Archive for the ‘Real Estate’ Category

Effective House Hunting

Saturday, March 13, 2010@ 6:35 AM
Author: Frank Stevens

Effective House Hunting

Finding the perfect house can be a daunting task. Some buyers claim to not know what they want until they see it. Some are so dead set on one particular attribute that they cannot see the positives of a property that does not have whatever that is,

As a real estate agent myself, I have seen how stubborn and closed minded a person or couple can be when looking for a new home.

If you are in the market to buy, arm your real estate agent with the necessary information to succeed. Success for them is getting you to the closing table (or closing meeting) to purchase a house that you or you and your partner love.

How many of you have ever purchased a car from a dealership? I would bet that probably most of you have. Whether the vehicle you were interested in was new or not, it had certain attributes. Maybe it was a truck. Maybe it was a car. Maybe it was a Sport Utility Vehicle. Whatever it was, it had certain attributes. Did it have two or four doors? Was it equipped with leather seats? Did it have the latest, greatest stereo? Did it have power door locks and windows? How many of these features did you go into the dealership looking for? Unless you came after a specific stock number, the answer is probably only a few of those features.

You may have said that you needed a four-door car because you have small children and thus car seats. That seems reasonable. Who wants to lean into the back seat from the front to get a child in or out if they can help it? Maybe the next thing you said was that it had to have an automatic transmission so you wouldn’t have to wear out a manual clutch in traffic during your daily commute. That is also reasonable.

Did you go into the dealership saying the car had to be blue, silver, or red? If the car meets your short list of needs, odds are that you would have an open mind as to the seemingly unimportant traits.

The same thing is true with house hunting. Instead of picturing yourself on a car lot, picture yourself on a home tour. Your REALTOR has to have your list of necessary attributes in order to effectively locate a potential property for you. If you have a large family, you probably won’t want a two-bedroom house. If you or a member of your family is disabled, you will need a home that is ADA accessible. If you are an avid boater, you may require being close to the water. You know what you want, or at least you think you do. Have an open discussion with your agent to determine essentials, nice to haves, could do withouts, and deal breakers. These are the categories I use to classify attributes of a home.

An essential may be the number of bedrooms or a garage. A nice to have could be a gas stove or a porch. A could do without may be a mudroom or decked attic. A deal breaker may be a creek along the property line. These are different for everyone. Be honest with yourself and your agent and you will be on your way. Goo

Temecula’s Ideal Living

Monday, February 22, 2010@ 5:20 AM
Author: Frank Stevens

Temecula’s Ideal Living

Moving to the city of Temecula may be one of the best decisions you ever make. There are many reasons to move to this desireable community. Location, opportunity, weather and affordable homes are a few of the reasons why more and more people are calling Temecula home.

For some people, a great location could mean living in the city or living on the outskirts. The great thing about homes in Temecula is that you are close enough to many big cities that you can access all the entertainment and employment opportunities that are available in large cities, but still be a perfect distance away from the hustle and bustle. Temecula is central to San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange County.

Opportunities for employment in the biomedical industry is expanding each year with companies like Abbott and PHS as prominent employers in the area. The idyllic weather in the Temcula Valley is hard to beat. With near perfect weather and mild winters, residsents and visitors alike can enjoy the outdoors year-round.

There’s a variety of Temecula homes to choose from. You’ll find single-family to condo’s, townhomes, private gated communities and elegant estates throughout the city limits. Golf course communities are also available with seven golf courses to choose from. The city has a lot of affordable options from the suburbs to wine country living which makes Temcula attractive for home buyers, investors and businesses alike. With a moderate cost of living and pleasant climate throughout the year, you’ll find activities, entertainment and housing options to fit your lifestyle. With a median price range for homes in Temecula is a mere $259, 000, it’s no wonder CNNMoney.com named Temecula one of America’s best small towns and city to live in 2009.

Temecula has plenty to offer from excellent public and private schools to parks and recreation for the active family. The city’s Promendade Mall features hundreds of familiar stores for your shopping pleasure. In addition, you will find specialisty stores and boutiques throughout the city. Temecula Valley is best know for their wineries and endless miles of vineyards. Take a leisurely drive down Rancho California Road towards wine country and you’ll run into award-winning wineries such as Thornton Winery, Falkner Winery, Callaway Vineyar &
Winery and Stuart Cellars just to name a few.

Temecula’s history is prefectly preserved in Old Town. It’s timber-lined boardwalks lends to the old style charm. You’ll find plenty to see and do while in Old Town. For a treat for the kids, be sure to stop by the Imagination Workshop Children’s Museum. The museum is open everyday except on Mondays and provides plenty of hands-on entertainment for kids of all ages. Antique stores and speciality shops will give you plenty of opportunity to find that unique gift for friends and family. The Temecula Valley History Museum offers you a glimpse into the past.

Temecula’s location affords you the opportunity to do pretty much whatever you want. It’s location, opportunities, weather and affordable homes makes the city one of the most disireable places to live in Riverside County.

Stone Mountain Park and Pow-Wow in Atlanta

Sunday, November 8, 2009@ 3:56 AM
Author: Frank Stevens

Stone Mountain Park and Pow-Wow in Atlanta

One of the many reasons to live in Atlanta is the Stone Mountain Park. The park is located just a short distance from downtown Atlanta. Listed in Frommer’s “500 Places to Visit with Your Kids Before They Grow Up” it certainly lives up to its reputation. One of the fall events is the Native American Pow-Wow.

Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, Stone Mountain is the perfect destination for those who enjoy the outdoors. The park offers a variety of entertainment, attractions and entertainment throughout the year. Stone Mountain is of course famous for the Confederate Memorial, a rock carving of Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis and is the world’s largest exposed piece of granite. Since 1865 when the quarry industry began at Stone Mountain, today, virtually every state has a building that uses Stone Mountain granite. Stone Mountain is considered sacred ground for some, a refuge and home for many over a 12,000 year period. The Discovering Stone Mountain Museum features artifacts that span this time period of ancient civilizations, Native Americans and pioneer settlers that lived on Stone Mountain and how granite helped to build the local economy.

This year, residents and visitors alike will come to Stone Mountain to celebrate the Native Americans heritage. It’s a four-day festival held at the Antebellum Plantation & Farmyard inside Stone Mountain Park. The Indian Festival & Pow-Wow will include interactive education where you can learn about primitive skills such as bow making, pottery, fire starting and open fire cooking.

More than fifty tribes from across the country come to compete in the dance and drum competitions. They also come to showcase their art and heritage. Many Native American Artisans will be selling authentic moccasins and baskets and other crafts that make for a perfect one-of-a-kind souvenir or gift to take back home to a friend or loved one.

The entertainment continues with traditional Native musical performances and dancers. An appearance by wildlife educator, Okefenokee Joe, is always a crowd pleaser. Known as the Snake Wrangler, Joe visits hundreds of schools from across the Southeast to talk about nature leaving kids with a lasting impression of how we should all appreciate nature and preserve for future generations.

There are many more things to explore and experience while at the Park. The Summit Skyride is the Parks main attraction. The high-speed Swiss cable car takes you 825 feet above the ground, right past the Confederate Memorial Carving and to the top of Stone Mountain. From the top of the mountain, you can experience incredible views of the Atlanta skyline, the Appalachian Mountains and panoramic views as far as sixty miles away.

Stone Mountain Park is a family-friendly destination and lives up to what the Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls it as one of the “35 Natural Wonders in Georgia You Must See Before You Die.”

Orange County Fair

Sunday, November 8, 2009@ 3:53 AM
Author: Frank Stevens

Orange County Fair

One of the benefits of living in Orange County is the proximity to endless options for entertainment. One of these excursions is the Orange County Fairgrounds. The Fairgrounds is a favorite place for family entertainment and comes to town in the months of July and August each year and welcomes over 1 millions visitors each year.

The Orange County Fairgrounds first official fair was back in 1890 in Santa Ana. It was a small fair with livestock exhibits and a horse race. After several moves around Orange County over the years, the Orange County Fair found a permanent home in Costa Mesa. From its inception, the Fair has grown from a five day festival to twenty-three day party that is one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the summer.

At the Fair visitors enjoy attractions, rides and games, food, animals, concerts and a new show, Weird Al’s Barn. The La Grande Wheel is certainly one of the carnivals most popular rides at the Fair with incredible views once at the top. Other rides like the Tango, Speed and the Evolution are perfect for those seeking a thrill.

Those that come to experience typical carnival games will not be disappointed. Games at the carnival come in a variety of types. Some test your intellect while others just test your luck. Here you’ll enjoy games like the basketball and ring toss and guessing games. Winning at one of these games earns the participant a card that can be exchanged for carnival rides or food. The entertainment doesn’t stop there. The 2009 Fair features a demolition derby, bull riding and the Peking Acrobats just to name a few

There is plenty of great carnival food to satisfy anyone’s appetite and sweet tooth. Some unusual food items you will encounter at the Fair are fried frog legs, chocolate covered bacon, and deep fried Twinkies, Oreos and smores. But, the old classics cannot be beat like cotton candy, corn dogs, carmel apples and funnel cakes. You’ll still be able to find regular fare like hotdogs and hamburgers and sides like onion rings and french fries. Rain or shine you’ll be able to enjoy shaved ice and ice cold lemonades.

Since the first fair, livestock has been a staple at the yearly event. The petting zoo is an excellent opportunity to get up close to your favorite farm animals. It’s also an opportunity to purchase fresh

Big names in entertainment come to the Fair each year. This year the Fair was proud to have in concert Kelly Clarkson, Rick Springfield and the Fab Four. New to these years Fair is “Al’s Brain”, an educational and entertaining attraction featuring a 3-D movie through the human brain starring Weird Al Yankovic.

The Orange County Fair is a great way to spend an afternoon or an evening in the summer months. The Fair offers something for everyone at any age.

Tempe, An Oasis in the Sonoran Desert

Thursday, October 29, 2009@ 6:45 PM
Author: Frank Stevens

Tempe, An Oasis in the Sonoran Desert

A decision to settle in a new city can be an daunting task. From packing your old home and belongings to finding a new home in the new city. Not to mention changing addresses, finding a new school for kids, if you have them, and transfering to a new job can all be a huge challenge to say the least. But, if you have all the right reasons to move or transfer to another place; then the decision is easy. Once you have made the decision of where to live, then the first step is to learn all you can about your new city.

A decision to move to Tempe now can be a lot easier than you might think. People of all ages are moving to Tempe to enjoy its climate, affordable living and strong modern economy based in commerce, technology and tourism. The city gets its name from Darrell Duppa who is credited for suggesting the name Tempe after comparing the Salt River Valley to the Vale of Tempe near Mount Olympus in Greece.

Employment opportunities in Tempe are plentiful The city is headquarters for two Fortune 500 companies: US Airways and Insight Enterprises Inc. The Pheonix Sky Harbor International Airport is another great resource for the city and services nationwide and other international cities like London. Insight Enterprises is a provider of brand-name information technology hardware and software and services to companies and the public. Another great reason to live in Tempe is Arizona State University. The University is located in the center of the city and provides a commerce resource for the city as well as entertainment. Tourism is another revenue source for the city with four million visitors each year. Tempe’s convenient transportation system and the Phoenix light rail system makes it easy to access the city and other bordering cities like Pheonix and Scottsdale.

Tempe’s housing market is very affordable with homes starting as low $100,000 and go up from there. Contemporary architecture dominates the landscape and can be seen throughout the city such as Tempe City Hall which looks like an inverted pyramid. The ASU Gammage is another distinct example of the cities diversity that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Both of these examples illustrate Tempe’s love for beautiful architecture. Take a walk along Mill Avenue and on the ASU campus to see more of the remarkable designs that make Tempe unique.

New condominiums are in the works for downtown Tempe offering more opportunities for urban living. Residents will be able to enjoy being close to work and walking distance to their favorite restaurants, theatres, shopping and entertainment.

Families are definitely attracted to the excellent public school system in the city and colleges near by like Arizona State University. New home development is popping up all over Tempe attracting new homeowners to one of the most desireable places to live in the United States.

With the Sonoran Desert as the cities backdrop and inspiration, Tempe has much to offer families looking to make roots.

Franklin, the Best Small Town

Thursday, October 29, 2009@ 6:40 PM
Author: Frank Stevens

Franklin, the Best Small Town

Franklin is a charming suburb of Nashville in Williamson County. Only 20 miles away from downtown Nashville, the city combines its ties to their rich past with an upscale urban development. It’s no surprise that recently the city recently made the top ten lists as the “Best Small Town” by Southern Living.

The City of Franklin was founded by Abram Maury, Jr., a State Senatory and was named after Benjamin Franklin, a close friend of Dr. Hugh Williamson, a member of the Continental Congress for whom Williamson County was named.

Franklin is perhaps best known as the site of the Civil War’s bloodiest battle, the Battle of Franklin. Before the Civil War, the city and Williamson County was perhaps one of the wealthiest counties in Tennessee. However, on November 30, 1864, the Battle of

Franklin took its toll on this community killing and wounding almost 10,000. The war destroyed the economy and it took almost 120 years for the counties economy to reach pre-war status. Today, visitors can learn about Franklin’s part in Civil War history by touring the Carter House, the Lotz House and the Historic Carnton Plantation, which includes the largest privately-owned Confederate cemetery in the nation.

Downtown Franklin is comprised of a 15-block historic district. The district includes an array of 70 trendy boutiques, antique shops and restaurants. With a history that dates back more than 200 years, it offers a dynamic American main street experience with brick-lined sidewalks, manicured landscaping and beautifully restored historic buildings.

Franklin’s family-friendly festivals that take place throughout the year attract more than 200,000 visitors annually. One of the most anticipated festivals each year is the Annual Main Street Festival. The festival offers entertainment in the way of music, booths with crafts and art made by local artists, food vendors and a big traditional carnival for the kids with all their favorite rides.

If you’re considering moving to Franklin, the median home price for a single-family detached homes are around $338,000 and go up from there. Other types of homes available are town homes, condominiums and beautiful estates overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

With Nashville on thirty minutes away, you’ll have access to all the big city has to offer. For country music enthusiast, a trip to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the Grand Ole Opry is sure to be a treat. Enjoy world-class musical performance at the Nashville Performing Arts Center where you could be center-stage to see the Nashville Ballet or Symphony. No trip to Nashville would be complete without stopping by some of the many clubs to enjoy music by local artist and to sample some of the south’s delicious cuisine.

Whether you’re planning a move or simply come to Franklin to enjoy its culture and heritage, the city will charm you with its perfectly manicured streets and hospitality.