When winter creeps over our gardens with its freezing temps and blankets of snow, it doesn’t mean we can’t keep some greenery to spruce up the place states Dennis Sons of Tn Nursery, a large mail-order nursery in Tennessee! Browse our favorite winter-friendly plants below (some are ideal for Tennessee gardens) and see what works in your neck of the woods!   Christmas Rose/Lenten RoseIf you love pretty winter blossoms of pink, red, purple, white, green, and sometimes even black, then give these plants a glance. If you’re shopping at the right time, you’ll be able to choose yours while they’re in bloom to be sure to get your favorite color. Known as the Helleborus, this plant’s blossoms will start peeking in late winter, so be sure to plant them where you can enjoy them the most -- a win... 03/15/2020

What is “Affordable Housing” to you? Is it houses priced under $150,000 – or $300,000 – or $500,000 – or anything under $1,000,000? Is there a commonly accepted definition of “Affordable Housing”? What if we were to switch the words to be “Housing Affordability”? I found this “stab” at a definition on the HUD site from the EDGE on-line magazine. Defining Housing Affordability (Hit this link for the full article) ” Housing programs in the United States have long measured housing affordability in terms of percentage of income. In the 1940s, the maximum affordable rent for federally subsidized housing was set at 20 percent of income, which rose to 25 percent of income in 1969 and 30 percent of income in 1981. Over time, the 30 percent threshold also became the standard for owner-occupied h... 03/10/2020

A Time for Coming Together  SO much has happened in the past 6 days, and I am in deep appreciation of the generous people of Nashville. An AMAZING amount of “recovery” has been accomplished in a crazy short time. We know this is only the beginning of healing, and we are keeping our ears open for additional needs out there that we can participate in fulfilling.Sherry and JR, Anna, my friend Ernest, and I tackled a Hermitage neighborhood on Saturday with 3 chain saws – We did an amazing amount of clean up in @ 4 hours and stopped when 2 of the 3 chain saws quit working.If you are here in Middle Tn and are participating in the clean up, PLEASE report your hours worked at Hands on Nashville – These hours recorded will positively affect the Federal funding Here we are #NASHVILLESTRONG Last w... 03/09/2020

Welcome to March! Below is a message I sent to my SOI - A weekly email every Monday morning   Yesterday, I declared it to be SPRING in Owen hollow. Yep! I hung the Hummingbird Feeder and spent the weekend tidying up the many fallen limbs and sticks. This is a very serious and intentional process of gathering the scattered debris into piles all over the property . . . and then went about the laborious task of moving them all to the Fire Pit area. this is a Spring ritual for me. It’s a very deliberate process – Gather – Move – Process . . . The process part is sorting kindling from logs which I cut to 18 inches . . . and then stack all of it and cover with plastic. That wood will dry out over time. I have 4 of these piles accumulated over the 4 years of my working this land. I get great p... 03/02/2020

A crisis is brewing as our economy continues to thrive. From the perspective of this long-time Principal Broker here in Middle Tennessee, the massive increase of newly licensed real estate sales agents is creating potentially terrifying conditions for uninformed home Buyers and Sellers. We REALTORS (Members of the local, state, and National Associations of Realtors) are deemed to be “professionals” in our practice of representing Home Buyers and Sellers. Most professions “subscribe” to a Code of Ethics, but many are “aspirational” and inert. Ethics – The Realtor Code of Ethics differs from ethical codes in most other professions because it is ENFORCEABLE by the Realtor membership. Realtors “Police” each other and the general public can file grievances. The original intent of our COE was... 02/28/2020

7908 Oakfield Grove Drive in Brentwood Tn 37027 is now under contract first day on market. This 2210 square feet home with all the bedrooms on the main floor was in immaculate condition and the interest from prospective buyers was immediate.Homes in Brentwood of this size and price range are hard to find, and this home should be a good investment for years to come.Search for Brentwood TN homes for sale here.Benchmark realty can assist buyers in all forms of Nashville relocation needs including new construction houses, condos, townhouses, for sale by owner homes, residential lots, townhomes, lofts, and new homes in various subdivisions across the Nashville Metro region.information on this page is based on information on single family homes for sale in Nashville Davidson county per the Na... 02/27/2020

If you've been considering a move lately, now is about as good as we've seen it in several years. You can expect to get top dollar for most Nashville real estate, and you will probably get the lowest mortgage rate in your life. The only downside is that whatever you decide to purchase will also be a high price.The Nashville real estate market is very active and the global concern for the Corona virus has drive bond prices up and rates down. It's a good time to take advantage of the gift of low rates if you were already considering a move.Search for Nashville Real Estate for sale here  Information on this page is based on information on single family homes for sale in Nashville Davidson county per the Nashville Multiple Listing Services, Inc. and is deemed reliable but, not guaranteed. T... 02/27/2020

Let’s spice up our way of living with a radically different perspective. Each of us has our own, unique routine which we might find dull and monotonous. Alarm goes off – hit snooze twice – feet hit the floor and stumble into the bathroom for cleaning and grooming – Walk the dogs – prepare, then consume breakfast and COFFEE – Drive to the office, and proceed to have the “same day” as the day before . . . more of the same every day. YAWN! There’s GOT to be more to life than THIS, Right? Well . . . there IS more to life, and I believe every one of us was born with vibrant living in our DNA. Tapping into this exciting way of living is WAY easier than you might think. This strategy does not include therapy of any kind . . . no need for re-programming any brains . . . because it’s already bak... 02/27/2020

The Nashville Real Estate Market is Still Hot - Home sales continue to increase inventory continues to shrink and as you would expect, prices continue to rise. 2152 homes closed during the month of January compared to 1888 for the same month last year an increase of 14% 6588 single family homes are currently listed for sale in Nashville compared to 7702 last year, an inventory reduction of 17% the median price of Nashville homes sold was $305,000 compared to $293,650 the previous January an increase of 4% the absorption rate of homes based on January sales and current inventory is still only 3 months Nashville real estate is in a very active sellers market with inventory levels still excessively low in most areas. Find the value of your Nashville home here Nashville real estate values,B... 02/18/2020

There’s a veritable trifecta of good Mojo Happening in the next 30 days By trade, I am Principal Broker/Owner of Pareto Realty With great passion, I serve the Vital Few members (Real Estate Sales Professionals) by offering them unfettered access to me for training, coaching, consoling, celebrating . . . We're like family, and I'm always hopeful that more agents will find themselves attracted to join us.   I also serve Home  Buyers and Sellers, who come to me by way of repeat and referral business from my Sphere of Influence - I don't "compete" with my agents for "new business.   With all of that having been said, what REALLY gets me excited are those times I have the honor to enhance other people's quality of life . . . and the next 30 days will be VERY full of those opportunities.   LU... 02/17/2020

Balance is an illusion. When we shift our mindset from “Life Balance” to “Life Rhythm”, AMAZING things begin to happen. We find ourselves getting more done with less effort. The right people start showing up in the right places at EXACTLY the right times. It is when we understand the Law of Least Effort powered by the sole principle of focusing on The Vital Few, we will have the most fantastic moments of flow . . . effortless productivity. This isn’t VOODOO . . . It’s as simple as caring for Whole Self first by aligning with our Spiritual, Mental, Physical, Social, & Emotional well being. In preparation for the upcoming World Happiness Fest 2020 – Nashville Agora, I am offering this opportunity to do some awesome “mindset” work. Initially created to help REALTORS live better lives, this... 02/14/2020

BREAKING NEWS!Because we ALL live on Planet Earth, I deem this post worthy in a Real Estate forum :-) Barry Owen and Joe Brodnicki will co-host the World Happiness Festival Nashville Agora (Tennessee USA) March 16-22, 2020. As one of the 60 AGORAS in the world, the Nashville AGORA will be conspicuously NOT like the others. Why and how will our AGORA be unique? We’ve “broken the mold” with an absolutely ridiculous scheme to blend Open Space Technology with World Happiness, and we know in our hearts that this is a match made in Heaven. Who are we? Barry Owen owns and operates Pareto Realty, a boutique Real Estate Sales Firm in Nashville, TN. Barry is a Native Nashvillian. In his lifetime, Barry has lived a multifaceted career path from Restaurant management – to 12 years as an US Army Com... 01/31/2020

Real estate sales professionals are the “Quarterbacks” on the home sale team. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 42 people participate in every transaction – Buyers – Sellers – Lenders – Appraisers – Title Companies – Contractors – Inspectors and the list goes on including all of the staff of all of these players. So . . . technically, every transaction is its own 42ish person organization (team). All of these people have crucial functions in this important, wildly complex endeavor. One dropped ball by ANYONE at ANY time could kibosh the entire deal resulting in home buyers not owning that house they love and Sellers not being able to move on with their new lifestyle in a different house. Indeed, the stakes are HIGH! Most of the these transactions originate with REALTORS. Home Buyers and ... 01/29/2020

Monday Morning Coffee – Tuesday Edition Is it enough to know where that hatch is? Do you know how to open it? NYC BusMost sales people choose not to talk about how the customer goes about cancelling their new “relationship” in the event it’s not the brilliant, game changing experienced for which they think they signed up. The savvy one’s amongst us ask tough questions up front: What’s the commitment? If/When I decide to cancel, how do I do so? Will there be a penalty? When I cancel, will you try to “win my business back” by offering a “significant discount”? (If so, let’s save some time and game playing . . . How’bout you give me that discounted price now . . . just in case . . . ) I’ve found that most folks who enter “relationships” of any kind and ask these kinds of questions aren’t (... 01/28/2020

Give and Receive to Give and Receive More Whatcha gonna do for yourself as a reward for a great start for 2020?I’m sensing good momentum and want you to know that we are noticing your grit and determination to make this the BEST year EVER. Note that “BEST” is relative to your own, personal goals and aspirations. It could be better quality of life – more happiness and joy – more sales – more connection with people who “feed” you. I have used this 1st month as a time to “reclaim” some of the fire I’ve allowed to dissipate the past several years. Yep! I’ve been holding myself back from achieving the level of success of which I know I am capable . . . This year’s gonna be different and don’t ever forget that as each of us succeed we all succeed . . . I pledge to do more than my fair share o... 01/27/2020

Offer me a widget for $20, and I’ll probably decline. (no for now) It’s not that I don’t like that spiffy widget . . . The truth is that I LOVE the widget, but I need to take some time to think about all the other ways I could spend that $20. I wasn’t even in the market for a widget in the first place. A little time passes, and my self-talk becomes more reasonable: “Buying this widget at first offering shows signs of impulsive tendencies . . . a weakness.” What are the advantages of owning one of these widgets? What will other people think when they see I’ve bought this thing – for $20? What’s the probable shelf-life of this widget? Will I use it a couple of times and then relegate it to the pile of other widgets in the closet or kitchen cabinets? Nah! Not yet! I’ll wait until I see oth... 01/24/2020

“Less is more” is so Cliche’! As I become more aware of my inevitable potential for mortality, the less I care about having more STUFF. I have recently (this week) returned to a long-time habit of mine which “fizzled” some years ago. This habit is one that served me well for SO many years because it helped me maintain daily focus on all of the pieces of my living that matter most. Now that I’m telling the truth, I think I fell out of this habit 10 years ago . . . This is something I started in the early 1990s as a daily reminder of the power of Deepak Chopra’s Book “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success“. (first Pareto Realty Book Club book of 2020). Here’s how it works: EVERY morning, before diving into the work fray, sit in a quiet place and read one of the Laws . . . Buy a “Composition... 01/23/2020

Wait! Are YOU. THAT. powerful? We all LOVE miracles! Miracles save lives, business ventures, sports team WINS, and more. Wouldn’t it be marvelous if we could buy a package of miracles? Just think how wealthy we would be if we could figure out how to “bottle” the special sauce that adds just the right seasoning to whatever the circumstances might be such that EXACTLY the RIGHT things happen, the right people show up, and the planets align to create the quintessential conditions to deliver the flawless outcomes that exceed our wildest expectations. Of course, we know this is not reality. Seldom do the best laid pursuits unfold according to the plan. If we’re going to expect anything at all, our only sure bet is to be surprised. I know I’ve deflated your delusions of grandeur. Here you are... 01/22/2020

Nashville home appreciation - what to expect.I get this question a lot, usually from first time home buyers who are concerned about possibly losing money on their first home purchase. If I only had a crystal ball I could tell you exactly what your house would be worth in 5 or 10 years, but all I can do is suggest that based on the past history, you can expect property values to go up in most locations. According to Zillow, Nashville home values have appreciated at an average of 5.8% per year the last 10 years, it has been predicted to slow somewhat in the future, but they've been saying that every year for the some time now. Zillow predicts that Nashville homes will appreciate  2.7% in 2020.  My personal opinion based on what I'm seeing on the ground is that their estimates are low.I ex... 01/16/2020

Those folks who are indefatigably attached to specific, preconceived outcomes (almost) ALWAYS find themselves surprised when “It’s over”. Here we are! We arrived at the “end” and we’re witnessing the dissipation of the fog of engagement . . . As the dust settles, we begin to see the “fruits of our labor” more clearly. We may or may not find ourselves overwhelmed with joy or disappointment . . . Perhaps we’re disappointed, and we have those heavy feelings of FAILURE at which point we might shower ourselves and each other with “shouldas” and “couldas” and then dive into a full blown inquisition to find where the BLAME lies in this fiasco. The “BLAME” is on each and every one of us. The ONLY failure that has occurred is our forgetting of the universal mindset of being prepared to be surpri... 01/13/2020