About Saline County, AR

There are still lots of people in the Central Arkansas area that have never heard of Lake Norrell. Lake Norrell is really coming out these days. The change started about 3 years ago. Tolleson Land & Timber Company decided to sell some of its holdings on Lake Norrell road and on North Lake Norrell Dr. Keeping it in mind none of this property is lake front, in fact, none of it is even lake view. What has happened is a real metamorphisis. Large parecels of land have been cut up into smaller parcels and some of the original purchasers of Tolleson property, have started to sell. The end result is new houses popping up everywhere. While most of the property that has been sold isn't lake front or even lake view, some people realized that a "breathtaking" view of the foothills of the Ozarks is pretty darn special in itself. This flurry of real estate activity got a little attention for Lake Norrell.

The next thing to happen was the extension of public water to almost all of Northern Saline County including the Lake Norrell areas. This along with recent property sales, made investors aware there might be some potential in buying property for future development. Up until this point, Lake Norrell residents had a couple of choices for water. One was to drill a well and the other was to draw water from the lake. Hauling drinking water was quite common for many Lake Norrell residents. With the opportunity to have access to "city water" was really an attention getter. This also helped with many residents concerns about what septic systems in the area could be doing to the lake or even to the groundwater. Most residents of Lake Norrell were eager to accept this added benefit to their lifestyle and their enjoyment of this beautiful lake.

All this has made lake front property even more in demand and therefore more valuable. Many city dwellers woke up to the fact they could live on a beautiful lake and get up and drive to work in Little Rock, less than 40 minutes away, which is an easy commute. Some realized they could live in Little Rock, Bryant or Benton, and have a weekend get-a-way from the nagging responsibilities of home. Many, who had eagerly bought property around Lake Hamilton or Lake Quachita and live in Little Rock, saw an opportunity to have the benefits of a less crowded lake, much closer to home and more avaialble.

The main thing that makes Lake Norrell special is its people. They come from all walks of life and from many different professions but main thing they have in common is their love for Lake Norrell. They enjoy the community fund raisers, the 4th of July fireworks display and the other community activities that makes Lake Norrell such as special place. The main thing they enjoy is the quite serenity and the cool breeze that is forever present or at least when I've been there. Lake Norrell really is the best kept secret.

I, like most people, am not always the most enthusiastic person. Sometimes we feel tired, sometimes things don't go our way or we get drawn into the whole negative world that the news media perpetuates, etc... we can always change our level of enthusiasm.

Think of children who are always amazed at discovering new things. I personally like to draw inspiration from a couple of my TV heroes: The late Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) and Bear Grylls (Man vs. Wild). Steve loved sharing his experiences with others and it showed. Bear has a overall zest for life and also enjoys sharing his experiences with other people.

In our business, it is a must to be enthusiastic. We are helping people enjoy the dream of home ownership - what a cool thing to be involved in! Plus our enthusiasm can bleed over and inspire others we come in contact with. Maybe one of our sellers is down and needs some positive re-assurance when all the feedback has been negative. Perhaps a buyer is discouraged, and needs us to let them know that their dream home might be the next home listed.

Every memorable act in the history of the world is a triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it because it gives any challenge or any occupation, no matter how frightening or difficult, a new meaning. Without enthusiasm you are doomed to a life of mediocrity but with it you can accomplish miracles.
Og Mandino

Have a fantastic day, and make someone else's while you're at it!

Mitchell


Mitchell Scott Mote CRS
Executive Broker
Weichert Realtors, Pat Mote Properties
Selling Central Arkansas Real Estate
mitchell@patmote.com
501-860-3547

Well Fall is in the air, and home sales are really picking up here in Central Arkansas. Many people are under the assumption that Spring is the best time to buy and sell homes. I don't know why, but my best time has always been the Fall.

Things have been looking up now for awhile and it's not a turn in the economy that's spurring on the sales - it's the fact that we never were grossly overpriced with our inventory in Central Arkansas Real Estate market like some areas of the country were. (before the economic downturn)

We are truly blessed to have the new construction inventory at a good balance as well. I've heard that some areas had a massive over abundance before the slide and have not fared so well - leading to problems like an entire new construction neighborhood falling prey to the dreaded "repo neighborhood status" label now required by certain guidelines within the appraisal industry. Or squatters coming in and taking up residence in vacant, repo homes. There was even a story on the news I saw (and subsequently felt physically sick) which filmed an entire neighborhood of new construction homes being demolished by the bank because they were too much of a liability sitting vacant for so long.

No, we don't have the problems that many areas of the country have experienced, although sellers with homes for sale in Central Arkansas have felt a pinch, especially if they bought their home from 2003 to 2005-6 range, and paid minimum down when the market was at it's peak. But overall we are faring rather well.

God bless you and yours this Fall season.

Mitchell Mote CRS

Executive Broker, Wiechert Realtors, Pat Mote Properties

www.mitchellmote.com
mitchell@patmote.com

My partner and I had decided to hold a HOMEBUYER'S SEMINAR. One of our main concerns was being able to get the word out without a lot of expense. My company has a PR person that is always asking for any kind of news that they may be able to share with the media outlets. (Especially since the media is all doom and gloom!) So, I figured I would see if they could do anything with this. I emailed them some details on the seminar and then they worked their magic. They were able to write an awesome article and sent it to all of the local newspapers. Thankfully, they ALL published the article. They also sent it to the local TV stations, and our ABC affiliate contacted me about being on their Saturday Day Break Morning Show. My first thought was OMG!!! WHAT HAVE I DONE!!! I've never been on TV before! I was SO nervous, yet excited. Oh well, I didn't have anything to lose, just my pride, dignity, and the thought that I could be the laughing stock of the real estate community in CENTRAL ARKANSAS and that's not to mention my family. But, as a Realtor always looking for cheap marketing, it just doesn't get any better than this. I couldn't pass this up.

SO, to make a long story short. We did it! My partner and I were on TV talking about the market in our area and promoting our seminar. And the best part is, it was absolutely FREE! Have you checked into how much a 30 second commercial costs? This was about 4-5 minutes. There's no way we could have paid for that kind of advertising.

I must give a huge kudos to my PR department!!! They took my few details and turned it into an amazing article.

You never know what you may get if you never put yourself out there and ask!

The following is a report of Single Family Detached Listings in Benton, AR

January 1, 2008 - December 31, 2008:

• 417 listings CLOSED
• Average SELLING PRICE was $134,910
• Lowest Sold Price $15,000
• Highest Sold Price $705,000

• Average Days on Market was 86
• Lowest Days on Market was 0
• Highest Days on Market was 518

We are beginning 2009 with 246 ACTIVE Single Family Detached Listings:

• Average Listing Price is $184,989
• Lowest Listing Price is $17,000
• Highest Listing Price is $1,280,000