Pelham, AL

"Home is where you Hang Your Heart!"

Meet the

Debbie Hutchins & Bobby Farris have been "Hanging Hearts" in the Greater Birmingham and Shelby County Area since 1984!

Why RENT when you can OWN your home?

There is NO better time to consider a home purchase than NOW!

Home Inventories are at an all time HIGH

Home prices are at an all time LOW

Interest Rates are historically LOW

Sellers are highly motivated to SELL

There is an abundance of Mortgage Loan Programs available

STOP throwing your hard earned money away on rent when you can be investing it into your future by building equity in your own home + enjoy the tax benefits of homeownership! Give us a call today for an appointment to determine if it is TIME for you to buy a home in 2009!

BOBBY FARRIS DEBBIE HUTCHINS

205-365-1563 205-368-2474

Trust YOUR heart to this Hearthanging Team that prides itself on

Integrity ~ Experience ~ Education

Visit us at www.hearthangers.wordpress.com

Located in the foothills of Oak Mountain, Pelham Alabama is one of the fastest growing cities in Alabama! With Highway 31 and Interstate 65 running right through it, convenience and easy access make it very appealing to Homeowners and Businesses.

There is a nice variety of recreational facilities in Pelham which include Ballantrae Golf Club, Pelham Racquet Club and the Pelham Civic Complex. People come from all over Alabama to enjoy Oak Mountain State Park which includes 10,000 beautiful acres of natural beauty.

Served by the Shelby County school system residents in Pelham attend Valley Elementary, Valley Intermediate, Riverchase Middle and Pelham High School. CLICK HERE for links to each of these fine schools.

Presently you will find NEW HOMES available in Ballantrae, Holland Lakes, Weatherly The Crest, Oakland Hills Eagle Cove and Panther Ridge. There are also many other beautiful Single Family and Townhome subdivisions in Pelham.

The Market Report for Year End 2008 shows Pelham having 292 Homes for sale and a Median Price of $199,900. There were 436 Homes SOLD in Pelham last year after being on the market for an average of 85 Days!

If you are considering Pelham for your next home, or if you presently live in Pelham and would like to sell your home please give me a call! Re/Max First Choice is proud have their offices located in Pelham and serve your real estate needs.

Give Debbie Hutchins a call today! 205-368-2474

Debbie Hutchins a Certified Residential Specialist has been a licensed Realtor since 1987. Serving the Greater Birmingham Area and specializing in Shelby County Debbie is available to assist you with your real estate needs. We hope you have enjoyed reading and hope you will come back! You may also subscribe to "debs doodles" and have it delivered to your email! And as always, you are welcome to search the MLS through Debbies Re/Max website.

The holidays are over and the New Year has been celebrated. As we look back and reflect on where we have been in the past year and make our New Year Resolutions and set our goals for 2009 it is time to take a look at the Sales and Inventory Report with the Statistics of what SOLD in 2008.

This report covers all of the sales reported to MLS in the Over the Mountain and Shelby County Areas. The column Monthly Sales is the number of homes sold, Current Inventory is the number of Active Listings on the market and Months Inventory is showing that we a little over 9 months of Inventory on the ground right now. The Average DOM (Days on Market) shows homes sold on average in 81 days. 97.01% Sold/List means on average the homes sold for 97.01% of their list price.

And what do we have to compare this wonderful year of real estate sales to? Why the previous year of course. So if you are in to crunching numbers feast your eyes on the same report for the same market area in 2007. All show declining accept for Days on Market increased by 10 days, there are 468 MORE homes on the market and the number of months of Inventory on the ground went from 5.93 to 9.44 at the current rate of sale.

So what are your plans for 2009? Have you decided which path you will take? Will YOU be in the market to Buy or Sell a home? While we are experiencing difficult times it is probably wise to cut back on our spending in many areas. Cutting back on the unnecessary items is a good idea, but a roof over your head has always proven to be a necessary item and real estate is still a more secure place to invest your money. And Interest Rates are historically LOW!

There are 3674 homes on the market today in the area that I serve.

Maybe one of those homes is waiting for YOU!

Click on the Search MLS button below and begin your search today!

About the Author

Debbie Hutchins a Certified Residential Specialist has been a licensed Realtor since 1987. Serving the Greater Birmingham Area and specializing in Shelby County Debbie is available to assist you with your real estate needs. We hope you have enjoyed reading and hope you will come back! You may also subscribe to "debs doodles" and have it delivered to your email! And as always, you are welcome to search the MLS through Debbie's Re/Max website.

As we are fast approaching the New Year and a time for New Beginnings in 2009, it is also time to start preparing our

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS!

Everyone has their own resolutions to make based on their personal situations and what seems to be important to them at this particular time in their lives. The following are some of the most popular resolutions from the past.

To Lose Weight

To Get Out of Debt

To Save Money

To Get A Better Job

To Exercise More

To Eat More Healthy Food

To Go Back to School

To Stop Drinking

To Quit Smoking

Ahhhh to MAKE the Resolutions is the EASY part!

The challenge is in KEEPING them!

If you truly want to fulfill your Resolution you must

1. Be committed. Whatever you are trying to achieve should have a plan. Set your goals, make your plan and commit yourself to the end result. It all begins with YOU.
   
2. Don't give up. If you have a minor setback, don't give up. So you ate a cookie, that's OK, just don't eat the whole bag. One cigarette? NOT the end of the world, but NOT another one. Couldn't make it to the gym, fine GO tomorrow. But do not give up!
3. Stay Motivated. Write down your goals, share them with close friends, ask for support, give yourself rewards. Do whatever you can to keep a positive attitude toward your success. You CAN succeed!

And remember that there are all kinds of Resolutions that you can make. They don't have to be limited to the typical ones that are most often made, they can be most anything that might make you feel better about yourself, about who you are and who you want to be. And of course it is nice to be rewarded with good comments and pats on the back from the people around you, but the true reward comes from within. That wonderful proud feeling you have when you accomplish your goals!

There is nothing more fulfilling than to be able to say "I did it!" I made my resolutions, set my goals, committed myself to a plan, kept myself motivated and I was successful!

Have you made your New Years Resolutions? What will you change about yourself this year?

NAR, The National Association of Realtors, which is the largest trade organization in the Nation is excited to participate in one of the greatest New Years Day traditions and have a float in the 2009 Tournament of Roses Parade that will take place on Thursday, January 1, New Years Day in Pasadena, California!

The theme of this 120th Rose Bowl Parade will be Hats Off to Entertainment so NAR has based the theme of their float around "The Swiss Family Robinson" and in conjunction with NAR celebrating it's 100th Anniversary named the float Celebrating the Dream of Home Ownership for 100 Years!

"The Swiss Family Robinson" is a story that has been embraced by the American people as a tribute to the wholesomeness of basic family values. The National Association of Realtors, with its inaugural float, celebrates those values and the true meaning of home ownership.

VIEW THE RENDERING OF THE FLOAT.

What a great time to take part in such a huge celebration and take advantage of an opportunity to remind the American people of one of the most important parts of life, Home Ownership! And what better way than in the words of a song?

NAR has even gone to the extreme of having their own special theme song dedicated to the parade! The famous Charles Fox, composer, along with Oscar winning Marilyn and Alan Bergman have chosen singer Steve Tyrell, a highly regarded balladist to sing the song.

Together they have created an upbeat, feel good song that you can take to your heart and gives you a feeling of "HOME" .....the place where we live our lives.

The following video shares with you the making of this beautiful song that will accompany the float in the parade.

LISTEN TO THE SONG!

And not only can the public watch the parade, this year you can participate in the vote for the Viewers Choice Award to vote for your personal favorite float! WOW, what fun! Let's all inspire the belief of the American Dream of Home Ownership and after watching the parade go to www.ktla.com/roseparade and vote for the NAR float!

VIEW MORE ABOUT THE PARADE OF ROSES

As we wind down from all of the holiday celebrations of Christmas and the meaning of FAMILY is fresh in our minds, lets celebrate the NEW YEAR and the prospect of GREAT things to come! A year of happiness, prosperity and a joyful life.

Life is......a HOME......a SONG......a PARADE!