About Roanoke County, VA

Hello there! This has been a pretty good week for Roanoke Real Estate! We have seen a lot of activity over the last week or so. Housing prices are remainging stable throughout the region. Many Roanoke residents are using the $8000 tax credit to their advantage.

Housing prices in Raleigh Court seems to be up a little this year while South West County and North County have settled just a little. The Williamson Road area, NW and SE have seen a slight adjustment to the market. This is a great time for 1st time buyers to go ahead and make the plunge into the market. The Tax Credit runs out November 30th and I would expect a slight buyer frenzy in late September and October so I would not put things off too long.

If you or anyone you know is looking to buy and does not have money for a down payment, there are two different loan programs out there that would benefit them. There is a USDA loan program and a VHDA loan program that will enable a qualified buyer to buy with no money down. Even if you don't think you can qualify you should get the facts before you count yourself out. It will not cost you anything to find out and you might be surprised at what you can do!

Why should you visit Awful Arthur's and Big Daddy Brewery? If the fact that they RE/MAX 1st REALTY's next door neighbor is not enough reason for you.....how about the fact that we live in an era of large national chains, and this small chain is locally owned and operated? Still not enough? How about the fact that all of the draft beer is brewed right next door at Big Daddy Brewery?

Not only is Awful Arthur's locally owned and operated but it is one of the few restaurants in town where you can walk in and be greeted by management that has been there since the doors were opened! Barry Caldwell, general manager, runs a restaurant that succeeds in satisfying his customers culinary desires as well as their entertainment needs.

Big Daddy started brewing their own beer last September. There have been more recipes added since the initial brew with many fans added along the way! June 30, 2009 Big Daddy's received its off premises beer license and started selling Growlers with resounding success.

Sean Osborne, the brew master, has been living his dream since the day Big Daddy Brewery opened. I don't guess that many of us could hate a job where we get to experiment daily trying to find the perfect beer recipe....combine that with a restaurant that serves everything from chicken fingers to crab legs, wraps to scallops and burgers to shrimp scampi....what more could anyone want?

Frequent guests of Awful Arthur's and raving fans of Big Daddy Brewery will want to investigate becoming a member of the "Mug Club". Mug club members get weekly updates on entertainment via email from Barry Caldwell, discounts of meals, a free t-shirt and a mug with your nickname embossed on it. General Manager Barry and Assistant Manager Travis do an incredible job of making their guests feel like friends and not just patrons, it is a rare day that one or the other does not stop by your table to make sure that your "Awful Experience" was indeed not awful!

Awful Arthur's has been providing the residents of Roanoke with a place to go for 9 years. Nightlife in Roanoke would not be complete without AA's! Barry usually has entertainment scheduled Friday and Saturday nights and sometimes you will find Jerry Wimmer playing a night during the week. Sign up with Barry for email updates and you will never be left out in the cold!

A lot of thought and preparation went into the building and design of Big Daddy Brewery. Big Daddy took over the store front originally occupied by Les Cheveux Salon. Big Daddy occupies approximately 1700 Square feet at Towers Mall. Awful Arthurss took down the wall between the two store fronts and replaced the wall with windows over looking a long line of fermenters.

The back bar looks out to the Kettle and the Mash Lauter Tun. Again, walls were taken down and windows were put between the bar and the Kettle area. Patrons enjoy sitting at the bar watching their favorite sports team and trying to figure out exactly what Sean is going to do back there with all of that beer!

I welcome you to join me at one of my favorite, locally owned and operated, restaurants in Roanoke VA! I can promise you that the food is great, the beer is cold, the wait staff are outstanding and the management is incredible! Awful Arthur's and Big Daddy Brewery are great neighbors to RE/MAX 1st REALTY!

Hi All! We have seen a definite jump in the real estate market this week. I think that a lot of people realize that Congress is not extending the $8000.00 tax credit past November 30, 2009. Please remember that you must be a first time home buyer (if you have not owned a home in the past three years you are considered a first time home buyer) to qulify and the loan MJST close by November 30, 2009. If you meet those two simple criteria than you qualify for $8000.00 back on your taxes next year. It really is that simple! Visit www.RoanokeHomeStore.com to see the area inventory!

If you have any questions please call 540-314-1199.

Thanks for reading,

Damon

Hello all! I want to take a few minutes to write and hopefully save you great heartache in your quest to find the perfect house. Most if not all buyers are looking for a home and not a house. The difference between a home and a house is vast.

A home is a place to be proud of, a place to look forward to coming home to. A home is a place to raise a family or to retire to one day after raising your family. A home is a place to feel safe and secure, a happy place if you will. A home is a place to be proud of!

A house is a place that serves the purpose of providing shelter without regard to any of the proceeding paragraph.

The reason I differentiate a house from a home is that many of you have watched CNN or the other various "experts" speak about real estate today. Key things to keep in mind when watching any news show is that real estate is regional, much like weather. If you do not watch the weather in Florida, Detroit, Arizona or California before you dress for the day, why would you watch and listen to what CNN has to say about the real estate markets in those areas?

I am seeing more and more buyers lose their dream homes due to offers conjured up by too many hours watching TV and not by looking at accurate data and advice provided by their real estate professionals. In the Roanoke area I have noticed lately that buyers seem to lose 2-3 houses before they realize that their REALTOR was being honest with them in the suggested offer price for the home.

When I say that it is a Buyer's Market, I am saying that the inventory is incredible! We have over 6,000 houses on the market so the picky buyer has plenty of inventory to choose from! Suggestions for buyers? Find a REALTOR who is willing to explain the market to you, ask them to show you the data, trust them to do their part. REALTORS depend on repeat and referral clients for business, they do not make money or stay in the business long by deceiving clients or steering them the wrong way. It really is a partnership that can be mutually beneficial!

Happy house shopping!

Damon

Hi and welcome to my site! I would like to take a minute and tell you a little about who I am, what my education and credentials actually mean and how I work for you.

I was born in Lynchburg Va back in 1972....one of four boys. My dad was a Souhtern Baptist preacher so we ended up moving a lot! (The last time I counted I think I was up to eighteen moves) After graduating from Buffalo Gap High School near Staunton Virginia I joined the US Army with all intentions of going to the desert to fight in Dessert Storm. I didn't make it to Desert Storm before it was over which I guess in retrospect would be a good thing. I was proud to serve my Country and glad that I have that experience behind me so I can better appreciate what our soldiers think and feel. Once I was discharged from the military (honorably by the way!) I went to work for the Virginia Department of Corrections....boy what a wake up call! The military is entirely black and white and the prison system is all shades of grey. It did not take me long to realize that if I wanted a future I needed to stretch my ambitions and my horizons! The next ten years took me through a series of sales oriented jobs such as: insurance salesman, car salesman, office equipment sales, electronics sales/management for a Fortune 500 Company. It wasn't until a corporate layoff that I finally followed my heart and dreams and entered the world of real estate.

I started my career with a large regional company in the Roanoke Valley. I loved real estate and selling Roanoke from my very first day! I loved what I was doing and was good at it...that is a great combination by the way! Within several years of starting in the business, corporate America came in and bought the company I was with. I went from being Damon Gettier to being Agent #_ _ _ _ _. I had enough of corporate America after my layoff before getting into real estate! (I can definitely emphasize with the people today who get laid off for being good at what they do.....it isn't right or fair!) Because of the corporate American policys Ranny Humphreys and I decided to leave the company we were with buy into RE/MAX Allegiance. RE/MAX Allegiance was the #1 selling RE/MAX brokerage in the World and we were able to open REMAX franchises in both Roanoke Virginia and Blacksburg Virginia. After four years with REMAX Allegiance, Ranny and I decided that the only way we could stay competitive in the market place while still offering our agents a high degree of service and support was to separate from Allegiance. It was a bittersweet time since we had made such good friends with our partners and associates over the previous four years. Our previous partners will always be in our thoughts and prayers as RE/MAX 1st Realty comes to fruition in the Roanoke and Blacksburg markets.