Nation Turns Corner, Louisville Foreclosures Still Trailing Behind

Mark Twain popularized this famous quote, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” By their very nature, numbers can be manipulated to show many results, even opposing ones, and still be factually accurate.

Photo of a house made of money - Nation Turns Corner, Louisville Foreclosures Still Trailing Behind
Your home may not be made of money but it certainly represents it. Louisville foreclosures are still a big problem in the housing market.
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Home Improvements To Avoid When Selling Your Louisville Home

A basic concept in marketing anything is having an item appeal to the most amount of people possible. This concept also applies to selling your Louisville home. The more appealing it is to the market as a whole, the faster it will sell.

Photo of a Louisville home with a beautiful pool
While a home with a gorgeous pool may strongly appeal to certain house hunters, it won’t to the bulk of Louisville home buyers. | Photo: Tre Pryor
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Louisville Housing Market 7 Year Report, Period End August 2011

“Well surprise, surpise!” -Gomer Pyle

If I’m dating myself with that quote, please forgive me. (Or, if you find my taste in sitcoms uncivilized, I completely agree.)

Louisville Home Sales: 7 Year Monthly Chart for period ending August 2011
August was a good month for both Jefferson and Oldham counties as sales beat both the previous two years.
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Tax Credits Still Exist for Certain Louisville Home Improvement Projects

Nobody likes taxes. Well, almost nobody… there is this loopy bird who wants Obama to raise his taxes. But for the remaining 99.999% of us, lower taxes is a good thing. If tax credits still exist for certain projects, which ones are they? No fear, let’s check them out!

Photo of solar panels on a residential roof - Tax Credits Still Exist for Certain Louisville Home Improvement Projects
There are tax credits available to homeowners for more than just solar panels but the prices have reached a point where certain homeowners should consider them.
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Shermageddon Makes Kentucky Housing More Desirable

The big news in Louisville these days is the shutdown of the Sherman Minton Bridge, or what a creative mind termed Shermageddon. You see, because the politicians have feuded with East End money for literally decades about building the obviously logical East End bridge, the importance of the currently overburdened bridges has gone up. Way up!

Photo of the Shermon Minton Bridge
The time it will take to repair the Sherman Minton Bridge will help home sellers in Kentucky while hurting those in Indiana.
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Bellarmine Show House Wows Again

Don’t forget to visit The Designers Show House if you haven’t yet! The annual event, sponsored by Bellarmine Women’s Council to benefit the University’s Student Aid Fund, is at Stonecote Estate, 1005 Alta Vista, off Lexington Rd. It’s a great place to get ideas for furniture, paint colors and other local decorating trends.

Photo from the 2011 Bellermine Show House: Chest of drawers
Chest of drawers from the Bellarmine Show House in 2011.
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Maximizing Your Home HVAC, Tips From a Pro

I had a chance to sit down and chat with Rob Benefiel, owner of Certified Comfort to learn more about his company and gain some insight into the best ways to make sure that your Louisville home is cool in the Summer and warm in the Winter.

Residential AC Unit in Louisville KY
Do you know what it takes to keep your home’s HVAC in top running condition?
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Louisville Real Estate – Understanding Square Footage

If you are purchasing Louisville real estate, or are putting your property up for sale, you may not understand how square footage is calculated in the home. A real estate agent will be calculating the square footage for you if you’re selling your home, and there are some parts of the house that may not be included in the calculations.

Photo of a homes in Heather Green Buckner KY
Understanding square footage begins with professional measuring. The PVA data may or may not be accurate.
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Housing Recession Brings Real Estate Wisdom Home

All we hear from news sources these days is the horrible condition of the housing market. They’re not wrong. The number of homes sold so far this year is acres behind 2010 and likely to arrive at 2009 levels.

Photo of a couple in front of their home
Putting more money down in the purchase of their home is more than just a smart decision, people have learned that it also brings peace of mind.
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Best Louisville Neighborhoods: Pine Valley Estates

Pine Valley Estates (once merely Pine Valley) is a still-growing community that began in 2001 and continues to be a great spot for new construction. Just outside of Jeffersontown, Pine Valley Estates is located off Easum Road between Old Heady Road and Chenoweth Run Road (see map). Nearby neighborhoods include Stone Lakes, Saratoga Woods, and the newer Saratoga Springs and Bridges of Razor Creek. Still situated in a rural part of Jefferson County but inside the Gene Snyder Expressway and close to expressways, shopping, and more.

Home in Pine Valley Estates Louisville KY
Peaceful, country setting but still inside the Gene Snyder, Pine Valley Estates has some great, newer homes that just might appeal to you. | Photo Tre Pryor
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Has the Louisville Real Estate Market Hit the Bottom?

It’s been widely reported that shady lending practices, greedy borrowers, and a general lack of wisdom (if not sneaky partisan policies) coming from our elected officials is what brought the housing crisis upon us.

Photo of flood waters rising on a home
Homeowners who owe more money than their home is worth are considered to be underwater or upside down. However, data does indicate that the number of distressed properties is shrinking for the first time since the housing recession began.
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Lower Your Property Taxes, Silver Lining to Home Values Decrease

I wrote a piece a couple of weeks back called, My Home Is Dropping in Value? In the piece, I pointed to data that showed while the National home value average dropped about 25% since the housing decline, Louisville homes actually gained 1.5%. I think it’s important that people know the truth about their home’s value.

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