Tag Archives: New Homes Murfreesboro

Nashville New Homes: A Tropical Heat Wave

My heart skipped in a beat of elation this morning when I noticed the temperature thing in my rear-view mirror showed 41 degrees.  On my way to the office, there were no icy bridges, no snow packed shoulders, and life as we know it is back to normal…whatever normal really is these days.  Just like a new home, WARM is better too!

Remember our YES DAYS OF SUMMER celebrations back in the days of warm?  That was the summer-long series of events held by Ole South, with great support from LP Building Products and the Tennessee Titans.  These events involved the entire Greater Nashville community…Realtors, our existing home owners, our dedicated staff, homebuyer prospects, and plain old friends.  Everyone pitched in, everyone played, and everyone had a good time. 

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One of the hardest tasks in marketing is deciding the most effective way to spend advertising dollars.  The most impact for the least amount of money is the game.  Back last spring, our marketing braintrust gathered to do just that, and the YES DAYS OF SUMMER came to life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jIms7RGti8&NR=1

The promotion ended at LP Field, with the give-away of the 2010 Scion that was the centerpiece of our advertising for 2010.  Here is more about that special day.

https://nashvillehomesblog.com/2010/10/31/what-a-week-it-was/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNBg9rYt0co&sns=fb

No accountant on planet earth can justify advertising expenses on paper.  Some efforts produce immediate results, while others produce long term.  Looking back, this promotion did both, and we are still getting attention from it.

Last week at the National Home Builders Association convention, or IBS as it is called, the National Sales & Marketing Council announced winners in a variety of advertising awards categories.  There are many entry categories to choose from.  At the 2009 show, we won “best black and white ad.” 

For 2010, the YES DAYS OF SUMMER was entered in the “Best Promotion” category and received a SILVER AWARD (2nd Place) over all entries from across the nation!  If we had more time and space to show every component of this promotion, it would have been first for certain.

http://www.thenationals.com/pages/winners/silver11.php

A sincere “Thank You” goes out to everyone that participated in these events.  Special thanks to LP Building Products, The Tennessee Titans, Home Center Network, BLF Marketing, and our dedicated staff at Ole South for making the YES DAYS OF SUMMER a national success.   Congratulations to each!

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Ole South Realty, www.OleSouth.com, 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: Never Too Cold in a New Home.

My primary goal for 2011 is to have more fun at everything I do.  Whether it is work, just relaxing, or play… if it isn’t fun, we’re simply not doing it right!  With this “have fun at everything” frame of mind, we have found ourselves spending a LOT of time at the boat on Old Hickory Lake since ringing in the New Year. 

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This week’s cold snap in Middle Tennessee brings back many memories.  Many years ago, a great friend, Bobby Harden, wrote a song that was one of Mark Chestnutt’s greatest hits, “Too Cold at Home.”  At the time, he was living in a log mansion in southeast Davidson County and used to joke about coming to his boat in the winter to get warm, away from the many drafts in that house.  I can relate because our older home has them too.

Although we still own an Ole South home in Spring Hill, we currently live in an older ranch home in Nashville.  You know the saying… “They don’t build them like they used to…”   My response…. “Thank God they don’t.”   In our old home, the best method to conserve energy is to leave and go somewhere else… like to the boat.  It wasn’t that way in any of the Ole South homes I have owned.

Its never too cold in a new home.  Not only are new homes warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, but they address the latest trends too!  Check out this list of top trends…. and Ole South addresses each category too!

http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=26685367  

And the message that “New Homes are Better” is spreading, which is great news for our nation’s home builders.  Check this out:

http://www.mortgageloan.com/big-new-home-gains-predicted-2011-8220

But don’t wait too long to explore the new home options that are out there.  Times are “a-changing” and interest rates will be too!  Please call me anytime I can be of assistance in any way.

In the meantime, STAY WARM!

Nashville New Homes: Make home buying fun!

Every Real Estate professional I know likes to have fun, and likes to provide their clients an enjoyable buying or selling experience.  Some are better at having fun than others.

Every home buyer likes to have fun too.  They want to have fun and have an enjoyable home buying experience also.  Just like Realtors, some are better at having fun than others.

You don’t buy a new home every day, so why not make the most of the experience?  Here are a few tips:

1)     Focus on your new home as HOME!  Don’t stress on investment potential.  The very lifestyle factors that attract you to the home will attract others.  Your home will not be a “get-rich-quick” tool, but will lead to a more secure financial future.  Even with zero appreciation, you will have something to sell when it is paid for.  Try that with an apartment!  Even in today’s economic climate, homes in Greater Nashville have averaged 3.5% appreciation over the past 10 years.

2)     Explore the basics of home mortgages.  Know your financial capabilities before you shop and have a source for your required down-payment.  In Tennessee, first-time buyers may be eligible for their down-payment to be paid by THDA’s Great Start program.  Visit www.THDA.org for more information.

3)     Explore different areas close to, and further from work.  You may actually find your best quality of life in an area you have never thought of!  There are more ways to find information now than ever.  Use them!  It doesn’t cost anything to look.

4)     When choosing a Realtor or a home builder, find one that you personally like and can develop a relationship with.  After all, it is your money…you might as well have fun spending it!

5)     Contrary to popular belief, there is a perfect home at the perfect time.  When you find a home you like, that meets all of your needs, is within your budget, and gives you a warm feeling inside…that is the one.  No two homes are exactly alike, so questioning your emotions may actually cause you to miss out. 

6)     Too many cooks…. well you know the saying!   It never hurts to get advice from people you like and trust, but the more people you consult, the more opinions you will get, which most likely will add confusion.  Trust yourself first.  Others later.

At Ole South, we’ve made homebuying fun for over 25 years.  We take stress out of the equation and allow you to focus on what is most important to you…your new home.  Visit any of our Middle Tennessee locations today.  We’ll even give you a little yellow stress ball for starters!   Give me a call when you are ready to explore.

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Ole South Realty, www.OleSouth.com, 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: There’s no place like home.

Like the song says, “There’s no place like home,”  especially when that home is a brand new home.  No toenails in the carpet and no strange smells…unless they are your own!

Having just returned from a marketing conference In Salt Lake City with many other great home builders, I can say with confidence that new homes really are better…all across this great country!   If you know anyone needing a home outside of the Nashville area, please let me know because I now have more great home builder recommendations.  Even far away!

And if you’re in the Greater Nashville area and considering purchasing a new  home, you can view all of our communities on Home Center Network on Comcast Channel 49 at 9:00 am and pm, and anytime at www.homecenternetwork.com.    

You will want to give special consideration to a life in Spring Hill.  Here’s why:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110105/WILLIAMSON12/101050327/2044/A+look+ahead++Big+projects+on+horizon+for+Spring+Hill+in+2011

With brand new homes from the low 100’s for the first-time buyer in Cobblestone and Meadowbrook and brand new all-brick homes from the low 200’s in Chapman’s Crossing and Benevento East , look no further than Ole South for your best value.  You will then see first hand why…..

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Ole South Realty, www.OleSouth.com, 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: A fresh look from a far.

You know the saying…”can’t see the forest for the trees?” 

That’s why we were sitting on a runway at Nashville International Airport this morning at 7:15, only to be delayed for de-icing……to get out of the forest for a fresh look at the trees….from a far.  And I mean far.

Just 3.5 knee-bending hours later, we arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah to join with a group of homebuilders in sharing marketing ideas and challenges for the coming year.  I know this meeting will be productive because it is too cold to do anything else!

One challenge I am certain will be on the agenda is the right balance of pricing and incentives.  New home values have never been greater.  But you must realize that home builders have to make a profit, and you really do NOT want to buy from one that isn’t.  

Here is a great cartoon about home buying incentives that I will borrow from Jeff Shore’s great blog, The Shore Thing.

http://www.jeffshore.com/blog/the-shore-thing-december-4th-2010/the-incentive-guy/

One thing I have already seen from a far…. Middle Tennessee has some fantastic new home prices and values!    Have a great week!

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Ole South Realty, www.OleSouth.com, 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: Up, Up, and Away.

On my way to church this morning it was a blistering cold 26 degrees outside, but the sun was shining just like a summer day.  All of a sudden, I saw this hot air balloon being launched.  Before I could pull over for a picture, it was on its way soaring to new heights!

That reminds me of what we at Ole South are doing in 2011…. soaring to new heights… not in a balloon, but by offering unprecedented value in the homes we build.

For example, you will want to check out the new look of our maintenance-free townhomes at Villas of Rivendell Woods.  Two brand new home plans, unlike anything you have seen before.   Experience the flair of Key West or the sizzle of Bourbon Street from your private upstairs verandah, accessed only from your bedroom suite!

 Also new for 2011 are the most affordable new homes in Metropolitan Nashville Davidson County, in Spencer Hill, just minutes from downtown.  We have homes nearing completion from 109,990 to 129,990!  https://nashvillehomesblog.com/2010/11/03/let-the-cat-out/

And we’re also offering the very best ALL BRICK home value in Williamson County at Benevento East.  You simply will not believe these unprecedented values from the low 200’s.  Three-Car Garages and outdoor living areas are among the host of options.  

Did you eat your black eyed peas this year?  We did!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Ole South Realty, www.OleSouth.com, 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: Why Black-Eyed Peas & Greens?

Why not prme rib?  Why not chocolate cake?  Why do the delicacies for the first day of the New Year have to be things that aren’t fit to eat, with a nasty coin dropped in them?  Where all has that coin been anyway?  I hope no one ate it last year.    

Here is the history of the New Year’s grub according to about.com: 

The practice of eating black-eyed peas for luck is generally believed to date back to the Civil War. At first planted as food for livestock, and later a food staple for slaves in the South, the fields of black-eyed peas were ignored as Sherman’s troops destroyed or stole other crops, thereby giving the humble, but nourishing, black-eyed pea an important role as a major food source for surviving Confederates.

Today, the tradition of eating black-eyed peas for the New Year has evolved into a number of variations and embellishments of the luck and prosperity theme including:

  • Served with greens (collards, mustard or turnip greens, which varies regionally), the peas represent coins and the greens represent paper money. In some areas cabbage is used in place of the greens.
  • Cornbread, often served with black-eyed peas and greens, represents gold.
  • For the best chance of luck every day in the year ahead, one must eat at least 365 black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day.
  • Black-eyed peas eaten with stewed tomatoes represent wealth and health.
  • In some areas, actual values are assigned with the black-eyed peas representing pennies or up to a dollar each and the greens representing anywhere from one to a thousand dollars.
  • Adding a shiny penny or dime to the pot just before serving is another tradition practiced by some. When served, the person whose bowl contains the penny or dime receives the best luck for the New Year, unless of course, the recipient swallows the coin, which would be a rather unlucky way to start off the year.

The catch to all of these superstitious traditions is that the black-eyed peas are the essential element and eating only the greens without the peas, for example, will not do the trick.

The practice of eating black-eyed peas for luck is generally believed to date back to the Civil War. At first planted as food for livestock, and later a food staple for slaves in the South, the fields of black-eyed peas were ignored as Sherman’s troops destroyed or stole other crops, thereby giving the humble, but nourishing, black-eyed pea an important role as a major food source for surviving Confederates.

Today, the tradition of eating black-eyed peas for the New Year has evolved into a number of variations and embellishments of the luck and prosperity theme including:

  • Served with greens (collards, mustard or turnip greens, which varies regionally), the peas represent coins and the greens represent paper money. In some areas cabbage is used in place of the greens.
  • Cornbread, often served with black-eyed peas and greens, represents gold.
  • For the best chance of luck every day in the year ahead, one must eat at least 365 black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day.
  • Black-eyed peas eaten with stewed tomatoes represent wealth and health.
  • In some areas, actual values are assigned with the black-eyed peas representing pennies or up to a dollar each and the greens representing anywhere from one to a thousand dollars.
  • Adding a shiny penny or dime to the pot just before serving is another tradition practiced by some. When served, the person whose bowl contains the penny or dime receives the best luck for the New Year, unless of course, the recipient swallows the coin, which would be a rather unlucky way to start off the year.

The catch to all of these superstitious traditions is that the black-eyed peas are the essential element and eating only the greens without the peas, for example, will not do the trick.

And there are even more wives tales to go with the fare of the day as Shirley Drosyk elaborates here:  

  http://www.troymessenger.com/2010/12/30/black-eyed-peas-greens-and-good-luck-in-2011/

Well that explains it!  Last year, we ate grilled chicken and steak.  This year, we’re going to go with hot dogs cooked over a fire, multiple pots of greens and cabbage, complimented by a whole roll of dimes!  Simply put…. we’re not going to take any chances!

And I bet you didn’t know that buying a new home on New Year’s eve will bring good luck also.  It will.  I promise.

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

Nashville New Homes: 2011 is looking up!

The New Year of 2011 is upon us, and I couldn’t be happier!  Even the media is spreading positive news about the housing industry.  Here’s one example:

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-12-28/housing-seen-rising-to-3-year-high-with-boost-for-jobs.html

The time is now to buy a new home.  Not just because fixed interest rates are historically low and rising, Not just because costs are going up and not yet being passed on to the consumer.  Not just because of great incentives and selections of brand new homes at www.OleSouth.com. 

Buying a new home offers many tax advantages for those that can itemize expenses.  Your closing costs are deductible.  Your property taxes are deductible..and the list goes on.  Here is a list of 2011 tax tips.  Pay special attention to #4!

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/10-tasty-tax-tips-for-2011-1.aspx?ec_id=cmct_003

If you weren’t able to purchase a new home in time for Christmas, inking a contract before the New Year could be the next best thing!

Nashville New Homes: Merry Christmas!

I just cannot chance Christmas going by without putting out another plug for buying a new home. 

If Joseph and Mary had been in Middle Tennessee instead of Bethlehem, they wouldn’t have had to look any further than Ole South for a brand new, warm place to stay.  And as first time buyers, with THDA financing through Ole South Financial, they wouldn’t have needed any cash to put down.  The Three Wise Men, which might have been women, could have brought housewarming gifts instead of the herbs and ointments that were on sale that night at the local Walgreens.

 Being a church organist for most of the past 30 years, I’ve had the pleasure of serving Congregations of a variety of denominations –  Presbyterian, Baptist, United Methodist, Episcopal, and Lutheran.   I never have played at a Church of Christ.  They don’t have organs, remember?  Although each have differences, they all have one thing in common… the Christmas hymns.

I used to dislike the release of  new hymnals.  The ministers just could not wait to pick hymns that no one knew – including me.   Some in the congregation would bitch about the new hymns, and then the selections would be back to the more familiar hymns, except for one glitch…in the new hymnals, some of the words had been changed!  As the hymnals get newer, the verbage used  becomes more “inclusive.”   In other words, more liberal.   The Christmas hymns have fortunately escaped these revisions, for the most part.

As a child, I always pictured God as an old man, similar to Santa Claus, with a Charlton Heston voice.  After all, it does say in Genesis that man was made in the image of God.    Now we have that “inclusion” thing that brings that image into question.  The modern translations say man AND woman are made in the image of God.  Does this mean the first woman looked like Santa?

Could God actually be a woman?   Yes, God could be a woman.  Women get great pleasure in saying “I told you so” when you don’t believe them and they are proven right.    But we have to be realistic here.  God is more likely a man.   A woman God simply wouldn’t keep putting up with everything that goes on down here on earth!    So lets not split hairs.  What about God being a Spirit that can only be seen and felt through others?   That works. 

This past year has been difficult for Beth and I, along with many of our friends.  We have lost dear friends, family, and loved ones.  Others have been diagnosed with not-so-good news.   But at the same time, it has been a good year.   New friendships have been created, old friendships have grown stronger, and we are much more thankful for the simple things in life that we had been taking for granted.  

To fully appreciate being happy, you have to experience being sad.  To fully appreciate comfort, you have to experience pain.  To fully appreciate life, you have to experience death.  Sometimes, we simply have to sacrifice for everything to work out in the grand scheme of things.   God proved that, with Jesus. 

In the early 80’s, The Presbyterian Church released a new hymnal that included a simple hymn that has become one of my favorites for Christmas Eve.   Here are the words to this beautiful hymn:

Born in the night, Mary’s Child, a long way from Your home:
Coming in need, Mary’s Child, Born in a borrowed room.

Clear shining light, Mary’s Child, Your face lights up our way:
Light of the world, Mary’s Child, Dawn on our darkened day.

Truth of our life, Mary’s Child, you tell us God is good:
Prove it is true, Mary’s Child, Go to your cross of wood.

Hope of the world, Mary’s Child, You’re coming soon to reign:
King of the earth, Mary’s Child, Walk in our streets again.
 

May this year be your best Christmas ever!

 

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: ‘Tis The Season.

My first real job after college was a National Accounts Representative for a furniture manufacturer…in other words, a furniture salesman that travelled around the country.  The year had been pretty good, and to show appreciation during the holidays,  I sent my customers sausage and country ham from Early’s Honey Stand.  I felt real good after the packages were sent until my Dad said…OH NO, YOU DIDN’T!   

So, most of these buyers were sent food they are not supposed to eat, for a holiday that they do not celebrate.  Call me a fool, but I never thought to ask what religion these furniture buyers were.   Well, guess what…no one got offended, no one got mad.  They all appreciated the gesture and probably remembered me as a dumbass!

As you know, we have delicious Otis Spunkmeyer cookies at our model homes and we offer them to everyone that visits.   I’ve made the cultural “faux pas” of offering these cookies to international home buyers during Ramadan.  No one got mad, no one got offended, and I learned more about that tradition.  And we are still friends.

One thing I think everyone can agree on is… ’tis the season!  Regardless of your religious preference or tradition, this is a season for kindness and being thoughtful to others.  Lets throw out political correctness and just be human.   Acts of kindness should not have cultural or religious boundaries.   And if myrhh and frankencense were suitable gifts for a king, a simple smile and kind word should suffice for all of us.

We all need a good laugh every now and then too!  Here is a cute parody on the modern day Nativity:

And what happened at this shopping mall in Canada is simply incredible.  The first time I watched it, I kept waiting to see mall security burst in and break it up.   I then remembered it didn’t happen in this country!   Take a look:

And now, everyone is glued to the local weather forecast!  Could it be that Nashville has the first “White Christmas” in 17 years?  Read more on this here:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20101222/NEWS01/12220345/Will+Nashville+get+its+first+white+Christmas+in+17+years

Way cool!  I am excited about the possibility of snow for Christmas.  But there is another thing on my “bucket list.”  Spending the Christmas holidays somewhere warm….

And one year, we will.  Just not this year!

Merry Christmas!  (or Happy Holidays, if you prefer)

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