Tim gave me an idea for this blog when he was talking about the dry counties. This is the opposite end of the spectrum. The bars in the New Orleans French Quarter almost never close. You can get a drink or a great meal anytime of the day, night, cold weather, warm weather or anything in between. People do live here and have lived here for several hundred years. it more than likely has no effect on the real estate in the quarter unless you have a condo on Bourbon. Its more of a cultural thing. You do not need a car living in the quarter and have to have a spirit of adventure. We have some characters that come in all sizes, kinds form various walks of life. This is far from the mountains of North Carolina but another shot of America. throw in a couple of tatoo parlors, strip clubs, church... 05/13/2007

  Every property has a sign on it that is for sale. Are you prepared for a call off the sign. Do you know the particulars. Is your number and name rider up so the clients can call you. Its a great way to get clients if you know the neighborhood and what the area offers. You do not have to know the exact things as you can talk your way through the area. Make sure you have flyers describing the home and what it has to offer. I do the back of the flyer with a large note directing them to my site, New Orleans Real Estate or New Orleans Condos so they can get a full description of the property. Its a great marketing tool for the seller. be ready to sell or listen when people do call or e-mail.                                                05/13/2007

I just came across a recent study by the National Association of Home Builders that determined the approximate life expectancy of the components that make up a house.  This is valuable information for buyers so they can better budget for new appliances after a home purchase and it is also valuable to current owners for their budgeting purposes.  I will only cover a selected number of components in this blog, but if you would like to read the complete study please go to the study’s website. While the following information is useful, it should be used as a general guideline only.  The NAHB stresses that life expectancy is affected by intensity of usage and general maintenance.  (Life in years) Appliances: Dishwashers – 9 Microwaves – 9 Standard Refrigerators – 13 Gas Water Heaters – 10 E... 05/07/2007

The Warehouse District remains one of the trendiest destinations for condos in the New Orleans metro market. The area if full of things to do for the young professional, second home buyer and someone who likes to walk the area. The prices have remained strong. There are several new projects on the drawing board that will most likely be built including Trump Towers on Poydras Street. Prices start in the 170s and continue from there. The better one bedroom units are going to be priced at around 200k and up. You will begin to see 2 bedrooms between 250k-300k. if you are willing to do a little work there are some nice bargains. 90% of the units have been updated in the last 5 years. This area should continue to do well in the future.                               920 Poeyfarre #331$243,000C... 04/28/2007

Everyone is constantly asking me…”What are interest rates doing?” or “How’s the housing market?” So I decided to go straight to an expert and ask him to be a guest blogger and help us all learn about interest rates. Brian Davidson, President of Benchmark Mortgage in Shreveport, LA is today’s guest blogger. “By far the biggest economic news last week was the better-than-expected rate on core inflation. The Labor Department reported that the Consumer Price Index increased 0.6% in March, but the core rate, which excludes food and energy, increased only 0.061%. That’s the smallest increase since November and well below the 0.2% expected by economists. The subdued inflation report gives new hope to the idea that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates soon. While the Fed likes to separate... 04/26/2007

Magazine Street in New Orleans is the furtherest thing from a mall. It is different and has many shops that are one of a kind. That is the charm of it. I went in the flag shop the other day and all the guy has is flags and poles. The store has so many flags you could hardly move. talk about a variety. the owner puts these out on the street each day. I bought one for my son for Easter. The owner wrote down the purchase in a notebook and the amount. They took VISA however. Antiques are the mainstay for the street that has become rather competitive with all the box stores and such. Maybe we possessed to stay behind the modern markets but it is sure a lot more fun to explore. No big macs here.                                                           04/23/2007

New Orleans style above ground burials date back several hundred years. many think because of low water table that people are buried above ground. This makes sense but is not the main reason. This was a custom many brought over from Europe. This was mostly Catholic unlike the rest of the country. The benefits are you do not waste ground as you just stack em in. The family is in one place. This is a fairly old one uptown in the Garden District. Nothing fancy but very interesting none the less. Its free and neat to see the names and how long some of these guys have been here. Afterwards you can cross the street and eat at Commanders Palace.                                                                            04/22/2007

I recently found out about a fantastic organization that I wanted to spread the word about…Gulf Coast Doberman Rescue.  GCDR is a non-profit organization that helps Doberman’s throughout the Gulf Coast.  These very generous (unpaid!) people are truly champions of the dog rescue world.  They spend hours and hours a week rescuing, rehabilitating, and then finding the right person to adopt the Doberman.  Typically, this process takes many months, if not years.  I highly recommend anyone interested in Doberman’s to take a look at the website www.GulfCoastDobermanRescue.info.  GCDR is always looking for volunteers to help foster the dogs before they are adopted so send them an email if you want to help! The people of Gulf Coast Doberman Rescue are wonderful and I hope you take a moment to l... 04/10/2007

Zurich Classic of New OrleansTPC of Louisiana in Avondale, La.  TPC is newly re-opened after Hurricane Katrina. The golf course was closed due to damage landscape due to Hurricane Katrina. The Zurich Classic of New Orleans dates are April 16 - 22, 2007. Go to their official web site for all the information: http://www.zurichgolfclassic.com/.  Tickets start at $25.00.  This is PGA Tour New Orleans style. There will be live music and great food. On Saturday, Better Than Ezra and Sunday Irma Thomas to name a few. Come out and support New Orleans and Enjoy great golf from the Pro's. 04/07/2007

  The New Orleans Convention Center is a major source of jobs in the New Orleans area. Its a big draw for tourist to the area. Its along the Mississippi River in the Warehouse District among an ever increasing number of Hotels and Condo complexs. The area received little damage from Katrina and was quickly repopulated. Conventions come and go bringing people to our city. Twnety years ago this was a skid row of old buildings falling into disrepair. Today its one of the hot places to be. You can walk to work. You can have a second home here as many people do buy Warehouse Condos as its a close walk to the French Quarter which is four or five blocks away. this is waht started the renovation that continues to get started.                        04/03/2007

Medical workers are in short supply in the Greater New Orleans area. Affordable housing for medical is coming to the fore front here in New Orleans. The medical staff includes all disciplines: Doctors, Register Nurses, Respiratory Therapist, and all the remaining allied health professionals are in short supply. Since Hurricane Katrina, many health care professional have relocated due to their home being lost or badly damage. The average pay for all medical personal has increase about 50% compared to Pre Katrina pay.My thought is how we as Real Estate Professional, can help bring back these professionals which we all need. We have an inventory of property, which can place many of these medical workers in new homes. One thought I have is to email everyone who you may know in the medical f... 04/01/2007

New Orleans Home and Garden Show The Louisiana Superdome is the site for the New Orleans Home and Garden Show. We visited the show on Saturday evening. It appears most vendors were involved with the rebuilding of property damage during Hurricane Katrina. There were two model modular homes on the floor of the Superdome for exhibit. Over all the show was nice. The crowd in my estimate was not to pre Katrina level. 03/31/2007

New Orleans Home and Garden Show  Get a $2 discount on show tickets. http://www.neworleanshomeshow.com/ Show Dates & HoursThursday, March 29    2pm-9pmFriday, March 30         2pm-9pmSaturday, March 31     10am-9pmSunday, April 1            11am-7pm AdmissionAdults  $9.00 Children 12 and under FreeMilitary personnel:  $4.50 with valid IDDiscount valid for military personnel and immediate family only. Venue LocationLouisiana SuperdomeSugar Bowl DriveNew Orleans, LA 70112Phone: 504.587.3663http://www.superdome.com/ for directions, parking and banking info The New Orleans Home & Garden Show is owned by the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans and produced by dmg world media 03/30/2007

I have started a new blog! This new blog is specifically for consumers.  It will focus on information relevant to buyers, sellers, and those interested in New Orleans real estate in general.  Click here to view my new blog!The information provided is truly intended for my clients and the general public, not other agents! So, please, take a look and join in on the conversation.As always, all active homes for sale can be found on my website = www.DarrylGlade.comPlease contact me at darrylglade@remax.net with any questions.Looking forward to hearing from you!  03/20/2007

Many residents of Tulane, Oschner and LSU Med schools have bought a condo or home from me in the past. This is the time everyone finds out where they are moving to do their residency. Katrina still looms in our background but our city welcomes you on your new adventure. You will have a variety of housing to chose from in and near the City of New Orleans. The commute times here are easy. You can easily get a condo with 15 minutes of your work. The Warehouse District is the closest area with Uptown New Orleans being another alternative. If you want a home then Jefferson Parish, may be one of your better choices due to low taxes and much cheaper prices, better schools and very little crime. Its an easy commute. The areas of Harahan, River Ridge, Old Metairie, Metairie, and Old Jefferrson a... 03/17/2007

MONEY FOR WAREHOUSE CONDO ORLEANS PARISH IS GIVING FREE MONEY TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF A HOME OR CONDO IN ORLEANS PARISH.  JUST THIS WEEK I HAVE HAD 3 BUYERS GET OVER $4000 EACH TOWARDS THE PURCHASE.  YOU REALLY CAN'T BEAT IT WITH A INTEREST RATE OF 6%. 03/14/2007

The past two weeks have been extremely busy for myself and Jack. It is a combination of working hard in the prior months when business was weak. Then it boomed two weeks ago as Spring and Mardi Gras was over. Its hard to work a couple of months with a couple of sales. You show and people are not ready. You e-mail and the clients do not react, you talk and they listen but no contracts. Then you get 7-8 contracts in 2 weeks and all your time is quickly eaten up. You have more calls than you can handle. You work 12 hours a day and get them all to bed, inspected, and the problems ironed out. You always wonder why the business could not be spread out. It is this way every year except the Katrina Year which was completely busy for 8-9 months with sales dropping in your lap. Glad to get back t... 03/12/2007

I just came across a very important Times Picayune Special Report on Nola.com.  The multi-part feature highlights the disappearance of the Louisiana coast.  By using slideshows, interactive graphics, and written articles, the Times Picayune successfully outlines how the Louisiana coast was created, how it has disappeared, and why it is so vital that we restore the coast (and restore it quickly).  This special edition is a must read for anyone living in this area and anyone interested in preserving one of our nation's most prized and culturally rich areas.While I certainly do not claim to have had any part in the creation of this special report, I feel that I must make sure that the info is viewed by as many people as possible.  This topic is important to me primarily because, according ... 03/03/2007

  So much of our business can be done via the internet. it saves us time and money. You still have to have verbal and eye contact. I have begun to create a file for such buyers and sellers. I save all the e-mails that I send and receive from them. I add the title companies quotes and their responses. You can e-mail whenever. Just another way to keep up and become more organized. No big fees or complicated programs. I started when I sold a condo to a client in France when most of our communication was via e-mail. It also makes you communicat because its easy and fast. You do it all at once. I save the CMAs in the files.                               148 Hazel 400 Hammond Hig... 526 Madison 636 Gelpi 909 Lafayette 920 Unit 349 920 unit 219                                    03/01/2007

Having public transportation does have an effect of values of real estate. In New Orleans the street cars are still a fixture in a lot of neighborhoods. Many think we are backward, but this may be a great thing in the future. Having not to drive to work is a great appeal to the current generation who value their time more than the Baby Boomers of which I am one. We all wanted to drive to work, build interstates, spend money on gas, and live where we could get a bigger and better home. The trends start out slowly and then catches on. The Greens should like it as it more efficient. If you like to read the paper or a book on the way to work this is the way to go. The street cars don't have A/C, you have to raise the windows and have the breezes you cool. Think of what you save in parking w... 02/22/2007