Mortgage Market News

Interested in knowing more about mortgage market news? Let me know, and I'm happy to forward a weekly market updated from Bluegrass Mortgage. It's a really informative and detailed resource!

End of Summer...

While this doesn't have a lot to do with real estate, it seems worthwhile to note that only four blissful days are left until Fayette County school children head back to class. Seems like summer just gets shorter and shorter and it makes me sad (not to mention the sad looks on my children's faces). We really need a couple more weeks to truly enjoy our summer -- we've had such a good one...travelling out west and just returning from our favorite beach destination -- Sullivan's Island.

I'm not alone in wishing for a later school start date and for anyone who cares there is a website for the promotion of legislation to legally change the start date of the school year to no earlier than the 4th Monday in August. The official website is http://www.savekentuckysummers.com/ .

First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit

In the continuing debate about whether it's a good time to buy, another argument goes on the pro side of purchasing a home. President Bush signed into effect a new housing bill that would give a $7500 tax credit to qualified first-time home purchasers. I'm including a link to a news article posted on the Lexington-Bluegrass Board of Realtors website. Essentially, this tax credit is like an interest-free loan for any qualified purchases made between April 8, 2008 and June 30, 2009.

Peachtree...best buy

440 Peachtree is back on the market! I was just looking at my June 3 post and realized that we had offers on all three of those houses within just a few days of getting them on the market! Unfortunately, our contract on Peachtree fell through due to buyer financing so that great property is available again. It's one of the best buys I've seen for condition, and square footage. It's a super house for a first-time buyer who wants room to grow or for an investor looking for potential cash flow.

Happy Summer

Frankly, I'm so embarrassed that it's been since June that I last posted anything here on the blog. Can I plead summer? I've had tons of real estate activity plus children out of school and some really wonderful vacations including two weeks in Montana & Wyoming hiking the wilds of Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Tetons National Park. Don't ask me which I liked better because I still can't decide and I'm still very much in love with Zion in Utah...hmmm...it was nice to come home to our beautiful Kentucky landscape though!

In the time we've spent in Lexington, we've been enjoying lots of bike riding in an attempt to make a game out of curbing our gas usage. Being inside New Circle Road people, we've been enjoying a number of local restaurants that we can ride to easily -- Puccini's Smiling Teeth off Euclid, and our new favorite where I've been 4 times in the last three weeks: A.P. Roots on Romany Road. If you know Lexington, you know that Romany has some great local spots, Suggins, Wheeler's Drugstore, Graeter's, but you may not know that the owners of Suggins have also opened A.P. Roots -- a terrific, more upscale but still very comfortable (i.e. you can ride your bike there and not feel too underdressed) restaurant that features lots of local produce and unique menu items. Marc and I are hooked on the homemade parpadelle noodle dishes. We want to make sure lots of people eat there as I'll cry if they go out of business.

Affordable and great looking for a first time buyer!

Just listed three great properties this weekend that would be perfect for a first-time home buyer! They pack a lot of value and updates into a great price.

Check out 440 Peachtree Road at under $100,000! My sellers have worked so hard to get this house ready to show and you won't believe the square footage! Here's a link to the virtual tour: http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=1544863.

Another great house! 1144 Kalone Way. This house too has tremendous square footage for the price and the location is so convenient to UK with a quick trip down Alumni Drive or out to Hamburg or for easy access to I-75. I love how quiet and clean the street. Here's a link to the virtual tour: http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=1544427.

The price is a little higher at 212 Pleasant Pointe but the fact that my seller used to be a professional interior designer will feel apparent here. There's a wonderful Southern Living feel to this great home and the hardwood floors literally gleam throughout the common areas. The carpet upstairs was new last week and this house is as move-in ready as it can be. Here's the virtual tour link for it: http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=1541948

Any of these homes would make a great place to make a first home purchase or a terrific rental property for the savvy investor.

Springtime in Kentucky!!

Bad me...Apparently keeping up with my blog was not the priority that I intended for it to be this New Year's. Could be that the last couple of months have been crazy in the Central Kentucky Real Estate market and that would be a fact! We've seen lots of buyers in the market and lots of great inventory out there for them to purchase. It really is an ideal time to buy in spite of the looming recession.

It's a great time to look at homes too! I don't know when I've seen a prettier spring in Kentucky and I feel like everyone else is saying the same thing. I'm working from home a little this afternoon and watching a shower of dogwood blossoms fall in the breeze out my window.