Open House With Dena

House in Morristown TN

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 05:42:22 -0700

Bill Zierer to Speak at Rotary Club on Wednesday Oct 3rd

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:32:32 -0700

Bill Zierer is a past Rotarian and past Morristown Rotary Club President. Although, he is no longer an active member of Morristown's Noon Rotary Club, he is still active as a Rotary International Volunteer.

The Morristown Noon Club saw the Thailand Water Project through the first 36 installations. The number of installations now stands at 62, but an additional 23 are planned between now and year end.

After this upcoming phase of 23 systems, the entire Rotary grant structure will change to "Future Visions" -- which fits the Thailand project perfectly. Starting 2013, the number of installations is expected to explode in number.

www.rotary.org

www.morristownrotarynow.com

Morristown Rotary Club is 90 Years Old

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:57:21 -0800

This is your official Invitation to join the fun at

Morristown Rotary Club’s

9oth Birthday Celebration

Morristown Rotary is 90 Years Old and we think that’s a reason to Celebrate. Please join us at The Country Club in Morristown on January 31^st for Dinner, Socializing, Music, Dancing and Birthday Cake.

Dixieland Music will be performed by the Al Curtis Orchestra and there will be Party Favors and a Festive Atmosphere.

January 31^st 6:00 PM The Country Club $29 per person

RSVP to the Noon Rotary Club

Dena Helms at 423-312-1247 or denahelms@gmail.com

www.morristownrotarynow.com

Spotlight on December in Hamblen County Real Estate

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 07:20:06 -0800

In the month of December, there were 153 New Residential Single Family Home listings submitted to the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. That's less new homes on the market as in November. The total number of Hamblen County Homes for sale on the market in November was nearly 850, but in December that number dropped to 682 total.

Of those 682 homes on the market, 90 Sold in the month of December. That's 13.2% Absorption rate for homes on the market. This is up from the last three months where only 10% of homes on the market were sold. Still, that's only 13 of every 100 homes are selling leaving 87 of every 100 still on the market. At this rate, if no more homes were placed on the market, Hamblen County would have enough homes available for buyers for the next 7.5 months.

Some price ranges are fairing better than others.

In November, houses between 100K and 120K were fairing well at 20% absorption rate. In December, 11 homes sold between 100K and 120K with only 54 on the market holding the absorption rate to 20% for this price range.

Continued Improvements were seen in the range between 200K and 250K with 44 on the market, 7 sold. Even though that's only 15% per month, that's nearly twice as many as last month when only 4 sold.

Between 300 and 350K with 16 on the market, only 1 sold. That's an absorption rate of 6.25 for this range (last month was 7%).

Overall, there is not a really significant change in the percentage of homes sold in any range, but the number of homes on the market has dropped as well as the number of buyers.

With numbers like these, it's clear that it is still a good time to buy, and still a challenging time to sell in Hamblen County.

The data used to compile these figures was gathered from the listing and sales data provided to Realtors and Members of the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors in Morristown Tennessee.

Spotlight on November in Hamblen County Real Estate

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 07:10:32 -0800

In the month of November, there were 216 New Residential Single Family Home listings submitted to the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. That's less new homes on the market as in September. The total number of Hamblen County Homes for sale on the market in October was nearly 880 (Almost twice the number in September), but in November that number dropped to 843 total.

Of those 843 homes on the market, 106 Sold in the month of November. That's 12.5% Absorption rate for homes on the market. This is up from the last two months where only 10% of homes on the market were sold. Still, that's only 12 of every 100 homes are selling leaving 88 of every 100 still on the market. At this rate, if no more homes were placed on the market, Hamblen County would have enough homes available for buyers for the next 8 months.

Some price ranges are fairing better than others.

In September, houses between 100K and 120K were fairing better at 30% absorption rate, but that dropped to 10% in October due to an increase in listings in that range. The number of buyers dropped from 9 to 8 and the number of available homes rose from 30 to 80. In November, 17 homes sold between 100K and 120K with only 83 on the market doubling the absorption rate to 20% for this price range.

Improvements were seen in the range between 200K and 250K with 62 already on the market and 15 new listings, 8 sold. Even though that's only 1 in 10 per month, that's twice as many as last month when only 4 sold.

Between 300 and 350K with 28 on the market, only 2 sold. That's an absorption rate of 7% for this range (up from 3% last month).

With numbers like these, it's clear that it is still a good time to buy, and still a challenging time to sell in Hamblen County.

The data used to compile these figures was gathered from the listing and sales data provided to Realtors and Members of the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors in Morristown Tennessee.

This Week in Morristown November 1st, 2010

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:05:17 -0800

This week within The Lakeway Area Multiple Listing Service, 78 New Listings were submitted. The breakdown by type is 40 Residential Homes, 35 Parcels of Land, 3 Commercial Properties, and no Multifamily Units.

40 Residential Homes

Asking Price Range: $10,000 to $410,000

35 Parcels of Land

Asking Price Range: $29,500 to $370,000

3 Commercial Properties

Asking Price Range: $300,000 to $755,000

The timeframe of this report is from October 26th through October 31st, 2010 and reflects only new listings reported by the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. This report is Brought to you by Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker, Re/Max Real Estate Ten, Inc. 525 West Morris Blvd, Morristown TN 37813.

423-581-8881 423-312-1247 www.openhousewithdena.com

Spotlight on October in Hamblen County Real Estate

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 11:39:10 -0700

In the month of October, there were 247 New Residential Single Family Home listings submitted to the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. That's more than 3 times as many new homes on the market as in September. The total number of Hamblen County Homes for sale on the market in October was nearly 880 (Almost twice the number in September). Of those roughly 880 homes on the market, 80 Sold in the month of October. That's just under 10% Absorption rate for homes on the market. That's only 10 of every 100 homes are selling leaving 90 of every 100 still on the market. At this rate, if no more homes were placed on the market, Hamblen County would have enough homes available for buyers for the next 11 months.

Some price ranges are fairing better than others.

Improvements were seen in the range between 200K and 250K with 52 already on the market and 16 new listings, only 4 sold. Even though that's only 1 in 17 per month, it's better than last months' numbers of 1 in 45.

Between 300 and 350K with 23 on the market, and 9 New listings, only 1 sold. That's an absorption rate of only around 3%. So at this rate, only 1 out of every 32 homes in that range can be expected to sell each month.

With numbers like these, it's clear that there has never been a better time to buy, and never been a more challenging time to sell in Hamblen County.

The data used to compile these figures was gathered from the listing and sales data provided to Realtors and Members of the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors in Morristown Tennessee.

This Week in Morristown October 25th, 2010

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:24:59 -0700

This Week within The Lakeway Area Multiple Listing Service, 70 New Listings were submitted. The breakdown by type is 70 Residential Homes, 39 Parcels of Land, 2 Commercial Properties, and 2 Multifamily Units.

70 Residential Homes

Asking Price Range: $14,800 to $699,000

39 Parcels of Land

Asking Price Range: $5,200 to $430,000

2 Commercial Properties

Asking Price Range: $79,900 to $199,000

2 Multifamily Properties

Asking Price Range: $72,900 to $149,900

The timeframe of this report is from October 19th through October 25th, 2010 and reflects only new listings reported by the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. This report is Brought to you by Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker, Re/Max Real Estate Ten, Inc. 525 West Morris Blvd, Morristown TN 37813.

423-581-8881 423-312-1247 www.openhousewithdena.com

This Week in Morristown October 18th, 2010

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:22:26 -0700

This Week within The Lakeway Area Multiple Listing Service, 86 New Listings were submitted. The breakdown by type is 60 Residential Homes, 22 Parcels of Land, 4 Commercial Properties, and no Multifamily Units.

60 Residential Homes

Asking Price Range: $14,900 to $694,000

22 Parcels of Land

Asking Price Range: $5,200 to $325,000

4 Commercial Properties

Asking Price Range: $99,900 to $398,500

The timeframe of this report is from October 12th through October 18th, 2010 and reflects only new listings reported by the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. This report is Brought to you by Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker, Re/Max Real Estate Ten, Inc. 525 West Morris Blvd, Morristown TN 37813.

423-581-8881 423-312-1247 www.openhousewithdena.com

This Week in Morristown October 24th Sales

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:13:48 -0700

This Week within The Lakeway Area Multiple Listing Service, 32 propetries sold: 24 Residential Homes, 8 Single Family Building Lots or plots of land, no Commercial Properties, and no Multifamily Units.

24 Residential Homes Ranging in Price from $24,000 to $325,000

8 Parcels of Land Ranging in Price from $7000 to $157,500

The time frame for this report is from October 18th Through October 24th, 2010 and reflects only properies reported by the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. This report is Brought to you by Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker, Re/Max Real Estate Ten, Inc. 525 West Morris Blvd, Morristown TN 37813. 423-581-8881 423-312-1247 www.openhousewithdena.com

This Week in Morristown October 17th Sales

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:07:38 -0700

This Week within The Lakeway Area Multiple Listing Service, 27 propetries sold: 24 Residential Homes, 3 Single Family Building Lots or plots of land, no Commercial Properties, and 1 Multifamily Unit.

24 Residential Homes Ranging in Price from $26,000 to $399,900

3 Parcels of Land Ranging in Price from $16,500 to $39,000

1 Multifamily Unit at $175,000

The time frame for this report is from October 11th Through October 17th, 2010 and reflects only properies reported by the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. This report is Brought to you by Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker, Re/Max Real Estate Ten, Inc. 525 West Morris Blvd, Morristown TN 37813. 423-581-8881 423-312-1247 www.openhousewithdena.com

This Week in Morristown October 12th, 2010

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 08:32:21 -0700

This Week within The Lakeway Area Multiple Listing Service, 116 New Listings were submitted. The breakdown by type is 66 Residential Homes, 48 Parcels of Land, 2 Commercial Properties, and no Multifamily Units.

66 Residential Homes

Asking Price Range: $37,900 to $625,000

48 Parcels of Land

Asking Price Range: $8,900 to $399,900

2 Commercial Properties

Asking Price Range: $130,000 to $825,000

The timeframe of this report is from October 5th through October 11th, 2010 and reflects only new listings reported by the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. This report is Brought to you by Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker, Re/Max Real Estate Ten, Inc. 525 West Morris Blvd, Morristown TN 37813.

423-581-8881 423-312-1247 www.openhousewithdena.com

This Week in Morristown October 11th, 2010 Sales

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 08:22:16 -0700

This Week within The Lakeway Area Multiple Listing Service, 13 propetries sold: 8 Residential Homes, 5 Single Family Building Lots or plots of land, no Commercial Properties, and no Multifamily Units.

8 Residential Homes Ranging in Price from $41,511 to $269,900

5 Parcels of Land Ranging in Price from $12,500 to $247,500

The time frame for this report is from October 4th Through October 10th, 2010 and reflects only properies reported by the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. This report is Brought to you by Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker, Re/Max Real Estate Ten, Inc. 525 West Morris Blvd, Morristown TN 37813. 423-581-8881 423-312-1247 www.openhousewithdena.com

Spotlight on September in Hamblen County Real Estate

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 09:50:54 -0700

In the month of September, there were 69 New Residential Single Family Home listings submitted to the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors creating a total of about 450 homes for sale in all of Hamblen county. Of those roughly 450 homes on the market, 39 Sold in the month of September. So 11.5% of all the homes on the market sold in September leaving 88.5% of homes on market unsold. At this rate, if no more homes were listed, there would be enough homes on the market to meet demand for almost an entire year.

Some price ranges are fairing better than others. For example homes between 100K and 120K are selling faster than the broad average at about 30%. With 29 on the market and 1 new listing in September, 9 sold.

Hardest hit may be the range between 200K and 250K with 36 on the market and 7 new listing only 1 sold. That's only 1 in 45 per month giving us about a 4 year supply if noone else decides to sell.

Between 300 and 350K with with 17 on the market, and 2 New listings, only 1 sold. That's an absorption rate of only around 5%. So at this rate only 1 out of every 20 homes in that range can be expected to close each month.

With numbers like these, it's clear that there has never been a better time to buy, and never been a more challenging time to sell in Hamblen County.

The data used to compile these figures was gathered from the listing and sales data provided to Realtors and Members of the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors in Morristown Tennessee.

Morristown Rotary Inducts New Members

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 10:33:50 -0700

Two New Club Members are welcomed to the Morristown Rotary Club on September 29th, 2010. Jamison Pack of Lexor Financial Strategies and Lila Wilson, Tourism Director, Morristown Chamber of Commerce.

Don Baldus explains the responsibilities of membership to New Club Members Jamison Pack and Lila Wilson at their induction into the Morristown Rotary Club.

Members and Sponsors, Dena Helms of Re/Max and Ed Arnold of WCRK Hometown Radio present member pins to the new Rotarians.

The Rotary Club of Morristown meets every Wednesday at Noon at The Country Club. Learn more about Rotary at www.morristownrotarynow.com

Gary Matthews of United Way accepts gift from Morristown Rotary

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 10:20:29 -0700

Gary Matthews spoke to the Rotary Club of Morristown on September 29th and accepted the clubs $1500 donation to United Way.

The Rotary Club of Morristown continues to support the United Way with this annual donation, and the club appreciates the work and service provided to the community by Gary Matthews and the other hardworking people at United Way. Pictured Here are Clyde Byard, Gary Matthews and Doyle Carter.

The Rotary Club of Morristown meets every Wednesday at Noon at The Country Club. Learn more about Rotary at www.morristownrotarynow.com

This Week in Morristown October 6th, 2010

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:24:44 -0700

This Week within The Lakeway Area Multiple Listing Service, 141 New Listings were submitted. The breakdown by type is 51 Residential Homes, 87 Parcels of Land, 2 Commercial Properties, and no Multifamily Units.

51 Residential Homes

Asking Price Range: $15,900 to $699,000

87 Parcels of Land

Asking Price Range: $7,900 to $3,950,000

2 Commercial Properties

Asking Price Range: $319,000 to $575,000

The timeframe of this report is from September 28th through October 5th, 2010 and reflects only new listings reported by the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. This report is Brought to you by Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker, Re/Max Real Estate Ten, Inc. 525 West Morris Blvd, Morristown TN 37813.

423-581-8881 423-312-1247 www.openhousewithdena.com

This Week in Morristown October 5th, 2010 Sales

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:15:30 -0700

This Week within The Lakeway Area Multiple Listing Service, 27 propetries sold: 25 Residential Homes, 2 Single Family Building Lots or plots of land, no Commercial Properties, and no Multifamily Units.

25 Residential Homes Ranging in Price from $20,500 to $408,000

2 Parcels of Land Ranging in Price from $9000 to $85,400

The time frame for this report is from September 28th Through October 4th, 2010 and reflects only properies reported by the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. This report is Brought to you by Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker, Re/Max Real Estate Ten, Inc. 525 West Morris Blvd, Morristown TN 37813. 423-581-8881 423-312-1247 www.openhousewithdena.com

Radio Broadcast Saturday September 25th

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 09:14:22 -0700

Jamison Pack, founder of LEXOR Financial, was my Special Guest on Open house with Dena this past Saturday, and he shared valuable information about How Home Ownership affects your ability to Qualify for College Financial Aid.

Jamison explained that he specializes in the late-stage area of college funding for parents who are right on the edge of facing the high costs of sending their kids to college. So this is especially important for parents of high-schoolers. The reason he focuses on this particular stage is simple-there's a huge need for it. Because there really isn't anywhere for parents to turn in regards to how to minimize their costs when paying for college, and there are so many mistakes and costly assumptions parents make, year after year, because they simply are not well-educated on this process.

According to Jamison, it's pretty commonly known that, in general, parents do a terrible job of saving for their kids' college. Actually parents on average right now save only 1%-5% of their annual income, and that's not just for college, that's college, retirement, and any other financial goals they may have. And to make that worse, between public and private colleges, the average COA is rising around 6.5% per year. So not only do parents struggle in saving for college, but it's difficult to even keep up with the rising costs each year with the money that they are saving.

There are a lot of facts parents need to know before they make decisions. Lexor Financial Strategies offers free presentations, either at high schools, offices, churches or other similar locations. The title of the presentation is College & Retirement-You Can Do Both!

Another alearming statistic is that the percentage of parents who are borrowing from their retirement accounts to pay for their kids' college costs has actually doubled since last year. So obviously parents need help, and our presentations go over how parents can literally minimize their out-of-pocket costs, not jeopardize their retirement, and still achieve what they were wanting in helping their child pay for school.

One costly assumption parents sometimes make is that they don't believe they'll qualify for financial aid because there home is worth too much, or they have too much home equity. So it's important for people to know, first of all, if their assumption is correct, and two, how this might affect their aid eligibility. How Home Ownership affects qualification all depends on the type of school your child is applying for, because there are differences on how aid eligibility is determined depending on the type of school.

There are two types of methodologies that determine aid eligibility-the federal methodology, which most state schools use, and the institutional methodology, which most private schools use. Private schools are a bit more stringent on the financial information they want to know about the family, such as your home's worth and your equity, but the state and public schools that use the federal methodology do not even ask what your home is worth nor how much equity you have. However, just because private schools ask more questions and may have a higher sticker price, doesn't mean your family should only look at state schools, and here's why:

typically your average private school does a much better job in their financial award package than a state school, so it's important to know the school's financial award history before you apply. And we also share how to find out that information in our free presentations.

Jamison gave an example of an average, middle-income family, their financial situation, and explain to you how home ownership can actually improve their situation, not hinder, if done correctly. And it doesn't matter if they choose a public or private school. In this family you have the mother and father whom are both 49 years old, and make a combined income of $85k. They have one son who is a junior in high school. They also have money in savings, checking, CD's, and money market accounts, which totals $76k. The reason he grouped those together is because all those assets will be counted on both the federal and institutional methodologies, and may reduce aid eligibility. This family also has $250k in their 401k's, but qualified retirement accounts are not included in the assets line for either methodology.

Also important to consider is debt. Now as far as debt goes, this family has a mortgage balance of $50k, and their home is valued at around $150k, so they have $100k in equity. They also have $15k in consumer debt, being an auto loan and credit card balance. However parents are often surprised with the fact that consumer debt, generally, will not help them in aid eligibility. So no matter how much credit card debt, auto loans, boat loans, whatever, that's not going to help their situation in getting aid? At this family's present position, Jamison calculated what each methodology would determine the amount of money this family is expected to contribute each year their child is in college. This number is called the Expected Family Contribution, or EFC as it's commonly called. So for state schools, this family is looking at an EFC of around $18k per year. With private schools, about $26k per year.

However, there are some strategies that Jamisoncan show his clients to help reduce their EFC and increase their aid eligibility. He explained that every family is different, so what he might suggest to one family may be very different to the next.

In this particular example, Jamison would suggest repositioning some of the family'sassets which would lower this family's EFC for state schools from $18k/yr to $16,500, so that's $1,500/yr in potential savings, $6k over four years. For private schools it's an even bigger dip, from $26k/yr to $22k, a potential $4k/yr savings, $16k over four years. The important point is that by moving that money can drop how much they might have to pay each year.

As for home ownership, when it comes to consumer debt, Jamison might suggest debt consolidation, like a refinance or a Home Equity Line of Credit, or HELOC as it's commonly called. If this family simply pays off all its consumer debt from a HELOC, they increase available monthly cashflow by around $600! Because they were paying $450/mo to their auto loan and $200/mo on their credit card. The monthly cost of the HELOC is around $76/mo if they pay it back with principal. Now they probably would want to do if they choose a state school because home equity doesn't hurt them. However, they may just want to pay the interest only and keep that balance on the home equity if their child attends a private school, which is only a monthly payment of $53!

And remember, interest that you pay on your home loans is tax deductible, so you would normally factor those savings as well. But right there this family now has an extra $574 to $597/mo. to go towards college, retirement, or whatever is needed.

Now here's where it gets even better. If the family chooses a private school, they may put that HELOC to even more use, because right now they still have about $85k in equity that's reducing their aid eligibility. For many parents, borrowing is going to be a substantial part of the equation, and a properly-structured HELOC can be a good place to borrow from. Understand they only want to borrow what they need because any amounts they borrow that they're just going to stick into a savings account won't help their situation at all.

But let's say this family needs to borrow $25k from somewhere to pay that first year's total cost. Well if we add that to the balance of the HELOC, this drops this family's EFC from $22k/yr to $19k. So simply by repositioning some assets, debt consolidation and knowing where to borrow, this family is saving a potential $7k/yr, while increasing their monthly spendable cashflow to close to $600.

Lexor Financial Strategies has another offer: Because they are licensed with a national company called SAGE Scholars, each family attending their presentations receives a free scholarship valued at $500 to participating schools, and any of the children whom are sophomores in high school or younger are eligible. Free scholarship. So really, what more could you ask for?

The next upcoming presentations are Tuesday Oct. 5, and the next Tues. Oct. 12^th, both beginning at 6:45pm at the Lexor Financial Strategies office here in Morristown. Seating is limited to 12 people per night so be sure and reserve your seats for you and your spouse! To reserve seating and to find out our office address, you can either go to our website at www.lexorcollegefunding.com, or call, and the number is 423-289-7472. If you're a parent of a high-schooler, from anywhere in the Lakeway area, you do not want to wait and miss this valuable information, because remember there are deadlines coming up very soon, so you don't want to miss something that may save you thousands of dollars!

Dena Helms Real Estate Broker Re/Max Real Estate Ten 525 West Morris Blvd. Morristown TN 37813 423-581-8881 423-312-1247

www.openhousewithdena.com

This Week in Morristown September 28th, 2010

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 08:56:35 -0700

This Week within The Lakeway Area Multiple Listing Service, 95 New Listings were submitted. The breakdown by type is 64 Residential Homes, 22 Parcels of Land, 1 Commercial Properties, and 8 Multifamily Units.

64 Residential Homes

Asking Price Range: $29,700 to $434,900

22 Parcels of Land

Asking Price Range: $6,000 to $475,000

1 Commercial Property

Asking Price Range: $650,000

8 Multifamily Properties

Asking Price Range: $49,900 to $537,900

The timeframe of this report is from September 21st through September 27th, 2010 and reflects only new listings reported by the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. This report is Brought to you by Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker, Re/Max Real Estate Ten, Inc. 525 West Morris Blvd, Morristown TN 37813.

423-581-8881 423-312-1247 www.openhousewithdena.com

This Week in Morristown September 27th, 2010 Sales

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 15:57:19 -0700

This Week within The Lakeway Area Multiple Listing Service, 31 propetries sold: 18 Residential Homes, 12 Single Family Building Lots or plots of land, 1 Commercial Property, and no Multifamily Units.

18 Residential Homes Ranging in Price from $30,000 to $199,900

12 Parcels of Land Ranging in Price from $13,750 to $75,000

1 Commercial Property for $110,000

The time frame for this report is from September 20th Through September 26th, 2010 and reflects only properies reported by the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. This report is Brought to you by Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker, Re/Max Real Estate Ten, Inc. 525 West Morris Blvd, Morristown TN 37813. 423-581-8881 423-312-1247 www.openhousewithdena.com

This Week in Morristown September 21st, 2010

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:13:42 -0700

This Week within The Lakeway Area Multiple Listing Service, 97 New Listings were submitted. The breakdown by type is 28 Residential Homes, 58 Parcels of Land, 8 Commercial Properties, and 3 Multifamily Units.

28 Residential Homes

Asking Price Range: $54,500 to $419,000

58 Parcels of Land

Asking Price Range: $14,900 to $1,650,000

8 Commercial Properties

Asking Price Range: $10,000 to $268,900

3 Multifamily Properties

Asking Price Range: $249,900 to $358,900

The timeframe of this report is from September 15th through September 20th, 2010 and reflects only new listings reported by the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. This report is Brought to you by Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker, Re/Max Real Estate Ten, Inc. 525 West Morris Blvd, Morristown TN 37813.

423-581-8881 423-312-1247 www.openhousewithdena.com

Tips for Preparing your Home for Fall and Winter

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:54:06 -0700

Checklist for Fall and Winter Preparation

1. Tune up your heating system and create a plan for maintenance. For about $80 to $100, a technician will inspect your furnace or heat pump to be sure the system is clean and in good repair so that it can achieve its manufacturer-rated efficiency. The inspection also measures carbon-monoxide leakage. And you minimize the chance of being last in line for repairs on the coldest day of the year. Create a plan to have a heating professional check your heating system every year. Mark your calendar. Woodburning stove connector pipes and chimneys should be inspected by a certified chimney sweep at least annually.
Replace your furnace filter. Your furnace filters need to be replaced once a month to allow your heating and cooling systems to operate properly. To create a plan of action, set your cell phone to remind you once a month or mark your calendar. Have a certified chimney sweep inspect and clean the flues and check your fireplace damper Soot and creosote, which build up inside the chimney, can ignite when a fire is lit in the fireplace.

2. Prepare the lawn and Garden for Next Spring. This is the perfect time of year to reseed the lawn entirely or in small needed patches. Fall is a great time to divide plants, plant bulbs, plant trees and shrubs and otherwise get the garden ready for winter. Also, it's the time to relocate shrubs. If you maintain a garden, you can clean away dead plant material preparing for Spring. With some initial maintenance of your lawn and garden already taken care of, you will have more time to tackle other projects once the weather improves. Run all gas-powered lawn equipment until the fuel tanks are empty. By doing this, you are removing flammable liquid storage from your garage. At the same time, make sure you aren't storing dirty, oily rags in a pile. They can ignite spontaneously. Prepare to winterize pools, fountains and ponds.

3. Consider Outdoor Areas for maintenance and entertaining in cooler weather. With the arrival of fall and cold weather, it is essential to keep your wood deck protected through the dormant months. Decks, after all, are a valuable outdoor addition well worth protecting. Investing just a small amount of time before the worst of winter weather hits can make all the difference in how your deck will look and perform as the temperature fluctuates. Setting planters and pots directly on a deck's surface may cause staining. Consider removing planters from the deck or moving them around on a regular basis to decrease the effects. If shoveling snow off your deck, run the shovel lengthwise on the deck boards. Shoveling cross-wise can scratch or cut in to the wood. Consider using a plastic shovel to decrease scratching and avoid salt or other ice melters; they may discolor or damage some deck finishes.

4. Clean the gutters. If your gutters are full of detritus, water can back up against the house and damage roofing, siding and wood trim, plus cause leaks and ice dams. Also look for missing or damaged components that need repair.

5. Divert water. Add extensions to downspouts so water runs away from the structure of the house and basement.

6. Consider the roof. Scan for damaged, loose or missing shingles that may leak during winter's storms or from melting snow. If need be, hire a handyman to repair a few shingles or call a roofer for a more serious or larger repair. Check and repair breaks in the flashing seals around vent stacks and chimneys, too.

7. Caulk around windows and doors. Make sure the caulking around doors and windows is adequate to reduce heat loss. If the space is wider than the thickness of a nickel, new caulking or weatherstripping is necessary for optimal efficiency. Also, check for cracked or missing caulk around the base of your toilet, bath tub, and bathroom cabinets. Properly sealing gaps between your bathroom fixtures and flooring material can prevent damage. Check window glazing putty, and add weatherstripping as needed around doors, making sure you cannot see any daylight from inside your home. While your checking, make sure that the caulking around your bathroom fixtures is adequate to prevent water from seeping into the sub-flooring.

This Week in Morristown September 20, 2010 Sales

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:20:10 -0700

This Week within The Lakeway Area Multiple Listing Service, 45 propetries sold: 41 Residential Homes, 4 Single Family Building Lots or plots of land, and no Commercial Properties nor Multifamily Units.

41 Residential Homes Ranging in Price from $19,500 to $434,900

4 Parcels of Land Ranging in Price from $29,900 to $75,000

The time frame for this report is from September 13th Through September 19th, 2010 and reflects only properies reported by the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. This report is Brought to you by Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker, Re/Max Real Estate Ten, Inc. 525 West Morris Blvd, Morristown TN 37813. 423-581-8881 423-312-1247 www.openhousewithdena.com

Radio Broadcast September 18th, 2010

Dena Helms, Real Estate Broker (Re/Max Real Estate Ten) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:54:02 -0700

Saturday's show was focused on Getting your House Ready for Fall and Winter.

With the beautiful brisk air of Fall in the air, it's time to think about getting ready for fall and winter. Pretty soon we'll all be spending more time indoors and less likely to tackle outdoor tasks when the weather changes. So, now is the perfect time to prepare while the fall air is still not only comfortable but really delightful.

We talked about some things that homeowners may want to do in and around the house to get ready for the new season. And, also this is a good time to check on a few areas in the home as preventative maintenance. There is a list of reminders that should prove helpful, and they are available on the website at www.openhousewithdena.com.

To get started, look around and see what needs to be done. Maybe there are small repairs, touch up painting that needs to be done, maybe you need to add mulch to the landscaping, and there could be some more serious problems that you spot like evidence of termites. Although we are in and out of our homes everyday, it may not be that common to really look over the entire perimeter of the house. Now is a great time to do this while the weather is nice.

Now that Summer grilling and outdoor lounging is unfortunately almost over, and pretty soon it's going to be too chilly or wet to enjoy on the back porch or deck, the backyard and outdoor spaces, it's a good time to clean up and treat the wood deck, prepare to weatherproof pools and fish ponds or fountains, and check the landscaping for any needs.

For a complete checklist of Fall and Winter Preparations, go to www.openhousewithdena.com and print out the list.

Special thanks to WCRK Hometown Radio 1150AM for making this show possible. Streaming live on the web at www.wcrk.com.