While inspecting a new construction property in Nashville, TN yesterday, I came across this “unusual” venting system for the gas water heater. The water heater was located in the mechanical room off the finished basement and all that separated this room from the finished basement area was a louvered door which violated codes as well. To keep the cleaning crew working in the basement from getting asphyxiated, I turned the gas off to the unit. Now I know that the codes officials miss minor things from time to time, but this was so blatant that I believe that even Ray Charles could have seen this one. What is even scarier is that the CO was issued for this property the day before. What really amazes me is that the mechanical contractor, the building superintendent and the mechanical codes... 03/18/2008

 The Luxury Home Market In NashvilleOver the past 18 months I have entered a new market and level of real estate that when I first started selling homes in March of 2001 I could only dream of.In February of 2007 the number of million dollar inquiries increased dramatically to the point where I was working with three clients all looking in the $2 Million plus price range. This is a price point that most realtors would like to work in because obviously the commission is better than the average home but more so because its just a much more interesting job when you are dealing with homes at this level. The Governors Club VideoThe Southern Land CompanyI remember driving past the gated subdivision of LaurelBroooke in Franklin Tennessee a few years ago and being very curious as to how agents m... 03/18/2008

One of the biggest misconceptions about radon gas is that if the property has a crawl space, the crawl space venting will dissipate the gas to the outside. WRONG! I have been doing home inspections in the Nashville, TN area the past few days, and on two of the properties, the buyers requested that I do a Radon test. Both properties were located in the Sevier Park area off Granny White Pike just south of I-440. One was new construction and the other was a 1950's property. Both had Radon Levels above 20 pCi/l (pico Curies per liter). According to the EPA, any reading above 4.0 pCi/l is considered elevated and must be mitigated. It does not matter if the property has a crawl space or is built on a slab. The geology under the property determines if the property will have elevated levels of... 03/18/2008

Oh the Zero Lot Line Home.  The war rages over the pros and cons of these newer homes.  On the positive side, a zero lot line home is EXTREMELY environmentally friendly.  Using land that is already developed and dividing it in two allows for more density of people in a smaller space instead of building out further, which disturbs virgin and previously "unimproved" land.  We have to clear trees (which contributes to more global warming) and put in our underground utilities, ruffling the feathers of our precious ecological system.  On the negative side, if you are the kind of person who enjoys seeing one home for every half acre of land, then yes, the zero lot line is not a pretty sight for you!  We begin living in a more cramped environment, able to see into our neighbor's home from only... 03/17/2008

I got an interesting call from another agent this week that got me thinking...thus, also got me blogging.She was working with a client who found a great loft at Werthan Mills (the same condos, coincidentally, where I have lived since 2006). He loved the place! But not the view. He was concerned that the unit he was considering looked out over a Metro Nashville Development Authority Housing Community, Cheatham Place.  Looking out on that community made him feel guilt. Guilt that he had so much and that the people he was looking down at did not. I was touched. Touched that she came to me to ask for more information on how I feel about that. (For the record: I share the same view as her client - definitely not the same perspective, though.) Touched that her client shared such honest feelin... 03/15/2008

Continued growth and a healthy economy make Music City the perfect place for real estate developers to weather the storm.If there's any one particular city that's poised to withstand the current real estate crisis, that city is Nashville, TN. To look at the flurry of commercial real estate development sweeping across Nashville, one might suppose there was no economic recession at all. Despite downturns elsewhere, Davidson County continues to receive and approve building permits for commercial real estate developers to begin multifamily development projects, office building renovations, and more. On the last day of February 2008, for instance, the county awarded a permit for the construction of a $6.2 million project on Belmont Circle, as well as several multifamily units around the city... 03/14/2008

The new Nashville convention center is one step closer to reality as the Metro Council agrees to fund all predevelopment activities required to build the center. Funding for the pre-development work will be limited to the money brought in by revenue sources already in place for the project. Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling said about $1.4 million is coming in each month from those taxes and fees, most come from the tourism industry.Phil Ryan, executive director of the Metro Development and Housing Agency, said the work will start with the creation of a master plan for the proposed 15.6-acre site at Fifth Avenue South and Demonbreun Street. A planning firm will help MDHA decide on the best way to lay out the convention hall, the hotel, and the parking garages on the property.The nex... 03/14/2008

There were many battles fought along Granny White Pike during the Battle of Nashville. One of these The Battle of the Barrels took place between Taggertwood Drive where the Richland Country Club is located and Oman Drive where Vanderbilt’s Dyer Observatory is located. This main thoroughfare runs through southern Davidson and Northern Williamson Counties. Being a local history buff, I have long wondered what the history behind the name was. After doing much research and listening to local lore and wives tales about “Granny” White hiding Confederate soldiers from the Northern Army, I was able to come up with this post about the origins of Granny White Pike. Like many early roads in this area, what was to be known as Granny White Pike started off as a pathway, probably carved in the rugge... 03/13/2008

1031 Exchange?!!?!?!!? If you have investment property in Davidson County, or in the Greater Nashville Area, and you are getting ready to sell and invest in something else, then you MUST know about this 1031 Exchange!  The 1031 Exchange is basically a way to defer taxes and reinvest your savings!  Through the 1031 Exchange, you can further leverage your equity, diversify your real estate portfolio, consolidate the equity from many properties into one, keep you from having to manage too many properties at once, work on your estate planning, or change property types to get the most out of the available depreciation!Here is how it works:  Let's say you have three rental properties...You have been managing them for five years and want to move up to something else.   So you put your properti... 03/13/2008

Showhomes Middle Tennessee has had a string of quick sales successes. Here is the most recent: This 1.5 million dollar home sold to the first person who looked at it after 15 months on the market. The builder consulted with Showhomes and used a trained Home Manager to help stage the home and keep it in show-to-sell condition: 03/13/2008

I don't know about you but I was thankful to see the rates go down. I was also thankful to see so many so called Mortgage professional get out the kitchen. I am equally excited to see the market go to a buyers market. So many consumers were being taking advantage of by so called sub-prime lenders and loan officers who did not have a clue. Realtors were having a ball too. Houses were not staying on the market but for a few weeks. Sellers were turning down good credit client to take the highest offer from sub-prime offers. Now look where it has gotten us. So say these are the worse time for the market and the country. I beg to differ, the market is great for those who can stand the heat. Those who could afford to go a few months without pay. Wholesale lenders are backed up, weeks right no... 03/11/2008

Giarratana Development's Signature Tower is not the latest casualty of the subprime financial market debacle, but for the first time I have to admit that the March 31st deadline looms heavy on my conscious. The Signature Tower is developer Tony Giarratana's dream building, a 70 story luxury Tower that only the boldest developer in the Southeast would even attempt to tackle in a mid-major market like Nashville and he's down to his last 4 weeks. The casual reader might assume that buyers and investors have fled the real estate market to seek higher ground, but that is not the case in booming Nashville, TN. Tony has been able to presale just about 50% of his building (the most expensive half), which would have been enough last year, but financial institutions' concerns over the looming com... 03/11/2008

 HOME SALES DECREASE IN FEBRUARY There were 1,892 home closings reported for the month of February, according to figures provided by the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors®. This represents a decrease of 26.5 percent from the 2,575 closings reported for the same period last year."The difference in the number of home sales in Greater Nashville between February of this year and the same month last year is less that what it has been in recent months. It is still significant, but headed the right direction," said Mandy Wachtler, 2008 President of the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors. "It is encouraging to note that the number of homes sold has increased when compared to the month before and it is by a larger percentage than was the case a year ago. And, pending sales are the... 03/10/2008

Ah, duct tape! That marvelous, metallic, multi-use material that become so much a part of our everyday lives. Where would any house hold be without it? If the inventors of had only known of its many uses in and around the home and constructions site, they they might have given it a different name like Wonder Tape! I wonder where we would be with out it? It is great for holding the wheels on cars, the wings on airplanes, the babies sagging diapers up, plumbing repairs and in the hands of a REAL PROFESSIONAL - electrical splices for the water heater.            This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton an ASHI Certified inspector with Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing home inspections for Nashville and Davidson county. We also pro... 03/09/2008

In an effort to reduce copper thefts from construction sites and residential and business air conditioning units, two of Nashville Tennessee's largest scrap metal dealers today agreed to adhere to a "no buy list" containing the names of more than 300 convicted thieves and burglars. Pollice detectives developed the "no buy list" after conducting criminal background checks on more than 30,000 persons who have sold scrap metal to PSC Metals and Metal Management Nashville.  The companies, which have been cooperating with the police department for the past several months to reduce copper and metal theft, voluntarily provided the names of their customers. About 1% of the total customer base was placed on the "no buy list" due to past criminal conduct.A uniform state law will help prevent thie... 03/06/2008

Yesterday, I was inspecting a 1960’s rehab in East Nashville. The photo is very typical of the quality craftsmanship that went on in this property. This 900 square foot town home took forever to inspect as each area of the property seemed to be a new adventure. It never ceases to amaze me how the trades shirk their responsibilities and pass off slip-shod work as being the accepted norm. Is there no such thing as taking pride in ones work or a job well done anymore? This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton an ASHI Certified inspector with Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing home inspections for Nashville and Davidson county. We also provide home inspections for Brentwood and Williamson County.  The views and opinions expressed ar... 03/04/2008

If you are looking to relocate to Nashville, TN then make sure you find a realtor that is really willing to listen.  One of the most important qualities that you will find in a realtor is being a good listener.  Good listening doesn't just involve hearing wha one says.  It also involves reading body language, hearing undertones, calculating responses and adding all of those things up to be able to visualize and understand a client's wants and desires in a home.  A good realtor will listen, calculate, watch and then ask clairfying questions and listen again.  It is those attributes that set me a part as a buyer's agent.  In the same way I use some of those same attritubutes as listing agent; hoever, selling a home requires additional skills as well.  As a native Nashvillian, I am very kn... 03/04/2008

The Battle of Nashville Monument was commissioned by the Ladies Battlefield Association. It was dedicated on its original site on Franklin Road near Woodmont Blvd., on Armistice Day, 1927. The Association envisioned a memorial to dedicated to the struggles of both the Confederate and Union forces who clashed on this very ground on December 15th and 16th 1864. The Monument has historical significance as it was the first in the Nation created to the fallen on both sides of the conflict. The Angel of Peace tops the obelisk and the bronze Statue of Unity adorns the middle. The Monument’s original Angel of Peace was destroyed when the obelisk was toppled by a tornado in 1974 while still located at the Franklin road site. The need of an interstate exchange made moving the park essential. The... 03/04/2008

A plumber is a tradesperson (questionable term at times) who installs and maintains the potable (drinking) water and sewage systems in our homes.  But, did you ever wonder where the term plumber comes from or how it originated? I have done some research on this as I knew some of the origins but did not know how far back the term went. The word plumber actually dates back to the early Roman Empire. Remember the aqueducts you studied in school? Well, once the water was in the city, it had to have a way to get into the houses.  In Roman times up to the invention of more modern systems we have today, pipes were made of lead, or plumbum in Latin (this is where the atomic symbol Pb for lead comes from). So, a person with expertise in working with piping systems was known as a Plumbumber whic... 03/03/2008

2007 SALES IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE EXCEED MORE THAN $1.3-BILLIONBRENTWOOD, TN., Crye-Leike, REALTORS is proud to announce that based on its Total Dollar Sales Volume in 2007, the company out sold all other competing real estate firms in Middle Tennessee in total dollar volume of listing sides and selling sides in closed sales. Based on MLS statistics, January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007, in Middle Tennessee the company achieved sales of more than $1.3-billion, bettering the nearest competing real estate firm in the region by more than $446-million. Thoughts from Harold Crye"Given the direction the housing market has taken, we're extremely pleased with the year end numbers," said Harold Crye, Founder, President and CEO. "We're hoping we've seen the bottom here in Middle Tennessee and i... 03/03/2008