Luxury Living At The Ledges Huntsville Alabama To see complete details and photos of homes for sale in the Ledges, click on the following link:  The Ledges Of Huntsville Mountain.  Follow this link for past posts about the Ledges of Huntsville Mountain, Huntsville Alabama  35802. Luxury living is at its best when you call home The Ledges of Huntsville Mountain.  Concern for the preservation of nature in this 750 acre community, 150 acres are set aside for residential development, 250 acres devoted to a top rated golf course and an additional 450 acres will not be developed around the mountain to preserve its beauty and natural setting.  Designed by the same company that designed Disney's ocean side community of Celebration Florida, estate homes, townhomes, villas and cottages reflect au... 09/11/2012

Northern Alabama & Southern Tennessee Trail Of Tears Motorcycle Ride September 15, 2012 Past Trail of Tears blog posts There are actually two Trail of Tears rides here in the Tennessee Valley; the Trail of Tears Remembrance Ride & the Trail of Tears Commemorative Ride.  Click on each of the preceding links for schedules, routes/maps and history of the Trail of Tears.  I'm not getting into the politics of the two groups sponsoring each ride as they have had their differences, but merely want to inform the public and riders who wish to attend that two distinct rides exist following different routes laid out years ago when Native American Indians were voluntarily and forcibly relocated from southeastern United States to Oklahoma.  Depending on the ride you Trail you want to follow your rid... 09/08/2012

Building Home & Garden Show Huntsville Alabama VBC South Hall 2012 As a Realtor and home owner here in Huntsville Alabama I know the importance of home maintenance and doing any home project right the first time.  The Building Home & Garden Show at the VBC South Hall this weekend is a great place to stop off and learn a little bit...okay...a lot about your home & garden from people who know.  Friday, September 7, 2012 at the Von Braun Center South Hall 1 in Huntsville Alabama, the 3rd annual "Building Home & Garden Show" will once again be presented.   The dates are September 7,8,9 and times are: Friday-12-6:30pm, Saturday-9am-5pm and Sunday from 12 to 5 pm.  Admission is $6 per person and kids under 12 are admitted free. Several vendors will be on hand to answer all your home building,... 09/05/2012

What Do You Do Around The Office To Take A Much Needed Break   We Are Not Without A Sense Of Humor Here at @Homes Realty Group, we take the matters of Real Estate seriously.  Client representation whether buyer or seller is our steadfast focus.  However, we are not without a sense of humor and from time to time a much needed break is not only welcome, but necessary.   Amber, our office manager, girl extraordinaire and all-round good sport cornered a few of us today wanting to know what burning question we had if any that weighed heavily on our minds.   What’s with the Vest, Dave?  So, What do you do around the office to take a break from the Real Estate grind?    If you need a knowledgeable real estate professional in Madison or Huntsville Alabama area, why don't you let me Google that ... 08/30/2012

How About Some Great Music To Start Your Day?...U-2  I haven't done a music post in a while and this tune has been running through through my head for the last couple of days...just thought I'd share and hope you enjoy. Where the Streets Have No Name   If you need a knowledgeable real estate professional in Madison or Huntsville Alabama area, why don't you let me Google that for you! I also know outstanding agents in all states and Canada should you need help relocating to a new area. 08/30/2012

Phillips Creek Subdivision Huntsville Alabama 35806 Are you planning to Huntsville Alabama joinning NASA or one of the many NASA contractors, the Redstone Arsenal? Maybe you're coming to Huntsville to retire and play a little golf on the Rober Trent Jones Golf Trail.  It could be that you're just moving across town and wanting a newer or larger home...if so Phillips Creek subdivision could be exactly what you're looking for. There are 8 homes for sale in Phillips Creek priced from $219,900 to $272,900 that are newer construction in the 1-5year old range. For photos and details of all available homes in Phillips Creek please click on the following link: Phillips Creek Huntsville Alabama Homes for sale. Schools that service Phillips Creek Subdivision Legacy/Monrovia Elementary, Monrovia M... 08/17/2012

Seller Demanding Buyers Appraisal, Update Recently I wrote a post about a transaction in which I was representing the buyer of a foreclosed property and my experience with an asset management company...check it out here:  Seller Demanding Buyers Appraisal, Asset Management Co. Out Of Control.  The short story is that the asset management company was demanding to see the buyers appraisal otherwise an extension of the contract and the entire transaction itself was going to be held hostage.   The reason for the request was originally veiled as an attempt to make sure there were no lender required repairs to hold up the deal and that all repairs could be done at the same time.  The story was later changed to; if the appraisal came in too high the asset management would renegotiate the contr... 08/12/2012

Lake Forest Huntsville Alabama New, Existing & Proposed Construction For information on homes for sale in Huntsville Alabama Lake Forest community, call Nick T Pappas at (256) 230-5933 or try my website:  http://www.nicktpappas.com Lake Forest offers a blend of communities to its residents.  Homes for sale range from patio style and garden homes, to Craftsman and upscale high end traditional properties and southern style custom built homes.  Lake Forest is comprised by approximately 700 acres with the lake, clubhouse, fitness center, pool and tennis courts at it's center.  The different communities currently offer homes priced from the upper $100K's to the upper $800K's.  For a complete list, photos and details of all available homes for sale in Lake Forest follow this link:  Lake Fores... 08/07/2012

iPad Training Class Another Success For Christmas Charities Year Round I want to give an update on our second iPad training class.  The class was full and new iPad owners were able to take away a lot of great information once again.  Classes are free, but this time we asked attendees to bring donations of school supplies for "Christmas Charities Year Round" to be given to students starting the new school year who might otherwise be unable or hard pressed to provide on their own.  We filled two box's full of paper supplies, crayons, dictionaries and more, all the things a student needs to start the year fresh.  For those who didn't bring supplies cash donations were given amounting to $45.13.  We thank you all and are looking forward to our next class with all of you.      If you need a ... 08/07/2012

I've Been Talking About It For A Year And Finally Bought A New Camera Actually I think it's been more than a year, but I finally upgraded to a new Digital SLR camera.  I'm still stuck somewhat on the old film cameras (still own a couple of great Nikon's) and always enjoyed developing and printing my own B&W's...there is a special warmth inherent to those photos much like the warmth of the old vinyl records of which I still have several hundred.  Anyway, digital photography now rivals film photography and certainly surpasses it regarding convenience.  My intention was to deliver better interior residential photos for my clients, but I think there will be many creative, recreational photos in my future if I can get a handle on all the buttons and features.   I will admit though that I've ... 08/05/2012

Huntsville MLS, Huntsville real estate research. July 31st, 2012 7:58 PM  127 GENESIS DRIVE has been on the market since 06/23/11 and has had five price reductions to the present $209,900 / $90 per square foot. http://nalmls.com/NALMLSReports/ListitLib/show_report.aspx?ID=7115586461 The link below is to the listing where the current owner bought the house new in 2007 for $206,000 / $89 per square foot. http://nalmls.com/NALMLSReports/ListitLib/show_report.aspx?ID=7115586463 Sellers break even point on a sale will be in the $223,000 range so at the list price he is taking a $17,0000 loss on the house. The link below is to a summary of MLS activity in the Genesis neighborhood since 03/01/11. There are five active listings including one new construction home. There is one pending sale tha... 07/31/2012

This Could Be Parked In My Garage Soon! I have a client now friend who's a car collector.  He has a dozen or so high end sports cars and this Ferrari Modena pictured below is one of them.  One of his wants/must haves when I showed him homes in Huntsville Alabama around the Village of Providence was parking space for a few of his toys.  Well, I tried hard to find him a home with plenty of garaged parking, but 3 spaces was the best I could do.  Now that we've closed on his home a couple of new homes with 4-5 parking spaces have come on the market so we're looking at homes again.  However, he'll still be short on garage space.  I've offered to garage this beauty at my house at no charge and of course I've suggested that he leave the key with me just in case there was an emergency of some s... 07/28/2012

The View From My Clients Ocean Front Office Actually "Ocean front" is a bit of a misnomer as this photo was taken at sea.  My client is a ships captain on a somewhat secret task and therefore I cannot provide photos of the ship, but I did get permission to share these photos with you.  This is a partial view from my clients office; the Bridge.  He said the Eagles talons are as big as his hand.  If you need a knowledgeable real estate professional in Madison or Huntsville Alabama area, why don't you let me Google that for you! I also know outstanding agents in all states and Canada should you need help relocating to a new area. 07/26/2012

Free iPad Training @Homes Realty July 27, 2012 10AM-12 Must Register Our first ipad class for beginners was packed with requests for more classes...aiming to please here you go!! This class is an intermediate level, however, more classes are planned for the future because of demand.  Our first class was free as is this one, but we do ask that you help us give back to the community by donations of school supplies for "Christmas Charities Year Round."  Needed items are displayed on the registration page...you must register as seating is limited and demand is high. Our location is: 100 Providence Main Suite B (2nd Floor) Above CVS Pharmacy Huntsville, AL 35806 Be sure to register today for this great training event provided by @Homes Realty Group! Email not displaying correctly? View it in... 07/25/2012

Are You Selling "For Sale By Owner" Consider "Not" & Save Time & Money When you decide to sell your home, For Sale By Owner ("FSBO") everyone knows why...it isn't rocket science, you want to save money...right??  Let me offer a few statistics and personal observations experience has given me over the years. According to the National Association of Realtors only 10% of all home sales in 2011 were "FSBO" related and that the average sale price was $150,000 while sales involving Realtor assistance or representation averaged $215,000.  Clearly I think, there is more to selling, marketing or bringing your home to the attention of those who want to buy and for more money.  Realtors have a great many resources and tools at their disposal to help you sell your home faster, and for more, saving ... 07/22/2012

Seller Demanding Buyers Appraisal, Asset Management Co. Out Of Control Are asset management companies (AMC's) getting out of control?  There are no lack of horror stories dealing with asset management companies, but this is a new one on me and apparently everyone else that I talk with in the Real Estate world.  Because this is an ongoing transaction I'm not publishing names for now, but that will change via a follow up post once we make it to the closing table...if we actually make it that far. For now let me ask this question of all of you:  Has anyone had experience with an AMC demanding to see the buyers appraisal for any reason other than if the home does not appraise at or above purchase price?  Originally the AMC who is remaining nameless temporarily explained it was needed to mak... 07/16/2012

Madison AL & Huntsville AL Neighborhoods, Village Of Providence Click the following link for details, pricing and photos of homes for sale in:  THE VILLAGE OF PROVIDENCE If you've read many of my local blog posts then you know I tend to write a lot about the Village of Providence.  It's not for a lack of other subdivisions to keep you informed about, but more to the point, I work in Providence and know it well.  More importantly, the Village of Providence is a great place to live, very walkable with a community pool, clubhouse, fitness center and very central in Huntsville Alabama offering easy commuting to where ever you need to go. When you mention the Village of Providence everyone knows where it is and what you are talking about.  Many area parents bring their children to the Little... 07/06/2012

To view photos and details of all homes for sale in the Ledges, follow this link:  The Ledges Of Huntsville Mountain.  Follow this link for past posts about the Ledges of Huntsville Mountain, Huntsville Alabama  35802. There's just not another community in Huntsville Alabama quite like The Ledges of Huntsville Mountain.  Carved into the top of Huntsville Mountain is the very exclusive 750 acre, gated community of The Ledges.    150 acres are set aside as residential development including estate homes, townhomes, villas and cottages that reflect new-southern historically correct architecture prevalent in historic downtown Huntsville Alabama. built by the same company that designed Disney's ocean side community of Celebration Florida The Ledges of Huntsville Mountain are part of the sough... 07/05/2012

Where is the best place in the Huntsville AL area to see fireworks?     Happy 4th of July! We have been asked the question recently - "Where is the best place to go see fireworks on the 4th?" Good News is - We have the answer!!  There are four main places to catch public fireworks displays in the Tennessee Valley this 4th of July: U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville - 9PM ($20 per vehicle) - Click Here for More Information Huntsville Stars, Joe Davis Stadium - 6:43PM Game Time, Fireworks After the game (Included with admission) - Click Here for More Information Dublin Park, Madison - 9PM (FREE) - Click Here for More Information Point Mallard Park, Decatur - 10PM (FREE) - Click Here for More Information After the fireworks, submit your best 4th of July or Fireworks photo to our Faceb... 07/03/2012

What's Your Price Range?  I don't Know...Just Show Me What You Have! Realtors...Don't you just love it when you ask the question of a buyer , "What's your price range"?...and the answer is less than helpful like; "I don't know...Just show me what you have"!  As real estate agents we usually can and must get an accurate answer to that question.  Usually our next question to the buyer is; "Have you been pre-approved"?  "Not yet", "I know what I can afford", "I'm just looking" come the answers. Buyers:  The most expensive home in the Northern Alabama Multiple Listing service is a 13,450 square foot, 8 bedroom 12 bath, Gated Estate in Harvest Alabama priced at $3,500,000.  The least expensive home is a 2,128 square foot, 2 bedroom, 2 bath bungalow in Gadsden Alabama priced at $7,500.  There... 07/01/2012