Troy Jowers, New Orleans Realtor

Jane and I have tossing around several ideas for weeks now on what we wish our Web sites could do and what we wish could be handled electronically. Now we're moving forward with making that happen. We have been subscribing to a couple "off-the-shelf" packages designed for Realtors, but they were too general most of the time for our clients and our New Orleans real estate market.

Neither of us are the most tech saavy people on the planet, but I know enough just to be dangerous and Jane is always willing to learn. So now we're reinvesting into a more persnalized Web solution designed form the ground up. It's not cheap, but it's also not cheap to spend all those monthly fees with very few results. And we also feel like we waste prescious time when we need a change made, and someone at a remote centralized location has to put is in line behind every else in the country with that package.

We'll let you know how it all goes. We have a draft of all we plan to do, and as far as I can see out there after considerable benchmarking, no other New Orleans or Northshore real estate site has this kind of secure functionality centered around the client. We're collecting bids on the job now and should move forward in the coming week.

Here's a link to a recent article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune on the state of our market. In several markets we've been seeing a decrease in the number of new listings from previous months, while buyer demand has remind steady and even increased a bit. Now if we can just work some of our voodoo to keep Ike away!

http://blog.nola.com/realestate/2008/08/local_lenders_see_a_buyers_mar.html#more

Though Jane and I are primarily residential agents in New Orleans, I occasionally do serve commercial clients and that is how I spent today. I've been out of the commercial scene for several months and was certainly having fun with the fast pace and challenging negotiations. Dealing with a lot of out-of-towners today made me realize how many folks still don't understand that we are not just recovering, but exceeding pre-Katrina conditions on many fronts, and that millions and millions of dollars are pouring into our market. I had to post just a bit on a few of the many things going on in the commercial world that will have direct impacts on the residential real estate market here. These large projects are changing the look of the city and what we have to offer the world. Here are just some examples:

1. On the hotel front we are going world class. In addition to our incomparable local favorites The Windsor Court and the La Pavillon, we have just opened the New Orleans Ritz-Carlton, and coming soon, the Waldorf-Astoria (here's an article) and the Trump International Hotel & Towers (contact me for any and all info on this one). There is one other hotel biggie we are involved in as commercial brokers that I hope we can announce to you soon.

2. The National World War II Museum has become one of New Orleans' most treasured attractions. You don't have to be a history buff or veteran to appreciate and be utterly moved by it. It's an incredible experience and the framework is already going up on its "Road to Victory" expansion. I can't wait to see what else they do!

3. A massive undertaking by the Federal Government called Federal City has just cleared some of its last hurdles. It will consolidate and expand the federal government's already sizable presence in the Crescent City. Adjacent to this is a massive neighborhood overhaul with residential, commercial, leasing, and leisure opportunities to serve those in Federal City. Here's a link to a short article on it in Bayou Buzz.

4. The city is planning to completely rebuild and expand by a great degree the Riverfront area so beloved by our residents and tourists. In addition to perfect strolls on the Mighty Mississippi, it will contain new facilities serving the Port of New Orleans and a new cruise ship terminal. This is definitely one of the most exciting things planned and you can check it out here.

5. Broadway South is an initiative to bring world class theatre and related ventures to New Orleans and other locales in Louisiana. This is another venture that Jane and I are personally involved in and look forward to the revitalization of the theatre district along and around Canal Street. Click here for more info on the initiative.

These are just some of the many ventures we're seeing down here. For all of you outside the area, we can't wait to have you back as these projects are completed.

The rents in New Orleans are ridiculous surrounding the University areas. Maybe not compared to New York, but they've skyrocketed post-Katrina. A pleasant unexpected surprise is incoming students (often with parental help) are choosing to buy small condos as an alternative. Sometimes even larger ones where they rent out the extra bedrooms. In any case, these youngsters are making more saavy decisions in this vibrant market than some of the more seasoned folks I've been working with lately. Good for them and good for our market. Have all of you in other university markets experienced this? Are we late comers to this strategy?

Visit Troy Jowers to find all sorts of general info on your New Orleans and Northshore Louisiana real estate needs at www.MyNewOrleansRealtor.com.