Yesterday was the 29th annnual Do Dah Day festival in Birmingham, Alabama.  This event which is held in the Highland Park neighborhood, features a parade with floats and walkers - both human and animal, bands and booths.  This is the major yearly fund raiser for the Greater Birmingham Humane Society and Friends of Cats and Dogs. The parade was fun - as always, and the weather was fabulous.  Prizes are given for the best float, ugliest pet, best movie themed pet, best costume, best pet/human look alike and other stuff.  Stages were set up in Rhodes Park and Caldwell Park and several bands played to entertain the crowd.  There were thousands of very well behaved dogs in the park.  I also saw a turtle, parrot, and snake.  Didn't see any cats :-).  I'm sure there were a few there somewhere.... 05/18/2008

10 fastest growing real estate markets10 homes for sale in hot marketsSee what you can get for the median home price in 10 cities where prices are still climbing. Birmingham's home prices should show steady growth, increasing a projected 2.7% over the next 12 months. 12-month forecast: 2.7% Median home price: $156,000 One year price change: 2.9% Five year price change: 29.4% Change in foreclosure rate: 20% information from cnnmoney.com 05/08/2008

March saw an increase of 19% in the number of homes sold in the Birmingham area, and an increase of 11% for the entire state. The average sales price was up for Birmingham, as was the median price. Here is the link to the Alabama Center for Real Estate web site. Alabama continues to show positive housing stats despite the fear and despair that is being experienced in other parts of the US. Anyone involved in this industry should keep this information handy so we can educate anyone who thinks that the sky is falling. 04/23/2008

 2520 Hampstead Drive only 89,900.  This Awesome Townhome in Grayson Valley is spacious, has great colors and a lot of upgrades. There are 2 large bedrooms. There is even a fireplace in the Living Room.  If you want a dog this is the perfect place because there is a fenced backyard and a covered patio.  Easy commute to downtown Birmingham and just a short drive to the new Pinnacle Shopping center.  If you'd like to learn more about this home click here.  Like what you see, I'd love to talk to you about buying this great home.  Call me at 821-3312 or contact me at www.ToniBird.com.  04/21/2008

Open any major publication or tune into any national news program and you'll be bombarded with negative stories about the real estate housing market in America. There's no question that the subprime lending debacle is a major event because major financial institutions fell victim to greed supported by poor lending practices. Inevitably, all this negative media affects the mood and outlook of the general public, turning massive numbers of people into pessimists. It's worth considering, however, whether there's another story or even a variation of the subprime news headlines. There are two sides to every story and there's a silver lining in any difficult situation. It is true that the problems in the subprime market are real. For those of you who are not familiar with the term, subprime l... 03/05/2008

Bob Hope, President Nixon, Doris Day, Ray Charles, Joe Namath, and Bear Bryant... They all have one thing in common with hosts of other dignitaries, celebrities, and athletes. They all spent time at the Parliament House Hotel in downtown Birmingham.On Sunday, February 17 2008, Birmingham said goodbye to an old friend who went to the rubble grave with lots of memories. Sunday morning it was imploded and crumbled to it's grave.So, goodbye Parliament House Hotel...You can see the video below.The Birmingham News did a piece on the hotel and it's destruction: Parliament House hotel, home to both celebrities and squatters, to be imploded Sunday   02/20/2008

So just how long is a "new listing" a  new listing?   There is one in my area that has been on the market for over 400 days.  300 of those days the agent had "new listing" rider on top.  Give me a break!  What is that all about? 02/20/2008

Thanks for all of the hospitality. Any tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated. I am new to blogging and just heard about this site. What have any of you found to be a good way to generate leads or generate income from your site?? Thanks 02/12/2008

Birmingham area real estate hit a record high mark for days on the market in December. The average number of days reached 115 in December, which ties the record set in July of 2007. Sales were off by only 12 units from November, but still off over 19% compared to December of 2006. The number of listings dropped again for the 4th consecutive month to 12,642 units. I would classify these numbers as "stable". The number of days of market last month was 112, and the Birmingham market hasn't seen this number under 100 days in over 2 years. January is a historically low month for sales for the past several years, so next month's numbers could give us some clues as to the direction of the market.You can see the entire report here 02/07/2008

Alabama had three cities on Forbes list of fastest growing small metro areas.  Mobile was ranked 1st, Huntsville 4th, and Auburn-Opelika 6th.  Here is the link to Forbes.com.http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/01/30/economy-cities-alabama-biz-cx_bw_0130econcities.htmlAnother notable ranking by Forbes, was the top cities to find a job.  Birmingham ranked 12th in this study.  Here is the table of results:  http://www.forbes.com/careers/2008/01/11/jobs-economy-growth-lead-careers-cx_mk_0110cities_table.htmlThis doesn't tell us that Alabama is immune to the housing downturn, but it certainly tells me that we will suffer less and recover faster than many other areas.  It is also great exposure to the rest of the country that Alabama is a viable place for people all over the country to live a... 02/03/2008

The Real Estate Market I am pretty fed up with the way the national media is portraying the current housing market situation.  Headlines such as "Housing Market Plummets" and "Home Sale Prices Down" are not relatively true.One must realize is that the past 5 years of real estate in this country has been very profitable and advantageous.  During this time, many areas INFLATED their home pricing.  Buyers were able to get easy loan terms, and many buyers who otherwise would not be eligible for a loan, took advantage of the low interest rates.  Many purchasers had questionable credit, and were still able to get 100% financing.   The housing market is experiencing the same rule of economy that the stock market does.  When pricing is inflated, and people play the industry hard and fast, then ... 12/09/2007

I think it's important as a Real Estate Consultant serving Crestwood Alabama Real Estate, as a resident, or a future home buyer or seller in the Crestwood Area to know the stats. November 2007 Newly Listed Properties during November: 14 Average Price: $204,071 (Median Price: $187,400) Price Range: $34,000-$424,000 November 2007 Sold Properties: 8 Average Price: $174,703 (Median Price: $177,500) Price Range:  $96,925-$250,800 Average Days on Market: 138 Currently Active as of 12/5/07 Active: 98 Average Price: $208,469 (Median Price: $208,300) Price Range: $34,000-$424,000 Average Days on Market: 115 If you would like to be contacted as soon as homes become available in the Crestwood Area just let me know, or if you would like to see statistics about other areas, don't hesitate to ask. Y... 12/05/2007

Ruffner Mountain is an urban nature center sitting on more than 1,000 acres in the middle of Birmingham... and good things are happening there.I was reading some articles about Ruffner Mountain today, which led me to mention it here. One was Rooting for Ruffner and the other was Sen. Richard Shelby, others gather in Birmingham for Ruffner center groundbreaking.According to the articles, Ruffner Mountain just had a groundbreaking for a $4.5 million Tree Top Visitor Center. Along with this is planned the purchase of another 500 acres of land, which would make Ruffner Mountain the largest nature preserve in the nation.The nonprofit which runs Ruffner Mountain was formed 30 years ago but has lacked the resources and infrastructure necessary to take on such an undertaking. They are planning ... 12/01/2007

I think it's important as a Real Estate Consultant serving Crestwood Alabama Real Estate, as a resident, or a future home buyer or seller in the Crestwood Area to know the stats..October 2007Newly Listed Properties during October: 22Average Price: $218,982 (Median Price: $217,750)Price Range: $119,900-$399,000October 2007Sold Properties: 4Average Price: $188,605 (Median Price: $169,075)Price Range:  $95,000-$321,268Average Days on Market: 97Currently Active as of 11/9/07Active: 106Average Price: $210,316 (Median Price: $207,850) Price Range: $35,000-$399,000Average Days on Market: 105If you would like to be contacted as soon as homes become available in the Crestwood area just let me know, or if you would like to see statistics about other areas, don't hesitate to ask.You can find all t... 11/09/2007

Do Numbers lie ? The local and national news media continue to be doom and gloom about "The Real Estate Market". But which market are they referring too ?  In terms of sales through September 2007, there is little in the Birmingham market (Jefferson & Shelby Counties) to panic about. In fact, I was curious about the numbers for the recent past and pulled the Birmingham Area MLS sales data from 2004-2007 just to get an idea. Jefferson CountyTotal SalesAverage PriceAv. Days On MarketAbsorption Rate (Mos)Jan - Sept 20047,988$168,23588.94.64Jan - Sept 20058,114$181,94889.94.48Jan - Sept 20068,236$192,29692.85.56Jan - Sept 20078,169$193,411104.67.28 Shelby CountyTotal SalesAverage PriceAv. Days On MarketAbsorption Rate (Mos)Jan - Sept 20043,779$216,09790.94.02Jan - Sept 20054,253$231,92788.1... 10/25/2007

I think it's important as a Real Estate Consultant serving Crestwood Alabama Real Estate, as a resident, or a future home buyer or seller in the Crestwood Area to know the stats.September 2007Newly Listed Properties during September: 24Average Price: $210,612Price Range: $29,999-$348,000September 2007Sold Properties: 5Average Price: $204,880Price Range: $160,000-$239,900Average Days on Market: 78Currently Active as of 10/4/07Active: 100Average Price: $210,744Price Range: $109,500-$414,000Average Days on Market: 91If you would like to be contacted as soon as homes become available in the Crestwood just let me know, or if you would like to see statistics about other areas, don't hesitate to ask.You can find all the Birmingham Alabama Real Estate stats here on Greater Birmingham Real Estat... 10/05/2007

Three days ago we began discussing the five simple things you can do to know to make the home buying process easier. Two days ago, we looked at the first simple thing you can do: getting pre-approved. Yesterday, we discussed the second thing you need to know, find a great real estate consultant. Today, we are moving on to the third thing.The third simple thing you can do to make the home buying process easier is to look before you leap.Now, what does that mean? It means you need to make yourself familiar somewhat with an area before you commit to make that area your home. You can do this by driving around the neighborhood at different times of day, getting out and walking around. If you see some who look friendly you can even stop and chat with a few of your potential neighbors.  Rememb... 09/06/2007

The real estate market is undoubtedly changing.  In the Birmingham area, there is more inventory (over 400 more homes than this time last year), and existing home sales are down overall. The mortgage market is also doing it's fair share to impact the real estate market.  For many, it's harder to get financing or the terms available aren't worth the risk/investment.  We are in a different world than 2 or 3 years ago.  But with all that said, I'm not sure it's all bad.  The mortgage business is definitely getting cleaned up, and it's probably only a matter of time before the pool of real estate agents gets cleaner.  I recently heard a great saying......."you can never go wrong by doing right." 09/05/2007

Two days ago we began discussing the five simple things you can do to know to make the home buying process easier. Yesterday, we looked at the first simple thing you can do: getting pre-approved. Today, want to look at the second thing you need to know.The second thing you need to do to make the home buying process easier in Birmingham Alabama is to find a great real estate consultant.This agent is not just any agent though. You are looking for a Buyer's Agent. A Buyer's Agent represents YOU the buyer and not the person selling the home. The agent selling the home represents the seller.The Buyer's Agent has YOUR best interests at heart.  Really good Buyer's Consultants know their markets, and will help you find the best match for your needs and wants.  They can also recommend mortgage b... 09/05/2007

Yesterday we began discussing the five simple things you can do to know to make the home buying process easier. Today, we want to look at the first thing you need to know.The first thing you need to know is to get pre-approved for your loan. Let me say that one more time in case you missed it. Get pre-approved for your loan!This is an important step in that before you decide to buy a home you need to know what you can afford. There is nothing worse than finding that "dream home" only to find out that you can't afford it. So, whenever possible try to get "pre-approved" for a loan in the amount you're willing or able to borrow.  The importance of this pre-approval is that when you do finally find that dream home, you will be in a stronger position to buy that home. How amazing it will be ... 09/04/2007