Hoover, AL

 

Performance of Handel's Messiah at Riverchase United Methodist Church

 

Handel's Messiah was presented yesterday at Riverchase United Methodist Church in Hoover AL.  It was the 62nd annual performance by the Alabama Civic Chorale, and was conducted by Bebe Clark Kok.  There are nearly 100 voices in the chorus and they were accompanied by 13 players in the orchestra and organist, Walt Rogers.

 

The performance included Parts One, Two and Three ~ Prophecies and Fulfillments ~ The Passion ~ The Triumph.

 

We though we would be smart and arrive 30 minutes early.  It wasn't early enough.....the sanctuary was already filled and chairs were being set up in the narthex, which is where we sat.  Even so, we were close enough that we could see everything and enjoy the music too.  It was wonderful and a great beginning to the Christmas season (yes, I know it's not quite Thanksgiving).

 

Some history about Messiah:

George Frideric Handel composed this work at his home in only about three weeks, from August 22 to September 14, 1741.  The first performance took place in Dublin, Ireland at the New Musick-Hall on April 13, 1742 with about 50 musicians.  Westminster Abbey has seen performances with hundreds of voices.  According to tradition, King George was so moved by the Hallelujah Chorus that he stood and removed his crown.  The entire audience was required by court etiquette to do so as well.  Whether he was standing to honor the king of kings or needed to stretch his legs is a matter that some disagree about, but in any case, listeners still stand for the singing of this chorus.

 

 

 

 

Wow! Here It Is - the Final Word on the Tax Credit.

The House and Senate voted and President Obma just signed into law a bill that extends the First Time Home Buyer's TAX CREDIT. This means if you have never owned a home before OR have not owned a home in the last 3 years, you can get a Tax Credit of 10% of the purchase price of the home you buy. There is a cap of $8000 for the 1^st Time Home Buyer Tax Credit so if your house costs more than $80,000, then 8K is all you get. But that is a nice little chunk of change. You MUST have a house picked out and Under Contract by April 30^st and you MUST be closed by June 30 to receive the tax credit.

This extension also adds a provision for NON-1^st Time Home Buyers who want to BUY A NEW HOME.. If you have owned a home for the last 5 years and buy a new home (your primary residence - not a vacation home), you can get a TAX CREDIT equal to 10% of the purchase price of your New home (with a cap of $6500). The income limit for the non-1^st time home buyer is 125,000 for a single person and 250,000 for a couple. You also MUST have a house picked out and Under Contract by April 1^st and you MUST be closed by June 30 to receive the tax credit.

If you were waiting for something great to happen THIS IS IT. Not only can 1^st time buyers get a credit, but also people who would like to move up to a bigger home, or downsize to something more manageable.

Interest rates are still low - the last time I looked, they were under 5% for most borrowers and in spite of what you may hear, the banks have plenty of money to lend for home purchases. Also, you get a CREDIT - Not a deduction, so you will pay up to $8000 or $6500 depending on which category you are in, in less tax. If your tax bill is less than the credit amount, you will get CASH BACK!

If you haven't already done so, now is the time to contact a lender and get pre-approved for a loan. There is nothing you have to apply for to get the credit, just request the credit when you file your 2009 tax return if you close in 2009, or your 2010 return if you close in 2010.

You can shop for houses on line at my website www.ToniBird.com, At the top left corner, click on Search the MLS. When you are ready, contact me and I'll help you find the home of your dreams.

One of the most important things for families looking to buy is to determine the best schools in an area. Most people looking to buy in Hoover know that the school system is very strong. In fact, when we moved to the area several years ago looking for the best schools, people told us that you really couldn't go wrong with any of them which I think is probably the case.

Having said that, I have put together one way of determining the best schools in Hoover, which I think is pretty objective and independent and as good as any. I used the results of the SAT in each grade at each school for each curriculum (reading, math, language, etc...) for the year 2008-2009 and did a simple average to come up with a ranking. This results-oriented approach is only one way of looking at it and there are certainly other factors (e.g., quality of facility and staff) that determine the quality of a school but you can't argue with results.

at right, a photo of Greystone Elementary --->

Take a look at the chart below and you can see that the top-performing elementary schools in Hoover are Greystone, Riverchase, Deer Valley and Bluff Park. All four of these outperform the average for the Hoover system overall.

Before anyone starts to conclude that the schools at the lower end of the list are "bad" schools, keep in mind how all of these schools stack up against national and state averages. As noted in the chart explanation, the national average NPR is 50%. The Alabama state average, for example, is 58% NPR for 5th grade reading and 54% for 7th grade math. ALL OF THE SCHOOLS LISTED AT LEFT ARE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE STATE AND NAIONAL AVERAGES!

Now onto to the three middle schools in the Hoover City Schools System. As shown in the chart below, of the three, the top performer USING THE SAT COMPOSITE CRITERIA I DEVELOPED is Berry Middle School.

Above: Photo of Bumpus Middle

I encourage you to get as much information on your own at alabama schools to make your own determination about test results and to visit hoover city schools to gather more information about the system and each individual schools. Paying them a visit is also a great idea.

So where do you buy if you want to get into one of the best schools in Hoover? Contact me at sold@markcrain.com and I'll be happy to provide you listings according to your criteria. Keep in mind though, if you are set on Hoover, you really can't go wrong with any of the schools!

Home sales in Hoover, Alabama dipped to 77 in October 2009. This was down from 93 in September, but still a lot higher than the 58 sales we saw in October of 2008. Prices on home sales closed in October ranged from $84,500 for a 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath condo at Four Seasons off Lorna Rd., to $800,000 for a new construction home in the Glascott section of Ross Bridge. One other property sold for under 100K - a 2 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath townhome in Windhover (off Old Rocky Ridge Road) sold for $85,900. This totally renovated, 4 Bedroom, 3.5 Bath in Eden View with a view of the lake sold for $310,000. Eight homes sold in Ross Bridge, 7 sold in Riverchase and 5 sold in Trace Crossings.

There is an incredible selection of homes currently available for sale in Hoover, Alabama. There are several new condo complexes with 133 units for sale and Townhomes are also a great choice for the 1^st time home buyer (there are 70 of those on the market as of today). You'll find prices from $51,900 up.

Hoover is a great community with a short commute time to downtown Birmingham.

If you would like to see what homes are for sale in Hoover, Alabama, take a look on my site. Under "location", scroll down to Hoover and you'll see everything Hoover has For Sale.