Emily Lowe - Nashville TN Realtor

So you have decided that you want to take advantage of the First Time Home Buyer's $8000 Tax Credit?!! This may be a great idea for you because in Middle Tennessee, you have got LOTS of homes to choose from! Your dream of homeownership may soon become reality!

If you have never bought a home in Nashville or Davidson County before (believe it or not, a "first time home buyer" just means that you have not owned a home in the past three years), the idea of it might be a little bit daunting. This series that I am putting together strives to help clarify the steps that will lead you into your new front door!

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STEP ONE of this series dealt with FINDING A LENDER and getting yourself pre-approved for a loan (if you aren't going to pay cash).

STEP TWO of this series dealt with HOW TO FIND A REALTOR AND BEGIN YOUR HOME SEARCH.

STEP THREE of this series dealt with VIEWING AND SELECTING YOUR HOME.

STEP FOUR of this series dealt with MAKING AN OFFER!

STEP FIVE of this series dealt with THE HOME INSPECTION.

STEP SIX of this series dealt with SELECTING HOMEOWNER'S INSURANCE

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At this point in the home buying process, you are getting VERY close to the finish line! It's time to check back in with your mortgage lender. Ask as many questions as you need to and be sure that your lender has EVERYTHING that they need from you!

You will be expected to submit W-2 forms, pay stubs, bank account statements, IRA's, any other retirement accounts, basically any money that you have in any form the mortgage lender will want to know about.

When you are approaching the closing date, the mortgage lender may want you to update this information to ensure that it has not changed. This is why it is important to neither spend nor receive a large amount of money during the contracted period. This could make you appear "unstable" to the lender.

I have seen buyers be turned down because their grandparents gave them a cash gift towards the purchase of their house and the bank decided that the buyer was "unstable" due to that gift. It's better to get your ducks in a row WAY before you put in your offer on a home!!!

SO... the moral of the story is - CALL YOUR LENDER and make sure that all of your paperwork is filled out and ready to go!!!

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If you are interested in finding a home in 12th South, Downtown, Green Hills, Forest Hills, Hillsboro Village, Music Row, Oak Hill, West Meade or West End/Vandy area of Nashville, or would like to look at other real estate for sale in the Middle Tennessee area, please search the MLS HERE. Please note: You will have to register with my site to be able to search the MLS. I will contact you initially and all requests thereafter for privacy will be respected.

Looking to move? Wanting to Invest? Need help as a First Time Buyer? Please feel free to call me, Emily Lowe (yes, I'm a Realtor, with The Lipman Group Sotheby's International Realty) at 615.509.1753

A couple of weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of eating at Saffire Restaurant, located in The Factory at Franklin. It was the first time I have eaten there, and I LOVED it!

These photos I have are really bad - took them with my iPhone (when are they going to work on getting flash photography down?) - but I will share them regardless!

You know you have arrived at The Factory when you see the big water tower...

As you enter the building from the Franklin Road side, you will bear left and keep walking until you see Saffire Restaurant.

Once you are inside, the ambiance is really neat - all the tables and chairs are different from each other.

The server starts you off with some yummy corn muffins and biscuits!

Or you can belly up to the bar for drinks first...

I ordered the pork chop, which is supposed to be one of their specialties. And it was GREAT! The pork chop was cooked to perfection. It was really big, as in I could only eat about a third of it! I think it was supposed to come with different side items, but I asked for the mashed potatoes and some asparagus. A little flavorful surprise was that they drizzled some molasses onto the potatoes and pork chop (YUMMY!).

I was too stuffed to have the dessert.

There is a huge cowboy on the wall on the right if you can see him!

I would DEFINITELY recommend Saffire Restaurant - the service was great and so was the food!

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If I am in The Gulch around lunchtime, one of my favorite places to eat is Ru-Sans. They have a sushi buffet that is great!

Some of you, especially if you are new to Nashville, Davidson County or Middle Tennessee, may be wondering "Where exactly IS 'The Gulch'"?

WELL, The Gulch is a little area just north of the I-40 overpass and just south of Demonbreun on 12th Avenue. In The Gulch, you will find many eateries, a few shops, some Downtown Nashville Living highrises (The Icon and Terrazzo) and a couple of music venues (The Station Inn and Sambuca). This area draws a crowd every night of the week!

Back to Ru-Sans - here's what it looks like from the outside:

You are always welcomed when you walk in, although I can never understand what they are saying (I'm guessing they are speaking Japanese). Although the next two pics are fuzzy, you get the drift of the decor and the food.

Check out their menu HERE. But mostly, just go by and try their food. You will love the atmosphere as well!

About once a month my girlfriends and I get together at the Frothy Monkey in Nashville's 12th South area. We love this place in Davidson County for our Sunday get-together-and-gabs.

The Frothy Monkey has got a cool logo, who doesn't love a monkey??? - there is even a wood carving of the monkey on the front of the store!

Here's what the store looks like as you approach it - Frothy Monkey is next door to Moda.

It's that greyish colored house with the burgundy signage.

I LOVE their fruit parfait with granola and yogurt!

They have every kind of coffee you can imagine, as well as salads and sandwiches, and of course yummy sugary munchies like brownies and muffins!

Frothy Monkey even encourages recycling and has a spiral staircase that leads to nowhere!

If the day is nice, you might want to sit outside. I know that my girlfriends and I make so much noise when we are there, most people DO want to sit outside, just to get away from our yakking!

So, if you are in the 12th South Neighborhood (that's the SAME STREET south of The Gulch and north of Granny White Pike), then drop by the Frothy Monkey and have a cup!

Frothy Monkey's Website

The July 2009 Market Report for Nashville's Downtown Condos is looking pretty good! AND, my extremely clever and computer savvy boyfriend just put the report in this grooooovy new format! Yay! Hopefully, this is easier for you out there in cyber space to read!

One thing I like about this new format is that not only do you get the address in Nashville where the condo is located, but you also get to see which downtown condo complex each closing occured in. It's just better all around!

But back to the report itself; here it is:

DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE CONDO SALES: JULY 2009

I have to say that I know so many people moving, and / or WANTING to move to downtown Nashville - it really is a great place to live and is proving its urban self over and over right now!

If you haven't seen the Rhythm at Music Row, well, it's definitely worth it to go over and check it out!

So... stay cool for the rest of the summer and I'll see you in another month!

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If you are interested in finding a home in 12th South, Downtown, Green Hills, Forest Hills, Hillsboro Village, Music Row, Oak Hill, West Meade or West End/Vandy area of Nashville, or would like to look at other real estate for sale in Davidson County, Williamson County or the Middle Tennessee area, please search the MLS HERE. Please note: You will have to register with my site to be able to search the MLS. I will contact you initially and all requests thereafter for privacy will be respected.

Looking to move? Wanting to Invest? Need help as a First Time Buyer? Please feel free to call me, Emily Lowe (yes, I'm a Realtor, with The Lipman Group Sotheby's International Realty) at 615.509.1753