You’ll have to excuse me from the start… this may be a bit of rant! Does the general public understand that a real estate purchase agreement is a legal contract? It seems as if most people do not understand that when they fill out a purchase agreement that they have entered into a legal contract. Here is the story…I had a closing scheduled for this past Friday and I represented the seller.  The buyer was a no show.  Obviously, we did not close and my client was not very happy! Some more background info: 2 weeks earlier the buyer signed a property inspection release form and asked for early occupancy.  So not only did the buyer state that the property was in acceptable condition, but he wanted to move in early.  My client choose not to allow the buyer early occupancy.  Then, 48 hours be... 02/12/2007

                4119 Vincennes PlaceNew Orleans, La 70125Total Renovation $519,0004119 Vincennes Place, New OrleansThis totally renovated Broadmore home features a gourmet kitchen with upscale custom cabinets, sub-zero frig, granite countertops, new light fixtures, new tile floors, island, new gas stove, new dishwasher, new microwave, and plenty of storage area. The kitchen measures 16x15. The 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bath home  has 3800 sq. ft. of living area. Most of the home has wood floors. There are 3 a/c units to cool this well insulated home. There is a large office or play room measuring 18x16.5 upstairs. There are two bedrooms that could be considered the master bedroom one up and one down. New tile floors, custom cabinets, new appliances.This home did flood after the Levees broke af... 02/10/2007

I will not bore you with numbers and charts. The New Orleans Warehouse District is alive and well. The area had little damage from Katrina and continues to be a trendy place to live and buy a second home. Condos are the main residential spaces with many old warehouse converted into condos. The nicer units when priced correctly generally sell in a number weeks. prices have been holding steady and going up for the nicer units. There are many new projects on the drawing board as I am writting this blog. the strating prices are going to start around the 200k level and go up from there. Young Professionals, empty nesters, and second homers are the amin buyers. They like the historic feel, many fine restraunts, attractions, no need for a car, walk to the French Quarter,a nd the overall safety... 02/09/2007

   A mild climate such as we have in South Louisiana allows an average gardner like me to grow a variety of plants in his back yard. Its a great hobby for a realtor as you are not out showing houses early in the morning. Great time to do things in the morning before the sun heats up our humid air in the summer. I thought about the yard work Super Bowl Sunday as I realized my yard needed mowing more to remove the weeds and leaves that are finally falling. The new leaves push out the old ones as the early blommers are getting started. next week will be a great time to repot and get some of these guys ready for another season.  Being in real estate allows you to get cuttings and plants from clients and homes you are showing. People are always willing to give and share. They get excited whe... 02/07/2007

                         New Orleans French Quarter Market UpdateThe New Orleans French Quarter real estate market is soft and may be a good time to buy. After Katrina many of the owners of second homes began to sell even though the area had little damage. Most of the units are condos. Real Estate is location and there are few locations like this. You will never have new units due to the building codes and restrictions. The old part of the city has been her since the early 1700's and has had a colorful history. If you like art, music, historic buildings, interesting people, great food, unique bars, museums, spicy food, pretty women, a tropical climate, jazz, shopping in unique shops, colorful politicians, walking or riding your bike. the Saints, and people who will appreciate you, then ... 02/05/2007

                          6629 Louis XIVLakeview, New Orleans 70124Complete Renovation July 2006$450,000 "Best Price Award"Lakeview is back!  This beautifully renovated 4 bedroom 3 ½ bath home, one block off Canal Blvd is ready for you.  The bedrooms and baths are set for two separate suites. The downstairs floor plan is crisp and open leading through the foyer to a huge den and brick covered porch. Ten foot ceilings down, nine foot ceilings up, granite, sub zero, Jenn air, crown molding, air conditioned garage, three hot water heaters (2 gas, 1 electric) in just over 3000 square feet of living area.  Did I mention that the master suite is just a little larger than huge?  You miss Lakeview,Lakeview misses you.This was one of the first homes to resell after Katrina that has been renovate... 02/05/2007

Before the storm, after the storm, pre-Katrina, post-Katrina, pre-K, post-K, 17 months ago…Every single day I say one or all of those phrases! I noticed this quite a long time ago but reflected on it last night while I was at dinner. Not one day goes by without some sort of time frame reference to Hurricane Katrina. In terms of our business, August 29 has become the most important date in recent (and not so recent!) memory. Everything goes back to that date. Home pricing, sold and active statistics, insurance rates, property condition, every aspect of the real estate business relates back to the storm. Clients ask…what was my pre-storm value? Why are my insurance rates so high? Did this property flood? Was there roof damage? And on and on! Don’t get me wrong, these are important questio... 02/04/2007

The New Orleans City Council recently passed a new ordinance that reinforces the city’s authority to demolish flooded homes that have not been gutted.  Finally! These neglected properties need to be removed from our city’s landscape.  Why? Well, for the obvious reasons: They look horrible, are health hazards, and provide safe havens for criminals.  This is not a new ordinance, though.  Way back in April 2006, the council first passed an ordinance to requiring owners to gut and clean their flooded properties by August 29.  However, on August 25, 2006, the council passed another ordinance basically giving owners some more time. As a quick aside for those of you who may not be familiar with this ordinance.  The ordinance does not allow the city to send bulldozers to certain areas and just... 02/02/2007

2006 was an interesting year in New Orleans…to say the least! Not only was an entire city picking itself up by the bootstraps after Katrina, but entire industries were trying to regain footing.  Real estate was certainly no exception.  We experienced significant statistical fluctuations unseen for many decades.  But are those statistical fluctuations relevant?  For example…  In October 2005, there were 1226 single family homes for sale…in October 2006, there were over DOUBLE that amount for sale, 2494.In that same time span average price per square foot went from $174 in October 2005 to $107 in October 2006.  FYI, average price per square foot dropped an additional $10 by December 2006. These statistics seem daunting…but once again do they truly paint an accurate picture of the real es... 01/22/2007

                               The Magazine Place Condos at 760 Magazine Street on the corner of Julia Street was once a Sauage Factory about a 100 years ago. Now it is a great location for living in the New Orleans Warehouse District. It is close to all the local attractions. You can walk to the New Orleans French Quarter, New Orleans Riverwalk, Convention Center and amny great places to eat. You do not have to have a car to enjoy New Orleans. This is a great place to have a second home. Most units have on site parking. The other feature include a roof top area for bar-b-que with great city views. There is a nice workout room with modern equiptment and free weights, courtyard, gated entrance, elevators plus being a well managed complex of 53 units. Eric is your Warehouse District exper... 01/16/2007

· Insurance, The largest charge for your condo fee is going to be causality and property insurance. This will be covered in all true condo associations. The flood insurance will also be covered. This will not include your contents, you need to get a condo contents policy which is about $400-$600 per year on your own. Many get this and many don't. · Common Area upkeep which includes repairs and cleaning areas that everyone owns· Water and Sewerage Bills, Are generally included along with trash pickup.· Common Area Utilities such as lights and a/c-heat of common areas· Security, It could be on site security personnel, cameras, and gates.· Pool Upkeep, costs of water and upkeep of exercise areas and equipment.· Elevator Contracts, Contracts to maintain the elevators· Landscaping, upkeep an... 01/12/2007

... New Orleans Real Estate, New ...500 x 375 pixels - 69k - jpgwww.ericbouler.com... New Orleans Real Estate, New ...500 x 292 pixels - 73k - jpgwww.ericbouler.com... New Orleans Real Estate, New ...500 x 375 pixels - 87k - jpgwww.ericbouler.com... New Orleans Real Estate, New ...500 x 375 pixels - 91k - jpgwww.ericbouler.com... New Orleans Real Estate, New ...500 x 375 pixels - 80k - jpgwww.ericbouler.comYou will be amazed at all the images that google stores in google images. I am not sure why they save the images but it must connect the image to the site where it first finds the photo. Take look and see if you see any of your photos. I assume the photos we use on active rain will also show up here. Krystal should have a bundle as I do. It very interesting to view photos in your area... 11/19/2006

 November is almost fall here but not quite. I took these photos Saturday on a listing appointment. You can use a light jacket this week at night because we still have humidity. Its great for jogging, ball and walking. We should have good weather until June. We may get a frost or two over the winter. The leaves have not started falling yet but then many of our trees are green all the time. These were taken on St. Charles Ave. with a shot of the jogger which I have to improve on but you never have time to set the camera up, but it gets the point across. The weekend end was great for the sports teams, the Saints crushed Tampa Bay, the Hornets win their first home game over the Houston Rockets, and my favorite team LSU beat the Tennessee Vols 28-24 with 9 seconds to go. Talk about the star... 11/06/2006

A niche that we often overlook is selling condos and small homes to students, med students, law students and residents. Many of these students are from wealthy or are starting school later in life. they want a place to live and have an investment while they are going to school. If you have a university in your area this is a good business for several reasons. New Students every year, they graduate and have to sell in a couple of years, and they are a good refferal base. You have to know a lot of answers and say you don't know because these kids are smart. You have to deal with the parents on many occassions. They happen to be my age so honesty is the best approach here as in any transactions. We are lucky to have several schools here. Most of the clients are very nice and easy to deal w... 11/02/2006

                                       Magazine Place Condos located at 760 Magazine Street is an old sausage factory turned into condos. There are 57 units in the origional building and an annex. It was converted in 2002 inot condos. All the units were updated at that time. There are one and two bedroom units that surround a courtyard and many have street views.The complex has a nice gym and a great roof top area for entertaining or just nice city views. You are in the heart of the New Orleans Warehouse District and a short 7 blocks to the New Orleans French Quarter. The small units are selling for around 200k with the larger two bedrooms selling in the 300k range. Most units have parking in the garage or in the gated parking. Many of the units are different but msot have exposed brick... 11/01/2006

                                           The Saint Charles Garden Condos located at 3915 St Charles Ave were converted from apartments into condos in 2004. The location on the tree lined St. Charles Ave half-way between the University-Uptown areas and the central business district made it a great location for Tulane and Loyola University students as well as those working downtown. It is an easy streetcar ride which ever way you go. The 93 units are mainly 2 bedroom units with several one bedrooms per floor spread over the 7 floors. Amenities include gated parking, security, elevators, swimming pool, exercise room, balconies, courtyard and some great views from the upper floors. The St. Charles Ave units sold quickly and were more expensive. Most of the units were totally redone with n... 10/24/2006

Gallery Row Condos448 Julia St. Warehouse DistrictNew Orleans, La 70130                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Gallery Row Condos located at 448 Julia Street in the New Orleans Warehouse District has 48 units on 4 floors.. All have appreciated since 2004 when the conversion from apartments to condos. The newly renovated units feature stainless appliances, stone counter tops, parking, small pool, fitness center, and a great roof top view of the city. Within walking distance to the CBD attractions such as Harrahs, River Walk and the warehouse hotels. There are a lot of small one bedrooms with a couple of 2 bedrooms sprinkl... 10/13/2006

Some creative sole wanted to map out the downtown area on the side of a parking garage. The point is the downtown area is very small. There are several hundred years of history in the painting. You can see the convertion center above the exit sign where the Real Estate Convvention will be in November. The French quarter is on the far left. it s a mix of the old and the new. In the background is the Mississippi River Bridge which is a new comer to the area. The ferries still run daily between the east and west bank. The point is to think out of the box and let someone smile with these modern works of art. Your town more than likely has similiar things? 09/20/2006

Getting website leads is great but you have to followup with them. I send them a followup e-mail as soon as possible asking questions about their particular inquiry. Often time I just pick up the phone and call them.It has been almost 100% positive response. Usually get a response like that was "unreal to get a call back that quick" It just help cement the relationship with your prospective client and yourself. Its also makes for a good start and you can skip a couple of e-mails and ask them some questions. It has become natural sequence and has proven to be successful to date. Most of my inquires come with phone numbers. I am too busy to bug people but it shows you are on top of your business. 09/20/2006