I hope all of you are safe and enjoying extra time with your family.  I wanted to update you on how our local market is doing and my outlook on the current condition of our market from my business personally.  

Changes in day to day operations:

Personally we have stopped doing open houses but we have not stopped selling or showing homes.  Since the virus has thrown us all in a whirlwind, we have shown houses to four different buyers, have gotten two properties under contract and have had two closings.  Both of these activities have changed. Closings are now taking place in cars in the attorney’s parking lot. Realtors and mortgage professionals have been asked to not attend closings.   Showings are still taking place. I’ve been carrying hand sanitizer in pocket and use it every time  I touch something in the house. I’ve been using my elbow to turn lights on and off and keep a six foot buffer between my clients and myself. I’ve found that only serious buyers are out shopping during this time and the tire kickers won’t risk getting sick just to view a house they don’t plan on buying.  All of our listings that were on market last month have closed or are under contract and we have sellers getting two houses ready to list and should hit the market in the next few weeks.  I believe these homes both will sell in the first week as the market is still experiencing a shortage of listings.  

What I think the future holds:

I’ve heard many investors are waiting and watching hoping that the market turns for the worst and they can pick up houses at a discount.  I’m not sure this is going to happen for us. We have...

We’ve all heard that we need to stage our home before selling but what exactly does that mean?

What is Staging?

The purpose of staging is to help create a mood for potential buyers and to show off all your homes greatest features. The things we do help to make your home feel bigger, warmer, cleaner, and in turn appealing to the highest number of potential buyers as possible.

Types of Staging

Depending on your home and your goals it can mean simply depersonalizing the home or it can mean a complete renovation. It can also sometimes mean furnishing some or all of a home, either physically or virtually.

Sometimes it also makes sense to have furniture and accessories brought in to a vacant space so buyers can get a sense of how their belongings will fit. There is typically an additional cost to the seller, the rental of the furniture.

In many cases even a vacant space doesn’t need to be filled and we can have virtual staging done.  Photos are taken of the space and sent to a company we work with to virtually stage a few rooms. When this happens we like to focus on the rooms that are most important to buyers such as the living room, master bedroom, and kitchen. In fact, NAR’s 2019 Profile of Home Staging found that these three rooms are the most commonly staged rooms in a home.

The most common form of staging is what we call “Low Cost-High Impact”. This is when your qualified agent or their professional stager walks your home with you and makes suggestions for things that will yield a high impact but are often no to low cost.

Here is a typical list of Low Cost-High Impact suggestions:

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Hello Springhurst Residents!

Keep an eye out for the postcard that was mailed out this week with updated market info for January and February 2019.

In case you missed it, here it is again!

To see ALL the homes for sale in Springhurst go to our Springhurst Page.

And you can like our Springhurst Facebook Page here.

If you want to know YOUR home's current value give me a call.

I'd love to chat with you about it. (502) 551-9396

As a Keller Williams agent, I can bring you the unparalleled advantage of the ZeroPlus loan by Keller Mortgage which is exclusive to KW transactions.

Keller Mortgage has saved clients over $50 million dollars!

So how does this work? Keller Mortgage offers:

• Zero Origination Fees
• Zero Lender Fees
• $1000 at closing towards 3^rd party fees (such as inspectors)
• Competitive and low rates
• + a $1000 closing credit on loans $150K and above 

Do all properties qualify?

Keller Mortgage can help you purchase primary, vacation, and investment properties up to 4 units and they can also refinance your current mortgage.

What types of loans am I able to get?

• Conventional – Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac – minimum of 3% down payment
• JUMBO up to $3 Million
• Both Conventional and Jumbo loans offer fixed rates and ARMs.
• FHA – minimum of 3.5% down payment
• VA - $0 down payment
• USDA - $0 down payment

Currently Keller Mortgage is unable to offer loans for new construction, rehab, HELOC, reverse loans, raw land/lots, mobile/manufactured homes, co-ops, non-warrantable condos, commercial properties, or bond loans (down payment assistance).

Is this a pre-qualification or a pre-approval?

Keller Mortgage wants you have the best chance at getting the home you want so they only offer pre-approvals.  This means that they have verified documentation from you and are confident your loan will make it to the closing table.

What if I’ve already been pre-approved with another lender?

Great! It’s...

Hello Springhurst Residents!

Keep an eye out for the postcard that was mailed out this week with all the 2018 Market Stats.

In case you missed it, here it is again!

To see ALL the homes for sale in Springhurst go to our Springhurst Page.

If you want to know YOUR home's current value give me a call.  I'd love to chat with you about it. (502) 551-9396

Have you been thinking about selling your home soon?

Here are 5 tips to help you get ready!

Declutter

It’s amazing how much stuff we accumulate over the years living in our home!  Take the time to really go through everything and get rid of all that stuff you don’t want to move with you to your new home!

A good rule of thumb I always tell clients is to remove half to 2/3rds of items in your closets.

A great book for this is “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo.

Make Repairs and General Maintenance

Have you been putting off cleaning out the gutters? What about adjusting that leaky kitchen faucet? – Well’s now’s the time!

Your potential buyers will notice things in your home that need repairs and a lack of general maintenance is easily apparent once others start walking through your home. 

Everyone lives differently so things that you don’t access often or think about might be exactly what that buyer is excited about.  This means that just because you don’t use or care about one of your homes features doesn’t mean others won’t.

If you’re concerned about your home’s overall condition and the unknown you can always choose to do a pre-list inspection.  The home inspector will go through your home from top to bottom and give you a list of everything from the very minor to anything major they find.  Doing this in advance allows...

Nulu is getting cooler and cooler and we just visited the coolest spot in Nulu, literally.  Louisville Cream is hands down the best ice cream in the city, which is saying something.  We went to visit a few weeks ago and were blown away with the flavors and the selection Louisville Cream had to offer.  I went big and ordered the smores sundae and let me tell you it did not disappoint.  It had toasted marshmallow cookies and cream ice cream, topped with a chocolate shell, and a house made graham cracker that was drizzled in milk chocolate and had toasted marshmallows on top.  This dessert will go down in my top five best desserts I've ever had.  

Megan and Addison both had pumpkin roll ice cream.  It also was good but everyone had food envy of my sundae.  Their ice cream had pumpkin rolls mixed in with pumpkin flavored ice cream.  They loved it and if you don't want to spend extra money to get a sundae this is a good option.  This place is worth a trip to Nulu to visit. Stop in and try one of their unique, delicious flavors.

 There’s dog etiquette for the dog park, on and off-leash walking, and public places, but who knew there was dog etiquette when it comes to selling your home? Luckily now you do, so you can use this guide to take the proper steps to ensure your home makes the first impression you need to get you one step closer to Louisville.

Besides, the sooner you get there the sooner you can leash up and explore the city. First, fuel up at one of the many dog-friendly restaurants nearby. While your food settles, take the tram through the Mega Cavern that goes under the city of Louisville or enjoy a glass of wine at Vines & Canines. Once you’re ready to up the activity, go for a casual stroll in Iroquois Park or let your pooch have some off-leash fun at Vettiner Dog Run.

For more information:

Visit rover.com to find a place to board your dog...

This summer has been all about getting out of the house and finding

activities around Louisville that are either free, or cost only a few dollars. In theupcoming weeks we will be blogging about all of the events that we have found, but we wanted to start with one that is free and fun of everyone of all ages. If you haven't checked out a Waterfront Wednesday concert, you need to add it to your list of things to-do. Not only are these concerts are absolutely free foreveryone in the family, but the music is great and you also get a great view of the city. Waterfront Wednesday's usually fall on the last Wednesday of the month, so make sure to look up their events to make sure they are hosting a concert on the Wednesday that you are interested in going. They begin the concerts in April and then the last one will fallaround September. If you've been downtown then you will know exactly where the high lawn is. That's where the concerts are located but youcan also watch the concert from the bridge. Our family has not done that yet, but I hear that it's a spectacular view and you can still hear the music as if you were right on the lawn. Usually the concerts begin around 5 and will last until 10 or 10:30. It's great if you've got kids but it's also great for couples who don't have kids. It's a different kind of date night, and hey, it's free! One thing that we have learned about the concerts is that you are free to bring in our own food as long as it is in the appropriate and approved containers, but beer and other alcohol has to be purchased inside of the park/concert. So if you're like us and have been looking for free and different things to do around town, check out Waterfront Wednesdays! They make for such a fun night!

Our family loves doughnuts. We have a tradition that we eat doughnuts on Friday mornings to celebrate the end of the week. Mostly it has been the end of a school week, but since it's summer, it's become the end of a work week instead. And you all know how we feel about local businesses around town! We can't get enough of them, so we set out to find a local doughnut shop and the girls of High Five Doughnuts did not disappoint! Located on E. Main Street in downtown Louisville, the girls of High Five Doughnuts transformed their once food truck operation into our new favorite doughnut shop in town. One of the things that sets them apart from the other bakeries around town is that you have the option to build your own doughnut by choosing the toppings that you would like to put on top. They also have some pretty amazing staples that they've become known for such as a bacon and maple syrup doughnut and a Kentucky Fried Chicken doughnut. Is your mouth watering yet? Our family tried our the maple syrup and bacon combination as well as a doughnut that had fruity pebbles onto. They were both delicious and were still warm. Yum! Those are the best kind! So if you're out and about in Louisville and are searching for a different kind of doughnut, hit up High Five Doughnuts. I promise, you won't be disappointed!

It's always fun getting out to explore the city, especially since there are so many up and coming areas with great local restaurants and coffee shops. Beechmont is one of those areas in town that I feel is going to take off very soon. We recently went to the area to look at some of the homes that are for sale and we really enjoyed all that the area had to offer. One of the things that really stood out was the amount of parks that are located throughout the area. Most all of them had walking trails and playgrounds for kids to play at. It was a perfect area for families with young children to relocate in. Beechmont also has a very hip coffee shop called Sungeros that we stopped in and ordered a cup of coffee and a pastry. Their coffee was amazing, but we really enjoyed the low key setting of the shop. We also visited a popsicle shop that was much like Steel City Pops on Bardstown Road. All of the ingredients were purchased from local farmers in order to make the popsicles. In fact, you could sit out in the lobby and look through a glass window to watch all of the popsicles being made on site. Not only is the area up and coming, but it is located right down the road from Iroquois Park which is a gem to the city of Louisville. They offer certain events throughout the seasons such as movies in the amphitheater during the summer months and The Pumpkin Spectacular during Halloween. They have amazing bike trails, hiking trails, playgrounds, basketball courts, and great views of the city. If you're out and about, head over to this part of town and check it out. We promise, you'll be very impressed!

NuLu is full is new restaurants, shops, bars and coffee shops. Among all of those new businesses is one of Louisville's oldest family owned businesses, Muth's Candies. Established in 1921, Muth's Candies has always been located downtown on the 500 block, but they relocated in the 60's when their original shop was replaced by the expressway. When you walk into the candy store it's like taking a step back in time. There are antiques that line one entire part of the store that are so fun to look at. While talking to one of the family members I learned that these pieces were mostly antiques from other family members who had passed away. This included engraved beer mugs and roses folded out of paper. The other side of the shop features all of the candies that are made daily in the store. What I found fascinating is that the cases that store the candy were bought second-hand in 1921 when the shop first opened, so they are now over 100 years old. As you browse the cases of candy you will see every kind of candy you could ever imagine. There are chocolate covered raisins and peanuts, caramels, fudge, bourbon balls and their signatures candies, modjeskas, which are named after one of the family's favorite Polish actresses. The modjeskas are mashmallows that are covered in caramel. Not only was I impressed with the delicious candies, but the family who owns the store could have have been more friendly. They were so excited to tell the history of the store and get to know me while I was shopping. One of the uncle's who works in the store told us as we were leaving, "Don't keep us a secret! Tell all your friends, family and neighbors about us!" After...

I recently heard that bald eagles had been spotted at The Parklands of Floyds Fork so I decided to go out on a bike ride to relieve some stress before my afternoon showings to see if I could find him.  Usually when I bike The Parklands I park my car at the very first parking lot at the top of the hill, but this time I decided to park at the egg lawn to cut out the big hill on the way back.  I knew I would be cutting it close on getting to my afternoons showings and I didn't want to fight that tremendous switchback climb on the last leg of my ride.  So I took off from the egg lawn just mildly uncomfortable from the cold looking to the tree tops in hopes to see my very first bald eagle in its natural environment.  I was only about five or ten minutes into my ride when i noticed a silhouette of a large bird perched high in a tree right at the Sara and W.L. Lyons bridge opposite the valley of the giants trail head.    I jumped off my bike to get a closer look as I was doing so I reached for my iPhone to take pictures and videos.

As soon as I got beneath this incredible raptor he flew from his branch into the creek below.  I was within twenty yards of him and just as I turned the video off to try and do Facebook live he pounced in the creek and flew off with what seemed to be a fairly large trout.  I was absolutely amazed and thankful at the same time.  What an incredible creature and what incredible blessing The Parklands are to our city.  It's my family's favorite park and a place where I already have so many great memories.  If you're...

Christmas, my favorite holiday. I have to admit, my four year old daughter was so excited about Christmas this year that she begged me to put up our tree and decorations early. Usually I'm a stickler for waiting to decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but she somehow talked me into it. I wonder if it was her excitement, her sweet little voice, or the way she folded her hands while she begged me to decorate early. Maybe it was a combination of all three, but I'm so glad I did, and now I'm in the Christmas spirit as much as she is! This year Christmas for our family is going to be so fun! Addison is at such a fun age where she's enjoying all the fun activities around town and Evelyn is just enamored with all the lights. Of course I started thinking about all the fun things to do around Louisville at Christmas and a long list was not hard to compile! Louisville always has such fun activities for kids around the holidays and so I thought I would share a few of them with you incase you're looking for something fun to do with your family and loved ones.

-One of my favorite things to do around Louisville this time of year is to visit the Galt House for their annual Kalightoscope experience. I first learned about this event when I took my class on a field trip to it a few years back. It's an amazing display of lights that include everything from Santa and the reindeer to penguins. This event has really grown over the years and it now includes a walk through elf town, a meeting with an ice princess, a meeting with Santa where you get a free digital download of the picture that's taken and even a train ride. Another good thing about this event is that it doesn't end until January, so if you can't make it before Christmas, there's time to visit afterward! It's a must do in my opinion!

-The Kentucky Center for the Arts always offers The Nutcracker in December but my oldest daughter could not sit for that long. In my longing to start traditions with her I found out that...

Our Visit To Gallrein Farms for Pumpkin Picking and a Visit to The Petting Zoo.

Want to know what I love about fall? Everything! There's the crisp, cool weather, football games, the turning of leaves, trick-or-treating, bonfires, boots and scarves, and my favorite; the pumpkin patch. What's not to love about spending the day with your family picking pumpkins and apples? One of my favorite orchards in the Louisville/Shelby County/Frankfort area is Gallrein farms. Some of the other orchards in the area get so crowded around this time of year that it's hard to enjoy all that they have to offer. Gallrein is sort of a hidden gem. Many people know about it, and there are definitely a lot of people on the property when you go to visit, but it never seems overcrowded. I took my two daughters to Gallrein Farms late last week as were in search of tiny pumpkins for my daughter to take to a get together with some of the kids in her preschool class. We had so much fun wandering around the main building looking at all of the pumpkins! What I love about Gallrein's is that you have the option to take a hayride into to a 

field and pick the pumpkin of your choice, but if you'd rather browse the ones that have already been picked, there is a great variety to choose from. One thing I discovered this year is that there is such thing as a gray pumpkin. I fell in love! After our daughter picked the six most perfect pumpkins, we visited Gallrein's deli and candy shop. It is such a quaint little county spot with dim lights, round tables and food...

Picnic, Anchorage KY

My husband and I are always on the hunt for local restaurants to try out whenever we have a date. We enjoy finding new hidden treasures around town that are not part of a chain. Don't get me wrong, we also enjoy visiting some chain restaurants as well, but there is something about trying sometime totally new that you know is only offered where you live. Recently we had the chance to have a date 

early in the morning around brunch. We decided to meet at a local restaurant in Anchorage called Picnic, which is only a few miles from our house. I arrived a few minutes earlier than Mike and decided to sit outside at one of the tables and wait. Anchorage is my absolute favorite part of Louisville. I often tell my husband that I feel like I've stepped into Mayberry when we go there. It so quiet and quaint, people are always smiling, a train runs through the middle of town and I absolutely love the way you automatically are able to relax and slow down from the hustle and bustle of life whenever you're there. The atmosphere of The Picnic was no different. There were a few couples enjoying their morning coffee on the patio while Jack Johnson played in the background, and a nice morning breeze swept over the patio that was shaded by lots of beautiful trees.I was enjoying the relaxation right off the bat! When Mike joined me a few minutes later we went inside the restaurant to order. As we stepped in, there was a quiet hustle among the staff as they were preparing the salad bar for lunch. We were promptly greeted 

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