According to the Nashville Business Journal and Kiplinger.com, Nashville has been named one of the nation’s eleven comeback cities for 2011. This is based mainly on the projected rise in employment; however, according to Realty Times’ Carla Hill, this increase will have a direct affect on the housing market, as well.

“After plunging 7.3% during the recession, employment will climb this year by nearly 3% [in Nashville],” cites Kiplinger.

Bob Nielsen, the National Association of Homebuilders’ chairman, tells Realty Times that not only does the housing market improve as employment rates improve, but an improved housing market helps the employment rate, as well.

“Home building is a key driver of the American economy. By generating economic activity including new income and jobs, purchases of goods and services, and revenue for local governments, housing—which has historically accounted for around 17 percent of the GDP — can put America back to work,” says Nielson.

“The NAHB says that income made from construction activity is then spent in the local economy. New houses earn local taxes. New taxes pay for teachers, police, and other services. It’s an all around great scenario,” cites Hill.

Although the particular employment growth projected for Nashville lies within the accounting and financial services (not construction), states the Business Journal, the surge could prove positive for the city’s housing market just the same.

To learn more about the Nashville real estate outlook and how potential employment increases may affect your area, talk with a reputable real estate agent. Contact Todd Taylor at todd@tnsoldhome.com.

1. Assess your yard and your equipment. Take a “walk about” with pen and paper in hand. If the grass is patchy, add seed and fertilizer to your list. Check out your tools, including the blades on your lawnmower, and make notes of anything that needs repair.

2. Mowing and pruning. Even if your grass is short from the winter season, it’s important to trim it in order to encourage new growth. As a rule, don’t remove more than a third of the growth. While it’s often better to prune during a tree or shrub’s dormant season, spring lends itself well to cutting back dead growth. If you’re not sure when pruning is appropriate, consult a nursery or yard maintenance service in the Nashville area – one that is familiar with the local flora.

3. Have a soil test performed, and amend the earth around your home accordingly. Before spending time and money on material and labor, make sure your soil is balanced and ready to support plant life.

4. Clean yard art, bird baths and feeders. This can be done using a very diluted bleach solution, but it’s important to rinse the items thoroughly after disinfecting.

5. Consult professionals. Find a reputable Nashville landscaping company or landscape designer to provide you with a consultation. Contact a Realtor – he or she will have seen a variety of landscapes around the area.

A few other springtime gardening tips:

1. Keep an eye on the weather. The Southeast is known for having cold spikes after residents have installed warm weather plants or relocated plants from indoors.

2. Plant native flora. You’ll do yourself a favor by planting flowers, trees and shrubs that grow naturally in your region. Otherwise, you’ll continuously fight to keep the plants in an ideal growing environment.

3. Make gardening comfortable. Install raised beds if you have a difficult time bending to plant or weed. Invest in an outdoor stool, good gloves and knee cushions to maximize your comfort when working in the yard. If tending your garden in painful or a burden, you’ll be less likely to do so diligently.

Keep in mind, a bright, neat yard not only appeals to homeowners and neighbors, it’s a huge selling point. Discuss your curb appeal with Todd Taylor, experienced Nashville real estate agent, by emailing todd@tnsoldhome.com.

If you’re trying to sell your Nashville home, keep these things in mind.

Make sure your Realtor puts your home into the Multiple Listing Service as soon as possible. This is the fastest, most thorough way to ensure buyers’ agents can access your property.

After several showings, an offer – or multiple offers – will be given. This is where the finagling begins.

Don’t accept any offer too quickly. It’s common and completely respectable to discuss offers with your real estate agent and respond within two to three days with either acceptance or a counteroffer.

Remember, as a seller, you’re in a position of power. Most offers will be somewhere between five and ten percent lower than your asking price. This leaves room for compromise, and you should take advantage of this. While you don’t always have to accept the highest offer, you should request concessions from the buyer if the price is below what you’re asking – such as the payment of closing costs or purchase of major appliances. Don’t lower your price too much without getting something in return.

Learn about your buyers. Have your real estate agent investigate to make sure that potential buyers are really in a position to purchase your home. Have they sold their previous home? Have they been pre – approved for a mortgage loan? Have they put offers on any other properties?

Keep your plans quiet. Buyers don’t need to know why you’re selling your home. In fact, if you’re move is urgent and your buyers are unscrupulous, their knowing of your need to sell quickly can lead to gazundering. This happens when a buyer offers a lower price toward the end of the negotiation and contract period to force the seller into accepting. This is fairly uncommon, but it does happen. So keep your future plans and reasons for relocating mum.

Leave it to your Realtor. Many people play real estate agent when selling their homes, wanting to do the bargaining themselves. You have a real estate agent for this reason. He or she will have experience negotiating with the right tone and in the right terms. Avoid miscommunication by leaving the back and forth to your Realtor.

If you’re looking to sell your Nashville home and need a Realtor to help navigate negotiations, contact Todd Taylor at todd@tnsoldhome.com.

1. Vinyl siding no longer comes in just a few colors. There are limitless options – color and style – when it comes to siding. Plus, it’s low maintenance. Foundry siding, for example, gives your home the look of cedar shake or wood, and it comes in various tones.

2. Bright colored cladding can make windows pop. Cladding, the aluminum encasement on windows’ exterior, is very low maintenance and comes is various colors.

3. Accents such as entrance lighting; doorknockers and knobs; railings; house numbers and mailboxes; and window boxes provide opportunities for color. These are relatively small items and can be coordinated to match one another, creating a more cohesive look. Plus, it won’t take nearly as long to lay a coat of paint on these fixtures as it would the entire house.

4. Jazz up your entryway with a brightly colored door and planters filled with colorful flora. Fiberglass doors come in an array of colors and require no painting.

5. Stone and roofs can be palettes for color. Stone is available in various warm, earth tones and gives your home’s exterior a natural color scheme. Consider red shingles, or pick a shingle color that complements the hues of your mortar.

There are several other areas where you can add color to your home’s exterior – paint your shutters, stain your concrete driveway, install copper gutters. Remember, even if you’re not selling your home, curb appeal is important. It attracts people to the aesthetics of your home, improves its value and builds pride.

For more ideas on how to improve your home’s curb appeal and bring color to its exterior this spring, talk to a Realtor. Contact Todd Taylor at todd@tnsoldhome.com.

The Nashville Business Journal notes, “Core founder Aaron White said the first development phase will feature 18 homes, 15 of which have been presold. The first homes are slated for completion this summer.”

Gale Park’s eco-freindly Nashville homes are available in five different floor plans – Artisan, Copley, Rockwood, Overbeck, Norton and the recently added, Morris – and they range in cost from approximately $250,000 to $315,000 thousand dollars for 1,200 square feet.

Nashville home buyers will be pleased to know that the energy efficient construction of homes in Gale Park will result in substantial energy savings and lower carbon footprints. What is the Cute Cottage Company doing to build these new Nashville homes with a green focus? They’re using cellulose insulation, which reduces air pockets and gaps – it’s been shown to save homeowners around 40% on their heating and cooling costs; installing a radiant barrier roof to deflect heat away from the home’s interior; and putting in double glazed windows. There will also be compact fluorescent lighting, low maintenance exteriors and energy star appliances. Plus the community’s convenient urban location will save homeowners on transportation costs.

All the homes in Gale Park will have hardwood floors, granite countertops, stainless appliances, front porches and European bath fixtures. It will be a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with tree-lined boulevards and a planned playground. Located near Nashville’s Sevier Park, Gale Park residents will be within walking distance of pizza joints, coffee shops, salons, shopping, Hillsboro Village, downtown Nashville and Green Hills.

You can stay abreast of happenings within Nashville’s Gale Park by following the community’s blog.

If you would like to learn more about green living in Nashville or the upcoming Gale Park residences, contact Todd Taylor at todd@tnsoldhome.com.

While this news may seem discouraging, it’s important to note that the local Nashville foreclosure rate is well below the national rate, which is 3.33 percent.

Carla Hill, writer and producer for Realty Times, touches on the effects foreclosures have on the previous homeowners. The term itself – foreclosure – has become so ubiquitous during the recent economic downturns that it’s easy to forget about the aftermath caused by losing a home.

Hill cites a negative effect on your credit score as one of the biggest impacts of foreclosure. “Your credit score may plummet by 200 to 300 points…the notation of foreclosure stays on your report for up to seven years,” she claims.

On MSN’s real estate website, additional consequences are outlined. They include:

• The immediate impact of being without shelter.
• The problems faced when trying to buy another home or obtain a job where a credit check is required.
• The struggle of living through the loss.
• Being required to pay taxes on the difference, based on how much of the owed money could not be recouped by re-selling the property.

If you’re facing foreclosure in Nashville, forethought is paramount. Knowing what to expect can help you navigate the post-foreclosure process more easily. Speaking with a knowledgeable Realtor is also advised. Contact Todd Taylor at todd@tnsoldhome.com.

1. Fight the ice and snow. Be sure that your sidewalk, driveway, steps and patio / deck are ice – free and safe when prospective buyers view the home.

2. Staging is key. Make your home feel as warm and welcoming as possible by using ample throws, decorative pillows, fresh flowers and lit fireplaces.

3. Show during the day. Try to arrange showings during the lightest part of the day – early morning to late afternoon. It’s difficult to gain a full impression of a space’s interior and exterior in complete darkness.

4. Highlight location advantages. If your neighborhood is within walking distance of shops and restaurants; if it’s regularly plowed and de-iced; or if it’s near public transportation, let potential buyers know of these benefits.

5. Decorate for the seasons. If you’ll be showing during Thanksgiving, Christmas or other widely celebrated holidays, decorate the home accordingly, keeping simplicity and classiness at the forefront.

6. Offer your guests warm cider, hot tea or similar beverages during the walk through.

7. Make the space feel lived-in. While you want to remove most of your personal mementos – such as family photos – you also want to ensure that your home feels like a great place to live during winter. Set the table, light candles and play music to create a lived-in atmosphere.

8. Wash the windows. Bright winter light, especially when bouncing from the snowy ground, can reveal grime on unclean windows.

9. Set timers. If you’re going to be showing your home after work, or if you’re not always there when potential buyers drive or stop by, set indoor and outdoor lights to timers. Unlit homes are particularly uninviting.

10. Man homeowners require guests to remove their shoes or cover them with booties while viewing the house. While some people like this – as it proves the previous homeowner is clean and cares about the space – others find it peculiar. During the winter, however, when caked-on snow and mud are more commonplace on the soles of shoes, being meticulous about cleanliness is advised.

Planning to sell your Nashville home will undoubtedly be a big decision, and if you’re forced to make it during winter, keep these tips in mind when showing your home. Contact Todd Taylor at todd@tnsoldhome.com for more advice on selling your home.

After two months of consecutive rises in home sales, Nashville, along with the rest of the country, saw a 1.8 percent fall in pending home sales during September, 2010. The National Association of Realtors was cited on the News Channel 5 website as saying their “…index of sales agreements for previously occupied homes dropped 1.8 percent in September to a reading of 80.9. Contract signings fell in every region of the country except the West.”

The following month, Nashville saw a huge dip in land and property sales. “Nashville-area residential home and land sales in October fell 30.3 percent from the same month last year, according to figures released…by the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors,” reported the Tennesean.

Single – family home sales fell by 28 percent, while Nashville condo sales dropped by more than 50 percent.

President of the Realtors group, Lucy Smith, concurs that the fall in real estate purchases is coming on the coattails of the expired tax credit programs. However, she contends it is still a buyer’s market, with interest rates being favorable in the greater Nashville area.

Whether or not it is truly a buyer’s market in Nashville is up for debate. The median price for a single – family home in October, 2010, was around $173,000 thousand dollars.

According to November 12^th’s broadcast on Realty Times, Fannie May’s most recent, national housing survey claims that 70 percent of people believe it is a positive time to purchase a home, a statistic up from this time in January, when only 64 percent of people felt confident about home buying. However, 78 percent of people are confident that home prices will hold steady or increase over 2010 and into 2011.

Smith is quoted in the Tennesean as saying, “with the state of the general economy still causing some uncertainty, it is understandable that consumer confidence is low.”

Regardless of flattening or rising home prices, a drop in home sales and the continued instability of consumer confidence, the Nashville home market is improving – as are real estate sectors across the country.

If you want to learn more about the home buying climate in the greater Nashville area, it’s important to contact an experienced, involved real estate agent. Consult Todd Taylor at todd@tnsoldhome.com.

In a recent poll conducted by Pew Internet, over 2,000 adults were asked about their neighbor relations and how they kept current on community events. Perkins cites these as the results of that poll:

• Twenty percent of adults used digital tools to correspond with neighbors and stay current with community events and news.
• Forty-six percent of adults prefer to speak face-to-face with neighbors.
• Twenty-one percent discussed neighborhood matters over the telephone.
• Only eleven percent read a blog concerning the community.
• A mere nine percent email with neighbors.
• Only five percent belong to a community email distribution list of sorts.

The stronghold that traditional neighborly interaction has on many communities should be seen as a positive thing. It gives families and friends the opportunity to host neighborhood-building events, and fall, when the weather is cooling, is the perfect season for doing so.

Here are some ideas for bringing neighbors in your Nashville neighborhood together this fall.

Charity

Hold a canned food or winter clothing drive. Ask people to donate food and warm clothes at a central event. There could be cider, hot chocolate, chili and a bon fire – if your community will allow one – to keep people warm and socializing during the drive.

A community trip to help at a local soup kitchen is another charitable way to bring neighbors together this fall.

Kid’s Activities

Kid’s activities are popular during the fall and winter months. Hold a small community festival with kid-friendly activities such as pumpkin painting/carving, gingerbread house building and costume competitions.

Scavenger hunts can be easily fall-themed. Have each child, or each family attending the event, put together a fall gift bag, and swap them anonymously amongst the children.

Displays

Cultivate friendly neighbor rivalry with door decorating competitions and scarecrow contests. Ask each participant for ideas on what the winner should receive, and pool your resources to provide the victor with a gift certificate to a local Nashville restaurant, theater tickets or a fall-themed gift basket.

If your community has an entryway, get neighbors together to replace the summer plants with cold-weather ones and to decorate the entrance with a harvest theme.

Contact Todd Taylor at todd@tnsoldhome.com for more Murfreesboro area events, too!

Here are some tips for keeping the entranceway of your home in order.

Seating

Carla Hill, managing editor at Realty Times, suggests incorporating seating into your entranceway. A bench is perfect for building storage underneath, and it provides a place for putting on and removing shoes.

Built-Ins

If feasible, customize a built-in for your entrance way. Tailor it to meet the needs of your family. If your children play sports, include deep, long draws for soccer bags and baseball bats. If you live in cold weather, customize an off-the ground shoe storage unit where shoes can drip dry and heavy-duty coat hanging center. A mirror is also an excellent feature for an entranceway built-in – perfect for checking that tie or your makeup before walking out the door.

Household Items

Many homeowners need to lay hands on a screwdriver, flashlight or hammer and nails frequently. If you don’t want to trek to the garage for these helpful items every time the need arises, include in your entranceway an organized draw or storage bin for keeping them nearby.

Flooring

The entrance to your home isn’t the ideal place to sport plush, white carpet. Select a flooring and a finish that are durable and can withstand traffic and moisture. Tile, sealed hardwoods, stones and even concrete are sound options.

Whatever your family’s schedule, the entranceway is sure to see a lot of traffic. Create a place for things that you need to grab quickly on the way out – laptops, school lunches, umbrellas – as well as a place for storing and organizing these items while they’re in your home.

Organization, consolidation and storage options are key to keeping your home’s entrance clean and welcoming.

For a list of vendors that can help you prepare your home for sale, contact Todd Taylor at todd@tnsoldhome.com today.