Louisiana

Lake Charles, Louisiana has it's share of Fine Homes & Estates. I usually preview the subdivisions South of town, but don't want to forget one of the most memorable landmarks of our City which is Shell Beach Drive.

Shell Beach drive is one of the streets that make up the boundaries for Margaret Place Historical District.

Located on the Southeast side of the Lake, Shell Beach Drive runs from Clarence Street all the way to the Port of Lake Charles.

The stretch of Shell Beach that borders the lake is also lined with beautiful 100 year oak trees. One estate in particular along Shell Beach is home to a famous 170 year old Oak tree known as the “Calcasieu Manor Tree”. This oak tree is registered with the Live Oak Society of the Louisiana Garden Club Federation .The "Calcasieu Manor" tree also has a caretaker and seedlings are harvested from the tree and sent to the coastline to be used in conservation preservation. There are three more old established oak trees located in the front of the property that were planted as seedlings from this 170+ year old tree!

There are many styles of homes along Shell Beach from Georgian Manors, Louisiana Acadian, Floridian Stucco to English Tudor. Each fine estate home is unique in more ways than one and most are historic landmarks dating to the early 19th Century, although there are some newly constructed homes.

The homes of Shell Beach Drive in Lake Charles LA are grand southern homes and many have been occupied by generations of the same family. Some of the features of these million dollar homes include guest house, carriage house, private wharf, pool, butler pantry's and silver closets!

One of these southern family estates was the home of famous country western star, Lynne Anderson when she married Louisiana oilman, Harold Stream III and lived in Lake Charles.

Shell Beach Drive has always been in Lake Charles history and there are many stories and little known facts about some of these estate homes.

There are also many tales of the famous Pirate Jean Lafitte who is said to have docked in Lake Charles. One story that includes Jean Lafitte has to do with the oldest house in Lake Charles which is the Sallier-Barbe house located on Shell Beach Drive. Charles Sallier and his wife Catherine were quite good friends with Jean Lafitte, but Sallier had become jealous of his wife and Lafitte — As legend tells it, one day Charles Sallier thought that Catherine was having an affair with Jean Laffite. In his rage, he picked up his pistol and shot Catherine. When Catherine fell to the ground, he thought he had killed her, so he jumped on his horse and fled, never to be heard from again. However, Catherine survived the shot by a simple piece of jewelry – her brooch! When the pistol was fired the bullet lodged in the large brooch Catherine was wearing. This brooch is a family heirloom that the Barbe family still treasures.

Whether you are looking for an estate or a cottage home in Lake Charles LA I would love to give you a tour of homes available in the Lake Charles area. Call or Email me today, MARILYN BOUDREAUX, 337 499 9592, marilyn.boudreaux@century21.com.

Beautiful golf course view from this spacious Baton Rouge Capital Heights area home. Mother-in-law unit with full kitchen and separate entrance. Main floor living with chef's kitchen, formal dining room, three bedrooms and a master bedroom with walk-in closet and luxury bathroom. Located within minutes of shopping and I-10 access.

http://www.5243greenside.com/

Nothing good has ever come from a committee. The Ford Pinto? Approved by a committee. American Idol has a committee. How many of the previous nine "Idol" winners can you name off hand? I can only name two without the Internet.

Committees cause ration individuals to make horrible group decisions. Home shopping is no different. Add too many heads and you will soon have a giant headache. Uncle Bob loves gas fireplaces, Aunt Pearl would NEVER live in a home with a gas fireplace. You then begin to wonder how they have been married for twenty five years!

One of the joys of home ownership is the ability to customize YOUR home. After years of living under a rental agreement, now is the time to make YOUR mark.

After working hard and living responsibly the pleasures of home ownership are within reach. Upon closing invite Uncle Bob and Aunt Pearl over to see your new place. Just don't let them linger near the fireplace!

I just closed on this Sulphur, LA home located at 505 W. Parish Road. The exciting thing about this closing is:

• This was a Referral Client

• This was a dream come true for first time home buyers!

Last November I began to work with first time home buyers who needed to find a large home to raise their family of 5 children. This nice young couple are family members of a Realtor who lives in San Antonio, TX. When you work in real estate and the time arises for you to purchase your own home in a new location or assist a family member, you want that same attention to detail that you provide you provide your own clients with. In other words, the bar is raised high! I know when my son was purchasing a home in Lafayette, LA I was very particular with my referral and who I trusted!

Realtor services extend far beyond just that of local real estate. If you are relocating to a new community or need a referral, Realtors have those connections and can assist you!

Christmas is usually a busy time of the year for all of us when we are shopping and attending all the festive parties. Sometimes real estate can take a back seat to real estate during the month of December. This contract to purchase 505 Parish Road was written and accepted on Christmas Eve!! This was the firsit exciting step for the Sonnier family and a wonderful Christmas present to receive! We even conducted our inspection on New Year's Eve!

The Sonnier Family had been living in a mobile home, 505 W Parish Road is really a dream come true for this family!

I was fortunate to get to work with my husband, Craig Boudreaux of Louisiana Mortgage Associateson this deal. In the process, the Sonniers became part of our own extended family. We have texted, posted and emailed, sharing the roll a coaster of emotions to a very happy ending!

Sometimes the purchase process can be overwhelming to first time home buyers. Emotions arise with the fear of not being able to obtain financing and the unknown factors of when to begin packing and give notice to the current landlord. The right Realtor can make all the difference in the world to put your mind at ease, hold your hand and guide you through each step.

First time home buyers also can run into hurdles with financing--maybe they don't have enough credit history, or perhaps there is a history that needs to be addressed. It is just as important to choose a loan officer that will help you accomplish these tasks and offer suggestions of loan products that will be the best scenario.

If you are looking to purchase a home in Southwest Louisiana or simply need a referral for a friend or a family member, I would love to assist you. You may contact me via email, phone or text. marilyn.boudreaux@century21.com, 337-499-9592 No matter where you may be going, I have a strong referral network in place and can point you to an experienced Realtor anywhere in the USA and even Canada!

Allstate Corp. (ALL), the largest publicly traded U.S. auto insurer, is investing in energy and real estate as near record-low interest rates squeeze income from bonds, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Wilson said.

“For insurance companies or long-term investors, obviously, low interest rates reduce the economic upside we have from investing in America,” Wilson said in a phone interview yesterday after Allstate announced fourth-quarter results. “It encourages people to invest in different things. Sometimes those different things are real assets.”

Insurers invest in fixed-income securities to back policyholder liabilities and generate income. Yields on their portfolios have been under pressure as the Federal Reserve holds its benchmark interest rate at between zero and 0.25 percent.

The central bank last week extended its pledge to keep interest rates low through at least late 2014. About half of Allstate’s $95.6 billion portfolio was in corporate bonds as of Dec. 31, according to a presentation on the Northbrook, Illinois-based company’s website. The insurer also has holdings of Treasuries, municipal debt and mortgage-backed securities.

“When you’re getting less than 2 percent on a 10-year Treasury, or 3 percent on a corporate bond for 10 years, it doesn’t feel like as good of a return relative to the risk,” said Wilson. The insurer has increased investments in oil and gas assets and equity real estate, he said.