Nashville New Homes: The 2011 Parade of Homes – the “inside scoop”

Oct8

On Thursday, the Sales and Marketing Council of the Home Builders Association of Tennessee had the pleasure of touring the 2011 Parade of Homes.

Yesterday’s blog focused on the exteriors of the magnificent homes that are on display, through tomorrow, October 9th at Annandale in Brentwood.

Today, I’d like to show you some interior scenes from these featured homes. Again, the disclaimer that my photography skills leave much to be desired. Why not visit the 2011 Parade of Homes and see everything in person!

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If you are in the market for a true luxury home, this is one event you do not want to miss. Even if you are not in the market for a new home at all, you will see many fascinating decorating ideas that can be used for any home.

One popular feature is the trend toward outdoor living areas. Another obviously is having a wet bar of some type in every area of the home. One home even has a wine cooler in the master bath! Lots of diferent flooring products are used, including porcelain.

With a little creativity, most any dream can become a reality. With a little fresh paint, any home can begin a dramatic transformation. Get those ideas at the 2011 Parade of Homes!

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Ole South Realty, 615.896.0019 direct 615.593.6340. Specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Clarksville, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Nashville New Homes: The Parade of Homes is back!

Oct7

Every day, the national media tells everyone just how bad things are arond the country. I know there are many places in our great country that are suffering, but Middle Tennessee simply is not one of them!

This year, Middle Tennessee celebrates the return of The Parade of Homes. This year’s parade takes place at the prestigious Annadale of Brentwood and is open daily through October 9th. Click here for details http://www.hbamt.net/

Triton Stone Group is the title sponsor of the Parade, which showcases the magnificent craftsmanship of four Middle Tennessee Builders. These builders, and Triton Stone Group, deserve a round of applause. Their efforts add solid evidence that the Greater Nashville market is in full recovery!

Adding more exciting evidence to our market… each one of the four featured homes are already SOLD!

Let’s take a look at the exteriors of the four showcase homes for this year’s Parade. But before we do, please know I make no claim to great photography skills. You really have to see each of these homes, and Annandale, for yourself!

First, from Legend Homes, a great combination of contemporary and traditional design:

Next, you will appreciate the elegance and charm of this showcase home built by Carbine and Associates: (The brick was from an old building from 1800’s Chicago)

Across the street, you will be wowed by the European styling of this showcase home, built by Grove Park Construction.

Next door, you will appreciate the beauty of the showcase home built by Hidden Valley Homes, a design rich in “Old World” look and feel.

These homes were made even finer through the efforts of Interior Design Firms and their designers. Featured in these showcase homes are the design efforts of Jennifer Jones of Jennifer Jones Design, Kathleen Evers of K Evers Interiors, Julie Couch of Julie Couch Interiors, and Bob Deal and Jason Bradshaw of Bradford’s Interiors.

Not in the market for a million-dollar-plus luxury home? Visit the Parade of Homes anyway! There are many ideas out there that can easily adapt to any price and size of home. At the Parade site, you will also find vendors representing many different home improvement products.

The weather this weekend is going to be picture-perfect, so why not take the short drive out to Brentwood and visit the Parade of Homes at Annandale?

When you get there, you will feel even better about our Nashville economy. Builders are building, people are buying, and jobs are being created.

You don’t have to purchase a million-plus-dollar home to experience the best values in a new home. These builders, and other member builders of the HBAMT (Home Builders of Middle Tennessee) offer the best values in every new home price range imaginable.

Nashville New Homes: Nashville’s got a lot to be proud of.

Sep29

Nashville’s economy is among the most diversified in the country, a pretty good reason why Nashville is weathering the recession better than many cities.

Let’s take a look at a few of the various industries that have a major impact on our economy. There’s Printing & Publishing, Health Care, Music & Entertainment, Tourism, Technology, Higher Education, Commercial Shipping Logistics by rail, river, and road, and Automobile Manufacturing, just to name a few.

There is another growing category that should make us proud. Nashville is the home of one of the top ten talk radio hosts in the country, Dave Ramsey. His new book, EntreLeadership, is already at the top of The New York Times best-selling list, a first for any of Ramsey’s publications!

Yesterday, at Financial Peace Plaza, across from Cool Springs Mall, the Dave Ramsey organization rolled out the red carpet for listeners and supporters. Everyone was invited for free food, drink, and games. Those attending also got to see Michael Delgiorno boradcasting live, along with The Dave Ramsey Show, after which, Dave personally signed every book. Here are scenes from the day:

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During this event, it was great to see many families that I worked with years ago with their new home purchase. One of the great things about our profession is that we get to build the places where families grow and neighborhoods are created. Lives are changed and I am honored to be involved in a small way.

About the book, Dave Ramsey defines ”EntreLeadership” as how to effectively combine the aspects of being an entrpreneur and being an effective leader into being both at one time. http://www.entreleadership.com/home/

The book is great reading, and I would have finished the whole thing last night if Ruby would have left me alone! She wanted to see each page also.

With Ruby’s permission, I will try and finish the rest of this book tonight! Get your copy too!

The aftermath of September 11th. Who will win?

Sep12

Just ten years ago yesterday, Osama Bin Laden & company perpetrated the single largest attack ever on American soil. They targeted the heart of our financial centers, and the heart of our military command. Their plan was to bankrupt America and watch us tear ourselves apart from within.

Everyone remembers what they were doing on the morning of 9/11/2001. I was having a morning cup of coffee when the news broke out on the TV. Then my phone rang. It was by Broker/Sales Manager/Mentor, Sandi Sharpe.

Over the years, Sandi acquired many friends through working with international college students. She was their family away from home. She was “Mom” to many. One family, from Uzbekistan, bought a new Ole South home and became extended family to all of us.

The grandmother of this family had spent the summer in Nashville to help her grandchildren get properly settled in their new home. She knew no English whatsoever, but was very easy to communicate with. After all, a smile means the same thing in every language. All of us loved her, and her family, dearly.

She was returning home to Uzbekistan on September 11th on the first flight to New York from Nashville. She was armed with basic signs that Sandi made to hold up when she arrived in NYC. With her smile, and those signs, she would never be lost…. well, as long as the plane landed in NYC.

But it didn’t. The flight was routed to Raleigh, NC. She did not understand any of the announcements, and only had her signs, which were useless in Raleigh. The airline personnel at the gate calmed her and checked her in a nearby hotel, but none of us knew that yet. Sandi was on the phone many hours before we knew the situation and that she was safe. In the meantime, she is in a strange location, in a hotel room, knowing only what pictures were shown on TV.

The grandson was loading up for a drive to Raleigh, which probably was not the safest thing for an olive-skin immigrant, with a name too long to pronounce, to be doing that day. Rumors of fuel shortages and curfews abound. There was nothing else to do but go with him to Raleigh.

Long story short, I will never forget the look on the grandmother’s face when she opened the hotel door and saw us standing there. She was in tears pointing at the TV. She had been terrified not knowing where she was, or why she was there. That fear turned to joy and relief as we loaded her things into the car and headed back to Nashville!

That day, America pulled together. Democrats and Republicans joined together without unnecessary drama and rallied around our President. America would prevail.

At least for a while. Then we would eventually forget.

Remember, the intention of Osama Bin Bastard and Company was to bankrupt our country and watch us destroy ourselves from within. They did not have a specific time frame in mind.

Fast-Forward 10 years to today and look around. What do you see? Democrats and Republicans constantly battling each other, our financial system struggling, and very few have respect for the Office of President of the United States, regardless of who has held it.

Regardless of your political preference, now is the time to encourage elected officials to put politics aside and pull this country together. This country has the resolve to fix our problems and its not supposed to be about “who will get the credit or blame.” We don’t elect people to find blame, we elect people to find solutions… or at least that is supposed to be the plan.

It is our obligation not to forget what happened to our country on September 11th. It is also our obligation to remember the sacrifices of countless people, that day, and every day since. If we choose not to remember, Osama Bin Bastard wins. We will be bankrupt and will have destroyed our country from within.

Murfreesboro, Tennessee has a 9/11 Memorial that will help all of us remember. We need to go see it. Often.

http://www.murfreesboropost.com/sheriffs-office-debuts-9-11-memorial-design-cms-27916

The steel beam, salvaged from the World Trade Center, is shown below, in its present and future surroundings:

You know, we are having tough times in this country right now. But until you see people wading off of Miami Beach preparing to swim to Cuba, there’s still time to get it right.

Nashville New Homes: Just what is Labor Day?

Sep2

The first Monday in September has always been designated Labor Day. Well not always, but officially since 1894 when President Grover Cleveland declared the holiday. Read more details of what brought this holiday about:

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/207792/20110902/labor-day-2011-history-origins-holiday-labor-union-workers-strike-railroad-protest-military-canada-n.htm

And if you don’t like to read, here is a video on the origins of this holiday.

Now you know the history. Now it is time to celebrate!

What are your plans for this last holiday weekend of summer?

Why not use Saturday and Sunday to explore purchasing a new Ole South home? We’ve got a new home to meet your needs in Nashville, Smyrna, Murfreesboro, Spring Hill, and Clarksville. You can see all of our Middle Tennessee new home neighborhoods online at www.OleSouth.com.

After you’ve found the perfect new home for your needs, why not venture out to Old Hickory Lake for a relaxing meal at Nashville’s only floating restaurant and bar, The Black Pearl at Blackjack Cove Marina. www.blackjackcove.com

Labor Day is the last official holiday between now and Thanksgiving. Get out there and enjoy it! Enjoy it even more in your new Ole South home!

Nashville New Homes: It all starts with affordable housing.

Jul11

It came as no surprise to anyone familiar with Fourth of July celebrations in Nashville for 2011’s “Let Freedom Sing” to be ranked in the top fifteen national celebrations. From aol.com: http://news.travel.aol.com/2011/06/28/july-4th-fireworks-15-of-the-biggest-shows-in-america-ranked-p/

And while the fireworks went BOOM, Forbes was busy compiling its list of 2011 Boom Towns! And Nashville is #3 on the list:

http://blogs.forbes.com/joelkotkin/2011/07/06/the-next-big-boom-towns-in-the-u-s/

Nashville is on a roll with Forbes, ranking #6 in the country for business and careers http://www.forbes.com/2011/06/27/best-places-11-top-50_slide_7.html and #4 on the list of best places to retire: http://www.forbes.com/2011/03/23/best-retirement-places-cities-living-costs-doctors-crime_slide_11.html

And late last year, Nashville was ranked as the 4th best college town in America! http://www.insidevandy.com/drupal/node/14645

All of these rankings are a benefit of affordable housing. Plain and simple.

Without affordable housing, all of these encouraging rankings would disappear quicker than France surrendered to Germany in 1940!

The Nashville area is committed to providing affordable housing, and there is no better place to learn more than this Sunday at the 4th annual Mayor’s Homeownership Fair at Bridgestone Arena. Here is the schedule for the day’s activities: http://www.nashville.gov/housingfair/schedule.asp

No home builder is more committed to providing affordable brand new homes in the Greater Nashville area than Ole South, and we’ll be at the Mayor’s Homeownership Fair also!

In our 26th year, we remain committed to providing the very best new home values in every one of our neighborhoods. Find our more at the 2011 Mayor’s Homeownership Fair, or by visiting our website, www.OleSouth.com.

Nashville New Homes: And what a Fourth of July it was!

Jul6

Well, the Fourth of July is now behind us, but there is still a LOT of summer left for all to enjoy. And there’s no better place to enjoy summer than in the Greater Nashville area of Middle Tennessee!

At just six months old now, this 4th of July was Ruby’s first. You can tell she is excited about going to the lake:

She wasn’t quite as thrilled about getting in the lake though:

Our weekend officially started with the fireworks show at Cedar Creek Yacht Club. I found this upload on you-tube that is much better than any pictures I could have taken, which you will soon agree:

Sunday was a busy day on Old Hickory Lake. I think this is the most boats I have ever seen in “Two-Foot Cove,” which is Old Hickory Lake’s “Party Cove.”

Sunday night, a huge crowd of boats gathered at anchor in Drakes Creek of Old Hickory Lake to view Hendersonville’s fireworks display at Drakes Creek Park:

Fortunately, I found a video on you-tube capturing the finale of this event. My pictures just didn’t turn out well. After all, I am a Realtor, not a photographer!

Monday was a day to hang out at the marina and enjoy a great meal at The Black Pearl restaurant. The steel drums playing maje it the closest thing in Nashville to the Caribbean. If you haven’t experienced their Sunday Brunch, you owe it to yourself. www.blackjackcove.com

And then, Monday night topped off the entire weekend at Riverfront Park in downtown Nashville. I simply did not have the energy to make the trip downtown, but here are some videos I found on You-tube once again!

Here is the finale of “Let Freedom Sing” with this year’s special guest, Darius Rucker:

And when you have time, here is another video showing more of the extravanganza at Riverfront Park in Nashville.

Nashville was not the only city on the Cumberland River celebrating Independence Day. Clarksville was also a great place to be, especially since many troops are returning from their service for OUR freedom:

And half way in-between Nashville and Clarksville, Ashland City lit up the sky over their Riverfront as well:

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Special thanks to all that took the time to film these great displays of fireworks and for allowing me to borrow them from You-Tube! It was a great weekend, but is now time to return to helping future homeowners find the perfect new home for their needs. At Ole South, this IS still the “Yes Days of Summer.” Come see why!

Nashville New Homes: “Yes” Days of Summer – Week #1

Jun5

For all of us at Ole South, this week was the official start of summer. It was for all of the thermometers in the Nashville area also!

The “Yes Days of Summer” are officially underway and we will host numerous events throughout the summer for our residents, Realtors, and prospective home buyers. Join Ole South on Facebook for breaking news of future events. www.facebook.com/olesouthproperties.

We selected our Preserve at Old Hickory / Old Hickory Commons neighborhood to kick-off this years celebrations. The residents there had organized a neighborhood yard sale for Saturday, and this weekend was Nationwide Open House Weekend too.

My day started at Kroger at 7:00 am Saturday, purchasing the food and drink for the event. I hate shopping and I always forget something. My rationale for waiting until Saturday morning was that it would be cooler. It wasn’t.

Shopping finally complete and arrived at Preserve at Old Hickory, where Grand Central Party was waiting to unload and set-up. If you ever plan an event, you owe it to yourself to check this place out. They have everything for rent, and it is very affordable. Not only that, they make it all so easy. http://www.grandcentralparty.com/

After everything was set up and organized, we fired the grills in the blistering heat. I then told Wanda Comer, the beloved on-site manager at Preserve, to “shoot me” if I ever agreed to do this again when it was this hot. She won’t. And I am certain we’ll do it again, real soon…. because days like this really are fun! Here, take a look….

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Unlike “general” Real Estate, the best part of building and selling new homes is that we have the opportunity for continued involvment with our home buyers in shaping their community. We see marriages, we see children grow up, and we have an opportunity, and responsibility to become involved in the community to make a difference in the quality of life experience. Most of all, we make friends.

Wanda Comer takes these opportunities to make a difference and that is obvious by the admiration, love and respect her residents have for her. Here is Wanda, presenting the $100 Gift Card drawing to resident Ashanti Chunn, who just happened to be out the door on the way to the store when Wanda called!

Wanda is not the only one making a difference in the Preserve. John Donlon and Annette Spicer manage the adjoining Old Hickory Commons neighborhood of maintenance-free townhomes and were on hand all day as well. Chuck Reed, our Managing Broker, hovered over the grill to make certain all had plenty to eat. He also made some tasty snow cones. Thanks also to our construction staff for making sure the grounds were in order and everything we needed to work with was on-hand.

However, the ones that make the biggest difference are the residents of these two communities! They are very active in the HOA, have formed “Neighborhood Watch” groups, and are taking great pride in the future of their neighborhood.

We also had a visit from District 32 Councilman, Sam Coleman. Sam has been a great friend to this community, as well as our entire city. He has served two successful terms as District Councilman and will be running for Council-at-Large in the upcoming August election. Sam is worthy of our support and will have my vote for sure.

This was a fun week and a great start to the “Yes Days of Summer!” Earlier in the week, we hosted Gary Ashton & The Ashton Real Estate Group (TAREG) of Re/Max Elite (http://www.nashvillesmls.com/) for an afternoon on Old Hickory Lake followed by evening dinner at The Black Pearl Restaurant. www.blackjackcove.com

Especially these days, no one is working harder than Realtors, but we all have to play every once in a while! The saying about “all work and no play” needs to be revised to “all work and no play makes Jack a miserable person.” A great time was had by all!

Here’s to the 2011 Yes Days of Summer!

Nashville New Homes: The “Dog Days of Summer”

Jun1

I used to always wonder why people coined the phrase “dog days of summer.” Back one summer in the early 1980’s, legendary songwriter Bobby Harden asked me to bring my keyboard over to his boat to play background on a song he had just written. The song was about those old dog days of summer. The title ended up being “Too Cold at Home.” Several years later, the song was released by Mark Chesnutt. We played it a lot over the years at the lake! (Thanks Judie Wells for the antiquated picture!)

Rather than dog days, we at Ole South are having YES DAYS! The upcoming weekend has been proclaimed Nationwide Open House Weekend all across the nation! The weather is going to be perfect for an Open House also. Like the song says, it is going to be “too hot to fish,” and “too hot for golf.” Why not cool off looking at a new home?

In conjunction with National Open House Day, Ole South will kick off its 2011 Yes Days of Summer this Saturday, June 4th from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm at our Preserve at Old Hickory and Old Hickory Commons neighborhoods. Tour our newest decorated model home (5011 Preserve Blvd. 37013 for you GPS tekkies) and enjoy hot dogs, refreshments, and a variety of family fun. Yes, there’ll be a waterslide, a bounce house, as well as snow cones to give added relief from the heat.

And there is also a neighborhood yard sale as well. A great way to find bargains, and meet the great residents of this neighborhood!

Now is an unprecedented time to purchase a new home. Interest rates are lower than ever. New homes are more efficient than ever before. New homes are….well…. NEW! Why not join us this weekend at one of our Middle Tennessee neighborhoods. With brand new homes from 89,990 to 299,990, there is certain to be one for you!

Nashville New Homes: Light up the grill. It’s Memorial Day weekend!

May28

Monday is Memorial Day, a day for many that includes a celebration of hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecue, chicken, and bsaically anything that can be cooked on a grill. It is also the holiday weekend that signals that summer has arrived!

But it is a lot more than that also. Memorial Day, a day of remembrance for those that have died serving our country, was originally called “Decoration Day.” It was first observed on May 30, 1868 when the graves of fallen Union and Confederate soldiers were decorated with flowers at Arlington National Cemetery. It was not until after World War I that the day became “Memorial Day” to honor the fallen soldiers of any war. In 1971, Congress passed the bill proclaiming the last Monday in May as the official recognized “Memorial Day.”

Here is a link to the history of this all-important day:

http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

There are a number of ideas that come to mind on what to do this weekend. Here are just a few:

http://nashville.about.com/od/nashvilleseasonalevents/a/memorialdaycele.htm

And there’s more! Why not visit Blackjack Cove Marina, where you can enjoy a BBQ plate from 11:00-2:00ish Saturday & Sunday overlooking Old Hickory Lake. www.blackjackcove.com If you cannot make it during that time, the Black Pearl is open all weekend and you will not want to miss it’s awesome Sunday Brunch, a great atmosphere accompanied by steel drums.

Although our model homes at Ole South will be closed in observation of Memorial Day, we are open on both Saturday and Sunday, and anytime by appointment. Drop by for a cold drink and cookie and find out for yourself that….

So get out there, fire up the grills and ice cream churns, slice some watermelon, and enjoy this weekend. But please, take a few minutes for remembrance and tribute of those who died protecting these very things we enjoy. And if you get a chance, thank a living soldier or veteran too!

nashvillehomesblog.com

a fun look at new homes in nashville

Category Archives: Special Events, Days, and Holidays

Nashville New Homes: The 2011 Parade of Homes – the “inside scoop”

Nashville New Homes: The Parade of Homes is back!

Nashville New Homes: Nashville’s got a lot to be proud of.

The aftermath of September 11th. Who will win?

Nashville New Homes: Just what is Labor Day?

Nashville New Homes: It all starts with affordable housing.

Nashville New Homes: And what a Fourth of July it was!

Nashville New Homes: “Yes” Days of Summer – Week #1

Nashville New Homes: The “Dog Days of Summer”

Nashville New Homes: Light up the grill. It’s Memorial Day weekend!

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