Lending costs are about to increase. The government proposed tightening lending standards, which created quite a stir. The Quality Residential Mortgage (QRM) feels strongly that standards must be raised. It will cost a home buyer more to borrow in order to buy a home.

The J.P. Morgan brand is used by the investment banking as well as the asset management, private banking, private wealth management and treasury & securities services divisions. J. P. Morgan issued a complete study called the Report on Securitized Products. According to this research mortgage rates could increase by 3%.  J.P. Morgan said: “…in this new world of higher capital requirements, mortgage rates would need to rise by more than 300 basis points (3%) from current levels…” He also added that the banks could be satisfied with a smaller return.  He said: “This is not to say that the new capital requirements will necessarily drive interest rates 3% higher…the mortgage rate impact could be anywhere from 1% to 3% higher.”

If one assumes that the interest rates can increase by 2%, it would bring the rate to 6.5%. Due to an increased interest rate of 2%, a mortgagor will pay $90,200 more on a mortgage of $200,000 over a period of 30 years.

Many potential home buyers are struggling to qualify for home loans due to the tightening of lending standards. It is difficult to take advantage of the low interest rates and low home prices. To prove sufficient income and steady employment became more demanding. Small bank account deposits and new credit cards have to be explained and assets must be verified. Tight home loan credit affects home sales as well as household finances. In future it will be a challenge to obtain a home loan as the standards to qualify for such a loan are about to tighten even more.

DO NOT WASTE TIME IF YOU WANT TO BUY A HOME is a post from: Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin, Tennessee Real Estate

Be sure to enjoy all the exciting festive season events:

• Take a tour through our listing of the Best & Most Well-liked Annual Events that take place in and around Nashville every year in the month of December.
• Until the week after Christmas, Gaylord Opryland Hotel is host to many holiday events including the viewing their spectacular holiday lights, Ice, Breakfast with Charlie Brown, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Treasures for the Holidays to taking a General Jackson Holiday Cruise. It is four weeks of non-stop activities.
• Nearly 2 million Christmas Lights and Nativities draw visitors from near and far to see this annual spectacular site of Nashville Christmas Lights. Viewing this magnificent display is an annual tradition among locals and another favorite add on is taking a Horse-drawn Carriage Ride (Magnolia Portico) to enjoy the decorations and lights even more.

Your gift budget is up to you, but you can easily keep your food, decorations and tree costs down to a bare minimum with just a little work and a lot of creativity. The best way to celebrate the holidays is to include the entire family when finding ways to help others. Reach out to at least one person who you know that will spend Christmas alone. What about sending flowers? If you can make it a family goal to help one other person or family this year, consider yourself a winner in the game of life.

Real Estate predictions for 2012:

According to the NAR’s chief economist, Lawrence Yun, the housing market is slowly recovering with a predicted 4% increase in sales for 2012. Celia Chen of Moody’s Analytics projected sales to increase over 20% in 2012. The next six months will reflect if the rumors about the possibility of a loss of consumer confidence hold water. Consumer confidence, as measured by the University of Michigan, has seen modest improvement in the last few months after taking a dip over the previous months. A hit in consumer confidence can have an impact on the Real Estate rebound.

Prices are predicted to decrease through the first two quarters of 2012. Decreased prices will force more homeowners into a position of negative equity. Being underwater is one of the reasons that cause people to strategically default on their mortgage payments. If this continues, there will be an increase in the number of foreclosures and cause a setback in consumer confidence.

THE BEST WAY TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS is a post from: Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin, Tennessee Real Estate

Typically spring and summer are the active months for selling your home. It shows the best with all the plants and trees in full bloom and really showcases your landscape. Getting into late fall and winter is a whole new game. Those lush beautiful trees are bare, the plants have all turned brown and the grass is just dried out and brown. Here are some thoughts, tips and recommendations for Selling in the Off-Season:

For Thought:

• Chances are that folks who are looking in this time-frame are serious buyers.
• Less competition during this time. There are fewer homes on the market.
• Tech Savvy Buyers are on the lookout for homes year-round
• New Tech-Tools allow the buyer to receive emails automatically when new homes go on the market. Yours could be one of them!!

To Help:

• Provide summer photos of your home as well so buyers can see the full picture.
• Decorate inside for the seasons (autumn – winter).
• Take the time you used to spend outside and ORGANIZE for maximum appeal.
• Showcase winter warmth with a fire, scented candles and warm decorations.

When it snows:

• Be sure you shovel all walks and paths
• De-ice paths and the driveway
• Plow or snow blow the entire driveway to showcase the amount of parking space available
• Make sure outside lights work.

We care about you. With the Festive Season around the corner: please drive safely. A road tip to our readers who sometimes have to drive during bad weather conditions:

• Make sure you can see. Replace windshield wiper blades. Clean the inside of your windows thoroughly. Apply a water-shedding material (such as Rain-X) to the outside of all windows, including the mirrors. Make sure your windshield washer system works and is full of an anti-icing fluid. Drain older fluid by running the washers until new fluid appears: Switching fluid colors makes this easy.

SELLING YOUR HOME IN THE FESTIVE SEASON is a post from: Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin, Tennessee Real Estate

From late November throughout December, Nashville offers tons of festive opportunities during the Christmas and Holiday Season. There is an unlimited supply of Christmas and holiday events and activities to be found and explored in the Middle Tennessee Area.

• A listing of the best Holiday Lights and Wondrous Displays that the Nashville area has to offer this Christmas Season. These annual sparkling, twinkling displays, all in celebration of the Christmas Holidays, are enough to keep you coming back for more and year after year.
• Take a tour through our listing of the Best & Most Well-liked Annual Events that take place in and around Nashville every year in the month of December.
• From the third week of November until the week after Christmas, Gaylord Opryland Hotel is host to many holiday events including the viewing their spectacular holiday lights, Ice, Breakfast with Charlie Brown, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Treasures for the Holidays to taking a General Jackson Holiday Cruise. It is four weeks of non-stop activities.
• Nearly 2 million Christmas Lights and Nativities draw visitors from near and far to see this annual spectacular site of Nashville Christmas Lights. Viewing the this magnificent display is an annual tradition among locals and another favorite add on is taking a Horse-drawn Carriage Ride (Magnolia Portico) to enjoy the decorations and lights even more

To define fair market value is the price a buyer is willing to pay and the seller is willing to accept for a home exposed to the market and neither party is under pressure. The fair market value is determined by comparable sales of the same area similar to the home in question and with a similar floor plan: e.g. 3 bedrooms; 2 bathrooms; lounge; kitchen and dining room.

Factors that affect the market value:

• Condition of the home e.g. the exterior and interior condition of walls, doors, window frames, the roof condition, plumbing and electrical compliance.
• Square footage of the building;
• The overall condition of closets, cupboards and air conditioning;
• Proximity to amenities;
• The “view”: a home with a view of hills or a lake is worth more than a home with an obstructed view. Survey proved that a “view” can add 20% to a 100% to the market value.

The keyword to fair market value is “current”. The housing market fluctuations have shown that property value can differ easily within a short period of time. Online Real Estate listings and visits to open houses in the neighborhood can provide a good indicator of the current market in a specific area.

For expert advice we encourage you to contact us.

THE FESTIVE SEASON IS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR! is a post from: Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin, Tennessee Real Estate

With the pulsing music and vigorous lifestyle Brentwood, Nashville wants to share their hospitality and friendliness with you. It will be a life changing experience like never before. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries and is home to a large number of colleges and universities. It is most notably known as center of the music industry, earning the nickname “Music City”. With a large number of parks and gardens the city offers a lot of entertainment. With a population figure of 635,710 that is quite understandable. Do not miss the great and exciting event coming up at the Ryman Auditorium, Nashville on the 19^th of September 2011 at 7.00 pm. Hosted by ACM Award winner Joe Nichols, the evening will be dedicated to recognizing the special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 46^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The special evening will include video tributes and musical performances by a prestigious lineup. Honorees expected to attend include John Dorris and Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers.

The downtown area of Nashville is easy accessible to enjoy dining and a huge variety of entertainment. Here you can find Honky-tonk bars and numerous music clubs. The Printer’s Alley is often referred to as “the District”. A Large sign marks the entrance to Printer’s Alley on Church Street.

Potential home buyers should keep in mind that it is always a good thing to carry out a sufficient research when looking for the right home. For example, if you have children, is the school suitable? Is there a park nearby? If you prefer having things close by, make sure of the location of the restaurants, grocery stores etc. How safe is the neighborhood? Let your Real Estate Agent assist you with all the know-how.

Brentwood, Nashville certainly is a welcoming and pleasant city. The environment is stunning. To work and live here will be fantastic. This city can accommodate your family. With high quality schools, many sport facilities and a vast variety of entertainment to choose from, Nashville will welcome you with open arms.

City of Music is a post from: Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin, Tennessee Real Estate

 Milky Way Farms is an exciting new lifestyle development catering to the Equestrian, Golfing, and Outdoor lover. This historical estate, built by candy king Frank C. Mars in the 1930’s, consists of over 1100 acres offering a private Equestrian Club and will boast a Jay Haas designed golf course. The Milky Way Farms community has awarded a select group of experienced REALTORS® to become Designated Marketing Specialists for this exciting property.

JoAnne Staler, Williamson County Tennessee Realtor, earned this designation through the successful completion of two 3-hour sessions that were held at the Williamson County Association of REALTORS® followed by a 6-hour on-property session where she became well versed on the Mars family history, equestrian operations, golf course design, and the overall project.

Milky Way Farms will feature estate lots, lake cottages, equestrian and golf cottages & condos. Exclusive “Founder’s Ridge” premium homesite locations & incentive packages now available for purchase. From the low $200,000’s.  JoAnne is an expert on this Equestrian and Golf community located in Lynnville, Tennessee so please contact her for additional information or to arrange a private tour.  Click here to speak to JoAnne or email JoAnne directly.

JoAnne Staler, Tennessee REALTOR with Rochford Realty & Construction Company is providing a unique level of service to buyers and sellers in Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Williamson County, Green Hills, Belle Meade, Bellevue, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, Lynnville, Vanderbilt, Belmont, Midtown, Downtown, Historic Areas, Spring Hill, and Thompson Station Tennessee.  Whether Buying or Selling Real Estate locally or Relocating to Middle Tennessee, let a Top Selling Williamson County Real Estate Agent help.  To find out more about JoAnne Staler or search for real estate via the Middle Tennessee MLS visit www.joannestaler.com.

Learn more about Milky Way Farms

See additional photographs of Milky Way Farms

See my Featured Homes Listings

New to the Middle Tennessee area or thinking of relocating?  Request my FREE package of Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin relocation information.

JoAnne Staler Williamson County REALTOR Awarded Milky Way Farms Specialist Designation is a post from: Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin, Tennessee Real Estate

According to the most recent update from the Williamson County Association of REALTORS® Franklin Tennessee continues to lead the pack with 146 closed sales in June 2008.  

There were 327 residential and condominium closings in Williamson County Tennessee reported for the month of June, according to figures provided by the multiple listing service (MLS).

Compared to June of 2007, the residential home closings decreased 33 percent and the median price for residential homes decreased by 3 percent. Days on the market (DOM) for residential homes increased by 14 as compared to June 2007. Condominium closings decreased by 54 percent. The median prices for condominiums increased by 1 percent and days on the market also increased by 8 days compared to June 2007.

June 2008

June 2007

June 2006

June 2005

 For additional information on Home Sales in Williamson County Tennessee contact JoAnne Staler, Williamson County  REALTOR with Rochford Realty & Construction Company.  JoAnne is providing a unique level of service to buyers and sellers in Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Williamson County, Green Hills, Belle Meade, Bellevue, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, Vanderbilt, Belmont, MidtownNashville, Downtown Nashville, Historic Areas, Spring Hill, and Thompson Station Tennessee.  Whether Buying or Selling Real Estate locally or Relocating to Williamson County Tennessee, let a Top Selling Williamson County Real Estate Agent help.  To find out more about JoAnne Staler or search for real estate via the Williamson County Tennessee MLS visit www.JoAnneStaler.com.

Online Williamson County MLS search

Learn more about Williamson County Tennessee

Do You Have a Real Estate Related Question? I Will Email You an Answer Quickly. 

Williamson County Tennessee Home Sale Statistics June 2008 JoAnne Staler REALTOR is a post from: Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin, Tennessee Real Estate

Add in features of the home…

New Luxury Home in Franklin, TN! is a post from: Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin, Tennessee Real Estate

You’ll know you’re home when you walk into this impressive three bedroom, two and half bath townhome located in the community of River Plantation in the Bellevue Tennessee area just minutes from shopping, downtown Nashville and Interstate 40.

958 General George Patton Road is a desirable end unit is fully decorated and features a spacious den with a wood burning fireplace, custom built-in bookcase and parquet floors. 

The charming eat-in kitchen has a custom tile backsplash and tile floors as well as ample cabinets and counter space for easy meal preparation.

Storage won’t be an issue as this home’s upstairs master bedroom features custom built-in cabinets and bookshelves that span the entire length of the bedroom wall.  The room also includes crown molding and custom decorator paint, as well a fully decorated master bath.

And, You’ll have no worries about parking, with your own two-car carport. Just bring your furniture and starting enjoying your new home right away!  If you would like more information, please contact JoAnne Staler with Rochford Realty at 673-9150.  

JoAnne Staler, Bellevue Tennessee REALTOR with Rochford Realty & Construction Company is providing a unique level of service to buyers and sellers in Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Williamson County, Green Hills, Belle Meade, Bellevue, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, Vanderbilt, Belmont, Midtown, Downtown, Historic Areas, Spring Hill, and Thompson Station Tennessee.  Whether Buying or Selling Real Estate locally or Relocating to Middle Tennessee, let a Top Selling Nashville Real Estate Agent help.  To find out more about JoAnne Staler or search for real estate via the Middle Tennessee MLS visit http://www.joannestaler.com/.

Beautifully Updated Townhome in FANTASTIC Bellevue Location listed by JoAnne Staler Nashville, TN REALTOR is a post from: Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin, Tennessee Real Estate

Perched atop a hill in beautiful Legend’s Ridge 688 Legends Crest Drive is has four bedrooms, four baths, two half baths and boasts an expansive 5,694 sq. ft
 
Rarely will a truly magnificent property such as this become available for purchase in Williamson County.  Built without compromise, this striking custom home located in Franklin, TN offers only superior quality finishes.

What makes this WILLIAMSON COUNTY TENNESSEE REal Estate so special is an ambiance of elegance created by this one-of-a-kind masterpiece.  No amenity has been overlooked!

You’ll know you’re HOME when you step through  dramatic double French doors into the elegant entry of this brand new custom built residence.  Warm colors and rich hardwood floors accentuate the beautiful millwork and attention to exquisite detailing within this masterpiece.

Meticulously designed, this 4 bedroom, 4 bath, 2 half bath home exudes an old world feel with  a soaring two-story foyer and grand salon featuring gorgeous chandeliers.

the gourmet Kitchen is well appointed with a commercial grade gas stove with double ovens, hand-rubbed old world finish cabinetry, two dishwashers, a massive kitchen island and  butler’s pantry.

The hearth room features a vent-free fireplace, built-in bookshelves for storage with style and opens to a covered outdoor living space with a gas fireplace for year round enjoyment.

· Hardwood floors throughout with recessed wood registers;

· Central vacuum

· Cherry paneled walls and coffered ceiling in upstairs study

JoAnne Staler, Franklin Tennessee REALTOR with Rochford Realty & Construction Company is providing a unique level of service to buyers and sellers in Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Williamson County, Green Hills, Belle Meade, Bellevue, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, Vanderbilt, Belmont, Midtown, Downtown, Historic Areas, Spring Hill, and Thompson Station Tennessee.  Whether Buying or Selling Real Estate locally or Relocating to Middle Tennessee, let a Top Selling Nashville Real Estate Agent help.  To find out more about JoAnne Staler or search for real estate via the Middle Tennessee MLS visit http://www.joannestaler.com/.

Luxurious Estate Style Home for Sale in Franklin TN listed by JoAnne Staler REALTOR with Rochford Realty is a post from: Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin, Tennessee Real Estate