Museum Plaza from Brooklyn Digital Foundry on Vimeo. Hat tip to Branden Klayko over at Broken Sidewalk (great site) for bringing this amazing video to my mind again. I'm not sure if I've posted it before but even if I have, it's worth a second look. Here's hoping they are able to secure funding for the Museum Plaza project.

A new land deal was approved by the city council that will allow developers the opportunity to expand 4th Street Live in Louisville's downtown. After a three-hour debate, Metro Council Democrats voted in lock step last night to approve the $12 million purchase of three acres of prime real estate that will allow The Cordish Cos. to expand 4th Street Live. The development, called Center City, would potentially be worth $250 million. It looks like the deal wasn't what the council wanted, money-wise, but the Democrats went along with Mayor Abramson, who's consistently wanted to spend mo

Here's a nice little article in the CJ that brings more attention to the fact that more and more builders are "going green." What exactly does that mean? For most, it means building a home that qualifies for the federal government's Energy Star certification. While that's certainly a great start, it doesn't begin to scratch the surface of all that's possible when building an energy efficient home. Because technology is constantly improving, it's important to pick a new home builder who's current on all the latest developments. From foundations to exterior walls, to high-efficiency HVAC and

Ok, I know I promised some changes in the way this home sales data is presented here at Louisville Homes Blog. It's really quite the challenge. I've even enlisted the advice of some high-powered, number-crunching gurus and still no clear path presents itself. Never fear, I shall continue to press forward in the hopes that inspiration strikes. Until then, please enjoy our free, real estate information and, as always, if you have any questions, please contact me. July 2008 AREA SALES AVERAGE DoM 0 Central Downtown District 7 $171,220 66 1 Downtwn/Old&

Waterfront Park Place is home to some of our cities most expensive homes, which have sold better than many thought possible. News outlets can continue to decry the housing market but Louisville isn't behaving like other metro areas in many respects. Take, for instance, the upper echelon of properties in our city. This piece by Alex Davis highlights the idea that many Realtors have known for some time. Namely, that with the enormous size of the aging boomer population there's a great opportunity for developers with high-end condos and patio homes that require little to no work by the h

Listening to Money's opening thrust of this article: The S&P Case/Shiller Home Price Index, which tracks 20 of the largest housing markets, showed prices plummeting by 12.7% in the 12 months ending February. That's the biggest fall since the index began tracking prices in 2000. ...the future doesn't sound very bright, well, except for people living in Texas. Meanwhile, here in Kentucky, things don't look nearly so bleak. Metro Area Home Price (median) Price Change (5 years) Forecast (May '09) % change in foreclosure rate (1 year) Louisville $133,000 20.7% 0.5% 17%

Just a quick post to note what we've been saying around here for months has been getting some local attention. "We're very fortunate in that we're kind of steady. We never saw crazy appreciation, 30-40 percent increases in value, but at the same time we're not experiencing the flipside to that, where we see the bubble burst and the losses," says Adam Hall, president of the Kentuckiana Chapter of the Mortgage Bankers Association. Given all the press that the topic of foreclosures has received, how many do you think we'll have here in Louisville this year? A) 20,000 B) 10,000 C) 5,00

Like Springhurst, Lake Forest is considered one of Louisville'e premiere neighborhoods. The subdivision began in the early 1980s and hasn't stopped growing, with new developments like Lake Forest Highlands and other sections adding on to the original neighborhood. It's located off Shelbyville Road, just outside the Gene Snyder Freeway in Middletown and with new shopping opening recently directly across the street, Lake Forest continues to impress. Read More » This post is one of an ongoing series of spotlights on Louisville Neighborhoods. If you have one that you would like us to c

With the recent award of the LEED Platinum certificate to Bernheim Arboretum Visitor Center (above), Kentucky now boasts multiple green developments. It's certainly a trend that builders across the nation are embracing. There are 33 LEED wannabes on the list, waiting for appraisal by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and according to Wikipedia, is a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. Builders need to comply with the standards, then apply to the council for certification. Here are their levels:

Liz Pulliam Weston has done a solid job of outlining the changes in home financing since the sub-prime lending scare began. Of particularly note is this. At the height of the lending boom, you could be zero for three -- lousy credit scores, little or no down payment and unable to prove your income -- and still get a loan. Today, "you better be two for three," LendingTree.com's Svinth said. Good scores, a down payment of 10% or more and a steady, provable income put you in the best position to get a loan. While this largely affects those of us with low credit scores, but even homebuye

There are signs of improvement here and there but nothing significant for January. You can click here to compare these sales results with last month. And as always, please contact me with any questions you might have. January 2008 AREA SALES AVERAGE DoM 0 Central Downtown District 4 $79,250 88 1 Downtwn/Old&WestLouisville/Shively 89 $51,499 84 2 Butchertown/Highlands/Germantwn 50 $219,617 72 3 Brownsboro Rd/CrescentHills/StMatthews 48 $262,431 95 4 Pleasure Rdg/Valley Station 27 $107,211 91 5 Auburndale/Fairda

The federal government has now approved the financing plan for two bridges between Kentucky and Indiana, around Metro Louisville. Now the Kentucky General assembly needs to approve the plan. With financial problems greeting the new Beshear administration, it's sure to be difficult undertaking. Louisville Mayor, Jerry Abramson, has labeled this project his "top priority." Under the plan, a bridge between eastern Jefferson County and Utica, Ind., would be open by 2014; a downtown bridge by 2020; and a new interchange east of downtown by 2024. Both Kentucky and Indiana are utilizin

Number of sales is down from a year ago by about 11% for the month of December. Yet, prices are holding steady. It's hardly the real estate crash that so many are bemoaning. Forecasters are all over the board in their thoughts for 2008, so depending on who you speak with, it's always a good idea to consider the source. One thing is certain, with interest rates at 5.79% and continuing to drop, it's a great time to buy a home. December 2007 AREA SALES AVERAGE DoM 0 Central Downtown District 3 $78,900 136 1 Downtwn/Old&WestLouisville/Shively 88 $68,201

Read this scary AP story in the Courier-Journal. The renters were fronts for immigrant smugglers who used the house as a hiding place for illegal immigrants and trashed the home. In October, a SWAT team drove an armored personnel carrier onto the lawn and raided the house, rounding up nearly two dozen people. Sure, it takes place in Phoenix but it could very easily happen here in Louisville so when evaluating a potential renter, make sure you complete your due diligence. Better to take more time now than be sorry later.

Canfield Development has certainly been busy lately, with projects like Beech Spring Farm and Wolf Pen Springs. Now, it looks like they're getting into upscale, maintenance-free living with the tricky to remember names of Spring Farm Glen, Spring Farm Pointe, and Spring Farm Place. These related developments are also near Wolf Pen Branch Rd. which only adds to the naming confusion. But once you understand which community is which, this area of Prospect is certainly desirable and has more than 150 high-end properties currently for sale. The result is Spring Farm Glen, a 16-lot developm

Louisville's "mayor for life" (as Terry Meiners likes to call him) discusses economic losses on CNBC.

New York's Attourney General has filed a lawsuit against First American Corporation for fraud. The claim says the company allowed its largest customer to influence their appraisal estimates. This problem is certainly not new but it could be increasing. The pressure to inflate property values, may be rising. The article cites a survey of 1,200 real-estate appraisers released this year, 90% reported being pressured by real-estate agents, lenders, mortgage brokers and consumers to adjust property values in order to allow deals to go through, up from 55% in 2003, according to October Research C

Propsed New Skyline of Louisville. Click to enlarge. We've been talking about it for months. But just in case you hadn't heard (Do you live in an underground bunker?) developers have broken ground on Museum Plaza. Which, if you're keeping score at home, will be Kentucky's largest ever public/private real estate project. We're talking $490 million. And that's before costs inevitably go up once the project is underway. This particular modern design is not my favorite, but I'm quite pleased that Louisville is updating their image with this bold statement of a skyscraper. It's certainly g

Stratton Hammon, one of Louisville's premiere architects died in 1997. His memory is now receiving some special attention in the form of an exhibit at Louisville's Speed Art Museum. The exhibit and book fill a gap in the existing history of Louisville's marvelous array of housing stock, which runs from shotgun houses for working-class families in the California and Butchertown neighborhoods to the high-style Victorian, Beaux Arts, Renaissance Revival and Romanesque variations in Old Louisville, the Highlands, Crescent Hill and spreading to Pewee Valley. [link] History buffs and archi

The "Downtown Arena" is now unveiled for the world to see. After several design iterations, the committee has settled on a design with a lot to like. (What's the deal with the name? Here's hoping they'll come with something a little more memorable.) The 22,000-seat facility will surely update the image of our city, in addition to enhancing the opportunity for local sport teams and organizations to increase revenue. Far from groundbreaking, the design still has enough modern flair to give Louisville a shot of "cool." Combined with the proposed Museum Plaza, urban renewal has never looked