Ray Carman – Auctioneer

This weekend offers you several options if you are looking for an auction to attend. There are sure to be some bargains whether you are looking for a real estate deal or some personal property.

First, my grandfather, Gene Carman, is having two auctions in Gallatin. Both auctions feature a house and lot in town that offer great potential for the “fixer upper” or the investor! The first is located at 1012 Coles Ferry Rd. It will begin at 10 am and is being held to settle the estate of Josephine Rogan Stewart. The second sale begins at 11:30 am and is located over at 329 East Park Ave. This one features the home as well as some antiques and personal property.

If you are looking for some raw land to invest in, you might want to take a trip over to Springfield TN where my father, Gene Carman Jr., will be holding a sale which consist of 145 +/- acres divided into 8 tracts.  Tracts will range from 6.99 acres up to 23.73 acres. This will be a great opportunity for the land investor or someone looking for a larger tract to farm!

Up in Portland, Wally Gilliam will be holding an auction at421 Fowler Ford Rd. He will be offering Antiques, woodworking equipment, tools, furniture, glassware, and a few tractors. From reading the ad copy, it appears to be a place that one could find anything he or she would need to do some home or farm work, as well as, some basic things for your house.

If you are an auction “buff”, then this weekend is sure to hold a treat for you! Enjoy!

Today I received my monthly subscription to Realtor Magazine. Each month our president, presently Pat V. Combs, writes an article. This month her message to Realtors is to stay positive!

In the middle of our market, the media has been quick to present a very grim picture of what we are facing. As usual, they tend to make it seem worse than it is by focusing on the worst areas in the country. While our president was sure to mention that we are seeing slower times than the past three years, we are however looking to equal the numbers from 2002, the second year of the housing boom. Next year is forcasted to exceed this year in home sales according to her article.

What does that mean for our local market place?

It is evident that here in Sumner county that home builders believe we will not only survive this slump in the market, but actually thrive! The number of new houses being built has not slowed, but rather quickened in pace. It is taking longer for things to move on the market, but they are still moving.

If you are currently trying to sale a home, the key is to be patient.  Be aggressive in your pricing. Be aggressive in your marketing. But most of all, be patient. Buyers are still moving around and they will come. They are just moving a little slower and being more cautious!

Now is the perfect time to put a definite sale date on your house or property! The answer: have an auction.

Call us, or have your agent give us a call! Lets talk about your options!

615-824-0044

This week, there appears to be only one auction in Sumner County and will be held by Allen Parks. This sale is being held to settle the personal property estate of the late John Frank Kelly Jr. They will be selling antiques, furniture,  china, and glassware. For more info, visit www.allenparksauction.com.

If you are up to a little traveling, my grandfather, Gene Carman, is having two auctions in Macon County. The first will have 3 trucks, four rifles, and other personal property to settle the Wymon Wilson estate. The second sale is at 1:30pm and has a house and lot and some personal property. This is also an estate sale for the Stubblefield estate. If you would like to visit them for an online brochure, head over to www.carmanrealestate.com.

Have a great auction weekend!

I have heard this question several times in the past 48 hours. Holiday time is coming, and most people would prefer to have something wrapped up so as to avoid “holiday house transition.”

Well, even though our area is not experiencing the “slump” in the market similar to some other states. People who are buying have slowed down due to the negative forecast presented by the media! Also, the pool of buyers has dropped off because of the cutbacks by mortgage companies. What this has left us with is more houses, or more choices, for the buyer. Thus, meaning, your house is in greater competition than it has seen in the past 5 years or so.

So, what should you do to get your house sold? BE AGGRESSIVE!  That is the key. If you were in a competition to win a prize, you would have to go all out to get the judges to notice you above the rest. You would have to set yourself apart to win. If you had a product to sale, and ten other people had a very similar product, you would have to be aggressive in both your pricing and appeal!

This is what you presently have on your hands as a seller! The “judges” and “consumers” are the buyers, and you are one of several “competitors” in the race to grab their attention! So, BE AGGRESSIVE!

Aggressive in your curb appeal! Aggressive mostly in your pricing! Buyers are not all competing for the same home any longer, so, drop your prices to be the most aggressive on your block. Will you feel like you are “losing money” because it would have brought more 6 months ago? Sure you will, but at least you will not be the one waiting through the winter to see what spring holds. No! you will become the buyer hunting your new home and getting in on the aggressive nature of sellers in our market place today!

That is my thoughts! What are your?

I received this info in an email today and thought I would pass it along.

Putting mortgage news in perspective:  More positive information to share with your customers and clients.

A lot of people are nervous about what they are reading in the newspaper and hearing on TV.  But how can you blame them?

The media is bombarding people with reports about the housing decline and the sub-prime mortgage mess.

However, Chief ECONOMIST for the National Mortgage Bankers Association, Doug Duncan decided last week to set the record straight.  In a private conversation, Doug said that people have nothing to worry about in Texas.

Some of his defenses were…
€    The foreclosure problem in this country is really a story about 7 states
€    The biggest foreclosure problem is in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.  These are predominantly manufacturing states
€    Since 2001, Michigan has lost 300,000+ jobs
€    The other 4 states are California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada.  In each of these states there has been significant over building.  25% of the foreclosures in these states are on properties that are held by investors who were speculating
€    California & Florida have been hit very hard
€    35% of the homes in the USA do not have a mortgage
€    98% of the mortgages in the USA are performing
€    Only 9% of all mortgages are sub-prime
€    75% of all sub-prime mortgages are performing
€    In the other 43 states, foreclosures have fallen in 2007 from 2006

So, what is your take on this information and how you see it playing out in your area?

One of my favorite things to do on a gorgeous day like today is to just take a ride and look at unimproved (no house) properties. With weather forecast showing a weekend resembling today, I thought you might like to do the same. That is why this Fridays Feature will include several properties which are presently on the Market.

Gwen Dowland with Remax in Gallatin has a beautiful place listed over on Wrights Lane. It is 15+/- acres with a pond, pasture, some spotted trees, and a knock out view! If you can get a chance, you really should go enjoy the beauty! Who knows, it might be where you want to build your next home! MLS#917239

Here at Priority One Real Estate we have a really nice 14 acre parcel listed over on Sandy Valley. It also has a million dollar view with mature trees surrounding the building site. You enter passing through new, all brick homes, then you wrap around your own mound of privacy as you drive through a canopy of trees leading up to this one of a kind building site! Check this one out as well as a 9 acre parcel close by. MLS#839631

Going on, there if you are up for a little more of a drive, over in Castalian Springs, Gene Carman III of Gene Carman Real Estate has two outstanding parcels available. They are divided into a 7 and 5 acre parcels, but could be bougt as one. As you can see from the picture, once again, this place offers a gorgeous view without the hillside drive. The rolling nature of the Castalian Springs area affords many places along Rock Springs Road to offer views like this one. If you haven’t enjoyed a trip out this way, make the effort, especially this time of year, and look at the views back toward the west! You won’t be let down. You can find these at MLS#915695

Jan Wood and Jennifer Jennings of The Realty Association have a 10 acre parcel listed over on Hickory Ridge Road. It is a wooded tract that offers privacy and seclusion! Bordered by a small stream and tucked away from the road, this property is perfect for a little weekend cabin or a hunting/camping site. You can find it at MLS#916895

Last for today, but certainly not least, Karen Armstrong at Gene Carman Real Estate and Auction has a jewel dandy listed over on South Dry Fork road just east of Gallatin. This property features frontage and access to a small lake. It has already been soil tested and is ready for your new home. Surrounded by newer homes, yet cushioned by several acres of ground, if you want a taste of the country, your own private lake, but only minutes from town, be sure to make this one part of your rip! MLS# 900410

So, go out and enjoy your time and see some beautiful parcels of land while your out!

(thanks to each Realtor for allowing us to feature their listing here!)

Just wanted to give you guys a quick update on two local auctions this coming weekend.  Both auctions are at 10 am, and are in the Bethpage area.

Gene Carman Real Estate and Auctions is having one on Hwy 31E. They are selling a house and 3 one acre building tracts. You can view an online brochure here. It will be a great opportunity to buy a lot to build on or for an investment.

Just down the road, Wally Gilliam is selling over on Rogues Fork Rd.  They have 76 wooded acres divided into twelve tracts. This is a Chancery Court sale. You can see more info here.

There you go. If you are looking for a potential investment, you should check out these two places.

In our culture of growing desire to have knowledge, customer feedback has become a huge concern of sellers. When your house is shown, the first thing you want to know is, “What did they think about my place? Are they interested?”

Back when I first started selling Real Estate,  the question was the same, but finding out the answer was quite the trick. For someone to say they had an interest was to relinquish a potential bargaining chip! All things were a negotiation, and holding your ground as an semi-interested party who “might” buy if the “price was right” was a large part of the process. You might call an agent who had shown your property for feedback, and you would simply get, “Well, maybe. They are unsure right now.”

As I mentioned earlier, in our more aggressive market place, negotiation has taken a back seat to, “Can I get it first?” Therefore, a seller feels like feedback is even more important because they want to know how many buyers are competing for their property.

Now, as the market is taking a slight swing toward a “buyers market”, the feedback has seemingly become all the more important. The sellers are seeing more houses in competition with their own and they want to know how they can “attract” the buyers to theirs vs the neighbors house up the street.

Therefore, as a realtor, getting feedback from your buyer and to the seller has become a top priority. Finding those slight shifts that may be the difference between “maybe” to “this is it!” are very important.

As a consumer or agent, what ways have you found to be the most effective in giving and receiving feedback from or for yourself or clients? I look forward to your ideas and comments!

Will return next week!