(Not So) Speechless Sunday...The River Photo's like this that I have taken of the world famous South Fork of The Holston River do actually leave you SPEECHLESS! Even from this photo you can see how clear the water is when they are not generating. I hope everyone has a wonderful day! And for all your Real Estate Needs in The Bristol Tn-Va-Tri-Cities Area...GoWithRobThomas.com   02/06/2011

My 2011 Goal Is To Take On The 'Paper-less Challenge' Of Becoming More Effective And Efficient For My Clients! My goal for this year is to provide a better level of service to my prospects, customers and clients! I plan to implement more technology into my daily operating procedures so that I can be more efficient and effective! Here's my top 4 things to start with..... 1. Purchase I-Phone with 4G Network.....I was showing property the other day and was reading from the MLS sheet when I looked up and my Client was reading the info from his 4G I-Phone Touch Screen....It was at that moment I knew I had to get with the program and upgrade to the latest technology that would help me become a better Realtor! Yes I will have to change phone companies and upgrade my Blackberry but it will be w... 02/06/2011

Friday's Fotos....Basketball Anyone? I was listing a piece of property this week and came upon this old barn on the back of the property. I didn't notice at first but then I saw the basketball goal up on the front. Can you imagine the games of HORSE the had here? Do you think the farm animals took sides and cheered for the one that treated them better? Just something to think about as this week winds down! Hope you all have a great weekend!---Rob ***** And for all your Real Estate Needs in The Bristol Tn-Va-Tri-Cities Area...GoWithRobThomas.com *****   02/04/2011

I Owe That....So It's Got To Be Worth That! This statement comes up so many times and YES...historically a home should appreciate over time if it's taken care of and if the market allows. Unfortunately circumstances sometimes prevent this from happening! What if you purchased your home a few years ago in the peak of the market and now you need to sell? This situation could make it difficult to sell for more that you paid for it...especially if you want to be aggressive in the current market! The best way to look at the statement...."I owe that...so it's got to be worth that" is..... If you owed nothing...would it be worth nothing? All I'm saying is there are a lot of factors that determine what something is worth....and what you owe on it isn't one of them! The current condition of the ... 02/02/2011

College Football National Signing Day! Today is the day all dedicated College Football Fans have waited a year for! It's that one great day where you get to see how your favorite team did in recruiting and how they stack up against the other schools across the nation! This kind of gives you a feel for where your team is headed in the future.....So good luck to your favorite School and let the signing begin!!!! As you can tell I'm a big TENNESSEE fan....let me know how you think your favorite team will do today! ***** And for all your Real Estate Needs in The Bristol Tn-Va-Tri-Cities Area...GoWithRobThomas.com ***** 02/01/2011

(Sorry It's Not) Wordless Wednesday There's just something about a barn that transforms a landscape into something of wonder. This is just another in a collection that I have been able to capture as I show property around the Bristol Tn Va Tri-Cities Area! This is a beautiful place to live and we have so much to offer.... So check us out...You'll be glad you did! Hope you all have a great day!---Rob ***** And for all your Real Estate Needs in The Bristol Tn-Va-Tri-Cities Area...GoWithRobThomas.com *****  View Larger Map 02/01/2011

Images Of Time Gone By In Bristol Tn Va.....The Cistern I was listing a piece of property last week and ran across this at the lower side of the home. It is a Cistern. A Cistern is an underground holding tank where people would store their water. This particular one caught the water off the house....it ran in from the gutter into the pipe and then into the holding tank. When you needed water you just went out and cranked some up and out the spout into a bucket! It looks like....PAT  SEP'T 7 97 I have no idea what that means. The CIN'TI PUMP CO. This might look like an old rusty apparatus sticking out of the ground, but if you let your mind take you back to years and years ago when this was new technology... you can't help but marvel at how far we have come in how we live.  Who knows, wi... 02/01/2011

Images Of Time Gone By In Bristol Tn Va.....The Bus There are a lot of images of time gone by in Bristol Tn Va however the one above is unusual. The downtown Bristol area is a great place to visit and continues to be revitalized which makes it harder and harder to find such images. While walking to a closing on Monday I ran across this old bus tucked up beside what was a bus station in years gone by. If I were guessing I would say it's from the early 40's give or take a few years....and where it came from I have no idea! I'm guessing it's from far far away from here! You can make out the destinations on the front such as London Bridge, Oxford Circus, Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus. Images such as these tend to make you a more learned person if you take the time to find out about th... 01/31/2011

Friday's Fotos...Another Barn This is just another of those unique images I try and capture around the Bristol Tn Va Tri-Cities area when out showing property! I captured this last week while showing property just outside of Jonesborough Tn. There's just something about those barns against a sky filled back ground that just makes you stop and stare!Hope you have a great weekend!---Rob ******** And for all your Real Estate Needs in The Bristol Tn-Va-Tri-Cities Area...GoWithRobThomas.com ************** 01/28/2011

Why Do We Drive On A Parkway And Park On A Driveway? It's a great question....but it will drive you crazy trying to figure out the answer! I think the same can be said for "why do you try and sell your home on your own"? It's not that your not totally capable of completing the process. It's just that... is it worth taking the risk of making one little error in the process that could cost you big! Ask yourself this question...."would you use a self help book to pull your spouses tooth"? It's about the same thing....yes if you are really lucky you might pull it off...or out...but what if you make one little mistake? Is it worth it? I don't think so! The other reasons are simple.......would you not agree that the more people that want something the more it will cost? That's why it is so im... 01/27/2011

  The Home That Time Forgot This is a place out in the county that I actually found while looking at property today. I caught a glimpse of a structure back in the woods way back off the road. The closer I got the more I could tell that at one time it was someone's home. I found this old covered spring in the bank. I would assume this was their water supply. The once new home now looks as if its been lost in time. Or maybe one that time just forgot! But from the looks of things it's a scene that nature will eventually take back! This is just another of those neat places to visit in our area if your just willing to take the time! And for all your Real Estate Needs in The Bristol Tn-Va-Tri-Cities Area...GoWithRobThomas.com *****   01/26/2011

The House In Two States.....Update! I had so many comments on this post about who pays taxes in what state so I went back out today to take a closer look! The sign dividing Tennessee and Virginia is just on the other side of the road to the left and splits the house almost down the middle. This is the sign that hangs near the front door of the house! According to tax records the address is Tennessee and the taxes are paid in Tennessee....so I assume the majority of the Home is in Tennessee or maybe all of it is in Tennessee and the sign is just in the wrong place or maybe it's all just folklore.... The side view shows more of the home...the left side actually looks more dated than the brick part. The story always went that they ate in Tn and slept in Va and by looking at the side view i... 01/26/2011

The House In Two States! This home is just minutes from where I grew up in Bristol Tn. I have been past it what seems like a million times! What's so interesting about this property is the fact that it's in Tennessee and Virginia.  We were always told that the people slept in Virginia and ate their meals in Tennessee.    Can you imagine what it was like to live here? It had to be a really neat place to live!   This is the sign that shows you entering Sullivan Co Tn and leaving Washington Co Va. It pretty much splits the house down the middle. This is just another one of those neat places in Bristol Tn Va that I wanted to share! **** And for all your Real Estate Needs in The Bristol Tn-Va-Tri-Cities Area...GoWithRobThomas.com **** 01/25/2011

Images Of Time Gone By In Bristol Tn...Someone's Home! I was in Greeneville, Tn today showing property and came upon this Image of Time Gone By and had to stop and take this photo. At first I thought it was another barn, but the longer I looked at it, I was convinced it was a house. I have no idea when it was built but I can guess it was a long time ago! You know it was probably one of the nicest Homes around in its day, but over time it has been left to just weather away! I've always thought it sad to see structures like this just slip away into time...never leaving any legacy to all the events that took place here. All the great meals that were probably cooked in the kitchen, all those quiet nights just listening to the sounds of nature. If you look closely in the middle window you ca... 01/24/2011

Real Estate In Bristol Tn If you are looking to buy or sell Real Estate in Bristol Tn then...Look no Further! My name is Rob Thomas...I am a Realtor with Heritage Homes and I am ready to Help you with all of your Real Estate needs In the Bristol Tn area! First of all you need to know that I love what I do. No one anywhere will work harder or smarter for you than I will! The Bristol Tn area is a really neat place with a lot to offer. It's one of those parts of the country that actually has all 4 seasons. Check out what it's doing right now at Bristol Tn current weather condition....and definitely check out some of the areas best properties at Rob's Area Listings or see all our Real Estate in Bristol Tn at Entire Area Properties. If you want an agent who will always look out for your best... 01/24/2011

(Not So) Speechless Sunday...Colors Of Winter Even in the dead of Winter in all the snow and cold weather if you are observant you can find some absolutely beautiful colors of Winter! Although you can't see it... there are 4-6" of snow on the ground around this shrub! So the next time you're out start looking for those colors that are so hard to come by this time of year! And for all your Real Estate Needs in The Bristol Tn-Va-Tri-Cities Area...GoWithRobThomas.com *** 01/23/2011

Osceola Island In Bristol Tn Osceola Island In Bristol Tn is one of those great places in the Bristol Tn Va area that you can go to get away from it all for a little while. It's located just below the South Holston Dam. Osceola Island in Bristol Tn is just minutes from the world famous Bristol Motor Speedway! It's also the beginning of one the best Trout Fishing Streams you'll find anywhere! The South Fork of the Holston River! People travel from all over the world to fish this amazing River! It's also just a great place to go hang out and walk....there's a really nice pathway all around the Island! This is the bridge that gets you over to the island! This is the path that takes you around the island! You will also find picnic tables for those grill outs while you watch the fly fisherme... 01/22/2011

Winterizing Tip In Bristol Tn Va  This is a winterizing tip in Bristol Tn Va that you may want to remember from now on! I have a listing that was vacant and under contract. The appraiser showed up to the photos below! The seller forgot to turn off the water supply to all the outside faucets and when our temps fell into the teens for days one of the elbows decided to explode and turn this screened-in porch into a Winter Icicle Wonderland! Sorry...but pictures just don't do it justice....I guess you just had to be there! Everything turned out fine....we got it cleaned up...no damage and it appraised! This is where it started....look at this ice!!! The ice was everywhere...walls, ceiling....it was as far as 20' away from the split! *** And for all your Real Estate Needs in The Bristol Tn-V... 01/21/2011

No Eggs Here.....Just Hens! I'm very familiar with Chickens laying eggs....but every now and then you can find Chickens that actually lay Hens! I had to take a drive today way out in the county to look at a piece of property and couldn't resist stopping to take this photo! Maybe these are some of those new Hybrid Chickens they've come up with that skips the step of actually laying the egg!  *** And for all your Real Estate Needs in The Bristol Tn-Va-Tri-Cities Area...GoWithRobThomas.com ***   01/20/2011

Not Completely....Wordless Wednesday There's just something about the color RED when taken against a snowy white background! This is another one of those great shots taken in our recent snow fall. This is actually a building on the farm I grew up on that we used to store grain that we fed the cattle throughout the winter months. I love the photo because you can actually see the ice forming on the tin roof as the snow falls! ***************************************************************************************** And For All Of Your Real Estate Needs in The Bristol Tn Va -Tri Cities area....GoWithRobThomas.com ***************************************************************************************** 01/19/2011