Birmingham Alabama Fall Parade of Homes

It starts this weekend! The Fall Parade of Homes has arrived! The largest home extravaganza is beginning September 29-30 and will also be the next two Saturdays and Sundays on October 6-7 and October 13-14, 2007.

This year promises to be the largest ever with 222 homes and 2 remodeled homes on display. There will be homes showing ranging from a starter home for the first time home buyer to high end luxury homes for those looking to make a move upward.

I have been going since before I was in involved in real estate, and personally just love to look at homes and see the new trends in architecture, home technology, and dream build.

Join the parade and check out some amazing homes!

For more information, visit the Fall Parade of Homes website.

To hear the Rick and Bubba radio ad, listen here

Mountain Brook Alabama Real Estate Guide and Community Tour

Local developer, Robert Jemison, developed Mountain Brook in 1929 to be mostly residential. It was later developed in 1942.

Mountain Brook has its own school system with four elementary schools: Mountain Brook Elementary, Cherokee Bend Elementary, Brookwood Forest Elementary, and Crestline Elementary, one junior high school: Mountain Brook Junior High, and one high school: Mountain Brook High School.

There are three shopping villages in Mountain Brook. These were part of the original plan developed by Warren H. Manning, a Boston-based landscape architect who had developed plans calling for three shopping villages called "English Village", "Mountain Brook Village" and "Crestline Village.

You can find out more about Mountain Brook by checking out: Mountain Brook on Wikipedia, Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce, Mountain Brook web site.

To see the full version of the tour visit Mountain Brook Real Estate Guide and Community Tour

Calming the Fears of the Home Buying Process: Addressing People

First of all, we admit it, home buying and selling is scary. You know it, we know it, and we admit it. The big question is, what are we scared of?

What are we scared of?

We have found that there are about three things that probably scare you most about buying a home.

Our hope over the next few days is that we will be able to give you some behind-the-scenes secrets that will help you deal with the 3 things that scare you most about buying a home.
So what are these three things? We have identified them as:

1. Cost

2. Commitment

3. People. (We tried, but we couldn't come up with three c's.)

Third, we want to address people. Who can you trust in this home buying process? This is a big investment we're talking about. And it seems that everyone is out to make as much money as possible OFF of you!

There are sellers, real estate consultants, lenders, builders, movers, and attorneys, all of whom may be strangers, and have a vested interest when you buy a home. It's easy to be afraid that they will take you to the cleaners. (To see more about these people please see, Birmingham Alabama Home Buying Process: Eighth is the Pest Control Operator and Who Are All These Other People? and all the links at the end of it.)

The behind-the-scenes secret is to check their references. Really. Many lenders and real estate consultants operate on a referral basis - in which they ask clients to refer them to others they know are buying a home. Those who offer "lifetime relationships" and other services (like Free Reports and seminars on buying or selling homes) are already striving to meet your needs.

In reality, they are NOT all out to get you - because in the long run, the BEST business strategy is to make sure that you get what you need and want in a home.

Buying a home must up there at the top of all frightening experiences, but, the reality is, is that many of us will buy a home and do it again during our lifetime.

By giving you a these "behind-the-scenes" secrets, we hope to help you deal with the 3 things that scare you most about buying a home.