Louisiana Housing Assistance Bond Money Available - 10/29/07 04:41 PM
The Louisiana Housing Finance Agency released $103,882,557 in bond money on Friday, October 26th for housing assistance.  Interest rates range from 4.84% to 6.34%.  Loans are available on a first come first serve basis.  The agency was formed in 1980 to assist in the financing of homes for low and moderate income families.  Visit the LHFA website for more information.
Please visit my website to search for area homes and for more real estate information.  Please feel free to call me at (225) 413-3624 or e-mail me at don@donandalishastern.com to discuss your particular requirements.
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Just where is Louisiana? - 10/29/07 03:34 PM
I was just taking some time to explore some previously unvisited Active Rain links and I happened to click on the Louisiana Info link that appears on my AR entry page.
Check out the map that comes up.  I know that Louisiana might seem like another country to others in the US but Laos?  Does anyone know who geocodes the map?
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Jack Of All Trades - When is it time to let go? - 10/29/07 02:25 PM
Real estate is not my first career.  I have a diverse background and have gained experience and skills which serve me well in my Real Estate career. My undergraduate degree is in Chemistry and I went on to earn an MBA.  I've worked in R&D which gave me additional training and experience with experimental design and statistics.  My first experience with computers was with punch cards. I learned to program and design systems. Ultimately I retired from industry as the IT director responsible for providing information systems for the division's domestic business driven by marketing and sales.  I've been a hobbyist … (2 comments)

Technology - Aint it great! - 10/27/07 02:01 PM
There we were, driving down I-10, going from Gonzales, LA to Round Rock, TX so we could go trick-or-treating with our grandkids when the cell phone rang.  A prospect had found my neighborhood website and was planning to relocate to the area.  He wanted to find out more about some homes in the neighborhood and schedule a tour the very next day.  So, going 70mph or so down I-10, my wife slipped the Sprint broadband card into the laptop computer and proceeded to connect to the MLS and get the property information, set up the tour, e-mail it to the prospect and call in … (6 comments)

Ascension Parish New Homes For Sale - Where are they? - 10/25/07 05:21 PM
As of October 19th, there was a 6.2 month supply of new construction in Ascension Parish although this varies significantly with the price of the home.  In the higher price ranges, it is definitely a Buyers Market and there are some opportunities for saavy home shoppers looking for a home in these price ranges.
 I thought it would be helpful to prospective home buyers to know where these homes were located.  The following chart shows the number of new (detached single family) homes available in the various parish subdivisions.
Please contact me directly if you'd like more information.
Visit www.HomesOfAscension.com to search for Ascension Parish Homes for … (0 comments)

Sherwood Forest Home - Price Reduction!! - 10/25/07 03:06 PM
The home located at 617 Westbrook Dr. in the Sherwood Forest subdivision in Baton Rouge, LA has been reduced in price $20,000!  The new price is $199,900!
Click Here to view a virtual tour of this home.
This large 3041 square foot home has four bedroom and 2.5 bathrooms.  There's a heated/cooled sunroom overlooking the deck in the back yard, a formal living room, a formal dining room and a huge den with stairs leading to a loft area which is not counted in the total living area.  The walk-in attic could be easily converted to additional living area for a game room, … (0 comments)

Travelling to Pelican Point Golf Community - Still Difficult - 10/25/07 02:17 PM

Visitors and residents alike have had to detour five miles to get to the Pelican Point Golf Community while the bridge on state highway 44 which spans the Panama Canal is being replaced. At the same time new drainage lines are being installed along Hwy. 44 causing further disruption of traffic. The project was started in June so the detour has been in effect throughout the peak real estate selling season. According the the LA DOTD website, the road is expected to be closed to traffic until January 18, 2008. I took the opportunity to visit the work site today and … (1 comments)

3122 Ottawa, Baton Rouge, LA 70819 - 10/23/07 10:45 PM
Located in the Village Cote' subdivision, this three bedroom two bath home has a huge fenced-in back yard with three large oak trees and a storage shed. It has approximately 1100 square feet of living area and is just waiting for you to decorate it with the generous decorating allowance provided by the seller. A one-year American Home Shield warranty is provided at no extra charge. Priced to sell at $95,000. Call Don now for your private tour at (225)413-3624.

Visit me at www.DonAndAlishaStern.com for other Baton Rouge Real Estate and Baton Rouge Homes for Sale.
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Ashland-Belle Helene Plantation Home - 10/20/07 06:09 PM
While out and about today putting up new for sale signs and taking down others, I drove by the Ashland Belle-Helene Plantation home and just had to pull over and get a photograph.
This Louisiana plantation home is currently owned by the Shell Oil company.  It was built by Duncan Kenner for his wife Anne.  It is located just north of Darrow, LA and is about 1/4 mile from the Mississippi River.  Unfortunately, this bit of history is not open to the public and is surrounded by chain link fences complete with No Trespassing signs.
Visit me at www.DonAndAlishaStern.com for Ascension Parish Homes for … (36 comments)

Baton Rouge Market Statistics - 70819 Zip Code - Resale Homes - 10/20/07 05:06 PM
I just listed a property in the Village Cote' subdivision in Baton Rouge.  In preparation for my meeting with my client, I analyzed some data to verify current market conditions in the zip code area containing the home.  One of the things I examined was the monthly unit sales for resale homes in this area.
To smooth out the cyclic seasonal nature of unit sales, I calculated absorption rates in various price ranges.
Although the 2007 absorption rate is at a five year low, the inventory levels are correspondingly low giving us a 4.4 month supply. 
As the following chart show, there was only … (1 comments)

Open House - Pelican Point, Gonzales, LA Sunday 10/21/07 - 10/20/07 04:11 PM
There will be an open house held at 40020 Champion Tif East from 2pm to 4pm on Sunday, 10/14/07.  This three bedroom two bathroom single level home is located in the Pelican Point Golf Community in Gonzales, LA.  The refrigerator and washer/dryer are among the appliances which are to be included in the sale.  Pelican Point is a multi-generational golf community which features two 18-hole championship golf courses, an active homeowners association, and much more.  C'mon in for a visit.
The price of this fine townhome is $204,900.
Host:  Alisha Stern (225) 413-3624
http://www.pelicanpointhomes.net/
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Open House - Gonzales, LA Sunday 10-21-07 - 10/20/07 04:09 PM
I will be hosting an open house at 15061 East Lakefront Dr. this Sunday, 10-21-07, from 2pm to 4pm.  This 3065 sq.ft. home has fantastic views of the lake.  It has four bedrooms and three full bathrooms plus a bonus room and an office which could be used as a 5th bedroom.  All bedrooms have walk-in closets.  The amenities include extensive crown moulding, heart-of-pine floors, custom cabinetry, and much more.  The seller's are motivated so bring us an offer.
Price reduce to $449,900
Host:  Don Stern (225) 413-3624
http://www.donandalishastern.com/
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Builder Algebra - 10/19/07 02:16 PM
In my work with builders, I'm often asked questions (not exactly but to illustrate the point) like:
I want to build spec in a certain size and price range.  How much can I spend on the lot?My cost of materials is so much per square foot.  I'd like to build on a lot that I own but want to stay at a certain price.  What should the size of the home be?I know my lot cost, cost to build, and size.  What should the final selling price be.Being something of a numbers guy I did the algebra and came up with these … (3 comments)

Billboards - Worth it? - 10/16/07 12:29 PM
One of the challenges all independent contractors face is how to spend their limited marketing budget.  In my area many agents, some top producers and some not, use billboards for personal promotion advertising.  The one's I've queried obviously believe it's a good spend but don't have any hard evidence to support that.  What is the experience of other ActiveRainer's?  How do you quantify the effectiveness?
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Price Reduction - Sherwood Forest Home at 617 Westbrook - 10/15/07 12:58 PM
The home at 617 Westbrook in the Sherwood Forest subdivision has been reduced in price from $229,900 to $219,900.  This is a four bedroom with two and a half bathrooms.  Included in the 3041 sq.ft. of living area is a sunroom, formal living room, formal dining room and large den.  Not included in the living area is the balcony overlooking the den.  An unfinished attic area adjacent to the balcony could easily be converted to living area by someone needing even more space.
Click Here for a virtual tour of the property.
Visit me on the web at www.DonAndAlishaStern.com
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Architectural Control Committee - Savior or Demon? - 10/15/07 12:18 PM
I live and work in a subdivision planned to have about 1000 homes.  It's about 10 years old and currently has about 700 homes built.  The homes are a mixture of the developer's fixed set of plans and custom built homes.  Except for brand new filings where the developer has his own ACC, the HOA's Board of Directors appoint volunteers to serve on the ACC whose function is to approve plans, approve builders and monitor construction projects going on in the subdivision.
Our deed restrictions make it clear that contractors can work between 7am and 7pm Monday through Saturday and not at all on Sunday.  … (2 comments)

Visual Tour - Another way to link - 10/14/07 07:39 PM
I've been using the VisualTour product for about six months now and have found it to be a very cost effective way for me to produce and serve virtual tours of my listings.  Shortly after purchasing the product, however, I had the idea that I would like to automatically display a tour of a "featured home" on one of my websites.  I envisioned using an inline frame, <iframe>, to contain the virtual tour.
Visual Tour provides a number of different linking commands to serve up the tours.  I selected the e-mail link
http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?t=996412
and used it as the source for my inline frame.
<iframe src="http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?t=996412" … (4 comments)

Pelican Point Market Analysis - 10/13/07 10:50 AM
The Pelican Point Golf Community is currently the largest subdivision in Ascension Parish.  The last filing for the subdivision is currently being built.  Pelican Point still ranks among the most active subdivisions for new home sales in the parish.  The bad news for sellers is that there is currently more inventory available than demand can consume within a reasonable period of time creating a buyer's market.
The following analysis was developed from raw data gathered from the Greater Baton Rouge MLS database.  For the purposes of this analysis only detached single family dwellings were included although a similar analysis is available for townhomes.  The … (0 comments)

Settlement at Lakeside Open House on Sunday 10-14-07 - 10/13/07 09:32 AM
I will be hosting an open house at 15061 East Lakefront Dr. this Sunday, 10-14-07, from 2pm to 4pm.  This 3065 sq.ft. home has fantastic views of the lake.  It has four bedrooms and three full bathrooms plus a bonus room and an office which could be used as a 5th bedroom.  All bedrooms have walk-in closets.  The amenities include extensive crown moulding, heart-of-pine floors, custom cabinetry, and much more.  The seller's are motivated so bring us an offer.
Price reduce to $449,900
Host:  Don Stern (225) 413-3624
www.DonAndAlishaStern.com
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Pelican Point Townhome Open House Sunday 10/14/07 - 10/13/07 09:23 AM
There will be an open house held at 40020 Champion Tif East from 2pm to 4pm on Sunday, 10/14/07.  This three bedroom two bathroom single level home is located in the Pelican Point Golf Community in Gonzales, LA.  The refrigerator and washer/dryer are among the appliances which are to be included in the sale.  Pelican Point is a multi-generational golf community which features two 18-hole championship golf courses, an active homeowners association, and much more.  C'mon in for a visit.
The price of this fine townhome is $204,900.
Host:  Alisha Stern (225) 413-3624
www.PelicanPointHomes.net
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Ascension Parish Subdivisions - 2007 New Construction Sales and Absorption - 10/11/07 11:27 AM
The table below provides sales statistics for 2007 new construction by subdivision within Ascension Parish.  Raw data was obtained from the Greater Baton Rouge MLS database and was extracted on October 5th for sales through September and inventory as of that date.  The results of the analysis are in order of descending 2007 unit sales.
Caveat: Absorption rates for newly developed subdivisions for which homes have not been available for sale until after January 1, 2007 are understated.
2007 by Don Stern - All Rights Reserved
http://www.donandalishastern.com/
 
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Open House Sunday - 15061 E. Lakefront, Gonzales, LA - 10/06/07 08:50 AM
There will be an open house of the newly constructed property at 15061 E. Lakefront Dr. this Sunday from 2-4pm.  This newly constructed lake front home is located in the Settlement at Lakeside subdivision in Gonzales, LA.  The home has four bedrooms and three full bathrooms plus an office plus a bonus room.  There are 3064 spacious square feet of living area in this home.  The kitchen has designer custom cabinetry and stainless steel appliances.
This home has been reduced in price to $449,900.  The seller is motivated so any reasonable offer will be considered.
Alisha Stern - (225) 413-1418
http://www.donandalishastern.com/
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Open House Sunday - 1502 Pecan Crossing, Zachary, LA - 10/06/07 08:44 AM
There will be an open house at 1502 Pecan Crossing on Sunday from 2-4pm.  This newly constructed home is located in the Pecan Hills subdivision in Zachary.  The home has four bedrooms and three full bathrooms.  Some amenities include triple crown moulding, granite countertops, ceiling fans and much more.  From Baton Rouge take Hwy 61 to Hwy 964.  Turn left onto Hwy 64.  Turn right into the subdivision.  The house is on the corner.
Price Reduced to $297,700
Host: Don Stern (225) 413-3624
www.DonAndAlishaStern.com
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Don Stern ~ Greater Baton Rouge Real Estate

Baton Rouge, LA

More about me…

Realty Executives South Louisiana

Address: 15651 Airline Hwy., Suite B, Prairieville, LA, 70769

Office Phone: (225) 677-7772

Cell Phone: (225) 413-3624

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Analyses, thoughts & commentary relating to the Greater Baton Rouge area real estate market.


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