This morning on Twitter, I came across a link shared by John Jamieson in Detriot Michigan that inspired me to write this post and share his link.  There is so much negative press and many of us have seen our real estate business fall away and our markets become difficult.  Many have lost jobs, homes, and suffered much grief. In the ever day hum drum our lives can loose meaning and focus.  This family kept their focus and turned their difficulties into opportunities that have gone on to inspire many other people all over the world!  The lessons in the message are ones we can all benefit from watching.  Team Hoyt - I Can   01/23/2009

Looking around at various Baton Rouge Area schools?  In addition to our public schools, Baton Rouge has numerous private schools.  One of the private schools we'd like to introduce today is Runnels School, one of the oldest independent schools in Baton Rouge.   With campuses on Jefferson Hwy. and Harrells Ferry, Runnels goes from PreSchool thru Senior High. Runnels boosts high academic achievement plus sports, arts, and technology programs.  You will find a variety of programs.  For example, one of their 8th grade students, Theresa Hudson, was featured in Baton Rouge's 225 online magazine.  She was invited to Pres. Obama's inaguration in Washington, D.C. and is blogging on this event.  See her blog at 225 online. One of our Realtors, Wendi Hairford, assists at Runnels; and her 2 boys ar... 01/20/2009

At Baton Rouge Area Homes we are all about families.  Recently CBS did a story on a family that will warm your heart:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBtFTF2ii7U&eurl=http://www.netvibes.com/  Family members sleep together, eat together, share life's journeys togther and help each other in their life activities.  We are providing this story to you to encourage you and inspire you.  After you watch this, you'll be able toanswer the question "Who is a dog's best frient?" Do you need assistance relocating your family members? This link may give you some ideas:  http://www.petrelocation.com/  01/17/2009

This week has some upcoming events of interest.  Wednesday, Jan.21, 2009, the Council Zoning Meeting will hold Public Hearings on Amendments to the Comprehensive Zoning Map of the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge that includes Plank Rd., Joor Crossing, Southdowns Subdivision, Perkins and Acadian, Destin Place Subd.  http://brgov.com/dept/council/agendas/zoning.pdf   The intersection at Coursey Blvd. and Sherwood Forest will be under construction for about 5 months.  During this time there will be no left turns in any direction.  Plan you routes accordingly.  http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/37401384.html  01/17/2009

Monday evening as the sun went down, Baton Rouge Tweeters gathered at Chimes East on Coursey Boulevard.  There was good food and fellowship and much amazement at the power of Twitter to call such a diverse group on short notice.  It was a first one here and no one knew quite what to expect.  College students, Gatorworks techies, grandparents, bankers, outfitters, poker players, Realtors.  There were even 3 of us Active Rain bloggers there, some who didn't know each other and hadn't found each other on Active Rain until last night!  Bryan Castillo, Linda Fredericks, and myself. I was lucky as I just started my account and was able to get in on this first Twitter event in the Baton Rouge area.  It was such a success I'm sure there will be more in the future.  Much thanks to David Link of ... 01/13/2009

This weekend all the lights will be coming down.  So we captured one neighborhood, Woodlake at Bluebonnet to share their beauty.  The luminaries were found on most homes, jolly by daylight and glowing in the evening.  Their were many neighborhoods areoung Baton Rouge lighting up.  This is one example.            May you have a prosperous 2009. 01/07/2009

This morning I closed out my last transaction of 2008.  It was a first time homebuyer, very small sale of only $86,000, and to some very insignificant.  But at this closing that lasted from 8:30am to 1:30pm, there was nothing insignificant about this time where it seemed her dreams were melting away!  Finally after hours of conference calls, emails, and faxes we were able to help a young lady into her first home.  Her smiles and hugs of excitement were the best way I could have closed out 2008. It all started by getting her hooked up with one the the best Baton Rouge lenders who was able to get her 100% state bond financing (unheard of in today's market). The mortgage and inspection process went smoothly.   Then at  closing we first learned that the seller hadn't disclosed that a tenant... 12/31/2008

12/31/2008

http://batonrougefhaappraisers.com/- FHA Appraiser, Bill Cobb, CREA, Study Shows East Baton Rouge Parish With 16% REO Rate In 2008, 11.7% REO Inventory   On 12/27/2008, The Times-Picayune Newspaper published an article, "The Nation's Foreclosure Crisis Seems To Have Skipped Louisiana",  http://blog.nola.com/tpmoney/2008/12/the_nations_foreclosure_crisis.html     An exerpt from this article reads, "As the foreclosure crisis continues to rage in many parts of the country, Louisiana remains blithely immune, in large part because the state slumbered through the nation's housing boom. While home prices soared to giddy heights in other states, owners in Louisiana have seen steady but unglamorous annual gains of 5 percent in recent years. As a result, lenders in Louisiana never resorted to iss... 12/28/2008

http://fhaappraisersbatonrouge.com/ - FHA Appraisers Baton Rouge Old Jefferson Subdivision Report 12/2008 Solds In Old Jefferson Subdivision from 01/07/2007 to 12/31/2007 revealed:  Average Sales Price: $145,150Average Sold Price Per Sq. Ft.: $92.81Median Sold Price: $147,000Low Sales Price: $127,000High Sales Price: $159,900Average # of Days On Market: 58# of Sales: 38Excludes Any REO Sales Solds In Old Jefferson Subdivision from 01/01/2008 to 12/18/2008 reveals:  The Average Sales Price: $155,636The Average Sold Price Per Sq. Ft.: $92.44/sfThe Median Sold Price: $154,900Low Sales Price: $129,900High Sales Price: $199,500Average # of Days On Market: 41 Days On Market# of Sales: 19Excludes Any REO SalesListing Price To Sales Price Ratio Has Been: 99.80% Therefore, based on the median sa... 12/17/2008

http://fhaappraiserbatonrouge.info/ - FHA Appraisers East Baton Rouge 12/2008 Report On Hermitage Subdivision Solds from 12/06/2006 to 12/06/2007 (All Sales - REO & Non-REO) reveals:  Average Sales Price: $113,594Average Sold Price Per Sq. Ft.: $81.96Median Sold Price: $117,450Low Sales Price: $74,900High Sales Price: $157,500 Average # of Days On Market: 65# of Sales: 16 Solds from 12/06/2007 to 12/06/2008 With 4 REO Sales reveals:  Average Sales Price: $99,750Average Sold Price Per Sq. Ft.: $71.00Median Sold Price: $98,750Low Sales Price: $64,000High Sales Price: $122,000Average # of Days On Market: 100# of Sales: 12 An MLS CMA of Hermitage from 12/06/2007 to 12/06/2008 Without The 4 REO Sales reveals:  Average Sales Price: $106,438Average Sold Price Per Sq. Ft.: $77.14Median Sold Pri... 12/16/2008

Most have read the horrible ratings many Louisiana schools, and East Baton Rouge Parish schools receive.  It's so bad that it occasionally garners national attention.  Ugh!  but rather than be complacent and apathetic and just go along, a group of young professionals has organized to make a difference.  Called the Public Education Project....PEP....these energetic difference makers are organizing school tours and town hall meetings.   Next Meeting: January 6, 2009 9-10am South Boulevard Elementary   You can sign up to receive a monthly newsletter, host a PEP talk, join the mentoring program at EBR Lab Academy. Be active in your community.  Get involved to make East Baton Rouge Parish Schools better Learn more at the PEP WEBSITE: www.pepbr.org 12/15/2008

http://batonrougefhaappraisers.com/ - Hickory Ridge Report 12/2008, Baton Rouge Real Estate Solds from 12/11/2006 to 12/11/2007 revealed:  The Average Sales Price: $216,594The Average Sold Price Per Sq. Ft.: $97.95/sfThe Median Sold Price: $209,600Low Sales Price: $169,900High Sales Price: $305,000Average # of Days On Market: 64# of Sales: 16 Solds from 12/11/2007 to 12/11/2008 reveals:  The Average Sales Price: $207,982The Average Sold Price Per Sq. Ft.: $92.19/sfThe Median Sold Price: $208,000Low Sales Price: $153,000High Sales Price: $263,000Average # of Days On Market: 68# of Sales: 11 Therefore, based on the median sale price barometer (the barometer used by the NAR National Association of Realtors) within Hickory Ridge, the market direction appears to be decreasing slightly.   The... 12/15/2008

After watching 60 Minutes last night, I'm happy to report that I don't know what the producers are smoking!  First of all, they report on the housing market as if there is such a thing as a national housing market.  Folks: Let me just clear up this little myth right now.  THERE IS NO NATIONAL HOUSING MARKET.  All real estate is local.  Let's put it another way.  If it snows in Colorado, what affect does that have on the weather in Louisiana?  If you answered: None.  Then: ding ding ding  You are correct!  Real Estate is like the weather and there are little, if any affects on one housing market because of another. In fact, through all the doom and gloom news about housing prices falling, the Baton Rouge real estate market has seen an increase in the average home price for 2008 up from 2... 12/15/2008

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK - 27th  Annual Edition 2009-2010 published by LSU, Department of Economics, authored by Loren C. Sctt, James A. Richardson, & M Dek Terrell, is "hot off the press".  This outlook provides statistics and data to support the conclusion that our local eocnomy is thriving. Here are some tidbits from this report.  "Baton Rouge:  Construction + Good Diversity = Solid GrowthIt states that "the Baton Rouge MSA has the largest concentration of chemical industry in Louisiana.  Because the petrochemical industry is very capital-intensive, when it expands, so does the industrial construction".  Other major factors are the location of the State Capitol, the two major state universities, LSU and Southern Universities, and one of Louisiana's largest commuity colleges. "The MSA's 2007 ... 12/13/2008

  Weather forecasts called for snow, but who would have guessed anything liked this!  My husband got up in the early hours around 5:30 am to take out the dog, then came in and woke me to see!  And of course we had to wake our daughter.  Here we were, up before sunrise, and got a lot of photos.  We spent the whole morning playing in the backyard with the dogs ... they loved it!!  At one point it was very much like a blizzard.  We got about 4 inches in the Lake at White Oak.  Some neighborhood boys came around and made a snowman for us ... nice kids!! Merry Christmas, Sallie 12/13/2008

Interest rates are great! My business partner (and Mother), Linda Fredericks went on the local news to let people know about the great rates. Really the video says it all, but first, let me remind you of my previous post where I talk about the interest rates to be had. Next, let me just say that Baton Rouge is such a great place to live. The local economy is strong and more jobs are coming in to town. You can read about the job stats on Linda's recent post. Now, check out the video below! 12/13/2008

  18422 North Lake Shadow Drive Colorful crotons and ceramic pots adorn these beautiful gardens.  Special features like the blue glass ball add focal points that highlight the area.  In September and October there were no awards due to the impact of Hurricane Gustav.  The streets in LAWO were lined on both sides with 8-foot high piles of debris.  It's nice to have everything back to normal, and these gardens show how much work has been put into the cleanup project.  Congratulations to the homeowners. 12/13/2008

Did somebody say that the South had to freeze over before interest rates would get below 5%?  Because the South did freeze over and interest rates got below 5%!  Yesterday we had a snow day.  A snow day like no other for Baton Rouge, Louisiana!  It was really coming down! I posted a picture of tree in my front yard.  It never blooms quite as pretty as it was yesterday covered in snow.  We've never had a snow like yesterday, so if you or someone you know is planning a move to the south for the warmth, it's still safe.  In fact, we'll have highs in the 70's by this weekend. Yesterday was a real treat to us southerners.  We had 3 inches of snow.  And, interest rates are a double Christmas treat.  I have contact with lenders that are offering 30 year conventional fixed rate loans at a rate... 12/12/2008

This morning at 6:30am central time the city of Baton Rouge awoke to glistening beauty.  Having lived 12 years in Ohio I was so excited that I call my team and had them capture pictures for our blog.  This is a rare event that occurs only every 5 years or so here in the far South.  The beauty is captivating. A SNOW DAY!  The kids stay home because schools are cancelled.  Even the dogs are fascinated.  There is no traffic as only a rare few venture out on business.  Greetings to all this beautiful winter morning. 12/11/2008