Elizabeth Ramsey Cooper-Golden

Golf in your own back yard at The Canebrake Club in Athens Alabama. Tennis anyone? The Canebrake Club is perfect for an active lifestyle!

If one or more of your family members are Golfing or tennis enthusiasts, then The Canebrake Club located in the Athens Alabama area, just east of Interstate-65, is a must visit neighborhood.

The 18 hole championship course, Home of the 2007 Alabama Open, spans 850 acres of meticulously groomed scenery with tree lined fairways and Piney Creek meandering in and out of several holes. The course was designed by Ron Garl, who travels the world designing golf courses, makes his home in Lakeland, Fla., but has ties to Alabama having spent time in both Talladega and Tuscaloosa.

The Canebrake Club

The semiprivate Club includes a large club house with a pro shop, grille, and members only Partini's Lounge. You will also find a separate Tennis / Swim complex with 6 clay courts that is served by its own resident snack bar.

Available Canebrake Homes for Sale currently on the market, range in price from $169k into the $600's and there are also many remaining lots available for sale. So with reasonable golf club membership fees for residents or a $25 monthly HOA fee for non club member residents, this North Alabama Neighborhood is definitely worth a visit.

Also keep in mind that Athens' shopping, schools, and community services are all nearby including a new Publix grocery just a mile or so from the neighborhood entrance. Canebrake's proximity to Interstate-65, Decatur and Huntsville's major employment and shopping areas are a short 20 to 30 minute commute respectively.

Athens and Limestone County are very proud of their local school system and often don't receive the positive press that is frequently lavished on their Madison County counterparts, but if you research www.GreatSchools.com and other such sites you will find that their ratings and standardized test scores are very competitive with some of the better known public schools in the area.

The Canebrake Subdivision is serviced by Brookhill Elementary, Athens Middle School, and Athens High School. Athens is also home of Athens State University which is a very unique ‘reverse' two year college offering Junior and Senior year academics leading to a Bachelor Degree for Community College and other University transfers.

Golf in your own backyard, here in The Canebrake Club! Live AND play in your own neighborhood!

Hunter Homes of Huntsville Alabama says NO to sex offenders!

While reading over a local home builders contract for a buyer, I was shocked, then thrilled, to read Hunter Homes policy about selling to Register Sex Offenders. What a breath of fresh air! Hunter Homes builds a whole lot of house, for a little price and they target first time home buyers. What a great start to home ownership.

In a nutshell the contract states that Hunter Homes has a policy AGAINST selling homes to be occupied by persons who are registered Sex Offenders. This means ALL states, not just Alabama. The purchaser must represent that they, nor ANYONE that occupies the home, is NOT a registered sex offender. The purchaser may not knowingly sell OR rent to a registered sex offender.

This is the best part: In the event a purchaser misrepresents the registered sex offender policy and knowingly allows a registered sex offender to occupy the property, sells OR rents knowingly, Hunter Homes has the right to repurchase the property. The sale price will be the original sale price MINUS closing costs AND estimated costs of repairs or renovations to place the property in resale condition. The terms of the policy survive the closing of the purchase.

Hunter Homes of Huntsville Alabama believes that the safety and welfare of their home buyers is of the utmost importance.

Hunter Homes is large builder in Huntsville Alabama and I have no doubt they have a full team of legal representatives, covering their rear ends at each turn. I have no doubt they will do their best to enforce this. I am now a Hunter Homes fan and will be MORE than happy to introduce this builder to any of my buyers! Talk about a "feel good" for a Realtor! Nothing beats knowing a local builder is doing their very best, when they do NOT have to, to protect their homeowners. Thanks Hunter Homes, for caring about our community and helping keep us safe by saying NO to sex offenders.

With any luck, they are starting a new trend for home builders in Huntsville Alabama.

Feel free to browse local homes for sale in Huntsville Alabama at my web site, www.NorthernAlabamaHomes.com

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Bridge Street Town Centre - What's Happening?

There can be little doubt that the Bridge Street Town Centre development has made a significant impact on city/neighborhood life in Huntsville Alabama. We have done several posts (Westin Residences, Connors, Monaco Theater, etc) on the various businesses located at Bridge Street and since Bridge Street has impacted local family life to such a great degree, especially ours, we want to keep you, our readers, updated.

Since we last updated our readers on the Bridge Street Development there has been a lot of discussion in the public domain about where Bridge Street's final phases of development are headed. We have learned that as part of the 2nd phase of commercial development, we can expect Huntsville's first Sports Authority retail store in addition to several other major retail outlets.

According to a recent Huntsville Times business article we should expect along with the Sports Authority addition, "more than 150,000 square feet of big-box and specialty stores and 790 additional parking spaces" as part of their next phase of commercial development.

Nonetheless another recent announcement indicates, that Huntsville won't have to wait on an official phase II development for the opening of Bridge Street's next addition to our community. Recently Bridge Street officials made public through the Huntsville Times the scheduled opening of ‘The Station‘ during this upcoming summer of 2009.

"The Station, a 28,000-square-foot family entertainment center, will have a full-service restaurant and bar, live entertainment, 12 lanes of bowling, an arcade, billiards, VIP area, trivia TV games, and roller-ball." The owner and planned occupant Mike Dooley said, "Our family-oriented entertainment center will be unlike anything in the market and will certainly complement the strong tenant mix currently at Bridge Street Town Centre." My teenage daughter and friends are excited about this news!

There is no word on the details of a proposed phase III development, where an expanded residential community is planned, similar to the Village of Providence development, but we are excited to hear about these recent developments and will keep our readers posted on any further development.

In a nutshell, that's whats happening in Bridge Street Town Center!

To view all of the exciting amenities currently offered, click here: http://www.bridgestreethuntsville.com

Search for Huntsville Alabama Homes in the Bridge Street area.

B&B Crossroads Restaurant is off the beaten path in Madison Alabama, but definitely worth finding! What began as a store, is now a gathering place for the locals of Madison and Limestone County. B&B has been in business since 1945.

B&B Crossroads was originally opened to service the Burgreen Gin, which is now known as the Burgreen and Black Gin. This has been a long standing tradition for local cotton farmers.

The founders were Lloyd and Dewanda Black. Their vision was to provide good food at a good price for people in the area. They retired in 1996.

B&B Crossroads reopened in 2008 under the original name. The new owners, Jack and Cindy Truett, see to it that the needs of the community are still being met. They have done a wonderful job so far!

Meet Cindy, the owner

Last week I had out of town clients and they wanted to experience "off the beaten track" dining. I instantly thought of B&B Crossroads. Their family of 4 loved it and it goes without saying that I did too!

B&B Crossroads offers daily lunch specials. Our specials that day were Chicken and Rice or a Spaghetti dinner. I chose the Chicken and Rice. It also came with 3 sides. I had mashed potatoes, pinto beans, a small tossed salad and cornbread. We all thought it was a good meal. The mashed potatoes were instant, I think, but otherwise, we were happy. From a BBQ Pork sandwich, to a large breakfast with eggs over easy, ham, hash browns and biscuits, we all left happy and very very full!

You can tell by the parking lot that this is the locals favorite place to gather. From farm equipment, to sedans, you will find a mixed crowd here, which makes it all the better!

While dining, you will notice all of the beautiful murals hand painted by none other than the cook at B&B Crossroads. It's obvious his talents are not just limited to cooking.

B&B Crossroads Restaraunt is located at 29484 HSV Brownsferry Road, at the intersection of Burgreen Road and Brownsferry. You can't miss it! It's off the beaten path in Madison Alabama. Their hours are 6 am to 2 pm, 7 days a week. The Phone number is 256-232-2955. Stop in and say hi to Jack and Cindy. Where smiles and coffee are plentiful!

UPDATE: PLEASE read all of the customer comments below and then decide for yourself. It seems as if they have had a change of management, or staff. I may go back one more time to see how my experience is.

Search for homes here: Huntsville Alabama Homes

Mexican standoff, a term often used to describe a stalemate or impasse in which no party can act in a way that ensures victory, is an appropriate term to describe the situation between buyers and sellers in our current Huntsville Real Estate market.

Many sellers are holding on to the dreams of 2005-2006 and asking for peak market prices, while buyers want foreclosure prices on every property, regardless of condition. Many want to wait until prices drop even further, trying to pick a bottom in the local market.

Sellers, depending on the price of your home, you may have to be creative and flexible in your pricing if you want to move your Hacienda in a timely manner. As we have been advising sellers for some time now, if you don't have to or need to sell your home ...you should wait. There is plenty of inventory on the market in most price ranges. If you MUST move now, your home MUST be show room ready, and priced to sell. The last thing you want to do is "chase down the market" with your price. Statistics have proven time and time again, that the longer a home is on the market, the less likely you are to get your asking price. Buyers are nervous and have far too many choices. Give them a reason to look at your home FIRST! Price and condition are both needed in this market. Offer both and you should see a sold sign in your yard, sooner rather than later! Give buyers a reason to make a reasonable offer, up front!

Buyers, it's your market at the moment and if your family needs a Hacienda, realize it is more than an investment ...so play the game. Test the waters, do your home work, and make an offer. Interest rates are at an all time low. Incredible! A thorough Market Analysis needs to be pulled before making your offer. Emotions need to be left out of the equation, at this point. Buying emotionally in this market, could be costly. Do your homework and make an educated offer. Inventory levels are at an all time high here in Huntsville. This could be the BEST buying opportunity our area has seen in years! Happy Hacienda Hunting!