Owner: Greater Birmingham Real Estate Resources URL:www.greaterbirminghamrealestateresources.com Join Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:59:52 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Greater Birmingham Real Estate Resources is more than just real estate. We strive to be the best resource for home buyers, home sellers, investors, and residents of the Greater Birmingham Area. Site statistics:Click here
Birmingham Luxury Homes Market Watch Stats 2007-08-23 08:23:00 I was commenting with someone the other day and asked about some of the information that people might be interested in. One of the things they mentioned was the BirminghamLuxuryMarket
. I thought to myself, I really enjoy looking at high end homes, but what makes it "luxury?" I made up my own definition for the Greater Birmingham Area including parts of both Jefferson and Shelby County, and decided a luxury home was any home that sold for $1,000,000 or more. I may reform my definition in time, but for now....Greater Birmingham Area Luxury Home Stats
for 2007 (January-July 2007)Total Active: 154 Avg Price: $1,645,257 Low: $1,000,000 High: $5,999,000 Avg DOM: 164 Total Sold: 66 Avg. Price: $1,497,276 Low: $1,000,000 High: $3,495,000 Avg DOM: 117 Active Property StatsAccording to the chart, there are 154 active million dollar plus properties. The highest price home right now is for $5,999,000. Average active price is $1,645,257. The average days on market for the active properties are 1 Read more:Homes
Alabama Crimson Tide Football Schedule 2007 2007-08-23 00:16:00 2007 Schedule
Date Opponent Location Time/TV Sept. 1 Western Carolina Tuscaloosa TBA Sept. 8 Vanderbilt Nashville TBA Sept. 15 Arkansas Tuscaloosa TBA Sept. 22 Georgia Tuscaloosa TBA Sept. 29 Florida State Jacksonville, FL TBA Oct. 6 Houston Tuscaloosa TBA Oct. 13 Ole Miss Oxford, MS TBA Oct. 20 Tennessee Tuscaloosa TBA Nov. 3 LSU Tuscaloosa TBA Nov. 10 Miss. State Starkville, MS TBA Nov. 17 Louisiana-Monroe Tuscaloosa TBA Nov. 24 Auburn Auburn TBA Football
season is approaching soon. It is time to tune up those grills, clean up the man room, starting buttering up the wife, and buy a new big screen tv. Here is to all those loyal fans, and new fans, of the University of Alabama
: Crimson
Tide football team. We wish you all sucess and a winning season. Roll Tide!
Samford University Football Schedule 2007 2007-08-23 00:13:00 2007 Samford Bulldogs Schedule
Date OPPONENT TIME (ET) Location Result Thu, Aug 30th, 2007 West_Alabama 08:00 PM Seibert Stadium Sat, Sep 8th, 2007 at Georgia_Tech 01:30 PM Bobby Dodd Stadium At Historic Thu, Sep 13th, 2007 Presbyterian 08:00 PM Seibert Stadium Sat, Sep 22nd, 2007 SE_Missouri_St 07:00 PM Seibert Stadium Sat, Sep 29th, 2007 at Eastern_Ky 03:00 PM Roy Kidd Stadium Sat, Oct 13th, 2007 at Tenn-Martin 03:00 PM Hardy M. Graham Stadium Sat, Oct 20th, 2007 Austin_Peay 03:00 PM Seibert Stadium Sat, Oct 27th, 2007 at Tenn_Tech 02:30 PM Tucker Stadium Sat, Nov 3rd, 2007 Jacksonville_St 02:00 PM Seibert Stadium Thu, Nov 8th, 2007 Tennessee_St 02:00 PM Seibert Stadium Sat, Nov 17th, 2007 at Eastern_Ill 02:30 PM O`Brien Stadium The football season is approaching soon for the Samford Bulldogs. It is time to tune up those grills, clean up the man room, starting buttering up the wife, and buy a new big screen tv. Here is to all those loyal fans, and the new fans, o Read more:Football
, University
Birmingham Southern Football Schedule 2007 2007-08-23 00:10:00 2007 Home FootballSchedule
September 6 (Thurs.) Miss College (JV) Legion Field 6 p.m. September 15 Rhodes College Regions Park 12 p.m. October 6 DePauw (HC) Regions Park 1:30 .m. October 20 Centre Homewood Field 12 p.m. October 27 Colorado College Regions Park 12 p.m. All Times Central & Subject to Change Regions Park - formerly the Hoover Met HC - Homecoming Yes, I did say BirminghamSouthern
. Long known for its academic prowess it wants to start playing football too.The first ever football season is approaching soon for the Birmingham Southern Panthers. It is time to tune up those grills, clean up the man room, starting buttering up the wife, and buy a new big screen tv. Here is to all those new fans of the Birmingham Southern Panthers football team coached by Joey Jones. We wish you all success and a winning season. Go Panthers!
UAB Blazers Football Schedule 2007 2007-08-23 00:08:00 2007 Schedule
Date Opponent Time Sept. 1 at Michigan State TBA Sept. 8 at Florida State TBA Sept. 15 Alcorn State TBA Sept. 29 at Tulsa* TBA Oct. 6 at Mississippi State TBA Oct. 13 Tulane* TBA Oct. 20 Houston* TBA Oct. 27 at East Carolina* TBA Nov. 3 Southern Miss* TBA Nov. 10 UCF* TBA Nov. 17 at Memphis* TBA Nov. 24 at Marshall* TBA *Conference USA game Football
season is approaching soon. It is time to tune up those grills, clean up the man room, starting buttering up the wife, and buy a new big screen tv. Here is to all those loyal fans, and new fans, of the Uinversity of Alabama at Birmingham football team. We wish you all sucess and a winning season. Read more:Blazers
Auburn Tigers Football Schedule 2007 2007-08-22 23:58:00 2007 Schedule
* All times Central. Date Opponent Location Time/TV Sept. 1 Kansas St. Auburn
TBA Sept. 8 South Florida Auburn TBA Sept. 15 Mississippi St. Auburn TBA Sept. 22 New Mexico St. Auburn TBA Sept. 29 Florida Gainesville, FL TBA Oct. 6 Vanderbilt Auburn TBA Oct. 13 Arkansas Fayetteville, AR TBA Oct. 20 LSU Baton Rouge, LA TBA Oct. 27 Ole Miss Auburn TBA Nov. 3 Tennessee Tech (HC) Auburn TBA Nov. 10 Georgia Athens, GA TBA Nov. 17 Bye Week --- Nov. 24 Alabama Auburn TBA Football
season is approaching soon. It is time to tune up those grills, clean up the man room, starting buttering up the wife, and buy a new big screen tv. Here is to all those loyal fans, and new fans, of the Auburn University Tigers
football team. We wish you all sucess an
My Lender Went Out of Biz! 2007-08-21 13:08:00 I do a lot of reading of other blogs and I found this one by one of my favorite Real Estate bloggers Ginger Wilcox who operates Blog By The Bay. She is a real estate professional serving the Southern and Central Marin County areas of California.My lender went out of biz!Aug 12th, 2007 by gingerwilcox What should I do if my lender goes out of business? Who do I make my payments too? These are great questions that I have been asked this week.So what do you do?Make your payment as usual. Often times, the person you make your payment to is the company servicing the loan, not the actual holder of the note. If the loan company servicing your loan changes, you will be notified. In the meantime, make your payments as planned.This post from David Podgursky, a mortgage broker in Lake Worth, Florida. has a great explanation about loan servicing.The bottom line- you still owe your upcoming mortgage payment, even if your lender has closed their doors. (Darn it!) Read more:Lender
Chinese Language All the Rage at Local Schools in Birmingham 2007-08-20 19:46:00 My family and I had the opportunity to meet with these two teachers and grab a bite of lunch this weekend. What a remarkable opportunity for them and for the kids at this school. I think it's remarkable how so many schools here in the Birmingham
area are expanding thier curriculum to a truly multicultural experience. Looks like some uncommon things are happening in Alabama and it's a good thing. I included the article to give some background on what's happening here.Chinese
language all the rage at over-the-mountain schoolsHANNAH WOLFSONNews staff writer www.al.comFor the latest addition to the curriculum at Highlands School, the school's director flew to China. She came back with a suitcase full of souvenirs and the resumes of two teachers. During the coming school year, Zhan Huini and Xiang Ping will teach basic Mandarin and introduce students to the country's culture. Highlands may have gone the farthest to get its teachers, but other area schools are also adding Chinese. Mount Read more:Local
, Schools
21,476 tickets from Take Back Our Highways 2007-08-18 15:18:00 This is the number of tickets given by troopers in Alabama August 13-17, 2007, during their first "Take Back Our Highways" campaign. It was an effort by law enforcement to set the tone for driver safety. They weren't just pulling over speeders either. Troopers were pulling over anyone whose driving could have been reckless or dangerous for other drivers on the road. Lee Hamilton, who has been a pilot for some time now said, "There are those who hate us for what we do. But right now, I think we are making a positive influence for the department. Look at the big picture. We are public servants, and our job is to protect the public. If someone is driving 90 mph down the interstate, other drivers need protection from him, and he needs protection from himself." I guess the big lesson here is that when we are driving we just don't need protection from others; we may also need protection for ourselves.
Home Security: Lock Bumping 2007-08-17 08:51:00 SHOCKING! I know. It kindof freaked me out when I first saw the video, and then I found some remarks about this from the owner of a lock company who said some interesting things about the topic. Here they are:1. Most any lock is vulnerable.2. Most any lock can be made safer by reconfiguring the pins or using special pins.3. There are high security locks, almost bump proof, but they may require a signature card system.Probably the biggest bit of information I got from this is that total home security is needed on top of "fixing" your locks to really make your home safe. I thought this information could be useful and benefical to all. Read more:Bumping
, Home Security
Community Snapshot: Crestline 2007-08-15 21:52:00 Nestled in the heart of Mountain Brook sits Crestline. Residents would describe it as a modern "Leave It to Beaver" type of town. Children can be found walking to school, gathering with friends in the Village, or playing in the yard with their neighbors. Crestline also hosts on of the three shopping villages in Mountain Brook... Crestline Village. Crestline Village has more than 80 shops and restaurants for your enjoyment.Crestline Elementary School is a Blue Ribbon School. The school had 711 students during the 2006-2007 school year. According to the Alabama Reading and Math test 98% to 100% of students in grades 3-6 exceeded the state standard. The mission of Crestline Elementary School is to "promote learning for life in a caring environment dedicated to the total child." Their philosophy states that they "believe that Crestline Elementary should be a positive, caring, safe environment which maintainas an atmosphere that is conducive to each child reaching his/her fullest intellect
Buyers, You Have Spoken 2007-08-12 17:20:00 I was reading my email today and I found that buyers, you have spoken. So I said to myself, "Let's put on our listening ears and see what they said." The National Association of Realtors has released the "2007 Profile of Buyers
' Home Feature Preferences," and our buyers have indicated what their top preferences are when looking for a home. Buyers indicated that #1 preference they have is extra garage spaces. According to the study says that 57% of buyers want an oversized garage and 56% of buyers reported that they would have paid more for one.The report from NAR also indicated some other home features buyers are placing a higher priority on. Among these features are energy efficiency, cable/satellite ready, hardwood floors, granite countertops, a walk-in closet in the master bedroom, and air conditioning.I hope our builders and remodelers are listening too. To be efficient and effective I need to always be in the mode of listening and delivering, and that is what I intend to do. Read more:Spoken
Living By the Water: The Good and the Not-So-Good 2007-08-12 09:47:00 With the Real Estate Market still being a little funky there are some real deals to be found living by water. I found a story from Newsday by Laura Koss-Feder on living by the water that I found quite interesting since it relates to this fact. In the article Richard Swerdlow, chief executive of Miami's Condo.com, stated that, "The desire to look out your window and see water will always be there and will always be an added incentive for someone to purchase a home."The article went on to explain the pros and cons of living by the water. Let's start with the cons. I always like to end on a good note. 1. Home maintenance can be high due to the effect of all the moisture in the air2. Insurance rates can be higher (even higher if in a flood plain) 3. Property prices are usually a premium.Next, let's end on a good note with the pros. The author of Bubble Proof: Real Estate Strategies That Work in Any Market,Tonja Dermoff lists these f Read more:Living
Greatness 2007-08-09 18:49:00 I had never seen this before, maybe you have, but I was amazed. It reminds me that there is greatness, untapped greatness in all of us just waiting to come out. I wanted to just take a minute to encourage all of you to look deep and find that greatness. Obviously obsticles can be overcome if you'll only try."Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory." ~ Patton
MarketWatch Stats for Actives and Solds in the Greater Birmingham Areas 2007-08-05 09:00:00 I think it's important as a Real Estate Consultant, as a resident, or a future home buyer or seller in the Birmingham
Area to know the stats. Homewood in the month of July 2007 stats were:Active Properties: 298 homes Average Price $385,271 Average Days on Market 99Sold Properties: 29 homes Average Price $313,927 Sold for 96.34% of list price Average Days on Market was 90Vestavia in the month of July 2007 stats were:Active Properties 330 homes Average Price $571,543Price Range $154,900-$2,499,000Average Days on Market 110Sold Properties 44 homes Average Price $471,816Sold for 96.59% of list price Average Days on Market was 71Mountain Brook in the month of July 2007 stats were:Active Properties 191 homes Average Price $805,315Price Range $225,000-$4,499,000Average Days on Market 103Sold Properties 42 homes Average Price $817,970Sold for 97.06% of List Price Price Range $285,000-$3,495,000Average Days on Market was 91Trussville in the month of July 2007 stats were:Active Properties 393 Read more:Stats
Steady Birmingham Home Market 2007-08-01 10:37:00 I found an article earlier today from a few months ago that was quite interesting. Despite all the press about the real estate market being in a down turn and slowing down, Birmingham
seems to be breaking the mold. In the interview the president of the Greater Birmingham Association of Home Builders, George Williams, stated that the Birmingham market had remained fairly steady according to profits and sales data.Williams said, "Birmingham never experiences the astronomical inflation rates in real estate at 40 to 50 percent a year. Birmingham has remained normal in the 5 to 10 percent range, so we didn't have the fall-off other parts of the country had,” and "A very strong economy, one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and that growth is fueling additional investment in housing and we are very fortunate seeing one of the best economies we've seen in a long time," Birmingham has been ranked as one of the top 10 cities in 2007 for real estate in the nation by Fortune Mag Read more:Market
Alabama Statewide Sales Tax Holiday 2007-07-29 13:48:00 12:01 am, Friday, August 3, 2007 will be the starting point and 12:00 midnight Sunday, August 5, 2007 will be the finish line for time for Alabama
’s Second Annual Tax Holiday
shopping marathon. This Tax Holiday aims to afford financial relief to Back-To-School shoppers across the state a $3.3 million break. Governor Riley stated, "At a time when families need it most, this change will let them keep more of their hard-earned dollars. It will offer tax relief to Alabama families from the burden of the state's sales tax on items their children need for school." For more information about exempted items, city participation, and county participation check out this article at the Alabama Department of Revenue. Also feel free to read this article from the Birmingham Business Journal. Happy Shopping! Read more:Sales
, Sales Tax
Best Places to Live: Find Out Where They Are 2007-07-27 09:29:00 What do you want to know about where you might be moving? Are you having difficulty deciding between two or three areas? I found a resource for you! Normally, I would never plug any website other than my own, but I think this would be a great website for any buyers or investors out there. It’s Sperling’s Best Places
. While on Sperling’s I was able to find out a city’s general overview, demographic stats about the population, economy and tax information, housing statistics, health data, crime statistics, climate trends, education reports, transportation data, cost of living information, religious trends, and voting information. For those wanting to compare two areas, there is even a place to run a comparison. (Once you’ve picked an area or two here in our area, give us a call and we can actually start looking at homes!)I’ll be adding Sperling’s to my link list on the side. (Or CLICK here.)I just wanted you to know about some of the resources we’re providing for you on th
Don't Forget to Sing Along 2007-07-25 08:53:00 What does this have to do with real estate? Nothing really, although I'm sure I could try to make up something if I tried really hard. I don't want to though. I just want this to speak for itself. Don't forget to sing along...
Staging Your Home To Sell Part 3 2007-07-24 08:43:00 House transformed for $5000. If this amount is way out of your budget check out my other two entries. Transforming a home for $500 and transforming a home for $100.In this video Barbara starts with out how to change a buyer's first impression (which does make or break a deal), addresses psychological issues, and tells how to get a better offer. Great tips and advice... Read more:Staging
Federal, State, Local, Property, and Sales Taxes 2007-07-22 22:30:00 We aren't first place and we're glad! We are number 46, number 49, and number 50. Normally states don't want to be last, but in this case it's a good thing. I was reading an article on MSN Money about the best and worst states for taxes and an article about Property Taxes
and we're scraping the bottom of the barrel... YIPEE! for you and YIPEE! for me.Alabama ranks #46 in State
and Local
taxes, #50 in Federal
, State, and Local taxes combined, and #49 in Property taxes (keep in mind this varies from area to area in every state).You can actually check sales taxes for different zip codes by checking here. Have a few places you are thinking about moving to? Do a comparison.If you're like me and don't believe in wasting money this is important information. Where do you want to live? Start your life? Retire? That location you've been thinking about for years may prove to be a nightmare. Do your research. I linked several charts, websites, and articles above. There may be some possibil Read more:Sales
An Optical Octopus Illusion Illustrates the Need for a Home Inspection 2007-07-19 01:01:00 Watch and then ask.. What does this have to do with real estate or a home inspection?Now, the answer to the question. What does this have to do with real estate? When I saw it the first thing I thought (well maybe not the first, but definitely one of the next five thoughts) was, "This is why you MUST get a home inspection!" So many times you can walk through a house and a very pretty picture has been painted, but underneath the paint on the canvas (behind the sofa)can be some real problems. We always recommend a home inspection to all of our buyers. We recently found a home whose heating system didn't work. It's the middle of summer, would you have thought about that?A home inspection company just recently came to us and told us about having a home inspection before you sell. What a great idea! Have the home inspected and then fix what you want or fix it all. You can have a copy of the inspection at your home along with a list of what has been corrected. This lets all potential buyer Read more:Home Inspection
, Inspection
, Optical
Staging Your Home To Sell Part 2 2007-07-17 09:02:00 House Transformed for $500 (actually $486.01)Small space? Dark Space? They reveal some tips for brightening and enlarging a space. Read more:Staging
Now and Then: Homewood Market Statistics July 2006 vs. July 2007 2007-08-28 10:08:00 I think it's important as a Real Estate Consultant, as a resident, or a future home buyer or seller in the Birmingham Area to know the stats.With so much media coverage about "the state of the real estate market" being broadcast, I want to start doing a now and then segment to show how the market has changed from one year to the next.July 2006Listed Properties: 67Average Price: $411,018Price Range: $29,900 - $949,000July 2007Listed Properties: 85Average Price: $347,668Price Range: $159,900 - $1,050,000July 2006Sold Properties: 27Average Price: $262,934Price Range: $159,900 - $608,000Average Days on Market
: 49July 2007Sold Properties: 28Average Price: $348,464Price Range: $156,500-$1,039,000Average Days on Market: 96If you would like to be contacted as soon as homes become available in the Homewood area just let me know, or if you would like to see statistics about other areas don’t hesitate to ask. Read more:Statistics
Clumpies Ice Cream Company, Crestline, Mountain Brook, Alabama 2007-08-27 09:08:00 Just a few minutes drive from home, and a short walk from my oldest son's favorite park, the Tot Lot, in Crestline (Mountain
Brook) Alabama
sits a quaint little ice cream shop, Clumpies Ice Cream
Company. Just saying those words makes my mouth water. (Please pardon me as I stop typing to dab the drool from my lip.)Clumpies, which first came to Birmingham about a year ago, is in one of the three exclusive shopping centers of Mountain Brook, Crestline Village which also has several great eateries such as Surin of Thailand, Fire, O'Teys Tavern, Zoes Kitchen, or La Paz which offer a scrumptious dinner before you run, yes I did say run, over to Clumpies for desert. (for directions from wherever you are click here.) They have a lick-smacking variety of flavors to choose from. While I love the Blackberry White Chocolate Chunk, my wife loves the Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Raspberry, and my oldest loves the Sweet Cream (for now). My youngest still loves the bottle, but I am sure he will have
Now and Then: Vestavia Market Statistics July 2006 vs. July 2007 2007-08-26 16:21:00 I think it's important as a Real Estate Consultant, as a resident, or a future home buyer or seller in the Vestavia Area to know the stats.With so much media coverage about "the state of the real estate market" being broadcast, I want to start doing a now and then segment to show how the market has changed from one year to the next.July 2006Listed Properties: 83Average Price: $466,607PriceRange: $184,900-$2,100,000July 2007Listed Properties: 83Average Price: $499,442Price Range: $178,500-$1,499,900July 2006Sold Properties:39Average Price:$430,153Price Range: $184,900 - $859,000Average Days on Market
: 61July 2007Sold Properties: 46Average Price: $464,693Price Range: $145,000-$1,200,000Average Days on Market: 73If you would like to be contacted as soon as homes become available in the Vestavia area just let me know, or if you would like to see statistics about other areas don't hesitate to ask. Read more:Statistics
Now and Then: Mountain Brook Market Statistics July 2006 vs. July 2007 2007-08-25 21:23:00 I think it's important as a Real Estate Consultant, as a resident, or a future home buyer or seller in the Birmingham Area to know the stats.With so much media coverage about "the state of the real estate market" being broadcast, I want to start doing a now and then segment to show how the market has changed from one year to the next.July 2006Listed Properties: 51Average Price: $654,649Price Range: $277,000 - $1,999,900July 2007Listed Properties: 45Average Price: $798,141Price Range: $297,900 - $4,200,000July 2006Sold Properties: 28Average Price: $589,170Price Range: $265,000-$1,400,000Average Days on Market
: 62July 2007Sold Properties: 42Average Price: $817,970Price Range: $285,000-$3,495,000Average Days on Market: 91If you would like to be contacted as soon as homes become available in the Mountain
Brook area just let me know, or if you would like to see statistics about other areas don’t hesitate to ask. Read more:Statistics
Now and Then: Trussville Market Statistics July 2006 vs July 2007 2007-08-24 22:14:00 I think it's important as a Real Estate Consultant, as a resident, or a future home buyer or seller in the Birmingham Area to know the stats.With so much media coverage about "the state of the real estate market" being broadcast, I want to start doing a now and then segment to show how the market has changed from one year to the next.July 2006Listed Properties:97Average Price: $295,445Price Range: $127,900-$989,000July 2007Listed Properties: 72Average Price: $278,934Price Range: $24,900 - $696,000July 2006Sold Properties: 50Average Price: $244,194Price Range: $100,000 - $453,000Average Days on Market
: 62July 2007Sold Properties: 35Average Price: $270,314Price Range: $90,000-$658,068Average Days on Market: 105If you would like to be contacted as soon as homes become available in the Trussville area just let me know. Read more:Statistics
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