Please note that I didn't say it's a great time to sell? Homes are certainly being sold—almost 1,200 properties have sold in the first two months of the year here in Louisville—it's just a tougher market to sell right now. The other side of the coin is that it's a wonderful time to buy. Don't just take my word for it, here are Five Reasons to Buy a Home This Year from the experts at MarketWatch. I'll bullet point the reasons below, but if you're considering a move in 2009, you should read the whole piece. 1. Affordability is better than ever 2. You have a large inventory

Just a quick post to bring this issue to your attention. I feel like half of my job is battling the largely negative news coming from almost every media outlet on a daily basis. Sure, you can speak to how foreclosures are hurting builders, like the Wall St. Journal does in this piece called Foreclosed Houses Haunt Home Builders. That's certainly true. Or, you could talk about how this phenomenon positively affects consumers, who now have a much greater selection, lower home prices and historically low rates. It's almost like the media wants our economy to continue to slide with how much

Perhaps no home improvement project has more perceived value than installing replacement windows into your home. Is this a well-deserved perception? Like most things the answer is, "It depends." The first thing to do is analyze your current situation. How many windows does your house have? How old are they? How many panes of glass do they have? It may be the case that your current windows, while not at peak performance levels by today's standards, are still performing well. According to Consumer Reports: Replacement windows can save you between 10 and 25 percent per year on h

The CJ published this article on Friday: Local economics expert: Louisville in good shape to ride out recession. I have to say, "Great job!" Not only is this expert's opinion based in fact, it also is coming from someone outside the real estate market. First Professor Paul Coomes talks about the strength of our local banks then goes on to clear up a misconception by showing that the bulk of foreclosures are not occurring with average families. Even though local foreclosures are on the rise, Coomes says 50 to 70 percent belong to real estate investors who bought multiple properties and bo

If you don't have anything to do this weekend you might consider heading out the Kentucky Expo Center for the Trane Appliances Home, Garden & Remodeling Show. They have a large number of exhibits with professionals from all walks of life that can help you with almost any home improvement project. Always a great time!

Speaking plainly, more homes were sold faster in February than the previous month but at lower prices. If you haven't read Louisville Kentucky Real Estate Review of 2008, I'd love to hear your feedback. Like always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. February 2009 AREA SALES AVERAGE DoM 0 Central Downtown District 3 $29,833 105 1 Downtwn/Old&WestLouisville/Shively 76 $36,478 78 2 Butchertown/Highlands/Germantwn 41 $148,840 69 3 Brownsboro/StMatthews 26 $227,448 88 4 Pleasu