About Fayette County, KY

Yesterday I wrote a blog on my seed propagation system.

The purpose of this blog is to demonstrate how to prepare the planting mix and to also show how to plant the very small seeds.

I buy my soil mix in a large sack.  I buy a propagation mix from Fayette Seed here in Lexington.  In order to have the best success getting those little seeds to break out of their seed covering you do not want to use a normal growing mix.  

I pour about two gallons of the mix into my a wheel barrow and then sprinkle it well with water.  I mix the water in by hand because I want to be able to feel how moist the soil is becoming.  The key is to get the soil wet enough that it mostly holds together when you drop a clump from about 16 inches.  If the soil crumbles apart it is too dry.  If if holds together and you squeeze but no water drips from the clump it is just right.  

Getting the soil damp but not too wet will assure the seeds will not "dampen off."  When the seeds come up but quickly topple over and die that is almost always because of too much moisture.

When you plant the very small seeds make sure to label them.  I usually use the small popsicle sticks.  Press a few seeds between you index finger and thumb and rub the two fingers together slowly while moving your hand back and forth across the tray.  Do not cover the seeds.  You will cover the seed tray in order to keep the soil moist.  You will notice if watching the video I do not use the small sectioned trays.  Those trays do not allow for the soil to stay evenly moist when watering.  Experience shows you will have much better propagation rates when using an open tray.  

Best luck to you in your gardening endeavors this year and please do not hesitate to send me an email or call.  

A Small Trivia Quiz for Super Bowl Sunday, February 7, 2010


1. What was the first names of the first two super bowl quarterbacks?

A) Bart and Fran C) Bart and Len D) Bart and Joe E) Bart and Bob

2. The average home in Kentucky the year of the first Super Bowl would have sold for how much?

A) $19,000 B) $15,000 C) $5,000 D) $12,000 E) $9,000


3. The average home in Boston would have sold for how much the year of the first Super Bowl?

A) $16,000 B) $11,000 C) $19,000 D) $23,000 E) $9,000

4. What basketball team won the NCAA championship the year of the first Super Bowl?

A) Duke B) UCLA C) Texas Western D) Louisiana Tech E) Kentucky F) Indiana


5. That game was played in what basketball arena?

A) Madison Square Garden B) The Astrodome C) Municipal Auditorium D)Freedom Hall


7. The average price of a home in California the year of the first Super Bowl was?

A) $21,000 B) $11,000 C) $15,000 D) $18,000 E) $25,000


6. The MVP of the first Super Bowl was who?

A) Bart Starr B) Elijah Pitts C) Max McGee D) Willie Wood E) Joe Namath


8. What player "Guaranteed Victory" in the third Super Bowl?

A) Johnny Unitas B) Joe Namath C) Earl Morrall D) Bob Griese E) Mean Joe Green


9. The average price of a home in North Carolina the year of the first Super Bowl would have been?

A) $12,000 B) $8,000 C) $16,000 D) $21,000 E)$17,000


10. What was the best selling sports car in America the first 37 years the Super Bowl was played?

A) The Camaro B) The Corvette C) The Firebird D) The Mustang E) The Jaguar


11. Which nickname below was not a nickname for a Super Bowl Team's Defense?

A) The Orange Crush B) The Rambo Ravens C) The Purple People Eaters D) The Steel Curtain


12. All of the nicknames below are for professional athletes. Three of these played in a Super Bowl. Which one did not?

A) The Glove B ) The Refrigerator C) Too Tall D) Hollywood

The answers to this trivia activity are on this blog.

12 Reasons to Retire in Central Kentucky

1. Lexington is within 60 percent of the population of the the United States. It is a days drive to hundreds of great historical sites, beaches, famous sporting events and lovely cities.

2. Housing prices are stable and quite reasonable. Right now there are hundreds of homes on the market that are perfect for retirees. Homes in safe communities, homes within close proximity to downtown and The University of Kentucky.

3. The cost of living, cost of taxes and cost of trasportation are all well below the national average.

4. The state of Kentucky does not tax state retirees from other states. I am a retired teacher from Washington and do not pay any state taxes.

5. The winters are cold in Lexington but they are also dry. We get small amounts of snow and a little ice ocasionally but that time is usually followed by sun!

6. When tired of the winter cold you are only a days drive to the sunny southern gulf beaches.

7. The Library system is excellent. So good that often it is hard to find a parking space.

8. There is seldom a serious traffic jam in Lexington. Waiting in a traffic line more than five minutes is rare.

9. The long growing season is suited for growing almost any vegetable. Grow your own veggies, save money and enjoy healthy eating.

10. The beauty of the land nine months of the year is unsurpassed. The fall colors are striking, the summers are green and spring comes quite early.

11. The Kentucky Wildcats have a great basketball team.

11. I am a fearless negotiator and will save you money when you buy your home in Bluegrass Country. Please send me an email or give me a call. Thanks so much! Paul

How does the listing price affect the selling price? - A study of the facts in Lexington Kentucky - Zip Code 40517

This is the second part in what is intended to be a 7 part series studying the affect that "Days on the Market" has on the selling price of homes in Lexinton Kentucky. The first blog post studied Zip Code 40503
The second studied 40504
The third studied 40502
Today's study is of 40517.


The purpose for these next series of articles is to research how the original listing price does or doesn't affect the selling price of a home. We read and hear Realtors that setting a high price can lead to a low selling price. Is that true here in Lexington? When I do listing presentations I show my clients how listing prices correlate to selling prices in their area. However to my knowledge there is no systematic study of that correlation in Lexington.

My goal over the next 10 days is to look carefully at the primary zip codes of 40502, 40503, 40504, 40511, 40514, 40515, and 40517. I will analyze each zip code and see if the statistics will reveal anything of significance. The study will include only single family residences with selling prices between $10,000 and $999,999. In all of Lexington this past year there were only a handful of homes that sold for more than a million dollars.

My conclusions about Zip Code 40517 are listed first followed by the information that supports them.

• Realtors must be careful not to generalize about "Days on the Market" having an adverse affect on prices. This confirms the data found in .
• Sellers need to determine if waiting to sell their home for a greater price after an additional 124 days is worth the risk. It appears at least in the lower priced homes it may be well worth the wait in Zip Code 40504.
• Fewer than 25 % of homes sold for more in the longer time in 40503. In 40504 and now 40517 sixty % sold for more when on the market longer than 90 days. The disparity between Zip Codes may be affected by the large number of rental properties in 40504 and 40517. Could it be the properties are listed for much more than the real market value originally and "investors" are not getting the "bargains" they expect?
• The active homes on the market in 40517 is much greater than in 40502, 03, or 04. This large inventory should make finding a value less difficult.
• 

This study is for the Zip Code 40517.
Geographic Data:

• The area extends South from New Circle Road to Man of War Blvd and lies mostly between Nicholasville Road and Richmond Road.
• New Circle Road is an average of less than four miles to downtown Lexington which makes it a natural landmark. Homes within "The Circle" are generally desired by people wanting to live "close to the action."

Detailed Profile Estimated (2008) Data for Zip Code 40517:

• Population - 37,780
• Houses and Condos - 17,224
• % of renters - 58
• Estimated Real Estate Tax - 1.1, $788
• Annual Household Income = $44,171
  

The table below shows how I broke down the prices into certain increments. All numbers are from The Lexington Bluegrass MLS on 02/01/2010
Before analyzing these numbers there are other factors to consider.

1. There are 136 active listings for 40517 and 53 of those have been on the market more than 90 days. The average is 170 days.
2. There were 223 properties which were expired, withdrawn or deleted during this time frame. Of course many of those are back on the market and would be also be include in the current active listings. This number far exceeds the other zip codes studied in Lexington.
3. The average days on the market for all of 40517 for the homes selling in fewer than 90 days was 31 days. Those on the market more than 90 days sold in an average of 164 days. How much money does it cost to keep a home on the market an additional 133 days? That is an important question to present to home owners.
4. 40517 is an area in which there is no new construction and hasn't been other than condos for 20 years. It is outside but adjacent to the circle so still very convenient to access the University of Kentucky and downtown. There are a large number of college students who rent and commute 2 or 3 miles.
   

So, what is significant about the numbers in the chart below about 40517?

1. There is no direct correlation between days on the market and price in 40517 which was true of 40503, 40504 and 40502 but there are some trends worth exploring.
2. Deduction: Be careful about generalities. Sweeping statements about price and days on the market cannot be supported by the facts in this area code.
3. Homes that sold for more when on the market longer than 90days, adding columns 2 and 3 of row 5 totaled 44.
4. Homes that sold for more when on the market fewer than 90 days, adding colums 4 and 5 of row 2 totalled 58.
5. Deduction: This zip code is much lower income and has a much higher pecentage of rental properties than 40502 or 40503. This zip code is very similar to 40504. Upon closer review of the lowest priced homes it was clear many were REO or auctioned properties. Could it be the original listing prices were set much higher than the real market value and investors did not get the "great bargains" they assumed? It seems logical to me that there was significant price listing disparity in the $10,000 to $120,000 dollar range. Investors beware!