Ray Carman – Auctioneer

Well, colder weather is setting in, but the auctions seem to continue to flourish. This weekend there are 5 options for auction seekers here in Sumner County, and one in our neighboring county on the River.

I will start with the river property in Trousdale County being offered  by Gene Carman Real Estate. It consist of 124 acres which will be sold in 14 seperate parcels. 6 parcels offer Corps of Engineer frontage on the Cumberland River. The remaining 8 tracts range from 6 to 13 acres. City water is available and soils work is being completed. This one will start at 10 am.

At 9:30 am, Kendall Realty and Auction will be on Latimer Lane in Hendersonville offering Shop tools, mowers, lumber, antiques, furniture and glassware. This sale will be held on both Thursday the 29th, and Saturday Dec 1st.

At 10:30 am, Furrow Auction Co. will be conducting an auction in Fairvue Plantation on two seperate houses. House #1 at 1244 Plantation Blvd will be sold absolute to the highest bidder. After that, 1249 Wavecrest Circle will be offered with the seller holding a reserve which they will either confirm or turn down once the bidding has stoppped. If you are in the market for a really nice home, this could be the place for you to be.

At 1pm, James Murphy will be holdiong an auction in Portland at 5731 Hwy 31W. They are offering a 16 acre tract as well as a 2 acre parcel which is improved with a 3,000 sq ft commercial building. After the Real Estate, Murphy will be offering a backhoe and some additional equipment.

Also at 1 pm, Gene Carman will be offering a property, house and lot, located at 435 Switchboard Rd in Portland. It has 3 bedrooms and a nice lot. Additionally they will be offering a riding mower and some household items.

Then at 2 pm, Gene Carman will finally be in Hendersonville at 233 Stadium Drive for a nice little hopme and a very large lot right in the middle of the Town Center Residential area. This house is in a fabulous location and will make a great rental property or nice starter home for someone.

That is what we have this weekend! Be sure and go enjoy yourself an auction, and who knows, you may run up on a bargain! Good hunting!

with that extra money?

This is the time of year when bonuses are handed out as well as sometimes monetary gifts for the holidays. Many folks often stop to ask the question, “what do we do with it?” There are many options: like a new car, furniture, vacation, savings, or maybe even an investment. Over the holidays, I read a great little article in our local paper about one way you might want to consider, paying down your mortgage.

As most of you know, paying a little extra each year can bring about HUGE benefits in the end. Paying one extra payment a year can help pay a 30 year mortgage in 24 years. “Six years difference, what does that do for me?” Well, it can save you quite a bit in interest over that period, seeing how interest is always “front-end-loaded” in your mortgage.

The article, written by a Peter G. Miller, was about the “Pros and Cons” of paying off your mortgage early. Really, I cannot see any”cons” myself, unless your mortgage has a prepayment penalty throughout the entire mortgage. But, this is something you should check on with you mortgage company to be sure about, as Mr. Miller pointed out. There are plenty of companies out there offering you “help” in paying off your mortgage, but, they usually come with fees and administrative cost. This s money that you could be using to pay your mortgage down even more. Unfortunately, there are some people who do not have the “self-discipline” to pay on their own, therefore, there are companies or firms like these out there. I do not recommend them unless you simply cannot pull it off on your own. ( On a side note, if you do not have the “will power”, then, you probably do have a friend or family member who can help you free of charge, if you are willing to let them in on your financial life. Just a thought.)

If you choose to take the route of “early payoff”, then you have several options that can be of help.

1. Bi-weekly payments. Although this does not seem like alot, by paying 26 payments vs 12, you in essence have paid one additional payment a year, bringing into play the payoff in 24 years. It can also be done by adding 8.5% to your existing payment.

2. Escrow Account Payment Program. I recently heard of this from a friend who was propositioned by a company to do this for them. The idea is to deposit your pay check into an account to pay your bills. After all bills are paid, you write  the balance out to pay down your loan. Promoters of these plans say that this can help pay off a 30 year mortgage in about 12 years, depending on your income. Sounds good, and once again, avoid the company and do it yourself, and you can increase the acceleration by not paying them their fees.

3. Investment offset program. Much llike the above, except you invest the extra, assuming a higher interest rate than your mortgage, and take the lump sum payouts and pay down on your loan. The downside again is fees and charges for such a program.

Overall, these are some great ideas, but, if you are serious, simply find a good mortgage calculator and figure out a pay plan that fits your budget, and start paying extra yourself each month toward your principal amount. If you do this, you will reap the benefits in the amount of time  it takes to pay your mortgage off, and the amount of interest you will avoid paying the mortgage company!

Just wanted to wish you a good “turkey” day! Enjoy your time off. Enjoy your food! But most of all, enjoy your family!

This week, Gwen Dowland put this gorgeous place on the market over at 1101 Wolf Hill Road in Bethpage.  It has awe striking views which include being able to see downtown Nashville on a clear day.

Beyond that, it is upgraded with seemingly endless extras in this house .  The house is perched atop 45 acres which offers maximum privacy.  If you would like to take a virtual tour of this home, click here.

I hope you truly enjoy your weekend, and if you think you might like a place like this, feel free to let us know when you would like to set up your own personal tour. 615-824-0044

(p.s. the auction by Re/Max in Hendersonville for this weekend has been canceled)

This weekend there are a couple of options for you here in Sumner County.

Over in Westmoreland, Gene Carman (my grandfather) will be conducting an auction on 6 Semi Trucks that have been rigged for pulling mobile homes. This auction will begin at 10am.

Mark Williams from Remax will be hosting a sale over at 440 E. Main Street in Hendersonville. They are offering a 3600 sq ft home currently zoned commercial right on Johnny Cash Parkway. They will also offer a lot in Blue Ridge Subdivision as well. They will be starting at 10 AM.

Just Across the river in Wilson County, Ben Bray is offering 3 commercial buildings, 2 apartments, zoned c-3. It has a large parking area that is paved. This will all start at 10 am.

With the holidays creeping up, it is easy to let your house kinda “slip”. You will go about your day, thinking of your upcoming family time, your kids will be having fun, making a little mess, then out of now where, someone will want to see your house, while your out shopping of course!

Be careful not to lose focus! If you are wanting to sell your house, you must always remain prepared for your house to be shown, even if it has been awhile. When you least expect it, the call will come, and if you have let it “slip”, so will the frustration of trying to get it ready in a hurry.

So have fun, enjoy the holidays, but keep your focus and stay prepared!

(this by the way is a lesson my wife and I were reminded of ourselves today)

To return next Friday

Well, this weekend is a busy one in the auction world. There are many choices, and many different options:

First, my father and myself will be holding an auction over on Upper Station Camp Creek Rd. This property is one of the best 39.6 acres I have had the opportunity to work on. It is just minutes from several cities, Gallatin and Hendersonville. It is 1.5 miles from Hwy 25, and 3.4 miles back to Long Hollow Pike. The property lays level to rolling and has been subdivided into 20 tracts ranging from 1 acre up to 6.89 acres.Each tract offers lovely settings and some have amazing views. All Tracts have city water access and have been soil tested and approved for 3 to 5 bedroom septic systems. Tracts 1 (non building tract) and tract 2 have great creek frontage and access. Come see us and buy a piece of “Station Creek.” This auction will begin at 10am.

Back in Hendersonville, Mark Williams will be selling a lake home at auction starting at 10:30. It has 5 bdr and 3 baths. For more details see the above linked site.

At 11 am, Ron Gregory is offering a 6 room commercial building located at 1195 Louisville Hwy, in Goodlettsville. It is on a level lot and has paved parking. After the building is sold, they will be auctioning a 10,000 lb complete auto lift.

And finally, Wally Gilliam will be in Portland to offer 35 acres in seven tracts. All tracts are 5 plus acres and are located just minutes from I-65. All tracts have city water available and soil work will be completed before the sale date. For more details, visit their website here.

No matter where you go, you are sure to find a place for your future home, business, or even a good investment with which to make some good money. Enjoy your weekend, and your auction experience.

Recently, there has been a big flurry of activity in the local market. Myself, and other agents to whom I have spoken have all been caught up in the most recent flurry of activity. Many buyers have emerged and are pressing hard to find a house to be in for the holidays. If you remember, I recently spoke of the “holiday flurry” in a previous post.

For the sellers, this is some good news considering the slump in the market through an extremely hot summer. This does not mean that the market is shifting back to a “sellers market”, but rather, that now is a great time for sellers to put their best foot forward and cash in on this recent activity.

If you are a seller looking to move your home quickly, be sure to re-assess your property and see what you can do to make your stand out during this time. I have had several sellers drop there asking prices significantly to show signs of aggressiveness and a willingness to meet the buyer in the “money talks.” Others have taken measures to spruce their place up to catch the eyes of the folks coming through. Whatever the case, you will want to make sure you are one of the properties that are going to make people come and see it, and grab their attention while they are there. To attract the initial lookers, a quick drop in price is the quickest way to open the “traffic door” to get your house moving. The best way to “catch the fish” is to make your house very appealing and one that will stick out in there mind (for a good reason of course.)

All this to say, a small window is cracked open for you, so, reach down and do all you can to open it up wide during this “flurry of action!”

Okay, todays post is for all those folks looking for a new, site built home, in Sumner County under $150k. You might be surprised to know that at this present time, there are 45 such homes available. Here are just a few:

Tina Wilkerson at Garden Gate Realty and Auction is offering this cute place in the Portland / Bethpage area. You will find this lovely home at 336 Blackey Bandy Road. It is a 1243 sq ft home sitting on little over an acre. You can pick this one up for the low price of $109,900.00

Michelle Gilliam at Wally Gilliam Realty and Auction has this lovely home in Westmoreland. It is a 1388 sq ft home with 3bdr and 2 baths sitting on 1.5 acres. It also has a fireplace in the living room and the builder is offering up to $2000 towards closing cost! This one is going for $129,900. The place to see it is 3927 Hwy 52E.

Julia Martin with ReMax Choice properties is offering a beautiful home over at 340 Seabiscuit Drive in Gallatin. It is a little over 1070 sq ft and features 2bdrs and 2 baths. With a lovely brick front and vinyl siding, this one is a great deal at $133,900.

And lastly this week, Stacey Graves has this home located at 825 Rock Springs Road, a part of Pinnacle Farms. This is how Stacey describes it: “All Brick Ranch On 1.97 Level Acres * Lots Of Hardwood & Tile * Split Bedroom Plan * Large Master Suite Has Sep. Tub & Shower * 10 x 8 Walk-in Closet * Spacious Laundry Room * Rear Patio w/View Of Countryside!!! This one can be bought for the great price of $149,900.

As I mentioned earlier, this is only a portion of 45 homes available in the Sumner County area under $150,000. If you would like any further information on these homes or the other 41 in the area, you can let us know by sending me an email at ray@raywcarman.com .

Have a great weekend!