Posts Tagged ‘Steve Thomas’

The Huntsville Spring Festival of Flowers is once again in full swing. With the wide array of flowers all showing off their best dressed blooms, this is one of the most looked forward to festivals in the area. Beginning March 31st thru April 30th Huntsville is proud to say this is one of the Southeast's Top 20 Tourist Attractions.

For those who are residents of Huntsville homes this is a special treat. The festival is held in the Botanical Gardens on Bob Wallace Avenue. The spring spectacular features tulips, dogwoods, azaleas and wildflowers galore. The beauty of the mixture of colors is one of the most beautiful sights of the festival. 

The Bonsai Show is scheduled for April 28th and 29th. This is also the grand opening days for the Ishii Bonsai Display Garden. The Huntsville, AL real estate companies in the area look forward to this special event. Reminding the areas residents of the huge Easter Egg Hunt with over 8,000 eggs hidden and waiting, the event is hosted by a DJ and snacks are served for the children.

The Spring Plant Sale is another event that everyone looks forward to with much excitement. For the members only there is a one day sale on April 16th and the public has a two day sale on the 17th and 18th.  This is looked on by those who own Huntsville homes as a harbinger of spring.

The flowers include houseplants, shrubs, trees, vegetables, roses, orchids and perennials. These are all plants that have been proven to grown in the northern Alabama area. There are also master gardeners on hand to test your soils pH level. Check out this great plant sale and the vendors who are available with accessories for your garden.

If you are into photography, the Wildflower Photography Workshop is essential. The instructors teach the basics of photographing nature and then out into the Botanical Garden for the real thing. This is one interesting workshop for amateurs and semi-professionals. A competition and exhibition is also held during the Spring Festival of Flowers.

This is a great time to see what some of the Huntsville, AL real estate owners have done with their lawns when it comes to planting the types of flowers featured at the Festival. Many of these flowers were purchased at past spring festivals. The abundance of color at this time of the year makes everything seem fresh and new.

If you have recently purchased one of the Huntsville homes in the area and need a few tips, the Garden Chat every weekday in April at noon will be where you want to go. The chat is held at Clementine's at the Garden. The information you gather here will be quite helpful with the plan for your own garden.

The public wants to know about orchids and how to grow these exotic looking plants. The Heart of Dixie Orchid Society meets every month on the third Monday. Their meetings are held at the Botanical Gardens and in preparation for their yearly Orchid sale they will be discussing different aspects of growing the orchid each month.

An all-around good time is what the Spring Festival of Flowers is all about. If you are not careful you just might learn something while you are there.

222 Legacy Park Drive

Welcome to this fabulous one owner custom built 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath pool home, including a three car side entry garage, and approximately 600 sqft unfinished floored walk out storage accessible through closet in master.

Formal living room, dining room and family room will be enjoyed by all. Hardwood and tile throughout except in bedrooms. You can just imagine your family taking advantage of the fun activities on the large 500 sqft deck and very private back yard in the coming months.  And next winter, enjoy the gas log fireplace...

Transferable Cook's Termite Bond.  Located within Legacy Park subdivision, this home is within Monrovia Middle & Monrovia Elementary school districts.

Note - Seller will provide a $4,000 Decor. Allowance at Closing too!  For more information on this or any other Huntsville Real Estate property, please contact me anytime.

With U.S. home prices hitting an average of a 21 year decline, a national index announced that there are several cities and town within North Alabama that are moving in the other direction.

Our neighboring city, Decatur, was at the top of the list of U.S. cities where real estate values are still appreciating, and Huntsville AL homes also made it's name known high on the list too.

Sellers here are feeling fortunate to be living in such a rare housing market, compared to most other states throughout the nation. And even with the incomprehensible economy our country is struggling in, a government housing report still lists Decatur as the number one city in the country in terms of homes gaining value. That's quite the talk of the town around here; during the course of the past year, real estate values in Decatur have increased more than 6.5 percent. When comparing that to other cities, that have seen over 20 (or more) percent decrease, North Alabama homeowners are feeling mighty privileged. With BRAC and the lower cost of living in this area, Huntsville real estate and the surrounding areas (like Decatur) are still seen as a great place to live.

The Huntsville AL Real Estate Historic District is brimming with history and accompanying historic districts, of which the city has three - Twickenham, Old Town and Five Points.  Twickenham was the first to be named a historic district within the Huntsville, AL real estate area and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.  The name Twickenham was named by LeRoy Pope and came from the originating name of Huntsville, after Twickenham, England.  Architectural designs include Federal and Greek Revival styles which were introduced back in the early 1800's; the most pronounced home, the 1819 Weeden House Museum, is that of female artist and poet, Maria Howard Weeden, and is open to the public, along with several other historic homes within this district.

Old Town was the second historic district to be named and added to the National Register in 1978.  Dement and Lyncoln Streets, and Randolph and Wlaker Avenues roughly surround this area and features homes of many styles including Federal, Greek Revival, Queen Anne, California Bungalow and Prairie School.

Five Points, a popular area for homeowners to search for Huntsville, AL homes to purchase, is the third and final historic district within Huntsville.  The neighborhood has retained its 19th century grid layout of wide, parallel streets, narrow but deep lots rear parking access.  The Five Points Historic Preservation District began as part of the 1892 East Huntsville Addition and grew slowly over the course of a century.  This historic district was just recently named as such in 1999.

The Huntsville Convention & Visitors Center provides a walk-through of the different historic districts on Saturday mornings and are free of charge.  For both tourists and Huntsville residents, it's a must see/must do!

Below is a slideshow of some of these historic homes for your enjoyment:

The Huntsville AL Real Estate market experienced a slight downturn in market movement this past month (September 2008) compared to the previous month when I studied the statistics surrounding Huntsville homes (also known as "single family homes").  It was another active month (when considering the market within most other cities within the United States today), according to the Northern Alabama Multiple Listing Service (NALMLS).  There were 793 single family homes sold (per NALMLS) with the month of September 2008.  The difference between the sale price and the list price was 97.14%, being less than half a percentage than a month earlier.  The average days on market (DOM) dropped again from 100 in August down to 93 in September, proving a continuing trend in the reduction in the period of time Huntsville homes are on the market.

Here is a breakdown of various statistics for the past month within Huntsville, AL Real Estate:

Tomorrow I will be discussing my findings on the market statistics year to date - for each quarter, compared to that of last year.  I think you will find the information very interesting! 

If you have any questions surrounding the Huntsville AL Real Estate market or are looking to find the perfect Huntsville home for you and your family, please contact me at your convenience or visit my website to search for all Huntsville homes currently available.

Steve A. Thomas
Realtor, Associate Broker, ABR, e-PRO
RE/MAX Huntsville/Madison
Cellular: (256) 694-HOME (4663)
Toll Free: (800) 239-4749 Ext. 4945
Fax: (256) 533-1555
E-mail: mail@SteveAThomas.com    
Web sites: http://HuntsvilleHomeSales.com
http://HuntsvilleHomeInfo.com

HPH Homes has been building new homes throughout North America for over 80 years, with award winning designs, livable floor plans and, of course, quality craftsmanship within each and every home they have built.  HPH Homes is one of the largest home builders of Huntsville homes and is able to offer additional amentities, more square footage and superior materials than other builders in the area, which makes them a great choice for your next home builder.

HPH Homes has built and assisted in the rehabilitation of more than 250,000 homes within the Habitat for Humanity organization over the course of the last two years (2006 - 2008), and are one of the "Home Builders Blitz" partners this year.  

HPH Homes' newest Huntsville homes community is Magnolia Park, which is located in the popular southwest side of town, at the southern most part of the Appalachian mountains and only minutes to many recreation activities - Cove Park, Hays Nature Preserve, equestrian center, and a Robert Trent Jones Golf Course.   Magnolia Park offers affordable luxury homes with a community pool and cabana.  For those looking for larger water sports, Lake Guntersville is also only 20 minutes south of this Huntsville homes community. 

Huntsville homes within Magnolia Park community are priced starting at as low as $214,900 currently.  If you would like more information on this new community, please do not hesitate to contact me.  You can also view all Huntsville homes available within the area through my website. 

Making an offer that a seller either just can't refuse or will laugh in your face at the thought sometimes can be a fine line, and you can be assured that your Huntsville Realtor won't want to name that price for you either!  However, you can utilize your Realtor's experience to determine the best price to offer when buying your next Huntsville real estate home.

Here are some thoughts that you may want to take into consideration before making your next offer:

• Is it hot or cold?  the market that is - if you are in the midst of a buyers market (which is pretty much the whole of the United States currently), then you will have less competition and sellers will be more open to your offer since there are less buyers.  However, if you are in a seller's market then the offer needs to usually be no less than list price you may be in a bidding war.  
• Previous Price Tag.  It is very beneficial to find out what the seller bought their Huntsville real estate for originally - in doing so you may be able to adjust what you are willing to pay for their home today due to any appreciation, depreciation or remodeling completed.
• Market trend report.  It would behoove you not to discuss what other homes have sold for in the past six months to see if the home you are considering purchasing is priced right and the sales price that you are about to offer is valid.  An analysis of list price to sales price ratio may be in order.  *Note - you can check out my previous posts that document the Huntsville real estate market trends over the past months.
• History and days on market.  There is a little trick to the trade where realtors sometimes take listings off the market and then resubmit them as a new listing.  This can play with the days on market numbers and make a property look like it's newer on the market that it truly is.  This is important because if the seller has had their home listed many months, they may be more interested in selling their homes and more willing to negotiate with you.

A final note.  Never become emotionally attached to a home before buying it.  In doing so you may find yourself in an "eBay War":  Over-bidding due to Over-excitement! 

For more information on home buying tips, please check back often or bookmark this page for future reference.  You may also visit my website to view all Huntsville real estate than is currently available within the Huntsville and Madison areas.

The Huntsville AL Real Estate market has seen another encouraging month in July 2008, seeing another increase in activity over the previous month per the Northern Alabama Multiple Listing Service (NALMLS).  892 existing single family homes were reported sold by NALMLS within the month of July 2008, versus 870 in June 2008.  The difference between the sale price and the list price was 97.41% versus 97.21% a month earlier (which is very marginal).  The average days on market (DOM) dropped from 102 in June to 101 in July, proving a continuing trend in the reduction in the period of time homes are on the market over the course of the last quarter period of 2008.

Here is a breakdown of various statistics for the past month within Huntsville, AL Real Estate:

If you are interested in learning more about the Huntsville, AL Real Estate market, or are interested in selling your home at the best price possible, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  You can also visit my website for more information and to view all the homes currently for sale.

Steve A. Thomas
Realtor, Associate Broker, ABR
RE/MAX Huntsville/Madison
Cellular: (256) 694-HOME (4663)
Toll Free: (800) 239-4749 Ext. 4945
Fax: (256) 533-1555
E-mail: mail@SteveAThomas.com    
Web sites: http://HuntsvilleHomeSales.com
http://HuntsvilleHomeInfo.com

The Huntsville Real Estate market has seen another encouraging month in June 2008, seeing another increase in activity over the previous month per the Northern Alabama Multiple Listing Service (NALMLS).  870 existing single family homes were reported sold by NALMLS within the month of June 2008, versus 850 in May 2008.  The difference between the sale price and the list price was 97.21% versus 97.57% a month earlier (which is very marginal).  The average days on market (DOM) dropped from 104 in May to 102 in June, proving a continuing trend in the reduction in the period of time homes are on the market.

Here is a breakdown of various statistics for the past month within Huntsville, AL Real Estate:

If you are interested in learning more about the Huntsville, AL Real Estate market, or are interested in selling your home at the best price possible, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  You can also visit my website for more information and to view all the homes currently for sale.

Steve A. Thomas
Realtor, Associate Broker, ABR
RE/MAX Huntsville/Madison
Cellular: (256) 694-HOME (4663)
Toll Free: (800) 239-4749 Ext. 4945
Fax: (256) 533-1555
E-mail: mail@SteveAThomas.com    
Web sites: http://HuntsvilleHomeSales.com
http://HuntsvilleHomeInfo.com

Golf course communities are often sought after by families interested in purchasing Huntsville, Alabama real estate.  One of the more popular master-planned communities is Canebrake Golf Club in nearby Athens. 

Located less than a mile from I-65 and 15 minutes from the Huntsville International Airport, Canebrake Golf Club was designed by a team of professionals dedicated to recreational developments.  Hene, this community not only has 18 holes of championship golf, but also a swimming pool, six lighted clay tennis courts, and a 6,000 ft.² lodge with a golf pro shop. 

As of July 1, 2008, the lodge became a private facility and any guest will now be required to be accompanied by a Canebrake Member.  After recently being purchased by local investors, Canebrake Club is moving towards becoming a full-service private Club (currently it is semi-private).

There are currently several homes for sale within this Limestone County community.  Prices range from the mid-$100,000 for a three-bedroom, two bathroom patio/garden home, up to a mid-$700,000 estate home with over 5,000 square feet of living area, located on the 18th hole, with a see-through fireplace and lake views! 

If you are interested in learning more about the homes available within the Canebrake Golf Club community, or any other golf club community within the Huntsville, Alabama real estate area, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I am always here to help.

Steve A. Thomas
Realtor, Associate Broker, ABR
RE/MAX Huntsville/Madison
Cellular: (256) 694-HOME (4663)
Toll Free: (800) 239-4749 Ext. 4945
Fax: (256) 533-1555
E-mail: mail@SteveAThomas.com    
Web sites: http://HuntsvilleHomeSales.com
http://HuntsvilleHomeInfo.com