What could be a more fitting time to talk about bones than Halloween? Or in this case - bone marrow. I registered several years ago to be available for bone marrow donations. If I could, I’d offer to little Angel who is the face behind Nashville’s bone marrow drive in November.

Angel is my broker’s niece by marriage and it’s on her behalf that the First Annual Nashville Marrow Registry Drive is being held on Thursday, November 12th and Saturday, November 14th. On the 12th, you can go to the Rhythm Condos located at 1510 Demonbreun Street in Nashville between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. If you can’t make it that day, on the 14th from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., you can go to Riverfront Park in Nashville for the First Annual “I Run for the Party” 1/2 Marathon & Bone Marrow Drive Day.

According to the flyer, the course begins at Riverfront Park downtown and continues through Germantown Metro Center, the new Green Way paths along the river and finishes back where it started in the heart of downtown Nashville. You can register online for the 1/2 marathon at I Run for the Party.

Go ahead and register to be a donor! Do it for Angel. Do it for yourself.

Posted by:Kathy Tyson

Waiting to hear if the extension for the first-time homebuyers will make it through vote.

For more information, Click Here.

Posted by:Tammy Carroll, CRP, GMS, RCC, WRS

Feel let down?

You believed in something.

But learned it was a hoax.

There is no hot air here.

We give you the information you never thought to ask:

Check the CLUE Report to see what insurance claims have been made on the house you’re buying.

We give you the information that no one else is brave enough to say:

Clean up your front yard or no buyer will even stop to look at your house.

We speak honestly:

Dude, just because you’re qualified by the lender to buy a $200,000 house, will your other expenses allow you to make that kind of mortgage payment?

We speak with integrity:

Your earnest money will be placed in an escrow account for safekeeping.

We speak the truth:

If you try to sell now, you’ll have to bring money to the table at closing. Perhaps you should wait another year and give the market a chance to recover.

We speak on your behalf:

Yes, get a home inspection even if it’s new construction.

You CAN believe in something, because there is no hot air here. Call me today at (615) 491-2161 to learn more about buying or selling real estate in LaVergne, Smyrna, Nashville, or Murfreesboro!

By the way, if you really are interested in going for a ride in a hot air balloon, there are several companies in Nashville and the surrounding area who give rides. The one that displayed the least expensive price was Aerostation Limited. Click Here for more information!

Posted by:Kathy Tyson

Social networking is just that, social. Make the connection and build on relationships. One of the benefits of social networking is reconnecting with old friends, classmates, coworkers, neighbors and acquaintances. It’s a great way to re-establish relationships to include in a business plan to grow business. In today’s world of on-line communities there are hundreds of social networking avenues where you can have a voice. They function like an online community of internet users with common interests. Once you are connected you can begin to socialize with others on the site and is a great way to share information about one’s business or product.

To learn more about social networking ~ Click Here:

I have used social networking to stay in touch with past clients, friends and have been introduced to several new people. It has been fun to hear from past friends from around the world. My family lived in Panama Canal Zone for several years and I’ve had the opportunity to re-unite with several classmates as well. I’ve even gotten one of my classmates connected to a Realtor in another city where they bought their first home. This Christmas holiday one of my friends from the Canal Zone is coming to Nashville with their family. We haven’t seen one another since 1975 and plan to spend time getting reacquainted and begin a new season in our friendship. All from just a short search on a website.

Posted by:Tammy Carroll, CRP, GMS, RCC, WRS

While I don’t dress up for Halloween anymore, I do so enjoy hearing the stories of odd bumps in the night, about the lady in the wedding dress at the side of the road, or the soldiers dressed in the Union Blue or Confederate Gray at the old battlefield.

This, of course, is the best time of the year to hear ghost stories. One of my friends - Aunt B. - is posting a new ghost story every day at her blog site. She has interviewed countless people in the Middle Tennessee and Nashville area and then is beautifully retelling the stories about invisible children laughing, women weeping, graves moved. Click here for more info.

We have plenty of ghost stories in Middle Tennessee, for sure. In a couple of weeks - October 26 and 27 - you can come to Smyrna, Tennessee and visit the Sam Davis Home to hear the tales from this historical home. And there are plenty of stories like this accounting from the Murfreesboro Post, for example: murfreesboropost.com

On this day, Elkins remembers unlocking the outside doors of the home and turning off the alarm in preparation for a day of tours.

When he unlocked the front door, Elkins suddenly realized there was a noise coming from inside the house.

“I stopped to listen,” he said. “It was unmistakable. It sounded like someone weeping.”

Then he began walking towards the formal parlor in the front of the house, where he expected the noise was coming from. When he was just outside the door to the room, the noise stopped. There was no one in the room.

You can read more about some of our weird activities at the Nashville Ghost and Paranormal Investigators site. As for me, I’m going to focus on staying away from these things that wig me out!

Posted by:Kathy Tyson

The price is right (free!) this Saturday for two separate events being held in Middle Tennessee: Depot Days in Smyrna and free music at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville.

Depot Days

Smyrna will host the third annual Depot Days from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm in the heart of downtown on Front Street. In addition to local business booths, you will find food, crafts, and games for the kids.

According to Historic Smyrna,

Local bands and entertainer’s will be playing through out the day, live MC/DJ, plus karaoke for those who wish to showcase their singing talent. Between 4:00pm-5:00pm there is a talent contest that the attendee’s will be able to vote who has the best talent in Smyrna. Entertainment signups are during the day at Depot Day.

Free Day of Music

Beginning at 10:00 a.m. in the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville, free music will be available throughout the day. According to the Nashville Symphony web page,

This celebration will feature more than two dozen performances by a diverse array of local ensembles, all completely free of charge. It’s a valuable opportunity to make great music accessible to Nashvillians from all walks of life — a powerful idea that’s at the very heart of the Nashville Symphony’s mission.

If you plan well, you may be able to attend both events this Saturday - another reason Middle Tennessee is a great place to call home!

Posted by:Kathy Tyson

Every year about this time I start thinking about the new upcoming year. Looking back over what we’ve accomplished this year, where our business came from and how we served our clients at Bob Parks Realty. It’s sort of scary sometimes and can be overwhelming, but it’s satisfying when you find some quiet time to reflect. When I look at the statistics on paper it helps me plan and understand how we can serve our clients in the real estate market today. I was taught early on, “Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan.” Seems to work!

We have many opportunities to work with buyers and sellers from around the world who may be relocating. This year has taught us to look in unusual places to find clients. It has taught us to pay attention to the smallest of details and not just skim over the top of our business. Digging and working for business teaches us allot of lessons ~ tenacity for one. Never give up! In reflecting and planning for 2010, it is important to understand there is a process for success. It’s hard work, building relationships, listening to the client, understanding what their needs may be and anticipating how we might serve them. That’s my favorite thing to do!

In studying thoughts from Steve Harney with Steve Harney, Inc. he shares lots of information about the real estate industry today and how it is changing. He has a great plan of “Top 5 Things a Realtors Must Do In October”…for more details click here.

One of the suggestions is to understand more than just the “absorption rate” but understand the “accumulation rate”. This suggestion made me stop and think for a second, it’s a great suggestion. We must look at future inventory coming to the market and determine what that inventory will do to pricing. After all, it’s all about positioning and pricing in the marketplace to get a property sold in a timely fashion…

Steve has suggested great tips we plan to follow within our Bob Parks Realty Corporate Real Estate Services Department. We plan to have our ducks in a row and be ready for 2010! The market is looking up and we look forward to a great real estate market in Nashville Tennessee..

Posted by:Tammy Carroll, CRP, GMS, RCC, WRS