Cookeville, TN

Hello all, and what will the market look like this coming week? Be sure to check back in at the end of the week for my special ongoing edition of the Cookeville Tennessee area housing market. I am expanding on my weekly statistics to include Putnam County AND surrounding areas in our MLS system. Note: sales only pertain to our Multiple Listing Service statistics.

Talk about a great increase in August! The back to school rush is on and home sales in our area are on the rise!

Multi-class includes: land, residential, commercial, and multi-family

Lets take a look at this weeks stats for our Cookeville Tennessee UPPER CUMBERLAND area:

NOTE: THESE STATISTICS ARE PULLED FROM THE U.C.A.R (UPPER CUMBERLAND AREA OF REALTORS(R) MLS)

JULY 2008:

• SOLD LISTINGS - MONTH OF JULY = 160 TOTAL MULTI-CLASS ~ 55 WERE RESIDENTIAL HOMES SOLD IN PUTNAM COUNTY
• ACTIVE LISTINGS - LISTED THE MONTH OF JULY 08 = 380 TOTAL MULTI CLASS ~ 93 WERE RESIDENTIAL IN PUTNAM COUNTY

AUGUST 2008:

THIS WEEK IN AUGUST!

• SOLD LISTINGS - WEEKLY STATISTICS 08/17/08 - 08/23/08 = 35 TOTAL SOLD MULTI-CLASS ~ 17 WERE RESIDENTIAL HOMES SOLD IN PUTNAM COUNTY
• ACTIVE LISTINGS - LISTED WEEK OF 08/18/08 - 08/22/08 = 85 TOTAL LISTED MULTI-CLASS ~ 19 WERE RESIDENTAL LISTINGS IN PUTNAM COUNTY

• AUGUST TOTAL SOLD TO DATE- 112 total Multi- Class (upper cumberland area)

*These statistics are deemed reliable, but not guaranteed and pertains to Putnam County and surrounding areas, which includes the City of Cookeville, TN. Putnam County population at an estimated 30 thousand

For more information on Cookeville homes call Kay or visit my websites:

I myself live in a historic home in Algood,Tn. I have took lots of time and effort to restore it to its orginal beauty. It took 10 months of hard work and dedication but it paid off in the long run. The previous owners did not take the time to take good care of the home and left me to do all the work. Since i had the work done my home is one of the most beautiful historic homes in Algood, Tn. With a little work and time you can make sure you dont leave the next owners of your historic home with all the work to do.

As a home ages, a diligent maintenance program can help you avoid costly repairs. Here are some helpful tips:

Consult with licensed electrical, plumbing and heating specialists for an initial evaluation and arrange schedules for routine maintenance.

Older homes often have less insulation. To help prevent pipes from freezing, you can insulate the pipes directly, shut off exterior faucets and maintain a comfortable heating temperature at all times. If your pipes do freeze, exercise care when thawing them. You can try applying hot rags and always begin thawing at the faucet side so that melted water may escape.

Repairing or re-pointing mortar walls and chimneys becomes necessary if:
- mortar is missing or cracked
- bricks or stones are loose
- walls are damp or plaster work is damaged

During a rainstorm, check to see if gutters and downspouts are properly transferring water away from the house. Gutters may need to be cleaned and downspouts redirected or extended to improve drainage around the foundation.

Proper ventilation and updated insulation in the attic can reduce the potential for damage or deterioration due to excess moisture and also reduce energy usage.

Fuel lines can corrode or develop loose connections and should be checked by a professional for leakage.

Schedule a periodic inspection of your roof to evaluate its condition. The type of roof covering will determine how often this should be done.

Check the flashing around windows, skylights and chimneys to prevent rain from penetrating.

When you buy a new home in 10 years you will be ready for a change. That is when you have to decide if you want to renovate, move, build a new home or just live with what you got. There are many factors involved in your decision to renovate vs. moving to or building a new home vs. doing nothing. Some factors are emotional and some are financial. No one can really tell you what is the best choice for you, but here are some issues you may want to consider. The choice is totally yours to decide what you want to do. Whats best for your family and your bank account.

Factors to consider
How much do you like the current location of your home (your neighborhood, town, etc.)?

What would be the consequences of moving, both good and bad (your commute, children's schools, living farther from or closer to friends and relatives, etc.)?

What is the aesthetic or historic value to you and to society of your current home?

What are all the costs of moving?

What are your emotional ties to your current home? Did you grow up in this home? Did your parents grow up in the home? Did your grandpa build it with his own 2 hands?

Is your home equal to, below, or higher than neighborhood standards relating to newness and style of features in kitchen and bath, square footage, and maintenance/degradation?

How soon would you be thinking of moving from your current home, after a renovation?

What would be the cost of renovating?

What would be the equity gain/assessed value of your home after renovating?

What is it you're really looking to achieve in a renovation, and is it something that is even likely to be found in the marketplace (by moving)? Do you think you can find a house with the dream kitchen you want for the same pprice of selling your home?

Check out my weekly gas buster blog for Cookeville Tennessee! Keeping you updated on the search to find the cheapest gas in town!

Well folks, here were are again. I just filled my tank for the week and am pleased to announce another fall in gas prices. Down from last week $3.54 a gallon for regular at McGugins on Washington Ave. is now $3.46 a gallon. Smiles here as this is much needed for our local economy.

Kangaroo's tied for regular on Spring Street! Good job Kangaroo!

Kroger creeps up one penny to $3.47 per gallon regular

Walmart in Cookeville creeps up 2 cents!

And falling down the pack is BP on Spring at $3.49

The cheapest heard of in the area...Raceway in Livingston, TN is now at $3.25 for regular!!!

As these aren't all the gas stops in town, it will give you an idea of where our local gas prices are at! All in all, still great drops and hopefully we will see further decreases to come! Tune in next week for great tips on where to find the cheapest gas!

Your Tennessee Real Estate Professional is on the job!

KAY BENNETT ~ FIRST REALTY ~ COOKEVILLE, TN

931-510-8601 CELL

Come on down to the good ole' county fair! Ahhh, remember when you were young and you were ansy in your seat all day! The school bell rang, and everyone just flew out of the school house racing to get home!... It's County Fair Nite! Yippee! Remembering the smell of that carnival food makes me hungry! My favorite of course is Funnel Cakes! All the excitment, loud noises and busy people playing games, searching for "whats the new ride" this year, and then lets not forget on our way out...All those freebies! pens, papers, magnets, bottle openers, etc...Just can't get enough of it all to put in your junk drawer for the rest of the year! Yes Sir! I never run out of sticky note pads and pencils!!

This year's Putnam County fair is August 7 thru 16th and includes the old favs like rides, exhibits, petting zoo, sheep show, strong man contest, western dance competition, etc... Yep, sure is shootin', I'll probably see you there!

Check back in for more local events of Putnam county in Cookeville Tennessee!

For more info. here is the link: http://www.putnamcountyfair.org/