alabama: New Appraisal Rules: Working Against Consumers?
- 03/10/10 04:25 AM
For being a grim reaper, Tom Horn is a pretty nice guy. It's just that some folks trying to sell their homes in the Birmingham, Alabama area these days may think of him as the grim reaper. After all, for anyone with an unrealistic idea of what a Buyer would pay for their home, Tom is the one to bring them back to reality.
Horn, who has been a central Alabama appraiser for nearly twenty years, has seen his share of up and down cycles in real estate values. He owns appraisal-source.com, a website that caters to owners selling on … (5 comments)
alabama: Short Sale Blues
- 08/17/09 12:06 PM
Talk about frustrating... We've been working with a Seller who has been behind on his payments. Unfortunately, he Listed with us late in the game, so to speak, already having tried to sell on his own (unsuccessfully), and long since having received a notice of Foreclosure. But we told him we'd give it our best shot in an effort to help him avoid being Foreclosed. We managed to get an Offer on his property and began immediately to try and obtain Short Sale approval. But if you haven't been through the process before, rest assured that it's not as easy as … (5 comments)
alabama: The Holiday We Should Celebrate Year 'Round
- 06/16/09 02:28 AM
The moist, delicious turkey with all the trimmings, I must admit, are temptations in and of themselves. But it's not about the food. Yesterday reminds me of the real reasons. My daily morning walk with Fisbo, our six pound poodle, brought the first reminder. We are sometimes joined in our walk by a neighbor and her dog who live one street over from us. Seeing each other, we walked together and began catching up on the latest neighborhood news. That's when she informed me that her husband, who had worked in sales for a local industrial business, had lost his … (3 comments)
alabama: The One Part Of Spring We Could Do Without
- 04/01/09 12:56 PM
Okay, we all feel a bit blue from time to time, but how about ... yellow. Huh? If you live in the Southeast, if it's yellow around you, it must be spring. For example, take a look at my Ford Explorer, which has been been parked in a covered area (believe it or not):
I actually do keep my Explorer clean (okay, I try to), but you'd never know it from this picture. Yellow pine pollen is a tradition of Spring around our part of the country. There's not a thing we can do about it, but I did learn … (2 comments)
alabama: BusinessWeek has good things to say about our service area in Alabama
- 03/19/09 03:40 AM
It's always nice to see your home turf get some positive recognition, and BusinessWeek magazine has helped drive home what we tell folks all the time: Alabama is a great place to live.BusinessWeek has named the city of Alabaster in Shelby Co. has the state's most affordable suburb. This is the one of the key cities we service for people buying or selling homes, and with several good reasons.Alabaster has enjoyed tremendous growth the past few years, but--unlike many communities--its tax base has been growing, as well, thanks to the Colonial Promenade Shopping Center, along with other businesses opening their doors … (0 comments)
alabama: Snowfall in Dixie
- 03/01/09 02:48 AM
Okay, I admit it. Snow is a big deal around here. Snow in the deep South is a pretty rare event. You don't see scenes like this in Alabama very often:
Nonetheless, we can say that--through neither rain, nor sleet nor snow--Realtors keep doing their job. We'll be showing a home for sale to buyers in Shelby county's Alabaster area shortly, snow or no snow! It would seem that--instead of taking in the winter scene--Fisbo, our spoiled six pound poodle, prefers to climb up my leg while I'm shooting snow pictures:
… (6 comments)
alabama: An Old Tactic That Still Helps Buyers And Sellers
- 02/12/09 09:47 AM
When it comes to achieving successful sales, it helps not to lose sight of some tried and true tricks--especially during challenging times, I'm convinced. Just completed an interview we did with a local lender about Buy-downs and posted a podcast on our website. A lot of folks still don't really understand buy-downs--perhaps this interview makes the Buy-down clearer. I hope someone gets benefit out of hearing this. http://calloncolleen.com/blog/?p=381 Thanks! David Black
Working in Shelby county real estate reminds me of walking into the surf along Alabama's Gulf Coast. Stand only a few feet from shore, and the incoming waves gently surround your feet. You feel the almost tickling sensation of sand washing away as the water recedes. Take a few more steps out, and those incoming waves rise to around your knees. Walk out further, and you start to appreciate the power of nature. Just standing your ground becomes a lot more of a challenge. It's as if the waves are reminding you who's really in control. As you look … (4 comments)
For being a grim reaper, Tom Horn is a pretty nice guy. 
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