About Jefferson County, AL

August 2011 Market Statistics for Homes Sold in Trussville AL

(Single Family Residences)

Units Sold: 27

Average List Price: $221,879

Average Sold Price: $214,624

Average Days on Market: 244

Compare August 2010:

Units Sold: 20

Average List Price: $255,755

Average Sold Price: $241,279

Average Days on Market: 119

There are currently 301 homes for sale in Trussville ranging from $34,900 to $799,900 (per Birmingham MLS)

If you would like updated information or details for this or any community in or around Birmingham, Jefferson or Shelby Counties, please feel free to call or send me an email. I would love to hear from you!

Looking for a local expert to help with your real estate needs?

Google one here!

Courtesy of Ann Allen, CDPE, e-Pro, SRES, ASP

205.902.4868

Keller Williams

One Chase Corporation Drive, Suite 150

Hoover, AL 35244

© 2011 Ann Allen, All rights reserved

Photos taken by Ann Allen and may not be reproduced without express written permission of Ann Allen, Keller Williams Realty, Hoover AL. Please check if Creative Commons License as been granted for this or other photography provided by Ann Allen. Permission usually granted if credit is given with a link back. Thank you for your understanding.

Birmingham is Going Greek:  The 39th Annual Greek Festival

It's finally ALMOST here.  I'm talking about the 39h Annual 39th Greek Festival to be held next weekend (September 29, 30 & October 1.  My friend Georgia Cosmas called me yesterday to see if I could distribute some flyers for the festival.  Asking was just a formality.  How do you say no to Georgia?  I'll tell how....... you don't.

The hub of the 39th Annual Greek Festival will be at the Holy Trinity - Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Catheral located at 307 19th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35205 (Birmingham's Southside District near UAB).  The festival will be full of food, fun, dancing, food, arts, crafts, jewelry, food, clothing, and did I mention food.  Below is the mention, but you can also oder take out for 10 or more.  I'll post that menu later.

Mark your calendar and eat lightly this week because the weekend of September 29th, you little eyes and tummy won't be able to resist any of this delicious fare:

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For Sale By Owners: You've Got Options

Since the beginning of Bham WIiRE's existence, our motto has been "You've Got Options" and now, I am glad to say that you have even more options.

I've recently become an Accredited Consutant in Real Estate® (ACRE®). As such, you've got more choices than you've ever had before as it relates to the approach that you use to sell your home and how you pay for the services that you received from an ACRE®.

We've always understood that you're just trying to save money in real estate agent commissions and I understand that many agents have resented you for that. At the risk of being an outcast in my industry, I must say that I've always understood the need and desire of For Sale by Owners to save on commission. Who doesn't want to save money? I can't think of a soul.

The real dilemma for you has been "the all or nothing" approach offered by Realtors® and real estate agents alike. You know what I mean: the approach whereby the real estate agent is fully in charge of every aspect of the process and you pay a designated commission upon the sale of the home.

For many years, if you were unsuccessful at selling your homes, you may have ultimately listed with an agent and given that one and only "all or nothing option".

As an ACRE, I can offer you more choices in ways that are important to you be allowing you to choose from a menu of services. And the best part about that is that you get to pay for only the services that you desire. Now before you get too excited, trust me when I say that I am not talking about taking a single penny from you just for sticking your listing in the MLS. There are enough companies that offer that service and not much, if anything, else.

Make no mistake, I am a Realtor® and I take that very seriously. My experience and training has prepared me to:

1. be an advocate for you,
2. offer you sound counsel and guidance,
3. offer you the representation unmatched by an untrained person attempting to sell their home and most importantly
4. manage and troubleshoot the pitfalls known widely throughout the world that is real estate.

I've been trained to do far more than that and as a practicing Realtor®, my experience counts for far more than you think. Sure you'll save money, given your options, but that is not synonymous with discounting. There are many that won't grasp the concept of consulting services including real estate agents. But think about it, those are the same people who didn't believe that FSBO websites would proliferate the way that they have. Those are the people who are all to comfortable with the "way that things have always been done." And it's quite possible that those are the people who fear change and the unknown.

One thing I know about you already, as a For Sale by Owner, and that is without having met you, I know that you don't fear the unknown. Heck if you did, you wouldn't be trying to sell your own home. Am I right?

Thirty minutes of your time. That's all I ask. Contact me today at 205-321-1200 and let's talk about those options that you never knew you had.

We're everywhere. There's an ACRE® near you.

Texas Maryland Georgia

Is Your Listing Pretending to be For Sale?

BLiz's post (Move Along, There's Nothing To See Here!) served as a catalyst for this post. BLiz talked about poor photos and no photos at all on an MLS listing.

There are other ways that listing can be disguised as homes for sale. Here are just a few examples:

1. Grossly overpriced listings
2. Lack of creativity in descriptions
3. Not enough info about the home itself in the description
4. No description at all
5. Lack of home features (where specific fields are available)
6. Contact info of agents that never answer or return calls
7. Incorrect lockbox codes in agent notes
8. Unreasonable showing instructions (i.e. available to show ONLY on Mon and Wed between 1pm and 3pm)

Clearly the best listings have

• Great photos that invite the buyer into the house.
• Descriptions that go far beyond "won't last long" and nothing or not much else
• Showing instructions with short notice were possible and not limited to specific windows of time

NOTE TO SELLERS: You should be just a little bit curious as to how your listing is presented in the MLS. It's okay to check up on your listing agent to see how they are presenting your home for sale (if it really is for sale that is).

Do a Google search on your address and see where it is showing up and how it's being presented (sold) to the world. Give credit where credit is due, but everyone recognizes a lousy job when they see it. Above all, make sure you're not the culprit of "pretending that your home is for sale" by insisting that it's overpriced.

CRESTLINE PARK HOUSE FOR RENT

1224 Krin Avenue Birmingham, AL 35213

3 bedroom, 2 bath with garage and lots of storage

$1200 per month

Convenient to UAB, downtown, shopping and more.

Home also for sale and/or lease purchase.

For photos and more info click HERE