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Searcy, AR Real Estate News

By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Artificial Intelligence?MLS lets AI write our listed house remarks. They turn out to be awful descriptions with too much verbiage. So I am curious.  Let's test them, if you know how.  I don't know how but let's see if we could direct them to do a realistic picture of this house that was in Searcy AR and is now gone. Does it only write?So this old house, beautiful at the time, was captured in a drawing by Arni Anderson in 1974.  The location was at 311 W. Center Street and Townhouse Apartments took its place. Perhaps AI could search courthouses and find what it used to look like?Me?  I am impatient.  I have a copy of how it used to look.  Here goes!It was lovely, wasn't it!
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
 Is this lovely!I had never seen one until this was discovered in a saver's house.  He collected all sorts of items that are now offered to the public at a sale this weekend.  I believe there are three of them to be offered.  The estate sale is at 104 Lynn Street, Judsonia AR starting in the morning.  Other offerings are shown on estatesales.net.I am amazed at the complexity of construction!
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Fifty Years Ago!Fooled you, didn't I.  It looks a lot like a week ago in Searcy AR.  This picture was taken in our yard many years ago. (The second picture is from the same yard.  A good dad did all this!)  Dads, at that time, put up tire swings for the kids to play on and in this second instance a tree house without trees!  Kids were chased outside to play.  No computers, no cell phones and just a small amount of TVs.  The tree is still there but not the swing.  If the swing was still there and kids were on it or near it there would be a cell phone in one hand! No doubt about it! Searcy Sleuth Don Thompson could probably make an illustration of that for us.   It might be too cold right now to chase the kids out!  Continue with Happy Holidays!
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Nice room, isn't it!  Well, it does look a little like snow on the chair and the floor.  No, it is not fake snow for atmosphere......it is REAL SNOW!  With the temperature in Searcy AR being about 13 degrees over the past hours and expected to be that for several days, one wonders who committed this crime!!  SNOW IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS HOUSE!  There is no roof over this area!I have had a long real estate career (over 40 years) and this is the only atrium that I have seen in Searcy AR. The owner loves the house and the atrium!  The house was built in 1968!I guess I am glad I don't own it right now!!  Do Searcy Sleuths know of another one??  
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
 Old Searcy AR fun!What did kids do before they lived with computers and cell phones?  Stumbling upon a memory is always fun.  That happened to me today.  This wonderful aerial view of a husband-built tree house without being attached to a tree is a pleasure.  I moved to Searcy in 1967 and lived on McRae Street.  Hubby built this tree house (as we called it) for the kids.  I bought this trampoline and it seemed to be the first one in Searcy AR based on its popularity.  Two kids are on it in this photo. The kids could drag it from place to place in the yard and this shows it right in front of the treehouse.  I got a free view of the location now and it is not the same!  Thanks, Present Home Owner, for the tour!!Summary!  Kids today don't know what they are missing!! 
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
 Beautiful old doors! Blog repeated.Some interesting Searcy AR history has just surfaced and there are beautiful antique doors for sale.  At the corner of Market and Gum in Searcy stands Bliss Salon in an old building that the court house says was built in 1884 and was renovated a few years ago by Bliss Salon owners.  I did a blog about it and you have to stop now and go back to read the blog.  Click here, Those buyers loved the old doors that were either in or around it and took them home with them.  They were offered at an estate sale but there may be two left. Now at Ole Hippy for sale by Valerie Canepa at her booth.   Ole Hippy has so many beautiful things.  Go shopping!!  And do go back and look at the changes to the building at the corner of Market and Gum.
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Santa is tired!Antique chalk decoration for Christmas.I drag him out every Christmas and enjoy my sleeping Santa.  I bought him at a garage sale several years ago and he is a delight to have around.....so different!  I don't know how old he is but the original price is on the bottom  Let's look.There it is!  If you are old enough to remember going to the "dime store" with parents many years ago you'd perhaps remember how items were priced on the bottom with a marker.  This was 69 cents!  What would it be today?  Seems as if we can't buy anything for less than 5$!Have a Happy Holiday season!!  Thanks for reading my blog!! 
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Bobby Petrino is back in the news because he is back in Arkansas.  I am not a football fan so why did I save this Arkansas Democrat Gazette news article? One reason!  An adorable red headed young fan was in the picture.  Let's blow it up!Here is the enlarged picture of Tyler getting his shirt autographed by Coach Bobby Petrino.  See the adoration in his eyes!  He loved the Arkansas Razorbacks and the coach.  He was about 10 or 11 years old with a wonderful abundance of red hair!   Wonder where this shirt is now?  It may be valuable!!Who is the girl in the picture?   Her name was not given in the article.   
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
 Did you read the above ad that was in the 1972 Searcy High School yearbook?  Well, read it again and see if you can believe that J. C.Penney was saying that each Senior girl would get a free blouse.That was my interpretation.  So I did a little counting.  I looked at the Senior girls and started counting.  I came up with 74 Senior girls and each one of them had on one of the pictured above blouses!  WOW!  That's a lot of free blouses!  Did boys feel left out?  My friends said, "No, Penney's didn't give them all a blouse;  they just let them BORROW one for the picture."  So here we have another puzzle to be solved by the Searcy Sleuths.  Review the 1972 yearbook and tell me the whole story.  I took a random picture of girls and look at their collars!  (How'd that guy get in the picture?...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
  Photographers!  Look at this great historic picture.  It shows probably all of the employees of Wood Freeman Lumber in Searcy AR.  On the trucks it gives the phone number as 446, Searcy and looks as if E. W. 's was 3200 and O. W. 's was 5000.  Last names must be provided by Searcy Sleuths.  See why I love photographers!Artists!  Look at this beautiful Phyllis Alexander print!  A little girl with her loving pet.  "The little dog laughed to see such sport" is written at the bottom.  Phyllis Alexander is one of Searcy's best artists and painted so many portraits of children in Searcy.  This one is reportedly one of her daughters.Collectors!!  Terry Williams, another one of Searcy's best artists, also collects!  He has been collecting for years and years and this weekend folks are invited...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
About 37 years ago.My mother-in-law, Wyndelene Holmes Duncan, got this hand-done birthday card from me.  I had forgotten that I did it but it just popped up a few days ago.  We all called her Winnie but she preferred the real version of her name.  She is also part of Searcy's history.  She grew up on Holmes Road in Searcy and that family is why the name is Holmes Road.  There is still a big old rock house on the side of the hill.  Click https://activerain.com/droplet/4Wqt for the picture of it a long time ago.  Ms. Winnie, as we called her, was a wonderful and caring person.  She married V. W. Duncan, car dealer whose motto was, "What ole PoDunk says it is, it is!!"  He was a super salesman and built a successful car dealership that grew from used cars to new Chryslers, Plymouths and Je...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Old!  I think so!  Looks old, feels old with such precision in the making.  I found it in a closet in my house!  Look at all the detail and leather.  And look at a name hand-written on it.  Do you know him?  He might have precious memories to share with us.It is a Revelation Western Auto Store ball glove, made in Japan, so says the label.  Wouldn't it be nice to find its former owner! 
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Old postcard for sale on ebay.Look at this fascinating picture of the old Morning Sun Tourist Cottages in Searcy AR.  Morning Sun corner offered a lot.  I thought it was just a filling station but here is what was offered according to the back of the card.  Restaurant, Gas Service, Bar-B-Q, Sandwiches, Plate Lunches, Short Orders, Soft Drinks, Tobaccos, and Tourist Cottages.  It offered 24 hour services, was located 4 miles south of Searcy and 50 miles north of Little Rock on Hwy 67!  Unfortunately, the date is not readable and the building is now replaced by the brand new filling station shown next.Next is the back of the card.Now you see where I got the information about what was offered and interesting (to me at least) is who ran it.  F. R. Duncan was a relative of my husband, Rodger...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Looking back through old clippings is fun and educational.  This one popped up and I quickly called my old friend and asked what it was like to walk on fire.  He said it didn't hurt.  His feet were dark and dirty looking and he could feel the heat but it was painless.  He still does not know whether it was some magic trick or a scientific thing understood by only a few but he definitely made it through safely.So who is this old 1993 RE/MAX agent?  Rodger Cargile is truly fearless.  He is an elected alderman for the city of Searcy AR, still in the real estate and auction business and is charming enough to sell anything! Would he do it again?  Sure!!! 
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Dancing.....better than scaring!!But plenty of scary stuff in this yard also.  Look at the size of the skeleton in the rear!  If there was a contest he's be the winner.  The house gets full attention from the owners each Halloween with every scary thing that you can imagine plus some fun!  Skeletons are doing things like dancing (my favorite), walking the dog, roasting marshmallows, taking a selfie, and one that is "just thinking" in front of a pile of jack-o-lanterns,  and there is even a witch who made a mistake and ran into a tree!Giant skeletons. The one on the left seems to be taking a selfie.Walking the dog!  Both are skeletons!!  Take the kids!  Drive by this house at 110 Virginia Way in Searcy AR and be delighted! 
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Searcy Daily Citizen 1929Newspapers seem to be passing away.  We can now go to the computer in order to read the newspaper.  Many people don't have computer knowledge or own a computer.  Prices for the newspaper has gone higher so lots of people have dropped their subscription.  I plan to continue reading a newspaper each day if I can afford to do so.  I love and respect newspapers and the folks who make it happen.  I treasure the clipped photos of family members that I saved through the years. Above is a 1929 photograph of a newspaper newsroom.  Looks kinda messy, doesn't it.  I am attaching a photo of the names of folks pictured.  It was attached to the picture.  
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Built in 1953, Harding College Building, Searcy ARLovely, isn't it?  I bought this card from ebay for 50 cents.  The back says, "A modern, air-conditioned classroom building, completed in 1953.  It contains business laboratories, lecture rooms, seminar rooms, small auditorium, and staff offices." A 1960 Harding Petit Jean has a picture of it and calls it the American Studies Building.My question is "Is it still there on campus?"  I am a Harding College graduate and the campus has grown so large that I have not been on it in quite a while. This was a beautiful building then and I hope it still is!  
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
 211 W. Woodruff, Searcy ARIt once was a light color and easier to picture and admire.  It is now this dark color and harder to get a good view and picture. The court house says it was built in 1885 and Auction.com says that is scheduled for foreclosure on October 19, 2023. And I say, "Please, recognize it as a very historic house and deserves to be respected and kept."Too many historic homes have been eliminated in Searcy AR and I hope this one will be bought and loved.  It was a foreclosure before in 2013.  I wrote a blog about it then.  Click https://activerain.com/droplet/ljNb to see it in light colors and read about its structure and a bit of history.  
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
I was given this card with three different views of First National Bank in Searcy AR.  The 1904 view is SO different.  Correct me if I am wrong but I have been told that it was located at the corner of Arch and Spruce at that time and it burned.  In this picture it looks as if it was very fancy and perhaps had the entrance on the corner.  I'd like to see a very clear picture of it at that time.In 1954, it seems much simpler and was in a different location. I believe it was then at the corner of Spruce and Race.  Then it shows the 1994 view.  The name has changed several times.  We no longer have a First National Bank in Searcy and the 1994 view is nearest to today's view! 
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
This tiny picture is only 3" x 3" and scanning enlarged it.I glance at it and say, "They look so much like my mom and dad!"Enlarging shows it is not them so I analyze and decide it is the fashion that makes me think it looks like them.  Take the lady....dresses only for women way back in the 30's. (This looks like 30's or 40's to me.) My mother would only wear pants to go pick cotton or work in the fields. Dresses were usually hand made with the style you see here.  Then look at the man.  Overalls with lots of pockets and definitely old and worn. (Just as the kids like today in their jeans with a worn-out look.)  Cocked hat and an arm around his lady friend.  The house is worn in appearance but livable with a probable out door toilet and water from a dug well.  Electricity?  I'd bet the...
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