Rented:  This Cute Little House is Now Someone's Home While everyone is searching for that perfect 3 bedroom/2 bath home with a basement, deck, den, swimming pool and everything under the kitchen sink....... Sometimes a 2 bedroom, 1 bath house is all that's needed to make a house a home. Bham WIiRE Realty welcomes its newest tenants to this East Lake rental property. 10/18/2010

  PAY IT FORWARD! Organizing A Social Media Task Force     I've made a few bad career decisions, but joining the Keller Williams Hoover Market Center turned out to be very a good one!  From the very beginning experienced agents (and some not so experienced) took time to help me.  I really like the way this group works together as a team!  Everyone has different strengths......and I'm surely not an expert, but I'm going to share what I have learned over the last few years......     As a member of our ALC's Technology Committee, my job is to organize a Social Media Task Force to help us learn more about blogging, ActiveRain, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others, and how these can benefit our businesses.  So far the interest in our group is great!  We have people with some experience, so... 10/17/2010

Rented: Birmingham Rental Home 4309 Avenue L in Belview Heights It's been rented but don't you worry, we've got more.  Visit Bham WIiRE Rentals website to view our available rentals.  And if you're ready to buy, well we can help you there too.  Just visit our In and Around Birmingham website to view available properties for sale in the Greater Metropolitan Birmngham area and then get ready for the customer focused service ride of your life. 10/16/2010

  Fun Stuff To Do Around Birmingham! BOO AT THE ZOO!       IT'S BACK!  One of Birmingham's most loved and family friendly Halloween celebrations is BOO AT THE ZOO!    Come join the fun as Boo At The Zoo returns to The Birmingham Zoo for it's 19th year!   The first night of spooky fun kicks off October 8th and continues through the month of October for four weekends (Friday - Sunday).   TICKETS ARE $8 (may be purchased at the Zoo Giftshop or Children's Hospital)   OCTOBER 8-10, 15-17, 22-24, 29-31   5 PM TO 9 PM   What are you waiting for?   Dress up in your favorite costume and be sure to bring something to collect Trick or Treat goodies!    There will be all kinds of scary fun!    Each night there will be Live Entertainment and Animal Shows...not to mention Ghoul Skool, Monster Mash Da... 10/08/2010

  Things To Do In & Around Birmingham   1ST FALL WEEKEND 2010     Looking for something fun to do in Birmingham this weekend...   ...besides cheering for your favorite team?         Here are some things going on this weekend....     The Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival will enjoy it's 12th year this weekend with 9 venues located in Birmingham's historic Theatre District.  Come check out new independent cinema September 24th-26th.   * * * * * * *   Holy Trinity Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral is having their 38th annual Greek Food Festival through Saturday the 25th.  YUM!   * * * * * * *   Broadway in Birmingham presents "Legally Blond" at the BJCC Concert Hall with shows Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 2 PM and 8 PM, and Sunday at 1 PM and 6:30 PM.   * * * * * * *   Have you visited Bir... 09/24/2010

   Birmingham's Beautiful New Playground RAILROAD PARK   This past weekend a lush new park opened in the heart of Birmingham between downtown and the University of Alabama campus on Southside.  Located along 1st Avenue South between 14th and 18th Streets, Railroad Park features 19 acres of green space, lots of water features and walking tracks set amidst the Birmingham skyline, providing a brand new recreational area and venue for concerts and other events.   Work nearby?  Grab some lunch at The Dining Car......a cool little bistro in the park offering salads, sandwiches and other yummy fresh and local items!    Click here for information regarding facility rental for your special event.   Check out the upcoming Sunset Cinema Thursday night schedule.      Here are some pics I took at th... 09/21/2010

The Irony of Remembering 9/11 I was reading Philip Farandas touching account of September 11, 2001 and it occurred to me that the irony of September 11, 2001 is that it is a memory that I wish would go away, just as much as it is a memory that I wish would stay. Humans have a tendency not to want to hold on to horrible memories and rightly so.  But the memory of a country united in such a way that occurred in the fall of 2001 is a memory that should have changed our lives forever. If no other lesson were learned from September 11, 2001, the attitude of Gratitude should be permanently engraved and engrained in our hearts, minds and souls. God bless the families of the loved ones loss.  God bless those for whom I have come to know through ActiveRain (J. Philip Faranda being among them). I... 09/11/2010

In and Around Birmingham This Weekend: The Art Walk (Downtown Birmingham) Since the arrival of September the mornings and evenings are cooler and the days are much milder.  Those are the very ingredients that make for a pleasant stroll.  But there's one more very good reason to take that stroll this weekend:  The Art Walk 2010. The Art Walk is a much anticipated event.  All types of artists get to showcase their talents and wares.  Approximately 100 artist will be on hand including visual artists, live musicians and street performers and topped off with food and drink vendors, and children's activities. Downtown Businesses Contribute to the SuccessEvery major city should have a City Center that aids in helping the community to thrive and the ground level businesses that are located in d... 09/10/2010

  COUCH TO 10K I'M TAKING THIS CHALLENGE!     I've been talking about about it......finally I've actually taken the first steps to getting back in shape!   I starting running nearly a couple of years ago, and though I wasn't the fastest thing on two feet and couldn't run all that far, I surprised myself with my little achievements!  Then life got in the way and I just didn't have time for my runs anymore.   When I woke up yesterday I had no intention that this would be the day I would get up off my butt, but I happened to see on a local news show that a group was meeting at 6 PM for the first training run of the Couch to 10K Program, so before I had time to talk myself out of it I found my running shoes and joined them at the BB&T parking lot next to the Mountain Brook YMCA.  This train... 08/31/2010

   ALLSTATE HOSTS FAMILY DRIVING CHALLENGE at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds AL     Some Birmingham area teens and parents gathered at the Barber Motorsports Park this afternoon to participate in a public awareness campaign designed to educate drivers about the dangers of distracted driving.  In this day of cell phones and iPods, all ages are multi-tasking behind the wheel of a vehicle......and causing lots of accidents!    Allstate Insurance is hosting the Family Driving Challenge in 38 cities across the country to help drivers see how quickly an accident can happen and raise awareness to make our roads safer for everyone.   Professional driving instructors take teen-parent teams on an obstacle course, distracting them with eating and drinking, phone calls, texting and even rowdy pas... 08/16/2010

  STOKIN' THE FIRE 2010  BBQ Competition and Music Festival Sloss Furnaces - Birmingham AL August 20th and 21st       Get ready for another weekend of fun at Sloss Furnaces!  We LOVE food and music in Birmingham!         Now in it's 6th year, Stokin' The Fire BBQ and Music Festival is offering VIP passes for $30 (these must be purchased in advance).  Click on the link for details and benefits.  A schedule of events and costs for various activities can be found here.   The Hog Wild Music Stage will be jamming Friday night with the sounds of Possum, Locust Fork and Wet Willie.  Saturday's lineup features The Jacks, Erin Mitchell, Young Buffalo, The Raygun Administration, Culture Dred and Junior Brown.  Click here for the entertainment schedule.      The BBQ cook teams are competing for ca... 08/15/2010

  AARP UNIVERSITY is coming to Birmingham AL (and it's FREE!)     When?    Thursday, September 23, 2010 ~ 8:30 - 2:00 PM Where?      Sheraton Birmingham Hotel and Civic Center  What?    Conference on Aging Successfully     AARP University is offering this conference FREE to the public.    You MUST register in advance by phoning 1-877-926-8300!   Here are some of the workshops that you may participate in......   A Roadmap To Retirement  Exercise As Medicine Investor And Consumer Protection Keep It Moving Legal Affairs Successful Aging In Alabama What Is In The Health Care Law For Me?     View Larger Map    Public comments are disabled on this blog to prevent spam.  I would love to hear from you.....please call or email me! Courtesy of Ann Allen, e-Pro, SRES, ASP 205.902.4868 Keller Willi... 08/13/2010

Oxmoor Ridge is one of only a few New Home Communities inside the Birmingham City limits.  They were featured by ABC 33/40 Ebony Hall tonight. The segment started with Ebony explaining "The tread of people moving out of the city seemed to be slowing down." She said that efforts to get more people to move in to the Birmingham area (city limits) continues especial in the Oxmoor Valley area she said that the promise of new homes and a new K-8 school could in fact change the way most people look at Birmingham. In her interview of Price Hightower the owner/builder for Tower Development, Inc made justifiable claims that Oxmoor Ridge a new home community inside the city limits of Birmingham was in fact one of the nicest areas to live.  He has plans to build 245 more homes and they are offered ... 08/12/2010

  FIRST STAGE PLAYERS Present COTTON PATCH GOSPEL Birmingham AL First United Methodist Church     This fun and moving musical will be presented Friday, August 6th at 7 PM and again on Sunday, August 8th at 4:30 PM in the Sanctuary of The First United Methodist Church in downtown Birmingham AL.   Both performances are FREE and everyone is invited to attend!   The Cotton Patch Gospel tells the story of the Gospel of Matthew....set in modern day rural Georgia.  Directed by Dr. James H. Cook, the show includes a large cast of talented adults and children and will be a delight for all ages.  So bring your family and friends and come have some fun!   View Larger Map    Public comments are disabled on this blog to prevent spam.  I would love to hear from you.....please call or email me! Courte... 08/06/2010

My Name Is ............... And I'm Going To Live My Life By Design Today I spoke with a group of middle school students at the Birmingham YMCA Youth Center in downtown Birmingham.  The Youth Center has a program called Building Young Professionals.  The Center's Director, Chris Oldenburg, likes to have people from different fields and industries come in to talk with the kids about career options (other than baseball, basketball and football).  Not that there is anything wrong with those professions, but the goal of the Director is open doors to other career options that the kids might consider. CBS 42 News had done story on the Building Young Professionals program so I decided to answer the call to action. I was forewarned that the crowd is not always interactive, but I let him know tha... 07/30/2010

The McWane Center in Birmingham Alabama: An Adventure For Kids and Adults Yesterday I took my grandson the the McWane Center in Birmingham and we had a ball.  That darned Tristan's eyes were so lit up with all the stuff to do, he didn't know which way to turn first.  For a while there, I just watched him literally go in circles trying to decide what to do first. If you're local to Birmingham, the McWane Center is a great way to entertain the kids as well as be entertained by them. For 2 1/2 hours straight, Tristan literally ran through the McWane Center in an attempt not to miss out on anything the center had to offer:              07/30/2010

  HOT STRINGS BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL at SLOSS FURNACES TO BENEFIT THE FOUNDRY RESCUE MISSION     Hot Strings Bluegrass Festival is going to be an afternoon full of FUN and MUSIC!  Mark your calendar for Sunday afternoon, August 15th and come on down to the Sloss Furnaces for a great time with friends and family! (see Google map below)   The Festival will feature 6 regional bands:     Act of Congress     Newgrass Troubadours     Bluegrass Soul Pickers     Sweetwater Road     Over The Hillbillies       Shades Mountain Air   There will be a Kid's Zone with inflatables and water activities so be sure to bring the little ones.  There will also be lots of activities for everyone to enjoy.....furniture and pottery making, quilting, gardening, bluegrass instrument workshops and artwork for sale....... 07/27/2010

FREE Jazz Concert at Eastlake Park The free jazz concerts in the park began on th 4th of July this year.  It was the first of a series of free jazz concerts in our local area parks.  Attendance at each concert has been getting bigger and better.  But by far, the turn out at East Lake Park is likely to be the largest turnout of the season.  The anticipated crowd will probably include attendees from all of other concerts and some new comers.  It's go in to be an exciting day. Concert series wraps up August 1 at the all new Railroad Park. 07/25/2010

Rental Home Applications Tell a Story and Paint a Picture of a Prospective Tenant An application is simply a way of saying "tell me about yourself" and asking "why shoud I rent to you?"When completing an application of any kind, no spaces on the application should ever be left blank.  This applies to rental home applications, job applications, questionnaires, etc.  To me, blank spaces represent and untold story.  And if that is true, it makes the property manager's task a bit more time consuming because instead of the applicant answering the question (telling the story), now managers have to find out what the story is and why the tenant doesn't want to tell about it. An incomplete application paints a picture of a break in the story.  Leaving the application reviewer wondering what happ... 07/23/2010

  2nd Quarter 2010 Market Statistics for Homes Sold in Town of Mt. Laurel, Shelby County AL (Single Family Residences)   Units Sold:   1 Average List Price:  $622,500 Average Sold Price: $640,493 Average Days on Market:    1     Year To Date: Units Sold:   2 Average List Price:  $531,250 Average Sold Price: $540,246 Average Days on Market:    1   There are currently 17 homes for sale in Town of Mt. Laurel (per Birmingham MLS)     If you would like updated information or details for this or any community in or around Birmingham, Jefferson or Shelby Counties, please feel free to call or send me an email.  I would love to hear from you!     Public comments are disabled on this blog to prevent spam.  I would love to hear from you.....please call or email me! Courtesy of Ann Allen, e-Pro, SR... 07/19/2010