Many held high hopes for an improving real estate market heading into 2011. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration but there were some signs that the housing recession was lessening and perhaps we would all see improvement in 2011. In most locations, that didn't occur. But it did in some! Looking back on 2011 home value changes So here we find ourselves in a similar position; looking back on the year and trying to determine if 2012 would finally be the year were things went "back to normal." Let me describe normal. For years, Louisville home values annually appreciated 4-5% a year—almo

Updating highly visible aspects of your home to improve first impressions are some of the highest bang for your buck Louisville home improvements. Recently the National Association of Realtors (NAR) published 7 Best Remodeling Projects for the Money on their consumer-focused Web site HouseLogic. Here's a summary of some Louisville home improvements that will net you the most money. Tough-as-Nails Siding Replacement: Percent of investment recouped: 78% A Low-Cost Entry Door with Steely Good Looks: Percent of investment recouped: 73% A Bedroom with High Aspirations: Percent of in

Many of Louisville's most stately mansions are located in Glenview. Today is our final Friday covering the wealthiest ZIP codes in Louisville, Kentucky. Drumroll please *ratta tat tat* The #1 wealthiest ZIP code in Louisville is 40025! With only about 130 addresses in this area, it's a very exclusive and affluent part of Louisville. Average Household Income: $186,271 Average/Median Home Value: $571,386/$400,000 Number of Homes over $1M: 15 Source: BusinessFirstofLouisville.com Glenview is located northeast of downtown, just north of I71 up close to the Ohio River. With the a

Purchasing a Louisville condo is similar to purchasing a new home but with a few important differences. Make sure your trusted advisor in real estate understands them. If you're thinking about buying a condo in Louisville you should take some steps to dig deep and find out more about the unit and the association. On the surface, everything can look fine, even when there is trouble brewing below. Here are some things you can do to really find out what's happening in the condo community you are interested in. 1. Find Out If There Are Any Complaints Ask to see some notes from an associ

Some popular areas to move to in Louisville are those that have been renovated to make them more attractive to people who are looking for a place to live. A few of these are the new, hip East Market District and the traditionally classic Old Louisville. The East Market District is also known at NuLu, just east of downtown. With many stores, restaurants and art galleries this area is buzzing! Butchertown and Phoenix Hill are nearby as well. Some houses in Butchertown are a good choice for people who do not like to want to pay transportation costs, because the city trolley is free. Trolley st

Looking for your Louisville mansion? There are plenty to choose from in 40059, such as this incredible estate home. Each Friday we'll be counting down the wealthiest ZIP codes in Louisville, Kentucky. Today, the 2nd wealthiest ZIP code in Louisville is 47119, also known as Prospect. Located in the Northeast portion of Louisville, spanning both Jefferson and Oldham county. Average Household Income: $170,842 Average/Median Home Value: $448,326/$373,141 Number of Homes over $1M: 286 Source: BusinessFirstofLouisville.com Prospect is home to some amazing properties! 28 miles of

This Louisville real estate market report covers the monthly home sales for the past six years in Jefferson County (Louisville, KY) and is published monthly. It can also be found under Housing Reports for Jefferson Co. Sales. Do you have an real estate questions? Please contact Tre Pryor, REALTOR your trusted advisor in Louisville real estate.

This article was written expressly for LouisvilleHomesBlog.com by the good folks at Asbestos.com so that you can better protect yourself and your loved ones here in Louisville, Kentucky. Be sure to take extreme caution and use the proper equipment when dealing with asbestos. As mentioned in a previous post, asbestos was commonly used in building materials throughout the 20th century and many homes to this day still contain these materials. Recently, many homeowners are choosing to remodel their homes instead of putting it on the market or hiring professional contractors. With popul

1/7/2012 - About half of the monthly reported areas showed home prices up in December while the other half saw them decrease. For your area, please refer to the charts below. Sales activity was approximately even with December 2010 but no area had more total sales for 2011 than it did the previous year. We also updated all the Quarterly areas. You can find those here: Area 0: Central Downtown District/Old Louisville Area 1: Downtown/Old Lou./Shively/West Lou./Butchertown Area 4: Pleasure Ridge/Valley Station/Shively Area 5: Auburndale/Fairdale/Iroquois Park/Shively Area 11: Bull

Very large lots are the norm with plenty of privacy in 40022. Each Friday we'll be counting down the wealthiest ZIP codes in Louisville, Kentucky. Today, the 3rd wealthiest ZIP code is 40022 and is primarily made up of Finchville, KY. This area is the very definition of rural with almost no typical neighborhoods. But instead, wide open spaces and lots of scenic nature. Average Household Income: $141,588 Average/Median Home Value: $405,123/$287,500 Number of Homes over $1M: 25 Source: BusinessFirstofLouisville.com South of I64 in Shelby County, you'll find lots of rolling hil

Coming in at #6 Louisville joins other top locations as great vacation destinations. Here's what TripAdvisor had to say about our great city. 6. Louisville, Kentucky In addition to equestrian endeavors and bluegrass roots, Louisville boasts a range of exciting attractions the whole family can enjoy. Baseball fans will love the Louisville Slugger Museum, a celebration of the sport's legends. Follow this link to see TripAdvisor's entire lists of destinations on the rise for 2012.

Several design trends for 2012 can be seen in this photo: smaller rooms, energy efficient windows and bringing more of the outside in. Although there are some that believe that the housing recession has passed, it has had a major affect upon real estate throughout the country. The purpose of this article is to see how the down market is changing home design trends going forward, in particular 2012. #1 Home Size Is Decreasing As a Realtor, my focus is on Louisville real estate, but Louisville, like most of the nation, is seeing fewer new construction homes being built. It's not just

Lake Forest (see above) is the most famous of all Louisville neighborhoods but there are a number of great subdivisions on 40245. Each Friday we'll be counting down the wealthiest ZIP codes in Louisville, Kentucky. Today, we're looking at the #4 wealthiest ZIP code in Louisville, 40245. This ZIP is about 33 square miles just East of the Gene Snyder between I64 and I71. Average Household Income: $113,663 Average/Median Home Value: $366,348/$301,795 Number of Homes over $1M: 265 Source: BusinessFirstofLouisville.com Some of the largest neighborhoods in this area are, of course

10 factors to keep in mind and emphasize in your home listing from MSN.com. The article includes several quotes from Louisville Realtor, Tre Pryor. I work very hard to bring the home buyers and sellers of Louisville unbiased and useful information here at LouisvilleHomesBlog.com. At the same time, I make a concerted effort to not promote myself on this site like so many real estate agents. Today's post is the exception to that rule. Recently, I received a phone call from a national writer asking my opinion about neighborhoods and real estate. Frankly, I was honored! It shows that my ha

Here are several good clips from CNNMoney.com talking about some of the same topics I posted on yesteday: 1) timing of home values drop, 2) expectation of interest rate levels, and 3) unemployment projections. Good stuff!

Tim Eyre, with Extra Space Storage, wrote this piece expressly for LouisvilleHomesBlog.com. They help residential and business customers who use self storage when they don't have enough storage space on their own. Locations include self storage units in Fort Lauderdale and self storage units in Baltimore. When nonresidents think of Louisville, images of the Derby typically emerge: the stylish hats adorning the heads of lovely ladies...the well-dressed gentlemen...the thrill of competition. Indeed, the Kentucky Derby Festival, which begins with the Thunder Over Louisville (a kind of opening

Goshen has a few great, high-end neighborhoods like the one above but it's mostly wide expanses of grass and trees. Did I mention horse farms? Each Friday we'll be counting down the wealthiest ZIP codes in Louisville, Kentucky. Today we're posting the 5th wealthiest ZIP, 40026, a 30 square mile area in Oldham County, about 10 miles to the northeast of Louisville. Average Household Income: $107,711 Average/Median Home Value: $277,365/$217,167 Number of Homes over $1M: 24 Source: BusinessFirstofLouisville.com Bordering the Ohio River on the north and covering both sides of Hi

Is building your Louisville dream home part of your retirement plans? Or, would downsizing and traveling the world be more your style? A lot of people may not consider their Louisville real estate when they are planning for retirement. Savings and income is the main focus for retirement planning but real estate can play an important part of the process. (By the way, I know a great Louisville financial planner, if you need one.) If you are financially set up for retirement, where do you want to be and what kind of lifestyle do you want to be living? The answers to these questions will

Lots of great neighborhoods across a fairly wide price range. This shot is of Beech Spring Farm one of Louisville's newest high-end subdivision. Each Friday we'll be counting down the wealthiest ZIP codes in Louisville, Kentucky. Today's is 40241 and it comes in at the #6 wealthiest ZIP in Louisville. You know what else? It's also my home! Sad part is that our household is likely bringing the average down. Average Household Income: $100,750 Average/Median Home Value: $261,352/$228,316 Number of Homes over $1M: 52 Source: BusinessFirstofLouisville.com This ZIP contains some g

Find these fun and colorful birdies at Dandelion. It's that time of the year again—decorating, parties, and gifts! Fortunately our fair city has great local shops waiting to help. Don't worry, there's still 12 shopping days until Christmas! I love the animal-motif decorations at Dandelion, 3729 Lexington Rd (Vogue Center). These cute birds brighten up any tree, wreath or garland. There are also owls, penguins, and rabbits. Dandelion also has luscious scented candles and cute holiday-boxed matches that make a perfect hostess gift for any holiday event. The fleur de lis re