Monday, April 23, 2012

Bouncing Back

Just a few years ago, the naysayers and doomsdayers were prophecying about the failed housing market. Today, they're being proved wrong. With sales in the area on the rebound, agents are seeing an upward swing indicating more confidence in the housing market. In the first quarter of 2012, Middle Tennessee saw 4,855 closings, up 24.2 percent from the 3,908 closings during the same quarter of 2011.
Of the 2012 numbers, 3,959 were residential sales, 484 were condo sales, 76 were multi-family sales, and 336 were farms/lands/lots. The greatest increase was in farms/lands/lots, which was a 187% increase over 2011. This indicates a confidence in new construction as builders are building on those lots. Inventory, on the other hand, was down to 18,984 at the end of March 2012. At the end of March last year, the inventory level was at 21,647. Some may think this bad, but in reality, this is good as sellers who don't have to sell are staying away from the market, resulting in true and honest price increases. There are currently less than 10 months of inventory overall. In the single-family residential market, there is a less than eight months inventory. A balanced market is represented by a five to seven months inventory. Anything less than five months is a seller's market; anything greater than seven months is a buyer's market. While the overall market still reflects somewhat of a buyer's market, buyers and agents need to look at each neighborhood and each price range separately, away from the overall market.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Barbara's is More Than I Can Describe

A friend recently recommended Barbars's Home Cookin' in the Grassland area of Franklin, Tennessee. Little did I know just how delicious it was.

Today, friends from church decided to give Barbara's a try. It's a traditional Meat 'n Three. The menu today consisted of Fried Chicken, Roast Beef (more like pot roast), Poppyseed Chicken, Crab Cakes, and more. Along with those entrees came the veggies: green beans, creamed corn, pineapple casserole, black-eyed peas, fried okra, cole slaw, cinnamon apples, and a host of other things. My order: Poppyseed Chicken, green beans, and pineapple casserole. Of course, the warm homemade rolls with a melt-in-your mouth consistency made it even better.

Little did anyone know just how wonderful Barbara's would really be. It was delectable, delicious, and to die for (at least for us foodies). The portions were so large that I asked for a "to go" box early on to save for tomorrow's lunch.

If you'd like to check out Barbara's menu, click HERE. Try it out. You won't be disappointed.