Nashville Real Estate Talk

Mt. Juliet Posts Home sales Gains as Prices Slip

2012 has started off well for Mt. Juliet Home Sellers, home sales in the Jan.-Mar period moved from 172 homes sales in 2011 to 192 homes in 2012.  A gain of 11%.

However, despite those sales gains , the numbers indicate Wilson County homes may be losing some of their value.

Mt. Juliet Home sales First Qtr. 2011

Mt. Juliet Crye-Leike Office #1 in Nashville for February 2012

Mt Juliet Home Sellers are Happy!

Mt. Juliet home sales are once again challenging the conventional wisdom that Brentwood and Franklin are THE places to buy a home.

Crye-Leike’s Mt. Juliet office posted $5,968,049 in sales for February passing Brentwood Franklin and all of the more than 20 Crye-Leike offices in Nashville.

That total was 63% ahead of 2011 sales for the same month.

One thing that Mt. Juliet Home sellers should note though: The average home price for Mt. Juliet’s sales was $195,000. That’s $2,000 less than 2011.

Cathy and  I had  3 Closings ourselves in February, making this a busier first quarter than last year.

Cathy & Jim had 3 Closings in February 2012

The takeaway here for both Mt. Juliet Home sellers and Home Buyers is:

1. There are buyers out there

2. they are looking for deals

and

3. Savvy Home Sellers and their agents are flexible and willing to negotiate.

Willoughby Station Home Sparks a Bidding War, Sells for $14,000 over asking price.

When we listed this Willoughby Station home, the highest price paid for a 4 Bedroom home in more than a year had been $260,000.

But this one sold for $273,000

To get the maximum price for our sellers  we used web-based marketing and generated almost 40 showings and 3 offers, the last one for $14,000 over asking price.

Here’s how we did it.

1. We analyzed the neighborhood activity, looking for common themes among the homes that were selling.

2. We scheduled two days for photos.  One for the early morning when the sun was best on the Front and one for afternoon when the lighting helped the Living areas.

3. All photos were taken with an 18 mm lense using natural light to bring out color and create depth.

Natural Light Photography created Interest

4. The listing was posted on approximately 30 websites with special attention to Zillow, Trulia, Craigslist and BNA.NashvilleHomeSearcher.com

5. A VoicePad sign was posted in the front yard with a 24 Hour number for callers to get info about the house. Each caller was called back.

6. A special website was created just for 1164 Sydney Terrace.

7. A blog article was written for the home at NashvilleRealEstatetalk.com. Another article was added about Willoughby Station.

8. A Virtual Tour of the home was created and set-up on Youtube.com

7. Open houses were scheduled on NFL by-weeks when families were likely to be out looking.

9. Photographs were posted on key websites announcing the open houses ( Craigslist, Zillow, Trulia).

10. The listing was emailed to those buyers on our  Database ( approx. 2,000)  who were looking in this price range and area.

11. Realtors who scheduled showings of the home received call from us asking for feedback from their Buyers. That information was passed on to our Sellers.

12. Each week the Sellers received an emailed report with graphs showing how many times the home was downloaded from the Internet.

13. Multiple offers can be tricky.  We worked with the Sellers to negotiate the offers and choose the best one with an eye to price, terms and conditions.

These are the Marketing Innovations that have replaced the “sign in the yard and List it on the MLS” system that existed for so many years. These are also the things we automatically do for each Listing.

No amount of marketing will help an overpriced or poorly maintained home. But, with fair pricing and a quality home our marketing will put your home in front the most qualified Buyers.

Call  Cathy , 615-481-7609, or Jim, 615-347-0424, to learn more about marketing your Mt. Juliet Home.

Rare Villa Available in Del Webb’s Lake Providence,  Just $163,500

Lake Providence Club house

Since lake Providence opened in Mt. Juliet, Tn., several years ago,  it has become the fastest growing 55 and older community in Tennessee and the South East.  The Fox Run Villas have been one of the most popular homes.

One-level living with amenities and affordable. These homes were an upgrade from the original, simpler designs in Del Webb’s first offerings.

With 2 Bedrooms and 2 Full Baths and 1244 Sq. Ft. the Villas were a great fit for Active Adults who needed less space and more free time.

These homes are no longer being built in Mt. Juliet because the builder ( Pulte) says they are too expensive to build.

This home at 307 Blockade Lane was built in 2009.  The owner, who lives in another Lake Providence home 2 blocks away, has been renting this unit to the steady stream of people waiting for their own Del Webb homes to be built.

Now he has decided to sell this one.

As you can see from the photos this home is in wonderful condition.

307 Blockade Lane, Mt. Juliet, TN

Reduced Costs of Ownership

One very interesting thing about the Villas is that they INCLUDE All  Exterior   Maintenance!

These homes are covered by the Del Webb Home Owners Association (HOA), and everything on the outside is covered.

That means home owners insurance is reduced, the homeowner’s insurance on this home is about $300 per year.

Taxes on this home are also very low, just $1,013 per year.

This home has approximately $14,000 in upgrades from the basic Villa Plan.

Kitchen

Master Bedroom

This home will be available to move in after April 15, It is in “like New” condition and is much less expensive then a new unit.

Living area

Rear Patio

Master Bath

The rear Patio can screened, enclosed or extended.

The rear of the house has open space behind it which is not available with new units.

SELLER PAID OVER $14,000 IN UPGRADES
ABOVE PULTE LIST PRICE:
Full irrigation system with timer: $2500
Floored and shelved attic above garage: $800
Finished and painted garage: $600
Shelves installed in garage: $200
Can lights in kitchen: $600
Ceiling fan, wire and installed in living room: $250
Upgrade shower in master bath: $650
Extra outlet in garage: $150
Three extra TV outlets, one in living room and two in bedrooms: 3@$175: $525
Back lights: $250
Patio wired for ceiling fan: $175
Patio wired for electric: $125
Back of house wired for electric: $125
Elevation fee for front of house: $3200
View fee for unobstructed rear of house (nothing can ever be built in the 1 ½ acre of lawn): $4000
Additionally: new stove, blinds, wired for alarm

The view from the patio

To see this great Home call Jim Or Cathy at 615-481-7609

Or email us at Cathy@CathyWood.com

Gorgeous Townhouse in Tulip Cove. Located on the border of Mt. Juliet and Hermitage , this contemporary condo is loaded with amenities. Crown Molding, Open Floor Plan, Contemporary Kitchen, Walk-in closets, 2 1/2 baths everything you need to start out in your first home.

2 Bedrooms, Both with private baths,

With 2 matching owner suites featuring private baths and walk-in closets, this home is perfect for the young executive who is too smart to pay rent. The open floor plan deluxe kitchen and 1/2 bath for guests are great for entertaining too.

The home Includes all appliances, Cooktop Stove and Oven, Refrigerator, Dishwasher all in matching black. There is also a pantry.  The kitchen cabinets are a beautiful deep a  There is also a Washer and Dryer in the laundry area AND a very new wallmounted HD TV in the Master bedroom.

The home also has a private patio and storage facility too. from the patio there is access to the community common area for Pets and outdoor activities.

This home qualifies for very low down payment FHA financing or THDA down payment assistance. In either case the monthly cost will be LESS than renting.

The Sellers are including a one year Home Warranty at no extra cost.

The patio has a concrete pad and a storage building, the owner added electricity for outdoor entertaining and cooking.

This article helped bring over 30 buyers to visit this home and sparked a bidding war that brought the Owners $14,000 more than they were asking for.

Marketing List for this home.  These are the things that were done to bring Buyers.

This Mt. Juliet home owners’s company needed him to relocate to their home office so badly that they bought his home and they are offering it for $40,000 less than he paid for it just 3 years ago.

Beautiful Home in Willoughby Station, Mt. Juliet

Willoughby station, Mt. Juliet’s first planned community, is known for it’s great family atmosphere, . The pools, the recreation area, tennis courts and the great local schools.  But there is another aspect to Willoughby that is not so well known. The executive homes up on Sydney Terrace ridge.

4 Bedrooms, 3 full Baths, Fully fenced and private backyard with covered Deck.

These homes were built in 2007 and 2008 and were designed for the younger executive  home buyers who began moving to Mt. Juliet then.  These buyers wanted Open Floor Plans,  Amazing kitchens where they could entertain as well as cook and great outdoor spaces.

The builders response was Willoughby Station Phase 8.  The builder set apart the most sought after lots, those with views and pastoral settings, and built these homes there.

Now we have one of these lovely homes with 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths and almost 3400 sq.ft. available for just $262,000

Curb Appeal

Brick and stacked stone are used to create a contemporary look. The front porch looks south and has afternoon light all year long.  Dormers tower above the second story adding a classic style.

Living Areas

Walking into the home you are presented with 3 choices: the large open room to your left is designed for either an office or a library.

To the right is the formal Dining Room with Hardwoods again, Chair Rail and Crown Molding. The towering stairway in the front of the house is classic.

Each room is painted in neutral colors.

The focal point of the home is the Living Area and Kitchen, melded into one large space , perfect for entertaining or just “staying in”.

The Kitchen   is a real stunner. Gleaming Hardwoods and rows of Cherry hardwood cabinets.

Outdoor Living Space

The homeowners invested in terracing their backyard, privacy fencing and this covered porch as well as a Patio.

One of two pools for families in Willoughby Station

Schools

Mt. Juliet Schools are consistently rated in the top 3 of the state.

The local schools are:

Mt. Juliet Elementary

Mt. Juliet Middle school

Mt. Juliet High School- Winner of SCORE Award for academic achievement

All three schools are within 5 minutes of this home. All three have bus service to this neighborhood

Public Transportation

This home is 5 minutes from the Mt. Juliet Music City Star station. This light rail commuter line provides trains into Nashville for commuters.

Parks and Recreation

Mt. Juliet is bordered on two sides by large recreation Lakes. The city is often called “the City Between the Lake”. Additionally there are 3 State parks within minutes of this home.

Percy Priest lake

Old hickory Lake

Long Hunter State park

Cedar Creek State Park

Cedars of  Lebanon State Park

Boating, fishing, horse back riding and camping are all available.

For further details on this house or to have a private showing, call Jim & Cathy at 615-347-4424

Willoughby Station and Providence Neighborhoods Lead  Home Sales in Mt. Juliet for 2011

Home sales in Mt. Juliet continue to surprise everyone even the local Realtors.  Through October of 2011 Mt. Juliet has seen 694 homes sold.

One of the Two Pools at Willoughby Station

That number comes into focus hen you realize that there are only 730 homes on the market in Mt. Juliet. That’s almost 100% turnover in 11 months.  Unheard of.

Mt. Juliet home sales were almost evenly divided between new and Existing homes too.  There have been 295 new homes to close in Mt. Juliet so far  in 2011.  399 existing homes  have also closed

The leading subdivision for existing home sales has been Providence with 25 sales followed closely by Willoughby Station with 22.

The Movie Theater at Providence

As for New homes in Mt. Juliet, Providence leads the pack with 88., no other neighborhood comes close to that.

Providence and Willoughby Station  share several key attributes which explains their success.

Both have great local schools, Mt. Juliet Elementary for Willoughby and Rutland Elementary for Providence.  Both have amazing family areas and Pools.  Both are great walking neighborhoods.

Providence has the great shopping and restaurants at Providence Market Place. Willoughby is close to the commuter rail station for the Music City Star connecting Mt. Juliet to Hermitage, Donelson and Nashville.

Providence offers new homes and a growing 55 and Older Community at Lake Providence Dell Web, While Willoughby Station has larger yards and a more laid back lifestyle.

Either way home buyers can’t go wrong with Mt. Juliet.

Search Mt. Juliet Homes at:

MtJulietHomeSearcher.com

Mt. Vernon Woods homes appraising lower.

Mt. Vernon Woods Home values

One of Mt. Juliet’s oldest and most elite neighborhoods is seeing home values slip.  Mt. Vernon Woods has long been a sought after area. Custom homes with acre lots and close the center of Mt.Juliet, Mt. Vernon seems to have it all, even some basement homes, rare as they are in Wilson county homes.

But over the last three years the values of these large homes has been shaken.  Recently a home under contract there for almost $500,000 appraised at $80,000 BELOW the contract price!

This August another 3,000 sq. ft. home in Mt. Vernon Woods went under contract for just $210,000.  thats just $70 per sq. ft.  The home in question had been on the market for almost two years.

Just a few years ago homes in this neighborhood were bringing $120 per sq. ft.  What’s up?

Mt. Vernon, and indeed all of North Mt. Juliet, is suffering from what we call, “the Providence Effect”.  As Providence has emerged as THE Neighborhood of choice in Mt. Juliet, The older neighborhoods north of I40 have declined.

Indeed all of the following Mt. Juliet neighborhoods are seeing longer days on market and lower prices.

Willoughby Station

Triple Crown

Brookstone

Cambridge Woods

Hickory Hills

Normandy Heights

Even the new homes at Kelsey Glen, beautiful as they are, have slowed slightly forcing the builder, Jones Co., to offer incentives.

The new homes at Centex’s Spence Creek community have also seen their sales slow as more buyers chose Providence as their Mt. Juliet Home.

We’ll examine the Providence Effect in more detail later this month.

Meanwhile if you would like to discuss this article, please text me at 615-347-4424

Mt. Juliet Leads Nashville in New Home Building Permits

Mt. Juliet wins the Super Bowl of New Homes!

Sure the Green Bay Packers just won the Super Bowl.  But what Nashville area community won the most new Home permits?

In 2010 there were 4,400 New Home Permits in the 11 Nashville counties.  Broken down by city here were the results.

Gallatin 112, Hendersonville 136, Spring Hill 122, La Vergne 57. Lebanon had 132 new Home Permits and Franklin came in third with 287.  No. 2 was Murfreesboro with 346.

But the Winner with most New Home permits for 2010 was  ( drum Roll please)  Mt. Juliet! Mt. Juliet had 367 New Home permits issued in 2010.

That’s right , little Mt. Juliet is not so little anymore.  The word is out, Mt. Juliet is a great place to live. 

All of the major builders in the Nashville area are developing neighborhoods in the Mt. Juliet area. The low cost of land there means Nashville home buyers are finding similar plans there at a 30-40% discount from Williamson County.  The Jones Company’s new Kelsey Glen neighborhood has new Mt. Juliet homes with 3 car garages, all brick and almost 3,000 sq.ft. for less than $275,000! And the commute from Mt.Juliet to Nashville is much preferred over Nolensville and Franklin.

Mt. Juliet Schools are comparble to Brentwood and one of the local private schools, Mt. Juliet Christian, is a leader in college scholarships for high school graduates.

Old Hickory Lake Mt. Juliet, TN

Mt. Juliet also has lakes (2) and some of the best fishing and water sports in Tennessee. 

If you’re considering a  move to the Nashville area, don’t pass up on Mt. Juliet.

If you’re new to the area or need help with questions about Mt. Juliet nd it’s neighborhoods, call Cathy or me at 615-481-7609.

And if you would like to look at available homes in Mt. Juliet, use our award winning website, BNA.NashvilleHomeSeacher.com

It has all the latest listings with maps and aerial views of the homes. 

Use this link to seach just Mt. Juliet area homes.

Bna.NashvilleHomeSearcher.com/Mount_Juliet

Mt. Juliet Home Sales Rise as Prices Fall 

Mt. Juliet home sellers are smiling here in 2011 as early indications point to a recovery from 2010. January sales of Mt. Juliet homes rose to 51 units. Almost 30% higher that 1 year ago when January sales were just 37 units. 

 60% of the homes that sold in January were “New” homes. 

 Average price of a Mt. Juliet home was lower however. The average home sold there in January 2011 was $227,735  compared with last January when the average was $240,232. 

 Here at The Cathy Wood Team we track the  average price per sq. ft. of sold homes.  That number was $101.26 for January of 2011.  A year ago the average price per sq.ft. in January for Mt. Juliet was $105.55 per sq.ft.  

 The reason for the change can be explained by the builders.  Responding to the market, they are building slightly larger plans with slightly less features. New home models are showing a little less hardwood and a little more carpeting.  Many of the newer homes have more vinyl ( usually the back side) and less brick.For these reasons the average home sold this January in Mt. Juliet was about 25 sq.ft. larger than a year ago.  Accounting for part of the difference in price too. 

 The leading sub division for New Home sales in Mt. Juliet was Bridge Mill Village at Providence.  Those are row homes/town house built by Phillips Builders. With about 1,650 sq,ft. and priced below $175,000 these  homes are a big hit with young first time buyers.