Four More Reasons Why You Should Buy a Home in Lexington Ky Earlier I wrote about "Four Reasons" to buy a home in Lexington.  Today I want to give four more reasons. 1)  According to Women's Health Lexington was rated the ninth "Best Affordable Place to Retire."  Lexington was noted as having "low property taxes and cost of living.  Personally my wife and I have noticed that this area seems to value senior citizens more than the Pacific Northwest.  Kroger's is by far the largest food chain in the nation and gives everyone that is 60 or older a ten percent discount on everything in the store on the first Wednesday of the month.  Many of the entertainment places have discounts on movie tickets, and some of the restuarants also have special menues or prices for us seniors.  Retired teacher... 11/09/2011

Visit or stay a lifetime, but come to Lexington for the fall beauty. Central Kentucky may not have the famous Smokey Mountain color or the colors of New Hampshire but  it is pretty spectacular nevertheless. The older neighborhoods have the best color.  The newer neighborhoods have not had enough time for the trees to get to the majestic beauty stage.  I took these photos driving up Claiborne Way.  Those really tall trees are Pin Oaks.  Those two pin oaks are the lifeblood  of my  little spot of land.  The provide nourishment for the garden, spectacular beauty during the fall months and into the winter, air conditioning during the summer and insulation during our hot summers.  Driving up Claiborne from my home I shot these other photos.  The Knock Out roses bloom until the very coldest d... 11/08/2011

Four reasons you should consider moving to Lexington Kentucky #1 Lexington Kentucky is the number ONE best city in our United States for finding a job as reported in Forbes magazine in 2011. "After surveying more than 18,000 employers in 100 metropolitan areas to find out who's hiring, who's firing and who plans to maintain their current staff levels in the second quarter of 2011, results showed that Lexington-Fayette County, Ky was the metropolitan area with the most optimistic forescast of all for hiring this past spring." #2 Lexington Kentucky has the number TWO most educated workforce in the nation according to Business Facilities in 2008.  "This ranking is based on the percentages of Lexington's workforce that are high school graduates or that have attained a bachelor's or more adv... 11/08/2011

With three and a half percent down you can buy many homes in Lexington for less than you can rent the same house. An example: Here is a three bedroom home with a large master on the first floor only ten minutes from the University of Kentuky.  This home is in much better condition that you will find most rental homes to be.  Even if you paid full price with three percent down your monthly payments will be $877,00 a month with an interest rate of 4.25 percent will be less than 900 a month for a three bedroom home with a large master.  That same home with a first floor master would easily rent for $900.00 a month.       Now consider this other advantage to owning.  You can deduct you interest and taxes from your Federal Income taxes.  Most buyers are likely in at least the 15 percent inco... 11/07/2011

Open house at 3912 McGarry Drive in Lexington Sunday from 2 to 4.  It is supposed to be a sunny beautiful day so stop by and enjoy touring this lovely 5 bedroom home. McGarry Drive is just a few blocks south of Man of War.  Drive to Boston Road on Man of War, drive south and look for Spring Run.  Take a right on Spring Run and then a left on Mcgarry.   McGarry is in the coveted Copper Trace subdivision and is an excellent place to raise a family.  This home comes with numerous upgrades, a majestic stamped concrete patio, a play set for the children and a trampoline with new netting. 10/28/2011

Dreaming About Spring - Mulling over the Seed Catalogues Well, the catalogues are beginning to arrive, the weather is cooling and it is almost time to start planning for next springs garden. Before planning though it is fun and I believe healthy to dream a little, to let a vision begin to form and to share that dreaming and vision with friends. So the next few weeks I will share a little about what I am finding in the seed catalogues and what I am thinking what I might try next spring. Today I received the "Thompson and Morgan" catalogue.  This is a very old seed company from England that has a large outlet in the United States based in Indiana. You can order from tmseeds.com, call toll free to order 800-274-7333 or mail your order to: Thompson and Morgan P.O. Box 4086 Lawrenceburg, IN ... 10/26/2011

Please Visit SS Tire on Boston Road I am writing this blog as I wait to have my tire fixed at SS Tire Auto Service Center at 3650 Boston Road in Lexington. This afternoon as I was about to leave a listing appointment in Wilmore the client discovered my tire was almost flat.  He had an air pressure tank that got me enough air to get to this shop.   I drove here because it is on my way home but it also came highly recommended by my friend Mike Baldwin. The manager is Joe Durkin.  Joe doesn't know me but he sure treated me like a special client.  I am impressed when any service business shows genuine concern for a needy customer.   If you need a good tire store that also does tune up and other mechanical services please give Joe a try.  Joe's phone number is 859 296 5917 10/25/2011

Opportunities to Help Plant Trees One of my great joys in the fall is raking leaves.  Am I crazy?  While raking I always have this deep sense of the presence of God.  Falling leaves remind me of the story of the manna God provided in the desert.  Leaves are manna for the earth.  The falling leaves are the essential ingredient to the topsoil here in Lexington.  These thoughts remind me of these lines from Wendell Berry's poem. Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front   Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias. Say that your main crop is the forest that you did not plant, that you will not live to harvest. Say that the leaves are harvested when they have rotted into the mold. Call that profit. Prophesy such returns. Put your faith in the two inches of humus that will build under the tre... 10/23/2011

The Real Estate Market Varies Greatly by State, Regions, Cities and Subdivisions. I am visiting my daughter in Michigan this week end.  Of course I am always interested in what is happening in the real estate market.  One of the very noticeable things about Ann Arbor is that there are large sections of the town where you rarely see any homes for sale. This is just another reminder that The Real Estate Market Varies Greatly by State, Regions, Cities and Subdivisions.   So when we read news articles about real estate trends in the United States we all need to stop and ask, is that really true for my neighborhood? NO, IT PROBABLY IS NOT TRUE FOR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD! Everyone has read about how terrible the housing market is in Michigan.  I know many of these terrible conditions are true but... 10/21/2011

This past Friday and Saturday, September 24th and 25th friends of First Alliance church including a large number of  employees of Hilliard Lyons and the Bank of the Bluegrass began building a habitat home on Third Street.   Habitat of Lexington is currently building five homes.  Their ability to organize, supply and coordinate the people and goods to build one home is amazing.  How do they ever do five at a time? If you would like to join this community service project then please visit this web site and volunteer to help in the future.  You must be at least 16 years of age.         https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmskZoKhK1V2dGd0cEVvSy1wajl1Z2duUnM2Z25mNmc&hl=en_US#gid=0 If you have questions do not hesitate to call me. Paul 8596845890 09/27/2011

UK Student Housing - Lexington KY Condos - University of Kentucky South Hill Station 585 South Upper St. #113 Lexington KY 40508 Reduced price - $177,500 Why pay rent? Here's the stunningly modern UK location you've dreamed of. Clearly the most upgraded condo in South Hill Station. Beautiful 2 bedroom 2 bath, kitchen has honey maple cabinets w/ stainless handles and black appliances. Extra cabinets have been installed. Granite counter tops too! Custom built-in closets for each bedroom. Bathrooms upgraded with custom vanities. Living room and dining area. New paint and polished concrete floor, industrial exposed duct work, 16' ceiling, stack washer and dryer. 3 parking spaces, secured entry w/ card keys and 24 HR monitoring. High speed Internet, convenient to shopping, restaurants and s... 09/19/2011

Lexington KY - Homes With Basements - Pros & Cons In the year 2011, we really have had some extreme weather in Lexington KY along with the surrounding states and many new home buyers are considering homes with basements. Sure, bad weather can happen most anywhere except Arizona. Do they get any natural disasters? I don't think so. So if you are thinking of a new home and want to tour suitable houses, you need to know what exactly goes on in a basement of a house. Not all basements are good ones and neither are all crawlspaces created equal. Let's start with why homes with basements are good: Pros: They make terrific man caves.  It's a good place to put all your extra stuff. They make nice cool bedrooms.  In times of bad weather they will keep your family safe. Good place to put a home t... 08/04/2011

My Kentucky Garden Friend With A BIG Appetite! One of my favorite things to do in the morning is water my flowers and vegetables. It's nice to see everything growing and looking healthy. I spent most of my adult life as a renter. About 8 years ago I bought my first home. The only gardening I could do was a few flowers in containers on a deck. That has changed in a BIG way! I now take great pride in working in the flower beds. Seriously, it's free therapy when you have things on your mind. There are about 30 trees that I have planted also. One pear tree has some of the best pears I have ever eaten. I laugh and tell my friends that I am living off the land! I added a raised bed this year for vegetables and so far the results have been amazing. Love having fresh tomatoes, kale, lettuce, sp... 08/02/2011

Did you ever play with a glass of water and a straw. Put your finger over the end of a straw and raise it. The water comes up with it. Let go of it and the water runs out. Did you know your house drainage system also has a "top of the straw" that needs to be open for proper drainage. Plumber forgot to take the pressure test cap off the top of this plumbing vent pipe. No wonder everything drains slowly. It has to draw air from elsewhere. Easy fix: break out the cap or cut off the top inch of pipe removing the test cap. 07/28/2011

Hi Gardening Friends, Mostly I want to share this video with you and give you an update on what is happening in the garden. I harvested two Shantung Suyo cucumbers this weekend that were 18 inches long.  This is one of the few hybrid seeds I grow.  I stumbled upon the seed at Fedco a few years ago.  It is never bitter, grows rapidly and taste so sweet that I cannot resist it even though it is a hybrid. Just a note about diatomaceous earth (DE) and how it is helping control those awful borers.  I have lost one cucumber to something but I cannot tell it has been damaged by a borer.  All of my squash and the rest of my plants seem to be really doing quite well.  Last year I lost all of my squash and cucumbers to the borers.  It does take a little aggressive reapplication of the DE after he... 06/27/2011

First Time Home Buyers In Lexington Ky - Resale Homes And New Construction - FHA / VA   The time is right for new first time home buyers in Lexington KY to attempt purchasing their first home. Contrary to what you hear in the news, there are many people that have good credit, savings and good standing to be able to accuire a bank loan for resale homes and new construction. FHA loans require a 3.5% down payment but 100% financing is available for VA loans. Conventional loans require up to a 20% down payment. There is a program called REACH that may be able to provide down payment assistance. At Reach they provide counseling for low to moderate income families to become financially self-sufficient and obtain affordable housing. For some clients, new construction is still the house of choi... 06/08/2011

Don't Start Looking For A Home before You Read This! 1.Find a REALTOR whom you can relate to. Buying a home is an emotional commitment. It's critical that the agent you choose is both skilled and a good fit with your personality. Have your own agent show you homes, not the listing agent. Call your agent if you see a home you want to tour.  Your Realtor will make all the appointments and represent YOU in the offer. The listing agent represents the seller and cannot disclose all that you will need to know about the property & the seller.  Find an agent that makes his or her career full time in real estate. Agents usually know one another so if you are unhappy working with an agent and want to change to another please let them know that you will be doing so. This alleviates miscommunicati... 06/03/2011

You Need To Come To The Church Of What's Happening Now! This doesn't have anything to do with real church(if you are looking for a religious story). One of my favorite investor clients came up with this phrase a few days ago when we were discussing how to approach someone that was asking way too much for some Kentucky real estate (In his opinion). He went through his long list of reasons for the price to be lowered then said, "He need's to come to the church of what's happening now!"  I cracked up! I told him that if there was such a church I really wanted to be a member. Since then, that phrase has stuck in my head.  So I am finding ways to say it when I find a funny situation to use it in.   Note: This works best on new clients that haven't heard it before. Other ways to use it: After... 06/01/2011

I'm helping a client run a garage sale today. A group of people came in and along with them, a rather exuberant dog, who was peeing all over the yard and getting into things.  The people said it wasn't their dog, so We thought it might be a stray. A few minutes later, we saw my client's cat streak across the driveway, followed by the dog, who actually looked like he just wanted to play, but the cat was clearly not interested.  When I went out to investigate, I discovered the kitty perched at a safe distance, about 15 feet up a tree... As it turns out, the dog was identified by a neighbor as belonging to another neighbor down the street.  The reason nobody recognized him is because he was just shaved for the summer, sporting his new crew cut! 05/13/2011

UK Student Housing - Lexington KY Condos - University of Kentucky South Hill Station 585 South Upper St. #113 Lexington KY 40508 $177,500 Why pay rent? Here's the stunningly modern UK location you've dreamed of. Clearly the most upgraded condo in South Hill Station. Beautiful 2 bedroom 2 bath, kitchen has honey maple cabinets w/ stainless handles and black appliances. Extra cabinets have been installed. Granite counter tops too! Custom built-in closets for each bedroom. Bathrooms upgraded with custom vanities. Living room and dining area. New paint and polished concrete floor, industrial exposed duct work, 16' ceiling, stack washer and dryer. 3 parking spaces, secured entry w/ card keys and 24 HR monitoring. High speed Internet, convenient to shopping, restaurants and school. Unit is no... 05/10/2011