Lisa Alyn: Realtor® specializing in Westhaven. WesthavenTNHomesForSale.com

The community of Westhaven in Franklin, TN was put to the test and passed brilliantly when a deluge of sorts, flooded much of Middle Tennessee on May 1 & 2, 2010.

Past historic flooding in Nashville took place on 09-13-79 when remnants of Hurricane Fredrick came through releasing 6.6 inches of rain in 24 hours. Yet the flooding the Nashville/Franklin area has received in the past 36 to 48 hours is worse than Hurricane Fredrick and on a widespread scale. 12 to 15 inches of rain has been dumped across much of Middle Tennessee and has not been isolated to any one area. We often talk in terms of 100 year floods in this area; today we're talking on the order of at least a 500 year flood! We're seeing water today where we will hopefully never see it again in our lifetime. (Information provided from Channel 5 News.)

While Franklin has seen many familiar landmarks flooded over the past two day, Westhaven is free from flooding or accumulation of standing water. Through the excellent planning, engineering, grading and execution of the Westhaven neighborhood, Southern Land Company's attention to detail has given Westhaven residents want we want most, peace of mind. Thank you Southern Land!

As the rain eased up, I ventured out to see how Westhaven's myriad of water areas and parks had held up. I saw rushing waters flowing under quaint bridges, streams bursting with life, lakes filled yet staying within their banks. Westhaven is situated and 1500 acres and is wildly known for its park like setting. If any community was put to the test on May 1 & 2, 2010, it was Westhaven in Franklin, TN, and I can proudly report, Westhaven passed the test with flying colors!

Westhaven TN home sales November 2009, have been encouraging as Westhaven home sales have increased to 10, up from the year before and have a record 3 Pending from this month alone! In the past eleven months, Westhaven has sold 72 Homes & has a total 10 Homes Pending, placing Westhaven homes sold at the top, out-performing all competing communities in Williamson County!

Westhaven Home Sales November 2003 thru 2009
2003 1
2004 7
2005 13
2006 17
2007 7
2008 7
2009 10

Westhaven Homes Sold in November 2009

Westhaven Homes Pending during November 2009

If you would like further valuable sales information please call me at 615-708-0445. To see a complete list of Westhaven currently on the market, go to http://WesthavenTN.LisaAlyn.com.

The annual Westhaven in Franklin, TN HOA membership meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 19th, at 6:30 p.m. in Townsend Hall.

The current debate over school zoning will NOT be discussed at this HOA meeting but will be addressed in the near future.

The following is a quick update regarding the status regarding the school zoning which can be passed along: Janice Mills, the Williamson County School Board Representative for District 2, attended the Resident Advisory Committee this morning. Janice was very informative regarding the zoning issues affecting Westhaven.

Janice stated that she supports the original 5-year plan, developed by Williamson County Schools' Central Office, which "would zone residents of Westhaven to the West Franklin Elementary" (school located in Westhaven), Grassland Middle School, and Franklin High School. However, several communities have expressed their desire to investigate other zoning options, which Janice and the WCS Superintendent are examining.

An announcement will be sent out from the School Board to all Westhaven parents who have children who currently attend Williamson County Schools inviting them to attend an "input" meeting with the School Board Members. This meeting will likely be scheduled for early December at a local school.

To communicate with the school board regarding this matter, please visit http://www.wcs.edu/district/sbmembers.htm for each board member's email address. *Ms. Mills commented that all of the emails that had been sent from Westhaven residents thus far have been very "professional and respectful." She stated that communicating in that manner is greatly appreciated by all school board members.

DON'T GET CAUGHT HANGIN UPSIDE DOWN ON 01-01-10!

Westhaven in Franklin, TN new construction and re-sale Lenders face new RESPA Guidelines along with all Lenders and Title Companies nationwide. RESPA (Real Estate Settlement and Procedures Act) representative visited Keller Williams Franklin and explained new federal lending guidelines and the possible affect they could have on sellers and buyers.

As of January 1, 2010, all Lender GFE (Good Faith Estimates) and Title Company HUD Settlement Statements changes will go into effect. According to RESPA representatives, the most obvious change to the seller or buyer is the need of a delayed closing by a few days while lenders and title companies adhere to meet strict regulations

This realtor's advice:

• Work with your lender when choosing a closing date-have your realtor pick-up the phone and call the lender when scheduling date and time-don't just assume your lender has an open calendar, especially if it's on a Friday or toward the end of the month.
• When scheduling your moving date, be prepared to give yourself, your lender, and your title company and most of all, your moving company a few days lead way if the closing doesn't take place on the scheduled date.
• Be patient with your buyer, his realtor and lender if they need a few extra days to close.
• Know the new regulations are across the board and affect all lenders including those involved with new construction.
• Being flexible allows all concerned to and know everyone is after the same results.
• Work with a realtor who is educated and on top of new RESPA changes

Simultaneous Closing Headaches:

Simultaneous closings are more common today as the market demands a seller close on his home before he can purchase another. The following are my 5 Buyer B's when working with a simultaneous closing:

• Be realistic-Set your possession date a few days out instead of ‘at close of escrow' just in case seller's closing does not close on schedule. Please, don't have the moving van loaded and parked out front waiting with baited breath for the key.
• Be Wise-know up front that the seller may need a few extra days to finalize the closing on his next home and have your realtor work with the listing agent to clarify the seller's needs up front and ask seller's to stipulate in writing with the contract any special requests
• Be Gracious-know that your seller may need to exercise their ‘lease back option' until the closing on their new home is finalized. Give your seller time to move their possessions out of the home and thoroughly clean.
• Be Clear: Establish up front a Lease-back document allowing for a few extra days, if needed. For instance: a rate of $50/day may be established for the first two days, $100 for the next week. I usually set a final date of possession for seven days after closing date. Remember, they are equally as anxious to move into their new home. *Make sure the sellers acquire renters insurance on their possessions as your home owners policy will not cover their things.
• Be Flexible and know, everyone is after the same results. Whether you're buying or selling, moving locally or across the country, patience, kindness, and flexibility allows for a rewarding and exciting experience for all involved.

http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/ramh/res/respa_hm.cfm

Heath Albritton from Starkey Mortgage @ www.HeathAlbritton.com and Dawn Chase from Foundation Title & Escrow @ www.foundationtande.com are available to answer any questions you might have. ‘Tell em I sent ya!'

To see your home or business featured on Westhaven Weekly, or to promote any local event or charity, please contact Lisa Alyn, your Westhaven neighbor & realtor at lisa@lisaalyn.com , www.lisaalyn.com, or drop my home on Championship Blvd and lets sit and chat a spell; I'm always looking for a fun new story to tell, an event to support or a home to sell!

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As a Westhaven resident & realtor, I have designed Westhaven Weekly in Franklin, Tennessee as a regional and national platform to promote & provide:

• Westhaven residents the ability to feature their homes & help expedite getting their home sold
• easy access to Westhaven and all Middle TN homes, farms, & land for sale
• Westhaven neighborhood news & events
• up-to-date home sales, statistics, reports and neighborhood home values
• a wealth of information when buying and selling homes
• current federal tax incentives, lending information, & TN stimulus
• data on school districts, new schools, area private schools & local zoning issues
• information on local builders and Southern Land developments
• a venue to ask neighborhood, local area and real estate questions and get answers...

...while proudly showcasing local merchants & businesses in our new Westhaven Town Center & the surrounding areas including Historic Downtown Franklin, Leipers Fork, Franklin, and all Williamson County in Middle Tennessee.

To see your home or business featured on Westhaven Weekly, or to promote any local event or charity, please contact Lisa Alyn at lisa@lisaalyn.com , www.lisaalyn.com, or drop my home on Championship Blvd and lets sit and chat a spell; I'm always looking for a fun new story to tell, an event to support or a home to sell!