Local Events

August 22, 2011

Here are a few local events that are posted on the Chamber of Commerce website: http://www.hopkinsvillechamber.com.  Get out and support these events!

 

WHVO and Buffalo Wings & Rings Hot August Car Show

Event Active Date: 8/27/2011         Saturday  8/27/2011   3:00PM – 9:00PM

For more info: http://www.visithopkinsville.com/Events/DisplayEvent.asp?ID=330&Shell=Community

Contact: Gary McIntyre
4011 Fort Campbell Blvd.
Hopkinsville, KY  42240
Phone: 270-887-4290
Email: gmcintyre@hopkinsville.us
Website: hoptownrec.com

 

Gun, Knife & Collector Show

Event Active Dates: 8/27/2011 – 8/28/2011

Saturday  8/27/2011   9:00AM – 5:00PM

Sunday  8/28/2011   10:00AM – 4:00PM      Admission: $8.00

 RK Shows, Inc. presents Gun-Knife & Collector Show that will be held at the Western Kentucky State Fairgrounds in the Convention Center located on Richard Street. There will be 200 tables available at $51.00/prepaid or $61.00 each for vendors. Set up times for dealers are Friday 12 p.m. – 8 p.m. and Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.  

For more info: http://www.visithopkinsville.com/Events/DisplayEvent.asp?ID=384&Shell=Community

 

12U Baseball Tournament

Event Active Dates: 8/27/2011 – 8/28/2011

Saturday  8/27/2011    

Sunday  8/28/2011    

The Baseball Players Association will sponsor the 12U Baseball tournament at Tie Breaker Park.

 

Labor Day Weekend Celebration

Event Active Dates: 9/2/2011 – 9/5/2011

Friday  9/2/2011    

Saturday  9/3/2011    

Sunday  9/4/2011    

Monday  9/5/2011    

Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park’s Labor Day festivities will begin Friday night September 3rd. Come help us say farewell to summer. This will be the last weekend of daily recreation/naturalist led activities until May 2011. Activities include, but are not limited to: junior naturalist programs, guided nature hikes, campfire programs, sports activities, and arts and crafts.

 


Buyers Market

August 19, 2011

It is a buyers market.  With the amount of homes on the marker and interest rates at historic lows, now is the time to buy.  The following is taken from the daily updates for REALTOR®Mag which is published by the National Association of REALTORS®.

Daily Real Estate News | Friday, August 19,2011
 

Buyers to Sellers: Just How Low Will You Go

 
Low-ball offers from home buyers seems to be the norm these days. But as economic and stock market woes continue, some buyers are using it as an opportunity to submit even lower offers, The Wall Street Journal reports. 

“Buyers are going to use every point of leverage they can to get a lower price,” Glenn Kelman, chief executive of Redfin Corp., told The Wall Street Journal. 

For example, home buyer Ryan Goodman says he reduced bids on two homes he submitted in Barrington, Ill., because of the stock markets plunge. He and his wife had originally offered $680,000 for a home listed at $800,000, and this week submitted a new offer of $650,000. 

“Unless we get a steal, we’re not going to buy any house,” Goodman says.

Analysts say that the Federal Reserve’s vow to keep short-term interest rates near zero until 2013 has reduced the urgency of buyers. It gives buyers “comfort that they are not missing out on low interest rates if they wait,” says John Burns, a home-building consultant in Irvine, Calif. “That has tilted even more power toward home buyers.”

Source: “New Round of Upheaval Reduces Home Buyers’ Urgency to Do a Deal,” The Wall Street Journal (Aug. 19, 2011)


Fireworks

June 28, 2011

Fourth of July is upon us!  I love fireworks and I must admit, I have done some stupid things with them in the past.   I have attached a few videos about fireworks below that offer some safety tips and a few that some idiots done that are funny though they were stupid to try them.  I hope you enjoy them.  Feel free to leave comments.

Have a Fun and Safe holiday!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh-D1amxtS0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6K0t6q5wX8

Thanks for viewing my blog!   Remember, give me a call if you are looking for a Realtor!


Local Housing Stats and Our Military

June 23, 2011

According to the local Board of REALTORS® there were twenty nine (29) houses sold in Hopkinsville/Christian County for May.  Of the twenty nine (29), active or retired military purchased nine (9) of them, which is approximately 31%.  The efforts of Operation Left Turn, the Chamber’s effort to get the military to come to Hopkinsville, appear to be paying off.

As I have stated in the past, Hopkinsville’s growth is depending mostly on the military at this time.  We have to get our population base up and also the median income before we can expect any retail growth.  The restaurants and chain store franchises base their decisions exclusively on demographics.

We all need to be spreading the word that “turning left” when you leave Ft. Campbell and live in Hopkinsville, there are several advantages.

Let’s all spread the word to our military that we appreciate them and want them to live in Hopkinsville.

 

 

 


Home Improvement Trends

June 21, 2011

Here is a nice article for HouseLogic

 

Seven Hot Home Improvement Trends that Make Your Home Work for You

By: Lisa Kaplan Gordon Published: May 13, 2011

Home improvement trends embrace energy efficiency, low maintenance exteriors, and double-duty space.

 Trend #1: Maintenance-free siding

 We continue to choose maintenance-free siding that lives as long as we do, but with a lot less upkeep. But more and more we’re opting for fiber-cement siding, one of the fastest-growing segments of the siding market. It’s a combination of cement, sand, and cellulosic fibers that looks like wood but won’t rot, combust, or succumb to termites and other wood-boring insects. At $5 to $9 per sq. ft., installed, fiber-cement siding is more expensive than paint-grade wood, vinyl, and aluminum siding. It returns 80% of investment, the highest return of any upscale project on Remodeling magazine’s latest Cost vs. Value Report. Maintenance is limited to a cleaning and some caulking each spring. Repaint every 7 to 15 years. Wood requires repainting every 4 to 7 years.

Trend #2: Convertible spaces

 Forget “museum rooms” we use twice a year (dining rooms and living rooms) and embrace convertible spaces that change with our whims. Foldaway walls turn a private study into an easy-flow party space. Walls can consist of fancy, glass panels ($600 to $1,600 per linear ft., depending on the system); or they can be simple vinyl-covered accordions ($1,230 for 7 ft. by 10 ft.). PortablePartions.com sells walls on wheels ($775 for approximately 7 ft. by 7 ft.). A Murphy bed pulls down from an armoire-looking wall unit and turns any room into a guest room. Prices, including installation and cabinetry, range from $2,000 (twin with main cabinet) to more than $5,000 (California king with main and side units). Just search online for sellers. And don’t forget area rugs that easily define, and redefine, open spaces.

Trend #3: A laundry room of your own

Humankind advanced when the laundry room arose from the basement to a louvered closet on the second floor where clothes live. Now, we’re taking another step forward by granting washday a room of its own. If you’re thinking of remodeling, turn a mudroom or extra bedroom into a dedicated laundry room big enough to house the washer and dryer, hang hand-washables, and store bulk boxes of detergent. Look for spaces that already have plumbing hookups or are adjacent to rooms with running water to save on plumbing costs.

Trend #4: Souped-up kitchens

Although houses are trending smaller, kitchens are getting bigger, according to the American Institute of Architects’ Home Design Trends Survey. Kitchen remodels open the space, perhaps incorporating lonely dining rooms, and feature recycling centers, large pantries, and recharging stations. Oversized and high-priced commercial appliances—did we ever fire up six burners at once?—are yielding to family-sized, mid-range models that recover at least one cabinet for storage. Since the entire family now helps prepare dinner (in your dreams), double prep sinks have evolved into dual-prep islands with lots of counter space and pull-out drawers.

Trend #5: Energy diets

We’re wrestling with an energy disorder: We’re binging on electronics—cell phones, iPads, Blackberries, laptops–then crash dieting by installing LED fixtures and turning the thermostat to 68 degrees. Are we ahead of the energy game? Only the energy monitors and meters know for sure. These new tracking devices can gauge electricity usage of individual electronics ($20 to $30) or monitor whole house energy ($100 to $250). The TED 5000 Energy Monitor ($240) supplies real-time feedback that you can view remotely and graph by the second, minute, hour, day, and month.

Trend #6: Love that storage

As we bow to the new god of declutter, storage has become the holy grail. We’re not talking about more baskets we can trip over in the night; we’re imagining and discovering built-in storage in unlikely spaces–under stairs, over doors, beneath floors. Under-appreciated nooks that once displayed antique desks are growing into built-ins for books and collections. Slap on some doors, and you can hide office supplies and buckets of Legos. Giant master suites, with floor space to land a 747, are being divided to conquer clutter with more walk-in closets.

Trend #7: Home offices come out of the closet

Flexible work schedules, mobile communications, and entrepreneurial zeal are relocating us from the office downtown to home. Laptops and wireless connections let us telecommute from anywhere in the house, but we still want a dedicated space (preferably with a door) for files, supplies, and printers. Spare bedrooms are becoming home offices and family room niches are morphing into working nooks. After a weekend of de-cluttering, basements and attics are reborn as work centers.

Lisa Kaplan Gordon is a HouseLogic contributor and homebuilder.

Her is a link for other great articles on home improvement, design trends, and much more :

http://www.houselogic.com/

 

 

 


Rentals Are Getting Hard To Find

June 18, 2011

 We are having more and more calls from people looking to rent a house.  One of the reasons is that the soldiers are returning from Ft. Campbell.  Another is the economy.  There are those that have had to sell their home and others that would like to buy, are having a tough time getting a loan. 

If you believe the economy is going to make a turn for the better in the next few years now is the time to invest in rental property.  Interest rates are extremely low and house prices are down.   I think it will.  It may take a few years for prices to start rising again.  When it does come back, you can sell or continue to rent.  If not, the rental market will stay tight because people will not be able to buy a home. 

Give me a call at 270-348-1677 or email me if you would like to discuss it more.

The following article was written by Jennifer Hiller and published in the Huston Chronicle. 

Newest hope in real estate: rentals

By JENNIFER HILLER

STAFF WRITER

June 17, 2011, 11:06PM 

With foreclosures overhanging the home sales market, weak jobs numbers and looming changes that likely will make getting a mortgage more difficult, many economists and real estate industry leaders are pointing to rentals as real estate’s latest boom market.  “The stage is being set for very strong rent increases,” said Stan Humphries, chief economist of Zillow, who spoke to members of the National Association of Real Estate Editors, which is meeting through today at the Menger Hotel.   Humphries said 1.2 million to 2.2 million people still are transitioning out of homeownership and into the rental market, many after going through foreclosure.   With home prices continuing to fall and foreclosures not yet hitting their peak, more people are moving into apartments, Humphries said.  Greg Willett, vice president of research and analysis for the Carrollton-based MPF Research, said there’s only one place in the country, Las Vegas, that isn’t seeing increased demand for multifamily properties. Everywhere else is headed for higher occupancy levels and higher rents.  “It’s a rising tide,” Willett said.  But Stacy Hunt, the Houston-based executive director of multifamily firm Greystar, said he hopes that the ongoing difficulty in getting financing for new projects “will be the governor on overbuilding.”  Although most people focus on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s role in the residential mortgage market, the two government-sponsored entities also back multifamily loans. Hunt said that any changes Congress makes to Fannie and Freddie could have an effect on the ability and cost of financing new apartment projects.  Foreclosures and anemic job growth continue to weigh down the single-family home market. About 7 million U.S. jobs have been lost during the downturn, probably permanently, said Jed Smith, managing director of quantitative research for the National Association of Realtors.  Foreclosures make up about 35 percent of home sales, a trend likely to continue for another two or three years, he said.  “The good news is we’re in a recovery,” Smith said. “I have to tell you that, because otherwise you wouldn’t know.”  Of course, since there’s really no such thing as a “national” real estate market, looking at various U.S. housing numbers and reports often does nothing more than cause potential homebuyers in healthier markets to panic, said Mark Dotzour, chief economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.”They’re not helping people make good decisions,” Dotzour said. “It’s kind of a hindrance.”  Good properties in stronger markets continue to hold their value, he said.  Areas such as Texas, North Dakota and Washington, D.C., likely will see price increases, but most housing markets will stay flat or fall.  One looming concern for the housing market is the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act’s Qualified Residential Mortgage provision, which has strict 20 percent down payment provisions for a government-backed loan, a threshold that most current borrowers couldn’t meet. The provision has sparked fierce opposition from the real estate industry.

jhiller@express-news.net   

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/7616100.html#ixzz1Pe9D4v8T

 


The Good Ole Days

June 10, 2011

I copied this from an email I received the other day and wanted to share it with you!

No matter what our kids and the new generation think about us,

WE ARE AWESOME !!!

OUR Lives are LIVING PROOF !!!

 To Those of   Us  Born between 1925 – 1970   :  At the end of this email is a quote of the month by Jay Leno.. If you don’t read anything else, please read what he said.  Very well stated, Mr. Leno.

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE

1930s, ’40s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who may have smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.  They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes.  Then, after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.  We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps, not helmets, on our heads.   

As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.  Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.  We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.  We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.  We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter, and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And we weren’t overweight.

WHY?

Because we were always outside playing…that’s why!  We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.  No one was able to reach us all day.  And, we were OKAY!  We would spend hours building  our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes.  After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.  We did not have Play Stations, Nintendos and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.

WE HAD FRIENDS

And we went outside and found them!  We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits.  From those accidents, we would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping-pong paddles, or just a bare hand, and no one would call child services to report abuse.  We ate worms, and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.  We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and  we rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.  Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.  Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment.  Imagine that!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!  These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, and inventors ever. The past 50 to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas.  We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

If YOU are one of those born

between 1925-1970,  CONGRATULATIONS! 

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.  While you are at it, forward it to your kids, so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.  Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn’t it ?

The quote of the month by Jay Leno:

“With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?”

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!


Events – Soap Box Derby, softball, motorcycle show, and much more!

June 8, 2011

There are a lot of things to do in the area in the next few weeks.  Below are a few of the events scheduled in the next couple of weeks.

  • June 10th & 11th – 6th Annual Soap Box Derby – The All-American Soap Box Derby, “The Greatest Amateur Racing Event in the World,” is a youth gravity-racing program boys and girls ages 8 through 17 years old.  The race will take place in downtown Hopkinsville on Bethel Street.  Go to http://www.hopkinsvillesoapbox.com/  more information.
  • June 11th – Lafayette Old Timey Festival – The Old Timey Festival will be held in downtown Lafayette, KY and will open with a 10 AM parade through town. There will be antique tractors, classic cars, arts and crafts, live music and historic tours.                                                                                  
  • June 11th & 12th – 16U Girls Fast Pitch Tournament – The National Softball Association will sponsor the 16U Girls Fast Pitch tournament at Tie Breaker Park.                                                                  
  • June 11th & 12th – USGF Softball Gal Invitational – The United Southern Girls Fastpitch Association will sponsor the Softball Gal Invitational tournament at Ruff Park.                                                            
  • June 14th – The African’s Children Choir – The African Children’s Choir from Uganda performing at the Alhambra Theatre in downtown Hopkinsville, 507 South Main Street, Tuesday, June 14, 2011, at 7 p.m. These ambassadors of peace and joy – aged 7-11 — travel the world to perform, educate and inspire those fortunate enough to hear. Audiences are deeply moved by the inspiring voices and rich souls of children from one of the poorest countries on the planet. Their voices have been heard by international leaders and top performers around the world. This concert will be a mixture of well-loved children’s songs, traditional African songs and some of your favorite gospel tunes.                                                                                                                      
  • June 17th – June Jam – The Pennyroyal Arts Council is pleased to announce their June Jam concert. The concert will be held at the James E. Bruce Convention Center. The Entice Band from Nashville, TN will be playing. Tickets are $25 per person.  For more info: http://www.pennyroyalarts.org/SpecialEvents.asp
  • June 18th – Hoptown Cycle Show and Competition – The City of Hopkinsville, Division of Parks and Recreation, with the Defenders Motorcycle Club, will be hosting a motorcycle show and competition on Saturday, June 18th, 2011, 4pm till 9pm, at the Christian County Justice Center, 100 Justice Way, Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  For more info:  http://www.visithopkinsville.com/Events/www.hoptownrec.com
  • June 18th – “Pickin’ On The Porch” – Come out for some “Pickin’ On The Porch” at MB Roland Distillery!                                                                  12pm-3pm – “Buzzard Creek” opens, an outstanding Southern Rock/Country band from                 Springfield, TN, we love them! Check them out on their FACEBOOK PAGE.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       3:30-6:30pm – “The Back Lot Pickers” of Clarksville, TN put their pickin’ and singin’ skills on for all to enjoy, these guys play some fine country and rock music and are a delight every time we have them!

 

 


June 1, 2011

Quote of the Day: “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” Robert Louis Stevenson

Video of the Day: HEMI Trike http://youtu.be/He_-01Ro9os

I know most of you have seen all the TV shows on flipping a house. They buy a house thinking they will remodel it and “get rich quick”! That’s not the way it usually works. Sure there are a few instances where a large profit was made, but they are few and far between. However, you can make money, even now with the housing market down. There are properties that can be bought at bargain prices, most of them are foreclosures, remodeled and sold for a profit. But, there are risks. You should never put yourself in a situation where you endanger your financial stability. In other words, if you can’t make two house payment’s then DON’T try it! However, if you have some extra time, enjoy doing DIY projects, and are willing to do some manual labor, then you can give it a try. If you do decide to try your hand at flipping properties, contact me and I will be glad to help you find a property that would be suitable to flip.

Here is a link to more information: http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/05/31/make-living-flipping-houses/


Housing Affordability

May 27, 2011

 

Quote of the Day: “I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places.”  Henny Youngman

Video of the Day:  Talking Dogs – Want My Mama  http://youtu.be/Td9ndmvMu1U

Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate.  After all the storms over the past week, we deserve a few days to enjoy.  Have fun and BE SAFE!!!

Today’s Real Estate News

Housing affordability hit a new record high in the first quarter, surpassing the previous high set in fourth-quarter 2010, according to an index released by the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo today.  Read more at http://lowes.inman.com/newsletter/2011/05/27/news/143808.

It is true with prices low and interest at record lows, more people are able to afford to buy a home.  Interest rates have dropped for the sixth consecutive week.  Here’s a closer look at mortgage rates:

30-year, fixed-rate mortgage: Averaging 4.60 percent this week, it was down slightly from last week’s 4.61 percent average. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 4.84 percent. The 30-year fixed rate mortgage hasn’t been under this week’s 4.60 percent average since early December 2010 when it fell to 4.46 percent.

15-year, fixed-rate mortgage: Averaging 3.78 percent this week, it also was down from last week’s 3.80 percent average. Last year at this time, the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.21 percent. It has not been under this week’s 3.78 percent average since late November 2010 when it fell to 3.77 percent.

5-year adjustable-rate mortgage: Averaging 3.41 percent this week, it was down from last week’s 3.48 percent average. A year ago at this time, the 5-year ARM averaged 3.97 percent.

Source: “Fixed Mortgage Rates Continue to Find New Lows,” Freddie Mac (May 26, 2011)

Take a look at my website at www.findhopkinsvillehomes.com or give me a call at 270-348-1677 if you are looking to buy or sell your home.

Thanks for viewing my post!


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