All About Knoxville Tennessee Last week I had the privaledge to attend a sneak preview of Mike Myers'The Love Guru. I never really thought about who sponsored the tickets or anything like that. When I arrived at the theater it hit me that someone had to be behind this sneak preview as "free" is not alsways "free". When we were let into the theater without payment, I knew there had to be an explanation. Once in, it became clear that 2 of the most popular stations in Knoxville was behind this sneak preview. With the day and age of Sirrus and XM, local stations have taken a beating. With that said, local stations are the ones that are out in the community. I have to wonder when the last time Sirrus or XM sponsored a sneak preview or an arts festival or dogwood festival or any event in your... 06/25/2008

This weekend Knoxville celebrates the rich contribution of African Americans to the local art community and the community as a whole with the Kuumba Festival. Begun in 1989 by the African American Appalachian Arts, Inc. the Kuumba Festival highlights the art and artists who help to make our city great. The word kuumba means creativity in Swahili and captures the true spirit of creativity that is expressed in the festival. The festival incorporates the traditional arts, like painting, sculpture, and woodworking. Attendees can also take in non-traditional forms of art like music, dance, spoken word, and stilt walking. The festival will also incorporate a parade where local organizations show their commitment to the the local arts. There are three locations around town where the festival w... 06/24/2008

  Oak Ridge, Tennessee is a small town about 12 miles northwest of my home. It's a small town that has done some very big things, i.e. developed and manufactured the atomic bombs that ended World War II, leaders in nuclear research, have one of the 5 fastest supercomputers in the world, and lots of other things we don't know about because a great deal of their work there is highly classified. Every year they have a festival to celebrate their World War II heritage with the technological advancements that are ongoing within the City of Oak Ridge. For those non history majors the City of Oak Ridge was only built in 1943 when the United States learned Germany was working on developing their own atomic bomb and knew we had to build one first. Both the laboratory and the nearby city of Oak R... 06/21/2008

Mortage interst rates surged in Knoxville & Farragut Tennessee this past week to a 9 month high of 6.42%. Some see this as a sign that the Federal Reserve has shifted it's focus from preventing a recession to controlling inflation. Lots of financial gurus predict a rise when the Fed meets again in September. What does that mean to you as a Knoxville area homebuyer? It means higher payments if you want much longer. Read all about it here.   06/21/2008

Yep, that's right, beginning yesterday Knoxville, Tennessee is playing host to over 16,000 motorcycles and their rider(s).   The annual Honda Hoot is underway. the Hoot is an annual party for motorcycle enthusiasts from all over. However lest that many bikers in one place conjure up visions of Hell's Angels, wheelies, and reckless driving you need to take another look. The Honda Hoot crowd is more the "born to be mild" set. Their first event of the Hoot last night was an ice cream social instead of a beer bust. This year's Hoot is from June 18 through the 21st and features lots of events centered around riding your motorcycle somewhere from the nearby Smoky Mountains to the finale, a concert by country music star Wynonna Judd. Honda Hoot features planned rides every day for all register... 06/19/2008

Home Sales Report Beginning 05/01/2008, Ending 05/31/2008 Single-Family Unit Sales by Price Bedrooms Other Statistics Price 2- 3 4+ Condos Sold Residential Active Condos Active Totals 148 664 258 143 14,650 2,182 Average Price (in thousands $) 88.9 184.7 290.8 165.8 266.1 225.7 Median Price (in thousands $) 77.5 152.4 257.9 144.5 194.9 189.9 Sum Price (in thousands $) 13,161.4 122,659.9 75,030.0 23,710.5 3,898,022.0 492,446.6 $0 - $19,999 9 1 0 0 36 0 $20,000 - $29,999 11 6 3 0 82 0 $30,000 - $39,999 9 16 1 0 161 1 $40,000 - $49,999 9 13 1 2 201 4 $50,000 - $59,999 17 10 0 1 245 4 $60,000 - $69,999 12 15 2 4 348 16 $70,000 - $79,999 8 20 2 4 421 28 $80,000 - $89,999 18 26 1 2 448 57 $90,000 - $99,999 12 18 2 8 455 62 $100,000 - $119,999 12 70 4 28 870 168 $120,000 - $139,999 11 83 14 19... 06/16/2008

Knoxville provides a wonderful area for home buyers who want it all!  It is a medium-sized city that spreads out into many surburban communities.  We enjoy all four seasons with winter temps that may dip to the 'teens and summer temps that may rise into the 90s, but most often the temperature is pretty moderate.  Spring and Fall is absolutely beautiful!  We are in the Tennessee Valley and often are spared from dramatic weather events.  The surrounding mountains are beautiful and we have many rivers and lakes which provide great sport for water skiing and fishing.  We are, of course, a short drive away from the Gatlinburg area and Dollywood, not to mention the Chattanooga Choo-Choo and Aquarium, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and a short day trip will take you to Atlanta to see the Bra... 06/13/2008

A recent article in Money magazine lists 5 new rules for today’s homebuyers. After reading the article I found that I agree with all 5 of them. New rule 1: DO NOT try to time the bottom of this market. We may be there or close already or not. In any instance it’s very unlikely you’ll hit it at the exact bottom. Case in point; several years ago my wife and I decided to refinance our former home in west Knoxville because mortgage rates were falling. I had 5 different mortgage bankers and myself watching the market trying to figure out where the bottom was. Read the rest of the story here. 06/09/2008

Kristopher Kendrick, one the best best known of Knoxville's historical building preservationists, was honored last night at a gathering in downtown Knoxville. Knox Heritage sponsored the event attended by over 200 Kendrick fans. Kendrick began buying old buildings in Knoxville and refurbishing them in the early 1970s. Some of his more notable accomplishment have been Patrick Sullivan's Saloon in the Old City, Kendrick Place Condos on Union Avenue, and the Lord Lindsey Restaurant on West Hill Avenue.   The Lord Lindsey Restaurant & Catering Knox Heritage President Dorothy Stair said the ordanization will begin offering an annual award for those who preserve local structures of historical or cultural signifance in Mr. Kendrick's honor. 06/07/2008

Ah, fishing. Just the word conjures up images of sitting under a shady tree along the river bank watching that float for a nibble and enjoying the outdoors. The only thing that could make that better would be free fishing. That's right, no licenses, no bait to buy, and a free loaner rod & reel if you don't have it. It's Free Fishin Day in Knoxville, Tennessee. This annual even is sponsored by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) at multiple locations all across the state on several weekends this month to introduce kids of all ages to the joys of fishing.   Here in Knoxville The Cove at Concord Park is our location and the TWRA has stocked a huge pond at the Park with hungary catfish just looking for a juicy worm to bite on. Bait and fishing tackle are supplied at no cost by se... 06/07/2008

If you have been through Knoxville lately you may have noticed that I-40 through downtown has been closed. It is part of a project the TN Department of Transportion has dubbed Smartfix 40. It has rerouted the through traffic to what was the Knoxville bypass I-640 and traffic north on I-75 onto I-275.  They are building bridges through downtown and also are resurfacing and widening the roads.  When this project got underway I thought that it would create chaos and make it nearly impossible to get across town. Only at morning and evening rush hours does it even slow down, and not for long. I am impressed with the way things have worked out. It really has gone off without a hitch. I spoke to a lot of people who thought the term 'Smartfix' would come back to haunt them but as far as I can s... 06/05/2008

Knoxville, Tennessee is home to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. This 32,000 square foot facility was opened in June of 1999 and is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women's basketball. The theme of this magnificent facility is Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present, and Promote the Future. Each of the three entrances to the Hall of Fame has a bronze statue representing one of the three aspects of this overall theme. This wonderful facility highlights the history of women's basketball from its adaptation by Senda Berenson in 1892 to the modern game today. On June 14, 2008 the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame will hold its 10th induction ceremony of honorees. This year's induction ceremony will honor six of the game's best. These women not only represent the bes... 06/05/2008

. Knoxville is the home to the Universtiy of Tennessee at Knoxville! The university was founded as Blount College in 1794, two years before Tennessee became a state. In 1879 the name was changed to the University of Tennessee! Since it became designated in 1869 as the land grant universtiy in Tennessee, it has been growing by leaps and bounds. The University of Tennessee now operates campuses across the state: The medical campus, University of Tennessee at Memphis 1911 (originally founded in Nashville in 1879) University of Tennessee at Martin 1927 (originally a private institution founded in 1900) University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 1969 (originally a private institution) The Space Institute 1964 (near Tullahoma, Tennessee) The Univerity of Tennessee has been recognized as one of th... 05/30/2008

When I lived in Roswell GA, I wrote a series of post on Suburban Atlanta where I highlighted different suburbs and areas of Atlanta. Well, I have decided to carry that on here in Knoxville and right about the suburbs here, but with a different twist. I am going to write about the many differnet cities and also highlight some areas of Knoxville such as Fountain City, Fort Sanders, and Bearden Hills to name a view. Why would also bring out neighborhoods like these? That is simple. The biggest reason is, these are areas that are significant in Knoxville. Knoxville in itself is a great place to live, get an education, and work. It is where the country meets the city life and where the hills and mountains span as far as the eye can see. Simply put, Knoxville is a great place to live, learn, ... 05/27/2008

April's figures show a total of 1,144 closed sales in the Knoxville market versus 1,416 sales in April of 2007. That's about a 20% drop in volume. The median priced Knoxville home this past April was $149,000 vs. $152,000 for the same time period in 2007. That means we're selling more of the less expensive homes. The average sale price in April of 2007 was $163,600 and $152,000 this April which goes along with the drop in the median sale price. Read the whole story at: http://www.KnoxvilleTennesseeRealEstateBlog.com Home Sales Report Beginning 04/01/2008, Ending 04/30/2008 Single-Family Unit Sales by Price  BedroomsOther Statistics Price2-34+Condos SoldResidential ActiveCondos Active Totals 144 635 218 147 14,579 2,158 Average Price (in thousands $) 90.9 163.6 283.7 164.3 262.7 224.0 M... 05/20/2008

is the title of a great article from U.S. News & World Report posted on Yahoo. Number 6 is my favorite.   Get preapproved before your start looking. Use the right tools, i.e. search sites. Personally I like my website best for our area searches. Use several websites to ensure you cover all the homes for sale. My website has all our area MLS listings. Don't forget FSBOs. Works for me, I typically have a buyer agency agreement so we look at ALL the homes for sale in my area. Be alert. Some sites offer an RSS feed or email alert for new homes so you don't miss out on a deal. I have that as often as you want to sign up for one. "Find a good blog. Few resources allow home buyers to take the pulse of the national and local markets like real estate blogs." "By and large, the real estate bloggi... 05/10/2008

OK, spring fever has finally caught up with me.For a cure, me and 2 other hiking buds took the day off this past Friday and did a nice 7.5 mile loop trail over in the Cataloochee Valley of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.The Cataloochee Valley is a fairly remote part of the park and is tougher to access than most of the rest so it's never crowded. We saw a total of 5 other people all day on the trail. When is the last time you only saw 5 people in 1 day???Here's a link to my photoblog.  Scenic overlook entering the Cataloochee Valley   Lots of delicate, Painted Trillium was in bloom along a lot of the trail. This a very abundant, springtime flower in the Smokies. 04/28/2008

Here's the first quarter of 2008 sales report for the greater Knoxville, Tennessee area Home Sales Report Beginning 01/01/2008, Ending 03/31/2008 Single-Family Unit Sales by Price Bedrooms Other Statistics Price 2- 3 4+ Condos Sold Residential Active Condos Active Totals 369 1,493 543 334 18,774 2,636 Average Price (in thousands $) 80.2 158.3 292.4 171.2 256.3 226.0 Median Price (in thousands $) 66.0 144.0 229.9 149.9 189.9 189.9 Sum Price (in thousands $) 29,609.3 236,377.1 158,774.9 57,169.9 4,811,560.7 595,689.2 $0 - $19,999 36 10 2 0 52 1 $20,000 - $29,999 38 22 4 0 152 0 $30,000 - $39,999 31 30 2 0 258 0 $40,000 - $49,999 35 36 2 0 297 5 $50,000 - $59,999 24 40 6 2 376 7 $60,000 - $69,999 29 47 6 5 490 24 $70,000 - $79,999 26 62 10 8 548 36 $80,000 - $89,999 23 56 3 7 586 55 $90,00... 04/16/2008

Here's the March 2008 sales report for the great Knoxville, Tennessee area Home Sales Report Beginning 03/01/2008, Ending 03/31/2008 Single-Family Unit Sales by Price Bedrooms Other Statistics Price 2- 3 4+ Condos Sold Residential Active Condos Active Totals 138 581 211 121 14,117 2,037 Average Price (in thousands $) 84.6 158.8 291.1 172.2 262.4 226.2 Median Price (in thousands $) 70.0 143.0 229.9 153.1 194.9 193.5 Sum Price (in thousands $) 11,675.9 92,245.2 61,427.7 20,837.7 3,703,988.4 460,773.4 $0 - $19,999 11 5 1 0 31 0 $20,000 - $29,999 18 10 1 0 86 0 $30,000 - $39,999 8 11 0 0 161 0 $40,000 - $49,999 10 12 1 0 200 5 $50,000 - $59,999 10 11 2 2 256 5 $60,000 - $69,999 12 21 3 1 352 18 $70,000 - $79,999 9 25 5 3 395 26 $80,000 - $89,999 11 26 2 0 447 42 $90,000 - $99,999 9 25 5 6 4... 04/16/2008

Well, spring has official arrived in the greater Knoxville, Tennessee area. Lots of Robins in sight, I mowed our lawn for the 4th time yesterday, and the annual Dogwood Arts Festival is underway.Red Dogwood blossoms in Knoxville, TennesseeBilled as the "best 17 days of spring", Knoxville's Dogwood Arts Festival features lots of great events from music, to art, and best of all, the Dogwood Trails. Our Dogwood trails consist of over 70 miles of scenic drives through seven of Knoxville’s most beautiful and architecturally significant neighborhoods. The 2008 featured trail is Sequoyah Hills, one of my favorites. This year's parade had to be postponed until April 26th due to threatening weather so if you thought you missed it you have another chance. The parade features Knox County high scho... 04/13/2008