Heather Goodwin ~ Shreveport Louisiana Real Estate

I've been reorganizing my other outside real estate blog and ran across this post from March. I'm posting it here as encouragement to others and to hopefully motivate those who need a little nudge.

It's High Time I Joined in the Dance Skate!

It was tough, but I did it. She was disappointed, but behaved graciously, which I was thankful for.

Have you ever been somewhere with a group of people, and everyone else was having a blast while you watched from the sidelines? I remember one such trip to an ice skating rink. Now you must realize that ice skating is not an everyday occurrence in the South even in the winter. Our town now has an outdoor ice skating rink put up for public skating around Christmas time, but they have a hard time keeping the water frozen on our balmier winter days. So, this was an unusual outing for our youth group. Sure, I had been roller skating at the local rink, but this was ICE skating, and it was hard I had been told.

So, I stayed fearfully on the sidelines with my skates laced up tight, while everyone else whizzed past me. My friends kept trying to get me out there, but I stubbornly refused, certain that I would fall flat on my face. What eventually enticed me to go out there, I don't remember. Probably my friend, Amy, who would not take "No" for an answer. At any rate, I found myself a part of the circumnavigating crowd.

And I was having fun! And it was easy - in some ways easier than roller skating! And I was good at it! And - and - and it was time to go home! But wait - not yet - this is fun - it's not time to leave yet, is it? But it was. For most of the evening I had remained catatonic on the sidelines watching everyone else. After joining the fun and surprising myself, the fun was over.

So, I had to tell her. I had to end it, though I had barely just begun. You see, I can't stand by watching everyone else do what I had fully intended to do in the first place. I studied, I passed the test, I paid the dues, and I learned hands-on for a year at the side of a wonderful teacher. My skates are laced. Now it's time to take the ice and skate.

I gave notice yesterday. I quit my job of less than three months working for one of the top producers in our office. I appreciate the opportunity and told her that. But a secretary I am not even if you call me an assistant. I can take care of your business, but I don't want to. I want to take care of my business - build my business. And I can't ever do that - I can't ever skate - working full time helping someone else skate.

It was difficult. It took me a full week to do it, but I feel so much better now that I have. I feel like a fledgling bird stretching its wings ready to try them out. I have great plans, scary plans, but I am looking forward to them. And I think I'm going to be good at it, and I'm going to have fun skating before it's too late!

Here is a look at my business photo. I am hoping to have a new blog in the near future that will answer all those real estate questions you have, but are afraid to ask!

And I'm here to say I have done just that here at Active Rain. I am at #1 in Shreveport, #1 in Caddo Parish, and I am closing in on becoming one of the top 10 agents in Lousiana here at AR. I can say that it has been great so far, and I am looking forward to greater things in the future.

And that last statement just gave me an idea for another blog post, so off I go! Thanks for reading.

It was a post by Steve Kappre that reminded me of a continuing education class I sat in this summer. Most of the agents there were from Shreveport offices, but there were two agents from New Orleans – always fun. We were discussing the agent’s responsibility in disclosing when such things as murders or deaths had occurred in a particular house. Then the subject of haunted houses and ghosts came up.

Not surprisingly, the agents from New Orleans had some experience in dealing with clients who wanted to know whether the particular house they were interested in was haunted or visited by ghosts. The stories they told were very interesting.

In one case, after a couple purchased a house, the wife came to the agent to ask if the house was haunted. She had been hearing some strange things at night. Dutifully, the agent asked the sellers about it. And, yes, they said the house was indeed visited at night by a ghost. I believe the seller’s had to eventually take the house back for not disclosing that fact in the state-mandated disclosure form.

So after watching the video in Steve’s post, I began to wonder just how often this happens in other parts of the country.

Have YOU ever listed or sold a house that was haunted? I would love specifics. Did the sellers disclose the fact, or was it discovered later? Did you know the house was believed to be haunted when you listed it? Did you ever encounter a ghost at one of these houses?

Do tell – we would all love to hear about it.

These figures are for single family homes in Shreveport and Bossier City and surrounding communities.

As you can see when comparing home sales from October, sales in November took a hit. If you are a seller with a home in the $400,000+ price range you are looking at just over 2 years of waiting to get your house sold. Homes listed from $250,00+ to $400,000 have a 16 1/2 month supply of inventory. Just a little better. Let's take a look specifically at how southeast Shreveport* fared this past month.

Southeast Shreveport Statistics

Homes in southeast Shreveport have had more sales activity than the Shreveport market overall. Historically, this area of Shreveport has held its value well compared to the rest of the city. What these numbers show is that even in a down market, more homes sell in southeast Shreveport than the market overall in Shreveport. So, our little corner of town is a good place to be when it comes to resale.

Data source Northwest Louisiana Association of Realtors MLS, Inc. 12/8/08
Information believed to be accurate but not guaranteed.

*I define southeast Shreveport as the area south of Flournoy Lucas Road, east of Interstate 49, and west of Highway 1 (Youree Drive) which includes zip codes 71106 and 71115.

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You're at Home with Heather
Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana Real Estate

Shreveport Home Connection
Coldwell Banker J. Wesley Dowling & Assoc. LLC

Serving your real estate needs in Shreveport, Bossier City, Benton, Haughton, Keithville, Stonewall, Blanchard, and Barksdale AFB

Licensed in Louisiana

St. Charles Place is a great New Orleans-inspired gated community in southeast Shreveport.  It is an established neighborhood, but homes are still being built.  A new section with about 20 lots for sale has just opened up.

Streets reflect the French culture of south Louisiana with names like Ascension, St. Bernard, Toulouse, St. Tammany, and Poydras.  Prices for existing homes begin at about $235,000 and go up from there.  The winding streets ensure slower traffic for the families that call this St. Charles Place home.

Just a minute from the Southern Loop and access to Interstate 49 means the city itself is just a few minutes away.  Easy access to all parts of Shreveport is one of the draws of southeast Shreveport and communities like St. Charles Place.

If you would like to know more about St. Charles Place or the other gated communities of southeast Shreveport, or if you would like to visit on of the homes currently for sale, please call me. You can also check out the homeowners association website.

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You're at Home with Heather
Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana Real Estate

Shreveport Home Connection
Coldwell Banker J. Wesley Dowling & Assoc. LLC

Serving your real estate needs in Shreveport, Bossier City, Benton, Haughton, Keithville, Stonewall, Blanchard, and Barksdale AFB

Licensed in Louisiana

I know some of you are following the story of the drunk and/or stoned individual who hit my husband almost head on three weeks ago on a rural county highway in Texas, so I wanted to give everyone an update on RenRed's and John's conditions.

John, the man who ran into my husband was in ICU for 18 days, but has now been in a regular room for 4 days. He had a plate put in his upper left leg and a rod put in his lower left leg. He also had a plate put in his right wrist. This is in addition to surgery for a broken jaw. He is in a lot of pain and will not be able to bear full weight on his left leg for about 16 weeks. He already has a rod in his right leg and an almost totally paralyzed right arm from a previous accident.

We are not sure yet where he will be going once he is well enough to leave the hospital, but this is an answer to prayer. At one time it was thought he might have to have an arm and a leg amputated.

My husband, RenRed, is still in quite a bit of pain. It moves around and it comes and goes. His knee began to feel better, but is back to being very painful. His ankle also makes walking hurt, and he can't walk for more than about 10 minutes without resting. His neck has begun to hurt and make his left arm numb. His bruises are slowly fading, but are still visible three weeks after the wreck.

Of course, he is seeing a doctor for these things, but for now his body must heal itself and that takes time. RenRed is still doing what he can to understand the DUI laws, and as much as he sympathizes with John's plight, he does not want him back behind the wheel of a car.

We are still without a vehicle, but insurance did pay enough to cover what we owed which was a blessing. We are going to replace the car that was totaled with one just like it, but the hassle of actually visiting a car dealership, etc. is what keeps us putting it off. We'll be traveling for Christmas, however, so we can't put it off much longer.

I want to thank each of you who have prayed, sympathized, and shared your own stories. We are deeply grateful for your concern and understanding. RenRed was touched by your comments. Please keep praying for both RenRed and John. John needs a savior more than anything else right now.

I so appreciate my AR and client families!

Here are the other two posts about the accident if you would like to read the first part of the story:

A Drunk + A Car = Life Interrupted.
Life Interrupted - Update