This friday March 25th at 6PM there will be a WORLD PREMIER OF D.R. HORTON'S 1922 Series at Trace Crossings.  They currently have 4 New Homes in Hoovers Trace Crossings built on the ground and they are priced from $200,000 - $300,000 I plan on attending so if you see me out there be sure to say hey but please catch up with me before I hit the Heavy Hors D'oeures & Drinks   I haven't seen were they have asked for dress up - but I think it would be cool too see some cloths and outfits from that time in History. If you plan on going they ask that you RSVP at 205-402-2093   D.R. Horton Homes of Alabama has other subdivisions in the Birmingham area be sure to check those out as well. 03/23/2011

  OPEN HOUSE Sunday March 27th  2:00-4:00 1721 Sandy Ridge Way, Hoover AL PARADE OF HOMES GOLD WINNER IN THE GROVE AT SOUTHWOOD HIGHLANDS! Overview Maps Photos Description $260,000 Single Family Home Main Features 4 Bedrooms2 Bathrooms1 Partial BathroomInterior: 2726 sqftLot: 15,000 sqft Location 1721 Sandy Ridge WayHoover, AL 35244USA To get updates on open home dates and other property events, please click the "Like" button below: Ann Allen Keller Williams Realty(205) 902-4868Ann@AnnAllenTeam.comhttp://www.AnnAllenTeam.com Listed by: Keller Williams Realty Our recent listings PARADE OF HOMES GOLD WINNER IN THE GROVE AT SOUTHWOOD HIGHLANDS!BEAUTIFULLY LANDSCAPED HOME WITH INGROUND POOLFull Brick Beauty in Rosser Cove Subscribe to our listing feed Nearby properties for sale Looking for ... 03/22/2011

   Fun Stuff To Do Around Birmingham! ALDRIDGE GARDENS PAWS IN THE GARDENS     Where:  Aldridge Botanical Gardens When:  Saturday, March 26th, 9 AM to 4 PM Cost:  $10 ($3 donated to Shelby Co. Humane Society)   Dog lovers and their furry friends are in for a day of fun at Paws In The Gardens!  Vets, trainers and groomers will be on hand to provide information on health and obedience and everything in between.  You'll even be able to do a little shopping for pet products.  Don't forget your camera!  You'll want to be sure to take a photo of your pup with the giant fire hydrant and capture other images of a memorable day at Aldridge Gardens.     Aldridge Botanical Gardens is located at 3530 Lorna Road in Hoover.  There is something happening all the time at the gardens!  Click here for a ... 03/17/2011

  February 2011 Market Statistics for Homes Sold in Caldwell Crossings, Hoover AL (Single Family Residences) Units Sold:  2 Average List Price:  $267,400 Average Sold Price: $253,000 Average Days on Market: 176   Compare February 2010: Units Sold:  1 Average List Price:  $429,900 Average Sold Price: $402,500 Average Days on Market: 337   There are currently 14 homes for sale in Caldwell Crossings ranging from $225,000 to $459,900 (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!       Looking for a local expert to help with your real estate needs?   Google one here!         Courtesy of Ann Allen, e-Pro, S... 03/14/2011

Lake Crest New Townhomes in Hoover, Alabama The Tower Homes Development company is at it again this is one of the projects they have going on at the time and a little birdie told me that another project could be getting under way. Stay tuned for more information, and Mr. Price give me a call sometime I might be able to find you a project out this way to tackle. Lake Crest subdivision which has a mixture of Homes and New townhomes located in Hoover, Alabama seems to be a great place to live, there are no foreclosures to speak of and all of the new townhomes located at Lake Crest will be of a high quality and standards, thanks to the efforts and workmanship of the Tower Homes group.   Search the Lake Crest Community by Price All Listings $100,000 - $200,000 $200,000 - $300,000 $300,000 - ... 03/12/2011

   Fun Stuff To Do Around Birmingham! ALDRIDGE GARDENS HOOKS IN THE GARDENS     Aldridge Gardens has some fun planned especially for the kiddos!  Boys and girls ages 4 to 15 are invited to come fish in the six-acre lake Monday through Friday during the Spring Break holidays (March 14-18).  A pass to fish all five days is just $10, or you can purchase a daily pass for $5.  Children and grandchildren of members get in free.  Everyone must be accompanied by an adult.  Some rods and reels will be available to check-out, but if you have your own you may want to bring them in case the demand is high. Friday will be a big day with lots of prizes!  10 rods and reels will be given away AND a day of fishing with pro Lloyd Smith.  Boats from Airport Marine will be on display and WZZK will be broad... 03/12/2011

Real Estate Agents: A Staging Services Contract and Inventory Rental Contract protects you, as well as the homeowner; if you are considering paying for home staging services; you are liable for any damages to the inventory - if your homeowner signs the agreement, then he or she is responsible for any damage or loss due to fire, theft or accident. If you pay for the home staging upfront - and your homeowner terminates your listing agreement - you have paid for staging fees and rental inventory that you may not be able to recoup from your client - know what you are getting into before you agree to pay for services and understand that 3rd party vendors require payment upfront, and we cannot extend credit for any length of term.     For a complete list of our staging services, please visit ... 03/11/2011

"Do it right the first time."  How many times have we heard that?  I know that I personally embrace this as a mantra of mine.  I have found out the hard way by not doing it right the first time, you end up with a lot more frustration, time, and money spent.   What is it about us that we tend to ignore it the first time around?  Is it because we like to flirt with the idea that we have the extra time, money and resources to do it again?  Or is it because we don't know any better when it comes choosing the "right" option?  Or perhaps, we do know that one option would be better, but price is a factor; so, instead of logically comparing the actual outcome for the money spent, we tend to focus on the initial cost.  Sometimes the latter is evident when people consider professionally staging t... 03/10/2011

  February 2011 Market Statistics for Homes Sold in Bluff Park, Hoover AL (Single Family Residences)   Units Sold:  2 Average List Price:  $180,950 Average Sold Price: $175,000 Average Days on Market: 284   Compare February 2010: Units Sold:  3 Average List Price:  $164,766 Average Sold Price: $152,666 Average Days on Market: 122   There are currently 47 homes for sale ranging from $119,900 to $899,000 in Bluff Park (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!               * * * * * *     Looking for a local expert to help with your real estate needs?   Google one here!         Courtesy of Ann Allen, ... 03/09/2011

  February 2011 Market Statistics for Homes Sold in Ross Bridge, Hoover AL (Single Family Residences) Units Sold: 11 Average List Price:  $354,400 Average Sold Price: $365,424 Average Days on Market:   25   Compare February 2010: Units Sold:  6 Average List Price:  $322,160 Average Sold Price: $359,117 Average Days on Market:    0   There are currently 52 homes for sale in Ross Bridge ranging from $229,000 to $849,900 (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!       * * * * * *     Looking for a local expert to help with your real estate needs?   Google one here!         Courtesy of Ann Allen, e-Pro,... 03/08/2011

I live in a resort community.  It was recently voted the best community in America by the National Home Builders Association (read article here http://www.rossbridge.com/blog/2011/02/more-on-our-best-community-in-america-award/ ) and with good reason.  We have the "live, work, play lifestyle" that makes it unique and makes it exceptional in lifestyle merchandising.  It is a planned community that offers such amenities as the Robert Trent Jones awarding winning golf course, the Renaissance Resort Hotel with a 5 star restaurant and grille, planned retail shops and planned community activities.   We have had celebrity golf tournaments hosted every year for the last 6 years.  What's unique about our development is that it targets many buyer demographics with homes beginning in the $150,000 ... 03/07/2011

  Fun Stuff To Do Around Birmingham! MARDI GRAS PARTY 2011 CAJUN STEAMER BAR & GRILL       The place to be on Fat Tuesday (March 8th) is Cajun Steamer Bar & Grill in Hoover......you don't have to go to New Orleans or Mobile to celebrate MARDI GRAS!  The party starts at 5 PM and will be rocking until midnight.  So come on and bring all your friends.....there will be food and drink specials, beads and all kinds freebies!    OUTSHINE will be performing LIVE starting at 7 PM.   The Cajun Steamer is located at 180 Main Street, Suite 200 in the Patton Creek Shopping Center behind the Riverchase Galleria.    View Larger Map   * * * * * *     Looking for a local expert to help with your real estate needs?   Google one here!         Courtesy of Ann Allen, e-Pro, SRES, ASP 205.902.4868 Keller Wil... 03/07/2011

Birmingham has some of most gorgeous homes.  As true to our southern roots, they are some of the most formal, traditional and ornate homes:  Old World/European, Georgian Revival, Colonial, old and new.  They are exquisitely decorated with some of the world's most beautiful and ornate furnishings and artwork.  At first glance, these are the homes that are scrupulously clean, well -appointed and need no decluttering They have been professionally decorated by top interior designers and are stately in their presence.  They have pomp and circumstance, as we like to say.  But, therein lies the 600 lb. gorilla - one that homeowners and real estate agents often cannot see.  Buyers subconsciously see it and feel it, but may not be able to describe it.   The home is in impeccable condition, it's ... 03/04/2011

The Hoover AL school redistricting plan involving Bumpus Middle School, Hoover High School and Deer Valley Elementary is finalized.  While not ideal, the Hoover AL School redistricting plan is more sensible than an earlier proposal that would have sent 5th & 6th graders to the Hoover High School Freshman campus.  The new plan, designed due primarily to overcrowding at Deer Valley Elementary (over 900 student) and Bumpus, Hoover High School will now (again) house 9th through 12th grades (vs. 10th-12th).  Other provisions include:   •1.       Deer Valley Elementary will now include students in Kindergarten through 4th grade. •2.       Bumpus Middle School will include students in the 5th and 6th grade. •3.       The freshman campus for Hoover High will now be used for 7th and 8th graders.... 03/04/2011

  February 2011 Market Statistics for Homes Sold in Riverchase, Hoover AL (Single Family Residences)   Units Sold:  1 Average List Price:  $211,900 Average Sold Price: $200,000 Average Days on Market: 126   Compare February 2010: Units Sold:  1 Average List Price:  $410,000 Average Sold Price: $401,000 Average Days on Market:   41   There are currently 59 homes for sale in Riverchase ranging from $186,000 to $1,200,000 (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!         * * * * * * *     Looking for a local expert to help with your real estate needs?   Google one here!         Courtesy of Ann Allen, e... 03/02/2011

Recently, a discussion amongst fellow stagers developed about what staging is and what it's not.  Is it interior design - is it decorating?   It occurred to me that sometimes semantics can play a part in what the general public believes what stagers are and what they do.      Home staging is not interior design, although,  semantically speaking, a few of the very same concepts of home staging focus on what degreed (NCIDQ QUALIFIED)  interior designers study in depth, and such things that are beneficial to selling a home:  room flow, scale, balance, light, and the architectural features of the room. (You may see staging companies refer to the term "design" but they are referring to the semantics of the same principles).  Real estate staging is not considered home decorating either.  Both... 03/02/2011

  FREE FAMILY FILM FESTIVAL! RAVE MOTION PICTURES 15 + IMAX Patton Creek Spring Break is almost here and to celebrate, Rave Motion Pictures at Patton Creek is offering FREE showings of DESPICABLE ME! You heard that right!   FREE!   10:00 AM Tuesday, March 15th Wednesday, March 16th Thursday, March 17th Saturday, March 19th COME JOIN THE FUN! * * * * * * *   Looking for a local expert for to help with your real estate needs?   Google one here!       Courtesy of Ann Allen, e-Pro, SRES, ASP205.902.4868Keller WilliamsOne Chase Corporation Drive, Suite 150Hoover, AL  35244 © 2011 Ann Allen, All rights reserved                                                                       02/27/2011

  HOOVER SCHOOL NEWS CHANGES BEGINNING AUGUST 2011     In an effort to plan for community growth, The Hoover School Board has approved the following realignment plan for Hoover Schools when students return to classes in August after summer break:    Hoover High School students in grades 9 through 12 will attend the main high school campus at 1000 Buccaneer Drive.   The building at 6055 Fleming Parkway that has served as the freshman campus for 4 years will become Bumpus Middle School - grades 7 and 8.   A new intermediate school for grades 5 and 6 will be housed in what is now known as Bumpus Middle School.  This is the building is located at 1730 Lake Cyrus Club Drive.  Students from Deer Valley, South Shades Crest and Trace Crossings elementary schools will attend the middle school up... 02/25/2011

An oxymoron is defined as a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms.   "Oxymorons are not always a pair of words; they can also be devised in the meaning of sentences or phrases."In Jürgen Habermas's usage of the concept, a performance contradiction is a lack of fit between the content and the performance of a speech act. For Habermas, the truth of statements is a central element to his communicational ethic, implying that a statement which does not contradict the performance of the statement but its truthfulness is considered as a performative contradiction too. Sounds pretty complicated doesn't it? But, simply put, does the condition of your home match buyers' expectations?  Will buyers be disappointed by a description that states "light, bright airy home, move in condition... 02/25/2011

One only needs to look at the MLS to see some of the outrageousness of photos that are meant to be marketing tools.  Photos with the toilet seats up, clutter piled high, rooms with no room flow or a layout that detracts from the architectural features of the home. I could go on (adnauseum) but I won't.  Sometimes, I have to ask myself "what were they thinking?"  especially if the home was listed with a real estate agent. The agent, who has spent many hours learning this business, should know from the start that a home that doesn't present well, isn't going to sell very quickly.  While a homeowner may not be aware of this or may not even care, a professional real agent knows what sells and what doesn't sell a home.  And, yet, time after time, one can scroll through the MLS only to see ph... 02/22/2011