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        <title>Real Estate Blog</title>
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        <description></description>
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            <guid>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/march-home-sales-numbers.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/march-home-sales-numbers.html</link>
            <author>louisbelote@comcast.net (Louis Belote)</author>
            <title>March Home Sales Numbers!</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 


The latest Home Sales figures for March 2012 have been
released by the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors. There were 1,973
during March 2012 as compared to 1,673 in March of 2011. That represents an
increase of 17.3% over the same period a year ago.




In the first quarter of 2012, there were 4,855 closings
compared to 3,908 in the first quarter of 2011. This shows an increase of 24.2%
from a year ago.




The number of Pending sales, those currently under contract
awaiting a closing, remains above the level of the same time last year which
means the trend should continue in the coming months.




This continues to show that the Nashville and surrounding area real estate
market remains very strong and gaining back some of the momentum of years past.




Inventories of Homes For Sale is slightly lower than it was
a year ago.




It remains somewhat of a “Buyer’s Market”, but this could
change if the trends continue.




For more information about this market or help Buying or
Selling real estate in Middle Tennessee, give me a call (615-804-9999) or send
me an e-mail. You will be amazed at what kind of time and effort I can save
with your local real estate experience!


 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:43:10 -0500</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/attention-home-sellers.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/attention-home-sellers.html</link>
            <author>louisbelote@comcast.net (Louis Belote)</author>
            <title>ATTENTION Home Sellers...</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Many potential Home Sellers are reluctant to put their homes on the market right now. I know that for a fact as a result of a recent experience with one of my clients who is a CASH BUYER. I met with these new clients a couple of weeks ago. They had a pretty good idea of what kind of house they wanted and some specific neighborhoods that particularly appealed to them because of their location to schools. We looked on the MLS and what did we see?? NOT MUCH AVAILABLE! As an example, there were actually 2 houses listed in the MLS in one of the neighborhoods that we targeted. One of those listed was just not going to work, and the other, while a very nice house, is listed for sale for almost $2M. The current owner bought the house for almost $1.7M in early 2009. Are you kidding me? Can you say OVER PRICED?? How can your house, as a Seller in this market, increase in market value over 20% in a market like we have experienced since 2009??...AND why would a Realtor take a listing and basically agree with the value of the house?? It boggles the mind and sets up a course of failure for both parties! Only time will tell that I am right!


But to get to my point about the current market and Sellers hesitating to put their homes on the market. I sent a letter to other homeowners in that same target neighborhood advising that I am currently working with a qualified home buyer that would be interested in looking at a home that was not currently listed for sale to consider buying it. Keep in mind, this is a neighborhood of no more than 40 houses…at the very most. My mailing resulted in 2 home owners contacting me to ask me to either show their house, or come by and take a look and see if I thought my clients would have an interest. I have already shown one of them to my clients and will probably show the other one in the next few days. The moral of the story is that there are qualified buyers in the market looking for homes to buy right now. Many Home Sellers have made the decision they are “going to wait for the market to recover or get better before attempting to sell”. I hear the phrase a lot  “ I will sell if the right buyer comes along with the right circumstances”. Well, there is a good chance that buyer is out there right now, but your home will never be seen by a potential buyer unless you MARKET IT!


Realtors, in general, will not take the time to do the work to uncover additional options for their home buyers. I do it all the time. It is the difference in a professional Realtor that treats real estate as a business and a Realtor that happens to have a real estate license and sells homes for a hobby!


Contact me and I will show you the difference. 
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:07:59 -0500</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/pendingafter-3-years-on-market.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/pendingafter-3-years-on-market.html</link>
            <author>louisbelote@comcast.net (Louis Belote)</author>
            <title>PENDING...After 3 Years On Market!</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
That is right! Many Home Sellers have decided that it is TIME TO SELL! I saw a house that has been on and off the market for 3 YEARS that just went to PENDING status in the local MLS. After originally pricing the home at $659,900 in March of 2008, the home was re-listed in the MLS for the 7th time for $549,900 and is PENDING after only 15 days on the market. It is amazing what can happen when a house is FINALLY priced to sell!! 


The other side of this point is that many Home Sellers that have attempted to sell their homes and been unsuccessful over the last year or two (or more) are finally deciding that they are truly ready to sell. They are finally pricing their homes accordingly for the market. The “trickle down” effect of these Sellers is that they are able to BUY homes now. This is beginning to drive a significant rebound in this market that is building some momentum. As a result, we are going to eventually see available inventory of homes for sale drop and the market to become less of a Buyer’s market. I have noticed this trend in several local neighborhoods, especially in the trendy/Midtown area of Nashville which is a prime location close to the Vanderbilt/Belmont/12th South areas.


If you are ready to buy or sell, or you have attempted to sell your home and been unsuccessful, you better contact me to get in the market while the Spring market is rocking!!
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2011 10:56:33 -0500</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/dont-sit-back-miss-this-market-opportunity.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/dont-sit-back-miss-this-market-opportunity.html</link>
            <author>louisbelote@comcast.net (Louis Belote)</author>
            <title>Don't Sit Back &amp; Miss This Market Opportunity</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
How Str﻿ong is t﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿h﻿e﻿ ﻿real estate market in the Nashville and Williamson County area﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿?﻿?﻿ ﻿﻿Despite the continuing national media reports that have continued the “doom and gloom” of the real estate business, the LOCAL market, while not at the level of the height of the boom, has recovered well as the Spring season gets into full throttle. The number of showings on my New Listings in the last couple of weeks has been excellent and one even had a contract on it within 24 hours of being entered into the MLS! While the real movement in the market remains at the lower price points below an Asking Price of about $350,000, sales of more expensive properties is better than it has been in a long time. With homes priced above about $500,000, I have noticed that the ask to sales price ratio is sometimes a good bit apart. What I mean by that is, I am seeing homes priced at about $250,000 for example sell for, maybe, $242,500 (97% of Asking Price), where a $600,000 home may sell for $550,000 or roughly 92% of the Asking Price. I recently saw a home that had been listed for sale for a couple of years that was priced at $1,599,000 sell for $1,399,000, or just less than 88% of the Asking Price. I actually had a client who was interested in that property, and I bet I could have gotten that house for closer to $1.3M, an even bigger BARGAIN! 


These examples are why you want to consult a seasoned and very experienced Realtor that can uncover a “real” potential sales price because of professional business relationships that can discover some incredible opportunities for the Buyer client!


The list of properties that have recently sold in similar fashions goes on and on. When will you contact me to discover how you can benefit from this rebounding market?? Don’t be the one that I will say “I told you so” when 2 years from now you say to yourself “I should have bought when….”!!
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:02:55 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/2011-the-market-is-changing.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/2011-the-market-is-changing.html</link>
            <author>louisbelote@comcast.net (Louis Belote)</author>
            <title>2011-The Market Is Changing</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Well...2010 is history! With interest rates at incredible lows in November and December, many potential real estate buyers will soon be saying "I should have bought when the rates were low"! That's right!! It will be a long, long time before we see rates in the 3% range again according to the "experts". As we go into 2011, I can truly see significant opportunity in the short term. Don't get me wrong, I have laughed at a lot of these Realtors and writers who, over the last 2-3 years, were always able to find a "bright" spot in the real estate market. There are still some real chances to get some incredible "deals", but I truly believe that the market is finally about to move upward. I say that because I follow the statistics of Unit/Property Transaction Volume, Days on the Market, Average Sale Price, and other "trends" very carefully, and those "trends" are beginning to turn more positive. Interest rates will continue to climb. As always, there are certain price ranges and areas/neighborhoods that show more promise than others, but that is why you consult with a Realtor who is in the market full time, has a successful track record, and has the imperative discussions with you to be able to know exactly what you are looking for. Many of the people who had real estate licenses for a "hobby" are long gone, but that person/"Realtor" who is your friend's neighbor, wife, mother, daughter, 3rd cousin...etc, has really no clue what is happening in this market because they have not sold a house since the market was bustling...maybe 2007/2008?? When you talk with a person like that....They start to SMELL a commission!! While many Realtors have left the business entirely, or cut back dramatically, I have recently upgraded my website and increased my advertising to promote my client's listings and allow more information to be better shared on my website. I am seeing a lot more visitors to my website in the last 90 days, and that is a result of increased interest in the local real estate market....plus my advertising is driving more visitors there! As we go into 2011, you will see the number of homes available for sale increase. There are a lot of people who have had their homes on the market in the past year or more, and the property did not sell...probably because they were over priced! Many of those properties will show back up for sale on the MLS shortly. If you plan to put your home on the market "in the Spring", you need to contact me to discuss exactly what your plans and timing are. If you wait until early March, like everyone else, the competition will be fierce. It only takes one good buyer and you never know when that person will show up. I currently have a client looking in the Brentwood area for a $1M+ house, so I know buyers are out there!


I wish you the Happiest of New Year in 2011, and look forward to talking with you soon!! 
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sun, 02 Jan 2011 11:52:17 -0600</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/want-to-make-money-in-todays-real-estate-market1.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/want-to-make-money-in-todays-real-estate-market1.html</link>
            <author>louisbelote@comcast.net (Louis Belote)</author>
            <title>Want to Make Money in Today's Real Estate Market?</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Want to actually make money in the real estate market?? I am currently expanding my base of potential, qualified investors. As a result of this real estate market we have experienced over the last 2+ years, there are some excellent opportunities to purchase homes at wholesale prices and resell them at &quot;market value&quot;. I am not talking about short sales. There are a lot of home owners who are in real need to sell, or just want to get out from under their mortgage commitment. Another group of home owners have attempted to sell their homes in this market, and it has not sold for one reason or another. Many of these home owners are starting to be worn down by the process and just want &quot;out&quot;. In either case, cash buyers in this market have the potential to be real winners. Let me give you a real life, personal experience I had a while back...I went to an auction in the Green Hills area where a house had a designated &quot;reserve&quot;. The &quot;reserve&quot; means the seller had a previously determine &quot;minimum price&quot; that they were willing to accept for the home at auction. The &quot;reserve&quot; is not known to potential bidders at the time of the auction. I arrived at the auction strictly as an interested spectator. When the bidding started to slow, it became apparent to me that the potential sales price was well below market value. The price was below the predetermined &quot;reserve&quot; as well. After the bidding was over and the auctioneer consulted with the seller, I bought the property for $577,500. We closed that sale in 20 days. As a Realtor®, I turned around and put the house right back on the &quot;open&quot; market. 80 days later, I found a buyer and closed a sale on it for $740,000! That is a gross profit of over $162,000! I cannot say this happens every the time, but by working with an experienced Realtor®, potential, excellent returns of investing in today's market are still available. You have to be realistic and analyze each and every situation to make sure it is a good investment. I prefer to work with Cash buyers/investors because they always get the best deals and end up with the best return on investment. Many Realtors® market this ability to help investors make money in this market, but I have actually done it MYSELF with MY ability to get money! If you want more information, or want to talk about being on my list of potential investors, give me a call direclty at (615) 804-9999, or CLICK HERE to Contact Me. 
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 19 May 2010 11:38:43 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/recovering-from-unprecedented-flooding.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/recovering-from-unprecedented-flooding.html</link>
            <author>louisbelote@comcast.net (Louis Belote)</author>
            <title>Recovering From Unprecedented Flooding</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ The first weekend in May brought areas of Williamson and Davidson Counties over 13 inches of rain and tremendous flooding. The most significantly affected areas were parts of Williamson County and the Bellevue area in western Davidson County/Nashville along the Harpeth and Little Harpeth Rivers, and along the Cumberland River in the Downtown Nashville business district, and the Opryland, Opry House, and Opry Mills area. The devastation, as seen in person, is truly hard to believe. Many homes and businesses had well over 10 feet of water standing in them causing incredible damage. The water rose so fast that many people never had a chance to get anything out of their homes. As a result, homeowners have begun cleaning up by throwing away almost everything they owned. As I drove through the River Plantation neighborhood in Bellevue for example, there are 10 feet tall piles of the remains of homeowner's homes and personal property piled at the roadway for blocks waiting for removal by the city. Many of those homeowners are retired and on fixed incomes and have suffered devastating losses. FEMA maxes out their relief funds at $29,000 per household, and in many cases, that is nowhere near the cost of rebuilding many of these properties. The effort by local people to help the flood ravaged areas has been nothing short of incredible. Many high-profile members of the local music community banded together immediately to pitch in to help those affected as well as have performed for benefits to raise money for the local Community Foundation that supports those impacted. There have been at least two televised benefits that have each raised well in excess of $1,000,000 in a matter of a few hours! This area has not waited for the federal government to show up and be the ones to spear head the cleanup effort. The local community banded together immediately, even on the day the flooding was happening, to help the homeowners that were affected. As local residents, we have been proud of the way the community has responded and handled this situation in a proactive manner despite the lack of national attention it deserves and other simialr tragedies have received. This is an area of INDEPENDENT people that were the most affected. They do not sit around and wait for government assistance. They are motivated people who have worked, many of them, their entire lives, to be able to retire comfortably only to be hit by this tragedy. They are not used to being dependent on others to get by, but thankfully they live in a place where people's nature is to pitch in to help others in need! Let's hope the recovery is as quick as possible and these deserving people are able to resume their normal lives soon! ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 18 May 2010 11:53:28 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/what-current-home-sellers-need-to-consider.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/what-current-home-sellers-need-to-consider.html</link>
            <author>louisbelote@comcast.net (Louis Belote)</author>
            <title>What Current Home Sellers Need to Consider</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ The most important item to consider when selling your home in a market like we have now is...SETTING THE ASKING PRICE! Up unitl about 2007, local home prices have increased dramatically. In about late 2007, the market slowed and the changed from a Seller's market to a Buyer's market very quickly. As a result, homes were no longer appreciating at the rate of the past. Some homes had been appreciating as much as 8-10% per year for the previous 3-5 years creating some excellent equity for home owners. In today's market, a Buyer has a lot of choices when it comes to considering housing options. Home sellers need to be ready for a market they may have never experienced before. Home Sellers....look very closely at homes in your nearby area that have SOLD within the last 3-6 onths as a basis for your Asking Price. If you are fortunate enough to get a sales contract on your house after you list it for sale, an appraiser is going to review those same recent area sales in order to approve a Buyer's mortgage. If the appraiser feels the home is not worth the value on the sales contract, there is a good chance your sale will never close. This is becoming more and more of an issue in this market. It happens more frequently than we have ever seen before. Even if a buyer is ready, willing, and able to buy your home for an agreed upon price, an apprasier can kill your deal. As a Seller, consider your situation from another perspective. What if you sell your home for, let's say, $20,000 less than you think it is worth in the market. You immediatley become a very attractive Buyer to a home Seller. Since it is a significant Buyer's market right now and the inventory of homes for sale is high, there is a good chance that you can Buy a new home for at least $20,000 less than you would have in the past. Do the math...As a qualified Buyer, you could actually buy a house and have some immediate, additional equity in a market like this by just Selling your existing home for what it is really worth to a GOOD, QUALIFIED BUYER! If you want to talk more about this subject, the value of your home, or you are ready to sell, call us now at (615) 804-9999 or CONTACT US. We look forward to talking to YOU!! ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:15:29 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/williamson-county-assn-of-realtors-announce-march-home-sales-results.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/williamson-county-assn-of-realtors-announce-march-home-sales-results.html</link>
            <author>louisbelote@comcast.net (Louis Belote)</author>
            <title>Williamson County Assn. of Realtors Announce March Home Sales Results</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Single family residential home sales in March in Williamson County increased a whopping 40+% over the same month in 2009 from 152 to 219 closings according to figures released today from the Williamson County Association of Realtors. The median sales price, that level where half the homes sold for more and half sold for less, decreased a small 3%. The average number of days on the market increased by 8 days over March of last year.

CLICK HERE to view the entire Williamson County Association of Realtors Press Release.

These numbers show that the Williamson County market, while not at the incredbile sales pace of 2006 and 2007, remains much stronger than most around the country. This supports the fact that real estate is a LOCAL business mostly affected by the LOCAL economy and it's supply and demand. Many people have been misled by the media driven real estate numbers from Florida, Arizona, Nevada, and California, some of the hardest hit areas of the country because of their incredible level of home building, and over-building, between about 2002-2007.

Let's take a look at the local market sales figures over the last 3 years:



With the height of the sales season for the local area between May and August coming up, prepare for the sales figures to continue to mainatin it's pace and possibly increase significantly. The Home Buyer tax credit ($8,000 for first time buyers and $6,500 for existing home owners) will increase local interest in April as well as improving and consistent local weather.

Get out there and buy a house!
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:46:24 -0500</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/googles-streetview-offers-new-visual-technology-for-your-home-search1.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.williamsoncountyrealestate.com/blog/googles-streetview-offers-new-visual-technology-for-your-home-search1.html</link>
            <author>louisbelote@comcast.net (Louis Belote)</author>
            <title>Google's Streetview Offers New Visual Technology For Your Home Search</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Have you seen the latest Google technology...Streetview™?? We now offer Streetview™, and it is some amazing online, visual technology that gives you new perspective when using our Home Search capabilities. Streetview™ allows the &quot;user&quot; to &quot;virtually&quot; walk down a street and see adjoining homes/properties as well as see the streetscape as you progress through an area or neighborhood. It is so easy to use! Just click on the &quot;Streetview&quot; tab at the top of each property listing page, and your view of the street opens in a window as clear as a picture taken with a camera. By clicking your way in either direction down a street or through a neighborhood, you are shown a &quot;real life&quot; view of the area. You can stop at any point along your &quot;stroll&quot; and get a 360° view from anywhere along the way. Have you ever driven through a neighborhood looking at homes you may have seen in the MLS and seen a house that does not look anything like the picture you saw in the MLS...or have you wondered what adjoining properties look like? With Google's Streetview™ at your fingertips, your &quot;real&quot; questions about a property or neighborhood are answered at the click of a mouse. No more need to print an MLS listing, get in your car, and drive to see exactly what an area looks like. Just use our Home Search feature and search by City, Neighborhood, Map, etc., and have the answers in just seconds. Just think about the time you will save, especially if you are relocating to the local area and do not know the neighborhoods well or you are relying on a Realtor's® guidance and opinions. This could enable you to establish your own opinion and save you a tremendous amount of time in your home search by possibly eliminating some properties from your consideration, or you may have a reason to ask more about a neighborhood or property for sale. The first time I saw and used it, I was hooked and HAD to have it. Now I offer it to you as a significant aid in your home search. It is incredibly rare that I have seen Streetview™ available on real estate search sites, so this is a very unique opportunity to make your home search more detailed and allow our website to be more of a one-stop interactive tool to help you find your next home.If you have any questions about Streetview™, feel free to Contact Us. We will be glad to help you with this amazing technology.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:35:00 -0500</pubDate>
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