Buyers, Open Houses, Plain Talk and Good Manners 101 As you get out to start looking at homes, please let open house Realtors® know you are working with someone...if you have a Realtor® Some things buyers may not be aware of: The open house Realtors® are there to find new clients and would like to consider you as THEIR new client. It creates a problem if you are working with a Realtor® and the Open House Realtor® shows a house to you that you want to put an offer on. Instead of calling a listing agent or a For Sale By Owner from a sign in the yard... call your own Realtor®. They represent you...not the seller. Let them do your research and negotiating. It costs you nothing to be represented by your own Realtor® when you are out touring, putting an offer on a home and working to a succ... 03/04/2010

Here is a picture of myself at the Ball Homes Gold Key Club breakfast recently held here in Lexington, Kentucky.  I am pictured with my good friend Meredith and Kentucky Basketball Coach John Calipari. Well, it's not the real Coach Calipari, but close enough! The Ball Homes Gold Key Club breakfast is an annual program by Ball Homes to honor those agents who have a consistent track record of selling their new construction homes year after year. I have been a member of the club for several years and my clients love their Ball Homes. Ball is the oldest builder and the largest builder in Central Kentucky and have been building in the area since the 1950's. Ball Homes is locally owned and operated and have developed many great neighborhoods in Lexington, Georgetown, Versailles, Richmond and... 03/04/2010

Here is a picture of me standing next to a GIANT icicle while waiting to show a house in the Tahoma Terrace neighborhood in beautiful Lexington, KY! Thanks to my buddy Brian for taking the pic while we wait for our client to arrive! Tahoma Terrace is a hotspot when it comes to Lexington living. Just minutes from Central Baptist Hospital and downtown Lexington, Tahoma Terrace is a sought-after older established Lexington neighborhood with large lots, tree lined streets and a picturesque setting of peace and quiet all neatly placed in the middle of the city. Located off of Nicholasville Road, this gem area is within walking distance to the University of Kentucky Arboretum. It has even been reported that one out of state buyer bought a home sight unseen, just to be in the neighborhood. Qui... 03/04/2010

 Looking for Five Star Sellers March Madness is just around the corner.  Since my favorite college sport is basketball I am going to use the evaluation of a basketball player to help home sellers understand how they can make it much easier to sell their home.   Every recruiting service evaluates athletes.  Most use a star system and the highest rating is five stars.  For example Scout.com has Terrance Jones from Jefferson High School in Portland Oregon rated as a five star forward.  Terrance has narrowed his choices down to five schools. Two of those schools are  The University of Washington and The University of Kentucky.  Well,  since I bleed purple and have two degrees from The University of Washington and I live in Lexington the home of the Wildcats I have special interest in Mr. Jo... 03/03/2010

This is the first of a series of blogs I hope to write before "March Madness."  Living in Lexington Kentucky, the home of the storied University of Kentucky and working as a Realtor has caused me to ponder the similarities in the sport of basketball and the real estate industry. Historical kinship:   The idea of basketball was born from James Naismith's school days in the area where he played a simple child's game known as duck-on-a-rock outside his one-room schoolhouse. The game involved attempting to knock a "duck" off the top of a large rock by tossing another rock at it." Back in the sixties I was hit in the face by an errant basketball during practice.  "The rock" shattered the lens in my glasses and I spent the evening on a gurney while a doctor and nurse fished the small shards o... 02/27/2010

A very short video of the inside of 1626 Lindy Lane in Lexington Kentucky.  An upgraded home on a beautiful tree lined street with a very large back yard. 02/25/2010

Two weeks ago I was contacted by a first time home buyer, Julie (not her real name).  She had been prequalified by a bank in her small town.  I met with Julie at her place of employment after work.  She asked very good questions, was an exceptional listener and we were ready to look at houses in less than 90 minutes.  I left Julie with a stack of homes for sale in her desired area and price. The next day I called her to confirm our house viewing journey after work the next day.  Well, the next day school was canceled due to unusual snow.  I called Julie and inquired about her desire to plow through the snow.  She was excited to start and she had selected her nine favorite homes to view.  I was able to schedule our tour for the afternoon.  Julie really knew what she wanted so by the end ... 02/22/2010

 How does the listing price affect the selling price?  - A study of the facts in Lexington Kentucky - Zip Code 40509 This is the second part in what is intended to be a 7 part series studying the affect that "Days on the Market" has on the selling price of homes in Lexinton Kentucky. The first blog post studied Zip Code 40503 The second studied 40504 The third studied 40502 The fourth studied 40517 The fifth studied 40511 Today's study is of 40509 The purpose for these next series of articles is to research how the original listing price does or doesn't affect the selling price of a home.   We read and hear Realtors that setting a high price can lead to a low selling price.  Is that true here in Lexington?  When I do listing presentations I show my clients how listing prices correlate t... 02/19/2010

Buy a $140,000 Home Now with a monthly payment of $122.58 your first year.Some things are Too Good to be True! If you buy a home today and lock in your interest rate at 5.2% your net payment after the first time home buyer tax credit and your savings on taxes will be $122.58.How can that be? Buy now if you are a first time home buyer - Uncle Sam will give you $8,000.00 If you purchase a home in Lexington for $140,000 your yearly tax savings could be $2,136 or more (check with your accountant).   The total earned through the tax credit and the return of your income tax is $10,136. If you use an FHA loan and put 3.5% down your total payment including mortgage insurance will be $967.31 each month.The tax savings and tax credit each month is $10,136 (see #3 above) divided by 12 months which... 02/18/2010

Lexington is covered in a blanket of the white fluffy stuff! Overnight Lexington saw a good 3-4 inches cover the roads and the landscape. They are forecasting another 2-3 inches later today and when it’s all said and done, Lexington should see between 5-8 inches of snow. As I was out this morning snapping a few pictures for my website, I was stopped by a WKYT TV crew and Reporter Janet Kim.  I did a quick interview on road conditions and how the Lexington neighborhoods were being cleared by road crews (I’ll try to get a copy of the video). It sure was extremely cold just being out for a few short minutes. If you must go out, drive safe and allow for extra time to reach your destination. Of course, dress in layers too! Even though the snow is very beautiful, I’m so ready for springtime ... 02/15/2010

 How does the listing price affect the selling price?  - A study of the facts in Lexington Kentucky - Zip Code 40511 This is the second part in what is intended to be a 7 part series studying the affect that "Days on the Market" has on the selling price of homes in Lexington Kentucky.  The first blog post studied Zip Code 40503 The second studied 40504 The third studied 40502 The fourth studied 40517 This blog is studying 40511 The purpose for these next series of articles is to research how the original listing price does or doesn't affect the selling price of a home.   We read and hear Realtors that setting a high price can lead to a low selling price.  Is that true here in Lexington?  When I do listing presentations I show my clients how listing prices correlate to selling prices in ... 02/15/2010

Caramanda's Bake Shoppe is only a five minute walk from your new home at 964 Spring Run Road in Lexington, Kentucky.  The address is 3805 Dylan Place, Suite 110 Lexington, Kentucky.  It is in a shopping complex on the southwest corner of Boston Road and Man of War Blvd in southwest Lexington.   Right next door to Caramanda's is Starbucks.  So when you wake in the morning sit a while on your new patio shaded by your pergola and feast on the beauty of the three fish ponds with bubbling water.    After relaxing by your fish ponds take a five minute stroll down to Starbucks and Caramanda's.  Yesterday I could not resist the huge cranberry oatmeal cookies.  Oh what a delight.  I bought one of the dark chocolate shaped hearts for my valentine and visited a few minutes with Julie the keeper of... 02/12/2010

12 Reasons to Retire in Central Kentucky 1.  Lexington is within 60 percent of the population of the the United States.  It is a days drive to hundreds of great historical sites, beaches, famous sporting events and lovely cities. 2.  Housing prices are stable and quite reasonable.  Right now there are hundreds of homes on the market that are perfect for retirees.  Homes in safe communities, homes within close proximity to downtown and The University of Kentucky.   3. The cost of living, cost of taxes and cost of trasportation are all well below the national average. 4.  The state of Kentucky does not tax state retirees from other states.  I am a retired teacher from Washington  and do not pay any state taxes. 5.  The winters are cold in Lexington but they are also dry.  We get small amo... 02/06/2010

 How does the listing price affect the selling price?  - A study of the facts in Lexington Kentucky - Zip Code 40517 This is the second part in what is intended to be a 7 part series studying the affect that "Days on the Market" has on the selling price of homes in Lexinton Kentucky.  The first blog post studied Zip Code 40503 The second studied 40504 The third studied 40502 Today's study is of 40517. The purpose for these next series of articles is to research how the original listing price does or doesn't affect the selling price of a home.   We read and hear Realtors that setting a high price can lead to a low selling price.  Is that true here in Lexington?  When I do listing presentations I show my clients how listing prices correlate to selling prices in their area.  However to my ... 02/05/2010

What affect does listing price have on selling price?  A study of the facts in Lexington Kentucky - Zip Code 40502   This is the third part in what is intended to be a 7 part series studying the affect that "Days on the Market" has on the selling price of homes in Lexinton Kentucky:The first blog post studied Zip Code 40503The second blog post studied Zip Code 40504 The purpose for these next series of articles is to research how the original listing price does or doesn't affect the selling price of a home.   We read and hear Realtors that setting a high price can lead to a low selling price.  Is that true here in Lexington?  When I do listing presentations I show my clients how listing prices correlate to selling prices in their area.  However to my knowledge there is no systematic stu... 02/04/2010

    How Does the Number of  Days on the Market Affect the Selling Prices of Homes - A study of the facts in Lexington Kentucky - Zip Code 40504 This is the second part in what is intended to be a 7 part series studying the affect that "Days on the Market" has on the selling price of homes in Lexinton Kentucky.  The first blog post studied Zip Code 40503 The purpose for these next series of articles is to research how the original listing price does or doesn't affect the selling price of a home.   We read and hear Realtors that setting a high price can lead to a low selling price.  Is that true here in Lexington?  When I do listing presentations I show my clients how listing prices correlate to selling prices in their area.  However to my knowledge there is no systematic study of that co... 02/03/2010

The purpose for these next series of articles is to research how the original listing price does or doesn't affect the selling price of a home.   We read and hear Realtors consistantly arguing that setting a high price will usually lead to a low selling price. Is that true here in Lexington?  When I do listing presentations I show my clients how listing prices correlate to selling prices in their area.  However to my knowledge there is no systematic study of that correlation in Lexington. My goal over the next 10 days is to look carefully at the primary zip codes of 40502, 40503, 40504, 40511, 40514, 40515, and 40517.  I will analyze each zip code and see if the statistics will reveal anything of significance.  The study will include only single family residences with selling prices bet... 02/02/2010

Destructive Progress - An Oxymoron "LFUCG - Lexington Fayette Urban County Government owns and operates a sanitary sewer system, which includes two major wastewater treatment plants, serving a population of almost 250,000. It also owns and operates a separate storm sewer system that collects urban storm water. Inadequacies in LFUCG’s sewer systems’ infrastructure and management programs have resulted in unlawful discharges of millions of gallons of untreated sewage, known as sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), into streams in the Lexington/Fayette County area and increased pollution levels in urban storm water."  This is a paragraph borrowed from the EPA  in March of 2008. When we get a "gully washer" here in Lexington it is quite common for tons of  untreated sewage to overflow and pollut... 01/24/2010

  The statue of John C. Breckinridge as seen below stands proudly in Lexington’s Cheapside Park in the heart of downtown. It has stood on Cheapside for well over a century, but will be moved in the next two week, as the park is undergoing a renovation. Breckinridge was a United States Vice-President and also served in the U.S. Senate before joining the Confederacy during the Civil War. Fifth Third Bank donated $750,000 for naming rights for the new pavilion to be constructed, which will house Lexington’s Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, the very popular Thursday Night Live concert gathering and many other events. Cheapside Park is a great gathering spot in downtown Lexington. It is a great place to have lunch outside on a warm day. The Courtyard Deli, Cheapside Bar and Grill and Bluegrass ... 01/22/2010

Finding a home close to essential services was of utmost importance to Kathy and I when we move here 15 months ago. Monday I went to my sixth month dental appointment.  I went without trepidation because of previous experiences. I have been having some problems with a crown and  Dr. Lopp assured me he would replace the crown free of charge the last time I had my teethe cleaned. I put off the crown replacement six months because of my schedule and truthfully just because I have a lifetime habit of putting off sitting in a dental chair. So when I was first examined by the dental hygienist Monday and she mentioned replacing the crown I was very relieved.   Dr. Matthew Lopp, his receptionist Della and all the other workers make visiting the dentist  what my be called uneventful.  You don't... 01/20/2010