Life...Fun and Kentucky Real Estate

Prime Kentucky Bluegrass For Sale: Spectacular Sunsets, Creeks to Fish In, Scenic Horse Farms and More!

BUY Land! They Don't Make It Anymore! There's something for everyone here in Kentucky.

As you can tell the real estate market is beginning to turn around across the country.

I've been reading many articles lately that many major brokerages are saying that if there was a bottom to hit... we are there now. They are predicting that sales are already increasing in many markets. Luckily in Central Kentucky where we have prime Kentucky Bluegrass for sale, we escaped a lot of the problems.

More in my post on Lexington Kentucky IS a True Housing Bargain Says John F. Wasik.

 Sales of homes are still doing well, especially around the $200,000 price.  

DOM for a 4 bedroom home is 100 days and for a 3 bedroom home 69 days in Lexington Kentucky. Not bad, huh?!

If we are at the bottom... the time to buy is right now.   The increase of gas prices will only make new construction more expensive. Buying an existing home for sale is the place to get a better deal. It's easier to change carpet, tile or paint to suit your needs.  

One thing that has changed with the process of buying a home is that you will need to get pre-approved with a lender before going to look at homes. Guidelines for mortgages have changed so it's good to see if you can even get a loan.  

Next, get your home on the market before you go looking for the next one. It may take longer than expected to get it sold. To make an offer contingent upon the sale of your home is something many sellers will not accept now. You will need to have a contract on your home to make an offer.

Folks...depending on your area, some are selling slower than others.  Call me if you need me to help you get it ready to list. I have lots of ideas.    

Lastly....if you have your pre-approval letter and a contract on your home, let's get started. You are in a great position to get a fantastic deal.   

If you receive my weekly email newsletter, Take some time to look through the new residential and farm listings this week and drive by a few of them to see if you would like to tour. I'm happy to make all the appointments for you. Let's go look at some prime Kentucky Bluegrass For Sale: Spectacular Sunsets, Creeks to Fish In, Scenic Horse Farms and More!

Lizette Fitzpatrick - Broker of Lizette Realty in Richmond, Kentucky.

Rated number #1 featured Kentucky Realtor®  on Activerain.com and Localism.com. Publisher/Author for the only Central Kentucky email newsletter on local real estate listings and sold properties, Kentucky relocation, local events, homeowner information and fun! For more information on Lizette, Kentucky Horse Farms, Lizette Realty, Madison County, Fayette County, Richmond or Lexington, Kentucky click on Lizette.us.

See for yourself what Lizette's extraordinary clients have to say about their Kentucky real estate experience.

Relocating? How To Get Your Home Sold In Richmond, KY

Last fall, I received a call from Prudential Relocation to go on a listing interview for a family that was relocating out of town but still in Kentucky. I was told I would be competing with another agent for the listing. The interview went extremely well as I carefully showed them my plan on how I was going to market their home. I was so excited that they chose me to represent them and get their home sold in Richmond, KY!

I love to see how I can help put all the pieces together to help families change residences. This was going to be challenging because it was right when all the gloom and doom hit the real estate market and we were also heading into the holiday season. During winter, property rarely gets sold.

As it turned out, selling the house took longer than either of us expected. What did happen was that we all became good friends and we learned patience. The right person would come along when they were supposed to. We even buried St. Joseph under the sign with a little ceremony just in case. It couldn't hurt!

What I did enjoy was that every time I called to give them updates on showings or to check in...they were always positive and fun to talk to. To sum it up...a joy to be around. I just knew good things would happen for them. I wish for nothing but happiness in their new home further down the road. Relocating is exciting and challenging. I'm sad to see them go!

Here is their story:

My husband relocated jobs over 3 hours away.  His relocation company contacted 2 real estate agents for us to choose from to try and sell our house.  Lizette took over an hour explaining how much square footage averaged, how homes around our subdivision compared to ours in their selling prices, and how our home would appear on numerous web sites.  The choice between the two could not have been more obvious. 

Though the housing market has been flooded, our home never went more than a week without someone looking, and in fact our buyer turned out to be someone from California.  I credit Lizette's web sites for the sale of our home and the reuniting of our family together again. 

We still marvel at all the homes for sale, while ours proudly hosts a "SOLD" sign in the front.  The work that she performed for us, while our house was not the most expensive on the market, made us certainly feel like we were elite clients of hers.  I cannot thank her enough!

The Metcalfe Family

Are you Relocating? I can help you get your home Sold In Richmond, KY.

Lizette Fitzpatrick - Broker of Lizette Realty in Richmond, Kentucky.

Rated number #1 featured Kentucky Realtor®  on Activerain.com and Localism.com. Publisher/Author for the only Central Kentucky email newsletter on local real estate listings and sold properties, Kentucky relocation, local events, homeowner information and fun! For more information on Lizette, Kentucky Horse Farms, Lizette Realty, Madison County, Fayette County, Richmond or Lexington, Kentucky click on Lizette.us.

See for yourself what Lizette's extraordinary clients have to say about their Kentucky real estate experience.

While out yesterday taking pictures of my new listing at Hidden Point, I caught this Bluebird sitting on the deck rail. 

My first thought was that it was the Bluebird of happiness.

If I were a client touring this home,  I might think it was a sign that I was supposed to buy this house.  

Sometimes, when showing homes to clients there is one thing at the listing that reminds them of home or is a good omen. Then they make a quick decision to buy.  

For example: One of my clients saw the welcome mat at the front door and it was exactly like the one at her home so she immediately wrote an offer.  She knew it was a sign that this listing was special. It took the fear away of making an offer. 

Another agent once told me about a listing he had that had ducks everywhere in the house. The seller just loved duck decor! He was wondering how to gently tell her that the buyers might not be into the ducks and they needed to go. Instead, he didn't tell her because it might hurt her feelings. Wouldn't you know it? A buyer came in that absolutely adored ducks! She thought it was a sign! SOLD! You just never know what is someone's idea of bliss.

I did the same thing when I bought my car. The mileage was 17203 and I knew 203 were my lucky numbers. A few of my previous cars even had 203 in the license number. Those numbers were on my childhood home where I had spent a lot of my life. Those numbers immediately make me feel safe. Like it is meant for me. I didn't hesitate buying the car. I still love driving it too.

Our clients make these decisions all the time. Many times they tell us when something just hits them and gives them the warm fuzzies about the house. I know it's not by accident...it is like a waking dream to calm their fears and know everything is in order to move forward with a decision. These are my dream clients and they are lucky people most all the time. They usually become my good friends along the way.

That Kentucky Bluebird of happiness lives at my new listing. He stays with the house.

It won't last long...

Lizette Fitzpatrick - Broker of Lizette Realty in Richmond, Kentucky.

Rated number #1 featured Kentucky Realtor®  on Activerain.com and Localism.com. Publisher/Author for the only Central Kentucky email newsletter on local real estate listings and sold properties, Kentucky relocation, local events, homeowner information and fun! For more information on Lizette, Kentucky Horse Farms, Lizette Realty, Madison County, Fayette County, Richmond or Lexington, Kentucky click on Lizette.us.

See for yourself what Lizette's extraordinary clients have to say about their Kentucky real estate experience.

RelocatingTo Kentucky?

Come Join The Newcomer's Club of Lexington

Are you new to Lexington?

Have you lived here awhile but would like some friends to hang out with?

Then you need to check out the Newcomer's Club of Lexington!   They have many activities to enjoy such as:  

Gardening, Investments, International, Golf, Quilting, Books, Light Cooking, Card Games, Bowling, Out to Lunch, Couples Dining Out, Babysitting Exchange,  Children's Playgroup, Volunteer Opportunities and more!

To find out more call 859-259-0407 or email: lexnewcomers@yahoo.com 

Lizette Fitzpatrick - Baby Boomer Real Estate Relocation Specialist with Prudential Don Foster in Richmond, Kentucky.

Rated number #1 featured Kentucky Realtor®  on Activerain.com and Localism.com. Publisher/Author for the only Central Kentucky email newsletter on local real estate listings and sold properties, Kentucky relocation, local events, homeowner information and fun! For more information on Lizette, Kentucky Horse Farms, Prudential Don Foster, Madison County, Fayette County, Richmond or Lexington, Kentucky click on Lizette.us.

See for yourself what Lizette's extraordinary clients have to say about their Kentucky real estate experience.

Lexington Kentucky IS a True Housing Bargain Says John F. Wasik

I wasn't kidding when I was telling anyone who would listen that I was still doing very well in real estate in Central Kentucky.

When I meet someone new and they ask what I do... the next thing they say is, "Isn't the housing market bad in Lexinton Kentucky?"

I have been telling them "NO". But, I think they thought I was pulling their leg.

Last month was my best month since I have been in real estate. Now it seems I ‘m not the only one talking about the non-bubble Lexington is in.

Recently, a new article by  John F. Wasik titled Housing Bubble Didn't Burst Everywhere in U.S. posted on Bloomberg.com.

 A press release by LBAR outlines some of the information such as the NAR findings of the existing home sale median sale price dropped 8% for April 2008 compared to April 2007. In the Lexington area, the existing home sale median sale price dropped only 0.67% for that time period.

I have noticed it more since being at Activerain that clients are contacting me to relocate here. Last month I worked with clients from Wisconsin, New York and Washington.

Some come for new jobs, but many are retiring in Kentucky because of our mild winters and beautiful scenery. Not to mention the cost of housing is very affordable. Their dollars after selling their Northern home goes a long way here.

 Lexington Kentucky may just be the place for you and your family too.

Come see for yourself that Lexington Kentucky IS a true housing bargain!

I can help you get started by putting together a welcome packet

tailored for your wants and needs of what we have to offer here. 

Contact me at 859-979-2834 or home4u@realtyagent.com.

Lizette Fitzpatrick - Baby Boomer Real Estate Relocation Specialist with Prudential Don Foster in Richmond, Kentucky.

Rated number #1 featured Kentucky Realtor®  on Activerain.com and Localism.com. Publisher/Author for the only Central Kentucky email newsletter on local real estate listings and sold properties, Kentucky relocation, local events, homeowner information and fun! For more information on Lizette, Kentucky Horse Farms, Prudential Don Foster, Madison County, Fayette County, Richmond or Lexington, Kentucky click on Lizette.us.

See for yourself what Lizette's extraordinary clients have to say about their Kentucky real estate experience.

Selling Your Home In Central Kentucky: How To Get Your Home Sold In A Buyers Market

We are lucky compared to a lot of places in the United States. In Central Kentucky we are not experiencing the problems with houses sitting on the market for long extended listing periods.

Granted there are still a few that linger on the market. Houses listed over $200,000 are not moving as quickly. I was lucky last month. It was my best month ever to get my buyers to a successful closing.

How did I do it with the media telling me times were bad? I took a news fast. Who needs to listen to what is happening elsewhere? I had a failure is not an option attitude about my real estate business. 

I helped many folks get the home they had dreamed of. 

It could have been YOUR home I sold to them. (but it wasn't)

So...you are selling your home in Central Kentucky.

 You may want to rethink how you are trying to sell your home. 

In this kind of market you will need to get your home listed by an Internet savvy Realtor(R). Print ads are starting to be a thing of the past. If your house gets viewed, chances are excellent that it was seen on the internet on more than a dozen websites. 

Plan on having an open house? (Maybe you expect your Realtor to have many open houses.) Since I have been in the business, I have never sold one to a buyer this way.

I spent my first 2 years in the business having an open house each Sunday. Why did I do it?  To get buyers to feed my pipeline. Sure, I would have loved for them to buy that house I was showing....but I wanted their email address or phone number for later. Chances were good that they would be a future client. They are out looking for a house aren't they?

Houses I have sold most always have been shown by a Realtor that saw it on the Internet for his client. Or his client saw it online and called his agent to go see it. Every now and then someone pulls up to my sign... calls me and I write an offer for them on my listing. This is as rare as hen's teeth.

This said...a FSBO has almost a next to zero chance that someone driving by will come knock on the door. Also, would you want a total stranger coming into your house to take a look at your valuables? Or put your family in danger? We live in a scary time.

As a seller you start to question why the house is not getting an offer. How do you get your home sold in a buyers market? Could it be the price? Did you study all the comps that an appraiser will use to come up with the right value for your home? You do know that if you do get an offer the house will have to appraise at purchase price? If it doesn't, you may have to lower your contract price or lose your buyer. The buyer will not be able to get financing for any extra money above the appraised value.

Maybe you are not even getting showings? Have you done all you could to clean it up? Fresh paint? Cleaned carpets? Boxed up knicknacks? Staged it? Taken out all signs of pets? My buyers passed on many houses that just were not clean, neat or needed paint.

If you have done all these things, then take a look at how it is marketed on the Internet.

Just putting it on the MLS and a sign out front just doesn't cut it anymore. Want to see what your Realtor(R) does with their marketing? How good are they on the Internet? Google search their name. That will bring up a plethora of all the marketing they have done on their listings. Or not. If you only see a few things on the first page (or not even on the second page)then you will know your house or the agent is not getting their share of Internet presence.   

Google the address of your listing. That should bring up quite a few webpages too. You may need to rethink just who you want to list your home and market it.

We are in an odd time with the gas prices, the war, the election , the stock market swings and the general gloom of the real estate market. You need action and you need it now.

If you are ready to get your house sold give me a call and I will see what I can do to get things going for your home to get an offer then a closing. What will it take? Just pick up the phone and ask me. 

Call me at 859-979-2834  You can't afford to wait much longer. If you think it is slow now ...just wait till school starts. Then it will be the holidays.

 The time is now for getting your house sold.

Lizette Fitzpatrick - Baby Boomer Real Estate Relocation Specialist with Prudential Don Foster in Richmond, Kentucky.

Rated number #1 featured Kentucky Realtor®  on Activerain.com and Localism.com. Publisher/Author for the only Central Kentucky email newsletter on local real estate listings and sold properties, Kentucky relocation, local events, homeowner information and fun! For more information on Lizette, Kentucky Horse Farms, Prudential Don Foster, Madison County, Fayette County, Richmond or Lexington, Kentucky click on Lizette.us.

See for yourself what Lizette's extraordinary clients have to say about their Kentucky real estate experience.

 The other night as I was driving back home through the country in Fayette County, I started to hear the sweet sounds of the bugs of summer. It made me smile as I drove along.

 Ahhhh....summer is finally here, I thought. You know the bugs that sing loudly and remind you of the deep South. Sultry nights on the veranda of your plantation.  

 These are Cicadas.

  The other night I was showing a farm in lower Madison County way off Red Lick Rd.

I was walking around checking out the front yard and there were small holes in the dirt...EVERYWHERE!

Usually, when I see holes in the ground here it is from crawdads or snakes. I keep my comments to myself if I am with a client so I don't alarm them. You never know what they may be fearful of. Kentucky is a plethora of insects and critters.

 These guys(not my clients) had exited from underground burrows and were singing loudly from the trees.

 More than one local has commented lately that they stay in the ground 17 years then come out and stay around eating everything for many days. Then they die.  In North China cicadas are skewered or stir fried as a delicacy. YUM! I think they ate them on Survivor once.

 Today, I was out with my clients and as I was in the front yard of the listing, I noticed that they had covered the bark of a tree. All over the trunk. We all got closer to inspect them till we realized they were all buzzing around. (Hundreds of them!)Franticly, we ran for our vehicles before they got in with us.

 As I started turning my car around I felt one in my hair then it fell down the back of my shirt! I stopped my car sideways right in the street and jumped out like my pants were on fire! That bug got so scared that he let go of my back and ended up on my front seat.

 I didn't waste a moment flipping his ass out of there. From then on my skin was crawling and I still felt there were still some attached. My head still itches every time I relive the moment. 

 I've been told they will be here a little bit longer. You never know what some of these locals will tell you!

*********************** 

Lizette Fitzpatrick - Baby Boomer Real Estate Relocation Specialist with Prudential Don Foster in Richmond, Kentucky.

Rated number #1 featured Kentucky Realtor®  on Activerain.com and Localism.com. Publisher/Author for the only Central Kentucky email newsletter on local real estate listings and sold properties, Kentucky relocation, local events, homeowner information and fun! For more information on Lizette, Kentucky Horse Farms, Prudential Don Foster, Madison County, Fayette County, Richmond or Lexington, Kentucky click on Lizette.us.

See for yourself what Lizette's extraordinary clients have to say about their Kentucky real estate experience.

This Child Teaches Us To Never Give Up - Adam Bender

I can understand handicaps that you ignore. In some of us there is greatness itching to get out. Despite health issues or lack of a limb we are born with greatness. We can see it and we BELIEVE it with all our hearts.

WE can choose to go forward and be all that we can be. We see ourselves as perfect and whole.

This morning...It was a normal morning. Java and my computer. Open up the Lexington Herald and a story caught my eye that infected my mind all day.

The story was one of  courage and unwavering determination!

 Adam Bender is only 8 years old.

My nephew's age. Both play sports. The only difference is that Adam plays baseball, football and soccer with only one leg. How hard that must be! He refuses to use a prosthesis or wheelchair. With all of his being he operates as if the leg were still there.

 When Adam Bender was only a year old he lost his leg because of cancer. It hasn't stopped his steadfast determination to play and compete. This year his position with the Southeastern Rookie League is as its catcher. Using crutches when he has to. He makes it work. He has figured out his angle on making the sport fit his disability. The Herald story.

 I felt proud that he discovered his greatness and no matter what he is going to be a success. Can we learn to overcome whatever is thrown at us and achieve our hearts desire? I know it's true. I've done a little of that but not to this extent. We aren't all perfect there is always something that holds us back from getting right at the top.  Sometimes, I work hard... then pull back into my comfort zone.

Adam Bender is a shining light of how great we all can be if we don't give up and find new ways around our obstacles. His parents must be so proud!

*********************** 

Lizette Fitzpatrick - Baby Boomer Real Estate Relocation Specialist with Prudential Don Foster in Richmond, Kentucky.

Rated number #1 featured Kentucky Realtor®  on Activerain.com and Localism.com. Publisher/Author for the only Central Kentucky email newsletter on local real estate listings and sold properties, Kentucky relocation, local events, homeowner information and fun! For more information on Lizette, Kentucky Horse Farms, Prudential Don Foster, Madison County, Fayette County, Richmond or Lexington, Kentucky click on Lizette.us.

See for yourself what Lizette's extraordinary clients have to say about their Kentucky real estate experience.