Anchorage, KY - A Great Place to Call Home

Anchorage is located in eastern Jefferson County and is a park- like community of approximately 3000 people and 850 residences. Here historic homes, country estates, and smaller homes can be found side by side. Typically the homes are situated on larger lots, and range in price from $200,000 to over $1,000,000. Although Anchorage is situated only 20 miles from downtown Louisville, it has retained its historical character and charm. To preserve the character of the town, an Anchorage Historic District was created and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The boundaries of the district have since been extended to include most of the town.

The heavily shaded city with mature oak trees and magnolias provide a noticeable cooler temperature than Downtown Louisville. Dating back to its incorporation in 1878, the city became a popular location for wealthy “Louisvillians”. One such resident was Isaac Wolfe Bernheim who is remembered for his philanthropy. In 1914, Bernheim had a plan designed by Frederick Law Olmsted which incorporates stone bridges and triangle intersections, similar to Olmsed’s plans for Louisville’s park.

You might also recognize Papa John’s Pizza founder, John Schnatter around town. He owns about 6% of the land in Anchorage, including much of the city center. He has preserved the city’s character by restoring an interurban rail station and historical buildings. In 2008, he contributed close to $4 million toward the creation of trails and greenway improvements. He built the Anchorage Trail along a nearly mile of spectacular stream valley adjoining the community of Anchorage. This greenway includes a paved mile-long multi-use trail, a soft nature path to access the wooded areas, an outdoor amphitheater, equestrian trails, wetland conservation areas, a spectacular pedestrian span, a preserved wildflower meadow and other amenities.

A few dining choices in the area are The Village Anchor Inn and Selena’s. The Village Anchor Inn is a bistro-pub featuring upscale comfort food with a twist and is on the Urban Bourbon Trail. Selena’s is a fusion of creole and Sicilian cuisine and New Orleans fun. It resides in Anchorage’s legendary Willow Lake Tavern building.

If you would like more information about this community or others in Louisville, you can contact the Jimmy Welch team or visit Search for Louisville Homes for more information. You can also register for a free account so that you can receive email alerts whenever new homes for sale in Anchorage KY come on the market.

To see all Louisville Homes for Sale, you can visit our website at www.jimmywelch.com or contact the Jimmy Welch Team at 502-439-1404.

Anchorage, Kentucky is a city located within the boundaries of Louisville, Kentucky, and is known as one of Louisville’s most prominent and desirable neighborhoods. The area is known for its exquisite homes, beautiful greenery, and their award-winning public school. Located off LaGrange Road in the East End, nearly 3,000 residents call this luxurious town home, including a few famous folks – the most notable being John Schnatter, the founder and CEO of Papa John’s. Schnatter owns about 6% of the land in Anchorage and has restored a rail station, three historic buildings, and has plans to build a bank and an upscale restaurant. The Anchorage Trail opened in June 2008 and was also developed by the famous “Papa John.”

Anchorage has some of the most beautiful, lush greenery in the Louisville area. The Forestry Board maintains a nursery and distributes young trees to residents several times a year and replenishes the nursery with new seedlings yearly. The Forestry Board’s mission is to protect and maintain urban forests through ordinances and permits. Historic preservation and nature are very important to Anchorage and the city is heavily regulated to preserve the town’s character.

Many Homes in Anchorage are surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers on large lots. The homes and lots are typically bigger than most other Louisville neighborhoods and can range in price from $200,000 to well over $1,000,000. Many homes are custom built and feature some unique and charming designs by top architects. They can be constructed from brick, stucco, or wood and come in a variety of styles. It is not uncommon to see large stately mansions side by side with small homes in Anchorage, and they are all beautiful and tasteful. One can see traditional two-story homes, Colonial style homes, ranches, or the most exquisite executive-style homes in Anchorage.

There are plenty of outdoor activities for Anchorage residents to enjoy, including a wonderful 9-hole golf course at the Owl Creek Country Club. The course was designed by George Davies and opened in 1927. There are also swimming pools, tennis courts, and a lovely clubhouse with a ballroom and dining options.

The Village Anchor Pub & Roost is a popular eatery in the city of Anchorage that provides upscale comfort food and a large beer, wine and bourbon selection. Also, the Anchorage Café provides fresh farm-to-table foods for breakfast and lunch and a full service espresso bar. The Anchorage Café also serves craft beers and wines and is located in the city’s quaint downtown area. Selena’s Restaurant at Willow Lake Tavern features fusion Creole and Sicilian options in a cozy, delightful atmosphere.

Anchorage is a great place to call home and is sure to be a beloved Louisville gem for years to come. To learn more about wonderful destinations around town, please visit Louisville Real Estate.

Beneath a canopy of oak and magnolias, you will find one the most upscale, desirable neighborhoods in all of Kentucky. Anchorage is a beautiful community dedicated to family, neighbors, its school, the environment, its pets, and horses. Most would say a twenty-year stay is common, however fifty years is not uncommon.

Quick Facts:

• Located within the city of Louisville in eastern Jefferson County
• Over 200 years old
• Home to some of the area's wealthiest citizens
• Papa John's Pizza founder John Schnatter is a resident and owns about 6% of the land in Anchorage
• 2,200+ residents, 730+ households 

School Infomation

• Anchorage Independent School is within the city
• Eastern High School

Real Estate

Anchorage features some of the most beautiful, exquistite archetecture in the entire city of Louisville. You will find old estates, new estates, large homes, smaller homes, and property with lots of acreage. Most homes in the area range in the price of $300k - $1.2mil and on. Whether you are looking for style, character, or charm, you are sure to find it here. Contact me for more information.

City Services

Anchorage has its own Police & Fire Departments, along with its own Post Office.

Historic Preservation Commission

If you are still following along, I hope you are learning a few things about the process to buying a home. In my last article, I discussed strategies to keep your home search efficient and stress-free. If you missed it, you can view it here.

Now we will talk about negotiating the best deal for you.

There are many rules you need to follow along the way to getting the best deal on a home.

1. Always be open and honest with your agent about what you want and like in a home. Your agent should always have your best interest at heart and will help make that dream a reality, but his or or her third party negotiation on your behalf will put just enough distance between your emotions and the seller's desire for a higher price.

2. If an owner or agent representing an owner is present when you are viewing a home, keep your lips zipped. Do not let on that you like the home, or don't mention anything at all about the fact that you are losing your lease and need a place in 3 weeks. Don't spill the beans about just winning the lottery and you have an unlimited budget. Some of this sounds obvious, but sometimes you think you are involved in harmless chit chat, but really you are letting it all hang out. Often this happens at Open Houses where you don't realize you are vulnerable. Keep in mind there is a reason you have an agent negotiate and do all the talking for you.

3. Make sure you carefully analyze with your agent the homes actively listed, the pending sales that have not yet closed and ones that have closed in the last six months or so. Depending on your market area, you may need to only look at the last 3 months, or you may need to go back as much as year. Keep in mind to pay attention to the days on market of the homes that sold and how many price reductions they took to get to the actual selling price. Hopefully, if you have looked at many of the active homes, you will have a good basis to compare to the active competition.

4. After analyzing and determining a range for a sales price, try to figure out (guess) what the seller actually wants for the home. If the asking price is reasonable to begin with, you might not have much wiggle room for negotiation. (I personally don't let my sellers price with "wiggle room" also know as "overpriced" as the home will sell for fair price and a higher price when it is priced fairly to sell.) So if you can guess what the seller actually wants, I encourage my buyer clients to offer just under that. That is relative to whatever price point you are at. If you think they want $475K, you can probably get the house for $470K if you make that your first offer rather than starting at $450K and working your way up, probably saving you $5,000 and untold amount of stress along the way. It is a home priced at $103K and you expect they want $100K, go for $98K. In most cases, they will feel the offer is within range and will not counter for fear that you will walk away if they are percieved to be difficult to negotiate with.

It is proven that the lower you start the offer, the more you will end up paying for the property. The closer you start to where the price needs to be, the better chance you have of getting the acceptance at the number lower than where the seller originally intended to settle.

I have used another tactic to getting a seller to accept my client's first offer. I have my client write a letter to the seller telling the seller how much the buyer likes their home and something specific that made them want to buy this home, i.e. "we love the treehouse you built for your children and can see our two children making so many fun memories there." Sometimes this emotional appeal will get the job done all on its own. It just depends on the circumstances of the sellers. This usually works better when you know the homeowner has lived there for a long time or who has done some special work to the home.

Next topic in this series: Getting through the inspection and the repair request.

You can search for homes in the Louisville KY area for free at my search site. If you have any questions about buying real estate in Louisville, KY, or about homes for sale in Oldham County, as well as the surrounding areas, feel free to contact me at 502-435-5524. I also have a useful tool to help you learn about past sales in your neighborhood called a Market Snapshot. Sign up for the Market Snapshot here.

Anchored a short fifteen minute drive from Louisville, the city of Anchorage offers an excellent place for Louisville residents to plant their lives. "Anchorage is a safe harbor: a twenty-year stay is common; fifty years is not uncommon." http://www.cityofanchorage.org/ What makes this small community worth such a commitment?

For one, the landscape is gorgeous. Oaks, magnolias, dogwoods, forsythias, jonquils, and tulips paint the countryside, leaving visitors amazed at the beauty of Anchorage. This breathtaking scenery is home to some of the most beautifully quaint historic homes, country estates, and smaller homes.

The community of Anchorage has a unique offering to Louisville residents, as it has "retained its character in the path of the suburban growth of Louisville." The shade of Anchorage has provided milder temperatures than that of downtown Louisville for residents throughout the years, and for this reason early on in its history, many wealthy Louisville residents built summer homes here. Since then, the small town has been known for its largely upper-class population and their dedication to making this community unique and long-lasting.

One such resident, John Schnatter, founder of Papa John's Pizza, has put forth great efforts into preserving the history of this unique place, exemplifying the pride that Anchorage residents take in their history, surroundings, and future. Recently Schnatter built The Anchorage Trail, a greenway spanning nearly a mile of the "spectacular stream valley adjoining the community of Anchorage." http://www.americantrails.org/awards/NTS08awards/Corporate08.html This greenway includes "a paved mile-long multi-use trail, a soft surface nature path accessing a wooded area on the site, an outdoor interpretive amphitheatre, equestrian trails, wetland conservation areas, a spectacular pedestrian span, a preserved wildflower meadow" and even more. The trail links to the historic district and allows access to local schools as well. Eventually, it may even link to E.P. Tom Sawyer Park.

Make the Anchorage choice today. Call The Vince Carter Team. Those of us at The Vince Carter Team work endlessly to find the perfect home for you.