing things about the program is that there is no limit to the price of home you buy and its a fixed mortgage that is about the same as the current market interest rate and you make one payment since its combined with your primary mortgage. Some other things that are great about the program is that it doesn\'t matter where the home is! The house qualifies! And you don't have to a first time home buyer!

If your interested in getting more information on the program visit the website.

You can also call the following number to find a participating lender in your area.
1.800.325.2432 or visit www.AHFA.com.

2226 Turnbury Lane, Auburn, AL 36830

2011-11-15T16:12:00.004-06:00

This great new Eastbrook home is Energy Star Certified by a third party!!! Upon entering the home the foyer area has a great built-in bench with storage. This home offers open concept living with a combined family/kitchen/dining room and a convenient half bathroom all located on the first level. Upstairs there's a loft area that would make a great kid's retreat/hangout. There's a generous size master bedroom with a very spacious master bathroom with a separated tiled shower and large soaking tub. The other two bedrooms are joined by a great jack-n-jill bathroom and both bedrooms have large walk-in closets. So of the interior features include, granite counter tops through out, hardwood floors in the main leveling area, with maple cabinets, trey ceiling in master bedroom. Some of the exterior finishes include metal roof accents, windows in garage door, awesome back yard with the lot extending into the woods, and rough cut wood bracket accents! You really must see this wonderful home! The house is now staged so take a look and let me know what you think. We have open house hours so send me a email or call to set up a showing! http://tour.previsite.com/000E219E-A0D0-A462-2840-DEDC121E7C99

A Short History of the Preserve.

2011-11-05T12:10:00.006-05:00

Eastbrook started out in the Preserve Subdivision 4 years ago located on Farmville Road. They purchased some lots on Covey and started out with 2 homes.

They asked me when I first started why they couldn't sell more homes in the Preserves. They believed in the subdivision and really thought it was a "good piece of dirt". I explained that the subdivision started out rough. If a number of you recall the subdivision was 2 years behind. Then we had a crash in the economy with a slip in sales. The subdivision had a number of homes already in it but with a number of other subdivisions with more homes, amenities and stability, Eastbrook had a lot to prove.

They started talking with the owners of the development about adding the amenities with hesitation. 2 years ago the owners of the development decided to look at what Eastbrook wanted to propose and Eastbrook started designing plans for the clubhouse, pool and landscaping. In the meantime of doing all that they had a number of lots re platted and lost some lots by doing that. They knew it was something they had to do in order to put a product in the ground that buyers would buy. One reason why I have so much respect for the organization! They listen!

What a lot of people don't know is that even the current residents were worried about what kind of clubhouse Eastbrook was going to put in. Eastbrook understanding the importance of making the residents happy and the importance of future sales had a meeting with a number of residents in the Preserves. With the comments, suggestions and ideas they went back and implemented a number of those.

In October of 2010 after going through a dozen of designs they finished the clubhouse and pool. They had a grand opening not only to the pubic with a business after hours event that was promoted through the chambers they had a separate one for the residents to welcome them to their new amenities. The overall response was amazing.

The response Eastbrook received not only with the public but more importantly the residents that lived there showed they did the right thing. The clubhouse is one the few in the area that is fully furnished! With 2 large flat screen TVs hooked up to cable, fireplace, kitchenette, large kitchen island, sitting areas, tables and a full working showroom.

The outside area includes, very large covered patio with tables and chairs. The pool is a saltwater pool system with a large kids area that is only 6 inches deep. Other things they did were to add outside bathroom, changing room, grilling area, misters and a lot of you may not know, an area for a future gas fire pit!

Now this is only the clubhouse and pool area. Other investments they made was the amazing landscaping they did around the clubhouse, pool with large rock retain wall! The second entrance into the preserve has detailed out landscaping that make the Preserve look amazing! They also decided to connect the first entrance and second entrance residents by installing a covered bridge by the spill way. The bridge was custom designed with cut lumber at the mill store. They even put a sitting area underneath the bridge with lighting in case residents want to come out and sit and fish! They painted the gazebo on Clements pond in the green space area which looks great! And they put a dock out on the large lake the lot they reserved as a park for those that canoe or boat so they can pull up to!

Some other amenities include the walking trails we have in the back. Some of the residents GPS the trail and said there are over 5 miles. The thing to keep in mind is that its not nicely cut or pathed out. Its rough and natural which make it great of golf cart, four wheeling and jeeping!

The Preserve one of the few subdivision that offers a number of different sized lot too which is great for anyone that is looking to buy a home. Waterfront, estate size (more than an acre), cal-du-sac, half acre, basement lot, etc.

One thing that clients tell me over and over again is that Eastbrook offers the most options and selections for interior and exteriors. They allow a number of different granite, cabinets, flooring, carpet, stone, brick and interior door styles on in the base price. With an in-house archictect it allows the clients to make adjustments to walls, designs, bump out and exterior design as well.

The clubhouse showroom is a one stop shop to making all the selections you need which is one thing buyers like. They chose everything from the color of the siding, to the soffitt. Eastbrook has a good system on how to make selections so that it doesn't become a overwhelming task.

The Eastbrook philosophy is to build a house like they were building their own. Which makes for a great experience when building yours!

So come see me at the Preserve and see what all the hype is about! Homes are springing up everywhere and its only going to keep on moving!

Qualified Residential Mortgage (QRM) and Risk Retention: Background

2011-07-26T11:26:00.003-05:00

The link shown above provided by the National Association of REALTORS provides information related to Qualified Residential Mortgage and Risk Retention: Background.

Buy a Home!

2010-10-18T09:35:00.001-05:00

2010 Housing Opportunity Pulse Survey
Americans Still Believe Buying a Home Is a Good Financial Decision

NAR's eighth annual Housing Opportunity Pulse Survey reveals that nearly eight out of 10 respondents believe buying a home is a good financial decision, despite ongoing challenges with the economy and housing market. The survey, which measures how affordable housing issues affect consumers, also found job security concerns to be the highest in eight years of sampling, with 70 percent of Americans saying that job layoffs and unemployment are a big problem in their area; eight in 10 cite these issues as a barrier to homeownership. The telephone survey of 1,209 urban and suburban adults in the top 25 metropolitan statistical areas was conducted for NAR by American Strategies and Myers Research & Strategic Services for NAR's Housing Opportunity Program.

Some key results:

Americans continue to believe that buying a home is a good financial decision (77 percent believe total strongly or not so strongly, 68 percent strongly so).
More than two-thirds of respondents (68 percent) say that now is a good time to buy a home.
Job insecurity and the lack of jobs continue to be the primary obstacle to home ownership and market recovery.
Respondents see the recession and job losses as the main reasons for the foreclosure problem, a shift from last year when they more likely to blame homeowners who bought homes they could not afford.
A majority of renters say that owning a home at some point in the future is either one of their highest priorities (39 percent) or a moderate priority (24 percent). Just 21 percent of renters say that owning a home is not a priority at all.
Frustration with banks is up: now a majority worry that banks have made it too hard to qualify for a home mortgage loan.
51 percent of respondents say foreclosures remain a big or moderate problem in their area. While there has been a significant drop in the percentage of those surveyed who say foreclosures have increased, 51 percent say that the rate of foreclosures is about the same as it was last year.
Most of those surveyed say that it is harder to sell a home in their neighborhood than it was a year ago.
Looking forward, 70 percent expect real estate sales in their neighborhood to remain about the same over the next few months. A nearly identical number (69 percent), also expect home values to remain the same.
Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) are now very concerned about the number of homes and condos for sale in their area—a number that is up 7 points from last year.
Most respondents are more concerned about the drop in home values than they are about home costs being too high. Still, cost remains the significant barrier to many who would otherwise like to buy a home.
More information:

For more information,

Executive Summary (PDF:170K)
Press Release (PDF: 174K)
Survey Questionnaire (PDF: 524K)

Posting from Realtor.org website

REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-10 Reasons to Buy a Home

2010-09-20T10:18:00.000-05:00

REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-10 Reasons to Buy a Home

Existing-Home Sales Slow in June but Remain Above Year-Ago Levels

2010-07-27T10:55:00.003-05:00

Washington, July 22, 2010

With the scheduled closing deadline for the home buyer tax credits, existing-home sales slowed in June but remained at relatively elevated levels, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Existing-home sales1, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, fell 5.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.37 million units in June from 5.66 million in May, but are 9.8 percent higher than the 4.89 million-unit pace in June 2009.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the market shows uncharacteristic yet understandable swings as buyers responded to the tax credits. “June home sales still reflect a tax credit impact with some sales not closed due to delays, which will show up in the next two months,” he said.

“Broadly speaking, sales closed after the home buyer tax credit will be significantly lower compared to the credit-induced spring surge. Only when jobs are created at a sufficient pace will home sales return to sustainable healthy levels.”

According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage fell to a record low 4.74 percent in June from 4.89 percent in May; the rate was 5.42 percent in June 2009.

The national median existing-home price2 for all housing types was $183,700 in June, which is 1.0 percent higher than a year ago. Distressed homes were at 32 percent of sales last month, compared with 31 percent in May; it was also 31 percent in June 2009.

NAR President Vicki Cox Golder, owner of Vicki L. Cox & Associates in Tucson, Ariz., said softer home sales expected this summer don’t tell the whole story. “Despite these market swings, total annual home sales are rising above 2009 and we’re looking for overall gains again this year as well as in 2011,” she said. “Conditions have become more balanced in much of the country, which is good for both buyers and sellers. However, consumers find it even more challenging to navigate the transaction process, especially for distressed properties, which only underscores the value Realtors® bring to buyers and sellers in this market.”

A parallel NAR practitioner survey3 shows first-time buyers purchased 43 percent of homes in June, down from 46 percent in May. Investors accounted for 13 percent of sales in June, little changed from 14 percent in May; the remaining purchases were by repeat buyers. All-cash sales were at 24 percent in June compared with 25 percent in May.

Total housing inventory at the end of June rose 2.5 percent to 3.99 million existing homes available for sale, which represents an 8.9-month supply4 at the current sales pace, up from an 8.3-month supply in May.

“The supply of homes on the market is higher than we’d like to see. But home prices are still holding their ground because prices had already overcorrected in many local markets,” Yun said. Raw unsold inventory remains 12.7 percent below the record of 4.58 million in July 2008.

Single-family home sales fell 5.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.70 million in June from a level of 4.98 million in May, but are 8.5 percent above the 4.33 million pace in June 2009. The median existing single-family home price was $184,200 in June, up 1.3 percent from a year ago.

Single-family median existing-home prices were higher in 10 out of 19 metropolitan statistical areas reported in June in comparison with June 2009. In addition, existing single-family home sales rose in 12 of the 19 areas from a year ago while two were unchanged.

Existing condominium and co-op sales slipped 1.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 670,000 in June from 680,000 in May, but are 20.5 percent higher than the 556,000-unit pace in June 2009. The median existing condo price5 was $180,100 in June, which is 1.4 percent below a year ago.

Regionally, existing-home sales in the Northeast rose 7.9 percent to an annual level of 960,000 in June and are 17.1 percent above June 2009. The median price in the Northeast was $244,300, down 1.2 percent from a year ago.

Existing-home sales in the Midwest dropped 7.5 percent in June to a pace of 1.23 million but are 11.8 percent higher than a year ago. The median price in the Midwest was $155,900, down 0.1 percent from June 2009.

In the South, existing-home sales fell 6.5 percent to an annual level of 2.01 million in June but are 11.0 percent above June 2009. The median price in the South was $163,600, unchanged from a year ago.

Existing-home sales in the West dropped 9.3 percent to an annual pace of 1.17 million in June but are 0.9 percent higher than a year ago. The median price in the West was $221,800, up 1.5 percent from June 2009.

The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

Did You Know: Who is Buying Homes More Than $500,000

2009-08-14T11:23:00.002-05:00

Did You Know: Who is Buying Homes More Than $500,000
August 14, 2009

By Jessica Lautz, Research Economist

Nineteen percent of people who bought homes that were more than $500,000 were first-time buyers.
One in five buyers of luxury homes (those priced more than $500,000).
In comparison, 43 percent of homes priced less than $500,000 were first-time home buyers.
The median age of buyers who purchased a home more than $500,000 was 42. This is just slightly older than the median age of those who purchased a home under $500,000—39.
The median gross household income, predictably, is substantially higher among luxury home buyers. Those who purchased homes more than $500,000 typically had a household income of $154,600.
Almost one-third of luxury home buyers had a household income above $200,000.
The median household income for those who purchased a home under $500,000 was $71,600.
For a complete 2009 NAR Member Profile - available free only for REALTOR® members this year - click here.

Who is buying homes more than $500,000?

Less than $500,000 More than $500,000
First-time buyer 43% 19%
Repeat buyer 57 81

Age:
18-24 6% 1%
25-44 56 54
45-64 30 38
65 or older 8 7

Median 39 42

Gross Household Income

Less than $54,999 24% 4%
$55,000 - $74,999 22 5
$75,000 - $99,999 21 9
$100,000 - $149,999 18 26
$150,000 - $199,999 5 22
$200,000 or more 3 31
Median $71,600 $154,600

This is one in a series of commentaries by the Research staff of the National Association of REALTORS®. Read more commentaries >

Comments? Questions? E-mail NAR Research.

NAR members, learn how you can add this commentary to your Web site, blog, or newsletter. Read more >

More Research Resources
Commercial Market Survey
Commercial Resource Guide
Local Market Information
Realtors®' Confidence Index
Median Prices Interactive Map
State Sales Interactive Map
Housing Data
Economic Indicators

Fast Facts
Nearly one-quarter of first-time buyers are single females who purchased their first home on a median income of $47,400.
Source: 2008 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.

Good news. Home sales rose for the second straight monthy

2009-06-24T09:05:00.001-05:00

Economists' Commentary: Existing Home Sales in May
June 23, 2009

By Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist

Good news. Home sales rose for the second straight month and inventory got trimmed. Home prices still show much lower values from a year ago, but part of that is due to more transactions on the lower-priced homes and fewer on the high-end. The rise in the national median home price should not be viewed as a genuine price gain yet since most if not all of the rise could be due to seasonal factors of more families with children entering the market this time of the year and they tend to buy non-distressed homes at higher values.

The detailed data is here. In short on the data, existing home sales rose 2.4 percent in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.77 million units from a 4.66 million unit pace in April (which is a downward revision from 4.68 reported earlier). Compared to the same month one year ago, existing home sales were down by 3.6 percent.

Regionally, home sales rose by the strongest amount in the Midwest with a 9.0 percent rise. In the Midwest, sales were higher in Omaha, Minneapolis, and Cleveland and Michigan markets. Chicago and Milwaukee are showing signs of sales stabilization. More fully, from April to May:

In the Midwest, existing home sales increased 9.0 percent
In the Northeast, sales increased 3.9 percent
In the South, sales were unchanged
In the West, sales fell 0.9 percent
The monthly data can be a bit bouncy, so a better trend can be assessed by comparing to one year ago. The sales trend continues to show the West region as the only region with higher sales. Still some of the steam is coming off in the West. Sales are down in the mountain states and in the Pacific Northwest. Sales are positive in many California markets as well as Arizona and Nevada. But some of the cities that had shown spectacular gains of a 50 to 100 percent rise in year-over-year sales are showing only modestly higher or have turned negative. Sacramento, Oakland, and San Fernando Valley are examples. A similar pattern of leveling off in sales now after sharp gains is observed in Sarasota, Florida and the Northern Virginia outer suburbs.

At the same time, many markets are beginning to move towards sales stabilization (meaning the year-over-year changes are becoming less negative). Few markets appear to enter a takeoff stage with much stronger sales now than a year ago. Maryland suburbs, Orlando, Miami, and Phoenix are examples.

The national median existing home price in May was $173,000, which is a decline of 16.8 percent from one year ago. (Prior month price data was revised down to $166,600 from $170,200 with the price having fallen by 17.2 percent in April from one year ago.) Prices were lower in all four regions. From one-year ago, prices were lower by 12.5 percent in the Northeast, 10.4 percent in the Midwest, 9.9 percent in the South and 30.6 percent in the West. The plunging values in the West reflect much greater sales in the deeply-discounted foreclosed properties.

The median price has now fallen by 25 percent from the peak in 2006, translating into a loss of equity of $5.5 trillion in homeowner housing equity. The aggregate housing valuation of $17 trillion would now match that in 2003 – six years ago. We need to be mindful of many local market variations. Some California markets would have witnessed price declines in excess of 50 percent, while many Texans to this day may be experiencing home price gains without having suffered any downfall.

Though losses have been significant for many homeowners, lower prices are good news for potential buyers. The housing affordability is at the highest since 1970. The recent affordability level of 174 is 62 percent higher compared to at the height of the boom. Translation: a middle-income family now has more than sufficient income (62 percent additional income) to buy a middle-priced home at current mortgage rates and stay well within family budget. Of course, not everyone will be buying a middle-priced home. So people who buy a higher priced home should have appropriately higher income and people with lower income should look for a below median priced home for financial safety.

Inventories at the end of May declined 3.5 percent to 3.80 million homes available for sale. It will now take 9.6 months to exhaust the inventory at the current sales pace. Past data showed inventory in May from April could go in either direction, so the decline in this May can be interpreted as not a seasonal factor but some reduction as more buyers pick-off inventory and fewer new listings coming on line. From one year ago, inventory is lower by 15.3 percent. Still, overall, the inventory levels are high and favor the buyer over the seller.

Regarding the single-family versus condo market, the condo market is beginning to show some rebound after being hard hit, though broadly speaking the single-family market has held up relatively better. Condo sales increased 6.1 percent while single family home sales advanced 1.9 percent and over the month. Month-to-month data tends to be a bit volatile. From one-year ago, there is a much sharper difference with single-family falling only 3.0 percent, while condo sales fell 8.9 percent. Single family home price were lower by 16.1 percent while condo prices declined 21.9 percent. The months supply of inventory for single-family homes was trimmed to 9.0 months from 9.5 months in the prior month and from 11 months nearly a year ago. For condos, there were 15.0 months supply of inventory, down from 15.4 months in the prior month and from the peak 16.4 months in November of last year.

The increase in home sales is needed in order to stabilize housing values and get the economy going. So the latest data is certainly welcome news. However, the increase in closing sales, which existing home sales measure, was lower than as implied by pending home sale contracts, which had risen 5.6 percent in April.

The rise in mortgage rates raises concerns on future home sales because the housing sector is so sensitive to changes in mortgage rates. Small adjustments are generally of less concern. In fact, there is a short term boost to sales in the initial phase of rising rates as some buyers want to lock-in rates before they go up even higher.

The job losses will also shrink the pool of eligible homebuyers. Since the start of the recession in January 2008, there are 6 million fewer people with jobs.

On top of the rising rates and loss in jobs, there is a new event that has been developing in the past month that is raising alarm bells. Appraisals!

We are getting bombarded with stories of last minute fallout in contracts because appraisals are coming in with unrealistically low values. There was a ready buyer and a ready seller to make a deal at a mutually acceptable price. More properties are being appraised by non-local specialists, being based on non-comparables (normal homes being compared as a distressed home), and consumers are paying a much higher fee. Because of lower appraisals, it opens up a new round of negotiations which may delay closing or simply lead to a cancellation. Lower appraisals also force the buyers to come up with extra cash to make up the difference between price and appraisal, which some buyers are unwilling to do, and again lead to a fallout. This issue has suddenly snowballed. We are now in the process of conducting research to assess the extent of the problem related to the appraisals and the subsequent fall out.

Any delay in the housing market recovery will, unfortunately, mean an additional rise in foreclosures and a further delay in economic recovery. NAR is talking with all relevant policymakers to address this issue to end the confusion and chaos related to appraisals.

The first-time buyers will be the key to help drive up sales. Not only is it a great opportunity for those with stable jobs and income to buy a starter home, but first-time buyers will also help unleash the next buyers. The existing homeowners can sell more easily, which then permits buying another home. First-time home buyers accounted for 29 percent of all buyers based on a survey of REALTORS about their recent clients. It is a decline from the 40 to 50 percent range in recent prior months. With the homebuyer tax credit geared for first-time buyers, it is somewhat surprising to see a downward trend in this figure. But the latest lower figure may reflect more triggering up the scale with trade-up or trade-down buyers now able to unload to buy the next home. Or it could be seasonal factor. More repeat homebuyers with children buy a home at this time of year as they want to do it between the school years. And they represent repeat buyers. Also these buyers may be less inclined to look at foreclosed homes.

The number of distressed sales declined in May to 33 percent of all sales compared to nearly half in the early months of this year. This decline could be simply be one-month statistical noise or it could be a seasonal factor for families with children buying normal homes and not distressed homes.

A separate data release by the Federal Housing Finance Agency today showed home prices stabilizing. From March to April, home values of those that had Fannie and Freddie loans declined by 0.1 percent – or in common person’s language: no change. The price measurement is a repeat price index showing it is proper to compare from one month to the next. From one year ago, prices were down 6.8 percent, which matches the lowest decline in 8 months. The data clearly implies stable home values in more established neighborhoods with little subprime loans.

This is one in a series of commentaries by the Research staff of the National Association of REALTORS®. Read more commentaries >

Comments? Questions? E-mail NAR Research.

NAR members, learn how you can add this commentary to your Web site, blog, or newsletter. Read more >

2226 RIverwood Dr Moore's Mill Subdivision

2009-01-10T21:50:00.001-06:00

Great home in Moore's Mill Subdivision. Click on title to see Virtual Tour. Priced at $269,900.

Real Estate in 2009

2009-01-10T20:40:00.003-06:00

Real Estate in 2009 can be a great year. What a lot of people don't understand is that its a great time to buy. If you ask any local lender most of them will tell you that they have been busy. Mostly with refinancing. Interest rates are so low that home owners find it a great time to lock in at these low rate. When I say low I mean low. Lenders are offering low rates at 4.75.

The problem is that first home buyers don't realize what the current home owner know. RATE ARE GOOD AND FINANCING IS AVAILABLE. There are a lot of programs and loans out there for buyers. Plus, sellers who are selling are very motivated to sell. I'm not saying that their willing to give their homes away but they are willing to negotiate and most are willing to help pay some closing costs and/or come off the price.

Some other things to keep in mind is that there are foreclosures available also. Our market doesn't have alot but there are some.

If your interested in purchasing a home it doesn't hurt to contact a Realtor. A Realtor can help you get educated as to what's out there, what lenders you can talk with and what you need to know about buying a home. There is no cost to you to talk with a Realtor. If your in the market to buy ask a Realtor why? I think you'll be surprised to find out how much is out there and how many options you have. This is the time for you to stop paying rent and buy a home and make it yours.

Today Show

2008-12-16T10:51:00.002-06:00

Its a little blurb about the Lee County Market. It showcases a house in Moore's Mill Subdivision.

Sticks, Bricks and Other Profundities: Use the Tools!

2008-11-16T15:54:00.000-06:00

Sticks, Bricks and Other Profundities: Use the Tools!

Celebrate Alabama

2008-11-13T22:09:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't know... Opelika has a new project called Celebrate Alabama. The site takes up 535 acres making a 2 mile stretch of shopping, hotels, conference center, expo, restaurants, and much more. Although, they don't know how long the project will take they estimate that it will be around 10-12 years. This will bring new jobs, tax revenue, and will be a central hub in-between two larger cities, Montgomery and Atlanta. They hope that those that travel will make a detour and stop to shop, watch a movie, eat at the many restaurants or even stay the night. Celebrate Alabama will also be in-between the two large auto factories: Hyundai and Kia.

If you go to the following web page ( www.silivercompanies.com/content/view/222/121 you may also try www.silvercompanies.com ) you'll be able to see a video about the project. It also gives you information on local businesses, institutions and awards our area has received. For example, this is posted on their website:

" 10-1-08 Auburn University, the City of Auburn and Lee County officials have joined together for the possibility of building an aquarium on campus property on North College Street. The $75,000 cost for the feasibility study would be divided among the three parties. "its such a small investment, that could pay large dividends in the future," said Commissioner Mathan Holt.

You can also get information on the developer and the other project they currently have going on, Celebrate Virginia.

We have a lot going on which makes living in our area exciting.

Welcome to my blog

2008-11-11T09:52:00.000-06:00

Starting this blog has been the most challenging thing I have done in a while. Not because its hard to do but I just didn't know what to write about.

After taking classes at the National Association of Realtors convention and hearing how many people are going online to read blogs I realized that I had no choice if I wanted to stay on top of my game.

So my new challenge for the year 2009, is blogging. I'll be writing about the Auburn/Opelika Market and community activities. I will also be posting community service events and Women's Council events. Let see where this will take all of us. Look forward to the future!!!!