Have you heard about Kentucky Kingdom reopening in May of 2014?  I am sure that there are many parents and children happy to hear the news.  The closest amusement park to the Louisville area is at least a two hour drive.  As a parent I know that having Kentucky Kingdom reopening will be a plus on those summer mornings when you’re looking for something fun to do and don’t want to drive far.   Kentucky Kingdom originally opened in 1989 and the water park was added in 1992.  It was then purchased by Six Flags in 1997, which owns several amusement parks throughout the United States. Six Flags owned the amusement park until 2010 when it was shut down.  Kentucky Kingdom boasts several roller coasters for the thrill seekers in the family.  A fun fact about the Twisted Twins roller coaster is t... 02/14/2013

Louisville Real Estate Market Report for January 2013   Currently in Louisville, Kentucky there are 3614 houses on the market. This number also includes "virtual listings," those listings for land with proposed new construction homes to be built. Inventory remains low, and people are holding off on selling in the hopes that home prices will rise. Both the average and median selling prices have gone down this past month.  Number of houses sold in January: 619 Average selling price of homes in January: $154,704 Average continuous days on market in January: 114 Median selling price in January: $128,000 There is good news, though. As spring returns to Louisville, both sellers and buyers will be coming out in full force. Can you take the competition? Now is the best time to sell or buy. Get ... 02/14/2013

Ahhh yes, Valentines Day is less than two day away, and if you're like many people, you've failed to make any plans.  Since you need to hurry at this point to have any shot at getting reservations somewhere, you need a one-stop shop for what is happening for Valentines Day in St Matthews.  I've got your one-stop shop: Havana Rumba - Louisville's favorite Cuban restaurant has become a St Matthews staple, and for Valentine's Day they have an offer for you!  Get a free appetizer, salad, or dessert with the purchase of two entrees.  My wife would say get a Hemingway Daquiri as well! 211 Clover Lane - This quaint French Country dining experience is elegant, yet comfortable.  Great food, attentive service, and located in the Colony Center in St Matthews. Del Frisco's - Excellent steak!  But s... 02/13/2013

After 37 years of keeping Louisville in tune, Guitar Emporium owner Jimmy Brown is moving on.  The famous guitar shop has serviced clientele ranging from Bob Dylan to the Rolling Stones to U2, all while giving local musicians refuge and comfort, too.  But with a new grandchild and a wistful realization that all good things come to an end, Brown has decided to sell his Louisville ‘home away from home’ and focus on other things in his life.  The Emporium, which has been a constant fixture near the corner of Bonnycastle Avenue and Bardstown Road after moving from its original location near Baxter Avenue and Hepburn Avenue in 1989, will be closing its doors on March 9th.  Musicians living in Louisville, and a lot of other places for that matter, will certainly shed a tear.   It’s yet anothe... 02/12/2013

    Have you seen those adorable pettiskirts in newborn baby pics? You can get those & much more from this local mom!! Cordial Lee Gift Boutique and Print Studio specializes in Custom Invitations, Birth Announcements, Personalized Stationery, Chic Accessories, and Preppy Monogrammed Gifts for Women, Children, and Baby. You can see the wide assortment of products on line and then order securely.  This proud “Mom-Owned” business offers only the best merchandise from a hand-picked selection of other mom-owned businesses. You can feel good about your purchases from Cordial Lee knowing you are supporting a working mom. Call Shelby Lee Packer at 502.741.9482 or look at the perfectly personalized items on the website at http://www.cordiallee.com/. Make sure to like Cordial Lee on Facebook for ... 02/11/2013

02/11/2013

Casey Driessen's crazy looping fiddle arrangement of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean is one of the funkiest, most original jams you'll ever witness, and it was right at home at Rye on Louisville's East Market Street on a warm summer evening last year in the heart of the exciting and eclectic NuLu District.   Today is February 9, 2013, and while it's not as warm as that lovely evening was last summer, it's a beautiful day for NuLu's first annual Valentine Open House.  So guys, you know you need this.  You've totally either forgotten about Valentine's Day, or you got your sweetie the same ol' same ol' and in order to spice it up, you need to hurry on down to NuLu and take advantage of some great deals, examples of which are to follow: Rellek – 20% the entire store. Garage Bar – 10% off wit... 02/09/2013

The American Red Cross is hosting their 3rd Annual Wrapped in Red Gala on Saturday, March 16th from 6:30PM-12:00AM at The Seelbach Hilton Hotel! All proceeds from the event benefit the American Red Cross community disaster programs.   The evening begins with cocktails and is followed by a specially prepared, four course dinner. Live and silent auctions will also take place in addition to dacing to the tunes of, Endless Summer Band! After dinner, guests can enjoy the Red Lounge to enjoy more dancing, mingling, silent auction, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Some of the sponsors for this year's event include Brown-Forman, Thornton's Inc. and the Sam Swope Auto Group, plus many more. To learn about more events in the area, please visit JoeHaydenRealtor.com. 02/08/2013

Luxury Homes for Sale in Louisville KY You have very defined needs in a home for sale, and luxury is at the top of the list. The Louisville MLS, which includes all of Jefferson, Shelby, Oldham, Bullitt, Spencer, Trimble, Carroll, and several other counties currently (as of February 5, 2013) has 338 Single Family Residential properties over $500,000, and 73 over $1,000,000.  If you are looking for luxury condos, the Louisville MLS has 32 condos for sale over $500,000 and 9 condos over $1,000,000.  Our website is search friendly and you can pick options that you want or do not want in a home, such as acreage, minimum or maximum number of square footage, number of bedrooms or bathrooms, even a swimming pool. Perhaps you are looking in a particular subdivision. You can look at our site peri... 02/06/2013

  New Listing Video from The Thomas Group at Keller Williams Realty Louisville East features a handsome brick 2-story that backs up to recently renovated Shelby Park in the Germantown area.  Three generous sized bedrooms, 1.5 updated baths, newer carpet in the bedrooms on the second floor, kitchen renovation includes cabinets, counters, and white appliances that remain.  Approximately nine foot ceilings throughout most of the home, spacious formal living room with pretty hardwood flooring, gorgeous detailed fireplace mantel, large dining room with charming natural woodwork, and first floor powder room and laundry are a real bonus in a home of this vintage.  The backyard has a wood privacy fence, and allows easy access to Shelby Park which has just recently been renovated.  It has baske... 02/02/2013

The latest event to hit Louisville is drawing major attention to the River City! The 2013 Cyclo-Cross World Championships are being help at Eva Banman Park on River Road and are scheduled to begin on Saturday, February 2nd and end Sunday, February 3rd. What's even more monumental about this event though, is that for the first time in 60 years the UCI World Elite Cyclo-Cross Championships will be held outside of Europe!   "What is Cyclo-Cross?", you may ask. Cyclo-Cross is a high-energy mix of hard bicycle racing on a course that includes pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles! Some of the obstacles included are long sandpits, a flyover with or without stairs, barriers and tight turns. Races typically last between 40 to 60 minutes, depending on age range. Tickets are a... 02/01/2013

What is a Comparative Market Analysis for My Louisville Home? What is my Louisville home worth? We get this question often, and we can answer that for you! We do what is called a Comparative Market Analysis, or CMA in real estate lingo. If you would like to know what this means, keep reading. Our agents pull up properties from the Louisville MLS that surround your property within a certain radius, and pick the ones that closest resemble your property.  These properties can include active listings of homes for sale in Louisville, pending listings, sold listings, and even withdrawn, cancelled, and expired listings.  A home market analysis involves a detailed examination of these listings to determine which homes are closest in size (both of the lot and the square footage of the home), age... 01/31/2013

    Recently, I showed a stunning ranch house in Cherokee Park that had a pink bathroom. Pink tiles and a pink garden tub, sink, and toilet were complemented by beautiful marble that picked up the pink. The home is older and needs upgrades, with pink bathroom renovation being at the top of the list for many potential buyers. Save The Pink Bathroom Changing the color of this bathroom is a big no-no for Pam Kueber, who maintains a website called SaveThePinkBbathrooms.com. Also the publisher of RetroRenovation.com, she was enraged when she saw that an intact pink bathroom was needlessly ripped out during a renovation. Her modern reaction to what she saw as a midcentury outrage? She developed her website, which is a collection of pictures, articles, links to pink renovation supplies, and hi... 01/29/2013

Typical weather in Louisville, KY.... 70 Degrees on a Tuesday and possible snow flurries on Saturday...All in the same week! Seasonaly Louisville can be pretty hot in the summer (100*F), pretty cold in the winter (10*F), and the Spring & Fall are usually fairly mild. With that being said it is no uncommon at all to see the weather change 40+ degrees in the matter of a week...just like this week! 01/29/2013

You're looking for homes for sale in Louisville KY, and a garage is high on your must-have list. It's great to have a space for your vehicle(s) so that you can get in a nice cozy car during the cold winter months. Or maybe you'd just like a place to store your tools or other household items.  Our Louisville home search website has options on the number of spaces you want. You can look for 1+ car, 2+ cars, 3+ cars, even 4+ car garages if that is what you need. Our team has even sold a home that had enough garage space to hold seven vehicles!  When buying a home in Louisville with a garage, it is a good idea to have the garage door inspected. Make sure your garage door has the reverse mechanism. That way, if anything gets in the view of the laser eye it will stop before hitting bottom and... 01/28/2013

Louisville is playing host to his holiness, the Dalai Lama, for a public talk and teaching event in May. Taking place at the KFC Yum! Center, the two-day event is entitled "Engaging Compassion" and will begin on Sunday, May 19th. The Dalai Lama will be giving a public talk to an expected crowd of 16,000 people!   The Dalai Lama has received the Nobel Peace Prize and the Congressional Gold Medal, and is known around the world as a spokesman for non-violent, peaceful and compassionate resolution of human conflict. Tickets are now on sale and range from $5-$100. To find other interesting events in the area, please visit Louisville Homes for Sale. 01/27/2013

Louisville Home Search for iPad and iPhone Click the link, below, to download the Louisville iPhone and iPad application. You will have direct access to all Louisville MLS listings. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/louisville-home-search/id556926471?mt=8 01/25/2013

It's late January, 2013.  By now, if you've started cheating on your resolution(s) or fallen off the wagon all together with regard to what your set out to do in your real estate business this year, it's time for some additional inspiration.  It's time to put aside how well you've done or not done in attempting new tactics and implementing new technology and get very clear on some specific ways you can kick your real estate business into high gear during the next 11 months.   First of all, I'm writing this for myself as much as I am for you, so this will come off as addressing some of my specific needs as to where I see my business going this year and beyond.  I give you my 5 keys to boosting your real estate business in 2013: 1.  Be different without reinventing the wheel.  The models ... 01/25/2013

Louisville is nicknamed "Possibility City," an acknowledgement that no how great our past has been, the future can only be better. Mayor Greg Fischer wants to grab and embrace the future with the new planning initiative called Vision Louisville that emphasizes "growth, authenticity, preservation, sustainability, and quality of place" while keeping the "weirdness" and "quality of place-quote all the things that make Louisville… Louisville.”  Citizen Involvement  Planning visions come and go but what's unique about the Mayor's vision is that Louisville residents are invited to collaborate with Norwegian planning firm Space Group. The effort was kicked off in September during the annual Ideas Festival when an interactive model of Louisville was created by 3D printers on a 1:1000 scale for ... 01/23/2013

Louisville Metro Area Market Update as of January 20th, 2013: 6,070 Properties Available for Sale Average List Price = $213,146 Months of Inventory = 9.7 (29.2% lower VS. 2012)   In the Last 30 days: 628 Properties Sold 1,441 New Listings on the Market $170,500 Average Sales Price with a 95.3% Sales vs. List price ratio 88 Average Days on the Market   Summary: We are seeing a slightly lower list price versus midway through 2012, but that is expected in the winter season of 2013. Our months of inventory is down nearly 41% since this time last year as we remain in a buyer’s market, but we continue to push closer and closer to an “equilibrium” market (6 months inventory). This has allowed sales prices to rise nearly 8% since January 2012 which is great news for sellers heading into the spr... 01/23/2013