Chattanooga, TN

If you are going to sell your present home or buy your first home, the market conditions will play a crucial role in determining the asking price and or offering price. Market conditions change constantly, so it is important that you get solid advice from a professional who is familiar with your specific area.

A good real estate agent will know how houses in your area are selling, as well as the other factors that may influence the sale. Nearby commercial developments such as the new VW plant, which may create congestion and noise, may also mean a greater demand for housing from people who will be working in the new office buildings and or new manufacturing facilities. A new road expansion that cuts commuting time could make your home more valuable but highways close by can be an issue with the price. The economic conditions have a strong impact on the real estate market. Real estate professionals can help you consider all of the issues and assist you in setting a fair price for your home.

Currently our market here in the TN Valley has dipped seasonally down just under what the market was this same time period last year. In general the country has been seeing a buyer's market for most of the year. A buyers market exist when there are more sellers than buyers and or when sellers aggressively compete for buyers by offering incentives such as lower prices, and or paying closing cost. But here in the TN Valley our market has been mixed and this is when a professional real estate agent can really make a difference for you. You can have a buyer's market in one price range or in one niche area and in the adjoining niche area or community a full blown seller's market can exists side by side. A sellers market exists when you have more sellers than buyers and or when sellers place their homes for sale for economic gain rather than because they have to! This condition will soon exists maybe starting fall of 2010 as VW plant employs begin to move into the area. A real estate professional can guide you thru this confusing maze of price, and location, mapping out for you where the best deals are and why you should pay more or why you should offer less for the same home in different locations.

We have two events taking place here in the TN Valley right now side by side! Event one a seller's market! If you are a seller and or a buyer in the first time buyers market it is critical that you have your home for sale NOW and if you are buying it is critical that you make your best offer NOW! as the $8000 dollar tax credit for first time buyers will soon be gone forever! This condition makes the value for homes under $150,000 and more specifically under $130,000 slightly into the seller's market, and yes buyers you will pay slightly higher than you would normally have to pay but already our inventory for houses in this price range has been so reduced that it is difficult to find a home for existing buyers. But the $8000 dollar tax credit should more than make up the little extra you forked over to the seller during this time. Event two is a buyer's market! If you're not in the first time home buyers category and you are not buying in the Ooltewah area near the VW plant then most likely you as a buyer have the upper edge advantage over the seller but you will not want to wait much longer as many sellers are holding off placing their property for sale due to winter months in hopes that spring and the VW plant will bring better offers and higher prices. I mentioned the Ooltewah area as an exclusion because it is not quite a buyer's market, nor is it a seller's market, it's at the cross roads right now of the two markets. I expect that it will stay more or less this way thru the winter with a seasonal winter time dip in sales but overall the expectation for Ooltewah area is that it will remain a more solid and sellers will not be so quick to reduce the price or take lower offers.

If you are buyer or a seller now is the time to seek out your favorite real estate agent for their expertise in the local market. An initial counseling session is always a great idea. If you are a buyer the agent can set down with you and review the process and help connect you with a lender that is best suited for your needs, that way when it's time to make your offer your ready to with confidence move forward. If you are a seller an agent can design a custom marketing plan and discuss preparing your house for the market so that it will be competitive with other comparable listings. Setting the price is always the hardest part of the listing process a real estate professional can offer advice on how to price your home to accomplish your goals and moving schedule.

Don't hesitate to call Me (Your Face Book Friend) to discuss your buying and or selling needs in today's complicated market. Consultation is free and with 24 years of experience its time well spent.

Darwin White

RE/MAX Properties

423-894-2900 or call me on my cell phone at 423-421-4111.

Bring your chairs, coolers and tents and get ready for the Glenwood Jazz Festival!

Featuring local and regional artists along with food vendors and kids activities, this weekend marks a great opportunity to celebrate some of Glenwood's cultural heritage and have a good time all at once.

Here's the lineup:

1:00 Spectrum

2:00 LaFredrick Thirkill & Company

3:00 The Crumps

4:00 Monday Night Big Band

5:00 Dexter Bell Friends featuring Janan (from Atlanta)

6:00 Open Jazz Jam Session

7:00 Marques Dodson Trio featuring Ricard Edy

8:00 Kelle Jolly and Company

All the fun is happening in Historic Glenwood behind Parkridge Hospital.

The Chattanooga National Cemetery is a beautiful and awe inspiring place. Founded during the Civil War to bury the Union dead who were killed at the Battle for Chattanooga, it is the largest national cemetery in Tennessee.

Located on the edge of the Highland Park neighborhood at the corner of Bailey & Holtzclaw Avenues, this is a wonderful place to come to reflect on our nation's history, particularly in the quiet of sunrise, when this photo was taken.

Click here for more information about the cemetery and its history.

That's the call I got this morning from the buyer's agent for a house that I have listed (and under contract). We are supposed to close in a couple of weeks and she wanted to know if there was anyway that we could come to an occupancy agreement so that the buyer could go ahead and get out of his waterlogged abode.

I think everyone here has just about had it with rain, Active or otherwise!

Photo taken from WRCB TV

Before there were historic homes in Chattanooga, there was, well, history. Nowhere is that more evident than along Missionary Ridge.

On the morning of November 25, 1863, General US Grant's Union Army began its attack on Confederate General Braxton Bragg and his troops which occupied Missionary Ridge and the slopes below. The Union victory here was decisive, leaving strategic Chattanooga firmly in the hands of the Northern Army and set the stage for the march to Atlanta by General Sherman. Many monuments to the fallen & victorious remain along the Crest Road, which is divided into North Crest and South Crest.

The historic nature of the homes, many of which were built in the early to mid 20th century, along with stunning views of either downtown Chattanooga or the Brainerd area and beyond - sometimes both! - makes this a prime area for estate homes.

Think you might want to live on 'the Ridge' and have a civil war cannon in your front yard? Click here to see homes currently for sale.