Villages of Brentwood Sales of Homes in Nashville TN - Market trends for Spring 2009 Home sales are just barely down in the Villages of Brentwood this year. Prices have also remained very close to their levels of 2008. The bigger difference that you'll see is that the smaller and thus lower priced homes are the ones selling right now. What that means is where you see the AVERAGE sales price is down from $181,230 to $168,818 which looks like a lot. The actual price per square foot is actually up a Dollar! Homes in Villages of Brentwood will qualify for the $8000 First time Home Buyers Tax Incentive. Read more about how to get the $8000 Tax Incentive at the link above. Address BR Yr Blt Gar Sq Ft List Price SP/SF Sales Price Closed DOM 5501 VILLAGE WAY 3 1984   1,294 $129,900 $96.52 $12... 06/22/2009

I previewed this home yesterday. It is listed by RE/MAX Elite.  This is a 4000+ sq ft home is on 2 acres on Hillsboro Rd, an area of estate homes. List price $480,900, reduced from $695,899.  There are 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, MLS 1069142. The home is down a lane on a very private site.  The home needs work, but has possibilities. A new owner probably would want to extensively renovate the home.  This listing requires a Bank of America pre-qualification letter, and earnest money in form of cashier's check. Home is being sold 'as is.' See on YouTube. Call direct, 615-516-5233, or email Sarah or John Rummage to work with you as your buyer's agent to preview this home or other homes in the Middle Tennessee area.  Search homes on your own. 06/22/2009

There's a breed of Home Buyers and Sellers out there that I'm beginning to see more of. These folks actually go out "shopping for a REALTOR" . . . They WANT representation but either don't currently know a REALTOR (Moving into town) or are not comfortable working with the REALTORS they know ("I have 6 close friends who are ALL REALTORS and cannot pick one because it'll tick off all the others, so I cannot use ANY of them"). So they go to where REALTORS roam and observe them in their "natural habitat" . . . Attending Open Houses . . . Taking a full Saturday and setting up appointments with a dozen or so REALTORS to view listings . .  . and being very coy about their intentions at first call. I guess we REALTORS can be very suspicious of this kinda call, right? After all, we may jump to c... 06/22/2009

Jim Cramer said earlier this week that the real estate market had hit bottom, and would be moving up now. In Nashville, the bottom was January. Real Estate sales have increased steadily every month, and now it looks like the buyers who were sitting on the fence, are going to have to pay for higher interest rates, and probably higher prices. The selection of homes in the lower price ranges is very thin right now and I don't expect it to get better. THis is nothing new, All markets take courage to buy at the bottom, I'm not just talking about houses, but every market. One thing is for sure, If you wait long enough, you will get the opportunity to pay a much higher price for your next Nashville home. This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property and opinions of L... 06/19/2009

Nashville TN Real Estate Market Report for Bradford Hills - Spring 2009 Bradford Hills still posts strong sales for 2009. The number of closings is down 25% over Spring of 2008 and the prices are down about 3%. These are still good numbers, compared to Nashville, in general, which posted an almost 37% decrease in the number of sales and a full 7% decrease in the average sales price. There are currently 21 properties for sale. That comes to approximately a 9 month supply, down from highs of 20 month supplies.  2009 Sales Address BR Gar Sq Ft LP/SF List Price SP/SF Sales Price Closed DOM 605 COBBLE CT 3 1 1,260 $137.26 $172,952 $136.51 $172,000 2/27/2009 25 1113 CRESTFIELD DR 3 2 1,696 $117.63 $199,500 $115.92 $196,600 2/13/2009 60 2300 PEAK HILL CV 4 2 2,273 $87.95 $199,900 $87.99 $200,0... 06/19/2009

Do YOU always make time for learning? I believe you do HAVE the time . . . The time is there . . . What matters is where Learning is in your priorities. When's the last time you really shook things up? How often do you wake up feeling less than enthusiastic about the day? Same ole same ole . . . Day after day after day . . . When asked the question: "Howya doin' t'day?". . . What's your answer? If it's anything akin to: "Not so great." in a defeated tone, I think it's time for some LEARNIN' Our brains can play some pretty mean tricks on us. When things aren't going as well as we would like, the little devil on your shoulder grabs your attention and instructs you to RUN and HIDE in your cave. He tells you that you're SO good that you can figure this out on your own. All you've gotta do i... 06/18/2009

Rarely do I ever get an opportunity to see a buck this time of the year. While walking around Radnor Lake the other day with my video camera, I came across this 10 pointer. It is cool to see the velvet still on the antlers. Sorry for the poor quality as the light was low and I snagged the still using a screen shot. But I guess it is the thought that counts, Right? Y'all be sure to join Friday's Fotos and share your best shots with us... ;-) Follow me on Twitter... You can follow me on FaceBook too... © 2009 michael thornton | complete home inspections, inc. | brentwood, tn | 615.661.0297 | www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com Helping YOU Help Others Live THEIR American Dream... 06/18/2009

A recent bozTEAM blog pointed to signs of change in Germantown. There was more evidence this week in East Nashville! Over the past year, selecting houses for our Thursday Preview Tour of Homes has been REALLY difficult. It starts Wednesday AM with bozTEAM agents sifting through hundreds of homes on an report, trying to find 10 - 20 great candidates for the tour. Yesterday, armed with this week's theme of '1st Time Buyer Homes Under $175,000 in East Nashville & Inglewood, 2BR/2BA'; I was sure to be in for a LOT of narrowing to get the initial sort under 250 homes. NOPE! The initial, wide range search only found 53 homes! I did a doubletake. WHA..WHATTTT????? 53 HOMES! What could be happening here? Then I started the daunting process of softing through those 53 homes to find suitable cand... 06/18/2009

Yesterday, I wrote a post that seems to have struck a (SEVERAL) nerves. Scroll down to the next post to read it or click this link Title? Why is it so easy for some Real Estate Clients to ask for commission reductions? Lucky me . . . It was "featured" resulting in over 2000 views and 90+ comments in less than 24 hours. There is a veritable mastermind happening there in the comments section yielding some VERY rich and enlightening perspectives. Everyone from REALTORS to other vendors to real estate clients are chiming in . . . In that space, there commission objection scripts and dialogs . . . Plenty of objections . . . a few spicy (on the edge of belligerent) comments . . . That post seems to awakened the giant. In my consulting practice, we talk of the Dead Moose under the table. We al... 06/18/2009

In what other Professional industry do the clients feel so brazenly justified asking their "representatives" to provide superior levels of service at a reduced rate? I think it's because they (often) can. After all, you never know til you ask, right? Truth is, a commission reduction doesn't make up much ground in the grand scheme of things, does it? If a Seller is up-side down, the mistake happened when they purchased . . . in combination with whatever circumstances are causing them to need to sell in a less favorable market. Ask me to reduce my commission, and I'll ask you where you work . . . and I'll show up one day as a customer of yours and ask you to return the favor by reducing YOUR pay commensurately . . . and just as arbitrarily . . . "NO" That's a complete sentence! I know som... 06/17/2009

We're all in a great big world that some people say gets smaller every day thanks to the internet. After all, we can literally communicate with people on the other side of the planet "real time" simply by booting up the lap-top. This is cool stuff. This is POWERFUL stuff. What are YOU doing with your "POWER"? Are you reaching out to others? Is your mind OPEN and receptive to others reaching out to you? Is your on-line experience a COMMUNITY in which the people "present" come from contribution? What's the quality of the time you invest in the people in your world (on-line or in person)? Are you aware that you have the unique ability and capability to positively affect the lives of everyone with whom you make genuine contact? and have you ever really considered the notion that you probabl... 06/15/2009

This Buyer saw a FSBO sign and called the owner . . . Resulting in a showing . . . and a contract. 2 weeks later, all parties freak out. Everyone knows that there are things that need to happen, but no one really knows what to do. This is when the REALTOR gets a call from one of the parties. "I'm already in a deal, and I'm not feeling good about how things are going . . . Can you help me?" OK! Certainly, the Buyer and the Seller both opted to do this thing without any representation initially, so there is no commission built in . . . Yet! So whoever it is that is asking for representation, CAN have representation but very well may have to pay for that representation outside of the deal. The Buyer can pay commission as a closing cost . . . as can the Seller . . . or if both are equally s... 06/15/2009

It is rumored that the 5th and Main condos in Nashville have endured receivership and will be placed back on the market any day. From what I understand, Wachovia Bank continues to be involved in the project as the primary construction lender and has actually already resumed construction in phase II (someone send me a pic). I also learned that the bank has cleared all liens and that all contractors have been paid an agreed upon sum in order to resume work. No word if that sum is less than the amounts originally filed in the mechanics liens. It also appears that that Ghertner is no longer managing the building. Freeman and Webb, one of Nashville's most diverse property management companies, has stepped in to not only manage the property, but also to handle all of the retail space and resi... 06/13/2009

Nashville - Not only do we have the Country Music Award festival (previously Fan Far) going on in downtown Nashville all weekend,  we have Bonnaroo just east in Manchester. Take a look at the list of performers Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Phish (2 shows) Beastie Boys Nine Inch Nails David Byrne Wilco Al Green Snoop Dogg Elvis Costello Solo Erykah Badu Paul Oakenfold Ben Harper and Relentless7 Jimmy Fallon with Wayne Federman The Mars Volta TV on the Radio Yeah Yeah Yeahs MGMT moe. Public Enemy Andrew Bird Band of Horses Gov't Mule Bonnapoo 2009: Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Todd Barry, Amy Schumer, Kumail Nanjiani & Valley Lodge Merle Haggard Daily Show Stars John Oliver Rob Riggle Rory Albanese Wyatt Cenac Kristen Schaal & Kurt Braunohler The Decemberists Ani DiFranco Girl... 06/13/2009

As I am taking time to take care of myself, both physically and mentally, I am taking time every day to walk around Radnor Lake Wildlife refuge not too far down the road from where I live. Every day I have to opportunity to see something new as the beauty of the lake and its undisturbed surroundings, present wonderful photo opportunities if you but take a few minutes to look. This morning I was able to capture these swallows all lined up in a picture perfect setting... Have a happy Great Saturday, Y'all... ;-) If you or someone you know is purchasing or listing a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Nashville, Spring Hill or Thompson's Station in the Davidson or Williamson county area of Middle Tennessee and would like more information about getting a CERTIFIED pre-listingor home inspection, g... 06/13/2009

It's time again for the Purity Daries sponsored Miss Martha's Ice Cream Crankin' Contest. This annual all-you-can-eat event is scheduled to begin at 4pm on Sunday June 14th at the First Presbyterian Church in Nashville TN. This year there will be live music by Ashley Cleveland and Jonell Mosser, Paul McLaughlin - famed Country, Rock, and Southern singer, and many others. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than cranking and eating home-made ice cream and listening to good music! The monies from this event go to support The Martha O'Bryan Center in East Nashville. The contest itself will be judged by local celebrities. The winning entry will become an Official Flavor for Purity Premium Ice Cream. The Church is located at 4815 Franklin Road in the South Nashville area. For more in... 06/12/2009

Earlier today, I had an opportunity to be at a function for the inner city children which was held in the Lindsley Ave Church of Christ in downtown Nashville, TN. The church was built sometime in the late 1800's, 1894 I think. I really love going into these old buildings as the architecture is so beautiful, not to mention painstaking work it took to create these works of art... Can't wait until Sunday to get you photo fix, then "Friday's Fotos..." is the group for you. Dedicated to all you camera buffs who periodically get into their right mind if you know what I mean. Rules are similar as with the other groups - but with a slight twist. Let the fotos do the talking but, Please be pithy with your descriptions. So spread the love, tell others, and happy shooting and posting. Y'all have ... 06/12/2009

You can't see the forest if your focus in only on the trees. The Blind Men & The Elephant by John Godfrey Saxe is a rendition of an age-old parable (That I believe was originated in the Buddhist canon). It's worth a read. 6 Blind men each encounter a different part of an elephant and define that part as being the whole. The Moral serves a great lesson for all of us as we adventure along through our careers and lives: "Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong!" MORAL. So oft in theologic wars (ANYTHING), The disputants, I ween, Rail on in utter ignorance Of what each other mean, And prate about an Elephant Not one of them has seen" This story came to mind yesterday as I taught the 411/Time Blocking class. While listening to the comments of the participants, I realiz... 06/12/2009

On one of my daily treks around my favorite hiking trail not too far from the house, I came across this pair of does giving each other a bath. One must have been saying to the other, "Be sure to wash behind my ears good..." Can't wait until Sunday to get you foto fix, then "Friday's Fotos..." is the group for you. Dedicated to all you camera buffs who periodically get into their right mind if you know what I mean. Rules are similar as with the other groups - but with a slight twist. Let the fotos do the talking but, Please be pithy with your descriptions. So spread the love, tell others, and happy shooting and posting.   Y'all have fun and share your best shots with us... ;-) Follow me on Twitter... You can follow me on FaceBook too... © 2009 michael thornton | complete home inspection... 06/11/2009

Each month, our office has what we call "1st Friday Lunch". This is an agenda-free gathering of whoever wants to come at a local restaurant. Generally, there are 10-15 associates who come. Most of the folks who come are the Top Producers in the office - The busiest agents. Why/how can the busiest agents in the office find time in their schedules to take a 2 hour slice out of their Friday to have lunch with other agents? These folks see this as a valuable use of their time because they know this is an opportunity to talk about issues in an informal setting . . . Everyone learns from everyone else. Where are all the rookies? This scenario would be "hog's Heaven" for a rookie. Wouldn't ya think? An opportunity to hang with 10-15 highly successful agents in an environment where "Picking Bra... 06/10/2009