Nashville New Homes: It’s not personal.

Feb24

In new home sales, or any sales field for that matter, there is rarely the perfect time to schedule a week-long trip. What are you going to miss? What will you return to? These are questions that go through the mind.

This year, we managed to select the perfect week for our mission in Honduras, which hopefully you read about in past postings. We missed the largest snowfall of the year and we missed the most frigid temperatures recorded this winter. On our return day, the weather turned near perfect! What timing!

The warmer weather turned loose a hotbed of activity in the new home market with our sales and traffic at levels we had not seen since the home-buyer tax credit expired last year. I am proud to say that ALL of our available new homes in Nashville’s Spencer Hill are now pending! And we’re starting more, even a 4-bedroom home for $149,990!

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The traffic surge continues into this week too, thank goodness! And according to this, the same trend is developing in Nashville! http://kennethbargers.com/2011/02/09/2011-home-sales-begin-with-increase-in-the-greater-nashville-area/

The one thing all prospects have in common right now is they all are expecting “a deal.”

They’ve heard all the national statistics on home sales and they are also hearing us shout “now is the time” from our rooftops. They are reacting by exploring their options. We have to react smartly and cannot afford to let emotions block the way to a potential sale.

There have been recent examples of transactions that could not be fathomed at any other time. Mansions listed for 1.5 million selling for 800k, short-sales of homes where 180k is owed selling for 150k or less, etc. Transactions like these are what prospective buyers have heard about. Even though these transactions are not the mainstream in Nashville, their expectations have been raised. It is our charge as Realtors to keep expectations in check, but most of all make everyone involved realize that “it’s not personal.”

Realtors are solutions to needs and desires. Most Realtors have a realistic idea of what can be accomplished in a successful deal and set expectations accordingly. Listing Agents and Buyer Agents have a duty to set parameters within reality.

Buyer agents have an exceptionally difficult task in balancing their clients expectations and the reality of a successful offer. Their clients have to know that they hit “rock-bottom” without leaving a single dime on the table. The process may start with an offer of ridiculous expectations, and it may start with an offer closer to reality. It depends on the Buyer Agent and the desires of their client, but in neither case is to be taken “personal.”

Listing agents also have their hands full. When was the last time you presented an offer to your “seller” only to hear “They want WHAT? Do they think I am a fool? To hell with them, etc…” The listing agent also has to set expectations, and focus much harder on taking emotions out of the picture when presenting offers. “It’s not personal!”

Nashville is very fortunate to have a diverse population, and especially fortunate to be a destination for people relocating to the United States from other countries. Negotiating tactics vary and must be kept in perspective. In many countries, negotiations start AFTER everyone has agreed. All of us have to know that this is simply a process and not an indication of the buyer’s honor or integrity. “It’s not personal.”

In negotiating a recent contract, the laundry list of items and price concessions appeared endless. You CAN do this and that. Yes, technically we could. But, we won’t. It’s not personal.

The most important ingredient to any negotiation is the element of mutual RESPECT. Without that, your deal will go no where.

Let the negotiations begin!

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 home sales in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, and Spring Hill, Tennessee

Nashville New Homes: Shine on Honduras – Part 5 – Our work is done!

Feb19

We had such a productive week and our time in Honduras was coming to an end. As soon as the main electrical transmission lines can be installed and activated, the village of Jayacayan will have electricity in their homes. This would not happen if it were not for the efforts of Past-District Governor Jim Johnston, the Lawrenceburg Rotary Club, along with other Rotary Clubs throughout our District 6760 and their members. We also appreciate the support of our current District Governor, Jim Springer with this project.

Special thanks to the Rock Harbor Yacht Club for their generous donation also. These funds were used by Keith Clodfelter to purchase basic staples, food, and other necessities for the families of Jayacayan.

The real credit for our successful trips go to Carolina Tercero and Ronnie Strickland. In 2007, Ronnie received the distinguished “Service Above Self” award from Rotary International. Read about his dedication here: http://www.williamsonherald.com/home?id=42745

Carolina has a heart of gold and is always searching for those most in need. Without her involvement, we would never know some of these areas existed. Their continued efforts make our week pale in comparison. Thank you both!

Ronnie Strickland has identified another remote village for a future project, Las Delicias, in the mountains of Honduras near SanFrancisco. Construction of basic housing appears to the the primary need there, which is something any group can assist with – no matter how big or small. Ronnie was able to take Tom (Boone) and Zane to visit LasDelicias to witness the need first hand.

In most of the villages, the children are happy. This sweet child in LasDelicias is scared. We are going to work on changing that! Ronnie is already working to build a new solid home for this family and construction has begun. Check out Boone’s pictures: http://www.bgapix.com/Travel/Honduras-for-Paper/15838091_xJ7Gv#1186344808_HXFJG and you will see many from LasDelicias.

Boone also made the extra effort to put our memories of the week to music.

If you would like to become involved personally or financially (or both) in future projects in Honduras, please let me, or any of us, know. We can not change the world, but we can change lives – one at a time.

Saturday morning we said our good-byes to the gracious staff of the Barcelona Hotel in San Marcos de Colon. We will stay there again!

On previous trips, we would always take off from working early one evening and go to the southern coast on Honduras to relax, see the water, and eat fresh seafood at Cedeno, on the Gulf of Fonseca – which leads to the Pacific Ocean. Every time we were there, I was intrigued by a huge island in the distance, Amapala – and its history.

This year, we worked longer hours to finish our work in order to spend a day on Amapala Island, or Isle de Tigre (Tiger Island) as it is also called. We arrived at the mainland village of Coyolito, approximately 2.5 hours after leaving Hotel Barcelona, to catch a water taxi to the island. None of us had ever been there. We knew nothing about what we wanted to see there, but the boat drivers kept insisting to know where we wanted them to take us on the island. While pointing to the island, I finally said “Frio Cervasa, Pollo Frita, Pescado, Camerones” (cold beer, fried chicken, fish, and shrimp). They laughed and motioned for us to get in the boat. Life jackets were “optional” by the way.

The boat ride from Coyolito over to Amapala was just what we needed. The weather was perfect!

Amapala has a rich history. It was the Pacific Port of Honduras from the early 1800’s before moving to San Lorenzo and was once the capital city of Honduras. It is surrounded by El Salvador and Nicaraugua with amazing views of the gulf. I’ve never been to Maui, but many compare similarities with both being once-volcanic areas. I guess that explains the dark brown sand and black rocks!

Slowly but surely, Amapala is gaining in tourist popularity. Evidence of 18th century affluency is still present. There are several resorts popping up around the island. We too found a great place! I cannot remember the name, but the food was great – except they did not have fried chicken!

No one needs to be told that is the fish plate. Just don’t ask what kind of fish it was. No one knew! Check out the shrimp that was simply incredible – all of it fresh!

A crowd gathered down at the beach and I just had to go see what the commotion was all about:

Did you know that stingray meat is used for scallops in many restaurants? I didn’t. This thing was HUGE!

Here are just some of the scenes from our day at Amapala Island:

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Sunday morning we left early for the capital city of Tegucigalpa. Remember, this is the two lane road that many have mistaken for four lanes! We did arrive safely, but only after Pastor Ann and Huntly negotiated the purchase of some hammocks at a roadside store.

We turned in the rental trucks to Frederico at Friendship Car Rental, checked in for our flight, and ate a ceremonial Big Mac in the airport. The flight from Tegucigalpa to Houston left on time and was very smooth. When arriving in Houston, we had to claim our bags, go through US Customs, and then procede to our connecting flights.

If you ever want to get a laugh from a US Customs Official, hand him one of these instead of your passport:

Thanks for reading about this year’s adventure! I hope you found it somewhat enjoyable and will want to participate with us in the future!

Nashville New Homes: Shine on Honduras – Part 4 – Always something to do!

Feb18

Over the past years of visiting Honduras, we have met many friends. Each year, the circle gets larger and it is hard to manage the time to work productively and see our great friends during the same week we are there. This trip everything fell into place quite nicely!

The District Representive Ulysses Corrales, the Honduran equivalent to Jim Cooper or Marsha Blackburn, joined us for dinner one evening to thank us for our efforts. Also joining us that evening was our great friend Sergio Salinas, who was President of the Choluteca Rotary the same year I was in Spring Hill.

Representative Corrales was a cool guy. We told him of a family on the highest hill of Jayacayan, whose house we were planning to wire but found out there were no poles slated to bring power up that hill. Mr. Corrales promised us he would get the poles and asked us to proceed with the wiring. Well guess what? The politician delivered on his promise and poles were delivered before week’s end! How refreshing!

I had no idea that the new I-pad thingy had a piano feature and travelled all the way to Honduras to find this out:

On Friday night, we had a scheduling conflict! The village of Jayacayan wanted to celebrate (party) with us. It was also meeting night for the Choluteca Rotary Club miles away. Both events had to be attended, so we split up the group and did just that.

It was great seeing our great friend Juan Carlos Cerrato, who visited us in Tennessee along with Sergio back in 2008. The last time I saw Juan Carlos, we both made a pact. He would learn more English and I would learn more Spanish. Juan Carlos did much better than I did! On top of that, I even forgot to bring my pocket translator and Spanish-English dictionary. They stayed behind in Nashville. Like I have said earlier, there is nothing that cannot be communicated with a smile. Add a cold beer to that also!

After the Rotary Meeting, we dropped by the Osorto family home to see MaMa, Esther, Carolina, and their family.

David Hartley introduced Chuck Payne and myself to this family back on our first Honduras visit in 2006. The youngest daughter, Carolina, is now 18 and attending the university there. She is the only daughter that does not have a child. Below is Carolina taking the “no boy” (or hombre – no) pledge:

After a visit to Wendy’s with the Osorto family, we proceded back to the Barcelona Hotel in San Marcos de Colon to join the rest of our group. They had just returned from the Jayacayan village party at Margarite’s home and had a great time singing and dancing. I have not seen any pictures from the party yet, so will just have to take their word for it. (Just kidding)

Every day was filled with amazing sites, but this one takes the cake….. just what part is the rock and what part is the tree?

Below are more scenes from our last official work day in Jayacayan. At the end of this day, Huntly Gordon graciously gave Douglas, a great helper from the village, a set of tools and workbelt worth over $500. We gave our helper Evan a screwdriver set, tool belt and pair of pliers. He will probably lose them. LOL

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With all of our wiring work completed, it was then time to plan something neat for Saturday…. being a tourist! Check back for Part 5!

Nashville New Homes: Shine on Honduras – Part 3 – The People

Feb16

On my first visit to Honduras, I returned home an emotional wreck. I had far more questions than answers. In each of the homes we worked in was a picture of the same Jesus that I believe in. Although in a different language, these wonderful people said the same prayers and gave thanks for their food as well.

How was it decided for me to be born in the United States? How was it decided for them to be born in Honduras? TOUGH QUESTIONS! I still do not know the answers, but have to believe that every person can make a difference – wherever they are born. I cannot speak for everyone that has been there, but the people of Honduras have certainly made more of a difference in my life than I have in theirs.

Other Rotarians from Lawrenceburg, Dyersburg, Lewisburg, Madison, AL, and others preceded our trip. The Madison, AL club specializes in the installation of eco-stoves, which will greatly add to the quality of life of Honduran families. Can you imagine building a fire in a clay box, with no chimney to exhaust the smoke? The eco-stove adds a more efficient cooktop to the clay boxes along with a smokestack to the outside. Simple, yet amazing. Here is a photo of a typical stove in a honduran kitchen:

Now, take a look at the improved “eco-stove”

Our group, in addition to Ronnie Strickland who was already there, consisted of eight from Middle Tennessee – Pastor Ann Bassett, Jeremy Bisceglia, Les Bosarge, Keith Clodfelter, Huntly Gordon, Trey Lewis, Zane Martin, and Tom Thomson (aka Boone). Boone is also a professional photographer and his photos will speak more than any written word.

http://www.bgapix.com/Travel/Honduras/15820914_CYpAK#1186183527_NieMK

Can you imagine having to live your life in total darkness from sundown to sunrise? Sure there are candles, but the cost of candles would take away from the necessity of food on the table. We saw a few portable generators, but most are only used once a year for special occasions. You are probably asking “how they will pay an electric bill?” We asked the same question.

Honduras is a poor country and only adds infrastructure as it can afford. The government will take the value of what was infrastructure is provided from outside sources and issue a proportional credit to each resident. By the time they ever see an electric bill, there is a good chance their increased quality of life and productivity will absorb it.

Electricity was not our only mission. Pastor Ann Bassett, of Peace Lutheran Church in Spring Hill, held basic English class at the village school. Ann is fluent in Spanish, having grown up in a missionary family in Panama. At the end of the week, each student received a certificate for their efforts.

After school, Ann occupied many of the kids while we were in their homes working.

Here are some other scenes of interest from Honduras:

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Well, it looks like there is still enough for another part or two. Thanks for reading!

Nashville New Homes: Shine on Honduras – Part 2

Feb15

One of the highlights of our stay was having breakfast each morning at Hotel Barcelona. Shown here is Teresa and Nicole, who made certain everything about our stay was enjoyable:

This was our breakfast spread each morning. The buffet consisted of pancakes with sugar cane syrup, fresh cheese, cantaloupe, watermelon, platanos (I still don’t know what they are, but they are good), bananas, pineapple, scrambled eggs, coffee, and fresh squeezed orange juice. The food at Barcelona was great and no one ever suffered from “Montezuma’s Revenge.”

After breakfast at 7:00 am each morning, we proceed past the local church to the local market, where we bought bottled water, lunch for the day, and sardines, rice, and beans for the residents of each house we worked in.

At every project, the village provides us with a secure place to store our tools and supplies, which saves a whole lot of time. Shown below is the “bodega” (aka warehouse) where we loaded up for work each morning. This hacienda belongs to Margarite, a very influential, and nice lady in Jayacayan, and has been in her family for 100+ years. It is currently used as a community gathering spot and is part of her farming operation.

Here, you will see Margarite’s workers planting tomato seeds that will eventually be placed in the soil once they sprout. A large part of our produce in the US comes from Honduras.

The man above was a produce buyer for Dole, that had just purchased 300,000 lbs of tomatoes for approximately 25 cents per pound. Sounds like a lot of money, but it really isn’t when it has to feed such a large number of workers and their families.

Although Jayacayan is home to many less-fortunate people, there are also those that are better off. By offering our services “for hire” to certain families, we were able to subsidize the cost for others. We did not know of this detail when we met Mr. Martinez at our first stop, below. He was extremely pissed off that he received pull string lights instead of wall switches. It is a damn good thing that he didn’t understand English and we didn’t understand Spanish…although I have a feeling we were both saying the same thing! (After learning that he paid for all of his work and supplies, we did go back and installed the switches and parted as friends forever.)

In Honduras, most of the small villages are located way off of main highways. The roads to the villages are rough and primitive, and the trails to the homes are even rougher. And you never know just what you will see. Take a look:

The end of the road…. which fork do you take? Neither is wide enough for the truck and our helper is points up the hill. Turns out it was 1/4 mile walk up that damn hill to the house we needed to work on. Seemed a lot further than that to me.

The cows have better road manners than many drivers. Shown below is a corral where we saw a bull getting his underparts cut off. Not a good day for him.

There is also wool in Honduras.

Rest Rooms are plentiful. These little Toyota diesels are amazing in adverse conditions. At $350/week they are a deal.

Each evening on the drive back, we saw some amazing sunsets.

In Part 3, we will take a look at the families we encountered over the week. These people were so gracious and appreciative. We were welcomed into their homes as complete strangers and departed as dear friends.

Nashville New Homes: Shine on Honduras – Part 1

Feb14

Before writing this recap of our recent trip to Honduras, I was reminded of this amusing quote:

“If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.”
— Marcus Tullius Cicero, philosopher and statesman

Rather than spending time writing a shorter story, this week’s blog will break our trip into parts. In a previous blog post, the history of how our projects in Honduras started was discussed: https://nashvillehomesblog.com/2011/01/19/nashville-new-homes-assafartay-is-going-to-honduras/

About this year’s project: Lawrenceburg Rotary Club coordinated the effort and did an exemplary job of putting everything together. Between their own funds, acquiring grants from Rotary International, funds from the Honduran government, and contributions from other District 6760 clubs, monies were raised for the installation of utility poles and power lines to the village and to purchase all of the supplies needed to provide electrical service in each home. Without the organizational and planning efforts of Jim Johnston, this year’s project would not have happened.

It was also great to have the “grandaddy” of our Honduras involvement, Ronnie Strickland, back with us in Jayacayan. Ronnie has devoted years to improving the lives of Hondurans and has had a great impact on the entire region. Just mention “Senor Ronnie” anywhere in Honduras and doors will open!

Six of us representing Spring Hill Rotary and two representing Franklin Noon Rotary departed Nashville International at 6:00 am on Sunday, February 6, 2011 for our assigned week in the “Jayacayan” community of Southern Honduras, consisting of approximately 55 homes. Our part of the project was to finish installing electrical services and wiring in the remainder of the homes, which numbered approximately 25 or so. We arrived, laden with tools, in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras, shortly after noon.

We picked up our baggage, went through customs, and walked over to Friendship Car Rentals, where Frederico had two 4×4 trucks waiting for us. It was now time to negotiate the traffic of the Tegucigalpa Highway to the PanAmerican Highway on our 4 hour ride to San Marcos de Colon, where we would be staying for the week.

I will never forget my first visit, arriving in Tegucigalpa. Hondurans never get in a hurry…. until they get behind the wheel of a car. Two-lane roads are actually 3-lane roads and the double-yellow lines don’t mean a thing. They should have saved the paint.

We have been very fortunate over the years to have escaped incident on the roads of Honduras. There is no such thing as defensive driving here. Below is a common sight along the highway from Tegucigalpa to Choluteca.

Along the route, you see things that make you laugh. You see things that make you cry. You see things that are simply amazing.

It has been said that Honduras is where old school buses come to die. Not true, they come here for a new life and you will see them everywhere!

After following the Tegucigalpa Highway to San Lorenzo, the Pacific Ocean Port of Honduras, we then pick up the Pan American Highway into Choluteca, continuing to our destination of San Marcos de Colon, a quaint village in the mountains shown below:

Watching the Super Bowl was a concern to a few in our group. Personally, I could have given a rat’s ass this year. Not knowing one way or the other, I gambled and said our hotel would have it so we could keep moving. Although the play-by-play was in Spanish and no funny commericals, our Hotel Barcelona did have the Super Bowl playing when we arrived. Here is home for the next week:

We were very pleased with our new home away from home! We were initially concerned about what $15 USD, including tax and breakfast, would get us. The Hotel Barcelona was a highlight of the trip and I would recommend it to anyone!

Thats it for today. In the next part, you’ll see about life in Jayacayan!

Nashville New Homes: A great waterway resource.

Feb5

If you have a desire to know more about our area lakes and rivers, this website is a “must-visit!”

http://www.riverlorian.com/

Nashville New Homes: 2011 – The Year of the New Home.

Feb5

For the past several years, those bearing bad news have held a firm grip on the microphone. After all, they had a lot of negative things to report, so lets not blame them. Bad news does sell. And people do buy it…that is, until they have heard enough!

Since the first of January, I have been asking prospective home buyers a question…. “If you had purchased 60 days ago, you could have saved a little bit more money. Interest rates have edged up slightly, even though they are still at record lows. Just what has made you come out to explore now?” (Please keep in mind that these prospective buyers are among the NINETY PERCENT of people that still have jobs in this country.)

The responses are very much the same across the board. “I’m hearing more positive news, I feel good about my job, and I know my rent will probably go up next year.” OR … “We’re getting closer to retirement and probably won’t have another chance to buy with interest rates this low.”

Folks, the “bearers of good news” are now getting their time at the microphone! And the message is getting across. It is certain, and sad, that many Americans are still without work. The NINETY PERCENT that still work will be the ones that turn this economy around, and help put those unfortunate ones back to work. If we truly want that to happen, we’ve got to communicate positive news whenever possible.

Let’s take a look at the good news that is now circulating…..

http://www.inman.com/news/2011/01/27/real-estate-sales-rebound-in-2011-prices-nearly-flat

We all know that the price of things are a simple result of “supply and demand.” We all know that there is a finite supply of land… there’s just not any more of it being made. Here’s another opinion of why now is the time to buy:

http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=23505825

I can tell you that our sales have picked up dramatically and our inventory of completed homes is being snatched up quickly in many areas. WE ARE BUILDING MORE! Please visit www.OleSouth.com for information on all of our new home neighborhoods in Middle Tennessee.

No two pieces of property are the same, and no two areas are alike. You have got to weigh the “risk vs. reward” and at the same time keep in mind that you are buying a home first, and investment second. And the most important part…. you will one day own it, something you cannot say for your apartment.

Things are looking better for the housing industry, but at the same time we also have to be realistic, as you can read here:

http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2011/01/new-home-sales-increase-in-december.html

From a person that specializes in selling new homes, there is a good chance you will always hear … “now is the time to buy.” We are not trying to be intentionally misleading. In most cases, compared to renting, “anytime is a good time to buy, but some times are better than others.” Feel free to quote me on that!

How things are really does depend how you choose to look at things. I prefer optimism over pessimism anyday.

One thing I can say factually, there is a small village in southern Honduras, near Choluteca, that will soon be looking at their homes in a totally different light….actual light…. at night! They will also have access to filtered drinking water for their homes, and a more healthy cooking stoves thanks to District 6760 of Rotary International.

Nashville New Homes: An active riverfront adds to quality of life.

Feb3

Nashville is very fortunate to have a navigable waterway running right through the middle of downtown. For many years, the civic importance of this feature was overlooked to concentrate only on its commercial benefits. In the early 1980’s former Mayor Richard Fulton realized this waterway was a jewel to compliment our quality-of-life. In January of 1983 he dedicated Riverfront Park, much as we see it today.

Since that time, the cityscape surrounding Nashville’s Riverfront Park has changed considerably. Downtown Nashville is vibrant, the east bank of the river now houses LP Field, home of the Tennessee Titans, and areas that once were industrial now lie dormant for the most part, waiting for their next purpose.

In the mid-2000’s, a commission was formed to explore re-development of Nashville’s riverfront. Many feasible ideas came from this “open-to-the-public” forum, and also a few ideas that will probably never see the light of day. But so what…. aim for the moon and hit a few stars!

Under the leadership of Mayor Karl Dean, progress is underway for the first phase of Nashville’s riverfront redevelopment. Read the full story on the groundbreaking this past October:

http://www.nashville.gov/mayor/news/2010/1005.asp

This is exciting news for Nashville, especially during lackluster economic times. Take a look at what we can expect this summer on the east bank of the Cumberland River:

And there is even proposed docking for boats along the east bank as well, making Titans games all the better! (Hopefully they will have electrical service for overnight docking)

The re-development of our Riverfront Park even has its own website. View first hand the great improvements that are coming in the future!

http://www.nashvilleriverfront.org/ While checking out that website, don’t miss taking a look at what other future improvements will look like:

http://www.nashvilleriverfront.org/downloads.html

Even without the future improvements, Nashville’s Riverfront Park still has a lot to offer. There is docking for boats on each side of the river. Boaters can dock on the east side and enjoy a Titans home game, or dock on the west side and enjoy the sights and sounds that downtown has to offer. Electricity (30 & 50 amp) and water services are only available on the west (downtown) side. Docking reservations can be made by calling 615.862.8472.

I do have one major beef with Metro Parks & Recreation, who oversees Riverfront Park. For years, boaters were allowed to make reservations for dockage during holiday festivities. These reservations were extremely hard to get. The first year we secured a reservation to enjoy July 4th fireworks, we were elated!

Then Mayor Bill Purcell, through Metro Parks, cancelled all docking priviledges at Riverfront Park during holidays due to “homeland security concerns.” The docks remain closed to boaters on most holidays and special events to this day. “Homeland security concerns” my ass.

But all is not lost. We do live in America and can still throw out our anchors above the Korean Veterans Bridge, or the Woodland Street Bridge…which is exactly what we do. Hopefully, new re-development plans will be more boater-friendly, like they are now in Knoxville and Chattanooga! Take a look at what those cities have done:

Knoxville’s Riverfront Park is pictured above. Chattanooga’s Riverfront Park aerial view below:

Speaking of July 4th, Nashville’s fireworks displays are among the highest rated in the nation. Here is what we have in store for July 4, 2011:

http://nashville.about.com/b/2010/06/15/2010-music-city-july-4th-fireworks-spectacular-let-freedom-sing.htm

Our riverfront is there for your enjoyment! This redevelopment project deserves participation from all Nashvillians, so please communicate support to Metro Council members every chance you get!

Nashville New Homes: And what else does the groundhog see?

Feb2

Every year on the 2nd of February, certain people brave the frigid weather to gather in their traditional spot for the “made-for-tv” event, Ground Hog Day. That traditional spot is Punxsutawney, PA and the celebration is all about the groundhog, Phil, seeing his shadow…. or not.

There are mysteries surronding this momentous event. Why Punxsutawney, PA? I cannot imagine the sun having many chances to shine there any during the winter. Why not Jacksonville, Myrtle Beach, or even better..Roatan , Honduras? Why do people give Phil’s annual appearance any credibility at all. He has only been right 39% of the time, much like our local weatherfolks!

Here is the history of this day in folklore, along with his predictions over the years. http://www.stormfax.com/ghogday.htm

And the results of today’s ceremony…… http://www.examiner.com/holidays-in-providence/groundhog-day-2011-results-did-punxsutawney-phil-see-his-shadow-on-feb-2nd

OK, Phil did NOT see his shadow, which means he is not scared to come out. Winter will soon be over and it is time to prepare for spring. What else did Phil see? Better yet, what are WE seeing?

According to USA Today, growth is on the upswing for 2011. Now, you too can come out of your hole!

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2011-01-24-1Aecon24_ST_N.htm

We can expect a rebound in home sales. More people are renting now than before the boom years of 2000-07. Some should not have been able to purchase a home in the first place, but there are many more out there that can and will purchase a home as the job market improves. Read more:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704254304576116402472968150.html?mod=wsj_share_facebook

And speaking of job growth, the Greater Nashville area is steadily recovering, and will continue to throughout the year. Williamson County ranks 3rd in the US in job growth. Check it out!

http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=13942518

Supply and Demand: As the economy improves, demand for homes will rise, and so will home mortgage interest rates. Prices in the Greater Nashville area have stabiilized and will be on the rise as our economy regains its health. Those that do not own a home should get off the fence NOW. Nothing to lose, and all to gain. Read more:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704268104576107923872216898.html?mod=wsj_share_facebook

Which brings me to the conclusion: If you are considering buying your first home, or any home for that matter, you will not find a better value than in a new Ole South home. Visit www.OleSouth.com for more information on our Middle Tennessee neighborhoods. Just like the ground hog discovered today, it’s okay to come out and look around!

Happy buying and selling!

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