Alabama

I send out inspirational cards to my past clients. It seems that in this real estate market everybody is in need of a good encouraging word or two. This client purchased a 300,000 home from me! I am thankful but I wanted to make sure that I really showed her how thankful I was for being her Agent. The inspirational card was the key..........she loved the card...... it was a card using the word BeLieve'' as a focus point..........

I also gave her a visa gift card! My client was Happy and so am I.... My client was a Hurricane victim and she had been through alot. She had lost everything in the flood. My heart goes out to all victims! The inspirational card that I gave her was encouragement to continue on .........and to believe that she deserves better and to keep pressing on!........It's always good when you can give you clients hope for the future and the little things that you do as their realtor will help them move on to great things.

My client didnot have a car.......i picked her up for every showing! I made her a list of furniture stores, utility companies, resturants.......just the little things that count in a persons life when they have had no choice but to relocate.

The City of Enterprise came about in 1881 when John Henry Carmichael opened a small store on what would later become North Main Street (Downtown to the locals). In the coming years came many changes for the area. The post office was located on Drake Eye, as settlers began moving to the area it was moved into Carmichael's new community. With a population of 250, Enterprise became incorporated in the year of 1896.

In 1898 a fire took most of the original downtown structures. The downtown area was then rebuilt with brick. There are no structures that predate the city's incorporation. Early commercial buildings still standing include Martin Colley Drug that is still in pristine condition. The Carlisle House on South Main built in 1898 and the Dr. Grimes house built around 1899 on 404 West College are two examples of early nineteenth century still standing.

In 1906 the population was nearly 4,000 after the Alabama Midland Railway Company began operations between Enterprise and Ozark. The first passenger train arrived on February 14, 1898. The railroad brought another population growth that was also aided by the opening of a federal land office in 1897. The office was in charge of selling 3,560 acres.

In 1915, hundreds of thousands of Mexican Boll Weevil insects entered the area and destroyed 60 percent of the cotton crop. As farmers battled the investation many reached their financial limits. While the community struggled with the adverse affects of not producing any cotton, the locals turned to PEANUTS. With much success and an economic rebound Coffee County became the top peanut producing county in the nations.

In recognition of the Boll Weevil and what it meant to the local economy, Roscoe P. (Bon) Fleming ordered the monument, paid half and asked the community to pay the rest. The monument was dedicated on December 11, 1919. The original monument had a fountain flowing from the top. This was replaced with the image of the Boll Weevil in1949. The Boll Weevil Monument is on the historic register.

The first Enterprise Public School was built on West College Ave. in 1905-6 on land donated by Jesse Rawls. The school burned in 1911 and only the gym is part of the original structure. The first hospital, the Fleming Sanitarium was constructed in 1905 east of Main Street. It was a two-story building with ten beds. Unsubstantiated history claims this hospital to be the first in the State of Alabama. In 1907 the name of the hospital was changed to Coffee County Sanitarium. The first brick power plant was built by Jesse Rawls on Adams Street next to the Railroad in 1901. This plant furnished the city's first electricity. The city purchased the plant in 1903.

Today the economy of Enterprise consists of a wide range of agricultural commodities and local industries. Additionally, Enterprise is centrally located to Fort Rucker, Home of Army Aviation.

Blanket Creek is the location of the first evidence of humans in Coffee County. The area was used as a migration route from approximately 8500 to 700 B.C. This area is now known as the Wiregrass area, named for the type of grass that grew in the region. The first federal land sale that was to become Coffee County was in 1812. The county is named after General John Coffee, Alabama commander in the Creek Indian Wars and the Battle of New Orleans.

Walden is an upscale subdivision located in Madison, Alabama with 164 home sites. It has large wooded areas preserved in their natural state via conservancy easements and the main entrance of the community hosts a private park with a lovely small lake. A clubhouse, and Junior Olympic size pool are also available for use by homeowners and their guests.

Walden is in a unique price niche (upper $300k - mid $400k) for its location, as it is surrounded by neighborhoods that are less and more expensive. The closest comparably priced neighborhood is Browns Ferry Crossing, however Browns Ferry Crossing is new construction in its infancy and barren of wooded areas and trees, whereas Walden's major construction occurred during 2002-2005 and an effort was made to save established trees especially in its 1st phase.

Given its price niche and neighborhood uniqueness Walden's property values have appreciated slightly more than the Huntsville real estate market overall, especially in 2004 and 2006. The current inventory absorption rate is also less than the overall Madison market for this price range. The 5 year appreciation rates using the average square foot sales price history are illustrated in the following chart:

If you're in the Madison real estate market as a buyer this is a neighborhood you don't want to miss. Whether a buyer or seller and not already represented, I would certainly welcome an opportunity to interview as your agent or if you just have some additional questions please don't hesitate to email me, I will be glad to assist you anyway I can.

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It didn't get much coverage in the media, but Houston County quietly set property tax millage rates for 2008 at last Monday's county commission meeting. Rates for this year will remain the same as last year at 21.5 mills for the county assessment (A mill is equal to one-tenth of a cent). In 2007, there was an increase of two mills passed along to Houston County property owners to meet a requirement by the state of at least 10 mills for all Alabama public schools. Before last year, Houston County collected eight mills for local schools. Who gets the highest property tax bill every year in Houston County? Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant gets a bill for over $9 million every year. That is over 40% of all property taxes collected in the county last year.

So how do our property tax rates compare to other states? Alabama has some of the lowest property tax rates in the country, second only to Louisiana in median property tax rate per $1,000 of property value (Click here for the report).

This gives us a good opportunity to discuss how property taxes are calculated in here in Houston County. The surrounding counties of Dale, Henry, Geneva, and Coffee are likely calculated the same, but their millage rates may vary slightly. For our example, we will assume a property is homesteaded, or in other words, is the primary residence of the taxpayer.

The accessed value needed to calculate the amount of property tax due is figured by taking 10% of the appraisal value, as determined by the county. Next, multiply your accessed value by your total millage rate, which is 33 mills if you live in the city limits of Dothan, Ashford, Columbia, Gordon, Webb, Kinsey, Taylor, Rehobeth, or Madrid, or 28 mills if you don't.

Now let's do with math with a median priced home inside the city limits of Dothan.

• $133,000 tax appraised value X 10% = $13,300 tax assessed value
• $13,300 X 0.033 (millage rate from above) = $438.90 property taxes.
• Actually, you get to take off $49 on homesteaded property, so the total property taxes due would be about $390 per year on a median priced home.

For non-homesteaded property, multiply the appraised value by 20% instead of 10%, and don't deduct the $49.

As with anything the government does, there are lots of exceptions and exemptions. We'll try to cover some of those in a later post, but you can ask a specific question by commenting below if you like. Property is appraised in Houston County annually in late summer, before the tax year starts on October 1.

This situation is inevitable.... It is going to happen. The question is...

Is it going to be you?

You're an adult. You can make your own decisions, and you don't need anyone telling you what to do with your money.

UNTIL! You see the commercial on TV. It has a smooth ride, it handles like a dream, it can stop on a dime, goes 0-60 in 2.3 seconds, and, most importantly, girls like it! Plus, it has a special financing special paying no interest for 6 years with a price reduction of $5,000 for one week only.

STOP! If you want that house. Don't buy the car. Even if you feel that you can afford a car payment and it is the perfect opportunity to get your dream one, mortgage companies have their own ideas about your ability to pay for a home and car.

We want to explain a little bit about:

1. This desire we have to spend money
2. The importance of your debt-to-income ratio
3. How a new car payment reduces your purchase price

Over the next few days we will be spending some time looking at these three things.

Looking to Buy Birmingham Alabama Real Estate?

Specializing in Selling Birmingham AL Homes

The first thing home sellers need to know is "What's my Birmingham AL home worth right NOW?" and what are Birmingham home prices doing by neighborhood. Our experience shows it all depends on where YOU live. Please ask for a FREE Comparable Market Analysis Report - CMA on your home so you can see what is actually happening in your neighborhood! No obligation, of course.

Experience shows that to sell a home in Birmingham AL today requires more than just putting a sign in the yard or putting the property information in the MLS.

Successful home sellers have found they need the advice of skilled Real Estate counsultants like us, who have:

• strong negotiating skills to get your home sold quickly for the most money even in this real estate market,
• a strong internet marketing plan like our Smart Home Selling Plan. In fact, we may already have a buyer for your property because we understand that over 84% of home buyers today are finding their next house on the internet which is why when you use our plan we make sure they are seeing your home first and we also have a
• deep understanding of what's really happening with home values in your real estate market ( Birmingham Real Estate Market Reports by area).

We have helped many families sell their Birmingham homes, quickly and painlessly even in this difficult housing market. In fact, we may already have a buyer for your property because we understand that over 84% of home buyers today are finding their next house on the internet which is why when you use our Smart Home Selling Plan we make sure they are seeing your home first.

Call us to schedule your FREE private real estate consultation to fully understand your home selling options (no pressure no hassles - guaranteed).

Whether you are buying or selling Birmingham AL homes | Hoover homes | Vestavia homes | Mountain Brook Homes | Pelham Homes |Helena Homes | Trussville Homes |Homewood Homes - we can help!

Call me today at - 205-383-3358.

Stephen Wolfe - Birmingham Alabama Realtor